By Devin Boyle, Director of Communications
DFER Invades the DNC
As some of you may have heard, DFER will be descending upon Charlotte next week. Be sure to follow us on Twitter @DFER_News and like us on Facebook for some live commentary from the conference. If you wanna get a little crazy and jump into the fray, feel free to use the hashtags we created for the event: #IMaDFER and #DFER_DNC
Now, back to business …
DFER Seen & Heard:
- DFER announces Maryellen Butke, former ED of RI-CAN as our Education Reformer of the Month. She’s running for RI State Senate (Read more here)
- Despite the best efforts of many ed reformers in CA and our own Gloria Romero, the CA bill that would have made it easier to fire teachers accused of terrible crimes fails (CNN)
- “Groups Press the ED for Teacher-Prep Rules,” reports Ed Week
- Joe Williams tells the NY Times, “Our very best teachers ought to be treated much, much better than they are today…But in order to get there, we need to be able to say out loud that some teachers are better than others.”
From DFER’s Blog:
- It’s Charlotte or Bust for DFER WA State Director Lisa Macfarlane (DFER’s Blog)
- Originally published by Teach Plus: “California Legislature Goes for the Jugular on Obama’s Education Goals” (DFER’s Blog)
- Q & A with Colorado Senator and ed reform champion Mike Johnston (DFER’s Blog)
- A Coalition of more than 30 ed reform groups (DFER included) releases letter asking the administration to hold teacher preparation programs accountable (DFER’s Blog)
In Related News:
- Great side-by-side by Teach Plus on how the CA teacher effectiveness bill AB5 won’t stack up to ESEA waiver requirements
- “Romney’s ed plan is long on rhetoric, short on detail, and full of half-baked ideas,” says new report by Center for American Progress
- No joke, there were mermaids and penguins at the Republican National Convention (BuzzFeed)
- The Sacramento Bee publishes editorial asking CA to take time to do a teacher evaluation bill the right way
- Read the latest on the battle between Chicago Public Schools and the CTA; CTA plans to strike on Sept. 10th (here and here)
- A must read by Stephanie Banchero in WSJ, “To Train Teachers, a New Lesson Plan”
- Gallup and PDK release poll on the “Public’s Attitudes Toward the Public Schools” (PDK)
- Bellwether’s Sara Mead gives the rundown on what states are doing (or not doing) to improve teacher effectiveness
- Education Week takes a look at how education is playing out in congressional races
Fun with Infographics & More:
- Blog worth adding to your RSS and Twitter feeds: LA School Report
- Because We’re DFER: Check out our DFER Postcard – Mermaids heart Romney. Not really. (See here)
- Obama = thumbs up; Romney = thumbs down (See here)
- See how Obama’s “Pay As You Earn” program is helping students afford college and play around with the student loan calculator
- From our 4 part Infographic Series “Obama Crushes Romney on Public Charter Schools”
- Romney Would Drown Charters (Part 3 of 4)
- Romney is Dead Last in Opening New Charters (Part 4 of 4)
Call to Action:
- Contribute to DFER
- Support our Reformer of the Month
- Sign our Statement of Principles
And, as always – Have a great weekend!