School Reform News Bulletin: Can Bold Iowa Reform Plans Get Unstuck?

by Eddie | 12:19 pm, March 5, 2012

Hard to believe it was five months ago I asked the question: Is major education reform about ready to give Iowa a try? At the heart of the story is a local connection. Jason Glass, appointed the state’s education chief a little more than a year ago by incoming Governor Terry Branstad, has some notable [...]

Happy Dr. Seuss’ Birthday: A Fun Friday NEA Tribute from Ed-I-Said

by Eddie | 1:58 pm, March 2, 2012

Today is the birthday of the late, great Dr. Seuss (aka Ted Geisel). Millions of school children across Colorado and the rest of the United States will hear one or more of his stories as part of the Read Across America campaign. The nation’s largest teachers union is one of the event’s key sponsors. Hey, [...]

February a Month to Remember (or Forget) in National K-12 Standards Debate

by Eddie | 11:48 am, February 24, 2012

Last spring I told you about a growing movement to oppose the Common Core standards and accompanying assessments, as well as the momentum toward a national curriculum. Well, a recent spate of evidence suggests that the Common Core cause has fallen on hard times, to say the least:

Two recent Pioneer Institute reports not only call [...]

Denver’s Northeast Academy Deserves Full 3 Years to Prove Itself During Turnaround

by Eddie | 5:48 pm, February 13, 2012

One of the strengths I’ve touted about the charter school model is the greater flexibility to close down poor performers. In fact, it’s pretty rare for a charter to enter the “turnaround” process instead of being shuttered. But that’s what happened in 2010 with Denver’s Northeast Academy, having suffered through a healthy share of turmoil. [...]

Proposed IRS Rule Bad Charter Medicine, But Hints at Needed Pension Changes

by Eddie | 12:16 pm, February 10, 2012

There’s a little controversy trickling out of Washington, D.C., that you may not have heard about. A proposed regulation from the Internal Revenue Service would effectively deem charter school teachers to be private employees and not eligible for government pension benefits. Yesterday the Colorado State Board of Education made the bold and unanimous move of [...]

Colo.’s Parent Trigger II Survives First Test: Maybe HB 1149 Can Win Bipartisan Support

by Eddie | 5:01 pm, February 7, 2012

My Education Policy Center friends asked me to stop playing around in the snow long enough to give a quick update and comment on something I mentioned last week. As Ed News Colorado reports, Rep. Don Beezley’s “Parent Trigger II” successfully passed its first obstacle with a favorable 7-6 party line vote in the House [...]

NY NAACP Lawsuit and Lobato Ruling: Don’t Let the Outrage Get You Down

by Eddie | 2:08 pm, January 20, 2012

Has it really been almost three months since I told you about a new Choice Media video on the Douglas County Choice Scholarship program injunction? Well, award-winning director Bob Bowdon has triumphed again with this hard-hitting, six-minute video about the New York City NAACP’s lawsuit trying to remove a charter school that successfully serves inner-city [...]

Bring Out Your Dustbins for the Overhyped 65% Solution (at Least in Georgia)

by Eddie | 4:28 pm, January 11, 2012

Education policy gurus, brandish your dustbins. Last week Mike Antonucci brought attention to a report from Georgia that the state is looking to abandon the once vaunted “65% Solution,” the idea (popular circa 2005-06) that schools should be required to spend 65 percent of funds “in the classroom.” Antonucci writes:
This made for useful sound bites, [...]

Bob Schaffer Looks Back at 10 Years of NCLB Federal Education Failure

by Eddie | 3:56 pm, January 10, 2012

Yesterday I peered ahead at the upcoming legislative session. Today I take a look back at a landmark piece of national education legislation. Yes, I sometimes get confused like that. Anyway, it was 10 years ago this week that then-President George W. Bush signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). A whole [...]

K-12 Issues in Colo. Legislative Session Figure to Be Busier for 2012

by Eddie | 5:13 pm, January 9, 2012

If I were to write “it’s that time of year again”… again, you’d probably be ready to chew me out. And my little ears are too sensitive for that. So I’ll just take note that Colorado’s legislative session kicks off on Wednesday. Which naturally means (pardon me if you’ve heard this before) get ready and [...]

« go back — keep looking »

Featured Posts

• ProgressNow Colorado and ALEC

  Oooh, looky what our friends at ProgressNow have been up to lately – ALEC And The Left’s War On Free Speech: If you want an insight into today’s left, look at its multifront war against the American Legislative Exchange Council for committing the grave sin of pushing free-market bills in state legislatures. At a recent [...]

• Hostess to Unions: No More Sugar for You
• Buffett Rule Foolishness
• Romney Expected to “Reassure” NRA on Second Amendment
• Tea Party Accepts IRS Tax Exemption, Then Complains of IRS Intrusion
• The Budget Battle: Entitlements Staying, Taxes Going Up
• $5 Trillion Tax Hike Coming