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	<title>Passing Notes</title>
	<link>http://blog.bestforkids.org</link>
	<description>Rhode Island Education Reform</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 02 Dec 2009 04:48:08 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>Cost of RI-MA Achievement Gap: $2.1 Billion</title>
		<description><![CDATA[This brilliant presentation by Public Impact connects the dots between education reform and economic development in Rhode Island.  There is no other single thing that will have a greater impact on Rhode Island&#8217;s long term economic development than turning around our state&#8217;s under-performing K-12 school system.  Here&#8217;s why:
Public Impact   Education And [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.bestforkids.org/2009/12/cost-of-ri-ma-achievement-gap-21-billion/</link>
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		<title>Commissioner Gist Ends Seniority-Based Teacher Assignment</title>
		<description><![CDATA[In a letter to all superintendents, Education Commissioner Deborah A. Gist has told districts to end all teacher assignments that are based solely on seniority, and the Department of Education issued a press release announcing the end of seniority-based teacher assignment in Rhode Island.  Gist told all superintendents &#8220;to ensure that nothing in any [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.bestforkids.org/2009/10/commissioner-gist-ends-seniority-based-teacher-assignment/</link>
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		<title>It&#8217;s the school, stupid.</title>
		<description><![CDATA[A study by Stanford University&#8217;s Caroline Hoxby released this week is creating a lot of buzz in the education world.  Hoxby compared the student achievement data from kids who entered charter school lotteries in New York City and &#8220;won&#8221; admittance against the data from students who entered those same lotteries and &#8220;lost&#8221; thereby remaining in [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.bestforkids.org/2009/09/its-the-school-stupid/</link>
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		<title>Fees for Sports: Not So Fast</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Recently the Commissioner of Education issued an advisory opinion on whether school districts may charge fees to students and their families to participate in sports.  The short answer: such fees &#8220;violate a fundamental principle of Rhode Island school administration by interposing an obstacle against free attendance and by discriminating against the boy or girl [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.bestforkids.org/2009/08/fees-for-sports-not-so-fast/</link>
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		<title>Democracy Prep Blackstone Valley Holds Lottery</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Valley Breeze reports that Democracy Prep Blackstone Valley held their admissions lottery: &#8220;&#8230; the college class of 2026 took off in a new direction Tuesday evening at the Blackstone River Theatre.  They were the lucky ones whose names were pulled from brass bingo drums during a lottery used to fill the first-ever class [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.bestforkids.org/2009/07/democracy-prep-blackstone-valley-holds-lottery/</link>
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		<title>Commissioner Gist Op-Ed: Let&#8217;s make R.I. schools best in America</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Glad to see the Providence Journal publish Rhode Island Education Commissioner Deborah Gist&#8217;s opening op-ed calling for Rhode Island to have the best schools in America.  An excerpt:
Late last month, the U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan, called upon all educators to “behave differently” and to “move outside our comfort zones” so as to create [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.bestforkids.org/2009/07/commissioner-gist-op-ed-lets-make-ri-schools-best-in-america/</link>
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		<title>Response to South County Independent Editorial</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Last week, the South County Independent publishers attacked charter schools in their editorial pages as &#8220;an experiment for the few.&#8221;  This week, they published a response letter to the editor from Angus Davis in defense of charter schools.  Their original editorial demonstrated a failure to grasp the facts at issue (they thought the [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.bestforkids.org/2009/07/response-to-south-county-independent-editorial/</link>
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		<title>Angus Davis on Newsmakers to Discuss Education Reform</title>
		<description><![CDATA[On Sunday, Angus appeared on Channel 12 WPRI (local CBS affiliate) Sunday morning news program, &#8220;Newsmakers&#8221; to discuss education reform, charter schools and the federal &#8220;Race to the Top&#8221; program in Rhode Island.  





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		<link>http://blog.bestforkids.org/2009/07/angus-davis-on-newsmakers-to-discuss-education-reform/</link>
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		<title>Secretary Duncan Challenges Teacher Union to &#8220;Think Differently&#8221;</title>
		<description><![CDATA[In a speech today to the NEA, the nation&#8217;s largest teacher&#8217;s union, Secretary Duncan challenged teacher unions to &#8220;think differently.&#8221;  A full transcript of Secretary Duncan&#8217;s prepared remarks to the NEA is available, and a video will be posted here when it becomes available.  Some choice excerpts leave little question that this is [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.bestforkids.org/2009/07/secretary-duncan-challenges-teacher-union-to-think-differently/</link>
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		<title>Funds Restored for New Charter Schools</title>
		<description><![CDATA[At 1:38 am this morning, the Rhode Island House of Representatives passed a budget article that restored funding for new charter schools as its last order of business for the night.  After a heated debate, the measure to restore $1.5 million in funding for two new charter schools passed on a 47-26 vote.  [...]]]></description>
		<link>http://blog.bestforkids.org/2009/06/funds-restored-for-new-charter-schools/</link>
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