R2TT REDUX. Here we go (again). 36 applications, countless bureaucratic man-hours, wheeling and dealing with local teachers unions and quite possibly hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars for fancy-pants consultants. Now, 19 states have been handed the chance to battle it out for a share of $3.4 billion. We have to question how strong of a competition R2TT really is, however, when status quo strongholds like Kentucky, Hawaii and Maryland are sharing the spotlight with real education reform pioneers like Florida, New York and the District of Columbia? Will fortune favor the bold (e.g. California, who didn't just change the dates on their round one application and send it back in, but actually blocked districts who wouldn't sign on to the proposed reforms from participating should they win)? Will the smart money be on the safe bet (e.g. Rhode Island, who has become a media darling and continues to push the use of good data when it comes to both achievement and teachers)? Or will a dark horse come out of nowhere and take a prize turn around the track (e.g. Hawaii, where teacher furlough days and plummeting charter school funding rule the day)? Keep your eyes on the prize by following all the action on Edspresso...
PUSHING CHANGE. Even before the Washington Teachers Union ratified a contract that included a new teacher evaluation system, Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee was working towards a data-driven methodology for identifying teachers who were working (and those that shouldn't be). She was looking beyond the contract. Now it seems as though the WTU wasn't even looking at it. They are poised to sue DCPS over the dismissal of 241 teachers deemed ineffective using the very framework they approved not six weeks ago, proving once again that unions are getting too much credit for coming to the table and supporting "reforms". Perhaps they weren't ready for a Schools Chancellor who would call their bluff, one that already had put into place a process to separate the bad from the good. The irony? The union was the one to pull the trigger, and now they want to take it back.
PEACH STATE OPTIONS. Georgia has paved the way for virtual charter school options for families in the Peach State. Two successful virtual charter school operators have been approved to open programs for the upcoming school year. But will the fact that Georgia doesn't have a formal per-pupil funding equation in place shortchange students who would benefit from a cyber option? The current state allocation is far less than brick and mortar schools, but states with robust virtual options (Pennsylvania and California, for example) fund their programs on par with traditional charter schools. 218 virtual charters are serving kids in 26 states and allow for tailored and flexible programs that can mean the difference between success and failure, especially for at-risk students. "Virtual schools are the future," school choice supporter Chip Rogers said. "This is a great opportunity for Georgia to be a leader in education rather than being at the back of the pack."
MORE OF THE SAME. Seven civil rights organizations put forth a new education agenda on Monday, at the same time pushing back against many of the education reforms that are proving daily to change the lives of the same poor urban students their platform aims to reach. The collective, including the NAACP and National Urban League, speaks out against charter schools, school choice programs and other options made available to the families most in need of escape from failing neighborhood schools. Their solution? More of the same: more money for programs and resources, more training and professional development for teachers (and weakened "multiple measure" evaluations), more input from community activists. Perhaps, like New York State Senator Bill Perkins, these groups just aren't aware of the new Harlem renaissance coming out of charter schools there or the fact that the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program is boosting graduation rates and college attendance for the District's poorest students. Expanding, not limiting, these options for families would create a real opportunity to learn. President Obama is scheduled to speak at this week's National Urban League conference in Washington. Will he stick to his guns, or try to win back those who voted him into office (a common MO these days...)?
GON' FISHIN'. Because laptops aren't waterproof...Newswire will be on vacation for the next two weeks. But be sure to keep up with all the education reform news of the day at Edspresso and Twitter.
