DOCUMENT RESUME ED 441 279 EA 030 406 TITLE Selected Readings on School Reform Summer 1999. 'INSTITUTION Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, Washington, DC. PUB DATE 1999-00-00 NOTE 175p.; For volume 3 number 1, see ED 427 140. AVAILABLE FROM Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, 1627 K Street NW, Suite 600, Washington,'DC 20006. Tel: 888-823-7474 (Toll Free); Fax: 202-223-9226; Web site: http://www.edexcellence.net. PUB TYPE Collected Works Serials (022) JOURNAL CIT Selected Readings on School Reform; v3 n1 Sum 1999 EDRS PRICE MF01/PC07 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS *Certification; *Charter Schools; College Preparation; Competency Based Education; Core Curriculum; Disadvantaged Environment; *Educational Change; Elementary Secondary Education; Higher Education; National Programs; Nontraditional Education; *School Choice; Scores; Sedatives; *Standardized Tests; Teacher Associations; *Teacher Effectiveness; Teacher Student Ratio IDENTIFIERS Arizona; Kentucky; New York City Board of Education; Texas ABSTRACT This compilation of reprinted journal and newspaper articles covers the following topics:(1) The Front Lines;(2) Federal Policy; (3) Charter Schools;(4) School Choice;(5) Standards, Tests, and Accountability; (6) Teacher Quality;(7) Curriculum and Content;(8) Higher Education; and (9) Grab Bag. Each section is preceded by commentaries on the subject. In "Network Notes" reviews of selected publications, books and reports are included. Information about obtaining copies and their prices is provided. Articles include: (1) "Bush Beats the Blob" (Tucker Carlson); (2) "Gore Seizes Education as Campaign Platform" (Ethan Bronner); (3) "A School of Your Own" (James Traub); (4) "A Bold Experiment to Fix City Schools" (Matthew Miller); (5) "Ohio Lowering Reading Standards" (Michael Hawthorne); (6) "A Call for Education Change" (Jay Matthews); (7) "In Search of...Brain-Based Education" (John T. Bruer); (8) "The Class of Prop. 209" (James Traub); and (9) "What the Public Schools Can Learn From Hollywood and George W. Bush" (Christian Peters).(DFR) Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. o 1 i 1 II : ID o I I U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION office of Educational Research and Improvement EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) 'This document has been reproduced as received from the person or organization I I originating it Minor changes have been made to improve reproduction quality Points of view or opinions stated in this document do not necessarily represent official OERI position or policy PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE AND DISSEMINATE THIS MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY e # . ryi Peva.' A e 0 TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES . 0 MI INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) a 1 0 0 a I I ...9 o '? Q 0CO 5 BEST COPY AVAILABLE 2 Selected Readings on School Reform Summer 1999 Vol. 3, No. 3 The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation 1627 K Street, NW Suite 600 Washington, DC 20006 (202) 223-5452 (202) 223-9226 (fax) (888) TBF-7474 (publications line) http://www.edexcellence.net The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation is neither connected with nor sponsored by Fordham University. 3 Chester E. Finn, Jr. Trustees cm.--THOMAS B. President Chester E. Finn Chester E. Finn, Jr. David H. Ponitz ORDHAM Thomas A. Holton Vice President Bruce Kovner OUNDATION Bruno V. Manno Thomas A. Holton OUTSIDE THE BOX David H. Ponitz Secretary I Dvasurer Diane S. Ravitch Summer 1999 Dear Education Reformer, In the spirit of year-round schooling, we offer you a summertime pool of worthy school reform writings. Dive in! The big news is from Florida, where Governor Jeb Bush pushed through his A-Plus accountability plan. Its most controversialand promisingproviso provides scholarships to students stuck in failing schools. Bush's victory is documented in Tucker Carison's perceptive Weekly Standard piece, "Bush Beats the Blob." Writing in First Things, Christian Smith and David Sikkink ask and answer "Is Private Schooling Privatizing?" Their response: not at all. In fact, private school families participate in community organizations in greater proportions than public school parents. This piece is a powerful antidote to the recent, irresponsible comparisons of voucher systems to the Balkans. Another favorite of ours is John Bruer's superb article "In Search of ... Brain-Based Education," reprinted from the Phi Delta Kappan. Bruer debunks faulty education notions that purport to be based on brain research. We're also proud to print Mary Eberstadt's "Why Ritalin Rules," published first in Policy Review. She carefully documents the rapid rise of Attention Deficit Disorder as the phantom menace of millions of kids' education problemsand explains the dubious uses and mixed benefits of treating this disorder with strong chemicals. We're grateful to Danielle Wilcox, the Foundation's visiting research fellow, who did most of the work on this issue before returning to her doctoral program. Also pitching in were Monica Lee and Steve Coleman. Many thanks for their help. We'll be back soon after fall classes begin. Until then, keep splashing. Chester E. Finn, Jr. President 1627 K Street, NW Suite 600Washington, DC, 20006Telephone (202) 223-5452Fax (202) 223-9226 http://www.edexcellence.netPublications: 1(888) 823-7474 ii 4 CONTENTS Vol. III, No. 3 Sumnwr 1999 Eager Response to Offer of Private Scholarships Raises NET NOTES .1 Fears, Hopes. Editorial. THE FRONT LINES 7 USA TODAY. April 19, 1999. 