Education

In a Washington Times editorial, Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney writes about Reforming Education: I was in high school when Sputnik happened. Russia’s lead in space frightened us. It also woke us up… One could argue that there have been quite a few Sputniks lately, but that we haven’t noticed… It’s time we get moving, starting…

Providence Mayor David Cicilline says the only way to fix Providence’s failing schools is for the rest of Rhode Island to give more money to the Providence school system. However, combining the Governor�s 2007 budget with the student population data from the Rhode Island Information Works website (results below) shows that Rhode Island is already…

Yesterday, Providence Mayor David Cicilline walked out of meeting with Rhode Island Governor Donald Carcieri on the subject of improving education in Rhode Island’s urban core of Providence/Pawtucket/Central Falls. Both John Castellucci of the Providence Journal and Jim Baron of the Pawtucket Times have reports in their respective newspapers. Governor Carcieri wanted to discuss increased…

In Sunday’s ProJo, education columnist Julia Steiny explained how Rhode Island has attempted to use a theory of “equity” education funding. In this model, money from higher income districts goes to the poorer districts in the hope that the academic levels of poor students would improve to that of the better-off kids in rich and…

The Associated Press is reporting on the release of United States Census Bureau report detailing the amounts spent on elementary and secondary education in each state. Here’s the AP summary of New England…Vermont spent an average of $11,128 on each of its public school students, which is the fourth highest per pupil spending in the…

Last week, the Providence Journal, Pawtucket Times, Westerly Sun, and Newport Daily News (story links) all reported on a recent evaluation of the quality of education in Rhode Island conducted in the form of the New England Common Assessment Program. Jennifer D. Jordan of the Projo summarizes the results… Statewide, about half of the 72,000…

In an op-ed published in Monday’s Projo, Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey makes his case for using school choice to increase the educational opportunities available to Rhode Island students. Here is the Mayor’s description of the first step, a voluntary pilot school choice program for Providence students…This program will let students in Providence’s failing schools enroll…

The encouraging school choice proposal by Cranston Mayor Steve Laffey, discussed here, and the absurd response by Senator Chafee has led me to repost below an expanded version of a November 18, 2005 posting on the moral imperative for school choice. Contrasting this week’s posting with an earlier posting on this issue – also by…

Fred’s sarcasm in the comments to Andrew’s foregoing post regarding my previous complaints that Mayor Laffey hadn’t tied his arrest of Maria Hernandez to the issue of school choice doesn’t really work based on Laffey’s ex post facto announcement. Will’s comments fair a little better, since his previous assertion was of an unseen plan on…

Robert Walsh, executive director of the Rhode Island chapter of the National Education Association, has responed, point-by-point, to Tom Coyne’s education proposals for Rhode Island. Mr. Coyne’s proposals are in boldface. Mr. Walsh’s responses are in italics. 1. Start by saving money through the use of a single state health insurance plan for teachers and…