More Time for Learning - How Others Do It

We are heading in to the last weekend of the summer, and on Tuesday, every school in the country will probably be starting a new academic year. When that school will end depends on the state and school district, the entities that determine how long students will have to learn each year.

We know that many school districts are still hooked on a schedule that accommodates a farm-based economy that has not existed for decades.

ED Rocks in New Hampshire

Yesterday, my colleague Marc Lampkin and several of the peripatetic ED in 08 staff flew up to New Hampshire for a one of a kind event to highlight the need for leadership from the presidential candidates to get our schools on the national agenda.

Global Competitiveness and Our Schools - Part 1

Last year, a major poll of Americans found that nearly two-thirds are concerned about our competitiveness in the global economy. They connect the quality of our schools with our economic health and worry that if we don't fix our schools soon, we will fall behind.

Washington State Says, More Math Please

I wrote last week that too many Iowa students are not being prepared for the jobs the state expects will need to be filled in the next few years. And a while back, I warned that paying for college won't be the biggest worry for parents if their high school graduates are not prepared to do college-level work.

We are now hearing similar stories from Washington State where the Seattle Post Intelligencer found disturbing inadequacies among high school graduates there.

Kanye West & ED in 08: Part 2

I promised last Friday to report on Kanye West's concert to support ED in 08 and his own foundation's efforts to keep young people from dropping out of school.

Our own young people trickled back to Washington from Chicago yesterday and reported on what was, by all accounts, an exciting and entertaining event. (My thanks to the ED in 08 staff who worked hard on the event before they got a chance to party. I appreciate your hard work.)

New York Times: Schools Scrambling for Teachers

Sometimes it takes a front page story in the New York Times to get people's attention. Today, let's hope so.

In today's edition of The Times, above the fold, is this headline: Schools Scramble for Teachers Because of Spreading Turnover: Retirements and Stress Hit Poor Classrooms.

Kanye West and ED - Dedicated to Making a Difference

Today marks the 100th post of Roy's Blog on Schools.

And regular readers will know that I range far and wide over the school reform landscape.

Still, today's topic - hip-hop singer Kanye West -- may surprise a few people. I confess I'm a little surprised myself. My experience with dance music runs more toward swing than hip-hop.

Iowa Working to Regain a Tradition of Excellence

Iowa is an interesting state in an interesting situation. It has recently awakened to the fact that its schools no longer provide the first-rate education for its young citizens that has been a proud tradition here.

I have Iowa on my mind because I'm heading out that way later today to speak to the Rotary Club in Des Moines. It has me reading up on the state a bit.

Money Not Translating into Academic Success

We got another report on America's schools last week from the U.S. Department of Education.

In short, it shows that we spend more on our schools and our students are financially better off than most, but that money and effort does not seem to be helping our poorest students perform in terms of math and science.

From New York City, Lessons for America

Report after report, we keep seeing the same things when diverse groups get together to study poor performance in our schools. They recommend a lot of the same things that we at ED in 08 are - standards, effective teachers, time and support for learning.

The latest report comes from the New York City Council Middle School Task Force, which was created last spring to look at "persistent low performance of New York City's middle-grade schools."

Thank You, George & David, for a Serious Question about Schools

It took a while but we finally saw an actual debate among the candidates about American schools. David Yepsen of the Des Moines Register and George Stephanopoulos engineered it yesterday morning during the gathering of Democratic candidates on ABC.

How About Some Tough Questions on Schools in Iowa?

The Democratic presidential candidates get together in Iowa on Sunday for another debate, which could produce some interesting questions about our schools.

Iowa has an interesting history in terms of its schools. It has traditionally prided itself on the quality of its students and schools, and it has more than its share of good colleges for a small state.

Give and Take on Teacher Pay - The Denver Example

Teacher pay is one of the most sensitive and difficult issues in the entire equation of getting our schools to prepare America's students for college, for work and for the rest of their lives.

