The George W. Bush Presidential Center Blog

National Council on Teacher Quality publishes new report on teacher preparation programs

akaufmann — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 21:32:47 +0000

Author:

Kerry Ann Moll

The Alliance to Reform Education Leadership (AREL) at the George W. Bush Institute would like to congratulate the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) on its new publication: the Teacher Prep Review 2013 Report.

The Teacher Prep Review spotlights the current state of teacher preparation and the higher education institutions charged with training future educators for the classroom. This review provides data on 1,130 institutions – the colleges and universities that prepare 99% of America’s new teachers – and rates each institution based on information from syllabi, textbooks, student teaching handbooks, student teacher observation instruments and other materials.

The Teacher Prep Review has been criticized as controversial throughout the entire process, with many researchers and universities refusing to contribute to the process, and critiques that the rating of teacher preparation programs should be based on outcomes such as teacher readiness and not inputs such as course descriptions. At AREL, we believe information that helps to shine a spotlight on the low bar we have across the country for preparing teachers and leaders is important to collect. The fact that our new teachers aren’t well prepared to teach reading and math is important. We would like to thank NCTQ for opening up the dialogue about the importance of properly equipping our Nation’s teachers with the skills they need to succeed in the classroom. Improving student achievement starts with effectively recruiting, preparing and supporting the adults who teach children and lead their schools.

The NCTQ report is a great first step. The next step must be to focus on teacher readiness at graduation and the collection of meaningful outcome data.

Cuba: Reform or Regression?

rtatro — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:11:08 +0000

Author:

Elizabeth Hoffman

The Cuban regime made headlines earlier this year when it announced that it would overhaul the decades-old migratory law, which has restricted the ability of Cuban citizens to travel abroad. Observers watched anxiously, hoping that this would be the beginning of significant democratic change on the island that has been under the tight grip of the Castro brothers for the past half century.

Among those granted permission to travel abroad was Rosa Maria Paya, the daughter of the late opposition leader, Oswaldo Paya. Rosa Maria embarked on a whirlwind tour of the United States and Europe, and she did not pull any punches. She spoke frankly to the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Organization of American States, and officials in Washington, DC, regarding the highly suspicious circumstances surrounding her father’s death. Rosa Maria and her family have demanded an independent investigation into the role of the Cuban government in Oswaldo’s controversial death in 2012.

Dissident Regis Iglesias Ramirez, a confidant of Oswaldo Paya, remembers his friend on the Freedom Collection:

Despite widespread speculation that she might attempt to seek asylum while abroad, Rosa Maria returned to Cuba. The world collectively breathed a sigh of relief when she arrived home without incident. International attention quickly faded. Meanwhile, the regime waited in the wings, preparing to make its move.

State security agents quietly began setting up camp outside the family home of Rosa Maria. A post on the government’s official blog ominously warned that any “false accusations” about her father’s death would result in arrest and imprisonment. Amid these threats, it is unsurprising that on June 10 The Miami Herald reported that the Paya family arrived in South Florida and plans to settle in Miami.

It appears that in allowing Cubans greater freedoms abroad, the regime has stepped up repression at home. One step forward, two steps back.

Regulation as Stimulus

rasahina — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 22:52:46 +0000

Author:

Roger Meiners

The White House continues its aggressive economic stimulus program by issuing ever more stringent controls over energy use, which it claims will bring great benefits to the nation for years. Unfortunately, the benefits are largely illusory and the costs are significant.

Consider one new, relatively small, final regulation just issued that will not take effect until 2016. The Department of Energy’s Energy Conservation Program: Energy Conservation Standards for Standby Mode and Off Mode for Microwave Ovens (10 CFR Parts 429 and 430) claims it will produce, over its 30-year life, 2016 to 2045, benefits of $3.38 billion (using a 3% discount rate) in contrast to a cost to the microwave industry of only $96.6 million. That is, the regulation supposedly produces 35 times more economic benefits than cost.

