GreatBigBlog

Here's what educators, advocates, wonks and policymakers are talking about today:

News & analysis

Teacher unionism reborn
In the past five years, we have witnessed a demonization of teachers unions that is close to achieving its goal: destruction of the most stable and potentially powerful defender of mass public education. Teacher unionism’s continued existence is imperiled — if what we define as "existence" is organizations having the legal capacity to bargain over any meaningful economic benefits and defend teachers’ rights to exercise professional judgment about what to teach and how to do it. (The Indypendent)

Rhode Island: Cities and towns seek advance on education aid
As lawmakers wait for Governor Lincoln Chafee to release his spending plan, school officials are keeping their fingers crossed for no major cuts to public education, an...

As an advocate, I need the facts to be good at my job. And as a parent, I need the facts to make good decisions for my children.

RI-CAN has been working for nine months to bring the amazing, gap-busting Achievement First Mayoral Academy to Rhode Island to help put more of our kids on a path to college.

Now the Board of Regents is set to vote on this school for a final time in exactly one week from today.

There has been so much rumor and misinformation out there about this school. So, for these last crucial days, we’re unveiling our Seven Facts in Seven Days campaign. Every day for the next week we’re going to reveal one fact about Achievement First, starting with this one:

FACT #1: Every kid in the neighborhood will have a shot at achieving.

It won’t take sky-high test scores or a fancy resume to get into Achievement First Mayoral Academy. Any child from the communities Achievement First serves will be eligible to enroll,...