What We Know
The Washington Post reports D.C.’s Council head will seek an independent evaluator to assess the progress of Michelle Rhee’s reforms. But careful readers saw WashPost columnist Colbert King let that cat out of the bag in his column about Rhee over the weekend…..With his Chicago roots, Alexander Russo at This Week in Education seems to be on a mission to own incoming Ed Secy Arne Duncan in the blogosphere. He’s off to a good start, breaking more Duncan news again today.
What We Want to Find Out
Is it possible to get your kids into Sidwell Friends or another top-shelf private school in the middle of the school year if you’re not the President-elect? Where are the progeny of other high-ranking Obama appointees and their staff sending their children?….Will history judge George W. Bush favorably for NCLB? Outgoing Ed Secy Margaret Spellings thinks so, telling USA Today it’s “the most significant thing to happen in the history of this department.”… If teachers in Fayette County, Georgia will go along with the school board’s request to voluntarily return pay raises they received last spring to close the schools’ budget gap.
What We Learned
Michigan requires students “take an online class or have an online educational experience in order to graduate.”….For the first time in history, the national Parent Teacher Association will be a Dad.
How We Can Learn More
The NCEE’s What Works Clearinghouse released a new report on “Curiosity Corner,” an early childhood curriculum emphasizing children’s language and literacy skills….Research from the University of Wisconsin indicates the risk of autism increases for firstborn children and children of older parents…..A U.K. researcher claims playground taunts improve social skills and help children develop a sense of humor. “Teasing and nicknames are an essential part of life and should not automatically be confused with bullying,” he claims.
Ha, I like this K-W-L chart for the day’s news.
What can I say? Once a teacher, always a teacher…