Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 25, 2009, 11:48 am
Maybe I'm just a little too sensitive these days. After all, women at the end of their third trimester can be like that. But when I read about a new campaign, one to prevent unplanned pregnanci...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 23, 2009, 11:33 am
ARKANSAS: Listening tour a state RttT strategy DELAWARE: RttT fuels changes to teacher evaluation and school turnarounds IOWA: More questions than answers? MICHIGAN: Governor Granholm touts RttT O...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 23, 2009, 6:51 am
On this Thanksgiving week, it is appropriate that we acknowledge the large numbers of America’s children who are too hungry to learn as indicated in a new public opinion survey commissioned by Sha...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 21, 2009, 2:55 pm
As I read the story in Friday's New York Times, my belly twisted with the sharp movements of the nearly 9-month-old fetus inside. My daughter's little hand punched forward when I came to this...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 19, 2009, 10:33 am
CALIFORNIA: December vote on Race to the Top bills FLORIDA: State may ask for a quarter of $4 billion RttT pot of funds IDAHO: Governor Otter praises RttT plans MASSACHUSETTS: Lawmakers stiff Gover...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 18, 2009, 9:00 am
ALABAMA: Gov. Riley to push for charter schools MARYLAND: Gov. O'Malley says state is working on RttT MASSACHUSETTS: State senate passes 'sweeping' ed changes, Gov. Patrick challenges Ho...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 17, 2009, 11:08 am
California: The tortoise wins? Colorado: A road map Maryland: Late to the starting line Massachusetts: Reform to put a spring in its step? Nevada: Out of the running
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 14, 2009, 5:26 pm
TIME recently crowned 10 college presidents (nearly all men) the "best" in the nation. The article spurred the usual pushback against "top 10" lists and raised questions about the criteria used, but ...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 13, 2009, 9:21 pm
The Musical Elective of the Month is Justin Townes Earle. His music encompasses blues, country, folk, and acoustic rock and he sometimes appears to be channeling a young Hank Williams or Woody Guthr...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 13, 2009, 3:58 am
It's easy to get lost in the excitement over what appears to be a New Deal for higher education. This was an exciting year, what with the nation's president stepping forward with substantial ...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 12, 2009, 10:06 pm
My colleagues and I at the New Teacher Center submitted revised language during the public comment period to strengthen proposed Race to the Top (RttT) regulations. I am delighted that most of our sug...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 12, 2009, 9:48 am
The U.S. Department of Education this morning posted final regulations and the state application for the Race to the Top program. Have at it. More analysis later hopefully ... but a generally positiv...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 9, 2009, 1:00 pm
It looks like the state of Wisconsin may become the canary in the coal mine with regard to data firewalls and the Race to the Top (RttT) competition. Last week, the State Legislature passed legislatio...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 6, 2009, 12:03 pm
The Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management -- an organization not widely known outside of academia and technical policy circles -- puts on truly meaty conferences. I've attended thr...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 3, 2009, 7:46 pm
This is awkward. My 2 1/2 year old son is paying attention to politics and presidents, and as his parents we couldn't be more proud. Except for one problem. He's begun to call every non-whit...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Nov 2, 2009, 3:43 pm
An article in today's Chronicle Review covers a surge of scholarly interest in "prison studies." The author does a nice job of capturing key areas of research on this topic, though coverage of wo...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Oct 25, 2009, 1:12 pm
Friday's Chronicle reports on a new study that points out how difficult it can be to identify which colleges and universities have no-loans policies designed to enhance affordability. Author Laura...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Oct 21, 2009, 11:48 pm
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan's call for an overhaul of teacher preparation programs is certainly warranted. Reports such as Arthur Levine's in 2006 have highlighted weaknesses in th...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Oct 21, 2009, 3:22 pm
Once upon a time, college students could pay their tuition with a mix of family support, financial aid, and perhaps a little work. Today, family support and aid are woefully inadequate for a broad sw...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Oct 21, 2009, 9:59 am
An important survey was released this week that captures teachers' perceptions of their professional working environment. The national study of 900 teachers by Public Agenda describes educators as...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Oct 17, 2009, 4:47 pm
Renewing the War on Poverty clearly needs to be one of President Barack Obama's main objectives during the coming years. As Barbara Ehrenreich and so many others are documenting, the deteriorated...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Oct 12, 2009, 9:38 am
California is adept at building firebreaks to stop advancing wildfires throughout the state. The inferno that is the student-teacher firewall issue was apparently doused yesterday when Governor Arnold...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Oct 11, 2009, 12:23 pm
Since 1958, the Federal Perkins Student Loan Program has been providing low-interest loans to needy students via campus-based revolving funds. More than 600,000 students (mostly undergraduates with fa...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Oct 7, 2009, 12:21 pm
Yesterday the U.S. Education Department released proposed regulations to govern the $650 million Investing in Innovation Fund, part of the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, along with the $4 bil...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Oct 6, 2009, 7:57 pm
Well, it had to happen sometime. Faced with a thoughtful, responsive piece of federal legislation to reform the financial aid system, some idealogue had to come forward with a proposal to end federal ...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Oct 3, 2009, 7:42 pm
