Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Washington Post Message To Board Of Ed
Drop dead.
And I found this very interesting comment by political commentator Mark Plotkin made during a Washington Post on-line chat yesterday:
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And I found this very interesting comment by political commentator Mark Plotkin made during a Washington Post on-line chat yesterday:
The Fenty plan will pass and Mr. Janey will be gone.Washington, D.C.: Mark, do you think that Bob Bobb has the political skill and savvy to thwart Mayor Fenty's plan to do a Michael Bloomberg/Joel Klein takeover of the public school system by its passage of an aggressive internal reform package? Do you think that Bobb's aggressive movement will place enough City Council members in doubt to make Fenty's campaign pledge melt away?
Mark Plotkin: The votes are not there at this point for Bob Bobb's plan. I would like to ask Mr. Bobb many questions, but the incompetence of his office does not permit a prompt return of phone calls -- even parents who are supportive of his position do not hear back from him.
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Tuesday, January 30, 2007
The Wrong Side Of History
Theola Labbe of the Washington Post says that the D.C. Board of Education unanimously approved legislation that would allow them to maintain their oversight of DCPS. The bill would have to be approved by the D.C. Council.
Remember when the Berlin Wall came down and people rushed West instead of East. Those that tried to hold their population as prisoners were on the wrong side of history.
So too is the D.C. Board of Education. The tipping point has been reached.
Goodbye Board of Ed. Time for a new approach for the train wreck that is D.C.P.S.
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Remember when the Berlin Wall came down and people rushed West instead of East. Those that tried to hold their population as prisoners were on the wrong side of history.
So too is the D.C. Board of Education. The tipping point has been reached.
Goodbye Board of Ed. Time for a new approach for the train wreck that is D.C.P.S.
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Monday, January 29, 2007
Milton Friedman Day
According to Dan Balz of the Washington Post, Senator Clinton did not do so well on her first trip to Iowa this weekend. The only part I saw on television was her call for universal healthcare coverage.
So in order to get the Clinton years back out of our collective systems please join in on the celebration of the life of Milton Friedman. A summary of events are here.
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So in order to get the Clinton years back out of our collective systems please join in on the celebration of the life of Milton Friedman. A summary of events are here.
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Sunday, January 28, 2007
The New York Experience
For those rooting for the Fenty Plan pay attention to what the editors of the New York Times had to say today about their city's experience with it:
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The Regents and State Legislature have been fretting about the cold shoulder the city has shown to parents and communities since soon after legislators gave Mr. Bloomberg full control of the public schools. That’s when the city did away with the longstanding system of 32 community school districts and combined them into 10 regions.One person who is definately against the D.C. school takeover is Councilwoman Carol Schwartz. In a weak editorial appearing in yesterday's Washington Post she makes the case that we should give the current arrangement three more years. To me its amazing that these politicians can sleep at night knowing what is going on in this city regarding DCPS.
It may have saved money, but it also put more distance between the school system and families. Schools Chancellor Joel Klein has promised to rectify those problems. But the new reform, which sweeps away the 10 regions altogether, runs the risk of making the situation worse.
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Only In D.C.
Marc Fisher of the Washington Post reveals that the city government has a new plan for encouraging people in cars to use hands-free devices when talking on their cell phones: billboards explaining the hazards of being distracted when driving. Better not take your eyes off the road to look at the new messages.
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Friday, January 26, 2007
Updated NCLB
Diana Jean Schemo of the New York Times says we are up for even more intrusion of the government over schools as the Bush Administration makes proposals to "fix" the problems with NCLB. The law must be renewed this year.
I cannot even get excited about the ability of localities to increase the number of charter schools. Its all just too much interference.
It all would have been much simpler to say that in return for Title I money schools had to test kids using a national standardized exam and that the results had to be made public.
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I cannot even get excited about the ability of localities to increase the number of charter schools. Its all just too much interference.
It all would have been much simpler to say that in return for Title I money schools had to test kids using a national standardized exam and that the results had to be made public.
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Thursday, January 25, 2007
The State Of The Union
The only thing I liked was his healthcare proposal. Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute agrees. Hear his take on it here.
And no, I did not listen to Jim Webb's remarks. I think he is an idiot.
And thank you god that we don't have to listen to John Kerry anymore.
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And no, I did not listen to Jim Webb's remarks. I think he is an idiot.
And thank you god that we don't have to listen to John Kerry anymore.
