Could Stopping a Teachers Union Vote Make a New “Hammer” Celebrity?
Last Friday I told you about some Maryland teachers standing up to the union machine and seeking the chance to represent themselves. According to the Education Intelligence Agency’s Mike Antonucci, the story about the Wicomico County Education Association (WCEA)’s attempted breakaway from the state and national union just grows more and more interesting: Upset by […]
A Step Backward on School Transparency
The Denver Post’s editorial concluded that the adoption of House Bill 1292 would make Colorado “a national leader in transparency” for public education. It got the story mostly right.
HB 1292 Transparency Headed for Happy Ending? Good Solution Still Needed
Sometimes it’s fun to be the odd man out in a heated discussion, to throw up your arms, and shout, “You’re all wrong!” Whether you’re able to change any minds, well, that’s another story. This time it’s my Education Policy Center friend Ben DeGrow writing a short response to the Denver Post‘s glowing editorial in […]
Breath of Fresh Air: Teachers Stand Up Against Tenure Lawsuit, Union Bullying
It’s a special Friday. For various reasons, you probably have, or at least should have, other things to think about than what I might tell you about the world of K-12 education. But here are a couple observations to share that remind us all teachers are not in lockstep with a certain group’s efforts to […]
Cheering for New Hampshire Kids to Win Their Day in (the Supreme) Court
Welcome aboard, Little Eddie’s Virtual Airlines. Yesterday we made a landing in Kansas while skillfully avoiding the munchkins. Today the blog wheels touch down in the Northeast, where oral arguments in an important state supreme court case very recently took place. Back in 2012 New Hampshire became one of the 13 (soon to be 14) […]
Amy Oliver Show: Jeffco School Board Steps Forward
Jeffco school board director John Newkirk deflates some myths surrounding the new board majority’s work to raise student achievement, reward new and high-quality teachers, increase transparency, and fund students fairly.
How to Avoid the Munchkins: A Little Tenure Reform Advice for Kansas
The teachers union may have ordered the death of its own bill to weaken mutual consent for teacher placement. But HB 1268‘s twin, the CEA’s lawsuit to enshrine tenure protections as a state constitutional right, lives on. Meanwhile, a glimpse across the eastern border reveals the winds surrounding this debate are blowing in a very […]
Large-Scale Class Size Reduction Doesn’t Work: More Moderation, Please
A wise person once told me: Everything in moderation… including moderation. I’ve spent years trying to make complete sense out of that, but the point is some people can go overboard with certain ideas. That’s just as true in the education policy arena as anywhere else. One of those discussions surrounds the happy talk of […]
The Truth About Class Size Reduction: Problems, Examples, and Alternatives
Throughout the United States, class size reduction (CSR) is heralded as an effective way to improve academic outcomes. However, the research surrounding the effects of CSR is inconclusive at best. It is often difficult to determine the reliability of the studies conducted on the topic, and much of the research wavers between small, temporary academic gains in certain student groups and no gains at all.
Testing, Data Issues around Common Core Alive and Kicking in Colorado
Four weeks ago I posed the question: Are the wheels starting to come off Common Core in Colorado? It seems no less to be the case now than it did then. As I’ve stated before, the real concern comes down to limiting federal influence in our K-12 schools. On the other side of the equation, […]
Amy Oliver Show: Greeley Dives into Blended Learning
Judy Bauernschmidt from the Colorado eLearning Collaborative talks about the unfolding project in Greeley Public Schools that will bring blended learning school models across the district over the next several years.
Another ADM Study? HB 1292 Student Success Act Soap Opera Plays Rerun
The political soap opera of Colorado K-12 education is hard enough to watch. When you add in a rerun, it’s even harder to stomach. Today the state house adopted on 2nd reading House Bill 1292, known popularly as the “Student Success Act.” My modest hopes for this proposal focused on moving Colorado to a student-focused […]
