Tag: Terry Branstad
Michelle Malkin is (Almost) Spot On
Michelle Malkin has made the Common Core State Standards the subject of her syndicated column this week which has been published not only on her own website, but at places like Townhall.com and National Review. Her first article is the first in a series on the Common Core so perhaps she’ll get to it. She [...]
Iowa Lawmaker: Iowa Department of Education Not Responsible for Success
Governor Terry Branstad gave his Condition of the State address where a lions share dealt with education. This follows-up his unveiling of his education plan yesterday. State Representative Jason Schultz (R-Schleswig) had this to say regarding the piece on education: Schultz said that he was completely supportive of his property tax reform ideas, but was [...]
Despite Top-Down Standards Iowa Trails in Student Achievement
A new study commissioned by the Harvard Program on Education Policy and Governance and EducationNext was recently released. They compared student achievement internationally and among the states. They studied the improvement trend in 41 states from 1992 to 2011 looking at four different U.S. tests specifically looking at performance in math, science and reading of [...]
Time, Time, Do They Really Need More Time?
In preparation of a new school year which is fast approaching, and along with that comes new legislative sessions with gubernatorial education agendas I thought I’d address the issue of time. Do public schools really need more time with our kids? Should the state mandate that for local school districts (and by default public school [...]
Damage in Iowa’s Education Reform Bill Mitigated
The final version of Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s education bill looks much, much different than what he passed. Originally the bill was 156 pages and it was whittled down to 33 pages. Consider that a good thing. A quick rundown… The good, a number of provisions within the original bill were thankfully dumped: Expansion of [...]
Sacrificing Local Control at the Altar of the Dollar
The Des Moines Register had an article on Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s education bill and how it would erode local control. They quote State Representative Greg Forristall who chairs the Iowa House Education Committee: Republicans, who often invoke the virtues of self-reliance and limited government, are “especially sensitive” to resisting centralization and preserving local control, [...]
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad’s Education Power Grab
Let’s go ahead and sacrifice local control and expand the Department of Education’s reach into nonpublic schools, I mean – it’s for the kids right? Governor Branstad’s education bill needs to be killed, period. There are a couple of good items in there, but overall it stinks.
The Legislative Branch By-Pass
The Iowa Department of Education announced they are seeking citizen input for their No Child Left Behind waiver request. You can see the full schedule of public meetings here. This is an interesting development. Education Director Jason Glass, representing Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, seeks a waiver for NCLB being given out by the Obama Administration. [...]
The Good in Iowa Governor Branstad’s Education Bill Doesn’t Outweigh the Bad
Governor Terry Branstad’s proposed education reform bill SSB 3009 is online, and I need to walk a couple of things back from yesterday’s post. 1. Online education is to be expanded to non-public entities, I said it didn’t, (pg. 11). 2. Alternative pathways for teacher licensure is in the bill, (pg. 23). This was one [...]
Iowa Governor Branstad’s Uninspiring Education Remarks
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad in his Condition of the State address on Tuesday said the following about their plan to reform education in Iowa: One, we need a great teacher in every classroom and a great principal leading every building. That starts with being more selective about who can become an educator. A “B” college [...]
