| Free Trial |
| Submit site feedback |
Hard economic times have prompted public schools to look for or accept private financial support. Education Week reported that private donations are covering $18,000 of the $225,000 annual salary paid to a school superintendent in Indiana. In Boston, public schools worked with corporations, along with pro and collegiate sports teams, to boost school athletic budgets by more than 60 percent over the next three years ($4 million to $6.5 million).
Even with federal stimulus dollars, which won't last forever, many schools are struggling financially and must seek alternative solutions. Should public-private partnerships be formed to shore up gaps in school budgets? Does this pose ethical concerns?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
13 responses: Steve Peha, Eliza Krigman, Monty Neill, Bruce Hunter, Michael L. Lomax, Steve Peha, Jay Pfeiffer, David L. Kirp, Greg Richmond, Diane Ravitch, Sandy Kress, Tom Vander Ark, An-Me Chung
In a report titled "The Widget Effect," the nonprofit New Teacher Project found that in public schools nationwide, teacher effectiveness is not measured, recorded or used to inform decision-making in any meaningful way. The result, according to the study, is a system where teachers are treated as interchangeable parts.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan and Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, have called for an overhaul to our nation's teacher evaluation systems.
How should teacher effectiveness be assessed? What role should student performance and standardized testing have in this equation?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
25 responses: Jackie Bennett, Rachel B. Tompkins, Steve Peha, Deborah A. Gist, Deborah W. Meier, Gary Huggins, Monty Neill, Monty Neill, Gina Burkhardt, Lisa Graham Keegan, Margaret Spellings, David G. Sciarra, Rep. John Kline, Ellen Moir, Joel Klein, Bob Peterson, Dennis Van Roekel, Sandy Kress, Steve Peha, Mike Antonucci, Diane Ravitch, Cynthia G. (Cindy) Brown, Ted Hershberg, Tom Vander Ark, Ariela Rozman
Last week Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the department's priorities for grants under the $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund (i3), which bolsters local efforts to close the achievement gap. Individual school districts or groups of districts are eligible to apply for grants, and nonprofits may join with those districts to submit applications. The department is currently accepting comments and plans to publish a final application in early 2010 and accept proposals in the spring.
Under the proposed eligibility requirements, districts must have made adequate yearly progress for two consecutive years in order to apply. The Education Department indicated it would prefer lifting the AYP requirement and hopes that pending legislation will allow it to do so by the time the applications are released.
Is lifting the AYP requirement a good idea? Would that be a step toward weaker accountability?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
20 responses: Alex Johnston, Sherman Dorn, Jeanne Allen, Lisa Graham Keegan, Alexander Russo, Steve Peha, Steve Peha, Monty Neill, Sandy Kress, Steve Peha, Sandy Kress, Richard Rothstein, Steve Peha, Nelson Smith, Alexander Russo, Diane Ravitch, Tom Vander Ark, Cynthia G. (Cindy) Brown, Russ Whitehurst, Bruce Hunter
A draft of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee proposal to reform federal student aid, obtained by the media, includes significant funds to promote state data systems. The centerpiece of the bill would convert the federally subsidized private student-lending program into a direct loan program run by the Education Department. The Congressional Budget Office has projected that the change, pushed by the Obama administration, could save up to $87 billion. The version of the bill that the House approved on Sept. 17 would funnel the money into a raft of education initiatives, including a College Access and Completion Challenge Fund. The Senate alternative envisions a $4.25 billion fund to improve college access, persistence and completion.
Under the Senate's proposal, states seeking to compete for funds through the program would have to create data systems that include all public postsecondary institutions within their borders. These systems would collect information on all students, including their secondary school record, financial status, entry and exit from colleges, job placement, and postsecondary earnings, among other information.
Is an extensive data system like this a good idea? Could it pose an invasion of privacy?
-- Eliza Krigman, NationalJournal.com
10 responses: Deborah A. Gist, Steve Peha, Gary Huggins, Terry W. Hartle, Jamie P. Merisotis, Sandy Kress, Steve Peha, Tom Vander Ark, Kevin Carey, Eliza Krigman
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.
