Amy Oliver Show: Boosting Math and Science Success in Colorado
The National Math and Science Initiative’s Gregg Fleisher talks about his group’s remarkable success helping students pass AP tests, a result that’s beginning to show up in the Colorado schools where they work. He discusses the attention given to student cash incentives in NMSI’s program, but focuses more on the critical training and support given to teachers.
K-12 Education System as Jobs Program? Let’s Agree on Something Better
In a lot of the debates Colorado has had about school funding (and more are sure to be had), the question lurking in the back of my mind is: What do we want our education system to be? What do we want it to do? Well, a new study from the Friedman Foundation for Educational […]
Parent Trigger Concept Doesn’t Need Discrimination against For-Profit Operators
A few weeks ago I shared with you about a “parent trigger” debate triggered by the release of the movie Won’t Back Down. In that discussion, New Schools for New Orleans’ Neerav Kingsland argued that “the best parent trigger is parent choice between non-governmental school operators.”
Yesterday another division erupted in the “parent trigger” discussion between […]
Antonucci Deconstructs Chicago Teachers Union President’s Post-Strike Answers
Call me lazy. Call me a copycat. Call me whatever you want (“sticks and stones,” and all that…). Just read this insightful piece by Mike Antonucci that unpacks the answers of Chicago Teachers Union president Karen Lewis in a post-strike retrospective interview. His piece reminds us that democracy applies more broadly than to union actions, […]
Amy Oliver Show: DPS Removes Controversial Evaluation Language
Education Policy Center director Pam Benigno tells how Denver Public Schools has backed away from language promoting student social activism, and highlights the opportunity for others to expose absurdity in the education system and win a scholarship through the Citizen Journalism project.
Colo. Teachers Union Members Automatically Funding False, Malicious Political Ads
Many Colorado teachers may be unknowingly funding a political group under government investigation and private legal complaint for creating multiple “negative ads were filled with outrageous and unfounded claims.”
An article by Colorado Media Trackers highlights the detestable activities of the 527 group Colorado Accountable Government Alliance (CAGA). The Colorado Education Association’s small donor “Public […]
Backpack Funding Could Bridge Colorado’s K-12 Digital Learning Divide
Checker Finn and Michael Horn take on the chicken-and-egg question: Will the transformative technology of digital learning unleash itself, or does major work need to be done overhauling K-12 policies and institutions first? Wherever you place the emphasis, at the end of this Education Next debate, we ought to be able to agree the time has come to let the money follow the student to the course level.
Ridiculous: Mich. School Districts Defy Reform Law with $1 Teacher Bonuses
Far too often the world of K-12 education seems like a venture into the ridiculous. Forget the sublime. Some of us would be happy with a handful of common sense. But there’s also a good practical lesson for school reformers in a new from Michigan Capitol Confidential story highlighting a couple school districts’ sarcastic approach […]
Denver Post Adds a Little Institute Balance to School Tax Hike Coverage
When you’re a Colorado reporter looking for a somewhat different point of view on major local school tax increases, where do you go? Karen Auge shows that she read my Education Policy Center friend Ben DeGrow’s concise new paper “Colorado K-12 Tax Hikes Challenged” in her story’s third paragraph as she covered the issue in […]
Dougco Moving Forward with Bold Innovations to Performance Pay, Evaluation
A quick Friday hit, thanks to Ed News Colorado, as the local Douglas County paper highlights the reform-minded school board’s progress in implementing performance pay and related upgrades to teacher policies:
While pay for performance isn’t new in Douglas County, the program still under development pushes aside the traditional pay system based on years of experience […]
Colorado Isn’t Alone in Considering School Finance Reform “Grand Bargain”
I’ve shared with you before my concerns about the work of Colorado’s School Finance Partnership — too weighted down by established interests, too vague and unambitious thus far, etc.
The Partnership put out a report in August, but now is transitioning to a series of technical discussions on how to make effective changes to school […]
Amy Oliver Show: Taking Colo. K-12 Parental Involvement to New Level
Karin Piper, executive director of Parent Led Reform, talks about her group’s growing statewide presence as she works to bring parental involvement in K-12 education to a new level. She specifically discusses her opposition to expanding state education bureaucracy and her support of transparent negotiations between school boards and unions.
