EDUCATION - Blogs - Independence Institute

Can’t Get Enough Productivity: Charter Schools Doing More with Less 0
- July 22, 2014
If “productivity” is really a dirty word for education, as some critics would like us to believe, maybe that explains why I feel the overwhelming urge to write about it for the second time in less than a week. A kind of “forbidden fruit” thing, you know. Or maybe the connection just was too easy […]
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Argue Policy, Not Philosophy 0
- July 21, 2014
Some things don’t mix well. Mustard and chocolate cake, seafood and ice cream, bacon and vegetables—all of these make me wrinkle my nose. As it turns out, hard-nosed philosophy and education policy also do not make a good pair. Last week, Andy Smarick wrote about the problems that arise when philosophical views collide with education […]
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Douglas County, Falcon 49, Eaton Top Colorado in K-12 Productivity 0
- July 18, 2014
For some people, the term “productivity” doesn’t belong in K-12 education discussions. They think it’s too scary because it sounds like businesses that make money by selling goods or services. And we know that while education could learn a few more things from the competitive world of independent businesses, the two spheres don’t perfectly equate. […]
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Blended Learning Takes Flight in Colo. Districts: How High Will It Soar?0
- July 17, 2014
The great blended learning experiment continues its historic ascension in our beautiful Rocky Mountain state. Independence Institute education senior fellow Krista Kafer has documented it better than anyone. Last year it was The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning in Colorado. Apparently, the not-so-long-ago, cutting-edge sphere of blended learning has not just made it past the […]
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Can Someone Help Me Understand this Third Way on Masters Bumps?0
- July 15, 2014
It’s been awhile, but one of my favorite K-12 topics to share with you is the need to change the practice of automatic pay raises for master’s degrees. As recently as 2011, the high-quality research was unanimous (34-0) on the ineffectiveness of awarding teachers masters degrees. As recently as last month, it remains “one of […]
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Union Leaders Miss Bus as Union Bus (Thankfully) Misses Me 0
- July 14, 2014
Usually I’m reluctant to cross into the intersection of education policy and national politics. But when I do, I lean heavily on the trusted big people in my life to walk me across the busy lanes of scary-looking traffic. The aftermath of the NEA Assembly in Denver is one of those times when I’m reaching […]
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