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 [...]

Fordham Offers a Few Good Suggestions to Improve Colorado K-12 Accountability

by Eddie | 11:54 am, April 4, 2012

Calling all Colorado education policy makers and policy wonks: I hope you’ll check out this new Fordham Institute report Defining Strong State Accountability Systems: How Can Better Standards Gain Greater Traction? My Education Policy Center friends and I can’t endorse everything in the publication.
But it’s worth looking at because Colorado is one of seven [...]

Many Colo. Parents Aren’t Buying SB 130’s Early Childhood Bureaucratic Change

by Eddie | 10:12 am, March 29, 2012

Look, I’m still young, but I’m learning that there are some different major philosophies out there about what government can and should do. My friends around this place believe that government’s role should be limited and tend to be very skeptical when proposals come forward to expand the government’s role. This one issue is a [...]

In Denver on April 12? Bring Your Brown Bag Lunch to a “Teachers Matter” Event

by Eddie | 11:17 am, March 27, 2012

If you live in the Denver area, please mark your calendars for April 12. My Education Policy Center friends are hosting a brown bag lunch event with a special guest speaker. Dr. Marcus Winters, a University of Colorado at Colorado Springs assistant professor and Manhattan Institute senior fellow, will be sharing the findings and recommendations [...]

Harrison Teacher Performance Pay: Fordham’s Guide to Serious Reform

by Eddie | 1:18 pm, March 23, 2012

It’s been awhile since I’ve written about the performance pay plan in Colorado Springs’ Harrison School District, so you may not be up to speed on this cutting-edge innovation. At that time, six months ago, Harrison superintendent Mike Miles was sharing the district’s story around Ohio.
From those events has come at last an excellent Fordham [...]

Dougco Board and HB 1118: Tuesday’s Colorado Open Union Negotiations Two-Fer

by Eddie | 10:33 am, March 22, 2012

Timing is everything, they say. What were the odds that these two key votes would go down the same day? The dual development certainly is noteworthy.
On Tuesday the Colorado House of Representatives adopted House Bill 1118, which simply requires school districts to open up union negotiations to public observation so taxpayers and teachers can see [...]

The Truth about Fracking – Independence Institute Research

by Robt Ball | 1:46 pm, March 21, 2012

#fracking #teaparty #tcotThe I.I. research staff has dug deep, and fractured the distortions and lies surrounding the scare tactics the anti-fossil fuelers have been using to frighten the citizens of this great country into believing that big oil does …

The Truth about Fracking – Independence Institute Research

by Robt Ball | 1:46 pm, March 21, 2012

#fracking #teaparty #tcotThe I.I. research staff has dug deep, and fractured the distortions and lies surrounding the scare tactics the anti-fossil fuelers have been using to frighten the citizens of this great country into believing that big oil does …

Independence Institute Shares Colorado’s Own Digital Learning Roadmap

by Eddie | 12:49 pm, March 21, 2012

Do you ever get lost, driving around a big city and missing your destination? Maybe you pass the same landmark two, three, or even four times, getting more frustrated along the way. Maybe your GPS is malfunctioning, or maybe you just wish you had a GPS! For me, the feeling comes as I search for [...]

Is Someone Ready to Take Care of Colorado Teachers’ “Hotel California” Problem?

by Eddie | 3:26 pm, March 16, 2012

Quite awhile ago I highlighted the work of my Education Policy Center friend Ben DeGrow discussing the issue of union revocation periods. What is that, you say? Well, teachers in 30 Colorado school districts (and other school employees in 11 districts) have just a short window of time to cancel their membership dues deduction.
You read [...]

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