edbizbuzz

The Letter From: What is "Capacity"? (III): In Districts and Schools

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 07:36:48 -0500

(Readers please note: Family circumstances beyond my control extended my August hiatus. Over the next weeks, I'll get the blog back up to speed. Thanks for your patience.)

The pressure to weaken and even gut NCLB’s accountability regime is substantial and might win out in reauthorization. I would argue that the time line to universal proficiency is almost certainly unrealistic. Given NCLB’s delegation of decisions about standards, assessments, and the definition of proficiency to the states, the goal is not. Nevertheless, as long as NCLB remains law, Congress has defined the nation’s measure of school performance. Public education now requires the capacity to help every child demonstrate the proficiency in literacy and math by 2012.

What does this capacity entail? What functions should reside at the school, and what are the implications for the central office?

Educators Can Bypass the Middle Men for Teaching Content?

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:08:13 -0500

Paul Edelman is a former NYC public school teacher and founder of TeachersPayTeachers.com, a division of Scholastic Inc.

With the launch of TeachersPayTeachers.com (TpT) in April of 2006 the big question was: With all that free stuff out there, will teachers be willing to pay other teachers for their original content? After more than two years, I’m happy to report they are.

The Letter From: What is "Capacity"? (II): In Public Education

Wed, 27 Aug 2008 08:24:56 -0500

The historic mission of public schools is a quality education for all students regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, social background, disability, or native language. It has been honored in the breach too often, but at least in my lifetime, the trend has been towards greater inclusion and equity.

If "what gets measured gets done," school systems, even in poor and/or urban areas, have the capacity to succeed when measured by the standard developed for the state accountability legislation passed prior to NCLB - average student performance on standardized tests. Most states set a bar low enough for the vast majority of schools to pass yet high enough to produce enough students with the skills required for college and the economy. Many students fell short, but the states decided they could afford the concomitant costs of social welfare, prison, and lost tax revenue.

It worked then.

It won't work now.

Friday Guest Column: Encouraging Customers to Spread the Word

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 08:46:05 -0500

Kristen Plemon is an Account Executive with the public relations firm, C. Blohm & Associates Inc.

Traditional marketing methods are losing effectiveness as increasing numbers of marketing messages bombard potential buyers on a daily basis. Meanwhile, buyers are connecting with thousands of people instantly, and potentially influencing their opinions, through the “social web.” Buyers are online, sharing their wish lists, favorite sites, and positive (or negative) experiences. Today, companies must fuel word-of-mouth to grow their customer base and increase sales, especially in the education industry.

The Letter From: What is "Capacity"? (I)

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 07:48:04 -0500

A few days ago, I was asked to define “capacity” in the context of school reform. It's an important question to the school improvement industry because building capacity is what it does. My first thought was “that’s pretty obvious, capacity is…..” Before I could open my mouth, that was quickly followed by “…no different from patriotism, equality, energy independence, tax reform, national security, or any number of words thrown around in political debate and policy discussions.” When they come from the soapbox, these words often hide more than they reveal.

Agreed on the need to build “capacity” in public schools, we reach for a box with that label. When the carton is opened, we are likely to disagree on whether the contents are what we had in mind. When we move from the soapbox to specifics, “capacity” refers to whatever one believes is preventing schools from doing whatever one believes they should do.

I didn’t try to answer the question then, but I’ve thought about it more, and try here. My approach starts with first principles: understanding “capacity” requires an appreciation of both how organizations do what they are established to do, and what it is you want an organization to accomplish. I apply the general discussion to the public school system, with an emphasis on what we have wanted and now ask public education to accomplish. Next, I discuss how schools are organized to do what we wanted, and the changes implied by what we want them to do today. Finally, implications for private sector school improvement providers.

The Letter From: The Most Important Issue in Federal Education Policy Presidential Candidates Don’t Discuss (III)

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 08:14:16 -0500

Even in the campaign’s fora for education policy wonks, evaluation has been a very minor topic. Unless No Child Left Behind becomes material to the election, scientifically based research and its siblings (SBR) will remain the most important issue in federal education policy the Presidential candidates have yet to discuss.

The reasons why SBR is an obscure talking point in debate over the tertiary topic of program evaluation on the second level campaign issue of public education are easy to state:

• Compared to gas prices, the economy, Iraq, Afghanistan and terrorism, education is not among the average American voter’s top priorities. Other things being equal, the candidates' views on program evaluation don’t influence many voters. As a result, both consider the economy and foreign affairs the decisive arenas, and education a low-cost opportunity to satisfy their bas. Democrats may understand how moving education front and center will tend to divide their party, and Republicans have not grasped that potential.