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Sunday, January 21, 2007
Supreme Court To Re-Review McCain-Feingold
Now that there are two new members of the U.S. Supreme Court the body will revisit the constitutionality of the McCain Feingold campaign finance law, according to Robert Barnes and Matthew Mosk of the Washington Post. I bet this time they get it right.
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Friday, January 19, 2007
Competing Charter School Authorizers
As opposed to Mr. Fenty, my friend Sara Mead over at the Quick and the Ed has some extemely well thought out ideas regarding how a truly bold Mayor could have had a positive impact on charters as part of his school reform legislation.
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Crazy
I've had my doubts about Mayor Fenty's plan to take over the DCPS but today's Washington Post article by David Nakamura and Nikita Stewart make it seem like is proposal is not really thought out. For example, when Phil Mendelson asked whether the Council could make decisions about curriculum the Mayor said he was not sure.
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Thursday, January 18, 2007
Required Reading
If you have any role in education in this country, or if you are simply interested in how we are teaching today's kids, then you must read the series of articles by Charles Murray that conclude today in OpinionJournal.com. The three pieces represent a continuation of Mr. Murray's work on I.Q. and its relationship to public policy first explored in his controversial book "The Bell Curve."
Commentary 1 looks at educating those with below average intelligence.
Commentary 2 speaks to who should and should not go to college.
Commentary 3 talks about teaching those at the top of the I.Q. scale.
Years ago, Mr. Murray's views on welfare changed the program's structure forever. He may have the same impact on our schools.
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Commentary 1 looks at educating those with below average intelligence.
Commentary 2 speaks to who should and should not go to college.
Commentary 3 talks about teaching those at the top of the I.Q. scale.
Years ago, Mr. Murray's views on welfare changed the program's structure forever. He may have the same impact on our schools.
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Bush Administration Reverses Policy On Wiretaps
In a bizarre change of policy the Bush Administration has decided to end its illegal and unconstitutional policy of listening in on telephone calls without a warrant and without going to the special court established to review such actions.
What happened to all the Republican outrage at the New York Times for revealing that this was going on in the first place?
It appears that the reversal took place simply because U.S. Attorney General Gonzales is scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
If an appearance before Democrats was all it took to get some of our liberties back then perhaps divided government is in the best interest of all of us.
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What happened to all the Republican outrage at the New York Times for revealing that this was going on in the first place?
It appears that the reversal took place simply because U.S. Attorney General Gonzales is scheduled to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
If an appearance before Democrats was all it took to get some of our liberties back then perhaps divided government is in the best interest of all of us.
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Tuesday, January 16, 2007
One Chartering Authority
Theola Labbe of the Washington Post has an article today about reaction by Board of Education authorized charter schools concerning Mayor Fenty's proposal to have them report to the D.C. Public Charter School Board.
They don't like the idea, and have come up with a unique argument against it.
In D.C. there has always been two chartering authorities and everyone knew which one was tough and which one was easy when it came to having your school approved. The same was true of which body was more demanding regarding reporting requirements. The William E. Doar, Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing Arts chose to be under the D.C. Public Charter School Board because of their reputation. We wanted to be held to high standards.
The article does make come excellent points when it comes to the lack of transparency of the D.C. Charter School Board. I'm sure Mr. Nida will move them in a more open direction.
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They don't like the idea, and have come up with a unique argument against it.
Norman Johnson, executive director of the Integrated Design and Electronics Academy (IDEA) charter school, said he applied to the school board 10 years ago because he wanted to be accountable to the local elected body. "Parents still want to talk to an elected board about their issues," said Johnson, whose school opened in 1998. "When you have an elected board, you get people who represent people."As I explained to Ms. Labbe, I think they have drummed up this excuse. The real reason that these schools do not want to be under the D.C. Public Charter School Board is that for once they will be held accountable for what they do.
In D.C. there has always been two chartering authorities and everyone knew which one was tough and which one was easy when it came to having your school approved. The same was true of which body was more demanding regarding reporting requirements. The William E. Doar, Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing Arts chose to be under the D.C. Public Charter School Board because of their reputation. We wanted to be held to high standards.
The article does make come excellent points when it comes to the lack of transparency of the D.C. Charter School Board. I'm sure Mr. Nida will move them in a more open direction.
