Valerie Strauss The nation’s best-known researcher on homework has taken a new look at the subject, and here is what Duke University professor Harris Cooper has to say: Elementary school students get no academic benefit from homework — except reading and some basic skills practice — and yet schools require more than ever. High school … Continue reading As Homework Grows, So Do Arguments Against It→
Tamar Lewin: In a major shift from its influential recommendations 17 years ago, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics yesterday issued a report urging that math teaching in kindergarten through eighth grade focus on a few basic skills. If the report, “Curriculum Focal Points,” has anywhere near the impact of the council’s 1989 report, … Continue reading Math Wars Earthquake→
Susan Troller: But because the projected enrollment numbers don’t match the actual numbers of students at Stephens this year, one grades 2-3 classroom is being dropped, with students assigned to other classrooms and Bazan’s job at Stephens eliminated. The same scenario is playing out at five other elementary schools where teachers and sections are being … Continue reading Enrollment projection errors create school turmoil→
Charles Anderson: A hint of the politicians’ dilemma was buried in a May 10 New York Times-CBS News poll about the performance of U.S. elected officials on a host of policy issues. Not surprisingly, neither President Bush nor Congress earned high marks. What startled me, though, was the response to this question: “Regardless of how … Continue reading Failure to Understand Science is a National Security Issue→
Aaron Bensonhaver: Phil Hartley, legal counsel for the school boards association, said one area that school board members and superintendents often get into trouble is in supporting a referendum or candidate. Hartley said either can support such situations on their own time, but must be careful not to use tax money, including being on the … Continue reading Elections, Referendums, School Boards and Administrators→
Critics of “Fuzzy” Methods Cheer Educators’ Findings; Drills Without Calculators. Taking Cues from Singapore. John Hechinger: The nation’s math teachers, on the front lines of a 17-year curriculum war, are getting some new marching orders: Make sure students learn the basics. In a report to be released today, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, … Continue reading Return to Basics in Teaching Math→
Via a Johnny Winston, Jr. email: Welcome back to school! I hope you had a wonderful summer. On August 28th the Madison school board approved plans Plan CP2a and Plan CP3a relative to boundary changes that will be necessary if the November 7th referendum to construct an elementary school on the Linden Park site passes … Continue reading Madison School District Progress Report→
The Economist: FEW children, in the developed world, spend their summer holidays bringing in the harvest. Yet the timing of the summer break dates from the days when child labour was too valuable to lose in the vital final weeks of the growing season. The roots of modern education, in Britain and elsewhere, lie in … Continue reading Education in Medieval Britain→
Jay Matthews: Many states, including Maryland and Virginia, are reporting student proficiency rates so much higher than what the most respected national measure has found that several influential education experts are calling for a move toward a national testing system. A recent study by Bruce Fuller, a professor of education and public policy at the … Continue reading National School Testing Urged→
Erin O’Connor: As part of University of Colorado president Hank Brown’s decision to tackle the tough issue of grade inflation, CU regent Tom Lucero is inviting members of the public to contribute their thoughts on the subject: Even cum laude graduates sometimes lack the skills needed to succeed in today’s workplace. This can prove to … Continue reading On Grade Inflation→
Voters evaluating the Madison School District’s November referendum (construct a new far west side elementary school, expand Leopold Elementary and refinance District debt) have much to consider. Phil Brinkman added to the mix Sunday noting that “total property taxes paid have grown at a faster pace than income”. A few days later, the US Census … Continue reading Fall Referendum Climate: Local Property Taxes & Income Growth→
Jay Matthews: Bill Rhatican spent nine years teaching government and history at West Potomac High School in Fairfax County, Va., before he retired in June. He had been a journalist before that, and learned the power of getting his students’ papers published in some form. Seeing their words in print lent an excitement to their … Continue reading “The Ed School Disease: Part One”→
Madison Metropolitan School District [SAT Wisconsin Report – 244K PDF]: Madison students taking the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scored significantly above their state and local peers, continuing a trend of more than a decade. Madison students’ composite score was 1251, well above Wisconsin students’ composite score of 1188 and the national composite of 1021. (See … Continue reading Madison Student SAT Results Released→
