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A study released last week by the Civil Rights Project at the University of California, Los Angeles, concluded that although charter schools are a political success, they are a civil rights failure. The report found that charter schools are more racially homogenized than traditional public schools and asserted that those in the western United States are havens for white re-segregation.
Is this a fair characterization of the charter school movement?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
12 responses: Sandy Kress, Kevin Carey, Eliza Krigman, Steve Peha, Justin C. Cohen, Sandy Kress, Kevin Carey, Tom Vander Ark, Lisa Graham Keegan, Greg Richmond, Nelson Smith, Eliza Krigman
Have President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan breathed new life into the effort to renew the No Child Left Behind law this year?
Although congressional action this year had seemed unlikely, the Obama administration has pushed hard in recent days for lawmakers to move forward on reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. The president mentioned the issue in his State of the Union address and, he is proposing a significant funding increase for the reauthorization in his fiscal 2011 budget request. Duncan has been hammering the message that there's no time like the present to move forward. Behind the scenes, the secretary has been working with key members of Congress to cement bipartisan support.
Can the administration generate the momentum for Congress to pass a reauthorization, even in an election year in which many other issues are crowding the agenda?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
16 responses: Ellen Winn, Lisa Graham Keegan, Gary Huggins, Sandy Kress, Monty Neill, Judith Browne-Dianis, Dennis Van Roekel, Michael L. Lomax, Sandy Kress, Gina Burkhardt, Steve Peha, Judith Browne-Dianis, Sandy Kress, Rep. Dale Kildee, John Bailey, Margaret Spellings
Forty states submitted applications last week for the first round of the Race to the Top grant competition, which was significantly more participation than the Education Department had anticipated. To emphasize his administration's commitment, President Obama announced that he would ask Congress for an additional $1.35 billion for the initiative. And in a new twist, individual school districts -- not just states -- will be eligible to compete for the extra funds.
Are you concerned about how the Race to the Top money will be awarded? What is needed to ensure positive education reform?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
22 responses: Ellen Moir, Frederick M. Hess, Chad Wick, Alex Johnston, Steve Peha, Nelson Smith, Russ Whitehurst, Andrew J. Rotherham, Eliza Krigman, Frederick M. Hess, Sandy Kress, Monty Neill, David G. Sciarra, Judith Browne-Dianis, Tom Vander Ark, Sandy Kress, Ted Hershberg, Frederick M. Hess, Diane Ravitch, Frederick M. Hess, LaRuth Gray, Arne Duncan
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten stirred education circles with a recent speech in which she called for a new template for evaluating public school teachers, including changes to the procedures for dismissal, formally known as due process. "Too often due process becomes glacial process," Weingarten acknowledged. "We intend to change that." The AFT tapped a top-notch attorney, Kenneth Feinberg, to oversee the effort to revise due process. In addition, Weingarten has reached out to key groups -- including the National Governors Association, the Council of Chief State School Officers, and the American Association of School Administrators, among others -- to create a forum for improving relationships between labor and management.
What did you think of the proposed teacher evaluation model? If the AFT succeeds at generating consensus among the relevant national players, can it effect change at the local level? What is the significance of the fact that the National Education Association has remained silent in the wake of this announcement?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
13 responses: Randi Weingarten, Deborah A. Gist, Nelson Smith, Steve Peha, Richard Rothstein, Justin C. Cohen, Gina Burkhardt, Deborah W. Meier, Diane Ravitch, Ted Hershberg, Mike Antonucci, Jeanne Allen, Monty Neill
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed education reform legislation on Jan. 7 that will give unprecedented power to parents whose children attend the worst-performing public schools. Under a provision known as the "parent trigger," if 50 percent of parents at a given school sign a petition, the school board must choose among several options, including closing the campus, converting to a charter, or replacing the principal and other administrators. Advocates of the controversial measure hope that it will make the state more competitive for Race to the Top money, in addition to improving education; opponents, such as the California Teachers Association, are concerned that the approach is too punitive.
Is the parent trigger a good idea? Did California make the right choice by adopting it, or should the state rely on other school improvement strategies?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
17 responses: Alex Johnston, Justin C. Cohen, Andrew J. Rotherham, Eliza Krigman, Michael L. Lomax, Ellen Winn, Steve Peha, Rep. John Kline, Eliza Krigman, Monty Neill, Tom Vander Ark, Gregory McGinity, Steve Peha, Judith Browne-Dianis, Diane Ravitch, Greg Richmond, Bill Jackson
During 2009, the various educational programs and grant competitions fueled by economic stimulus funds dominated the national education agenda. The Obama administration's $4.35 billion Race to the Top competition garnered significant attention and is thought to provide a blueprint for the upcoming reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.
