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Friday, September 3, 2010

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A Country Music Education

Robert Holland and Don Soifer

8/15/2010

Roanoke (VA) Times

In October of 1925, The Grand Ole Opry went live on Nashville’s WSM radio, and America’s cultural fabric was changed forever. This year as The Opry celebrates its 85th birthday, country music continues to capture the American spirit and the essence of the country’s values and priorities. Last April, no less eminent a journalistic presence than the Pulitzer Prize Board at Columbia University recognized the enduring influence of country music when it awarded a posthumous Special Citation to Hank Williams, the legendary songwriter and singer whose songs reflected the hopes and struggles of everyday Americans. Williams, who died in 1953 at the age of 29, wrote more than a hundred songs that continue to set the standard for country music that speaks right to the heart. The Pulitzer panel

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Features

California English Learners Raising Achievement From The Bottom

Don Soifer

7/29/2010

Research Study

California English learners continue to score extremely low on state standardized tests – two out of five at the sixth grade level scored below basic in English Language Arts in 2009, and more than half

. . . Read more.

It’s Time for a Latino Online Education Revolution

Don Soifer

7/12/2010

Article originally appeared online in "Virtual School Meanderings"

As the Obama Administration prepares to announce the big winners in its signature Race to the Top and Investing in Innovation grant competitions, the Nation’s Capital seems to be sporting a bumper crop

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Education Reform As Seen By Teacher Union Officials

Don Soifer

7/6/2010

Issue Brief

As federal Education Department officials move closer to announcing the winning states in the second-round “Race to the Top” grant competition, much has been made of the varying buy-in from state teacher

. . . Read more.