Chris Whittle: Quiz: Of the 10 largest school systems, which have made the best gains in student scores? Answer: Philadelphia and New York. Between 2002 and 2005 for grades K-8, Philly gained 19.5 points in proficiency on the state assessment system, while NYC schools posted a 13-point increase on state exams. Even if you normalize … Continue reading Making The Grade→
The Madison City Clerk is holding a public test of new voting equipment this week: This is to give notice that the Office of the Madison City Clerk will conduct a public test of the electronic voting equipment (including the AutoMark Voter Assist Terminals) in accordance with Section 5.84(1) Wisconsin State Statutes: August 28 – … Continue reading Madison’s New Voting Equipment: Public Test This Week→
Craig Silverman:Ms. Shallenberg’s recordings of “The Secret Garden,” “The Tale of Peter Rabbit” and other works are now available, free, to anyone with an Internet connection and basic audio software. She is part of a core group of volunteers who give their voices and spare time to LibriVox, a project that produces audiobooks of works … Continue reading Public Domain Audio Books→
Russlynn Ali [pdf]: As we’ve said before, alternatives end up being a way out of educating high school students. Take New Jersey for example. New Jersey enacted an alternative to their high school exit exam for students deemed “test phobic.” Over time, though, the results told a different story: In New Jersey’s high poverty high … Continue reading Embracing the California High School Exit Exam→
Sarah Carr: “When I first started in education, marketing wasn’t something you even had to do,” said Suzanne Kirby, principal of MPS’ Bell Middle School. Now the south side school has a more strategic effort in place. Kirby cleared her schedule for the summer and invited any prospective family in for a personal tour of … Continue reading In competition for students, schools market selves more→
On Monday, August 21 the Human Resources Committee of the Madison School Board will have its first meeting at 7:00 p.m. in Room 103 of the Doyle Administration Building (545 West Dayton Street). Following a goal-setting meeting of the Board on June 19, the committee will address a number of important issues, beginning with alternative … Continue reading Human Resources Committee of Madison Board To Set Agenda→
Milton Chen: Another year has passed, and American schools are still captives of an outdated calendar. It’s mid-August, and the world of education is awakening from its three-month slumber. The seasons of schooling set the schedules for close to seven million K-12 educators and staff and fifty-five million students and families. Yet our schools and … Continue reading Back to School: A Time to Rethink Time→
From Channel 3000: Fall is right around the corner. That means classes back in session and another school referendum for Madison voters. A group calling itself CAST is gearing up to get voters to say yes to a $23.5 million referendum on Nov. 7. CAST stands for Communities And Schools Together. Rich Rubasch is heading … Continue reading CAST Gearing Up For $23.5 Million Referendum→
The Madison School District’s Fall $23.5M Referendum Question will be in front of voters 3 months from today. The question asks voters to fund 3 iniatives with a single yes or no vote: Build a new far west side school Expand the Leopold Elementary school (a plan to nearly double the size of Leopold failed … Continue reading Fall Referendum – 3 months to Time Zero→
Kevin Carey: Imagine you’re about to put a chunk of your life savings into a mutual fund. Now imagine you peruse the various “best mutual fund” guides on the news rack, only to find they’re all missing crucial pieces of information. The guides list where the fund managers went to college, how much investment capital … Continue reading “Is Our Students Learning?”→
Paul E. Peterson and Elena Llaudet: According to the NCES study, the performance of students attending private schools was superior to that of students attending public schools. But after statistical adjustments were made for student characteristics, the private school advantage among 4th-graders was reported to give way to a 4.5 point public school advantage in … Continue reading On the Public-Private School Achievement Debate→
Via a Johnny Winston, Jr. Email: Is it me or is the summer going by way too fast? Very soon the school year will arrive for our students and the board action will mark some changes. On July 17th the Board approved a wellness policy that will prohibit the sale of soft drinks at local … Continue reading Madison School Board Progress Report for the week of July 31st→
The University of Iowa: Every May a large number of high school students across America take AP exams. In May 2005 over 1.2 million high school students took over 2.1 million AP exams. AP allows students to pursue college-level studies while still in high school. Over 3000 colleges accept AP exam scores for either college … Continue reading High School Rigor: Iowa AP Index and a Michigan School Board Member→
Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education [176K PDF]: Wisconsin was among the low- to average-growth states in the nation between 1990 and 2000, falling considerably below the national growth rate over that period. Following a period of decline in the number of public high school graduates in the state from 1987-88 through 1991-92, minimal growth … Continue reading Projections of High School Graduates by State, Income, and Race/Ethnicity, 1988-2018→
Neal Gleason in a letter to the Isthmus Editor: I have long admired Marc Eisen’s thoughtful prose. But his recent struggle to come to grips with a mutli-ethnic world vvers from xenophobia to hysteria (“Brave New World”, 6/23/06). His “unsettling” contact with “stylish” Chinese and “turbaned Sikhs” at a summer program for gifted children precipitated … Continue reading Not to Worry: Neal Gleason Responds to Marc Eisen’s “Brave New World”→
Five years after state legislators released them from state-imposed revenue caps, school districts’ community service tax levies have nearly tripled, reaching $49 million this year. The rampant growth in these property taxes – earmarked for community-based activities – took place as the total levies for schools statewide rose by 22.7%. That has raised concerns about … Continue reading Community service levies climb since cap lifted→
Michael Strong: Four years ago I moved my family to Angel Fire, New Mexico, to create a charter high school. Two teachers with whom I had previously worked ten years earlier in Alaska moved to New Mexico to work at the school I was creating. By the second year of the school, we had the … Continue reading Legalizing Markets in Happiness and Well-Being→
Sam Dillon: Most states failed to meet federal requirements that all teachers be “highly qualified” in core teaching fields and that state programs for testing students be up to standards by the end of the past school year, according to the federal government. The deadline was set by the No Child Left Behind Act, President … Continue reading Most States Fail Demands Set Out in Education Law→
Denis Doyle: If education is funded without measuring results decisions are based on impulse and sentiment, a risky business that. Yet if education is to be funded on results we need a high degree of social consensus on what results are desirable (and measurable). As it happens, this sentiment does not respect party lines. Former … Continue reading Learnings Per Share→
Johnny Winston, Jr. provided a summary of the board’s June 19th discussion of board and committee goals. I found two of the board’s priorities particularly noteworthy. One priority under Performance and Achievement reads: Math and Literacy and Curriculum • Review the appropriateness of the goal of completion of algebra and geometry in high school in … Continue reading Board and committee goals – 2006→
Diana Jean Schemo: The Education Department reported on Friday that children in public schools generally performed as well as or better than comparable children in private schools in reading and mathematics. The exception was in eighth-grade reading, where the private school counterparts fared better. The report, which compared fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math scores … Continue reading “Public vs. Private Schools: Pupils Perform Almost Equally”→
My 13 year old son was complaining the other day about how “hard” it was he had to get up and swim at 7 a.m. for his local swim club. (7 is a little early when it’s cold but…) He then complained about umpiring a Little League game because a coach yelled at him. As … Continue reading Summer leisure and Drop-out Students→
Bob Sipchen: “The schooling system was in much better shape 50 years ago than it is now,” says Friedman, his voice as confident as reinforced concrete. A big fan of freedom, Friedman objects to public schools on principle, arguing — as he says most classic liberals once did — that government involvement by nature decreases … Continue reading Friedman on Public School Centralization and Vouchers→
Via a Johnny Winston, Jr. email: Welcome to the week of July 3rd edition of the Madison school boards Progress Report. I hope everyone is enjoying the summer First, upcoming business…On Monday July 10th several committees of the board are meeting: Partnerships at 5 p.m.; Finance & Operations at 6 p.m.; Communications at 7 p.m. … Continue reading Madison School Board “Progress Report” Week of July 3rd→
Thomas C. Reeves [PDF]: In Wisconsin, as elsewhere, teachers and administrators are eager to avoid being branded deficient and suffer potential financial losses. Department of Public Instruction officials in Wisconsin reported recently that the cost of tests taken in late 2005 included a $10 million contract with CTB/McGraw Hill, a well-known testing company that designed … Continue reading Test Scores→