How is this economic wonder achieved? The cost side is relatively straightforward. Microwave ovens will be more expensive as they are retooled to use less power while sitting unused. DOE estimates manufacturers will lose about 7% of industry net present value due to higher costs and lost sales (the $96.6 million) — a substantial loss.

According to DOE, however, that loss in industry value is swamped by the benefits. Over 30 years, microwave users will use less electricity, so 38.11 million metric tons less of CO₂ will be emitted (other emissions will also drop, but that is not where DOE says the money is).

The Social Cost of Carbon (“SCC”) from reduced CO₂ emission is worth as much as $3.615 billion (at a minimum, it is $255 million, still much higher than cost). SCC was developed by an “interagency process” that determined that the value of a ton of CO₂ should, as of 2013, be somewhere between $12.6 and $119.1 per ton, up substantially from the old 2010 SCC values of only $6.2 to $78.4 per ton.

This regulation drew particular attention as it is apparently the first to employ the new higher value of CO₂ emissions. The problem is that the “value” of CO₂ non-emissions is not based on anything other than the imagination of bureaucrats. Because there is no market for such emissions, no price exists except in the minds of the central planners who have divined a “price” from speculation. The real and measurable cost will be higher-priced microwaves (which will primarily impact lower-income people) and the attendant higher costs and lower sales incurred by industry.

President and Mrs. Bush to Host African First Ladies Summit Focused on Promoting Women’s Empowerment

rtatro — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 16:52:13 +0000

Author:

Hannah Abney

On July 2-3, 2013, the Bush Institute will host the African First Ladies Summit, “Investing in Women: Strengthening Africa,” in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

With support from ExxonMobil, the summit will bring together African First Ladies, government officials, private organizations, NGOs and academics to discuss best practices that can reap sustainable, replicable results, benefit women and strengthen society.

Many African countries are committed to introducing critical interventions in education, health and economic opportunity led by First Ladies that will benefit women and strengthen society. Investing in women results in better outcomes for entire families, communities and nations.

Featuring keynote addresses by President and Mrs. Bush, the summit will include First Lady announcements and commitments and the opportunity to learn from experts in the fields of education, health and economic empowerment. It will spotlight success stories and provide follow-up services.

Tune in on July 2nd and 3rd to bushcenter.org/live for the live webcast of this event and join the conversation on social media using the hashtag #investinwomen

ICYMI: Dr. Briggs Responds to National Journal on No Child Left Behind

rtatro — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:20:50 +0000

Author:

The Bush Center

This week, Director of Education Reform Dr. Kerri Briggs responds to a National Journal piece on the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. Because of the law, more students are learning at higher levels than before, especially poor and minority students, and every school is held accountable for results. Dr. Briggs walks through a number of key lessons learned and discusses how best to look at updating the law to reflect new realities and capabilities.

Read her full response HERE.

Patent Wars Restrain Growth

mdenhart — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 15:18:58 +0000

Author:

Ike Brannon

Patent laws in the United States have always been grounded in a utilitarian appeal to encourage innovation. This principle is illustrated by Article I, Section 8, of the U.S. Constitution, which lists as one of the enumerated powers of the Congress the following: “To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries.”

But while patents were originally intended to promote economic growth and foster the development of new ideas, today’s patent laws have greatly deviated from their original purpose and actually achieve the very opposite of what the framers of the Constitution intended.

A few years ago the Patent and Trademark Office awarded Apple a patent for the innovation of rounding the edges on its iPad, one that they are now vigorously enforcing against Samsung’s tablets, which also have rounded edges. Apple’s claim of ownership over what is, when stripped of the technical complications, nothing more than a common geometric shape is a perfect example of the profound depths to which the nation’s patent wars have sunk. The shape of corners of the iPad is not the reason people buy it, and allowing other companies to utilize the same shape will not harm Apple in any way other than via the ordinary rigors of competition, which is kind of the point of capitalism.

