DFER News Roundup
By Devin Boyle, Director of Communications, and Stephanie Doctrow, Communications Coordinator and Web Editor
Featured:
- “We are Democrats leading a political reform organization that cultivates and supports leaders in our party who champion America’s public school children.” Read “Carrying the Torch” and check out our mission graphic.
DFER Seen & Heard:
- DFER-MI’s Harrison Blackmond joined several other Michigan education advocates and superintendents, writing “Michigan needs a smart, statewide system to measure student growth.” (Bridge)
- The NYSUT could easily help schools in districts that haven’t cut back on testing by agreeing to allow state test scores to count more, Joe Williams tells Gotham Schools’ Geoff Decker.
- DFER Policy Director Charles Barone tells POLITICO’s Stephanie Simon that Education Secretary Arne Duncan has “gotten more done than any secretary in recent memory.”
- DFER-WA’s Lisa Macfarlane addressed the misinformation and fear surrounding charters in the Bellingham Herald. She also commented on the first wave of charter school applications to KIRO-TV.
- Willams and TNTP’s Tim Daly, in the New York Daily News: “The teachers union’s cynical gambit.”
Advocacy, Policy Briefs & Such:
- Statement | Pell Grants play major role in college affordability, but more must be done.
- Statement | DFER voices strong support for “Know Before You Owe” Act.
DFER Blog:
- “The cause of our mediocre performance is not just that poverty affects the performance of the U.S. school system; it is also that our schools are especially sensitive to its presence,” writes DFER policy analyst Mac LeBuhn.
- DFER-WA’s Lisa Macfarlane calls the first charter school application deadline “an important day for public schools in WA state.”
- DFER-NY’s Craig Johnson: “The Common Core will help our children compete.”
- DFER-CO advisory board member Van Schoales dissects why voters rejected Amendment 66.
In Related News:
- “American 15-year-olds lag, mainly on math, on international standardized tests,” reports the New York Times’ Motoko Rich.
- From the New York Times editorial board: “The new mayor and the teachers.”
- A Seattle Times column by Seattle parent Kimberly Lasher Mitchell declares, “There’s no shame in being an education reformer.”
- EdWeek’s Michele McNeil reports 12 NCLB waiver states have applied for an extra year to roll out their new teacher evaluation systems.
- Check out how political insiders see next year’s big shake-up in the MA races.
- The Atlantic’s Emily Richmond asks, “Is it better to have a great teacher or a small class?”
- “At forums, New York state education commissioner faces a barrage of complaints,” writes the New York Times’ Al Baker.
Fun With Infographics & More:
- Infographic | Mediocre PISA Performance.
- In remembrance on JFK, what are your hopes and dreams for education?