What’s churning:
A few notable Colorado names show up on a national blogger’s 2012 Edu-Scholar Public Presence rankings.
Rick Hess, who writes the Rick Hess Straight Up blog for Education Week, annually compiles the list to recognize university professors who contribute to public debates about education. Factors in the rankings include a scholar’s body of academic work — books and articles – and the degree to which these are cited. The higher the ranking, the bigger their 2011 “footprint” on public discourse about public education.
Stanford University’s Linda Darling-Hammond, who is No. 1 on the list, served as a star witness for the plaintiffs in the recent Lobato school funding trial. Eric Hanushek, who is No. 3, testified for the defense. Hanushek is with the Stanford-affiliated Hoover Institution.
Among Coloradans, CU-Boulder’s Gene Glass is ranked the highest at No. 25. That’s followed by Lorrie Shepard, No. 51, and Kevin Welner, No. 52, both also of CU-Boulder. CU-Denver’s Paul Teske comes in at No. 80 while Kris Gutiérrez from CU-Boulder is No. 86 and Joshua Dunn from CU-Colorado Springs is No. 114.
Glass is senior researcher for the National Education Policy Center and Welner is the center’s director. Shepard is dean of the CU School of Education and a past president of the American Educational Research Association. Teske, who occasionally blogs for EdNews, is dean of CU-Denver’s School of Public Affairs.
Gutiérrez was nominated by President Obama to be a member of the National Board for the Institute of Education Sciences. Dunn, an associate professor of political science, writes about law and education for the journal Education Next.
Speaking of Lobato, the Washington State Supreme Court issued a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs in that state’s school funding case, based on a lawsuit similar to Lobato v. State of Colorado. The ruling about school funding in that state generated comments in The Seattle Times that will be familiar to those following the Colorado case.
What’s on tap:
The Colorado Commission on Higher Education meets at 1 p.m. at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden. Top discussion items are expected to include possible changes in the goals for the higher education master plan and state financial aid allocations among campuses for 2012-13. Agenda
Good reads from elsewhere:
Roaring Fork change: The Roaring Fork School District Re-1 Board of Education voted 3-2 to terminate its contract with Superintendent Judy Haptonstall, according to The Glenwood Springs Post-Independent, but not until the end of the current school year. Haptonstall has come under fire for reforms.
Structural woes: Nine new schools around the state have serious problems. A Denver Post reporter is interviewed on Colorado Public Radio about issues with the Neenan Co. of Fort Collins.
West Denver Prep goes east: Viva Colorado reports on efforts by the charter school network to recruit students to its new campuses in the city’s Far Northeast. Spanish version.
Third-grade focus: Colorado isn’t the only state buzzing around the issue of how to set a high bar in third-grade performance as a passport to fourth grade. Education Week looks at efforts in Iowa and New Mexico, following Florida’s plan.
The EdNews’ Churn is a daily roundup of briefs, notes and meetings in the world of Colorado education. To submit an item for consideration in this listing, please email us at EdNews@EdNewsColorado.org