On the other hand, if this patent is upheld, it will result in the blockage of Samsung tablets from entering U.S. markets, an outcome that would be indisputably detrimental to American consumers. Faced with a lower quantity of phones and fewer brands to choose from, consumers will have fewer options and likely pay higher prices for tablets.

In any case, the patent under consideration is one that violates not only the laws of common sense, but one that should never have been permitted under current patent laws, given that the thing being patented does not possess the quality of non-obviousness required as a condition of patentability. Books, paper, magazines, and other print media have always used the rectangle shape, and it makes sense that newer devices that serve a similar purpose would follow the same model, while the rounded corners are an obvious adaptation to the shape of the hand and to avoid the potential for injury from sharp corners. Before the iPad, other devices already employed a similar, albeit not identical, shape. It is hard to see how Apple’s design can be considered a true innovation.

Furthermore, there is a considerable cost to the economy resulting from the frequency and duration of patent lawsuits of this nature, whose sole purpose is to capture economic rents from potential and actual competitors. The amount of due diligence required for a new business to ensure that it will not be the target of a financially devastating patent suit has become excessive to the point of deterring entry in many markets. A 2011 study by the Boston University School of Law found an annual cost to society of dubious patent fights amounting to $80 billion and rising. Most of these costs can be attributed to so-called “Patent Trolls,” agencies whose sole purpose is to amass thousands of random patents from a variety of sources and prosecute lawsuits alleging patent infringement solely for the financial gain — that is, separate from any allegation of a competitive disadvantage, since these companies do nothing but buy patents and prosecute patent infringement lawsuits.

Besides the cost of defending against patent lawsuits, the practice of awarding patents for minor or negligible innovations means that companies spend resources trying to devise and then patent as many of these innovations as possible, solely for use in any future patent battles. When Research In Motion, maker of the ailing Blackberry, was considered ripe for a takeover in 2012, analysts attributed most of its value to the usefulness of its patents in future patent wars.

The two companies in the dispute over rounded tablet corners, Apple and Samsung, have clashed a total of 50 times over similar charges of patent infringement, with these lawsuits spanning the globe, lasting years, and racking up hundreds of millions of dollars in legal fees. These costs are ultimately passed on to the consumer, not to mention the opportunity cost of these companies not using their scarce capital in productive ways, such as in the area of research and development.

If Apple prevails before the International Trade Commission, the entity adjudicating this dispute, the U.S. economy will suffer not only in the short term, by reducing consumer choice and competition in the tablet market, but also in the future. The precedent set by this case will hasten the filing of even more absurd patents with the sole intention of prosecuting others and attempting to collect economic rents when no significant innovation has in fact been made.

The long-term solution to this problem is to reform patent laws to ensure that the Patent and Trademark Office only awards patents for genuine innovations. But in the short run, disallowing frivolous patents, such as the one granted for a rounded rectangle, is the best path for economic growth.

Talana Bradley – School Leaders Have Twice the Impact in High-Poverty Schools

rtatro — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 17:54:27 +0000

Author:

Patrick Kobler

“My residency experience exposed me to a school committed to developing young women leaders, which ignited my passion to be a transformative leader.”

- Talana Bradley, School Leader, Young Women’s Leadership School of Brooklyn

When Talana Bradley speaks about school leadership and being a role model for young women, her voice conveys an unmistakable sense of urgency. For Talana, being a principal is more than a job – it is her mission. And by transforming the lives of young women using education as a tool to uplift and empower, Talana’s mission is rooted in her school’s guiding philosophy: “A Leader Grows in Brooklyn . . . Cultivating Confidence and Compassion.”

Under Talana’s leadership, the Young Women’s Leadership School of Brooklyn (YWLSB) has developed both culturally and academically. In 2011, the all-girls school received a rating of “A” for both student academic progress and school environment. This past academic year, Talana’s school continued its upward trend, seeing 56% of its eighth graders receive high school credit and earning the New York City Department of Education’s highest quality review score – “well developed.”

