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Education Reform in the News

 The Bush Institute’s Education Reform Initiative continues to progress its mission to redefine the role of America’s school...

 

The Bush Institute’s Education Reform Initiative continues to progress its mission to redefine the role of America’s school leaders, promote the evidence that Middle School Matters in the lives of our children and advance accountability measures that close the gap between minority and non-minority academic success.  These efforts have been reported by several national and local media outlets, including coverage of Mrs. Laura W. Bush’s recent speech at Building a Grad Nation Summit, by the National Journal and Education Week.  In her speech, Mrs. Bush promoted the Bush Institute’s new Middle School Matters Institute, while making an emotional appeal to demonstrate the impact middle school has on reducing dropout rates and improving graduation rates.  

Director of Education Reform, Dr. Kerri Briggs has spent the past week as a guest columnist for Director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute Rick Hess’ column in Education Week.  Dr. Briggs’ articles on the benefits of opening the “principal pipeline,” and her past roles and experiences with education policy including “working the problem” with various stakeholders to improve educational outcomes for students with disabilities, examine  successes of today’s reform efforts. 

Since its launch on February 5, the Alliance to Reform Education Leadership’s (AREL) Principal Policy State Survey: Operating in the Dark, has seen wide-spread coverage.  This trend continued over the past week, as Program Director for AREL, Dr. Kerry Ann Moll, sat down with William McKenzie of The Dallas Morning News, to discuss the report’s significant findings about state policies affecting principals.  Mr. McKenzie then used findings from Operating in the Dark to support his claim that the “Texas Legislature should help districts develop principals.”

Principals matter.  Middle school matters.  Accountability matters.  These all matter because education matters in the lives of our children.  As our education reform initiatives grow, it is our hope that you continue to support and share the Bush Institute’s work around this important national issue that impacts every American child and, indeed, every citizen.

This blog was written by Patrick Kobler, Program Coordinator for The Alliance to Reform Education Leadership (AREL) at the George W. Bush Institute. You can follow him on Twitter @PatrickKobler