The Monthly Letter tracks breaking news and ongoing developments in education reform from state to state, provides analysis of education issues and activities, works to expose flaws and failures in the system as well as highlight its heroes and successes, and focuses on the solutions and revolutions that already are leading to better schools and brighter futures for our children, today and tomorrow.
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October 2003:
This Tenth Anniversary edition of the Monthly
Letter looks back at some of the highlights,
large and small, of our travels together over these past ten years
surveying the education landscape and charting new courses for education reform.
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October 2003: This Tenth Anniversary edition of the Monthly Letter looks back at some of the highlights, large and small, of our travels together over these past ten years surveying the education landscape and charting new courses for education reform.
September 2003: DC Hope II · “Guardians of the Status Quo” · In the Trenches… · SAT Hoopla · Vertical Articulation and School Boards · More from the Trenches · Celebration Time
July 2003: DC Hope · Gates Opening · The Language Police, How Pressure Groups Restrict What Students Learn · From the Trenches · Law and Sausage · The Nation’s Report Card
February - March 2003: The Importance of Knowledge · The Textbook Wars · On Charters · From the Trenches · A View from the Blob · Looking Back · Mark your Calendar!
December 2002: Wipe Out! — Election 2002 · On Charters · On Testing · From the Trenches · Notes and Asides · Reflections
Back to School 2002: A Bum Rap for Charter Schools · More on Charters · New Charter Laws – Sort of · Union Watch · Edison’s Saga · Short Takes from the Trenches · Elections! · Americans Like Choice · Fewer Children Left Behind · Just When You Thought it Was Safe… · A "Word" About Standards…
June, 2002: Highlights · The California Union’s Power Grab · On Tests, Standards and More · Waiting for the Supremes · Looking to the Grassroots · On Charters · Reality Check 2002 · Chicken Little and Edison Schools.
February-March, 2002:
School Choice and the Supremes · From
the Trenches · On Charter Schools ·
More on School Choice · Just When You Thought
it Was Safe… · GO U.S.!!!!! ·
And Now for a Few Important Announcements
No. 72, Holiday 2001:
Reading, 'Riting and Common Sense ·
On School Choice ·
No. 71, October 2001: Mom, Apple Pie and the Schools· On School Choice· On the Trenches · A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Summit ·Advice from Bill Gates ·Short Takes · Calling Their Bluff · While Nero Fiddles, Rome Burns · Revenge on Charters? · Federal Policy · Kids Know Better
No. 70, Back to School 2001: Who me, worry? · I'm Not Making This Up! ·From the Trenches· On Teachers · On Charters · The State of American Education ·Building the Grassroots ·New and Improved from CER
No. 69, Summer 2001: Educating the Future · I'm Not Making This Up! · The Testing Wars · School Choice Champions · Looking Ahead at "Back to School" Time ·A View from the Blob
No. 68, May 2001: Parents Talk, Schools Walk· From the States· Where the Fat Lady has sung · Where the Fat Lady has yet to sing· Where the Fat Lady has clearly started warming up · You Know It's Time for Reform When· The School Employee Unions· Worth Mentioning· Top Ten True Statements·On Content
No. 67, February/March 2001: Will Education Reform Come to Washington· The Response· On School Choice · Let the Sunshine · Everybody's talking about a new way of walking · On Charters· Quality Counts · The School Board Network· Empty the Trough· Coming Attractions
No. 66, Special Holiday Issue: December 2000 - January 2001: For Seven Years,Making Schools Work Better ... · The Year 2000 at CER: Highlights · A Toast to Some Dynamic Reformers · Business Delivers Better Schools, CER's Second Annual Leader's Forum · Education Reform: The Future Looks Bright: The Annual Meeting of the Education Leaders Council · The School Board Network: Uniting Local Board Leaders for Change · A Toast to the Media that "Get-It" · Dear Santa: CER Christmas Wish List
No. 65, November 2000: Eureka! · On Charter Schools · No Education Crisis? · Short Takes · A View from the Blob · We give thanks…
No. 64, Back to School, September 2000: "Best of" at a glance …On Testing · …On School Choice · …On Unions…and their dance with reform · From the Trenches · The Good News · Reality Check · You Know it’s Time for Reform When… · Words to the Wise · Achievements · Headlines We Like
