Making Sense – Page 2

Education Issues: Performance Pay’s Effect is Weak?

This post was sent to me and sadly I do not have the original link. This brings up the debate between the perpetuated myth of evil business and good education as though the two must remain mutually exclusive. Which reminds me, why do we educate everyone? Most countries don’t. So, callous though it may be, …

Education Stimulus Money Establishes Test Standards, Can’t Fix Test Problems

One-hundred billion dollars of stimulus money is beginning to go into education, prompting states to track students progress more closely, use more rigorous tests, and generally embrace the Obama administration’s reforms. These changes in federal education policy is explained in a report by the Center on Education Policy who are working to understand what the impact of stimulus funds, reports the Christian Science Monitor.

They explain that “the stimulus dollars, in a time of economic challenges, mean that the federal government is poised to play a far greater role in driving education reforms.” YOWZA!

Frightening: Arne Duncan Say Principals Must Act Like CEOs

Ran across this article this morning . . . in which the author complains that pushing principals to be like CEOs will single handedly destroy education. Hey buddy, we’re already there.

More telling is the vitriol for CEOs. Are all CEOs bad? Really? I missed that. Indeed, anyone familiar with local businesses has met plenty of very, very good CEOs. CEOs who care passionately about their companies, their people and their communities. The defeatist mentality of all-business-people-are-bad is exactly what gets us into debates that reduce to screaming matches. There’s no reasonable conversation possible if you believe the other side is pure evil. Article follows…

How to Fix Education — the Greatest National Security Crisis

Why is it so hard to bring quality leadership to the table in education? Surely we have a decent mix of men and women who have served both in the business world and the education field? But do we have enough to make a difference?

I am a huge proponent of speak softly and carry a big stick . . . but what do you do when the population can’t figure out what a stick is? “The greatest national security crisis in the United States is the crisis in education,” those are the words of Bob Herbert in the New York Times. He’s right on with his call for exactly the sort of leadership that is currently lacking in education: a cross section of skills — not principals that exclusively come from a business background (as we reported recently), and not those coming from traditional schools of education who then lack the necessary business acumen to lead and efficiently manage their school or district.

Adult Education Issues

The Wall Street Journal recently published a special section on Education. What inspired me was the opener. If an educated work force is the nation’s human capital, business is seeing a lot of subprime these days. It’s a snarky little comment, but it hit entirely too close to home. Even if your school’s graduation rate …

Leadership in Education

How about this for a campaign: We for Rhee! Washington DC public schools rank in the worst of our nation despite being potentially attended by our nation’s leader’s progeny. Of the 45,000 students in the district, how many do you think are the children of senators and representatives? But never mind that, Michelle Rhee, chancellor …

Comic Break

Yesterday I had the opportunity to be reamed for my opinions about the current state of affairs. It was a sorry little conversation that got out of hand before it even started. Actually, now that I think about it, I never did get to share my opinions . . . my opinions were inserted for …

When Free is too Expensive

I am writing from Newark, New Jersey, which is not my new favorite place. But this is not a post about that. On the flight here I noticed the airline magazine and spent a few minutes going through the puzzles. Across from one of the puzzle pages was a full-page glossy ad for FRE*E Hotel …

Why you want to Win

The internet has brought tremendous opportunity to the masses. Who would have predicted 20 years ago that selling schlocky stuff that didn’t sell at your garage sale on a little community website would allow you to make millions of dollars?** Yet, eBay has done just that. The success of eBay highlights the idea that as …

Leadership in Education: No Child Left Behind

Rewriting the No Child Left Behind Law is in process. If you have children in school this may be important to you. If you are childless, it may seem unimportant. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. Whether or not you have children, if you plan to be living in 20 years, how our children …