Research Ought to Give Second Thoughts about Government Preschool Programming

by Eddie | 4:35 pm, February 14, 2013

It’s been almost two years since I last brought your attention to the overwhelming research findings that the nearly-50-year-old Head Start program has not made a real difference in education outcomes. But a new Wall Street Journal story by Stephanie Banchero points out that some federal officials appear intent on doubling down. In an article [...]

DougCo Board Opponents’ “Crazy” Real Estate Rumor Debunked By Facts

by Eddie | 5:23 pm, February 12, 2013

These are momentous days in Douglas County, Colorado. A 60,000-student school district charting new horizons for parental choice and academic excellence through cutting-edge, performance-based systems? An organized labor interest group frustrated at being stripped of monopoly power? Yes and yes. A lot of eyes are watching what unfolds in the growing suburbs south of Denver. [...]

Rick Hess Slam Dunks for Colorado with Call for Cage-Busting Can-Do

by Eddie | 5:37 pm, February 11, 2013

Local education leaders want to transform a rigid, bureaucratic system — re-imagining the delivery of instruction, giving more freedom, flexibility, and accountability to teachers and principals at the school level. But then some interest groups or just plain old naysayers come along to protest, saying “We’ve never done it that way before.” Or maybe a [...]

A Couple More Weeks of Waiting for School Finance “Grand Bargain” Details

by Eddie | 1:35 pm, January 31, 2013

Back in early December my Education Policy Center friends helped put on a State Capitol event, laying out ideas for dramatic “backpack funding” reforms that need to be at the heart of this year’s keystone school finance debates. We’ve been waiting awhile now to see what Senator Johnston’s “Grand Bargain” legislation might look like.
I can [...]

It’s Hard to Get Beyond Emotion in Legislative Debates on School Safety

by Eddie | 2:55 pm, January 29, 2013

School safety is a big deal. I don’t write a lot about it, partly because big people say I’m not “mature” enough yet to understand it all. But after hearing one of my Education Policy Center friends interview a school board member about a legislative bill he supports, I had to put a little something [...]

To Free Up Education Funds, Fix PERA and Offer Scholarship Tax Credits

by Eddie | 5:58 pm, January 21, 2013

You know how much I have to restrain myself when it comes to using the “it’s for the kids” mantra, so I simply couldn’t resist quickly bringing your attention to some important new insights from local pension system analyst Joshua Sharf.
With the tongue-in-cheek title “PERA – It’s All for the Kids,” he paints full-color pictures [...]

EIA Reports $15 Million Spent by NEA Union on Advocacy Groups in 2011-12

by Eddie | 6:02 pm, January 15, 2013

Little Eddie has been so busy, his head is spinning. But I didn’t want to leave everyone hanging. If you are a teacher or know a teacher, you might encourage them to check out this new report from Mike Antonucci at the Education Intelligence Agency: [National Education Association] Gave $15 Million to Advocacy Groups in [...]

Colorado, Be Wary of Reading Too Much into Cyberschool Critiques

by Eddie | 11:17 am, January 11, 2013

One of the education proposals giving me the 5-year-old equivalent of heartburn as Colorado’s legislative session gets rolling is the attempt to add regulations to the state’s full-time online schools. For those who have been following the scene for any length of time, that probably sounds like a broken record (“like a damaged MP3 file” [...]

Video Begs Question: What Would Union Leaders Like Tax Hike to Pay For?

by Eddie | 11:58 am, January 10, 2013

A couple days ago I brought to your attention the looming heartburn the Colorado legislative session portends for those who support parental choice, school accountability, and the transparent, effective use of tax dollars in K-12 education. If you want to keep tabs on your needed antacid intake by checking the status of introduced legislation, you [...]

Looming Legislative Session Evokes More Heartburn than Hope for K-12 Issues

by Eddie | 4:12 pm, January 8, 2013

Run for cover, and hold onto your wallets! Tomorrow marks the beginning of the first session of the 69th Colorado General Assembly. At first, I thought about just re-posting last year’s pre-session warning. Yet while there may be some similarities between 2012 and 2013, it would end up being a lazy thing to do, and [...]

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