Copyright 2010 Frederick M. Hess Thu, 11 Mar 2010 15:40:02 -0500 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Frederick M. Hess :: Writings http://www.frederickhess.org RHess@AEI.org (Frederick M. Hess) webmaster@pundicity.com en-us http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/03/just-how-racist-are-you-anyway Mon, 8 Mar 2010 08:43:00 EST I was inclined to tag this post, "How intellectual conformity stifles 'diverse' thinking." But that seemed a bit long-winded. Anyway, here's the deal. The Politics of Education Association has decided on a theme for its special Education Politics Series... http://www.frederickhess.org/7038/education-big-race Mon, 8 Mar 2010 09:00:00 EST Amid much fanfare, the president last year launched the Department of Education's "Race to the Top" (RTT). Funded with $4.35 billion in stimulus dollars, the competitive grant program urged states to comply with 19 federal priorities and dramatically... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/03/fun-facts-from-rtt-applications Tue, 2 Mar 2010 09:04:00 EST With the announcement of the round one Race to the Top (RTT) finalists upon us, I can only say I'm glad I declined the invitation to apply to be an RTT reviewer. For those who have had a chance to peruse the applications, you know what I mean. For those... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/03/ahead-of-the-curve-in-kansas-city Mon, 1 Mar 2010 09:29:00 EST Across the nation, districts are only enduring the first phase of what is likely a several year stretch of tough budgets. Why? First, property taxes account for so much of school spending, residential real estate prices are only now bottoming, commercial... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/02/transparency-and-credibility Fri, 26 Feb 2010 11:19:00 EST Word on the street is that 10-15 "finalists" from the first round of Race to the Top (RTT) are going to be announced Monday. The finalists will be feted and invited to D.C. for a chance to prostrate themselves before Department of Education officials... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/02/rtt-77-percent-effect Thu, 25 Feb 2010 10:00:00 EST Cynics like me have worried that the Department of Education's Race to the Top (RTT) program has, in a time of fiscal crisis, distracted attention from addressing unsustainable state budgets. Such cynicism has been deemed unfashionable by administration... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/02/rtt-and-the-emperors-pants Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:49:00 EST Yesterday, I noted the import of creating clear, coherent, credible, and transparent processes for governing the Race to the Top (RTT) and Investing in Innovation (i3) funds. Making this task especially vital are the enormous sums of discretionary... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/02/tough-love-for-rtt Tue, 23 Feb 2010 08:47:00 EST I like the intuitions guiding Race to the Top (RTT) and the companion Investing in Innovation (i3) fund. I do. I'm a fan of charter schooling, improved data systems, rewarding effective teachers, and a bunch of the other ideas in play. I believe K-12... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/02/influence-deference Mon, 22 Feb 2010 12:10:00 EST I spent the weekend in Atlanta at the annual conference of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education. In gatherings like that, folks frequently ask me for thoughts about the policy process (which is amusing if you consider that I've... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/02/bait-and-switch-on-common-standards Fri, 19 Feb 2010 07:05:00 EST We've been told time and again that the current common standards push is guided by the mantra "fewer, clearer, and higher" standards. That's a good thing, since efforts to craft expansive standards tend to crumble under their own weight. Recall what... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/02/free-weingarten-now Thu, 18 Feb 2010 07:07:00 EST Yesterday I railed that the "it's for the kids" (IFTK) mantra turns substantive disagreements into name-calling. If I'm "for the kids" and you disagree with me on tracking, testing, or whatever, it follows that you're "against the kids." (As an aside,... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/02/for-the-kids-needs-to-go Wed, 17 Feb 2010 07:28:00 EST It's time to banish the phrase, "It's for the kids," (that's "IFTK" for those of you keeping score at home) from the edu-discourse, along with its insipid cousins like "it's all about kids," "just for the kids," and "we're in it for the kids." Actually,... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/01/obama-vs-constitution Fri, 29 Jan 2010 12:38:00 EST The Obama administration may need a bit of a refresher on the U.S. Constitution. In a peculiar move, the administration has announced that its "incentive-based" education reform strategy is now going to extend to its dealings with Congress. If Congress... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/01/you-call-this-transparency Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:34:00 EST Yesterday, on a press conference call, Education Secretary Arne Duncan made the following statement about the $4.35 billion Race to the Top (RTT) program and transparency: "Our new competitive grant programs like Race to the Top and the Investing in... http://www.frederickhess.org/2010/01/obama-education-themes Thu, 28 Jan 2010 14:09:00 EST Like my colleague Checker Finn, I think there's much to like in the themes of the president's education remarks in last night's State of the Union address. As Finn characterizes the president's immensely broad themes: "Use federal education dollars to...