Just so everyone is clear, Barack Obama is speaking from the Xcel Center in Minnesota, the very arena where the Republican convention will be held. Sassy!
Education in America
Posted inEducation in America
DOES EDUCATION IMPROVE VERBAL ABILITY?
One of the most interesting questions in social science is the extent to which education improves cognitive abilities. There is growing evidence that, especially for disadvantaged kids, early childhood education improves noncognitive skills that are key to future success. And obviously, there is no question that basic education (verbal and mathematical literacy and the like) […]
Posted inEducation in America
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION.
On Tuesday night, Obama is set to kick off the general election with a mega rally at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul Minnesota. What’s special about the Xcel Energy Center? Well, it’s where the Republicans are holding their convention in early September. Cheeky! As Ben Smith says, “The location gives huge meaning to […]
Posted inEducation in America
THE GENERAL ELECTION TRANSITION.
This story in today’s Washington Post struck me as a bit disingenuous. Particularly this bit: Obama has not emphasized any signature domestic issue, or signaled that he would take his party in a specific direction on policy, as Bill Clinton did with his “New Democrat” proposals in 1992 that emphasized welfare reform or as George […]
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KY DISTRICT SAYS ADVANCED MATH IS ONLY FOR GIRLS.
Remember those experimental sex-segregated K-12 programs the New York Times Magazine profiled in March? You know, the ones that rely upon gender stereotypes to educate young public school students? Yesterday the ACLU filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Education and the Breckenridge County School District, accusing them of violating the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal […]
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A Crisis of Attention and Intention
The distracted American college student can teach us a lot about living a life that is more than just productive.
Posted inEducation in America
MORNING EDU BLOGGING.
The New York Times editorial board offers strong words today in support of Teach for America, pointing to an Urban Institute study that found in North Carolina, high school students taught by TFA members scored “slightly better” than those taught by much more experienced educators. The study’s authors attribute this to the higher test scores […]
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ANALOGIES BETWEEN HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION.
An interesting question raised at the Ed in ’08 conference: The idea of universal pre-school (in other words, affordable for everyone) isn’t very controversial, unlike the idea of universal health care. But should pre-school be mandated? In other words, should we be requiring that all three and four-year-olds be enrolled in some kind of education […]
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MCCAIN TO ANNOUNCE EDUCATION PLATORM IN…3 MONTHS.
Two weeks ago I wrote about Two weeks ago I wrote about John McCain‘s almost complete lack of an education platform, despite his support during his 2000 run for an aggressive federal experiment in private school vouchers. Today at the Ed in ’08 Summit, we’ve heard that the McCain campaign has put off finalizing its […]
Posted inEducation in America
THE EDWARDS ENDORSEMENT.
I watched the I watched the John Edwards endorsement of Barack Obama last night during the cocktail hour of an education conference sponsored by ED in ’08, an advocacy group founded by the Gates and Broad foundations. I agree with some of ED in ’08’s policy solutions on education, but I don’t agree with their […]
