A New Year's Resolution from the Candidates

At the debates in Iowa last week, the presidential candidates were asked about the New Year's resolutions they had for each other. While for the most part they recited thoughtful responses, it was clear that the candidates just wanted to take the time to talk about themselves. None of them really offered what I was hoping to hear - a New Year's resolution to become a leader for America's schools.

Grading the Economy - Candidates Link Education, Competitiveness

Up until about a month ago I was astonished and disappointed at how the presidential candidates had largely failed to draw the connection between education reform and our nation's economic competitiveness, even though the economy and jobs were repeatedly listed among voters' domestic concerns. After all, one certainly can't grow the economy or create new jobs without an educated population that possesses the skills to fill those jobs.

Talking ED with MTV in Iowa

It's been a while since I wrote about ED in '08 activities on the campaign trail. With the caucus only two weeks out, all attention is on Iowa this week.

On Tuesday, ED in '08 joined with MTV News Correspondent Sway Calloway to host a roundtable discussion with students who will be first-time voters from Des Moines North High School. The gathering discussed how they are affected by the nation's drop-out epidemic and shared ideas about what the next president can do to raise student achievement.

America's Future - New PSA and Findings Link Dropouts and Crime

Yesterday, ED in '08 released a new television public service announcement which we've sent to over 100,000 education reform advocates and voters in the battleground states. The PSA features students voicing concerns about their future.

Endorsements, Anyone?

The news this weekend was all about Sunday's highly-anticipated endorsements of presidential candidates by the Des Moines Register. The Register's editorial board had spent the last several months meeting with candidates and deliberating about whom to choose to support with the paper's influential endorsement.

However, the merits of one campaign didn't require a lot of debate and discussion in order to secure an endorsement. The ED in '08 campaign received an endorsement from the Des Moines Register's editorial board way back in May - only weeks after our launch!

Candidates Warm Up to ED in Iowa Debates

Despite the cold and icy weather, both the Republican and Democratic candidates for president took to the stage in Iowa this week for the Des Moines Register debates.

Newt Gingrich and ED in '08 in the Washington Times

In case you missed it, this morning, the Washington Times ran an op-ed that I authored with former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.

Taking the Candidates to the Movies: ED in '08 Presents 'Two Million Minutes'

Just as the candidates are starting to realize that Americans are ready for less talk on Iraq and more on issues like economic security, we at ED in '08 are proud partner with Broken Pencil Productions to highlight the documentary film Two Million Minutes: A Global Examination. The title of the film comes from the fact that regardless of nationality, as soon as a student completes the eighth grade, that student has approximately two million minutes until high school graduation -- just two million minutes to prepare themselves to compete in the global economy.

Just Ten Minutes a Day...

Much has been made over the past week about the performance of American students in comparison with students in other developed nations. Let's face it - that PISA and TIMSS data that were recently released are a national embarrassment, as our students consistently under-perform when compared with the rest of the industrialized world. If America is to return to the top of the heap, where we once were, it's time for us to take a serious look at some of the best practices that are characteristic among high-performing nations.

George Will Goes Backward on Accountability

I was startled and disappointed to see George Will's column in the Washington Post last weekend, rejecting the notion of national standards and accountability in K-12 education. In the past, the Washington Post has lent their support to ideas of national accountability, and as much respect as I have for George Will, I think he's missing the boat here.

My Take - The Republican Univision Debate

Yesterday I watched with interest the Univision Republican Debate, which took place at the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla. The questions were asked in Spanish, and each candidate heard and viewed a simultaneous translation before giving an answer in English. Now, this was the first time in which all leading Republican candidates addressed a minority audience in a live debate and this was also the first Republican debate in which multiple candidates had to answer specifically on public education.

Education is a Majority (not Minority) Issue

Yesterday, I talked about political strategy and ways to frame education to help each party win the presidential election by making it a priority issue. But I think it's also important to point out that while most voters will rank education in their top tier of issues, for some groups of voters, education comes in as the most important issue.

A new poll from the Pew center shows that education is hands down the single most important issue to Latino voters in the 2008 presidential election, far ahead of health care, Iraq, and the stereotypical Latino issue of immigration.

Education - A Winning Strategy

Some of you may have seen the new Washington Post / ABC poll of New Hampshire Democratic primary voters that was published this morning. When asked, "What is the single most important issue in your choice for the Democratic candidate for president?," education came in at third place, behind only health care and Iraq, and tied with the economy/jobs. Now, readers of this blog know well the critical connections between a strong education and economic competitiveness, and it looks like the voters are starting to make those connections as well.

This poll shows that education does matter to voters, and in fact, it matters a lot. Candidates from both sides of the aisle should take note that education is an issue very much in play.

Time On Our Side

As I mentioned last week, on Friday I spoke at the Massachusetts 2020 and the Massachusetts Department of Education's "A New Day for Schools: The Expanded Learning Time Summit" in Boston. I enjoyed meeting and talking with the diverse crowd of 600 school and district leaders, teachers, union leaders and policymakers from around the country who attended.

Dropping Below the Middle...Bad News for America's Schools

It's report card time again for America's education system and, unfortunately, our schools have once again brought home a failing grade. The latest round of international test scores paints a grim picture for the United States.

This morning, I joined with several other education and government leaders to present the findings from the 2007 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA), which tested more than hundreds of thousands of 15-year-old students from 30 industrialized countries.

The PISA test is one of the few regular comparisons of students in developed countries. In past, U.S. students have faired relatively poorly - 15th in reading literacy, 24th in mathematics literacy, 19th in science literacy, and 24th on problem solving.