One of the things we are trying to do with ED in 08 is provide concrete examples of things that have been tried. One of these is the ProComp teacher pay plan in Denver in my home state of Colorado.

ED Scores Big at Iowa Straw Poll

If ED were a Republican candidate, we would have come in second on Saturday in Iowa.

A whole group of our young ED in 08 campaign staff flew in to Ames for the Iowa Republican Straw Poll that was held last Saturday.

Ohio Goes Whole-Hog to Get It Right

I want to give kudos to the state of Ohio for three things:

1. For tackling the issue of its schools and getting the best minds to help do something about it.
2. For setting the bar high and not settling for second-best.
3. For demanding and getting a detailed plan of action.

Now, what brings on this outburst of praise?

Dropping Out to Avoid a Test

We learned from Newsweek on Friday that the United States has quietly dropped out of TIMSS.

What is TIMSS and why would anyone care? you ask.

In the Battle of Ideas, Schools Should be One

I am intrigued by a Web site I visited recently called The Ideas Primary.

It has as its theme "The Presidential Election as a Battle of Ideas." It explains its mission this way: ...

Education Becoming a Key Issue in the Election

Lately we've criticized the media for not asking candidates about education during presidential debates. Even the candidates have started complaining that they are not being given time to talk about America's schools.

On Monday my colleague Marc Lampkin said it again following the ABC News debate in Iowa. But he went a step further: "Since the debate moderators failed to press the candidates about their plans to address America's education crisis - I urge the candidates to proactively lay out their comprehensive K-12 education proposals as students prepare to go back to school."

What You Can Do for Schools

I'm starting to see ‘Back to School' signs in the stores where I live so a new school year can't be far away.

This is the time of year when we, as a nation, focus on schools. It's like a second New Year's Day.

At ED in 08, we are working on new ways to put pressure on our presidential candidates to speak out about how they would lead us, as a nation, to deliver the schools that will prepare our children for college, for work and for the rest of their lives.

Working Families Need Good Schools

Tonight the Democratic presidential candidates debate again, this time under the auspices of the AFL-CIO and MSNBC. If ever there was a moment for this group of candidates to show genuine concern for working families and the issues that affect them, this would appear to be it.

So what does that have to do with the ED in 08 campaign? Plenty.

Plugging Away in Iowa

As we reported in Friday's blog post, the ED in 08 campaign is making a major push in Iowa over the next week to get candidates talking about their agendas for America's schools.

This morning, that state's leading newspaper, The Des Moines Register, ran a piece about issue campaigns operating in the state and made prominent mention of the ED in 08 campaign.

Strong Schools Are Key to Economic Competitiveness and Other Issues

On Sunday the Des Moines Register ran a story called "Iowans prod GOP candidates on schools." Then on Monday it shared results of a new poll showing that Iowa's voters are desperate to hear more from candidates about education and some other issues like global competitiveness, health, and taxes.

Turning Up the Heat in Iowa

I think it's fair to say that ED in 08 is pulling out the stops in Iowa over the next 10 days.

Today we launch an aggressive TV ad campaign featuring a real bright light in the ED in 08 campaign, 17-year-old Abby Bowman. Abby just graduated from Iowa's Johnston High School and did an amazing job for us during our rollout in Iowa on June 26.

The reason for this is simple: We need to get the presidential candidates talking about America's schools and how they are going to lead this nation to give our students the preparation for life that they deserve.

Another Chance to Ask Questions

The Huffington Post blog has just announced a new kind of candidate question and answer session, and you have chance to get your questions about America's schools asked.

Yet Another Poll Shows Public Concern about Schools

I'm not trying to overwhelm you with polls, but the polls are overwhelming.

This one comes from the Hoover Institution's Education Next and Harvard University's Program on Education Policy and Governance.

Let me quote the first two sentences from the report:

Americans both care about their schools and want them to improve. Though adults give the nation's public schools only mediocre grades-a plurality confer a "C"-they are willing to invest more money in public education and they are reasonably confident that doing so will improve student learning.