Nearing Falcon Innovation Crossroads: Proposals Approved, Opposition Strong

by Eddie | 2:18 pm, May 1, 2012

School district “Innovation” through site-level autonomy can be a promising path to pursue, but doesn’t necessarily move forward smoothly or quickly. Local politics, leadership challenges, and the limits of imagination all can slow progress. Yet the spark unleashed remains to be ignited into action, where there is a will to yield productive, student-centered change.
Such is [...]

Union Leaders Bullying Teachers Is Not Something We Have to Accept, Either

by Eddie | 2:19 pm, April 30, 2012

There’s a lot of talk these days in education about dealing with the perennial problem of school bullies. Not long ago an acclaimed movie was released, and President Obama spoke out against it, while new research suggests that it leads victims to hurt themselves more and special-needs students to suffer from anxiety and depression.
Hey, I [...]

Advancing Digital Learning Reforms Means Hard (and Smart) Work Lies Ahead

by Eddie | 1:22 pm, April 25, 2012

Digital learning is much more than a buzzword. It’s a real trend in K-12 education that’s growing faster than any single person or entity can keep up with. The effective use of technology in instruction to enhance student learning experiences takes on a variety of forms — including full-time online education programs and numerous blended [...]

House Bill 1333 Options for Teachers Generates Tweets, Clears First Committee

by Eddie | 11:31 am, April 24, 2012

Last week I brought your attention to Denver teacher Ronda Reinhardt’s story of the union denying her ability to opt out. She was excited to see a legislative solution proposed, a bill that succeeded yesterday at its first official hearing yesterday, passing Colorado’s House Education Committee:

House Bill 1333, sponsored by Rep. Jon Becker, R-Fort Morgan, [...]

Dougco, Dougco, Dougco! State Board Reapproves Teacher Licensure Waiver

by Eddie | 1:09 pm, April 19, 2012

Before diving in, I have to be up front with you: Yes, this is the third time in less than 10 days I’m writing about Douglas County. (And it has nothing to do with the fact that the first legal documents were filed this week in the appeal of last August’s district court permanent injunction [...]

Denver Teacher Tells Frustrating Union Opt-Out Story: Here Comes HB 1333

by Eddie | 11:32 am, April 18, 2012

About a month ago I innocently raised the question: Is someone ready to take care of Colorado teachers’ “Hotel California” problem? A 2010 article by my Education Policy Center friend Ben DeGrow highlighted a couple real-life examples of teachers who were harmed by the tight revocation deadlines and burdensome procedures for many teachers who simply [...]

Vincent Carroll Sounds Bold Themes of Dougco School Board Budget Proposal

by Eddie | 11:37 am, April 16, 2012

Last week I brought your attention to the Douglas County school board’s bold proposals heading into historic open negotiations. (Thank you, Parent Led Reform!) While I’m little and sometimes notice things that most big people do not, that’s certainly not the case with the Dougco budget proposal.
In fact, Denver Post columnist Vincent Carroll yesterday delved [...]

Encouraging News: Performance Pay in Harrison Gradually Gaining Teacher Support

by Eddie | 11:32 am, April 11, 2012

I’m busy tweeting about the landmark first day of open union negotiations in Colorado’s third largest school district — Douglas County — so you’ll have to forgive a shorter post for today.
In my normal brilliantly childlike fashion, I jump at the opportunity to put together two topics I’ve written about recently. What are those two [...]

Dougco Board Proposes Teacher Raises, Performance Pay, & Ending Union Privileges

by Eddie | 1:23 pm, April 10, 2012

I write a lot about Douglas County here, and with good reason. The school board there has charted a bold course. Hey, it wasn’t much more than a year ago that they voted to establish the first locally-created private school choice program in the nation. More recently, they demonstrated their commitment to transparency by voting [...]

Baseball Season (and the Inevitable Comparisons with Education Reform) is Back

by Eddie | 10:35 am, April 5, 2012

What role should value-added test scores play in evaluating teacher performance? While I’m not going to take both sides of the debate, like the nation’s largest teachers union has done recently, there is more nuance to the question than the purpose of this post is suited to address. Maybe you can come to next week’s [...]

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