• To the extent public schools are an issue, the easiest strategy for substantive debate is to stick with the holy trinity of school accountability, funding levels and vouchers. Democrat Obama argues that NCLB’s accountability regime is unreasonable, more money is required, and that vouchers are incompatible with public education. Republican McCain takes the opposing view. To suggest some creativity and independence, each candidate has added the traditional billion dollar barrel of pet projects. Candidates and campaigns managers are comfortable with this set piece engagement, because it leaves them to do what they know how to do.

• If a candidate were to consider adding a new argument to the education policy troika, the subject of program evaluation seems too hard to explain in a sound bite. It is a testament to the subject’s arcane nature that the Obama campaign has not tied McCain’s strong support for NCLB to the mismanagement of SBR in Reading First and Supplementary Education Services in its efforts to cast the Republican candidate as Bush III. Even in the campaign’s for a for education policy wonks, evaluation has been a very minor topic.

As matters now stand, it’s not likely that either candidate will make their position on SBR a matter of record – voluntarily or under duress. Let me offer a scenario where one might. It is a stretch, even far fetched, but based on three fact-based analyses.

The Letter From: The Most Important Issue in Federal Education Policy Presidential Candidates Don’t Discuss (Between II and III)

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:32:03 -0500

Last week, I suggested that if Presidential candidates McCain and Obama could be forced to take a stand on the concept of program evaluation reflected in the “scientifically based research,” “scientifically based reading research” and “research based” provisions of No Child Left Behind (referred to collectively as SBR), they have four choices:

• Option One. Go back to days before NCLB, when there were no requirements for program evaluation even on paper.

• Option Two. Stick with NCLB as implemented today, when the standards are virtually meaningless.

• Option Three. Propose to implement NCLB’s program evaluation provision based on mandatory experimental or quasi-experimental designs, and publication in an accessible repository.

• Option Four. Implement NCLB so as to base market entry on some measure of statistical significance and educational effect.

I suggested that the first candidate to select Option Three will have a rhetorical advantage. At a time when every consumer has experienced a crisis of product safety, his opponent cannot choose the message of “no evaluation” implied by Options One and Two. Setting a viable standard of efficacy for market entry seems hopelessly impractical, ruling out Option Four. Saying “me too” after ones opponent opts for Option Three hardly symbolizes leadership. I argued that the candidates hover somewhere between Options Two and Three. McCain seems closer to Three than Obama. Neither candidate’s position is set in stone, or even wet concrete. I also recognized that at current course and speed there is no reason to expect a great debate over SBR or program evaluation during this campaign.

My intent for this week's letter was to take a closer look at the circumstances in which either contestant might take a real stand on SBR. I suggested that the most likely scenario involves African-American and Latino votes in states that might prove to be crucial when the election is viewed from the perspective of the Electoral College.

I do my best to offer objective analysis and to lay out enough facts, analysis and context to help readers decide for themselves. My perspective on the subject of this series is not without partisan overtones, and that's relevant. Consequently, I decided that before I discuss my scenario, readers need to appreciate how my interest in SBR intersects with my support for John McCain.

Friday Guest Column: Ideablob.com offers micro-capital prize for self-starting edupreneurs

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 12:49:36 -0500

Carol Glenn, who received her B.A. from Cornell University in May of this year, is the developer of Bronze. Ideablob.com is a prize program sponsored by credit card issuer Advanta Bank Corporation. (Edbizbuzz has no business relationships with Advanta or Ms. Glenn.)

Nearly everyone who has dedicated his or her life to the education crises in America knows how difficult it is to find scalable solutions to the problems in urban school districts. Some ideas earn seemingly endless support despite light results, while programs and methods that work struggle to find funding. I’ve been frustrated with the slow pace of change in Black and Latino communities, so I wanted to create a solution that could circumvent the political and grant-seeking processes in favor of internal sustainability.

The Letter From: The Most Important Issue in Federal Education Policy Presidential Candidates Don’t Discuss (II)

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 15:18:50 -0500

Last week’s Letter From explained that scientifically based research and its siblings scientifically based reading research and research based (referred to collectively as SBR) in NCLB are important as a matter of consumer protection; that it has not been addressed in the Presidential candidate’s education platforms because it is neither something the voting public cares about very deeply nor simple enough to explain quickly; and that unless taking a position might have an impact on the outcome of the election, SBR is likely to remain not only on the back burner, but off the stove.

