MORE ARTICLES
Massachusetts’ Workforce Growing Older and More Diverse, Remains Highly EducatedApril 18, 2024 - 9:26 am
Johns Hopkins’ Ashley Berner on Educational Pluralism & DemocracyApril 17, 2024 - 2:53 pm
Why the secrecy? Pioneer Calls for Open Meetings Dealing with Steward’s Impact on Patient Care.April 16, 2024 - 1:59 pm
Industrial Policy Reimaged: Can Government Improve Free MarketsApril 16, 2024 - 12:34 pm
39th U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Pinsky for National Poetry MonthApril 10, 2024 - 12:16 pm
A Practically 100% Guaranteed Free RideApril 9, 2024 - 1:21 pm
Posting Patient Prices: Transparency Cure for Hospital Blank ChecksApril 9, 2024 - 11:51 am
Pioneer Institute Statement on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ March Tax Revenue CollectionsApril 4, 2024 - 3:34 pm
U.S. Chamber Foundation’s Hilary Crow on K-12 Civics EducationApril 3, 2024 - 12:08 pm
Constitutional Property Taking: Exclusionary Zoning’s Costs to Owners and SocietyApril 2, 2024 - 10:54 am
Running the Numbers
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, News /byThe Herald reports on Governor Patrick’s fundraiser today: the event has raised $600,000 for the governor’s re-election war chest, said Patrick spokesman Steve Crawford. He added 400 contributors are in the ballroom of the Westin Copley Place with about 140 more who donated $6,000 invited into the VIP lounge with Obama. Still, there are some empty seats. Let’s run the numbers. Each of the 400 contributors was supposed to max out to Patrick at $500, so that raises $200k. The 140 VIP contributors donated $6k, which breaks down into $500 for the GOV, $500 for the LG, and $5k for the party. So the VIPs raise $70k for the GOV, $70k for the LG, and a whopping $700k for the […]
Breaking News – RI Ed Commissioner on seniority
/0 Comments/in Blog, News, Related Education Blogs /byFrom the Providence Journal: RI education commissioner Deborah Gist orders school districts to abolish seniority Sent: Oct 23, 2009 2:02 PM PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Dropping a bombshell on the state’s teacher unions, state Education Commissioner Deborah Gist announced Friday that districts must abolish seniority as a method of assigning teachers. Gist, in a letter to all superintendents Thursday, said the Board of Regents’ new Basic Education Plan, which takes effect in July, 2010, requires that highly effective educators work with students who have significant achievement gaps. Wow.
Committed to Maximum Transparency
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, News /byThe above words are Governor Deval Patrick’s description of his administration. The practice has proven to be quite different (and I’m not the only one who thinks this.). In May, I asked the state’s Human Resource Department (HRD) for an update of an old layoff report that was used in 2004. They said no one knew what it was. I sent them an old copy, then they said it was a one-time report. I showed them it was a weekly report. They said it was discontinued. I asked for whatever they were using to track layoff counts now, then the conversation stopped. Next, I made an open records request, dated June 16, 2009. HRD did not respond, in violation of […]
Not Just Minutiae and Methodology
/0 Comments/in Blog, Blog: Better Government, News /byUPDATE BELOW The Boston Globe has the power to set the agenda at times in this town. On Sunday, they released the results of a poll of the mayor’s race that suggested it was tightening a bit but still favored the incumbent by a wide margin. The opposite result probably would have gotten a lot more casual observers focussed on the race. David Bernstein of the Phoenix and the challenger’s campaign immediately took issue with the poll, noting that the sample appeared to consist of self-described ‘likely’ voters, not registered voters. My read is a bit more ambiguous. The source document, the UNH Survey Center’s full report, is not precisely worded. It refers initially to a sample of “553 randomly […]
Contrition about Attrition
/0 Comments/in Blog, News, Related Education Blogs /byThe Mass Teachers Association’s report Charter School Success or Selective Out-Migration of Low-Achievers? makes the claim, in short, that charter schools push out underperforming students, and as a result have higher MCAS scores. This has delighted some bloggers and all those who believe that there is no way to break the mold and improve the academic outcomes for disadvantaged students. Problem is that the argument is a heap of mullarkey. A lot of “attrition”? Let’s define attrition. Attrition is mobility. It’s when a student leaves a school. It does not mean that students drop out. Folks, when parents have choice, their kids will move around. And even parents without the ease of choice that charters provide move their kids around. […]