Rod Paige: DUMB liberal ideas in education are a dime a dozen, and during my time as superintendent of Houston’s schools and as the United States secretary of education I battled against all sorts of progressivist lunacy, from whole-language reading to fuzzy math to lifetime teacher tenure. Today, however, one of the worst ideas in … Continue reading For School Equality, Try Mobility→
Nicholas Kristof follows up Marc Eisen’s recent words on a world of competition for our children: But the investments in China’s modernization that are most impressive of all are in human capital. The blunt fact is that many young Chinese in cities like Shanghai or Beijing get a better elementary and high school education than … Continue reading Chinese Medicine for American Schools→
I realize that some of the legal frameworks differ but think that this serves as a good remider that TIFs have an impact on school funding everywhere. From the Chicago Reader See also: Epoch TimesTJM By Ben Joravsky The Schools Scam Under the TIF system millions of dollars in property taxes are being diverted from … Continue reading The Schools Scam→
Marc Eisen: Most of us have had those eerie moments when the distant winds of globalization suddenly blow across our desks here in comfortable Madison. For parents, it can lead to an unsettling question: Will my kids have the skills, temperament and knowledge to prosper in an exceedingly competitive world? I’m not so sure. I’m … Continue reading Brave New World: Are our kids ready to compete in the new global economy? Maybe not→
Peter Gascoyne made an excellent point in recent comment regarding “No free lunch”. In other words, a change that’s positive in one area may not be all that great for others. Beverly Creamer notes that Hawaii is implementing a new Weighted Student Formula that is not without controversy: A new controversy is shaping up over … Continue reading Need based School Funding Formula Disputed→
Pauline Vu: States have two weeks to comply with the latest requirement of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and come up with a solution to what U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings calls teaching’s “dirty little secret”: The disparity in teacher quality between poor, largely minority schools and their more affluent, white counterparts. The … Continue reading Addressing the “Teacher Gap”→
Clint Bolick: Yet Arizona is not an aberration. Already in 2006, a new Iowa corporate scholarship tax credit bill was signed into law by Gov. Tom Vilsack; and in Wisconsin, Gov. Jim Doyle signed a bill increasing the Milwaukee voucher program by 50%. Gov. Ed Rendell may expand Pennsylvania’s corporate scholarship tax credit program, as … Continue reading The Politics of School Choice: An Update→
NPR’s All Things Considered: There are serious gaps between the high school graduation rates that states report and the actual number of students who receive a diploma, according to a new report. The study, from the journal Education Week, estimates that in the school year that just ended, 1.2 million students failed to graduate. The … Continue reading States Inflate Graduation Rates, Study Says→
Much good stuff here but I’ll just point to the “Blueberry Story,” which encapsulates how public education differs from business. Click the title link for a version with comments TJM The Yearlykos Education Panel – a review / reflection by teacherken Sat Jun 17, 2006 at 03:19:37 AM PDT NOTE also crossposted at MyLeftWing I … Continue reading YearlyKos Education Panel→
Jim Stingl: He looked out over the 100 kids in caps and gowns and wondered aloud what happened to everyone else. Their freshman class was nearly 500, school records show. Sure, some had transferred to other schools, but too many just gave up and quit. Matt cried as he talked about classmate David Franklin. “This … Continue reading Graduate Gets Hard Lesson in Concession→
A reader deep into math issues emailed these two reviews of curriculum currently used within the Madison School District: Connected Math (Middle School); R. James Milgram: The philosophy used throughout the program is that the students should entirely construct their own knowledge and that calculators are to always be available for calculation. This means thatstandard … Continue reading Analysis of Connected Math and Core Plus Textbooks→
National Center for Education Statistics: This website is an integrated collection of the indicators and analyses published in The Condition of Education 2000–2006. Some indicators may have been updated since they appeared in print Chester Finn has more: –A huge fraction of U.S. school children now attend “schools of choice”: more than half of K-12 … Continue reading 2006 Condition of Education Statistics→
“Helping Children move from Bad Schools to Good Ones”: the brief summarizes the challenges related to educating students in schools with high concentrations of poverty; reviews local efforts to address these challenges; and offers a guide for specific changes to the No Child Left Behind Act that would provide the opportunity for more children to … Continue reading Advocating More Student Mobility Under No Child Left Behind→
