Author Archives: axooms

Indiana’s Accountability Mess: On Becoming A Monster

Posted on July 31, 2013 by axooms

Update 8/1: Since I published this piece, Bennett has resigned and Anne Hyslop at the New America Foundation has done the hard and invaluable work of checking the math. Original post follows: ————————————————————————–  The story that former Indiana Superintendent and … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Politics, School Performance | 2 Comments

DougCo: Sound and Fury Signifying Something?

Posted on July 1, 2013 by axooms

In my experience, School Board members are rarely reliable commentators on the academic quality of their districts.  So an Op-Ed in yesterday’s Denver Post by a sitting Douglas County school board member caught my eye, particularly given the amount of … Continue reading →

Posted in District Performance, Student Achievement, Teacher Unions | Tagged | 2 Comments

Housing and Public Schools

Posted on June 10, 2013 by axooms

Imagine, for a moment, that the public school district of the city in which you live decided to start a program to charge families who wanted to send their kids to a specific school.  The price was pretty expensive — … Continue reading →

Posted in Engagement, Fiscal & Economic, Poverty | Tagged | 5 Comments

Colorado Education’s Little Man Complex

Posted on May 22, 2013 by axooms

Anyone who follows education policy knows that many programs are oversold. Initiatives and bills are touted as groundbreaking, landmark, and unprecedented — often well in advance of any ground broken, land marked, or precedent undone. This is generally part of … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiscal & Economic, Politics, Whimsy | 1 Comment

Does School Choice Increase Segregation?

Posted on May 15, 2013 by axooms

One of the arguments opponents of school choice — and particularly those who are anti charter schools — now make most frequently is that increased options and the ability for families to select schools rather than be assigned to them … Continue reading →

Posted in Charter Schools, Engagement, Poverty | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Teacher Surveys and Public Opinion

Posted on May 2, 2013 by axooms

The debate over SB 191 — better known as the bill that revamped teacher evaluations — was a watershed moment in Colorado, and one of the most bitterly debated education issues of the decade.  Proponents of the bill took out … Continue reading →

Posted in Engagement, Teacher Evaluations | Leave a comment

Standardized March Madness

Posted on April 10, 2013 by axooms

March brings with it two education rituals: college becomes young adults trying to get an orange ball through an iron circle, and K-12 public education transforms into students filling in small circles of multiple choice questions. The month-long NCAA tournament … Continue reading →

Posted in College and Career Preparation, Student Achievement | Tagged | Leave a comment