In U.S. News I take a look at the question of whether education reformers ought to expand their political base.
With all the problems in the American public education system Betsy DeVos has decided to declare war on Denver – a city where 40 percent (I think) of the 8th-graders are in charter schools and charters and choice has taken hold without some of the acrimony of other cities. And also a state where one of its senators (a former Denver school superintendent no less) didn’t support her nomination but would certainly support good ideas from her department. Unbelievable.
Mike Petrilli points out that DeVos really has turned into a one-trick pony. OK, he’s joking, one day early. Still, it’s closer to the mark than you might think. Related: The last part of this video is funny because it’s true, it’s always the big stuff that reaches your desk. Betsy DeVos’ poll numbers are not good. A big piece of this is obviously name recognition, still it’s unusual to have an education secretary in that position in the first place.
Elsewhere in ed secretaries, Arne Duncan is wading into the hot LA school board race. Some conservatives don’t want the feds wading into school choice.
GE’s Jeff Immelt on automation and why every company will have to invest in education.
Census data matters a lot to education policy. Here’s a sober walk through of the issues about including LGBT questions on the census that has flared up.
Whitmire with context on this week’s charter letter. Greg Richmond is worried about charter schools – and if he is you should read what he has to say.
Girls rocking robotics competitions. And more here.
Breaking: School boundaries influence housing and vice versa.
Mathematica deep dive on special education and secondary students. Nelson Smith and Brandon Wright see a chance for ESSA to leverage an increase in the supply of good schools.
Aspen Institute with a new look at SEL and career and college ready standards. And if there was a betting market on college and career standards and probability of success then this tool from Penn might give you an edge.
Greg Toppo wrote this about choice. Matt Ladner then wrote this.
Not allowing students to use their student loan money for booze could undermine the entire lending regime or even higher ed more generally.