The reason Talana has been able to lead a school that cultivates its students is largely due to her preparation and foresight about urban school leadership. Taking on the role of principal in today’s schools - especially schools that are failing or those in high-poverty areas - is challenging. School leaders are tasked with an array of duties ranging from maintaining a large budget, to developing great teachers who will raise student achievement, to dealing with student and community concerns.

Talana possessed the savvy to realize this challenge even before assuming the principalship and took steps to adequately prepare herself to become a transformative school leader. In fact, though Talana had already earned her principal certification and could have applied to be a school leader anywhere in New York, she felt that “something was missing” and sought out more rigorous leadership preparation before doing so.

This decision led Talana to join the New York City Leadership Academy’s (NYC Leadership Academy) Aspiring Principals Program - an AREL Network Member and nationally-recognized program that trains talented educators to turn around troubled schools. And she entered with the attitude that though schools may be troubled, their students did not have to be. That a zip code did not have to determine a child’s future. That a great school leader could truly be transformative and make twice as much of an impact in a high-poverty school.

Joining NYC Leadership Academy with a determination to become that transformative school leader, Talana found herself on an unexpected path during her residency ( think medical residency, but for principals) that would lead to her assuming the role of principal for the Young Women’s Leadership School of Brooklyn.

When Talana was first accepted into NYC Leadership Academy, she had plans to lead a traditional public school in one of New York City’s highest-need communities. So she was cautiously optimistic when NYC Leadership Academy assigned her to the Young Women’s Leadership School of Harlem (YWLSH), for her residency.

But within minutes of meeting the school’s students, Talana’s cautious optimism evolved to an intense desire to lead a group of young women eager to learn within a culture of achievement.

Speaking about leading her first all-girls school, Talana notes, “My time at the Leadership Academy was intense. They really opened me to new ideas and helped me identify my core values as a school leader and how I could inspire educators and garner the respect of the families I would serve. I wouldn’t trade my time with NYCLA for the world.”

It is clear that the Young Women’s Leadership Network would not trade Talana for the world either.

After completing a successful residency and graduating from NYC Leadership Academy, Talana was eventually tapped to be the founding school leader of the Young Women’s Leadership School of Brooklyn (YWLSB). When the school opened its doors, 74 young women filled the new school’s desks and hallways.

While each has benefited from Talana’s transformational leadership, Talana’s urgency pushed her to gradually grow the school to 350 students in grades 6-12 with a staff of 24 educators. And as the academic year closes, Talana is helping to see to fruition plans to expand YWLSB to serve over 550 young women in the coming years.

Talana Bradley understands that leadership matters in the lives our children. Now in her fifth year as school leader of YWLSB, she is living proof that determination, urgency and effective preparation can give our kids – every one of them – the transformational leadership needed to succeed.

Inspired by Talana’s story? Share it by using #SpotlightEDU.

[This post is part of AREL's Spotlight Series featuring graduates from across our network of 28 principal preparation programs who embody the sentiment that leadership makes a difference in the lives of children.]

New on the Freedom Collection: Andrzej Celinski

akaufmann — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:40:18 +0000

Author:

Christopher Walsh

Would you gamble personal freedom in the struggle for national liberty? Like many of those who organized the 1980 Lenin Shipyard strike and founded Solidarity, Andrzej Celinski answered affirmatively. Celinski was a founding member of Solidarity, the first independent trade union in the communist bloc. As an opposition leader, he experienced bad days, being a prisoner of conscience, and good days, being elected to the senate on June 4, 1989 in a stunning rebuke of Poland’s Communist Party. The Freedom Collection is honored to welcome another founding member of Solidarity, Andrzej Celinski.

Celinski was born on February 26, 1950, in Warsaw, Poland. He began organizing protests against Poland’s communist regime at an early age. As a teenager in 1966, he rallied thousands of people gathered for a High Holy Mass at Saint John’s Cathedral for a peaceful, anti-government march to the Communist Party headquarters in Warsaw. In later years, he became active in opposition groups like the Workers’ Defense Committee, one of Solidarity’s predecessors.

