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Green Dots in LA and now in NYC
/0 Comments/in Blog, News, Related Education Blogs /bySteve Barr has become a lightning rod for many in LA and now also in NYC (and here infecting UFT chief Randi Weingarten) as he works with the State University of New York to open up a Green Dot school in the South Bronx. What union opponents (and it is not everyone) don’t seem to get about Green Dot schools is that the formula is very attractive to many teachers. Especially younger teachers, many of whom would otherwise leave the teaching profession. Attractive? Why? Site-based management means teachers and principals have authority over 80-90 cents of each budget dollar, over curricula, and over work rules. As a result, decisions are made closer to the student and are more relevant to […]
Noble rhetoric, base motives
/0 Comments/in Blog, Related Education Blogs /byWrap Gov. Patrick’s proposal to overhaul public education governance in whatever rhetoric you want, at its core, his plan is about taking control of the Board of Education. His plan, simply put, is to give the Urban Superintendents, Mass Association of Superintendents, the Mass Association of School Committees and the Mass Teachers Association what they have been clamoring for the past decade. Reminder to all: These are all a really nice bunch of well-meaning people who never forget to mention the children when they talk about their own interests, which are control, control, control and, hmm, control… in that order. They’ve had enough of the pressure to change business as usual. That pressure comes from the state’s accountability system, competition […]
Mother’s wisdom
/0 Comments/in Blog, Related Education Blogs /byI am visiting my mom, who is really nice. Hard to believe, huh? Apple falls far from the tree in this case. We are enjoying a coffee and leafing through Roxbury Prep Charter School (a public middle school) annual report. First, how many district schools provide an annual report as clear as the one distributed by the Roxbury Prep Charter School? How many focus as clearly on results? On values? Harumph. The MCAS results are important and inspiring. Consider the following comparisons on the Math portion of the MCAS: Boston District students are proficient in the following percentages for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders: 29, 26 and 27 percent, respectively. (Not a good trend line, for the math-phobic.) Massachusetts District […]
State of the State? Skip the speech and check out the budget.
/0 Comments/in Blog, News /byAlmost exactly a year ago, one sage wondered if Governor Patrick would fulfill the promise of candidate Patrick. Since then, Pioneer has welcomed the Governor to our annual Better Government Competition and been heartened by many of his initiatives. So what’s in store for year two? Glad you asked – here’s Pioneer’s take on this year’s proposed budget. Just as historians judge Presidents by their performance during wartime, we’re about to learn how our Governor responds to economic uncertainty. As Pioneer’s release makes clear, we’re pulling for him, but we wonder if he’s reading the same bad news as the rest of us.
NEA dollars at work for whom?
/0 Comments/in Better Government, Blog, News /byThis is a long one. But if you like following the money, it is pretty interesting. A friend passed on an analysis of the National Education Association’s financial disclosure report for 2006-7. And you wonder why certain special interests support higher taxes and government largesse to the non-profit sector. As you read this list of advocacy groups who received funding from the NEA, remember that Pioneer takes no money from government sources and therefore can be objective about how to improve government. We don’t take your money via government and that’s why we ask for your support. The [NEA] nearly tripled its contributions [to advocacy groups] from the previous fiscal year. The expenditures include a host of payments connected with […]