The Daily Read
Caring, highly-qualified teachers are important in keeping children in school. So the nation must improve the way it recruits, trains and retains instructors. The status quo just won't do. (Illustration courtesy of PBS.)
What’s inside — and outside — the dropout nation (updates and new articles marked with an *):
- It’s about the teachers: Jay Mathews hits on this point in this latest Washington Post column. Although parents and even administrators spend much time on the less-than-ideal conditions of the buildings in which children learn, Mathews notes that the highest-quality learning occurs in buildings in which boilers are broken down and dilapidated churches…
- And keeping the at-risk students in school: Mathews also rehashes an earlier debate he had with a California vocational school teacher, who argues that not every child wants to go to college and therefore, should be given a strong shop-and-technical school education. My view: The emphasis on college isn’t a bad thing at all, especially in light of the reality that college coursework is becoming an increasingly important qualification in getting blue-collar jobs; the same math skills (algebra and trigonometry) still apply in both cases. Besides, why shouldn’t a plumber also know about Chaucer? The real issue isn’t a need for vocational education — which public schools do an even worse job of providing — but engaging the minds and souls of children in the first place.
- Bad teacher policymaking, Volume M: California’s legislature is looking to shut down a loophole that allows teachers who plead ‘no contest’ to sex offense charges to continue teaching until their case is heard before the state teacher certification commission. As Joanne Jacobs and Darren Miller of Right on the Left Coast notes, the California Teachers Association — well-known for throwing its heft around in that statehouse — opposes closing the loophole. And given the union’s influence on the legislature, the bill may well fail to pass.
- A time for innovation in education: Newark Mayor Cory Booker hooks up with venture capitalist John Doerr (a longtime sponsor of school choice efforts) and California Board of Education President Ted Mitchell to argue for a school innovation venture fund in the Los Angeles Times. The goal: Pour more money into vouchers and other innovations to improve the performance of the nation’s public education system.
- The value of school choice: David W. Kirkpatrick uses his weekly EducationNews.org column as a Q-and-A on the value of vouchers, public charter schools and other choice plans. Reader Bill O’Dea responds with a Q-and-A of his own.
- Keeping mayoral control of schools: Michael Bloomberg’s fairly successful effort to reform what was one of the nation’s most dysfunctional school systems has been highly lauded nationally. As the New York Times points out today, this doesn’t mean that the powers that be in Albany will extend mayoral control beyond 2009. Bloomberg has long had support from the state Senate Republicans who run the upper house, but Sheldon Silver (who helped orchestrate the end of tenure reform earlier this year) and his Assembly Democrats are notorious for cowtowing to the New York State United Teachers and the United Federation of Teachers, United’s largest affiliate and the key union in New York City schools. As usual, all of this will not come down to the best interest of the city’s children.
Pat
1348 days ago
Aspen Institute’s National Education Summit: AN URGENT CALL
Our educational system is in crisis and it requires urgent attention. This educational crisis is challenging our economic competitiveness on the global stage and limiting the opportunities of our young people, particularly poor and minority students. Our economic health, national security, and democratic institutions depend on well-educated citizens. Our future prosperity and leadership in the world will be determined by our response to this educational crisis and our steadfast commitment to implementing solutions. American public education MUST meet the needs of ALL our children and respond to our nation…s growing diversity.
Though the consequences of poor educational performance may seem remote to many, with little recognizable impact on their daily lives, our national health and prosperity depends on a skilled workforce, vigorous civic institutions and engaged citizens. We believe it is time for a broader mobilization of local, state and national leaders to raise public awareness of the educational challenges we face and how failure to meet them will likely affect our standard of living in the future. We must take seriously our shared responsibility to ensure that all students ? regardless of race, income level or zip code have access to an excellent education.
