Copyright 2010 Frederick M. Hess Fri, 03 Sep 2010 00:40:02 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Frederick M. Hess :: Writings http://www.frederickhess.org RHess@AEI.org (Frederick M. Hess) webmaster@pundicity.com en-us http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/09/eduwonk-hits-me-for-insufficient-deference-when Thu, 2 Sep 2010 09:30:00 EST My pal Andy "Eduwonk" Rotherham took the time on Tuesday to level a series of charges at me regarding Race to the Top (RTT). Having voiced his own set of concerns about RTT and called for Secretary Duncan to convene a panel to explore what went wrong,... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/09/vapidity-is-the-watchword-when-it-comes-to-edu Wed, 1 Sep 2010 08:54:00 EST It's like a bad joke. You're interviewing candidates for an important education job and ask each about their views on using performance-based metrics to evaluate and potentially remove teachers. Who actually answers the question, much less inspires... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/08/the-hft-is-all-about-professional-growth-not Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:28:00 EST I'm always surprised at how often teacher unions claiming to be agents of professionalism reflexively slash at measures (like responsibility for results and differentiated pay) that are part and parcel of most professions. Even so, it's not every day... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/08/dc-mayoral-primary-looking-grim-for-fenty-edu Mon, 30 Aug 2010 09:50:00 EST Yesterday, the Washington Post reported that D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty is trailing City Council President Vincent Gray by 17% among likely voters in the city's Democratic primary. The primary will be held September 14 and, in almost entirely Democratic D.C... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/08/straight-up-conversation-louisiana-schools-chief Fri, 27 Aug 2010 09:29:00 EST Less than a month ago, our earnest Secretary of Education described Louisiana as "leading the way" with data systems that monitor teacher preparation programs and student performance. Louisiana has been ranked a top-ten state for teacher policy, data... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/08/why-im-feeling-sorry-for-sec-duncan Thu, 26 Aug 2010 10:05:00 EST Since its inception, I've regarded Race to the Top (RTT) as an important and valuable idea, but I also spent much of last fall and winter arguing that the administration's program design was not equal to the weight it was being asked to bear (what with... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/08/ugly-politics-ahead-results-of-rtts-focus-on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 09:40:00 EST While I've my doubts about urging states to launch new initiatives when job one ought to be financial retrenching, I'm happy to see heavy lifts and real accomplishments recognized in places like Rhode Island, D.C., Massachusetts, and Florida.That said,... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/08/grading-race-to-the-top-on-a-proper-curve Tue, 24 Aug 2010 12:19:00 EST Nope, I'm not talking about grading the Race to the Top (RTT) winners. Frankly, I don't have much confidence in the elaborate scoring system that the Department of Education jury-rigged--especially not after Ohio, Hawaii, and New York finished in the... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/08/the-nations-best-and-worst-cities-for-school Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:35:00 EST The answer: New Orleans, Washington, D.C., New York City, Denver, and Jacksonville. The question: Which cities are in the mix when it comes to being the "Silicon Valley" of K-12 schooling? Or, more simply: If you're a problem-solver with some successes... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/08/a-few-noteworthy-thoughts-from-ecs Mon, 23 Aug 2010 09:22:00 EST I spent the tail end of last week out in Portland, Oregon, at the Education Commission of the States annual confab. ECS honcho Roger Sampson quarterbacked an impressive gathering, chock full of state chiefs and key legislators. The chiefs in attendance... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/08/duncans-first-rule-of-holes-when-youre-in-one-dig Thu, 19 Aug 2010 10:02:00 EST I'm a simple guy. I admit it. Maybe that's why I'm so fond of the first rule of holes. You know: "When you're in one, stop digging." But that's not the way our earnest Secretary of Education likes to do things. Scott Pattison, the executive director of... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/08/1-800-howsmyblogging Wed, 18 Aug 2010 10:04:00 EST It's been six months since I first stuck a toe into the blogosphere. At a minimum, that got pals like Alexander Russo, Andy Rotherham, Sara Mead, Kevin Carey, and Mike Petrilli to stop ridiculing me for being behind the times (though they're now telling... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/08/lat-on-teacher-value-added-a-disheartening-replay Tue, 17 Aug 2010 10:14:00 EST On Sunday, the L.A. Times ran its controversial analysis of teacher value-added scores in L.A. Unified School District (LAUSD). The paper used seven years of reading and math scores to calculate performance for individual teachers who've taught grades... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/08/my-final-word-on-edujobs-harmful-not-just-wasteful Mon, 16 Aug 2010 10:32:00 EST I thought I'd been pretty clear about my view of the Edujobs bill, but a flurry of interviews last week made it plain that reporters had trouble believing that I really thought the $10 billion Edujobs bill was flat-out bad for K-12 schooling. So, I want... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/08/two-camps-on-ed-tech Fri, 13 Aug 2010 08:53:00 EST I was struck recently by the degree to which we're having two distinct, contrary conversations about technology and schooling. I was up in Boston last week for a three-day symposium on "Personalized Learning" (hosted by the Software & Information...