Public Schools
Commentary
Big mistakes by ‘big ideas’ critic
Apostasy is always news if the apostates are well-known persons on the right, and the case of noted New York University education historian Diane Ravitch is no exception. Mrs. Ravitch, who used to support bold reforms such as school choice, is making headlines condemning those “big ideas” as bad policy. ...
Commentary
California Lawmakers Should Read the Writing on the Wall
Black, Hispanic, and low-income Florida fourth graders now outperform all California fourth graders in reading, according to National Assessment of Educational Progress results released last month by the U.S. Department of Education. Also known as the Nation’s Report Card, experts consider NAEP fourth-grade reading a leading predictor of success since ...
Commentary
Where’s superman for the middle class?
The documentary “Waiting for Superman” by Oscar-winning director Davis Guggenheim, who previously directed Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” was a big hit at the recent Sundance Film Festival. Voted best U.S. documentary by Sundance moviegoers, Guggenheim’s film exposes the immense flaws in America’s public school system and follows the lives ...
Commentary
Washington-centric Education “Reforms” Destined for Failure
Last week the Obama administration released changes to No Child Left Behind, now known as Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The New York Times observed that, “This ambitious agenda presents striking challenges of its own, both political and in terms of implementation.” Indeed, the proposed alterations have elicited divided ...
Commentary
Learning from Canada’s schools
Washington Times, February 23, 2010 In a speech on Canadian television touting the health care system of our northern neighbor, liberal filmmaker Michael Moore said, “It’s not that you need to become more like Americans, we need to become more Canadian-like.” If America mimicked Canadian education policy, however, Mr. Moore ...
Commentary
Help kids win battle of the bulge
Across the country, children’s physical fitness has been placed on the front burner. First lady Michelle Obama has made childhood obesity her top priority. In Sacramento California, a major conference on physical education research was recently held at the state Capitol. The message is that fit kids not only get ...
Education
The Hypocrisy and Revisionist History of D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton
“The political maneuvering of District congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton can be breathtaking,” writes the Washington Examiner’s Jonetta Rose Barras. Norton has requested $5 million for hundreds of D.C. school children whose Opportunity Scholarships were revoked by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan-the fruit of Norton’s poisonous tree. Yet she told ...
Education
Rational Education Policy Working in Cleveland
No wonder almost 40,000 middle-class students have fled the district; while more than 25,000 urban students are attending charter schools and using private-school scholarships. But there are solutions to fix the schools. Among Ms. Snell’s Top 10 recommendations are to: Make every failing school a charter school; Base funding on ...
Commentary
Race to the Top Finalists Announced, Some Reforms Ignored
School Reform News, March 15, 2010 The nation’s largest state was not among the 15 states and the District of Columbia chosen to advance in the competition for a share of Race to the Top funds, the Obama administration’s $4.35 billion pot of education-stimulus gold. School reformers in California said ...
Commentary
Federal Money Should Empower Parents, Not Failing Public Schools
Last week, in a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, President Obama laid out plans for improving Americas dropout rate. Some of the ideas are worthy of praise, but a pattern is becoming increasingly predictable. The president promised federal money in exchange for reform. Specifically, Obama promised $900 million ...
Big mistakes by ‘big ideas’ critic
Apostasy is always news if the apostates are well-known persons on the right, and the case of noted New York University education historian Diane Ravitch is no exception. Mrs. Ravitch, who used to support bold reforms such as school choice, is making headlines condemning those “big ideas” as bad policy. ...
California Lawmakers Should Read the Writing on the Wall
Black, Hispanic, and low-income Florida fourth graders now outperform all California fourth graders in reading, according to National Assessment of Educational Progress results released last month by the U.S. Department of Education. Also known as the Nation’s Report Card, experts consider NAEP fourth-grade reading a leading predictor of success since ...
Where’s superman for the middle class?
The documentary “Waiting for Superman” by Oscar-winning director Davis Guggenheim, who previously directed Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth,” was a big hit at the recent Sundance Film Festival. Voted best U.S. documentary by Sundance moviegoers, Guggenheim’s film exposes the immense flaws in America’s public school system and follows the lives ...
Washington-centric Education “Reforms” Destined for Failure
Last week the Obama administration released changes to No Child Left Behind, now known as Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The New York Times observed that, “This ambitious agenda presents striking challenges of its own, both political and in terms of implementation.” Indeed, the proposed alterations have elicited divided ...
Learning from Canada’s schools
Washington Times, February 23, 2010 In a speech on Canadian television touting the health care system of our northern neighbor, liberal filmmaker Michael Moore said, “It’s not that you need to become more like Americans, we need to become more Canadian-like.” If America mimicked Canadian education policy, however, Mr. Moore ...
Help kids win battle of the bulge
Across the country, children’s physical fitness has been placed on the front burner. First lady Michelle Obama has made childhood obesity her top priority. In Sacramento California, a major conference on physical education research was recently held at the state Capitol. The message is that fit kids not only get ...
The Hypocrisy and Revisionist History of D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton
“The political maneuvering of District congressional Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton can be breathtaking,” writes the Washington Examiner’s Jonetta Rose Barras. Norton has requested $5 million for hundreds of D.C. school children whose Opportunity Scholarships were revoked by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan-the fruit of Norton’s poisonous tree. Yet she told ...
Rational Education Policy Working in Cleveland
No wonder almost 40,000 middle-class students have fled the district; while more than 25,000 urban students are attending charter schools and using private-school scholarships. But there are solutions to fix the schools. Among Ms. Snell’s Top 10 recommendations are to: Make every failing school a charter school; Base funding on ...
Race to the Top Finalists Announced, Some Reforms Ignored
School Reform News, March 15, 2010 The nation’s largest state was not among the 15 states and the District of Columbia chosen to advance in the competition for a share of Race to the Top funds, the Obama administration’s $4.35 billion pot of education-stimulus gold. School reformers in California said ...
Federal Money Should Empower Parents, Not Failing Public Schools
Last week, in a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, President Obama laid out plans for improving Americas dropout rate. Some of the ideas are worthy of praise, but a pattern is becoming increasingly predictable. The president promised federal money in exchange for reform. Specifically, Obama promised $900 million ...
