DFER News Roundup
By Devin Boyle, Director of Communications, and Stephanie Doctrow, Communications Coordinator and Web Editor
DFER Seen & Heard:
- DFER-MI’s Harrison Blackmond joined a coalition of Michigan leaders celebrating the state House’s decision to move forward with implementation of the Common Core State Standards.
- EdWeek’s Alyson Klein listed 5 things educators need to know about Cory Booker as he makes his way to D.C. Number one: He’s a DFER.
- Natasha Kamrani of DFER-TN: “When you try to people-proof public education, then everyone is dispensable.” (Nashville Scene)
- DFER’s Charles Barone gives NewSchools Venture Fund’s Ted Mitchell props for his appointment to the Department of Education. (Chronicle of Higher Education)
Advocacy, Policy Briefs & Such:
- Statement | DFER-MI commends state Senate for reinstating funding for Common Core State Standards implementation.
- Statement | Coalition calls on Arne Duncan to protect students through waiver renewals.
DFER Blog:
- DFER-WI’s Jarett Fields: “National Common Core misinformation campaign infests Badger State.”
- Joe Williams writes, “Obama, Common Core, Co-Locations and Brooklyn.”
- DFER-CO’s Jen Walmer calls Amendment 66 “the right move for Colorado’s kids.”
- “An equity agenda is the practical agenda for those working to produce an excellent school system,” writes DFER policy analyst Mac LeBuhn.
- Joe Williams: “Time for moratorium on NY bellyaching.”
In Related News:
- President Obama stopped by a Brooklyn school to talk education and praised Governor Andrew Cuomo and NY Commissioner of Education John King for raising standards for teachers. (New York Times)
- The Boston Globe has endorsed John Connolly for mayor, calling him “fundamentally a reformer.”
- Welcome to D.C., Senator Cory Booker!
- John Deasy will stay on as L.A. Unified Schools chief, according to the Los Angeles Times.
- DFER-CO advisory board member Van Schoales, to the Denver Post: “What ended up in Amendment 66 will be the best school finance law for charter schools in the country.”
- The Buffalo News editorializes, “Education commissioner has it right on Common Core standards.”
- From the Chicago Sun-Times: “Common Core State Standards: Thinking beats memorizing any day.”
- Connecticut, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Washington announced they will overhaul their teacher-preparation and licensing systems under a new pilot program from the Council of Chief State School Officers. (Stephen Sawchuk, EdWeek)
- New York Daily News: “State education chief must not be pushed out of office.”
- The New York Times’ Bill Keller: “Of all the competing claims on America’s education dollar — more technology, smaller classes, universal prekindergarten, school choice — the one option that would seem to be a no-brainer is investing in good teachers.”
- The Huffington Post’s Joy Resmovits covered the Mayors’ Tour kickoff in Denver.
Fun With Infographics & More:
- Happy Halloween, DFERs!
- Infographic | How we stack up.
- Follow DFER on Instagram!
- Infographic | Keeping our kids safe.