Obama and Romney on U.S. Education

The debate last night, obstensibly on foreign policy,  instead featured the candidates’ longest debate remarks on the state of America’s schools and strategies for improving

More Details on Facebook’s Funding of Newark’s New Contract Provisions

This morning John Mooney has an interview with Greg Taylor, the head of Foundation for Newark’s Future, which is the organization responsible for distributing Mark

Quote of the Day: How is School Choice like Gay Marriage?

Andy Rotherham on the inevitable expansion of school choice: To me this is the most future of the futures issues. More choice and a mixed

Camden Update

Last week the Camden School Board inexplicably rejected all four applications for several new schools authorized through the Urban Hope Act. (See my coverage at

Newark Update

Here’s an excerpt from Tom Moran’s column this morning in the Star Ledger on Joseph Del Grosso, the head of Newark’s teachers union. The profile

Sunday Leftovers

Newark debuts a new all-boys school public school; questions are raised about discrimination against girls and the principal’s reputation. (Star-Ledger) Does the implementation of the

Newark Update: Teachers Say “Yes” to Merit Pay

From today’s Star-Ledger: Newark’s superintendent of schools and teachers union president today signed a landmark three-year contract that will offer bonuses to top teachers in

What’s The Real Story Behind the Abbott/Voucher-Tinged Complaint Filed By Camden Parents?

That’s the subject of my post today at WHYY’s Newsworks. This past Monday, parents of three young Camden City Public Schools students filed a class

Merit Pay Come to Newark

“It’s bold. The teachers are really—if they vote [yes] on this—they’re showing a lot of courage. And they’re the heroes. I just brought it to

Quote of the Day

Andy Smarick, former Deputy Commissioner for NJ’s Department of Education, has a new book out today called “The Urban School System of the Future.” online

Bizarre NY Times Op-Ed on Teacher/Principal Accountability

Did anyone else think that Deborah Kenny’s op-ed in yesterday’s New York Times on teacher evaluations — called “Want to Ruin Teaching? Give Ratings” — 

Nine More NJ Districts Join Interdistrict Public School Choice Program

The NJ Department of Education has just approved nine new school districts in Monmouth and Ocean Counties for the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program. This

Sunday Leftovers

This Thursday, Oct. 18th at 7 pm, I’ll be speaking on NJ’s education reform landscape at the Westfield Memorial Library, 550 East Broad St, Westfield.

Camden Parents File Class Action Against Camden Public Schools

According to a media advisory released yesterday, three Camden parents whose children attend Camden City Public Schools will file a class action petition on Monday

Toms River Mess

NJ’s November School Board Elections

That’s the topic of my post today at WHYY’s Newsworks: Many of us are preoccupied with behind-the-scenes election questions this week. Does the panicky Obama

Time for a Romney Education Fact-Check

Eduwonk is featuring sparring bloggers this week, one representing the Mitt Romney campaign and one representing Barack Obama’s. Today, Marty West, a professor at Harvard

On Romney’s Special Education Voucher Plan

There’s an item from Gov. Romney’s education agenda that hasn’t gotten enough notice, and it’s not his seesaw on whether he’s going to cut education

Camden School Board Rejects Charters: How do Education Advocates Balance Competing Needs?

My post today at WHYY’s Newsworks is called “Camden’s Rejection of Private School Managers Highlights Bigger Debate Over Urban Education. Here’s the first part: Over

Andy Smarick, Recent NJ Deputy Comm. of Education, Explains it All

What’s crackin’, people.  It’s been too long.  I’m Smarick.  I used to be an inveterate blogger and tweeter.  I disappeared for a couple years, but