Lawsuit to Protect Tenure Over Students Makes CEA Not Only Wrong But Lonely
Have you ever stuck your neck out there, the only one in the crowd choosing something different from everyone else, and then gave the wrong answer? That must be a little bit what CEA leaders feel like as they actively challenge a policy that keeps ineffective teachers out of classrooms. To put the icing on the cake, they announced their lawsuit and legislation right in the middle of National School Choice Week, a celebration of quality educational options for students.
Amy Oliver Show: Thompson School Board Looks to Overcome Manufactured Controversy
Robert Rumfelt of Liberty Watch explains how opponents of reform in Thompson School District have manufactured a controversy against the new conservative school board majority, making it as far as the pages of the Denver Post.
CEA Missteps with Anti-SB 191 Challenge
Plans to publicly challenge Colorado’s educator evaluation law show the priorities of the state’s largest teachers union stand directly opposed to what students need, Independence Institute education analysts say.
Students, Families Need Less Mandate, More Education Freedom from Feds
If you think the federal government has a benign effect on Colorado education, then you’re just not paying attention. Look at all the fuel it’s thrown onto the fire of the Common Core debate — here in Colorado and elsewhere. The U.S. Department of Education’s work of linking Common Core to the federal Race to […]
School Choice Week Kicks Off; Good Luck Trying to Contain My Excitement
The excitement around here is palpable (that means you can feel it). The fun, wild ride known as National School Choice Week has kicked off with a big bipartisan rally in Texas and big kids donned in yellow scarves ringing the opening bell at the New York Stock Exchange: Hey, it’s not every day that […]
Good News for a Friday: More Colorado Kids Graduate High School On Time
What better time to talk about good news than a Friday? Chalkbeat Colorado reports that the number of students completing high school on time is moving in the right direction: The state’s graduation rate for the class of 2013 increased by 1.5 percentage points to 76.9 percent — the same increment of change as the […]
“All Aboard” with Blended Learning and My Future “Learning Engineer” Career
When was the last time you asked a kid, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and got the answer: “A Learning Engineer!” If you’re being honest, you likely would say it’s never happened. But maybe that all will begin to change soon. Rick Hess and Bror Saxberg give life to the […]
Amy Oliver Show: Colo. Teachers Weigh In on Education Issues
Tim Farmer from the Professional Association of Colorado Educators discusses teachers’ perspectives on School Choice Week, education funding, teacher licensure, and open union negotiations.
Dougco Collision on Testing and Accountability Could Rattle Reform Debate
Have you ever watched a scene in an action movie (in my case, one that’s obviously edited for younger viewers to enjoy) where two cars, or trains, or planes are on a collision course? The characters in the movie may not realize what’s coming, but everyone watching in the theater or at home can sense […]
Colorado and Washington, DC: A Tale of Two School Principal Evaluation Systems
Crafting policy often can be much more art than science. Several years back research showed us that educator evaluation systems were not making meaningful distinctions, and that 98 or 99 percent of teachers were rated effective on a two-tier scale. As a result of such findings, the move to update evaluations has been a big […]
Jeffco Middle School STEM Discussion Makes Me Scratch My Head
Last night little Eddie was able to drop in on a school board meeting for what was until recently the largest school district in Colorado. That’s right. The Jeffco Board of Education took the show out into the community, coming to the people and giving residents a chance to sign up online to make public […]
I’ll Stick My Toe into the Fordham-Cato School Choice Argument… for Five Minutes
There’s nothing quite like taking a step into no man’s land, wandering into an argument between friends. A lot of us are on the school choice bandwagon together, but that certainly doesn’t mean everyone has the same views of what a program should look like. The Fordham Institute this week unveiled its “public accountability and […]
