Negative Polarization Is The Enemy Of Education Reform

Coming Attractions Next week Bellwether school finance guru Jenn Schiess and I will talk education spending on an Ed Tech Collective webinar. On May 21st I’ll moderate a discussion about evidence for Eedi Labs, with a great set of guests. In a Bellwether – 74 webinar this week, Sonja Santelises and I talked about her tenure leading Baltimore Schools. Look for that from The 74 next week. Paul Manna’s policy class at William & Mary joined us in real time. I recently sat down with Mildred Otero and Taylor Stewart to talk education and leadership for their LEE podcast. Is the Science of Reading Debate Over? I remember in the 2000s one of education’s wise men assuredly told me not to worry about the reading issue — it was over. “Ease up and let the whole language people carry their dead off the field,” he said. “It’s done.” I was skeptical given the history, and sure enough Reading First fell apart and across the country we continued to teach millions of kids not to read well, their…