Rhee’s “Radical” Book Sparks Renewed Interest in Her Support of Choice
You can forgive a blogger if once in awhile he decides to rehash a little old news, can’t you? Especially if he’s a cute little kid like yours truly? Anyway, long-time readers may be aware of my longtime edu-crush on former DC Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee. You also may recall how excited I was to […]
New AAE Member Survey Shows More Teachers Embrace Education Options
It wasn’t so long ago I pointed you to the results of an Association of American Educators (AAE) member survey to drive home the point that teacher opinion is far from monolithic. Well, the good folks at AAE have done it again, releasing a snapshot of members’ perspectives on a number of school reform issues. […]
National School Choice Week Simply Means More Reasons to Celebrate
I’m sad to see a successful School Choice Week winding down. There are almost too many different options of what to blog about. Rather than exercise a choice and just do one of the items, I’ve decided instead to blitz you with a bunch of neat items to bring to your attention: Of course, don’t […]
A Couple More Weeks of Waiting for School Finance “Grand Bargain” Details
Back in early December my Education Policy Center friends helped put on a State Capitol event, laying out ideas for dramatic “backpack funding” reforms that need to be at the heart of this year’s keystone school finance debates. We’ve been waiting awhile now to see what Senator Johnston’s “Grand Bargain” legislation might look like. I […]
On This Measure of Charter School Laws, Colorado Ranks 4th… Not Bad
Keep those education policy grades a-rollin’ in! Not even two weeks since I shared with you that the Center for Education Reform placed Colorado 10th nationally for the strength of its charter school law, here comes another rating. The ever-growing National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) has released its fourth annual ranking of state […]
Amy Oliver Show: School Choice Week Celebrates Colorado Options
Education Policy Center director Pam Benigno highlights local School Choice Week events and shares how Colorado parents can take responsibility and learn about their educational options. Colorado has a legacy of public school choice through open enrollment, a process through which the Independence Institute’s School Choice for Kids website can help guide parents.
It’s Hard to Get Beyond Emotion in Legislative Debates on School Safety
School safety is a big deal. I don’t write a lot about it, partly because big people say I’m not “mature” enough yet to understand it all. But after hearing one of my Education Policy Center friends interview a school board member about a legislative bill he supports, I had to put a little something […]
Climb (Dance & Tweet) Aboard the National School Choice Week Train with Me
National School Choice Week is almost here! This year the big celebration, spotlighted by a national cross-country Whistle Stop Tour, features more than 1,000 events from coast to coast. Denver events include two education reform movie showings (including one in Spanish) and a discussion about how school choice affects teachers. You also can learn the School Choice Week flash mob dance, and join in the big Tweet Up.
Yes, Colorado Has Lots of Room to Improve How We Prepare Teachers for Job
It sure seems like Colorado education policies are getting graded quite a bit these days. Last week we earned a B from the Center for Education Reform for the quality of our charter school law, which placed us in the top 10 among states. Two weeks ago Students First looked at a whole range of […]
Too Many Elementary Teachers Makes Case for Market-Based Differential Pay
Thanks to Ed News Colorado, my attention today was brought to an interesting Education Week story by Stephen Sawchuk that says colleges of education are graduating too many elementary school teachers:
Finally, the tendency toward oversubscription in the elementary fields is also a function of candidates’ interest, said Amee Adkins, an associate dean of the college […]
Amy Oliver Show: School Choice Week Celebrates Teacher Options
The Professional Association of Colorado Educators’ Tim Farmer discusses how school choice can benefit teachers, along with new legislation (Senate Bill 017) that would allow teachers to opt out of unions and other membership organizations when they see fit.
To Free Up Education Funds, Fix PERA and Offer Scholarship Tax Credits
You know how much I have to restrain myself when it comes to using the “it’s for the kids” mantra, so I simply couldn’t resist quickly bringing your attention to some important new insights from local pension system analyst Joshua Sharf.
With the tongue-in-cheek title “PERA – It’s All for the Kids,” he paints full-color pictures […]