The Aspen Institute will convene national leaders for a series of frank conversations about the state of American education to underscore the implications of poor to mediocre performance on other areas of our national life cited by voters as most important including: the economy, jobs, security and healthcare. Our National Education Summit will also highlight the importance of working across party lines, and with all sectors of our society, to develop a superior educational system that serves all children well and prepares them for lives of opportunity and productive citizenship.
Confirmed speakers & panelists include (in order of appearance):
Walter Isaacson, President and CEO, The Aspen Institute ? Margaret Spellings, U.S. Secretary of Education ? Roy Romer, Former Governor of Colorado ? Juan Williams, Fox News and National Public Radio ? Michael Lomax, President, United Negro College Fund ? Joel Klein, Chancellor, New York City Public Schools ? Tom Donohue, President & CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce ? Tommy Thompson, Former U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services ? John Podesta, President & CEO, Center for American Progress ? Wade Henderson, President, Leadership Conference on Civil Rights ? John Engler, President & CEO, National Association of Manufacturers ? Byron Auguste, Chairman, Hope Street Group ? Ronald Brownstein, Atlantic Monthly ? Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers ? Kati Haycock , President, The Education Trust ? John Deasy , Superintendent, Prince George…s County Public Schools ? Beverly Hall, Superintendent, Atlanta Public Schools ? Janet Murguia, President & CEO, National Council of La Raza ? Sir Michael Barber, Partner, McKinsey & Company and Former Chief Advisor to Prime Minister Tony Blair ? David Bradley, Owner, Atlantic Media Company ? Vicki Phillips, Director, College Ready Initiative, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ? Gene Wilhoit, President, Council of Chief State School Officers ? Michael Ortiz, President, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona ? William Green, Chairman & CEO, Accenture and Chairman, Business Roundtable’s Education, Innovation & Workforce Initiative ? Katherine Bradley, President, CityBridge Foundation ? Ted Mitchell, CEO, NewSchools Venture Fund & President, California State Board of Education ? Michelle Rhee, Chancellor, District of Columbia Public Schools ? Michael Feinberg, Co-Founder, Kipp Academy ? Jon Schnur, President, New Leaders for New Schools ? John Chubb, Managing Director, Edison Learning Institute ? Condoleeza Rice, U.S. Secretary of State
Join these national education, business, healthcare, national security, and political leaders for a series of candid conversations about sobering realities, challenges and opportunities including:
A frank assessment of the condition of American education and prospects for improved performance
The implications of poor educational performance on other areas of our national life cited by voters as most important including: the economy, jobs, security and healthcare
Moving beyond conflicting visions to sustain a national will for effective reform
More than talk: Throughout the day, Summit participants will also be challenged to work together to solidify a national commitment to key principles of education reform, accountability for results, transparency on performance and high and measurable expectations for all students. In a special interactive working session, participants will engage in an effort to mobilize the broad and growing consensus behind the important elements that constitute an academic bottom line on behalf of all students.
The event will begin at 8:30am on Monday, September 15 and end with a special dinner program (speakers TBA). You can tune in to the live web cast at http://www.aspeninstitute.org/urgentcallor email us for information at NationalEducationSummit@aspeninstitute.org. You can also add your voice and perspective to this important and timely conversation through the Summit blog (www.aspenedsummit.blogspot.com) which will be providing live “play-by-play” coverage the day of the Summit posting perspectives leading up and following to the Summit. The Summit schedule of speakers and panel discussions can be viewed on the Summit blog at http://www.aspenedsummit.blogspot.com
Jeanne from Michigan
1345 days ago
It’s true our educational system is in a crisis right now and needs our immediate attention. We need to be open to all of the discussions going on right now about where our educational system is and where it needs to go. I’ve been watching a live webcast from The Aspen Institute’s National Education Summit http://www.aspeninstitute.org/urgentcall. It looks like they have a great agenda of speakers as well as some very meaningful open discussions with the participants to seek consensous on ways to move forward together in an effort to improve the future of our children’s education and thus our economy.