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Hit the accelerator!

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That’s my takeaway from the 2009 NAEP reading results. Here are just a few takeaways from the racial/ethnic subgroup data from 1992 to 2009 for the 4th grade and 1998 to 2009 for the 8th grade: Black students – 4th grade: The average scaled score goes from 204 to 216. At or above Basic goes from 47 to 62 percent. At or above Proficient from 10 to 23 percent. Advanced from 1 to 3 percent. – 8th grade: The average scaled score goes from 248 to 251. At or above Basic goes from 55 to 64 percent. At or above Proficient from 13 to 17 percent. Advanced drops from 2 to 1 percent. Hispanic students – 4th grade: The average […]

MA tops nation in reading for 3rd time in a row

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From the Department of Education’s press release: “Massachusetts 4th and 8th Graders Rank First in Reading on 2009 NAEP Exam. Results Mark Third Time in a Row MA Students Have Outscored the Nation.” Great news! According to results of the 2009 NAEP exam, the state’s 4th graders scored an average of 234 on the reading assessment, well above the national average of 220 and first in the nation. At grade 8, Massachusetts students achieved the highest average of 274, which exceeded the national average of 262 and tied for first with five other high performing states: New Jersey (273); Connecticut and Vermont (272); and New Hampshire and Pennsylvania (271). Some cause for concern is the flattening out of performance. Commissioner […]

Pitching 38

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Curt Schilling (formerly of the Red Sox, ahem) is now seeking a deal for his video game company, reportedly talking with Rhode Island to see what tax incentives might be provided. His inspiration? The film tax credits which he saw in action in his home town. Now, Curt’s got every right to get the best deal for his company but he might want to consider a few facts: 1) RI’s corporate tax rate is 9% while Massachusetts was 9.5% and is supposed to drop to 8.75% this year, then to 8% over the next few years, 2) RI’s personal income tax rate is progressive and rises pretty fast — it gets to 7% quickly and tops out at 9.9%. Not […]

So whaddaya think about Sunday's vote?

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Many thoughts but here are three key ones: 1) What a wasted opportunity to get it right. Little learning from existing experiments like MA’s was drawn upon, and there are no real market mechanisms used to contain costs. Top-down cost containment will just lead to cost-shifting. 2) What a wasted opportunity by Republicans in the early 2000s. Why didn’t they do more than pilot programs to address skyrocketing premiums? 3) What a mess this will be going forward. It is going to be super-expensive for the taxpayer, and it will again shift a lot of the burden to people with private insurance. Two analyses, at antipodes of the ideological spectrum, are worth highlighting. First is Kimberley A. Strassel’s opinion piece […]

Little settlement with words

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Words have history, and that is really why they have power. All it takes is one breath to dredge up all sorts of memories and associations. It’s eye-popping when you read a great observer (plug in your favorite literary reference), but in the realm of politics that history is mainly playing off emotions and seeking to motivate one to action or inaction. Education is probably the place where the jargon and sharp-edged words are most prominent; e.g., “drill and kill,” “the field” (guess what you are excluded!), “choice,” and so on. This morning reading through the news, and I was curious about the statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that East Jerusalem was not a “colony.” It struck me […]