Following the 1980 Lenin Shipyard strike in Gdansk, Celinski was tapped as an expert advisor to the Founding Committee of Solidarity. The members of the committee recognized his ability for organization and appointed him the secretary of the board of the Founding Committee. When authorities declared martial law and officially banned Solidarity in December 1981, Celinski was arrested for his activism and spent a year in prison. After the fall of communism in Poland, Celinski was elected as a senator from Solidarity and served from 1989 to 1993. Celinski was then elected to parliament where he served for over a decade, including a stint as minister of culture from 2001 to 2002.

Meet Andrzej Celinski on the Freedom Collection and learn more about his efforts to defeat Poland’s communist dictatorship:

A Teenage Dissident – Defying the communist regime as a teenager.
Opposition in the 1960s and 1970s – How disparate groups united to oppose communist rule.
The 1970s: Helsinki, Civil Society and Stagnation – “For communists, a self-organizing society is an abomination.”

Christopher Walsh is Program Coordinator, Freedom Collection.

New on the Freedom Collection: Lech Walesa

akaufmann — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:20:27 +0000

Author:

Christopher Walsh

Those who change the course of human events are not always what we expect. Poland’s Lech Walesa is one such example. His unlikely origins as the face of Poland’s freedom movement are part of what makes his story inspirational. Starting as an electrician in a Baltic shipyard, Walesa led the movement that toppled communism in Poland and won the presidency of his country.

Walesa was born on September 29, 1943, in Popowo, Poland. He was a principal organizer of the Lenin Shipyard Strike in August 1980 and as spokesman for the workers, he quickly became the labor movement’s public face. Walesa’s negotiations with communist authorities and support of workers’ rights inspired Poles and resulted in the establishment of the Solidarity trade union, the first independent labor union in the communist world. Solidarity soon expanded its reach beyond labor issues and became the hub for the country’s opposition activity, uniting democratic forces across Poland. After martial law was declared on December 13, 1981, Solidarity was outlawed and Walesa was among the first to be arrested and imprisoned.

After the fall of communism, Walesa became the first democratically elected president of Poland on December 22, 1990. While in office, Walesa was a driving force in Poland’s European integration, laying the groundwork for Poland’s accession to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the European Union.

Meet Lech Walesa on the Freedom Collection and share in his experiences from a pivotal moment in history:

Overcoming Fear – “At the beginning everyone's afraid, but with the passage of time you are able to defeat fear.”
Reagan, Mitterand, and Thatcher – “And all these people were fed up with communism.”
Gorbachev and the Fall of Communism – “Anyone wanting to stop this thing would have had to kill between one million to ten million people.”

Christopher Walsh is the Program Coordinator, Freedom Collection.

“W” Bush Center Rocks the Socks for 41

rtatro — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 18:19:28 +0000

Author:

Sally McDonough

We all know that when it comes to socks, no one has better style than 41. In honor of his 89th birthday, we followed in his footsteps! Staff from the Offices of George W. Bush and Laura Bush, the George W. Bush Foundation, the George W. Bush Institute and the NARA staff at the George W. Bush Presidential Museum and Library wore our most colorful and eccentric socks to work today to celebrate President George H.W. Bush on this special day.

We also outfitted the beautiful bronze statues of George W. Bush and George H.W. Bush which are located in the Center’s courtyard… it was hard to find the perfect fit, but we thought the yellow socks featuring images of dogs were fitting for the dog-loving father and son.

From all of us at the “W” Bush Center - Happy Birthday, President 41!

The George Bush Foundation invites everyone to share in the birthday festivities by submitting a photo wearing crazy socks by:

Posting to the George Bush Foundation’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/georgebush41
Tweeting to the George Bush Foundation’s twitter account: twitter.com/GB41Foundation - Hash tag #41s89th
Emailing to bushfoundation@georgebushfoundation.org