In my view, the concept of program evaluation represented by these terms is the most important issue in federal education policy the candidates don’t discuss. This week’s Letter addresses the options available if a Presidential candidate decides to take a position. It’s a lengthy discussion, so I won’t get to whether some options might be more favorable to McCain or Obama until next week. My suggestion that neither campaign is likely to take a real stand SBR only if African-American and Latino votes prove to be crucial when the Presidential election is viewed from the perspective of the Electoral College, will also have to wait..

Edbizbuzz Discloses Involvement in Presidential Campaign

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:01:16 -0500

I’ve noted that I am a pro-market, pro-NCLB Republican repeatedly (here and here for example), so it should come as no great surprise that I’m aligned with the Republican candidate. Since April of 2008 I’ve been providing input to education advisor Lisa Graham Keegan that is relevant to the school improvement industry. It's a pro bono activity for this small businessman, I am not exactly part of the inner circle of John McCain’s campaign, and I have not been commenting on the candidates.

School Improvement RFP of the Week (2): How Much Sole-Source Business Should ED Do With CCSSO?

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 22:15:09 -0500

RFPs identify business opportunities, but they are also a neglected primary source for research on k-12 policy and operations. Policy is not just what you say, or how you allocate resources, it's what you buy. From Monday's issue of K-12Leads and Youth Service Markets Report.

Announcement: Sole Source Notice - ADI - State Education Data Center/ K-12 and P-20 Data Models Due August 7 (Jul 22) U.S. Department of Education

Their Description: The Department of Education intends to make a sole source award to the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), located in Washington, D.C., for enhancements to its State Education Data Center (SEDC) to expand public access and use of education data.

School Improvement RFP of the Week (1): To Attract and Keep Teachers, Improve Compensation Without Increasing Labor Costs

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:28:04 -0500

Policy is not just what you say, or how you allocate resources, it's what you buy. RFPs identify business opportunities, but they are also a neglected primary source for research on k-12 policy and operations.

From Monday's issue of K-12Leads and Youth Service Markets Report.

Announcement: Auto & Home Insurance Due August 8 (Jul 25), Cobb County School District, Georgia

Their Description: Cobb County School District (hereafter referred to as “CCSD”) located in Marietta, Georgia, has contracted with Benalytics Consulting Group, LLC to assist with the solicitation of proposals from qualified companies capable of providing Group Auto & Homeowners Insurance for CCSD employees, effective 1/1/2009. In particular, the County is interested in your company’s ability to provide a competitive payroll deduction program with minimal involvement of CCSD HR and benefit staff, competitive rates and a comprehensive program that provides additional discounts and services to CCSD employees.

Friday Guest Column: NW Education Cluster SY 2008 Goals and Progress

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 09:58:04 -0500

Jim Snyder is Director of the Northwest Education Cluster, a regional school improvement industry trade group based in Portland, Oregon.

(Edbizbuzz encourages other regional and national school improvement industry groups with a web-based presence to join our growing community of quarterly guest columnists - contact editor@edbizbuzz.com.)

Things are relatively quiet up here in the northwest this summer but the NW Education Cluster has been active in reviewing our 2007-8 goals we established back in September 2007. We are using the results of these goals as a way to move forward for the upcoming year. I thought I would take this opportunity to review these goals and share our direction for the upcoming year.

At the July 15th meeting of the Oregon Cluster Network the NW Education Cluster shared the progress to date of the 2007-8 goals. The Cluster has been making strides in supporting educational businesses and the local workforce initiative. Our next meeting on August 5th will showcase some of this work. The table below outlines our goals and progress to date:

The Letter From: The Most Important Issue in Federal Education Policy Presidential Candidates Don’t Discuss (I)

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 19:48:54 -0500

Despite the hundreds of times scientifically based research (and its variants scientifically based reading research and research based) appears in No Child Left Behind I, it has not been part of the general debate around NCLB II. It has yet to be mentioned by either Presidential contender as they explain their views on the federal role in public education. In my view the concept of program evaluation represented by these terms is the most important issue in federal education policy the candidates don’t discuss.

Why is it important? Why isn’t it part of the debate? And is it inevitable? If a candidate decides to take a position, what are the options and are some more favorable to one candidate or another?

Today, I’ll take a stab at the first three questions.

School Improvement RFP of the Week (2): The Next Wave of E-Rate Business is VOIP

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:35:53 -0500

RFPs identify business opportunities, but they are also a neglected primary source for research on k-12 policy and operations. From Monday's issue of K-12Leads and Youth Service Markets Report.

Announcement: E-Rate Eligible Video Over IP Due July 29, Savannah-Chatham County Public School System, Georgia

Their Description: The intent of these specifications is to set forth a term contract under which the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System (SCCPSS) may secure a vendor for the purpose of providing an E-Rate Eligible Video Over IP Solution.