The Education Sector

Updates, Analysis, and Commentary on Today's Education Issues

In the EduBlogs

Eduwonk

Eduwonk wants less New Orleans rhetoric, more history and context on NCLB, and fixed standards on teacher quality research. He also turns up a great article on the Little Rock Nine.

The Quick and the Ed

Our bloggers are in investigative mode, probing the spin on NAEP results, cracking a conspiracy in Missouri, and sizing up a new student aid law.

This Week

New Resource From Education Sector: Education Policy Course Materials

Looking for ways to incorporate education policy issues and resources into your college-level coursework or course planning? Try Education Sector's new web-based feature designed to help education and public policy students understand and analyze various education debates. Instructors will find a range of resources, diverse in format and packaged as "policy units," which can be used wholly or in parts to supplement their education or public policy course.

Our pilot policy unit focuses on preschool and the current debate about publicly funded pre-k programs. The materials in this unit offer a thorough look at the central concerns—cost, equity, and quality—that frame today's policymaking for preschool. Policy units can be accessed directly at www.educationsector.org/courses. Help us spread the word about this exciting new university teaching tool!

This project is supported through generous funding from The Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation.

What We Are Reading

One School's Testing Struggle

Tyler Heights Elementary school's impressive test scores gave politicians, school officials, and others a reason to deem it a "crown jewel"—an example of how NCLB can help even the most disadvantaged children learn. But in a new book, "Tested: One American School Struggles to Make the Grade," former education reporter Linda Perlstein argues that despite the high scores and phenomenal efforts of Tyler's principal and staff, the school doesn't represent all that's right about modern American education, but much of what's wrong. Kevin Carey reviews the book in the October issue of The Washington Monthly.

Also From Education Sector

Labor Leader's Courage, Complexity

Author and Education Sector Nonresident Senior Fellow Richard D. Kahlenberg met the prominent labor leader Albert Shanker in 1995, while writing a book on affirmative action. Kahlenberg, who argued preferences should be based on class, not race, found his allies overwhelmingly conservative. That is, except for Shanker, who appeared to be the only voice on the left opposed to race-based preferences.

Kahlenberg's attraction to Shanker's odd brand of liberalism led to his new biography of the labor leader, "Tough Liberal: Albert Shanker and the Battles Over Schools, Unions, Race and Democracy." During a recent Education Sector author talk, Kahlenberg and educator-writer E.D. Hirsch Jr. spoke about the legacy of the eminent teacher unionist.

Pre-K Movement's Momentum

Early childhood education is becoming a hot topic across the country, as the positive benefits of providing pre-kindergarten-aged children with a quality education become more apparent. David Kirp, pre-k expert and author of "The Sandbox Investment: The Preschool Movement and Kids-First Politics," echoed this sentiment at a recent Education Sector author talk moderated by Co-director Thomas Toch. Along with guest panelist Joan Lombardi, director of The Children's Project, Kirp discussed the growing political importance of the pre-k movement.

Announcements

Apply Now: Spring Internships at Education Sector

Interns are integral to Education Sector's policy, research, and communications teams. Apply now for an opportunity to help research, develop, and implement innovative solutions to the nation's most pressing educational problems. (And, have a great experience!)

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