- With a potential federal-government shutdown looming, YEP-DC, Fordham, and others are thinking of potential ways to link ambitious, yet idle, government workers with volunteer opportunities in D.C. schools and beyond. Stay tuned for more, through the YEP site or through Flypaper.
- South Korea’s former minister of education issued an unexpected warning to the U.S. during a keynote speech at the Association for Education Finance and Policy annual meeting: Don’t focus too strongly on testing. It’s important to nurture a broader skill set.
- Still skeptical about the sustainability of today’s teacher-pension programs? Direct yourself to this Providence Journal op-ed, or to this stat: Retired teachers in California take in more each year than working teachers in twenty-eight states.
- Mike was right: After tallying a 17 percent approval rating this week, Cathie Black is stepping down as chancellor of New York City’s schools, to be replaced by Deputy Mayor Dennis M. Walcott.
- To privatize or keep public? This week’s NYT Room for Debate asks whether outsourcing is cost-effective or vulnerable to mismanagement.
- With the expansion of online learning, credit-recovery programs are mushrooming—and their quality is being called into question.
- Time is accepting votes for this year’s 100 most influential people. Some familiar education names made the list: Geoffrey Canada and Michelle Rhee, to start. And some other worthwhile mentions like Davis Guggenheim, Scott Walker, Amy Chua, and Cory Booker. Vote here.
- In one of Detroit’s smartest moves to-date, the city has asked the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) to oversee the DPS Renaissance 2012 initiative. Gadfly is skill skeptical of the turnaround craze. But at least Motown is calling in the right reinforcements.
