Daily News Roundup, September 8, 2010

Printer-friendly version

Some of the News Fit to Print

SCHOOL REFORM’S MEAGER RESULTS
In his Washington Post op-ed, Robert J. Samuelson writes: “As 56 million children return to the nation's 133,000 elementary and secondary schools, the promise of ‘reform’ is again in the air. Education Secretary Arne Duncan has announced $4 billion in ‘Race to the Top’ grants to states whose proposals demonstrate, according to Duncan, ‘a bold commitment to education reform’ and ‘creativity and innovation [that are] breathtaking.’ What they really show is that few subjects inspire more intellectual dishonesty and political puffery than ‘school reform.’” Samuelson argues that reforms “have disappointed for two reasons.”

WE MUST SHIFT FROM TEACHER QUALITY TO TEACHING QUALITY
Educators have focused too much attention on the what of teaching, and not enough on "the far messier (but pivotal) how of teaching," writes Joseph Wise.

NONPROFIT GROUP STEPS UP CAMPAIGN TO GET MORE HISPANIC STUDENTS TO COMPLETE COLLEGE
Excelencia in Education is announcing several plans to accelerate its national efforts to improve college completion among Hispanics, the fastest-growing minority group in the United States. Fifty groups will be joining the campaign, among them are the National Governors Association, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Maricopa Community Colleges. The organizations will assist Excelencia in drafting a policy road map to achieve the increase. Excelencia plans to unveil the policy document in March. This article is in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

HAWAII PLAN WOULD INVEST $33M IN CULTIVATING, REWARDING TEACHERS
More than half of Hawaii's public school teachers leave within five years of being hired, a sobering statistic the state is scrambling to address at a time when experienced teachers are needed to help turn around struggling schools, meet federal requirements for "highly qualified" teachers and reach ambitious school reform goals. And while seeking to retain teachers, the Department of Education is also asking more of them, boosting learning expectations for Hawaii kids and moving to hold educators more accountable for student growth. As part of education reforms linked to the competitive $75 million Race to the Top grant Hawaii won last month, the Department of Education is planning to hang on to teachers using three strategies. This article is in Education Week.