Often times education reforms are seen as either saviors or rabble rousers. With ideas that shake up the "traditional" approach to teaching, learning and schools, these reforms efforts are sometimes met with resistance. But with the state of education today, it is critical that education reformers continue searching "out of the box" for alternative solutions.  In this episode we will seek answers to the questions: What are some examples of non traditional reforms for the past? Who are the...

In today's episode of education policy cafe, we will continue discussing reform efforts designed by leaders and policymakers to close the glaring performance gap between minority and nonminority students.  With so many ideas out there from reducing class size to eliminating teacher tenure to establishing more school choice for parents in low income neighborhoods, how do we know what works and what doesn't? As we identified the problems and causes of the performance gap, today we will...

If you ask any major policy maker on both sides of the ideological aisle about the achievement gap, most would say they support reforms to address it. Lawmakers enact legislation with the idea of fixing this glaring injustice in our education system. Reformers for and againstNo Child Left Behind, charter schools, school choice and even common core use the achievement gap data in support of their positions. But what are the facts? Is their an achievement gap between African American, Latino,...

In this installment of the EPC's Race and Education series, we will discuss the aftermath of the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling. With a mandate to expediate intergration given by the Supreme Court, many states, universities, and school districts in the South use a variety of tactics, including violence, to ensure "segregaton now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever." Join us at EPC as we discuss policy, race, and law in a post Brown era. 

In this episode of EPC we will continue our conversation from Monday on the intersection of race and education. We will focus on the historical contributions of thought leaders, educators and activist who pushed for key policies designed to address educational inequities found in the United States during the Civil Rights Movement.  Join us as well discuss: Brown vs. Board of EdDr. King's solution to reforming educationThe story of Affirmative Action Call in to EPC where "everyone has a seat...

This was a hard weekend for many educators. The verdict of the Georgia Zimmerman case triggered an emotional response from teacher, parents, students, educational leaders and concerned citizens. People all around the country expressed deep sentiments of frustration at the criminal justice system and the policies that some find inherently unjust. Trayvon Martin has become a symbol of the institutional discriminatory practices many feel are built into the systems our students encounter. This...

In this episode we will continue exploring the historical roots of education in the US. We will discuss important thought leaders in the evolution of public access to education. Last episode we focused the founding fathers, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, ideas on public education. Today we will introduce the contributions from key leaders such as Horace Mann and John Dewey. Finally, we will address the legacy of segregation and the policies that led to realization of true democratic...

Happy Independence Day! The Fourth of July has come and gone. Our nation has celebrated the birth of the United States with much fanfare. While everyone BBQed and set off fireworks I (being the nerd that I am) began thinking about the founding fathers. As I watched the fireworks many questions arose: "What did Thomas Jefferson think about education?" "How did the principals outlined in the Declaration of Independence inform the way we think about education?" "When did education become a...

If you had one hour to talk to a leader or policymaker in education, what would you tell them? In this episode of EduPoliCafe, we will hear stories from the true stakeholders whose voices often go unheard in the debates over education reform.  Stories from current, former and retired educators on the impact of No Child Left Behind. Stories from parents who experienced the first hand effects of ineffective policies like social promotion and high stakes testing. Stories from current and former...

Education policymakers and leaders love "reform." It seems like every year new buzz words emerge: multiple intelligences, differientation, outcome based education, whole language, whole child, and a whole lotta confusion.  In this episode we will be discussing the current reform initiatives championed by the Obama Administration. Our focus will be the impact of Race to the Top on states including their implementation of current reform initatives: common core, teacher evaluation and charter...

Policy is not an exciting topic for most. It tends to be a conversation that only includes the privileged few: Politicians, lawmakers, and academics while leaving citizens, students, parents and educators left to deal with the results. Here at EduPoliCafe its your voice that matters most.  In this episode we will talk about why policy matters in education. We will answer two key questions What is Educational Policy? Why citizens like you should care about it?