No. 63, July 2000: Don’t Fix the Schools — Just add more time! · More on the NEA · Dave’s World · On Content · Teacher Quality Focus · Of Law, and Sausage
No. 62, June 2000: The Testing Conspiracy Exposed · The Real State of Testing · Other Testing Reflections · From the Trenches: Charter Schools, School Choice, and General Reform · In Memoriam
No. 61, May 2000: Celebrating Charter Schools · Choice Ripples through Florida… · …And The Program Continues · Think Globally, Act Locally · On Politics · The Curriculum Wars Revisited: Math – The Real Thing; Reading – Phonics Rules! · Highlights · On Report Cards
No. 60, February / March 2000: Lost in LA · Washington State's Charter School Follies · More on Charters · The PTA's Power Grab · The Cartel Implodes · Mea Culpa · A View from Real People · Success Stories · Wisdom of the Ages · "Ticket to Nowhere…" · Paying for Performance · On Standards and Accountability · Bring on the Legos - My Kids are Going to College! · An Irish Blessing
No. 59, January 2000: Those Who Can … Should Teach! · On Charter Schools · Elsewhere in the Trenches… · More on Teachers · Tough Love
No. 58, December 1999: Standards and Testing and More - Oh, My! · Pride and Prejudice · A Holiday Parody: The Blob Who Thought It Stole Christmas · The Year in Review · Looking Ahead · The Spirit of Giving
No. 57, October / November 1999: Parents for the Status Quo · From the Trenches · The Curriculum Wars, Part I: Reading · The Curriculum Wars, Part II: The Great Math Debate · School Choice and the Courts · On Charter Schools · You Know It's Time For Reform When ... · A Few Good Men
No. 56, September 1999: One Thousand, Six Hundred and Eighty Charter Schools! · More on Charters · A Tale of Two Moms · A View from the Blob - Southern Style · Headlines · The Ten Most Serious Afflictions Among Educators (partial list) · Miscellanea · A Friend In Need… · "…To Dream the Impossible Dream…"
No. 55, August 1999: What Works, and What Doesn't · On Charters · A View from the Blob · On School Choice · Notes and Asides · Parting Thoughts
June, 1999, No. 54: "I'm Melting!" · And Now for the Tin Man Prize · The Cowardly Lion · The Scarecrow · Special Events · Catch a Wave! · Florida's Wave · New York Charters Approved · Who, Me? · From the Trenches · On Charter Schools · An F for Connected Math
May, 1999, No. 53: The Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education · Nero Fiddles while Rome Burns… · From the Trenches… · Good Vibrations · On Teaching · States Tackle Teacher Quality · On Littleton.
March / April, 1999, No. 52: The Grammys of Math Reform · Wipe Out! · The Score on Reading · On Content · From the States · Mea Culpa · New from the Center for Education Reform · Food for Thought
February 1999, No. 51: On School Boards · "Dave’s World" · From the States · On Achievement Gain... · In North Carolina… · On Unions · More on School Choice · Reflections
December 1998 - January 1999, Nos. 49
& 50: CER National Conference and 5th Anniversary
Celebration Issue
The Case for Radical Reform · Stories from
the Front · The Quest for Better Schools in
Three Cities · Bringing About Charter
Schools: Three Success Stories · A View From
Outside the Box · Salute to the Nation's
Unsung Heroes · Education And Choice: Taking
It One School At A Time · What Are We
Teaching Our Children? · Going From A Nation
Still At Risk To A Nation Strong · The Next
15 Years
November 1998
An Election Sleeper · The Return of the Jedi…
· …and The Empire Strikes Back ·
*Why We Call it the Blob · In the Trenches ·
Advise and Consent · Happy Birthday to Us ·
The Annual Fund Drive!!!! (sort of)
October 1998
Incandescent Education · Hip-Hip Hooray ·
From Rhetoric to Reality: The Blob Strikes Back · Reform’s
Ripple Effect · The Vast Blob-Wing Conspiracy ·
National School Boards Association · More Reactions
Worth Noting · A Special Poem
Back-to-School 1998
The Merger Thing: Teachers Unions' Merger Talks Sputter and Die ·
From the Trenches: Reform Activity -- and
Hostility -- Across the States ·
In The News: On Teacher
Certification · On Charters and Change ·
On Charters and Choice · On the Union Merger ·
On Academic Standards and Testing · On
Teacher Contracts
June 1998
The Decision that Made Milwaukee Famous · Voice of
Reason · Reluctant Debutante or Courageous Soul? ·
Taking a "Paige" From a Choice-minded District Superintendent ·
Pressure-Points · Penny-Wise... ·
...And Pound Foolish · While we’re on the
subject of choice... · Top Ten Ways to Spend Your
Budget Surplus
June 1998 Special Charter School Supplement:
Just When You Thought It Was Safe...