Education Articles

8/15/2010	A Country Music Education Robert Holland and Don Soifer Roanoke (VA) Times In October of 1925, The Grand Ole Opry went live on Nashville’s WSM radio, and America’s cultural fabric was changed forever. This year as The Opry celebrates its 85th birthday, country music continues . . . Read more.
7/29/2010	California English Learners Raising Achievement From The Bottom Don Soifer Research Study California English learners continue to score extremely low on state standardized tests – two out of five at the sixth grade level scored below basic in English Language Arts in 2009, and more than half . . . Read more.
7/12/2010	It’s Time for a Latino Online Education Revolution Don Soifer Article originally appeared online in "Virtual School Meanderings" As the Obama Administration prepares to announce the big winners in its signature Race to the Top and Investing in Innovation grant competitions, the Nation’s Capital seems to be sporting a bumper crop . . . Read more.
7/8/2010	¿Cómo salvar la brecha en el aprendizaje de los hispanos? Lori Drummer y Don Soifer Naples (FL) News Florida.- Según los resultados del año 2009 de la evaluación nacional para el progreso educativo, estos mostraron que los niños latinos del cuarto y el octavo grados tienen dos veces más probabilidades . . . Read more.
7/6/2010	Education Reform As Seen By Teacher Union Officials Don Soifer Issue Brief As federal Education Department officials move closer to announcing the winning states in the second-round “Race to the Top” grant competition, much has been made of the varying buy-in from state teacher . . . Read more.
7/4/2010	What Charter School Excellence Can Offer Virginia Don Soifer Richmond Times-Dispatch What educational benefits do the nation’s top-performing public charter schools have to offer Virginia? And what should be done, if anything, to attract them here? These were among the questions discussed . . . Read more.
6/22/2010	Closing the Latino Education Gap Lori Drummer and Don Soifer Providence (RI) Journal Cavernous achievement gaps between Latino and white children persist, as an education system largely dominated by teacher unions and powerful entrenched interests denies parents opportunities to make . . . Read more.
6/18/2010	Help For Military Families Of Special-Needs Children Don Soifer Issue Brief For active-duty military families who have children with disabilities, the challenges can be especially demanding. Frequent moves, and the education interruptions associated with them, can set back any . . . Read more.
6/3/2010	Libertad de la Educacion: School Choice Solutions for Closing the Latino Achievement Gap Lori Drummer and Don Soifer Research Study Paper published in Spanish and English Cavernous achievement gaps between Latino children in the United States and their white peers have not only persisted through the past decade, but have . . . Read more.
5/10/2010	The Teacher Unions Strike Back Robert Holland and Don Soifer Richmond Times-Dispatch If the national teacher union chiefs are embarrassed by the suddenly pointed criticism the major media are leveling at their school-reform obstructionism, their actions don’t show it. Indeed, they are . . . Read more.
5/4/2010	Results Show Inclusion, Exclusion Impact English Learners Don Soifer Issue Brief New research on state test scores by the Center on Education Policy confirms what some observers had predicted: that changes made in federal education policies for English learners as part of the No Child . . . Read more.
3/24/2010	Obama's Fuzzy Education Plans For English Learners Don Soifer Issue Brief The “blueprint” for reforming federal education laws released last week by the Obama Administration appears to have met with the expected proportions, relatively even, of praise and criticism. But its . . . Read more.
3/22/2010	New Test Would Compromise Standards Robert Holland and Don Soifer Norfolk Virginian-Pilot One essential question following the March 10 release of the so-called Common Core national education standards is: How will students be tested for what the national standards-setters deem to be critical . . . Read more.
3/2/2010	Virginia School Plans Offer Important Opportunities Don Soifer Issue Brief Three education proposals by Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell, currently being considered by the General Assembly, represent important opportunities to advance public elementary and secondary education . . . Read more.
2/24/2010	Give Principals Real Control Don Soifer The New York Times, Room for Debate Blog A system like New York City’s that requires schools to pay upwards of $350,000 in fees, arbitration and salary, and then be forced to wait three years to dismiss an ineffective teacher, can’t possibly . . . Read more.
2/9/2010	Lexington Institute’s Don Soifer Interviewed on Extension 720 with Milt Rosenberg WGN Radio – Chicago Excerpts from Don Soifer’s interview with host Milt Rosenberg’s nightly radio show on Chicago’s WGN Radio – 720 AM. Don is interviewed along with two other guests, Dr. James Quaid, Associate Superintendent . . . Read more.
2/5/2010	School Safety and School Choice in Urban Education Don Soifer Presentation to the Illinois Policy Institute Summit on Vouchers and the Future of Education in Illinois. Surveys repeatedly tell us that school safety is one of the most important factors parents consider when choosing a school for their . . . Read more.
2/2/2010	New Educational Choices Would Help Military Families Don Soifer Issue Brief One set of program details conspicuously absent from the Obama Administration’s proposed 2011 budget released this week was for Impact Aid, the federal Department of Education’s funding mechanism to public . . . Read more.
1/29/2010	No Conozco Mucho Sobre Historia –Y Ese Es El Problema Robert Holland El Periodico USA (McAllen, TX) Los norteamericanos no saben de historia, tanto como creen, pero su conocimiento de la cultura popular sobrepasa todos los records. Una nueva encuesta del American Revolution Center (ARC), una . . . Read more.
1/24/2010	Charter Schools Fulfill Jefferson Vision of Education for All Robert Holland and Don Soifer Richmond Times-Dispatch Even though national experts generally have given Virginia high marks for its Standards of Learning, those public schools at the bottom rungs of the achievement ladder continue to show little improvement . . . Read more.
1/13/2010	A GUARANTEED PLAN TO FLUNK TEACHING ENGLISH Don Soifer Issue Brief National Education Association president Dennis Van Roekel is fond of asserting that, “A great public school for every student starts with a great teacher.” But his union’s advocacy agenda frequently . . . Read more.
12/29/2009	Don’t Know Much About History – And Why That Matters Robert Holland Americans don’t know nearly as much about U.S. history as they think they know. But their knowledge of popular culture is off the charts. A new survey commissioned by the non-profit, non-partisan . . . Read more.
12/18/2009	The Teaching of American History: Promise and Performance Robert Holland Research Study The appalling results of de-emphasizing the study of U.S. history in elementary and secondary schools have become painfully obvious in recent years. In the most recent round of the National Assessment . . . Read more.
12/10/2009	DOES EDUCATION ACCOUNTABILITY INCLUDE CONTRACTS? Don Soifer Issue Brief The Obama Administration has made a top education priority of the elimination of federally guaranteed student loans by private-sector lenders, to be replaced by expanding the federal Education Department’s . . . Read more.
11/19/2009	8 WAYS VIRGINIA CAN ADD HIGH- QUALITY CHARTER SCHOOLS Don Soifer Issue Brief Governor-elect Bob McDonnell and his incoming administration face an historic opportunity to draw from the best of the nation’s 5,000 public charter school leaders and models to help energize a high-performing . . . Read more.
11/18/2009	Bringing High-Quality Charter Schools To Virginia Don Soifer Remarks at the Thomas Jefferson Institute Annual Policy Luncheon These are exciting times for Virginia education. With a newly-elected Governor who not only supports charter schools, but brought them up frequently and with enthusiasm throughout his campaign; a President . . . Read more.
11/5/2009	Lexington Institute Policy Forum: “The Future of Student Loans: A Policy Dialogue” The Lexington Institute will host a policy forum on the future of the federal student loan program in the United States. The event will take place Tuesday, November 10, from 9:30 – 11:00 AM at . . . Read more.
10/26/2009	WHAT MAKES A CHARTER SCHOOL SUCCEED? Don Soifer Issue Brief A study of New York City public charter schools published last month produced some of the most positive evidence to date of charters’ educational benefits. The report, by a research team headed by Caroline . . . Read more.
10/15/2009	Obama Tests Teacher Unions with “Bush III” Reforms Robert Holland Article Detroit News When they look back on the Obama years, the national teacher unions may reflect in Dickensian manner that “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . it was the spring of hope, it was the . . . Read more.
9/29/2009	Charter Schools and Changing Neighborhoods: Hispanics and English Learners in Chicago Collin Hitt Research Study Executive Summary Chicago’s Limited English Proficient (LEP) and Hispanic students will play a major role in determining the city’s economic future. Unfortunately, these two critical groups . . . Read more.
9/22/2009	WHEN IS A SAFE SCHOOL NOT A SAFE SCHOOL? Don Soifer Issue Brief Can you name a school you would describe as “persistently dangerous?” You might think so, but according to official education statistics, there are only 38 persistently dangerous public schools in the . . . Read more.
9/3/2009	IMPROVING FEDERAL ADULT ENGLISH LEARNING PROGRAMS Don Soifer Issue Brief Most of the 11 million English learners living in the United States are adults. Their ability to learn English has a major impact on their economic future, but also on that of their families and the . . . Read more.

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