Category Archives: Poverty

I Have Met Finland and It Is Not U.S.

Posted on September 6, 2012 by axooms

I’ve always been amused by the comparisons of the US Educational system with that of Finland. For starters, Finland has about 5.5 million people, about the same as Cook County IL — and a glance at Wikipedia notes that Finland … Continue reading →

Posted in Fiscal & Economic, Poverty, School Performance, Whimsy | Leave a comment

Segregation & DPS

Posted on June 25, 2012 by axooms

One of the early criticisms leveled against charter schools was that they were “skimming kids” – that the lottery enrollment policy used by charters resulted in the admission of primarily the brightest, most motivated students.  This argument has faded (at … Continue reading →

Posted in Charter Schools, Poverty | 6 Comments

Low-income students and college

Posted on July 7, 2010 by axooms

An evil twin to Paul’s earlier post about the continuing economic benefits of a college education is the depressing news that fewer and fewer low-income students are both attending and graduating from college (see full article): Fewer low- and moderate-income high school graduates … Continue reading →

Posted in College and Career Preparation, Poverty | Leave a comment

Dems and ed reform, redux

Posted on October 15, 2009 by axooms

An illuminating piece by Nicholas Kristof in the NYT: Good schools constitute a far more potent weapon against poverty than welfare, food stamps or housing subsidies. Yet, cowed by teachers’ unions, Democrats have too often resisted reform and stood by as generations … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Poverty | Leave a comment

Reunion prompts diversity questions

Posted on August 31, 2009 by axooms

My wife had her 20th high school reunion recently.  She attended a large public high school noted then, as now, for the diversity of its student body.  But attendees of the reunion itself were not nearly as diverse as the … Continue reading →

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

Why measuring growth matters

Posted on August 12, 2009 by axooms

Last week’s CSAP results were coupled with the Colorado Growth Model in a way that began to peel the onion back on school and district performance.  However, one major piece was, to my mind, still missing. The growth model does not differentiate … Continue reading →

Posted in District Performance, Poverty, Student Achievement | Leave a comment

Cows: sacred. Oxes: gored

Posted on June 11, 2009 by axooms

The Harvard economist Roland Fryer did a recent study on the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ).  The NYT’s usually reliable David Brooks sort of botched it.  That’s a shame, as it is worth an unfiltered read.  To whet your appetite for original (in … Continue reading →

Posted in Poverty, School Performance | Leave a comment