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More on the "De-Baathification" of Education: Dan Brown Explains

Claus — Fri, 16 May 2008 16:50:00 PDT

Teacher, author, and Huffington Post blogger Dan Brown sent me the following explanation of his remarks on the dangerous, yet increasingly common, assumption that education reform requires "de-Baathification" of American public education:

My eyebrow-raising de-Baathification reference at the education blogger conference was the first question to Newt Gingrich following his jovial-yet-dangerous remarks about replacing public school's "monopoly of failure...."

"De-Baathification" as an Education Reform Strategy?

Claus — Thu, 15 May 2008 13:46:00 PDT

I've been following Ed in '08's Blogger's Summit out of the corner of my eye. A sentence from Alexander Russo's most recent posting from the Summit caught my attention: "Blogger, teacher, and author Dan Brown has asked the most intense questions so far--one about high stakes testing and the about the dangers of taking an extreme de-Bathification approach to bypassing educators....

Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Claus — Wed, 14 May 2008 18:32:00 PDT

Our friends at the Public Education Network have just announced the creation of a new "Civic Index for Quality Public Education," which, they argue, will "measure community support for public education in 10 scientifically-based categories; improve support in categories receiving 'low scores'; and tailor community engagement for maximum impact." This is exciting news--but you'll have to wait until June 25th to get the whole story.

June 25th is the date when The Public Education Network plans to release the Civic Index.

We'll give you an update when we learn more. In the meantime, you'll just have to content yourselves with PEN's tantalizing press release:

Learn How Well the Nation Supports its Public Schools, and How to Measure Your Community's Support for Education...

Performance Pay for Principals?

Claus — Mon, 12 May 2008 09:38:00 PDT

The National Association of Secondary School Principals has just released a new position statement on "Professional Compensation for Teachers." Though the statement's authors carefully avoid openly endorsing such systems, they describe their statement as "a template for states and districts considering the implementation of such systems."

The statement's guiding principles are too numerous to list here, but at least three warrant special notice...

Avoiding the Impasse

Claus — Fri, 9 May 2008 13:05:00 PDT

News of the Institute for Education Sciences' recent finding that Reading First does not aid students' comprehension has triggered volleys of argument between Reading First partisans and detractors.

Anyone reading the IES report the day it appeared could have predicted the response. Opponents of Reading First felt vindicated and called for its termination. Supporters objected that the findings revealed more about the shortcomings of the IES evaluation design--or the program's poor implementation--than about the Program's intrinsic merits.

I'll stay out of the crossfire for the time being, if only to make a larger point about the conflict...

It Really Does Take a Village

Claus — Thu, 8 May 2008 14:16:00 PDT

Our friends at ASCD's Whole Child Initiative just fired off an email newsletter describing the astonishing success of Thomas Edison Elementary School in Port Chester, New York. (School success seems to be contagious in Port Chester, whose middle school has won national acclaim for similar strides in the past 10 years.)

Edison owes its achievements to an education approach that addresses the social, physical and academic needs of its largely poor student body. To quote ASCD's newsletter:

In 1999 only 19 percent of 4th graders at Edison passed the state English Language Arts assessment, and fewer than 23 percent of students had health insurance....

Our Hero

Claus — Tue, 6 May 2008 19:44:00 PDT

Yesterday, the Council of Chief State School Officers named Michael Geison the 2008 Teacher of the Year. We at Public School Insights are quite happy with the choice, because Geison personifies the best of 21st-century education. He tailors his instruction to individual students' interests and needs, he engages them in hands-on work, and he promotes greater collaboration among members of the school community.

CCSSO executive director Gene Wilhoit clearly agrees...

Going Green in Portland: An Interview with Award-Winning Principal Tamala Newsome

Claus — Mon, 5 May 2008 11:12:00 PDT

Rounding out Public School Insights' three-week celebration of Earth Day is our interview with Milken Award-winning educator Tamala Newsome, principal of the revolutionary Rosa Parks Elementary School in Portland, Oregon. The Rosa Parks School has garnered national attention for its eco-friendly building, its thoughtful incorporation of environmental science into the curriculum, and its integral place in the low-income Portland community it serves.

[Hear five minutes of highlights from my conversation with Newsome]

As a central part of Oregon's largest-ever low-income housing revitalization initiative, Rosa Parks plays an essential role in a larger project to offer community members integrated educational and social services from 6 am to 11 pm every day...

Roundup of New Success Stories

Claus — Thu, 1 May 2008 12:44:00 PDT

We've received and published four new public school and district success stories in the past two weeks. Be sure to take a look at these excellent descriptions of what's working in American public schools and schools districts:

Southside Elementary School, Alabama: Empowering Educators to Improve Outcomes, April 30
Georgia Matthews Elementary School, Kansas: A Focus on Literacy Spells Success, April 24
Penn Alexander School, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers, The Philadelphia Schools and UPenn Team Up for Success, April 22
Miami-Dade Schools, Florida: Getting Into "The Zone": Transforming Low-Performing Miami-Dade Schools, April 18

What Do Urban Parents Really Think?

Claus — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 19:59:00 PDT

The National School Boards Association's Council of Urban Schools of Education (CUBE) has teamed up with the National PTA on a new survey examining parents' perceptions of urban school climate: What We Think. The survey's results are generally encouraging: Parents believe their children's schools are safe; They report that they are actively involved in their children's schools; They trust and feel respected by teachers and administrators; and they believe their children capable of high academic achievement.

These findings challenge common depictions of urban schools as dangerous places struggling with disaffected students, disgruntled or disengaged parents, and dispirited staff...