Passing Notes

A quick post with several recent articles about education in Rhode Island and across the country:

• Voting for Students: The Providence Journal praises the General Assembly’s moves to end the ban on new charter schools and allow ‘Mayoral Academies,’ noting “… it is enormously encouraging that Rhode Island’s political leaders displayed real backbone this year in fighting for the state’s students. Citizens applaud them.” (read more)
• Charter School Vote Showed Courage: East Bay Newspapers (Bristol Phoenix, Barrington Times, Newport This Week, Warren Times Gazette, etc.), praises the General Assembly’s bold moves: “… Charter schools are swamped with applications from skilled teachers who appreciate freedom from a system designed to smother change. And most important, they offer choice to families whose school placement is governed now entirely by address.” (read more)
• Charter Schools Make the Grade: NY Post comments on the remarkable success of New York City’s public charter schools, “All told, roughly 40 of the 50 charters whose students took the exams beat the citywide averages, a number that is all the more astonishing because the schools are located primarily in the poorest neighborhoods…. No, not every charter is wonderful. Those that lag get closed. But most are doing spectacularly. ” (read more)
• Revamping Education in U.S. Schools: BusinessWeek makes the observation “If we continue to rank our students only against each other within the country, we will have no way of knowing how we compare with those overseas, many of whom will ultimately compete with American students for jobs.” It’s written by a college student working on the captivating movie documentary, 2 Million Minutes, which makes remarkable observations on America’s lack of global awareness. (read more)
• It’s the education gap that’s obscene: ProJo editorial board member David Anderson says: “Where the gap between … the privileged and the unprivileged really is a travesty is in educational opportunity…. I recently heard [Washington, D.C.] Chancellor Rhee speak in Boston … Ms. Rhee speaks plainly: There are two basic problems in the D.C. schools: 1) No accountability. 2) The interest of adults always takes precedence over the interest of children, who have no voice. There are two solutions: 1) Good leadership. 2) Great teachers.” (read more)
• Obama Doesn’t Have to Run as a Liberal: In the WSJ, Matt Miller argues Obama should embrace education reform with a “‘New Deal’ for teachers,” explaining, “… college students and younger teachers will crave the chance to earn, say, $150,000 if they excel…. He can explicitly endorse something like the breakthrough deal being pushed by Washington, D.C., schools chief Michelle Rhee, under which teachers could opt into a new pay schedule that gives them a chance to earn up to $130,000, but requires them to relinquish tenure and seniority rights as part of the bargain.” (read more)
• Wendy Kopp on Charlie Rose: See inspirational education reform advocate and leader Wendy Kopp, founder of Teach for America, on Charlie Rose. Recall that unfortunately, current Rhode Island regulations do not yet allow TFA to send its corps members into RI public schools. (read more)