DFER News Roundup
You thought news of the royal baby was good? Nothing beats the DFER News Roundup.
By Devin Boyle, Director of Communications, and Stephanie Doctrow, Communications Coordinator and Web Editor
DFER Seen & Heard:
- The announcement of Lea Crusey as DFER’s new deputy director was reported in GothamSchools and the Highland Community News.
- “Democrats are leading the way on reforming public education,” DFER’s Charlie Barone writes for The Tennessean.
- Joe Williams writes for the New York Daily News, “It is now clear that even if [NYC Mayoral Candidate Bill] Thompson pulls a massive come-from-behind victory, it will be mostly because of his own political handiwork, not any magic UFT pixie dust.”
- “Why do some Republicans revile Common Core? The answer: Politics,” DFER-MI’s Harrison Blackmond writes for Mlive.
- DFER gets a nod from EdWeek’s Stephen Sawchuk for their advocacy efforts against the House ESEA bill.
- DFER joins 35 civil rights, disability and education reform groups to oppose the House ESEA bill.
- Barone, on measuring “hope” to help improve academic success in schools: “In the past, schools have tried to use the measurement of feelings to cover up that students aren’t doing very well.” (Washington Post)
- WBUR reports on DFER’s mid-June poll on the Boston mayoral race, which found John Connolly among the candidates with the most support.
- DFER joins a “diverse set of groups and individuals, many with vastly different ideologies,” supporting the Common Core in MI, writes Lori Higgins of the Detroit Free Press.
- Williams weighs in on the future of NYC’s charter sector in GothamSchools.
- DFER endorses John Connolly in Boston mayoral race; DFER-MA Dir. Liam Kerr calls Connolly “a cut above.” (via WBUR)
Advocacy, Policy Briefs & Such:
- Press Release | DFER appoints Lea Crusey as new deputy director.
- Press Release | DFER-CO names Jennifer Walmer, former chief of staff to Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg, as its new state director.
- Statement | House Republicans pass partisan ESEA bill.
- Statement | House Democrats stand up for educational accountability and equity.
- Statement | DFER endorses former mayor and education champion in Boston mayoral race.
DFER Blog:
- DFER’s Mac LeBuhn presents the “Top TN” reasons to support Tennessee teacher licensure reform.
- Policy analyst Mina White writes, “The Time for Change Is Now: Honoring Trayvon Martin.”
- LeBuhn draws attention to the 100,000 Tennessee students who will be placed in classrooms with low-performing teachers over the next ten years without teacher licensing reform.
- DFER-IL’s Rebeca Nieves Huffman gives an overview of a recent CREDO event held in IL for elected officials.
In Related News:
- POLITICO has started a new daily morning education policy roundup.
- Catch the next installment of TFER’s 2013 Summer Book Club.
- “Will election be a solution to Seattle School Board turmoil?” asks the Seattle Times’ Linda Shaw.
- The Wall Street Journal’s Monica Langley writes that education is one of few areas where President Obama can gain traction during his second term.
- Many major publications covered the House’s renewal of ESEA, including EdWeek, the Huffington Post, and the New York Times.
- WNYC’s Matthew Levey explains what NYC schools can learn from the Cheesecake Factory.
- The Chicago Tribune covered Chicago Public Schools’ decision to lay off more than 1,000 teachers to reduce spending, with Mayor Rahm Emanuel blaming the city’s pension crisis.
- EdWeek’s Kim Marshall writes on “How to make teacher evaluations accurate, fair and consistent.”
- A Harvard University study by Raj Chetty revealed the major factors acting on poverty in the US, as well as evidence that education is one of the most important tools policymakers can use to promote economic mobility (New York Times).
- The House Democratic Caucus released statements of opposition to the House ESEA renewal.
- RedefinED’s Sherri Ackerman writes about West Palm Beach Mayor Jeri Muoio, “another Democratic mayor for charter schools.”
- The Detroit Free Press editorializes against “Indulging the fringe on Common Core while Michigan’s students fall behind.”
- From the Boston Herald, “Choice on school boss looms for new mayor.”
- The Center for American Progress writes, “In many ways professional development is the link between the design and implementation of education reforms and the ultimate success of reform efforts in schools.”
- TFER’s Mac LeBuhn asks, “Why are policymakers so averse to addressing professional development?”
- DC teacher Scott Goldstein writes for the Young Education Professionals blog: “Common Core opens door for real shift in instruction.”
- The Pew Research Center finds the median wealth of white households is 20 times that of black households and 18 times that of Hispanic households, meaning more minority families end up in poor neighborhoods with underperforming school systems. (Associated Press)
Fun With Infographics & More:
- Last night, DFER co-hosted “Opt-Out or Cop-Out? A Debate on ‘New’ Accountability Systems” with the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. The event had a great turnout and sparked a lively online conversation; the event’s hashtag, #OptOrCop, was event trending via Twitter in DC! Watch a replay of the event here.
- Which book is your favorite?
- Infographic Tuesdays: Tennessee Teacher Licensing Reform
- Infographic Tuesdays: More work ahead on Common Core
- Education’s purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one.