Going forward into 2010, what should the No. 1 education priority be for Congress and the administration? What do you predict will define education policy this year? How much attention will Washington pay to education issues in an election year in which many other high-profile issues are already crowding the agenda?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
20 responses: Kati Haycock, Jeanne Allen, John Bailey, An-Me Chung, Dennis Van Roekel, Bill Jackson, Chad Wick, Michael L. Lomax, Eliza Krigman, Rep. John Kline, Sandy Kress, Chester E. Finn, Jr., Eliza Krigman, Steve Peha, Monty Neill, Phil Quon, Diane Ravitch, Greg Richmond, Arthur J. Rothkopf, Tom Vander Ark
The jobs bill that the House approved on Dec. 16 included $23 billion to save an estimated 250,000 education jobs over the next two years and $300 million to support the College Work Study program for low- and moderate-income students who work while attending college. Unlike money in the state fiscal stabilization fund made available under the stimulus bill approved earlier this year, states will not be required to report their progress on the Obama administration's four education redesign "assurances" in order to get the jobs bill money. The four assurances are turning around low-performing schools, improving teacher quality and distribution, advancing standards and assessments, and raising the bar on data collection.
Is providing stimulus money without the assurance accountability mechanism a good idea? What lessons can be drawn from stimulus money already dedicated to the education sector?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
8 responses: Steve Peha, Steve Peha, Justin C. Cohen, Frederick M. Hess, Richard Rothstein, Judith Browne-Dianis, Mike Antonucci, Rep. John Kline
The Business Roundtable last week released a report contending that the nation faces an urgent need for a better-educated and better-trained workforce. Even with 10 percent unemployment and 2.5 million jobs to fill across the economy, businesses are having trouble finding qualified candidates, William Green, chairman of Accenture, told Politico. Green heads the Business Roundtable's Springboard Project, an initiative aimed at improving training and education to better prepare American workers.
The Springboard Project's report recommended altering federal funding to reward institutions and students based on completion of college and training programs; creating national workforce credentials and certifications; and reworking the delivery systems of higher education to become more effective and efficient.
Do you agree with these recommendations? What changes should be made to the education system to better prepare students for the job market? What can businesses do to help?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
15 responses: Steve Peha, Michael L. Lomax, Steve Peha, Dennis Van Roekel, Jamie P. Merisotis, Chad Wick, Jackie Bennett, Steve Peha, Sandy Kress, Eliza Krigman, Cynthia G. (Cindy) Brown, Chester E. Finn, Jr., Tom Vander Ark, Gov. Bob Wise, George R. Boggs
President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have made it clear that expanding charter schools is a critical part of successful education reform. "States that do not have public charter laws or put artificial caps on the growth of charter schools will jeopardize their applications under the Race to the Top Fund," Duncan said in June.
But two major studies on charter schools released this year had dramatically different findings. One study found that charter schools nearly closed the achievement gap between students in poor and affluent communities, while the other found that most charter schools deliver academic results that are no better, or worse, than those in regular public schools.
Do charter schools deserve the attention that the Obama administration is giving them? Why or why not?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
23 responses: Rep. Donald M. Payne, Anne L. Bryant, Steve Peha, David G. Sciarra, Jeanne Allen, Chad Wick, Michael L. Lomax, Eliza Krigman, Steve Peha, Dan Katzir, David L. Kirp, Deborah W. Meier, Justin C. Cohen, Joel Klein, Cynthia G. (Cindy) Brown, Andrew J. Rotherham, Greg Richmond, Mike Antonucci, Diane Ravitch, Tom Vander Ark, Nelson Smith, Michael D. Piscal, Dennis Van Roekel
Recently the Federal Communications Commission asked for public comment on whether the Children's Television Act has been effective in bringing useful educational programming to television. The notice of inquiry, about protecting children and empowering parents in an evolving media landscape, goes even further and asks whether the government should have some role in encouraging educational programming on the Web.
Do the rules governing the CTA need to be revised to suit today's media landscape? What is the appropriate role for government in encouraging educational programming in today's digital age?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
7 responses: Chad Wick, Steve Peha, Tom Vander Ark, Alexander Russo, Diane Ravitch, Eliza Krigman, Gary Knell
This Education Blog is funded by support provided, in part, by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for the purpose of creating an educational forum for sharing research, ideas and opinions regarding issues related to college readiness and college completion. The Blog may not be used to post partisan political statements supporting or opposing candidates for public office. All statements and materials posted on the Blog, including any statements regarding specific legislation, reflect the views of the individual contributors and do not reflect the views of National Journal or the Bill& Melinda Gates Foundation. National Journal and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation take no positions regarding any legislation discussed in the Blog. National Journal reserves the right to monitor material placed on this site and to remove any posting they may deem inappropriate.
