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Politico
Educational reporter for Politico
PROFILE
Stephanie Simon
FROM Stephanie Simon
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
The Big Business of Education When the program to give iPads to every LAUSD student fell apart, the name Pearson kept popping up in the news. Pearson supplied the digital curriculum on those tablets. But the 140 million dollar contract was scuttled when an investigation revealed a sweetheart deal between school officials and Pearson. Cozy relationships are nothing new for Pearson, according to a new investigation from Politico. The company has its finger in every piece of the American education pie. It makes billions from states on testing deals, online curricula, textbooks, and school turnaround plans. And it scores many of those deals without going through a competitive bidding process .
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Protecting Student Data President Obama called for new legislation today aimed at protecting student data. Digital education products like tablets, Internet-connected software, and apps are becoming more commonplace in classrooms.That’s good news for raising tech-savvy kids, but it could also expose students to commercial data mining. We discuss what the new federal law would do, and the already-existing California law it’s based on.
To the Point
Teacher "MoneyBall": Can Big Data Weed Out the Winners? Everyone from the federal government to students agree that high quality teachers are a top priority of school reform. No one seems to agree however on how to define exactly what makes a teacher successful. Enter Big Data. Now school districts across the country are hiring consulting firms that use data-driven screening tools to identify the superstars among the teacher rank and file, and some education advocates are calling foul. Stephanie Simon is the senior education reporter for Politico .
To the Point
Partisan Politics and Public Education More than 1,000 kids from a dozen high schools joined teachers and parents last week on the streets of Jefferson County, a large and politically important suburban area outside Denver. As a result, the County’s elected school board may be re-thinking plans for Advance Placement in American history.
To the Point
Do Public School Teachers Deserve Failing Grades? A judge in Los Angeles made national headlines last week when he ruled that tenure and seniority rules protect bad teachers and make them almost impossible to fire. He found that ineffective teachers end up in troubled neighborhoods, where they deprive poor and minority children of their constitutional right to an equal education. He said, “the evidence is compelling. Indeed, it shocks the conscience.” Education Secretary Arne Duncan, and other “reformers” are celebrating a victory for the “rights of students.” Teachers’ unions insist they're not the real villains, calling it “another attempt by… special interests to privatize public education.”
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KCRW Features
As migrants arrive in Tijuana, some see a threat and others work to help Migrant caravans have been traveling north through Mexico for years. But the most recent group of Central Americans is different, in large part because president Trump made it a central issue in the midterm campaign. But it’s also getting a lot of coverage in Mexico. And much of the local coverage is negative. But one woman is trying to help.
Left, Right & Center
Very legal? Very cool? President Trump says it was very legal and very cool to run his business and campaign simultaneously, but was it?
KCRW Features
Idaho or Bust – Californians Make an Impact in Boise The housing crisis is pushing Californians out of the Golden State and into cheaper housing markets around the country. Boise, Idaho, has become the fastest growing metro area in the nation… and a lot of those newcomers are former Californians.Our dollars go a lot further there, but that’s causing a bit of friction with the locals.