Susan Troller: Don’t assume that a school is bad just because it’s not making adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind law. That comment came today from Madison School Board member Lucy Mathiak, whose children attend or have attended East High School. East and three other Madison public high schools were cited … Continue reading Making the Grade: Madison High Schools & No Child Left Behind Requirements→
Sandy Cullen: he Madison School Board will put one $23.5 million referendum question to voters in the Nov. 7 general election. If approved, the referendum would provide $17.7 million for a new elementary school on the Far West Side, $2.7 million for an addition at Leopold Elementary, and $3.1 million to refinance debt. It also … Continue reading School Board OK’s 23.5M November Referendum: Three Requests in One Question→
Reprinted from the newest West High School publication, The Scallion. In response to the popularity of the recently proposed English 10 curriculum, school administrators have begun to plan English 11, a standardized syllabus they believe will promote “equality in the school and confidence in the student.” The course is to be implemented in the 2009-2010 … Continue reading English 11 Planned for 2009?→
This is an excerpt from the conclusion of an recent paper posted on the Education Working Paper Archive by Bruce S. Cooper, Timothy R. DeRoche, William G. Ouchi, Lydia G. Segal, and Carolyn Brown. WSF stands for Weighted Student Formula, a means of budgeting that assigns money to students based on a number of factors … Continue reading Weighted Student Formula : Putting Funds Where They Count in Education Reform→
Heather G. Peske and Kati Haycock for Edtrust [PDF Report]: Next month, for the first time, leaders in every state must deliver to the Secretary of Education their plans for ensuring that low-income and minority students in their states are not taught disproportionately by inexperienced, out-of-field, or uncertified teachers. For many, this process will be … Continue reading Teaching Inequality→
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/1154AP_Scotus_Schools_Race.html Monday, June 5, 2006 · Last updated 8:37 a.m. PT Supreme Court to hear schools race case By GINA HOLLAND ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER With the addition of the Supreme Court’s newest member, Justice Samuel Alito Jr., top row at right, the high court sits for a new group photograph, Friday, March 3, … Continue reading Supreme Court to Hear Education Race Case→
Susan Saulny:In what is an elite tweak on home schooling — and a throwback to the gilded days of education by governess or tutor — growing numbers of families are choosing the ultimate in private school: hiring teachers to educate their children in their own homes. Unlike the more familiar home-schoolers of recent years, these … Continue reading Private Tutors & Homeschooling→
For immediate release Wednesday, May 24, 2006 Six elementary principals to lead different schools for 2006-07 Six elementary school principals will lead different schools next year in a series of transfers within the Madison School District. All six principals have been at their current schools for at least five years. The list of new assignments, … Continue reading Musical principals – official announcement→
Sandy Cullen: A new statewide assessment used to test the knowledge of Wisconsin students forced a lowering of the curve, a Madison school official said. The results showed little change in the percentages of students scoring at proficient and advanced levels. But that’s because this year’s Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Examinations- Criterion Referenced Tests proved … Continue reading State Test Scores Adjusted to Match Last Year→
In an effort to build community, enhance self-esteem and inspire the spirit of giving among its students, Lapham Elementary School has organized a very special service-learning project. The “Lapham to Lubasi Run-a-thon”, held Wednesday May 10th, was led by one of the school’s second grade classes to raise awareness of poverty in Africa and to … Continue reading Lapham Students Run to Build Library for African Orphans→
Seven metropolitan areas of Wisconsin are in the top 25 metros for public schools in the country, according to a survey ranking U.S. school districts with 3,300 students or more. The survey was conducted by Expansion Management Magazine, a monthly business publication for executives of companies that are actively looking to expand or relocate facilities … Continue reading Schools in seven Wisconsin metro areas rated highly→
A report from an organization called MDRC strikes a responsive chord because the report stresses the need to “assist students who enter high school with poor academic skills” instead of dumping them in English 10 and to improve instructional content and practice: [The report] offers research-based lessons from across these evaluations about five major challenges … Continue reading Assist students who enter high school with poor academic skills→