48 Bush Beats the Blob. The Public Revolution Private Money Might Bring. By Tucker Carlson. By Terry M. Moe. The Weekly Standard. * May 17, 1999. 8 The Washington Post. May 9, 1999. 49 Turnaround in Texas Schools Looks Good for Bush in Public School Choice, at a Price. 2000. By Joseph Berger. By Ethan Bronner. The New York Times. May 2, 1999. 51 The New York Times. May 28, 1999. 12 Turning the Tables on School Choice. Board Game. By Charles Wheelan. By Matthew Miller. The New York Times. May 25, 1999. 53 The New Republic.* April 26, 1999. 15 Is Private Schooling Privatizing? All S Union Allies Fall in MPS Races. By Christian Smith and David Sikkink. By Joe Williams. First Things. * April 1999. 55 The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. April 7, 1999. 16 New Test in Quebec Schools. FEDERAL POLICY 19 By Steven Pearlstein. The Washington Post. May 10, 1999. 60 Gore Seizes Education as Campaign Platform. By Ethan Bronner. Ohio Court Upholds Constitutionality of School Voucher The New York Times. May 17, 1999. 20 Programs. By Kenneth J. Cooper. Clinton's Education Power Grab. The Washington Post. May 28, 1999. 61 By Anna Bray Duff. Investor's Business Daily. May 20, 1999. 22 How Gotham's Elite High Schools Escaped the Leveller's Ax. The Education Vice President. By Heather Mac Donald. By Chester E. Finn, Jr. City Journal. Spring 1999. 62 The Weekly Standard. May 31, 1999. 24 Class Peace. Gore Curriculum. The Economist. March 27, 1999. 71 By Christopher Caldwell. The Weekly Standard.* June 7, 1999. 27 STANDARDS, TESTS, AND ACCOUNTABILITY 73 CHARTER SCHOOLS 29 Ohio Lowering Reading Standards. A School of Your Own. By Michael Hawthorne. By James Traub. The Cincinnati Enquirer. May 28, 1999. 74 The New York Times Magazine. April 4, 1999. Beating Poverty in the Classroom. Two Charter Schools' Troubles Raise Questions. By Amy Argetsinger. By Debbi Wilgoren and Valerie Strauss. The Washington Post. May 16, 1999. 75 The Washington Post. May 9, 1999. 32 Mississippi Rising. Bill Lann Lee's War on Charter Schools. By Kathleen Vail. By Clint Bolick. The American School Board Journal.* May 1999. 77 The Wall Street Journal. March 22, 1999. 34 It's No Longer Uncool to Do Well in School. Success for Kids Accustomed to Failure. By Patrick Welsh. By Gail Russell Chaddock. The Washington Post. March 14, 1999. 81 The Christian Science Monitor. April 13, 1999. Score on the SAT to Score on the Field. SCHOOL CHOICE By Joe Paterno. The Wall Street Journal. March 16, 1999. 83 A Bold Experiment to Fix City Schools. By Matthew Miller. True Tests. The Atlantic Monthly.* July 1999. 38 By Jay Mathews. The Washington Post Magazine. April 11, 1999. 84 Lesson for Public Schools When Choice is in Equation. By Mike Bowler. The Baltimore Sun. May 12, 1999. .46 iii Why Has Senior Year Lost Its Purpose for Many? HIGHER EDUCATION 121 By June Kronholz. The Wall Street Journal. March 23, 1999. 85 The Class of Prop. 209. By James Traub. TEACHER QUALITY 87 The New York Times Magazine. May 2, 1999. 122 A Call for Education Change. The Feds Strike Back. By Jay Mathews. By John Leo. The Washington Post. April 20, 1999. 88 U.S. News & World Report. May 31, 1999. 129 Certified Failure: Teacher-Training System Needs Do Too Many Kids Go to College? Overhaul. By James Bowman. Editorial. The National Review.* May 17, 1999. 130 The Columbus Dispatch. May 26, 1999. 89 'College is Better Than No College, Period. You'll Thank Method Madness. Me Later.' By Caml Innerst. By Ron Suskind. Washington Monthly. * May 1999. 90 The Wall Street Journal. April 1, 1999. 133 Selling Teachers on School Reform. GRAB BAG 137 By Richard Lee Colvin. The Los Angeles Times. May 6, 1999. ... 94 What the Public Schools Can Learn From Hollywood And George W. Bush. States Not Raising Teacher Standards, Study Finds. By Christian Peters. By Richard Lee Colvin. The Washington Monthly.* May 1999. 138 The Los Angeles Times. May 26, 1999. 98 Easy Pickings. Class-Size Reduction Doesn't Benefit All. By James Heany. By Randy Ross. The Washington Monthly.* May 1999. 141 The Los Angeles Times. April 7, 1999. 100 Why Rita lin Rules. Dueling Goals for Education. By Mary Eberstadt. By Arthur Levine. Policy Review.* April & May 1999. 143 The New York Times. April 7, 1999. 101 Class Career Moves. * Reprinted with permission; all rights reserved. Our sincere Maras to By Beth Daley. all the publishers, journals, and writers who graciously gave assent to The Boston Globe.