Alexander Russo

Today’s news roundup includes internal debate over the early endorsement by AFT of Hillary Clinton, reactions from candidates to the Senate rewrite of NCLB, and a surprise USA student win in the International Math Olympiad: Unions seethe over early Clinton endorsement Politico: Labor leaders said there was a clear understanding that no national unions would make an […]

Today’s news focuses on what might happen next for the Senate-passed rewrite of NCLB which has already passed the House. Plus also news about school crime increases, a new head for Chicago Public Schools, and drug testing in schools: Senate Votes Overwhelmingly For Bipartisan No Child Left Behind Rewrite HuffPost: However, the bill’s next steps are […]

On the occasion of Throwback Thursday, let’s take a look at former education reporter David M. Herszenhorn’s July 2007 piece about covering the beat. Titled How Hard Can It Be to Teach?, the article looks back at one of Herszenhorn’s favorite moments covering the NYC school system, an awkward moment during which former Mayor Michael Bloomberg confused […]

A few folks were upset with me last week when, in Three Thoughts About Rishawn Biddle’s AFT Takedown, I suggested that Dropout Nation’s RiShawn Biddle share his tax returns with us as part of his regular (and very helpful) practice of highlighting others’ financial interests (usually in the form of nonprofits taking money from the AFT […]

Today’s news includes the approach of a Senate vote on final passage of the NCLB rewrite effort, which would then go to conference with the House, plus news that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is going to replace his departed superintendent with a City Hall insider: Senate Votes to End Debate on ESEA Rewrite; Final Vote […]

  There was a bit of a kerfluffle last night on Twitter (when isn’t there?) about a Washington Post writeup of Campbell Brown’s new education news/advocacy effort, The Seventy-Four. Written by media reporter Paul Farhi, the story (Campbell Brown has a new education-focused site: Is it news or advocacy?), the piece includes several quotes from […]

Today’s education news includes pushback from inside the AFT against the early endorsement of Hillary Clinton, plus progress on the Senate rewrite of NCLB, and a big new report on poverty among black children: CAMPAIGN 2016 The American Federation of Teachers Endorsed Hillary Clinton—and Not Everyone’s Happy About It Slate: The timing of the endorsement has […]

There’s much to admire about The Atlantic’s recent piece, How Chicago’s Schools Used Second Chances to Improve Graduation Rates. Written by Chicago Sun-Times veteran Kate Grossman, the piece manages to describe both signs of progress in Chicago schools and also challenges/concerns that have come up — rather than focusing narrowly on one or the other. The […]

Don’t miss out on the chance to read about poverty, and class, and most of all being a black person in modern-day America. Much of what Coates is writing about is about society at large — its treatment of black Americans, its structural issues — rather than education. On Charlie Rose last night, Coates pushed back at […]

Today’s education news includes Gov. Walker’s formal campaign announcement, a new report showing just how inequitable access is to good teachers, and a warning that kids don’t like it when parents are on their smartphones all the time: Gov. Walker Enters Presidential Race Claiming He ‘Improved Education’ in Wisc. EdWeek: As far as education is concerned, Walker […]