Alexander Russo

If you think perhaps I’m overly harsh on education journalists, take a look at this post from the right-leaning rascals at EducationNews.org.   “Journalism around education policy is broken,” says testing expert Richard P. Phelps in an interview with Barry Garelick, who focuses his critique on Education Next (a think-tank journal), Education Week, and the […]

All eyes are on Congress, where a reauthorization of ESEA (currently known as No Child Left Behind) may be on the move, and on grading and reporting out of new Common Core test results: Refresher: What’s in the House ESEA Bill? PK12: The measure was not on the Majority Leader’s weekly schedule for action, but sources said […]

In case you hadn’t noticed, most of today’s education debate takes place inside a very small, seemingly unchangeable stone box.  As an unfortunate result, much of the coverage of education issues ends up focusing on the same things.  But there are a few examples of advocates thinking big, going at fundamental problems that aren’t just […]

Today’s big news includes seemingly surprise remarks from the UFT that it doesn’t support an extension of mayoral control of schools under Bill de Blasio, plus a reversal of course for Chicago schools, who now say they’ll make dropout numbers more accurate. Teachers’ union leaders talk of changes to mayoral control Capital NY:  The U.F.T., Mulgrew […]

The Tampa Bay Times’ PolitiFact site recently gave Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal a “full flop” for his ever-changing positions on Common Core — which was much deserved. In recent weeks, the media have flagged New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s much-changed position on the law as well, and praised Jeb Bush for sticking by his guns. […]

Q Daily, center-left, and Sadie Erickson raise their hands in their third grade classroom at The Brooklyn New School. (Brad Horrigan/WNYC) If you happened to miss it, be sure to check out WNYC reporter Yasmeen Khan’s new series on a transgendered elementary school student who attends a Brooklyn school. Where Does a Transgender Child Fit In at […]

Common Core and charter supporters are spending big, according to stories from the Sunshine Institute and the NY Daily News: Pro-Common Core Group Tops Political Ad Spending in Iowa via Sunlight Foundation: The advertising campaigns have not targeted a particular candidate, but there is no doubt it benefits former Florida Governor Jeb Bush who is announcing his campaign […]

Conservative media are going pretty hard at TFA alumnus Deray McKesson (top left) these days, including both a Fox News segment (Sean Hannity and guest accuse activist Deray McKesson of being a ‘race pimp’) and a Michelle Malkin* rant in the NY Post (The militant takeover of the ‘Teach for America’ corps). The gist of […]

NJ Left Behind blogger Laura Waters took the NYT’s Motoko Rich to task (Fact-Checking Mokoto Rich), claiming that Rich’s latest piece about kindergarten trends is not only factually inaccurate when it comes to things like kindergarteners’ attention spans but also “perhaps unwittingly, recites a meme of those who resent higher standards for young students” (which […]

Today’s roundup includes sad news about LA lowering the graduation requirements, plus some rumblings about a possible Senate debate on revamping NCLB and disturbing news about how some districts are “coding” dropouts as other things in order to goose graduation statistics:  As 22,000 students risk not graduating, LAUSD board eases requirements KPCC: The school board is modifying […]