This past Monday, Kentucky’s Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy published the latest in its series of “Free to Learn” debates on public charter schools. If you have not yet checked it out I encourage you to do so at your earliest convenience. You can access the debate by clicking here. By facilitating and publicizing this debate, the…
The leadership of the National Educational Association (NEA) is mad, and on July 4th that anger reached a boiling point when delegates passed a new business item calling for the resignation of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. While historically, teachers unions including the NEA have been staunch supporters of Democrat administrations, the relationship between…
Something significant happened with the closing of the 2013-2014 school year in New Orleans. The Orleans Parish School Board closed its remaining traditional public schools, for good. That means beginning with the 2014-2015 school year, all public schools operating in the city of New Orleans will be public charter schools. In scope, the change is…
I was quite disappointed to read Marty Solomon’s op-ed published in the Lexington Herald-Leader on Monday June 2nd. Dr. Solomon made the argument that charter schools would be bad for Kentucky and in his words, “Our legislature is wise to continue to reject their creation and to refuse to weaken our public schools.” I do…
U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu (D-LA) is one of a bipartisan group of lawmakers in Congress pushing for the passage of federal legislation which would increase funding intended to encourage the growth of charter schools across the U.S. Bills have now been introduced in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Both the…
Cleveland Schools’ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Eric Gordon announced earlier this month that more than 50 Cleveland public school teachers may be terminated based on their performance and/or conduct. According to Gordon, in 41 schools, principals gave notices to 68 teachers that their one-year contracts would not be renewed. Those 68 notices were far more…
This afternoon the Kentucky Senate Education Committee holds a hearing for Sen. Mike Wilson’s (R-Bowling Green) charter school bill (SB 211). I am attending the Annual Symposium of the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) in New Orleans today, so unfortunately, I will not be able to testify. Testifying in support of the passage of…
The North Carolina State Board of Education voted unanimously last week to not renew the charters for two schools based on non-performance. The North Carolina Charter School Advisory Board recommended last month that neither charter should be renewed. The purpose of this post is not to debate the merits of the decisions of the North…
This week the state of Iowa rolled out a new grant program intended to encourage and support teacher leadership in Iowa schools. Under the new program, local school districts will apply for state funds to support the development of new leadership roles teachers. Successful veteran teachers could have new roles and responsibilities in areas including…
Charter schools are expanding in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. In the fall of 2014, new charters have been approved and are scheduled to open in the parish, other charter schools are expanding, and the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board is bracing for a potential reduction in revenue as a result of parents choosing…
Indiana legislation (HR 1357) passed in 2013, permits local school boards to hire superintendents without licensure or previous training and experience in schools or educational leadership. The bill passed with the tie-breaking vote of the state’s lieutenant governor. It was the first time an Indiana lieutenant governor passed a tie-breaking vote in eight years. Previous…
Last week the Jefferson County Teachers Association’s (JCTA) voting members approved a new contract with the Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS). Centerpieces of the new agreement include a) no annual raise for JCPS teachers, and b) slight changes to flexibility in hiring for JCPS principals. According to JCTA president Brent McKim, teachers are willing to…
I recently returned home after spending nearly two weeks in Finland. After meeting with dozens of Finnish education officials, administrators, and teachers, one of several recurrent themes was trust. Finnish educators said repeatedly that trust is a hallmark of their educational system and their relatively recent success on the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA).…
In an op-ed that appeared in the New Orleans Times Picayune today, Louisiana’s state superintendent of education, John White, challenged Louisiana’s education system to do a better job of preparing the state’s high school graduates for college and careers. White, while acknowledging Louisiana’s success with increasing high school graduation rates, asserted that changes in the…
**This week I am attending the International Symposium on Educational Reform hosted by the University of Jyväskylä in Finland.** Yesterday I got a dose of inspiration unlike any that I have had in some time. It came from two graduate students at the University of Jyväskylä, both from China. The first was a young lady…