MMSD’s School Board meets tonight to discuss the 2006-2007 school budget. There are no public appearances on tonight’s agenda, but the Madison community can continue to email the School Board in support of elementary strings at: comments@madison.k12.wi.us. Thank you to the parents and community who have attended the public hearing and who have sent emails … Continue reading Speak Up For Strings – Thanks for Emailing the School Board: Keep The Emails Coming→
This is to briefly summarize from my point of view what went on at the MSRI workshop on equity in math education last week. (Vicki was also there and may wish to give her side of the story so you get a more complete picture. It was a very broad workshop, 13 hours a day … Continue reading MSRI Workshop on Equity in Math Education→
Nicholas Kristof: Why are Asian-Americans so good at school? Or, to put it another way, why is Xuan-Trang Ho so perfect? Trang came to the United States in 1994 as an 11-year-old Vietnamese girl who spoke no English. Her parents, neither having more than a high school education, settled in Nebraska and found jobs as … Continue reading The Model Students→
A Madison School’s TV Channel 10 video, MSCR: Middle School After-School Programs received a “Significant Community Programming” distinction at the annual awards for the Wisconsin Association of PEG Channels (WAPC). WAPC represents local public, educational and government access cable channels across the state. The TV program, cooperatively produced by Lindy Anderson of the Madison Schools’ … Continue reading MSCR: Middle School After-School Programs wins in top award category→
Active Citizens for Education offers the following recommendations for the consideration of the MMSD Board of Education in the allocation of funds for the 2006-2007 budget: (I appeared on WIBA, 1310, this evening with Brian Schimming and discussed the MMSD proposed budget and ACE recommendations) [18MB mp3]
Douglas Kern: Not long ago, I showed up for my first year at Smartypants U., fresh from a high school career full of awards and honors and gold stars. My accomplishments all pointed towards a more verbal course of study, but I was determined to spend my college days learning something useful. With my strong … Continue reading Confessions of an Engineering Washout→
In my previous post on Speak Up for Strings, I wrote about two ways to contact the School Board – one way is by speaking to the School Board at public appearances; which,is normally after the minutes of a meeting – at the beginning, before the board begins it’s business. A special Board meeting is … Continue reading Speak Up For Strings – Monday At Midnight? Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.→
A longtime reader emailed David Brooks most recent column: Around 1970, Walter Mischel launched a classic experiment. He left a succession of 4-year-olds in a room with a bell and a marshmallow. If they rang the bell, he would come back and they could eat the marshmallow. If, however, they didn’t ring the bell and … Continue reading Marshmallows and Public Policy→
Liam Julian: Last month, the Washington Post’s David Broder wrote a column trumpeting the value of teaching civics to American students. He interviewed Sandra Day O’Connor and former Colorado Governor Roy Romer (now serving as Superintendent of Los Angeles’s schools), both of whom are spokespersons for the Campaign for the Civic Mission of Schools (CMS). … Continue reading Civics Education in Schools→
American Legislative Exchange Council: LEC has released its newest edition of The Report Card on American Education: A State by State Analysis 1983-1984 to 2003-2004. The Report Card contains over 50 tables and figures that display in various ways more than 100 measures of educational resources and achievement. It strengthens the growing consensus that simply … Continue reading Report Card on American Education→
Former Teacher and Principal Ruby Payne: To survive in poor communities, Ms. Payne contends, people need to be nonverbal and reactive. They place priority on the personal relationships that are often their only significant resources and rely on entertainment to escape harsh realities. Members of the middle class, in contrast, succeed or fail through the … Continue reading Good Teaching for Poor Kids→
WEAC President Stan Johnson: The Wisconsin Education Association Council has always believed that virtual education can benefit students in Wisconsin. Advocates of an Assembly bill that WEAC opposed have criticized us, in newspapers and elsewhere, as opponents of virtual education. However, as they criticize WEAC for opposing Assembly Bill 1060 they never inform readers that … Continue reading Virtual Schools Must Still be Great Schools→
Sandra Boodman: What non-drug treatments work to combat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? It’s a question more parents are asking doctors, prompted by new concerns about the safety of medicines used to treat a problem that affects an estimated 4.4 million American children.