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Sunday, January 14, 2007
Ayn Rand (Movie) Makes New York Times
Kimberly Brown of the New York Times today chronicles the on-again off-again efforts to make a movie of "Atlas Shrugged." I am confident it will happen. Great picture of Ayn Rand is part of the story
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Friday, January 12, 2007
A Real Libertarian Running For President
Brian Doherty of Reason Magazine has the news that Ron Paul, Republican Texas Congressman and former Libertarian Party presidential candidate, has formed an exploratory committee as a first step to running for President as a Republican in 2008. This should make things interesting.
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Monday, January 08, 2007
Catholic School Rasing Standardized Test Scores
Exciting article in today's Washington Post regarding Catholic schools in the city and their ability to raise student test scores as measured by the Terra Nova exam.
My thought is that if they can do it so can the rest of us involved in the charter school movement in D.C., expecially at the William E. Doar, Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing Arts.
The Terra Nova exam is produced by CTB/McGraw-Hill. I thought that this was the test that DCPS administered in 2006 to measure AYP but I am not sure so I went on the school system's web page to find out.
Much to my surprise, or as expected depending on my mood, I could not find any information on the first page about standardized testing. This shows you the emphasis this bunch has regarding student acheivment.
Let's turn this into today's game. Here's the link. See if you can prove me wrong. Send me a note or post a comment if you can find information on the exam.
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My thought is that if they can do it so can the rest of us involved in the charter school movement in D.C., expecially at the William E. Doar, Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing Arts.
The Terra Nova exam is produced by CTB/McGraw-Hill. I thought that this was the test that DCPS administered in 2006 to measure AYP but I am not sure so I went on the school system's web page to find out.
Much to my surprise, or as expected depending on my mood, I could not find any information on the first page about standardized testing. This shows you the emphasis this bunch has regarding student acheivment.
Let's turn this into today's game. Here's the link. See if you can prove me wrong. Send me a note or post a comment if you can find information on the exam.
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Sunday, January 07, 2007
Not A Great Night
My wife and I attended the Fenty Inaugural Ball last evening.
It took us an hour and a half just to get inside.
There was no one explaining the cause for the delay or why we were standing in long lines.
There was no security screening of guests.
In other words the event was a complete disorganized mess.
Now for Mr. Fenty its on to the public schools.
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It took us an hour and a half just to get inside.
There was no one explaining the cause for the delay or why we were standing in long lines.
There was no security screening of guests.
In other words the event was a complete disorganized mess.
Now for Mr. Fenty its on to the public schools.
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Friday, January 05, 2007
Fenty Just Another Politician
In today's Washington Post Article by David Nakamura and Dion Haynes on Mr. Fenty's school takeover plan we learn that the Mayor's two kids attend private schools.
You know what is coming from me next. Why not just give up on the traditional public schools and allow all children to have a private school voucher? Then increase the dollar amount to match what is paid to charter schools.
We would now have a true educational marketplace in the District of Columbia. Until then it is just politics as usual.
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You know what is coming from me next. Why not just give up on the traditional public schools and allow all children to have a private school voucher? Then increase the dollar amount to match what is paid to charter schools.
We would now have a true educational marketplace in the District of Columbia. Until then it is just politics as usual.
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Thursday, January 04, 2007
Today Is Take Over Schools Day
As David Nakamura and Keith Alexander report in today's Washington Post today brand-new D.C. Mayor Fenty will announce his takeover plan for the school system. A couple of things to look for:
1. Will the Mayor make it clear that the new structure applies only to DCPS and not charter schools? And if he does make this distiction how will he ensure that the quality of public education is good in institutions now attended by 25% of all school children?
2. Will his plan include increased autonomy for DCPS schools? Innovation is the one ingredient absolutely necessary for improved student outcomes.
At the Fight for Children 10 years review of D.C. charter school movement conference it was pointed out that in just 8 short years, if the current enrollment growth curve stays constant, all D.C. school-aged children will attend a charter.
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1. Will the Mayor make it clear that the new structure applies only to DCPS and not charter schools? And if he does make this distiction how will he ensure that the quality of public education is good in institutions now attended by 25% of all school children?
2. Will his plan include increased autonomy for DCPS schools? Innovation is the one ingredient absolutely necessary for improved student outcomes.
At the Fight for Children 10 years review of D.C. charter school movement conference it was pointed out that in just 8 short years, if the current enrollment growth curve stays constant, all D.C. school-aged children will attend a charter.