As I've described in several posts this year, there's an ongoing debate over the role, value, and outcomes of the private for-profit sector of higher education, particularly the 2-year schools...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 30, 2009, 6:11 am
The problem with Jay Mathews' defense ("Measuring Progress At Shaw With More Than Numbers") of a Washington, DC school principal who did not demonstrate student learning gains at his school after ...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 28, 2009, 2:14 pm
Apart from being marginally good local politics to require city employees (including teachers) to live within city boundaries, why would an urban district create barriers that make it more difficult t...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 27, 2009, 5:45 pm
Efforts are underway to simplify the complex, byzantine system we've created to administer financial aid, and it's about time. Streamlining the process holds promise-- take a look at the rece...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 24, 2009, 10:56 am
The Musical Elective of the Month is 7 Worlds Collide: The Sun Came Out. Neil Finn is one of the great, under-appreciated singer/songwriters of the last 30 years. A New Zealand native, Neil came of a...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 22, 2009, 1:40 pm
New research led by Tony Milanowski of the University of Wisconsin-Madison provides more evidence that increasing teacher pay may not be the best approach to attract new teachers to high-need, hard-to...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 21, 2009, 3:51 pm
Given the recent spate of federally-funded studies showing no effect of a variety of educational innovations and interventions, my predicted answer to the question ('Can Teachers' Talent Trans...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 17, 2009, 10:20 pm
Today the U.S. House of Representatives voted 253 to 171 to pass the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act. It knocks private lenders out of the student loan business, and uses the savings to make...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 16, 2009, 9:36 pm
A quick update on the proposed legislation affecting community colleges-- HR 3221. Today, an online JAM in support of the American Graduation Initiative took place, drawing a virtual crowd of around ...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 16, 2009, 3:01 pm
Doug Harris and I are seeking a Project Manager for our ongoing study of financial aid, the Wisconsin Scholars Longitudinal Study. This person will help us with administrative tasks (e.g. handling t...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 15, 2009, 11:53 am
With the President imploring more Americans to go to college and not give up on themselves or their nation, it's understandable that many policymakers want to join in and do their part. Making co...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 14, 2009, 12:01 pm
Some members of the media are covering the release of a new Canadian study, associated with the Educational Policy Institute, that examines the effects of a financial aid program on college-going and ...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 11, 2009, 2:31 pm
At first glance, one might dismiss a recent policy brief authored by a former Bush Administration official as a partisan diatribe against the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the Obam...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 10, 2009, 8:38 pm
For several years researchers have debated the relative merits of public community colleges vs. 2 year for-profit schools, in part because the latter are deemed a relevant comparison group for the fo...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 10, 2009, 9:58 am
A spate of recent articles, including those covering Bill Bowen and Mike McPherson's new book (which I promise to review just as soon as my copy arrives), have left me a bit perplexed-- wondering ...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 6, 2009, 10:32 pm
Sunday's New York Times features a Style section article that quite frankly turned my stomach (at least, I'm pretty sure it was the article and not the 6 month old fetus I'm carrying!). It...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 3, 2009, 10:22 am
A new Education Week story ('California Actions on 'Race to the Top' Scrutinized') by Alyson Klein reports on efforts underway in California and New York to make statutory changes that...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 2, 2009, 12:46 pm
Dear Friends and Colleagues, You are invited to the Jam on the American Graduation Initiative for community college leaders; an online discussion with you and others from around the country about Pre...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Sep 1, 2009, 10:33 pm
Cross-posted from Brainstorm Every fall for the last 29 years I've embarked on a new school year. No joke--for nearly my entire life the arrival of September has meant one thing: back to the clas...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Aug 28, 2009, 4:08 pm
Cross-posted from Brainstorm Anyone who's taken a hard look at the reasons why more students drop out of community college realizes it's got to have at least something to do with their need f...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Aug 28, 2009, 3:19 pm
My colleagues and I at the New Teacher Center have offered up what I believe to be a balanced and thoughtful series of recommendations to strengthen the teacher and principal effectiveness provisions ...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Aug 23, 2009, 9:50 am
In several recent interviews and blog posts I've expressed my hesitation about the move toward online learning in higher education. My concerns are fairly common ones and go like this: How do we ...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Aug 20, 2009, 12:30 pm
The New Teacher Project's (NTP) odds sheet on states' chances for securing Race to the Top funding is a helpful guide on where states stand. It is relatively on target given available informat...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Aug 18, 2009, 7:53 pm
When my colleagues and I crafted our Brookings blueprint on community college reform earlier this year, one of our greatest hopes was that federal leadership would spur real changes at the state and l...
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Liam G. posted an article on The Education Optimists - Aug 17, 2009, 10:04 pm
Seriously, I'm hiring... If you're qualified and live in Madison, I want to hear from you! Project Manager for College Access Program and Evaluation Seeking a project manager for a one-year ...
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