From the Wisconsin State Journal, May 2, 2006 ANDY HALL ahall@madison.com Madison made more progress than any urban area in the country in shrinking the racial achievement gap and managed to raise the performance levels of all racial groups over the past decade, two UW- Madison education experts said Monday in urging local leaders to … Continue reading Work on education gap lauded→
Bob Reber: Governor Doyle recently vetoed Assembly Bill 1060 which would have reaffirmed and clarified the state’s commitment to virtual public schools in Wisconsin. Prior to his decision to veto the bill, WEAC (the teacher’s union) was making noise about the “outsourcing of education” to people who would not be qualified teachers, instructors or presenters … Continue reading Doyle Flunks Test on Virtual Schools→
An inconspicuous provision in the newly unveiled MMSD budget document would establish an ESL/bilingual advisory council (Department & Division Detailed Budgets, page 55). I encourage the Board of Education to remove the provision and give any proposed council the careful and detailed attention the board gave to the attendance task forces and equity task force. … Continue reading Budget proposes ESL/bilingual advisory council→
Carol Carstensen: What is Fund 80, and why are people saying such awful things aboutit? Fund 80 is the state accounting code for community services expenditures,the major portion of which is for Madison SchoolCarstensen Community Recreation (MSCR) and the district’s cable channel 10.The current budget for community services is $11 million. Of that $8 millionis … Continue reading Fund 80 Is Worth Our Support→
NPR’s Elaine Korry: How can U.S. high schools do a better job? A new study identifies key characteristics of high schools that work. And at Granger High in Washington state, the principal demands high standards for students and staff. audio
A good teacher friend emailed this article: Nicholas Kristof: Suppose Colin Powell tires of giving $100,000-a-pop speeches and wants to teach high school social studies. Suppose Meryl Streep has a hankering to teach drama. Alas, they would be “unqualified” for a public school. Elite private schools would snap them up, of course, but public schools … Continue reading Opening Classroom Doors→
Carol Carstensen: Parent Group Presidents: MEMORIAL AND WEST AREA SCHOOLS: NOTE FORUM DESCRIBED UNDER MAY 8. BUDGET FACTOID: The 2006-07 proposed budget is on the district’s web site (www.mmsd.org/budget). The Executive Summary provides an overview of the budget. The list of specific staff cuts is found on pages 3 & 4 of Chapter 3, Department … Continue reading Weekly Email Message→
Peter Whoriskey: A new pay-for-performance program for Florida’s teachers will tie raises and bonuses directly to pupils’ standardized-test scores beginning next year, marking the first time a state has so closely linked the wages of individual school personnel to their students’ exam results. The effort, now being adopted by local districts, is viewed as a … Continue reading Florida Links Teacher Pay to Student Test Scores→
Once again the strange MMSD budget process presents uncountable mysteries for our intrepid investigators. Somehow the administration puts this year’s budget and staff into a black box somewhere in the Doyle Building and miraculously out comes a prediction of the FTEs needed to continue the current level of services, as well as proposed FTEs for … Continue reading MMSD Budget Mystery #6: FTEs from the Black Box Budget→
I recently posted a comparative list of the English courses offered to 9th and 10th graders at Madison’s four high schools. The list showed clearly that West High School does not offer its high achieving and highly motivated 9th and 10th grade students the same appropriately challenging English classes that are offered at East, LaFollette … Continue reading MMSD Cross-High School Comparison — continued→
