There's nothing wrong per se with the Denver Post printing this guest opinion piece by Kevin Welner of the Think Tank Review Project. Writes Welner: I co-direct a new project that reviews the quality of reports issued by such think tanks. We just finished our first year of reviews, and the results were awfully depressing. So to brighten our spirits, we decided to make lemonade by issuing the 2006 Bunkum Awards in Education. The Bunkum Awards recognize and celebrate the dubious accomplishments of think-tank reports over the past year. In 2006, 13 such reports were reviewed by independent scholars commissioned by our Think Tank Review Project. These reviewers were asked to scrutinize the reports and write brief reviews for the project … [Read more...]
Ritter’s Education Message Left Wanting
In yesterday's State of the State address, newly-minted Governor Bill Ritter's remarks came with little suspense and offered no surprises. But supporters of freedom and parental choice may demand answers yet. Congratulations are to be given for the positive tone and the ambitious goals, such as cutting the dropout rate in half. But the general outline for how to get Colorado there is where some problems are going to arise. First, what did he say? "We're going to align our educational programs with today's competitive global marketplace. We're going to prepare our students for 21st century industries - 21st century opportunities - like renewable energy, aerospace and biomedicine." Sounds like the preface to this new national report, which … [Read more...]
Oral Arguments on in WEA Case
As I write, the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in the monumental First Amendment case Washington v Washington Education Association & Davenport v Washington Education Association. The 9 justices will determine whether the free speech rights of union bosses or individual workers take precedence, and much more. The Colorado Attorney General submitted an amicus brief in favor of the rights of states to set policies that require organizations to obtain members' permission before using their money for political campaigns. As I wrote in the Rocky Mountain News a few months ago, this case indeed could have a bearing on Colorado. I have blogged about this case before here and here. At the forefront of the cause of freedom in this … [Read more...]
A National Education Idea We Can Support
Five years of a love-hate relationship with No Child Left Behind (NCLB) have passed now. The President's number one domestic policy initiative that started out with such great intentions, when it came to fruition looked little like the original. Most of the school choice and flexibility in the bill disappeared. Now, a sensible way to keep the beneficial accountability piece of NCLB without all the federal red tape, a way that empowers states, has emerged. Senators John Cornyn (R - TX) and Jim DeMint (R - SC) are sponsoring the A-Plus (Academic Partnerships Lead to Success) Act. What the bill essentially would do is give each state the choice to opt out of the NCLB regulations, and develop its own system to achieve educational success. … [Read more...]
NYT Memo to Romanoff: An Education Reform to Consider
Recently, Colorado Speaker Andrew Romanoff announced his intention to convene a task force to look at the recommendations for transforming the education system made by The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce and propose a plan for Colorado. One other eminent source for ideas may be the New York Times editorial board, which today has advocated for the abolition of union-protected teacher seniority rights that often keep the most effective instructors from the neediest schools and students (H/T Edspresso): Talented novices, with no seniority rights to protect them, often quit the field after being shunted from one place to another. Others give up on the urban school systems where the bumping process is most prevalent … [Read more...]
Charter School Blogging
Here's a great idea: a blog dedicated to a new charter high school in northwest Jefferson County, outside Denver. Learn about the challenges and complications of working to bring a new public school option to life, and maybe find some inspiration for another charter school or charter school-to-be. … [Read more...]
“Should you pay for someone else’s opinions?”
That question, as raised in today's Wall Street Journal by Stephen Moore, highlights the prime importance of a major First Amendment case on the U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming docket: Washington v Washington Education Association, & Davenport et al v Washington Education Association. Moore writes: At issue is whether workers have the right to effectively declare themselves conscientious objectors to the unions' multimillion-dollar political war games. "All we are saying is that no one has the right to take our money and spend it on causes we don't believe in," insists Cindy Omlin, a recently retired speech teacher in Spokane. "If you want my money, ask for it, like private charities, political candidates and businesses do." Ms. Omlin was … [Read more...]
Whither the defenders of the education status quo?
Given time, even the New York Times will come around. If you haven't read Paul Tough's article on the success of KIPP charter schools in overcoming the minority achievement gap in the November 26 edition, go read it now (registration required). Then check out Whitney Tilson's School Reform blog and a column by Alan Bonsteel in today's Orange County Register. Writes Bonsteel: The Times specifically praised the KIPP schools as being nonunion and therefore outside normal public school work rules, thus allowing them to hire top-notch, dedicated teachers willing to put in the very long hours needed to bring to grade level these kids who most need a hand up. The attitude of the KIPP schools from the outset has been to provide not just what … [Read more...]
Harsanyi on Hope
Denver Post news columnist David Harsanyi tells the truth today about the manufactured "controversy" about Hope Online Learning Academy, which uses technology, adult mentors, and a research-based curriculum to reach struggling students who have fallen through the cracks of the public education system. Read Harsanyi's piece, and ask yourself why Senator Sue Windels and the Colorado Education Association want to use a more rigorous standard to judge an innovative, alternative education program than they would care to use to judge traditional neighborhood public schools. Here's one hint: Hope doesn't employ unionized teachers. (Forget whether some poor kids in Denver and Colorado Springs might thrive in the online learning environment … [Read more...]
NYT Spotlights Free Market Think Tank World
Anyone out there who may wonder what exactly it is I do for a living, this terrific piece from the New York Times (gulp ... yes, I said it) - complete with a photo of my boss Jon Caldara and a quick mention of my place of employment - gives a glimpse into the working world I inhabit. You may get an inkling of what it is I do ... just an inkling, though. A great weekend to all, and M GO BLUE ... Beat the Buckeyes! … [Read more...]
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