Little Eddie Digs Out After the 2015 Legislative Session
The 2015 legislative session ended last week, and I have no doubt you are all eagerly awaiting a report on the progress made—or lack thereof. Luckily for you, I have been diligently digging through the aftermath of the 2015’s education battles just as I help dad shovel snow after a big storm. With a whopping […]
Colorado, Time to Observe National Charter Schools Week Eddie-Style
It’s a little bittersweet writing near the end of National Charter Schools Week, a couple short days after Colorado’s legislative session concluded with very little progress made on behalf of choice and fair funding. (Nor does all the wet, gray, gloomy weather help, either!) Looking back, though, the week kicked off with a great Watchdog […]
Thompson Stands Up for Change
Some famous guy at some point in history once said that the hardest part of any effort is taking the first step. How right he was. Even at the tender age of five, I can tell you that it’s hard to do big, scary, important stuff. But you don’t need to take my word for […]
Amazing Day to Appreciate Teachers and Celebrate Seven Years at Age 5
With a legislative session wrapping up today, and some big school board meetings going down this week, I feel like my little head is underwater. Which makes it a perfect time to step back and briefly express my amazement. Amazed at what, you ask? In honor of National Teacher Appreciation Day, it only seems fitting […]
Drumroll, Please: The Great Testing Debate of 2015 Nears Conclusion
This is it, my friends. We have entered the final phase of the Great Testing Debate of 2015 as the legislature speeds toward the finish line. We’ve been talking about testing since the session began back in January (and even before then), but it looks like we’re nearing the end of the discussion. While we […]
Broad Brush “Limited Impact” Claim Vindicates Progress of Prop 104
Last week I posted a case study from the Thompson School District, an example of how NOT to negotiate an employee agreement. Just because the popularly enacted Prop 104 has opened the door on these negotiations doesn’t guarantee that they will be conducted effectively, at least not on the first try. That isn’t to say […]
NEA President Reminds Us That Education Policy Belongs in Legislatures, Not Courts
I don’t want to write about the teachers union today. I already did that this week, and it resulted in a whole bunch of grownups calling me and my friend Ross Izard ugly names. When I told Ross, he just laughed and said “If you’re catching flak, you’re over the target.” I don’t really know […]
High-Stakes Game of Legislative Testing Chicken Nears Point of No Return
There’s nothing quite like the last-minute drama of a Colorado legislative session to fire up the creative juices. Last year at this time, I imagined the crazy showdown over transparency in the Student Success Act as an old gangster film. This time around, the big looming education issue is what to do about testing. No […]
Education Goal Should Be Less Testing, Better Accountability
This legislative session’s monumental education debate has Colorado policymakers walking a dangerous tightrope. To benefit today’s K-12 students, they must promote wise policy that does not lean too far in either direction.
How Not to Negotiate: Thompson’s Tepid Tentative Agreement
Last week, we dove into the ongoing ugliness in Thompson School District. The highlight of that post was CEA’s bogus petition against the board majority’s attempts to draft clearer MOU for negotiation. Certainly, CEA’s involvement in the district is a major issue and seriously alters the calculus as negotiations move forward. Reform board members were […]
Compared with Real Samples, Dougco Union Survey Proves a Major Flop
Ironically, regular blogging here can make me grow up fast. While remaining perpetually 5 years old, I have learned the need to develop a healthy sense of skepticism. Otherwise, it might be time to start believing in time warps and magical survey fairies. Jane Reuter of the Douglas County News-Press reports on last week’s hocus […]
Yes, It’s Hard to Be Humble — for Education Reformers and for This Blog
There have been more than a few times when I’ve gloated about an awesome blog idea that came to life here. On some occasions, my Education Policy Center friends warned me not to “get a big head.” At first, I was worried they meant little Eddie might turn out like this guy. Later I figured […]