Other districts facing fiscal and academic achievement challenges have had successes maintaining and growing their fine arts education – through strategic planning, active engagement and real partnerships with their communities. In Tuscon, AZ, with a large low income and hispanic population, test scores of this population have climbed measurably (independent evaluations confirmed this). This state … Continue reading Fifth Verse – Same, Sorrowful Tune: Superintendent Proposes to Elminate Elementary Strings→
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel editorial: t is simply nothing short of catastrophic that so many Milwaukee youngsters are being left behind in a world in which a bachelor’s degree is the new high school diploma. It’s a trend that bodes ill for the region’s capacity to grow and compete. Yes, Milwaukee again makes a list it should … Continue reading Milwaukee Graduation Rates – Poverty & Governance→
Kevin Carey: Normally I leave charter school issues to my colleagues Eduwonk and Sara Mead. But this morning’s front page article in the WaPo struck me as too obvious to pass up. It details how DC Public Schools is considering a novel arrangement with KIPP, one of the city’s most successful charter schools. KIPP wants … Continue reading DC Public Schools & Charters→
Ben Feller: Teachers are far more pessimistic than parents about getting every student to succeed in reading and math as boldly promised by the No Child Left Behind Act. That’s left a huge expectations gap between the two main sets of adults in children’s lives. An AP-AOL Learning Services Poll found nearly eight in 10 … Continue reading AP Poll: Teachers & Parents on No Child Left Behind→
Carol Carstensen: Parent Group Presidents: BUDGET FACTOID: The administration’s proposed budget for the 2006-07 school year will be made public on Friday, April 21. Board members and the media will have hard copies of the budget and an electronic version should be up on the web site shortly. The Board begins discussion and consideration of … Continue reading Carol Carstensen’s Weekly Email→
The Superintendent, along with the President and Vice President of the School Board, is holding a press conference to announce the 2006-2007 school budget. They’re performing as if this is the start of the public discussion of the budget for next year, which it is. While late April may be the first time the School … Continue reading 2006-2007 School Budget Already Implemented: What’s the Current Fanfare About?→
Recently, a parent expressed concern about the quality of third-quarter report cards at Crestwood Elementary School. Can We Talk 3: Third-Quarter Report Cards Today a parent of students at Elvejhem Elementary asked Madison School Board members why the teachers only reported on 10% of content areas. I have asked Superintendent Art Rainwater for a response … Continue reading Another Parent Concerned about Third-Quarter Report Cards→
Nan Brien: In recent weeks Madison homeowners received their 2006 assessments. Most of us saw an increase in the value of our homes. What will this mean for the next property tax bill? Last spring Grandparents United for Madison Public Schools attempted to explain that school property taxes had actually gone down for many Madison … Continue reading Nan Brien on Local Property Taxes→
Sara Reed: Voters in Denver, Colo., in 2005 overwhelmingly approved a $25 million tax increase to fund a new, nine-year performance-based pay system for the city’s teachers. Brad Jupp taught in Denver’s public schools for 20 years, and was the lead DCTA negotiator on the team that negotiated the pilot project in 1999, and for … Continue reading Teachers Unions as Agents of Reform→
Ms. Abplanalp and MMSD District Staff (cc’d to the Board of Education), I read with some confusion your letter [350K PDF] sent to all elementary school parents about the lack of measurable change in students marking period as too small to report to parents on their third quarter report cards. Here’s my confusion. … Continue reading Can We Talk 3: 3rd Quarter Report Cards→