We know you wait, every week, with bated breath for your RSS feed to tell you that the Gadfly has arrived. Well, wait no longer. In the top spot, find a thought-provoking (and chillingly true) editorial from Raegen T. Miller and Robin Chait of the Center for American Progress. Maybe it's time to scrap "last hired, first fired" provisions, they argue, since not only do they potentially lower the average quality of the teaching force but send a disturbing message to entire profession: when it comes down to the wire, seniority wins out over effectiveness. Yikes. Then get the story on Ohio Governor Ted Strickland's long-awaited (and, yet, still disappointing) education reform plan. It's got some good ideas... but plenty of bad ones too. Take "evidence-based models," for example, which Strickland thinks are the bee's knees. Newsflash, Ted, evidence-based models have been blown open as an unreliable, unscientific load of crock (to put it mildly)! Our VP of Ohio Programs and Policy, Terry Ryan, gives you the scoop.??
Further in, get the story on Minnesota Q Comp's 99 percent pay out rate (it's a MERIT pay system... you do to the math), more 21st Century skills nonsense, Bay State Supt of Education Paul Reville's reviling comments on Massachusetts' top notch standards and assessments (this is what Walter Matthau would call Bad News Bears, folks), Miami-Dade's teachers, who're still asking for raises as the district contemplates how to make up an already sizeable budget deficit (take one for the team, guys!), and the tough time Schwarzegger's having out on in sunny California for his plan to give districts more flexibility??with their dollars. You'll also find the low-down on the National Council for Teacher Quality's 2008 yearbook, a report on middle school achievement and college readiness from the makers of the ACT, and the latest stats on online learning.??
Of course, don't forget to also listen to the podcast, in which you'll get both Diana Ross and The Terminator (who else can promise that combo?). Furthermore, if you're on the job hunt, Philanthropy Roundtable is looking for a new??deputy director of K-12 education programs. Last, but not least, please join us on February 23 for a stupendous event of heavy hitters that will introduce our long awaited report, The Accountability Illusion. (RSVP to Christina at [email protected].) The report itself will be released February 19. Let us just warn you now--it's a page turner. Trust us.??
All that and more... right here.
