By Devin Boyle, Director of Communications, and Stephanie Doctrow, Communications Coordinator and Web Editor
DFER Seen & Heard:
- Ed News Colorado’s Kate Schmiel lists the current endorsements on the table for the 2013 Denver Public Schools board election.
- The Washington Post reports California is on a collision course with the U.S. Department of Education over its plans to suspend standardized tests this school year – a move that Education Secretary Arne Duncan, Rep. George Miller, DFER and other ed reform groups say is wrong-headed.
- Joe Williams, on how UFT President Michael Mulgrew’s support impacted the NYC mayoral race: “There’s no sense at all that his teachers were behind him.” (New York Daily News)
- DFER Policy Director Charles Barone’s response to this week’s new EPI/BBA report was quoted by the Huffington Post’s Joy Removits and POLITICO’s Nirvi Shah. Barone: “This is intellectual dishonesty of the worst kind by very smart people who know better. To call this junk science is an insult to junk.”
- Dropout Nation also agreed with Barone’s assessment.
- Williams called the NYC mayoral race “an important moment for the Democratic Party in New York City, where Democrats and not union bosses elect their leaders.” (Gotham Schools) He told Bloomberg’s Zeke Faux and Henry Goldman: “None of the candidates got our base fired up. We’re not going to be supporting Joe Lhota, and I’m not sure if we would support de Blasio.” His thoughts on the mayoral race also made it into a story by POLITICO’s Stephanie Simon.
- Commenting on Tony Bennett’s resignation, DFER-IN’s Larry Grau told the Associated Press that Bennett’s behaviors were unacceptable, but his failings shouldn’t be used to ditch grading.
Advocacy, Policy Briefs & Such:
- Statement | Michiganders support Common Core and restoration of funds for implementation according to new Education Trust report.
- Statement | Statement by Democrats for Education Reform on misleading Race to the Top report released by EPI/BBA.
- Statement | DFER on the NYC mayor’s race.
DFER Blog:
- DFER’s Domenic Giandomenico writes, “University of Virginia looks to give up public money to get more cash from students.”
- In a guest post, the Harvard Political Review’s Colin Diersing makes his “progressive case against Bill de Blasio.”
- DFER’s Charles Barone: “EPI and BBA further diminish their credibility upon release of new Race to the Top report.”
- DFER-CO’s Jennifer Walmer writes about why school board elections matter, especially in Denver.
- DFER-WI’s Jarett Fields has been invited to represent DFER as a guest host on a Milwaukee talk radio program.
- Which states are outperforming peers in improving performance of traditionally underserved students? DFER’s Mac LeBuhn investigates.
- LeBuhn responds to comments from The Atlantic’s Dana Goldstein on his posts with “Cause? Who Said Cause?”
In Related News:
- The Tampa Bay Times’ Kathleen McGrory reports that interim FL Education Commissioner Pam Stewart will officially lead the department on a permanent basis.
- MLive’s Brian Smith: “Poll shows Common Core supported by majority of Michigan voters.”
- The Los Angeles Times‘ Howard Blume reports, “Deputy Supt. Aquino departs L.A. Unified with warning.”
- A new federally-funded study shows Teach for America secondary math teachers helped their students learn more in math than colleagues who entered teaching through other fast-track programs or traditional university programs. (Stephen Sawchuk, Ed Week)
- The New York Times’ Jack Healy: “Colorado lawmakers ousted in recall vote over gun law.”
- POLITICO‘s Libby Nelson reports on the Department of Education’s new round of negotiated rulemaking over for-profit colleges.
- The California Department of Education released its plan to accommodate the switch from state assessment to the new Common Core-aligned assessment. (Ed Week)
- United Negro College Fund President Michael Lomax writes in The Tennessean, “Giving Nashville’s parents the choice to enroll their children in charter schools now is the smart and right thing to do.”
Fun With Infographics & More:
- Watch Education Secretary Arne Duncan discuss the Common Core State Standards and be all around awesome on the Colbert Report.
- Infographic | Top 10 Most Overpaid College Presidents.
- “It’s what Walt Whitman said – YOLO.” Thanks for the pep talk, Kid President!
- Infographic | All-Star States.
- Slate’s Forrest Wickman makes seven predictions for the twist ending of M. Night Shyamalan’s new book about education. (#7: The achievement gap was actually closed the entire time)