urban ed

Finding The Hidden Gems In The System

In even the most troubled big-city school systems, I like to think that there are at least a few folks who have a combination of institutional knowledge, big-picture savvy, and organizational and...

Check Registers: Do They Help?

For a while now, especially in Texas, reformers and advocates like Peyton Wolcott (here)have been calling on school districts to publish their check registers online so that everyone can see what...

Dallas Board Members Liken New Logo To Pillsbury Doughboys

"District administrators had hoped the recommended logo — three student figures in red, white and blue beneath five stars in the frame of a big blue "D" — would bolster their efforts to improve the...

The Two Pauls In New Orleans: What's The Plan?

The two Pauls -- LA state supe Pastorek and incoming RSD supe Vallas (far left and middle, respectively) -- appeared onstage today in what was billed as their first public appearance together,...

Russo Bullies Vallas

Never afraid to say what he thinks, know-nothing Alexander Russo calls incoming NOLA superintendent Paul Vallas "a little bit of a bully" in USA Today -- among other things (His challenge: Rebuild...

Vallas To Run (Part Of) NOLA School System

As predicted, Paul Vallas is headed to New Orleans to help turn around the schools there. The contract details aren't out, but apparently he's going to start in July, make less than he did in...

School-Level Control Still Under Attack -- Even As New Forms Take Shape

When elected officials talk about "local control," they usually mean states and districts. But in some places, local control means really local -- like at the school level. It's a messy business,...

Urban Schools Roundup

Some more urban school news and trends -- and one last picture of Sanjaya:Language Gap Mars Parent-Teacher Chats NPR Federal law requires school districts to provide interpreters for...

Finding The Right Big-City Superintendent

It's hiring time again in a lot of big cities around the nation, and as contributor Regina Matthews finds out, no one's quite sure about what they're looking for:What does a big city school...

News From Detroit: Let Them Eat Grapes

Throwing grapes at school board members might seem a bit extreme, and only worked in the short term, but it's come to that in Detroit where school closings are being argued (Woman charged over...