National Association for Reading First Gives Practical Guidance to Teachers
Educators need to be aware of the best available scientific research on how to teach reading and how to implement those ideas in the classroom. The National Association for Reading First is dedicated to “bridging scientific research and classroom practice to increase student literacy achievement,” by promoting and disseminating applied scientific research-to-practice information to guide effective […]
Douglas County's Home-Grown Teachers: The Learning Center Waiver Program
Seeking a creative solution to shortages in various teaching positions, Douglas County School District received a waiver from the state of Colorado to license and train its own teachers through the Learning Center. The district currently is able to license teachers in areas such as math, science, and world languages; to provide special education endorsements to teachers in other specialties; and to equip unlicensed professionals with the basic skills to teach more highly specialized courses to high schoolers. The waiver is scheduled to be renewed at the end of 2008, contingent on Douglas County meeting certain performance goals.
Unions: Minority Rule
Some pundits and hopeful partisans speculate that our upcoming national election may see less apathy among younger voters.
Fighting Back Against Classroom Indoctrination
Maureen Martin, senior fellow for legal affairs at the Heartland Institute, tells how man-made climate change theories are being presented in American classrooms without opposing views, even after the British High Court found 11 scientific errors in Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth.” Parents and taxpayers facing such instances of classroom indoctrination are urged to contact Martin for free legal assistance.
A Conservative Solution to Big Labor's Dominance in the Political Process
Teachers unions and other labor groups do not deserve special treatment under our state’s election laws, even if some judges seem determined to give it to them.
Louisiana Gives Students More Educational Choice
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal signed into law a bill that provides low-income families in failing public schools the opportunity to receive scholarships to attend participating nonpublic schools.
Independent Thinking: Public Education Success Stories
Watch this 3-part YouTube replay of the June 13 episode of Independent Thinking with host Jon Caldara. While there is plenty of bad news surrounding the public education system, some of its success stories are the theme of the newly-released documentary Flunked hosted by Joe Mantegna. Executive producer Steven Maggi and Education Policy Center Director Pamela Benigno highlight some of these incredible schools with their courageous leaders and lessons for other schools.
A Second Look at K-12 Cash: Updating the Facts about Per-Pupil Spending in Colorado
A follow-up to the 2006 report “Counting the Cash”, this publication highlights reported statistics to provide needed context to the debate about K-12 education funding.
Denver Public Schools Sick Out
The May 27 Denver public school teacher sickout has thus far elicited many different responses. Most of which take some form of disgust. What kind of an effect did the sickout have on our children? What exactly were the teachers so upset about that caused them to abandon their kids? And finally, what if any sort of punishment might the teachers who feigned sickness receive? Tune in as Jon Caldara and Education Policy Center director Pam Benigno answer these questions and discuss the issues surrounding this case.
"Flunked: The Movie" Comes to Colorado
Steve Maggi of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation discusses his group’s entertaining new documentary Flunked, which tells some amazing education success stories to highlight the current shortcomings of America’s public school system and ways it can change. Flunked makes its Colorado debut on Wednesday, May 21. Information on the event is available at the Independence Institute website.
Teachers Unions and State Capitols: Close Neighbors
Dr. Jay P. Greene, head of the University of Arkansas Department of Education Reform, discusses his original research measuring the proximity of different lobbying group headquarters to Capitol buildings in all 50 states. Find out why he thinks teachers unions are closer than any other interest groups to State Capitols, as Dr. Greene unveils his new and unique education blog: jaypgreene.com.
Colorado Students Progress Assessed
The 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) writing results are in! Where do Colorado 8th graders compare to the rest of the country? More importantly, has the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) help to improve our rankings since its inception in 1997. Tune in as Ben DeGrow and Education Center Director Pam Benigno discuss the NAEP results and the progress of Colorado’s students.
