http://dcschoolreform.org Just another WordPress weblog Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:16:05 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Progressive Fix's Scott Andes summarizes the debate around performance pay and argues that arguments against ultimately ring false: "While performance-related pay has been around since the 1700s and affects the pay scale of over 85 percent of private sector employees, the debate over merit pay for teachers is still highly contentious. ... http://dcschoolreform.org/2010/07/28/getting-serious-about-education-why-can-we-measure-students-but-not-teachers/ See her interview here. http://dcschoolreform.org/2010/07/27/chancellor-rhee-discusses-impact-on-cnn/ Race To The Top Backgrounder  Preceding Announcement of Round 2 finalists Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will be announcing the Round 2 Race to the Top finalists during a speech he is giving today at the National Press Club entitled "The Quiet Revolution." The speech begins at 12:30, and you can watch ... http://dcschoolreform.org/2010/07/27/dfer-releases-essential-backgrounder-on-race-to-the-top-competition/ FOCUS (Friends of Choice in Urban Schools), CityBridge Foundation and DC School Reform Now Invite you to a FREE screening of the film  "The Lottery"   Saturday, June 26, 2010 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Avalon Theater 5612 Connecticut Avenue NW Nationwide, 58% of African-American 4th graders are functionally illiterate.  In the District of Columbia, on average, African-American 4th ... http://dcschoolreform.org/2010/06/16/invitation-to-view-the-lottery/ Great news!  Yesterday, DCPS teachers voted 1,412 – 425 to ratify the Teacher’s contract.  This vote represents a victory for students and teachers, as it reinforces several of the crucial reforms that are improving our DC Public Schools.   The final step for the contract to pass is a City Council ... http://dcschoolreform.org/2010/06/03/call-to-action-do-your-part-to-support-the-teachers-contract/   DC School Reform Now Explores How the Contract Helps Students News outlets, political blogs, and opinion columns have generated much discussion about how the proposed WTU Contract would benefit teachers.  At this point, we have heard a lot about how it increases salaries by an unprecedented 21.6%, provides retroactive pay, defends ... http://dcschoolreform.org/2010/05/20/our-children-and-the-teachers-contract/ Lindsay Neil, of Stand for Children's Colorado branch, gives remarks on the important passage of a landmark teacher tenure bill in Colorado.  Read below about how the bill helps all Colorado children learn:   Lindsay Neil, Executive Director, Colorado affiliate of Stand for Children New Schools Venture Fund Remarks, May 12, 2010 Good morning ... http://dcschoolreform.org/2010/05/18/stand-for-children-remarks-on-the-colorado-teacher-tenure-bill/ D.C. teachers contract paid for through budget cuts, reallocation of funding The Washington Post's Bill Turque reports on welcome developments that will lead CFO Gandhi to certify the contract after all: "After nearly five weeks of interagency finger-pointing and discord, District officials announced late Monday that they have found a way ... http://dcschoolreform.org/2010/05/11/breakthrough-means-teachers-contract-is-one-step-closer-to-ratification/ A $34 million crisis of confidence in D.C. schools In his latest story in the Washington Post, education columnist Bill Turque attempts to piece together what happened in the back-and-forth between the Chancellor's Office, the CFO, and City Council over a possible budgetary surplus: "Follow the money, if you can. First, Chancellor ... http://dcschoolreform.org/2010/04/26/untangling-dcs-complex-financial-system/ A recipe for more choice schools in D.C. In a Washington Post Op-Ed, parent Caryn Ernst discusses school choice in D.C., and emphasizes families' responsibility for making real choice a reality: "I'm a proponent of school choice, and I'm happy that the District has created a system to make the lottery easy ... http://dcschoolreform.org/2010/04/21/parent-explores-the-impact-of-meaningful-family-engagement/