Media Watch

Got Dough? How Billionaires Rule Our Schools

Dissent Magazine | Winter 2011 | By Joanne Barkan

The cost of K–12 public schooling in the United States comes to well over $500 billion per year. So, how much influence could anyone in the private sector exert by controlling just a few billion dollars of that immense sum? Decisive influence, it turns out.

With Bipartisan Support, Law on Expansion of Charter Schools Passes the House

The New York Times | September 13, 2011 | By Sam Dillon

"In a rare display of bipartisanship, the House approved a bill on Tuesday supporting the expansion of charter schools, the first part of a legislative package planned by Republicans to carry out a piecemeal rewrite of the main federal law on public education, No Child Left Behind."

L.A. Unified bests reform groups in most cases, data show

Los Angeles Times | August 18, 2011 | By Howard Blume and Sandra Poindexter

"In a surprising challenge to four school reform efforts run by outside organizations, the Los Angeles school district has not only held its own in improving math and English test scores, but in most cases outpaced the others, according to a Times analysis of the city's lowest-performing schools."

Charters score better than district schools, but have fewer special-needs students

NY Daily News | August 20, 2011 | By Ben Chapman

An umbrella group for the New York City's charter schools announced that its member schools outperformed district schools on state exams this year - but acknowledged that they serve fewer special-needs students and English language learners.

Was the $5 Billion Worth It?

The Wall Street Journal | July 23, 2011 | By Jason L Riley

A decade into his record-breaking education philanthropy, Bill Gates talks teachers, charters—and regrets.

State Challenges Seen as Whittling Away Federal Education Law

New York Times | August 14, 2011 | By Sam Dillon

Montana and several other Western states are rebelling against the requirement that 100 percent of American students test as proficient in English and math by 2014 as required by the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law.

Panel Finds Few Learning Gains From Testing Movement

Education Week | May 26, 2011 | By Sarah D Sparks

Nearly a decade of America’s test-based accountability systems, from “adequate yearly progress” to high school exit exams, has shown little to no positive effect overall on learning and insufficient safeguards against gaming the system, a blue-ribbon committee of the National Academies of Science concludes in a new report.

Helping Teachers Help Themselves

New York Times | June 5, 2011 | By MICHAEL WINERIP

The Montgomery County Public Schools system has a highly regarded program for evaluating teachers – PAR — providing struggling teachers with extra support if they are performing poorly and getting rid of those who do not improve.

Squeezed Cities Ask Nonprofits for More Money

New York Times | May 11, 2011 | By Michael Cooper

"While Boston has long collected voluntary payments from its nonprofit institutions, it has done so haphazardly, with some universities paying millions of dollars, while their peers paid little or nothing."

When standardized test scores soared in D.C., were the gains real?

USA Today | March 27, 2011 | By Jack Billum and Marison Bellow

USA TODAY examined testing irregularities in the District of Columbia's public schools because, under Rhee, the system became a national symbol of what high expectations and effective teaching could accomplish.

Does Whole-School Performance Pay Improve Student Learning? Evidence from the New York City schools

EDUCATIONnext | Spring 2011 | By Sarena Goodman and Lesley Turne

Merit pay proponents argue that monetary incentives for better teaching can improve the quality of instruction in our nation’s classrooms. Yet only a handful of studies have evaluated the impact of teacher merit pay on student achievement.

Test Scores Dropped from Definition of Effective Principal

Education Week | December 19, 2010 | By Justin Baeder

The National Association of Elementary School Principals happily reported that the US DOE had backed down from "including student academic growth, as measured by standardized test scores, from its definition of 'effective' and 'highly effective' principals. . ."

Learning from Finland

Boston Globe | December 27, 2010 | By Pasi Sahlberg

"Finland should interest US educators because Finns have employed very distinct ideas and policies in reforming education, many the exact opposite of what’s being tried in the United States."

Teachers would tie own rating to MCAS

Boston Globe | December 21, 2010 | By Noah Bierman

Massachusetts union accepts use of scores in making evaluations

Charter proposals are found lacking

Boston Globe | December 20, 2010 | By James Vaznis

"Nearly all the proposals for new charter schools statewide fall short in one key area — a strong commitment to serve students who lack fluency in English, according to research by a national organization that represents linguistic minorities."

City to replace 2 principals at underperforming schools

Boston Globe | December 7, 2010 | By James Vaznis

"Boston public schools will appoint new principals at two underperforming schools, less than six months after their current principals began their assignments."

Boston public-school apartheid?

Boston Phoenix | October 15, 2009 | By Chris Faraone

"It's this whole notion of pushing low achievers back into the public system, and guiding what they perceive to be high achievers into other types of schools. When thinking about this, people should ask themselves if charter schools should be able to create a discriminatory two-tier education system — and if public dollars should be used to support that."

A Dilemma for Schools Seeking to Reform

NY Times | November 20, 2010 | By Sarah Karp

Researchers at the respected Consortium on Chicago School Research have found that: "even the worst schools improve if they have the right resources, including a principal who can forge strong ties between the school, parents and the community; hire good teachers and give them opportunities to improve their skills; install a rigorous curriculum; and make the school safe and centered on students’ needs."

Teacher degree bonuses examined

Associated Press/boston.com | November 26, 2010 | By Donna Gordon Blankinship

"[US Education Secretary Arne] Duncan told the American Enterprise Institute that master’s degree bonuses are an example of spending money on something that doesn’t work."

Mayor Takes Idea of Education Outsider to New Level

NY Times | November 10, 2010 | By By Elissa Gootman and Jennifer Medina

"The notion of who can run a large public school system has shifted radically in the past decade, as lawyers, bankers and budget experts with little classroom experience — beyond sitting in one — have been tapped as superintendents and chancellors throughout the country."

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Got Dough? How Billionaires Rule Our Schools

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