North Carolina · Arizona ·
New York · New Jersey ·
Virginia · Ohio ·
Illinois · Michigan ·
California · Minnesota ·
Texas · Ohio (again) ·
Pennsylvania · North Carolina
(again) · Arizona (again)
May 1998
From the States · Resources:
Things to know, things you may need, things we may need
Great Expectations... ·
...And a lack thereof ·
We're Sorry · And
finally...
March - April 1998
Manufacturing Solutions · Sound It Out ·
Charter School Woes · Charter School
Champions · A View from the Blob ·
Reform At-A-Glance · Now, This is a Test, III ·
And Speaking of Tests
February 1998
A Place Called Hope · And Hope in the "Valley
of the Sun" · More On School Choice ·
From the States · And the Survey Says! ·
On the Charter Front · More on the Unions ·
Fuzzy Wuzzy · Now this is a test! ·
Words from the Wise
1997Holiday 1997-1998
Resolutions · What’s
New at the Center · Cheers From Our Readers ·
You Know It’s Time To Demand Reform When.... ·
Warning: This News May be Injurious to your Mental
Health · From the Trenches ·
The Condition of Education · Contemporary
Wisdom
November 1997
Thank God They’re Gone ·
We Give Thanks · Wish List
October 1997
OOOPS! · Talk Shows, Sound Bites and the Blob ·
Impact · Election Time ·
From the Trenches · Poetic Wisdom
September 1997
CER Survey of Americans' Attitudes Towards Education & School Reform ·
They Just Don't Get It! · From the States
· A Real Challenge for Public Education · Tests
and Politics · From the Trenches ·
Resources · CER Excellence in Journalism
Awards
July 1997
In the States · The AFT, Ohio School Choice and
Spilled Milk · The NEA, New Unionism, and PR ·
Mea Culpa · From the Trenches ·
Parting Thoughts
May / June 1997
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, And the The Promising · In
Other News · Food for Thought ·
Comments · Miscellanea
April 1997
Guilty! · From the Trenches ·
There They Go Again! · On Charters ·
Step Three in the War on Charters: Permit No Contracting
February / March 1997
How's this for cozy? · The Shanker Challenge ·
Paradigm Shift, or Paradise Lost? · In other news
from the Charter Front · Speaking of Paradigm Shifts
... · From the Trenches ·
What About Bob? · News from CER ·
And Finally, This is a Test! · A Few Parting
Comments
January 1997
Two Gentlemen of Verona? · Winter in New York ·
From the Trenches · More on Charters ·
More on Choice · Governors and Education
1996December 1996
Cheers · Jeers ·
Presents · The Blob Who Thought It Stole
Christmas · Resolutions
November 1996
The Days of Wine and Roses... · From the States ·
CER Reading Project Delivers · The Condition of
Education · Resources. Things to know, things you
may need, things we may need · You Can't Keep a Good
Reform Down! · Headlines
October 1996
A Comment on the Culture · Speaking of Sad
Commentaries... · ... And Back to the Real Issues ·
From the Trenches · On Charters ·
And Some Words of Wisdom on the Same...
Back-to-School 1996
Giving Children A Chance · An Offer Only the Blob
Could Refuse · CER Factoid Quiz ·
To the Rescue · Ideas that Work ... ·
... And Some that Are Tried Despite Evidence to the Contrary ·
The Condition of Education · National Reports, Polls
and Other Antics · And Now for the Next Trick ... ·
Reinventing Education · From the Skeptics' Corner
Back-to-School 1996 Special Section: In The News
July 1996
From the Trenches · On Choice ·
On Charters · Words of Wisdom ·
Motherhood, Apple Pie and the BLOB
June 1996
Highlights · Around the Nation ·
Boasting with Pride · And Some Miscellany
May 1996
School Choice · Charter Update ·
Surveys · From the Trenches
April 1996
Charters, Charters, Charters · A Word to the Wise ·
Union Diatribes · In the Trenches ·
Some Miscellany · And Finally ...
February / March 1996
The Federal Trough · "I'm Not Making This Up ·
Why We Call It the BLOB · From the Trenches ·
In the News · What You Won't Hear About School
Closings in Milwaukee · Passage of Washington, DC,
School Reform Plan Unlikely · Charters, Charters,
Charters
January 1996
From the States · They're Off -- Opponents File Suit
Against Cleveland Scholarship Program · A View from
the Blob · You Know It's Time To Demand Reform When
... · In the Trenches ·
Resources. Things to know, things you may need, things we may need ·
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