The debate over "value-added" methods of evaluating teachers has caused controversy all over the country. While most agree that we must find a way of fairly evaluating teachers, not many agree on the method. One common thread of a new evaluation system is a new focus on student achievement.   Continue Reading...

AAE Executive Director Gary Beckner op-ed as featured on the Washington Examiner's website:   Continue Reading...

Teach for America, a non-profit organization that recruits recent college graduates and professionals to teach in high-need schools for two years, has just received $100 million to launch its first-ever endowment fund in preparation for making the teaching organization a permanent program.   Continue Reading...

President Obama devoted an unprecedented amount of time to education in Tuesday's State of the Union address. Using his yearly platform, the President put education front and center on the national stage and challenged the newly divided Congress to come together on this traditionally bi-partisan issue.   Continue Reading...

In the wake of such films as Waiting for "Superman" and The Cartel comes a new documentary series called Kids Aren't Cars. Slated for release in February, the series of mini-documentaries will showcase the negative impact organized labor has had on education.   Continue Reading...

The first ever National School Choice Week started yesterday! This week, January 23-29, groups of students, parents, and teachers are joining hands in supporting choice in education. Grassroots organizations from all over the country are celebrating this monumental occasion with events in almost every state.   Continue Reading...

As a champion of education reform, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has made good on his promise to expand charter schools in the Garden State. This week the Christie administration approved 23 new charter schools ranging from traditional schools, to single-sex learning environments and an online learning school.   Continue Reading...

A recent report by the Education Intelligence Agency sheds light on the financial disclosures of the National Education Association in the 2009-2010 fiscal year. The analysis reveals that the NEA spent $13 million dollars of member dues on a wide array of left-leaning advocacy groups and charities.

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Last week in State of the State addresses in New Jersey, Idaho, and Florida, tough talking governors focused on education reform proposals all centered on eliminating tenure for public school teachers. With the issue of tenure making headlines lately, the support for elimination has been gaining steam nationwide.   Continue Reading...

 

Education Week released its annual report on the state of education in the United States this week. Entitled "Quality Counts," the report awards grades to individual states for their policy and overall education performance coupled with school budgets and reform efforts. The report comes on the heels of what economists note is the end of the "Great Recession." Schools boards across the country are feeling the heat from slashed budgets and fewer resources making for a challenging year in public education.

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AAE Executive Director Gary Beckner op-ed on National School Choice Week as featured on Townhall Magazine's website:   Continue Reading...

In October, we reported that the New York City school system had announced plans to work with the media to publish "value-added" scores and other data from the country's largest public school system. Yesterday there was new development in the case when a Manhattan judge ruled that the city may release performance rankings to the media, denying a request by the teachers union to keep the teachers' names confidential.   Continue Reading...

A public charter school in St. Paul, Minnesota has been gaining national attention for its innovative vision and spin on learning. The Avalon School is a teacher-run school with no administrators, secretaries or even librarians. This school and others like it have been gaining steam as a means to challenge the classic public school environment, and according to a new study, are producing results.   Continue Reading...

Education reformers and policy makers have long pointed fingers at various groups for low graduation rates and various headaches in education. Teachers, administrators, and the economic down-turn have all been blamed for failing schools and underperforming students. In contrast, a recent Associated Press-Stanford University poll finds that 68 percent of adults blame parents for the problems in education.   Continue Reading...

As we wrap up 2010, websites and magazines of all topics are releasing their annual "best-of" lists. People in the education reform world are no different. This week, the Hoover Institution released its best and worst lists for 2010:   Continue Reading...

Throughout the summer and fall, the whole country has been talking about education and education reform. Everyone from Oprah to AAE's own Gary Beckner have been talking about movies like Waiting for "Superman" as groundbreaking films that challenge our perceptions of education in America. One film about the state of education in New Jersey has been receiving critical acclaim, yet has not received the kind of national media attention of "Superman". The Cartel, out on DVD this week, is a chilling portrayal of education in the Garden State.   Continue Reading...

The face of the teacher workforce is changing dramatically. The fact is over the next ten years over half of current teachers in America will be retiring. In California the situation is even more dire as the number of Californians seeking to become teachers has plummeted 45% in the last seven years according to a new report released last week by the Center for the Future of Teaching and Learning.   Continue Reading...

Despite tough talk from politicians, school officials and reformers, underperforming schools are rarely closed according to a new study.  Released this week by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, the report finds that low-performing public schools—both charter and traditional schools—are often resistant to significant change and are rarely closed completely.

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According to a new poll released today by the Associated Press and Stanford University, an overwhelming majority believe that it is necessary to fire bad teachers, but in contrast believe that teachers are paid too little.   Continue Reading...

We hear a lot about accountability from education reformers these days. Unfortunately, numerous methods of how to measure teacher effectiveness are constantly challenged. While no system of evaluation is perfect, preliminary findings of a recent study by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have shown that the "value-added" system along with student surveys are the most reliable system for rating educators.   Continue Reading...