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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News & analysis:
D.C. teachers cast a vote against teamwork
Recent debate about the future of school reform in the District has focused on a series of legislative proposals being championed by the chairman of the D.C. Council’s education committee. Getting less attention, but having perhaps as much potential to impact education, is the change in leadership of the union that represents D.C. school teachers. It’s not a good sign that the new leadership won on a platform that painted the incumbent as too compliant with reform initiatives being pushed by Chancellor Kaya Henderson. (Washington Post)
Implementation, Implementation, Assessment, Assessment
Despite the tireless efforts of Common Core opponents and their acolytes and funders, few states that initially pledged their troth to these rigorous new standards for English and math are in divorce mode. What’s far more fluid, unpredictable, and—frankly—worrying are the two elements of standards-based reform that make a vastly greater difference in the real world than standards themselves: implementation and assessment. (Education Gadfly)
Cantor, Kline Push No Child Left Behind Rewrite, Public School Choice
School choice will be part of the debate when the U.S. House of Representatives takes upits version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, possibly as early as this week. The House Majority Leader, Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va., who has become much more active on K-12 issues lately, has introduced an amendment that would allow Title I dollars to follow children to the public school of their choice, including charter schools. (Education Week – Politics K-12)
Michigan Preschool Economics: How Investing In Early Childhood Education Pays Off
Can quality preschool learning for Michigan children be tied to a healthy economy? Early education proponents around the state believe it can. Michigan Nightlight’s Amy Kuras talks to the experts. (Huffington Post)
View Point:
If Independent Schools Had to Go Away: A Thought Experiment
The little voices inside my Twitter feed calling for the end of independent schools as a solution to our nation’s “1% Problem” won’t go away. So I’m going to try a little exercise to see where that point of view could lead. (Education Week – Independent Schools Common Perspectives)