Ed Reform Minute

Dr. Laurence Steinberg of Temple University talks about his article, "What's Holding Back American Teenagers?"Laurence Steinberg, Ph.D., is the Distinguished University Professor and Laura H. Carnell Professor of Psychology at Temple University.He received his A.B. in Psychology from Vassar College and his Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from Cornell University.Dr. Steinberg is a former President of the Division of Developmental Psychology of the American Psychological Association and of the Society for Research on Adolescence, former Director of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Adolescent Development and Juvenile Justice, and a member of the MacArthur Foundation’s Research Network on Law and Neuroscience. An internationally recognized expert on psychological development during adolescence, Dr. Steinberg’s research has focused on a range of topics in the study of contemporary adolescence, including adolescent brain development, risk-taking and decision-making, parent-adolescent relationships, school-year employment, high school reform, and juvenile justice. He is the author of approximately 350 articles and essays on growth and development during the teenage years, and the author, co-author, or editor of 17 books.   For the latest in education reform news, check ChoiceMedia.TV.  For free karma points, tell a friend about the Ed Reform Minute podcast.© 2013 Choice Media 

Mississippi State Senator, Nancy Collins, talks about Mississippi's efforts to become the second state to have an education savings account law.A resident of Tupelo for most of her life, Nancy has been a tireless advocate for those in need.She is the founding president of Sanctuary Hospice House, having successfully lobbied congress in 2003 to name it a National Demonstration Project. Her efforts garnered national attention, earning a Jefferson Award for Public Service in 2008 - specifically a Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Award for outstanding service benefiting a local community. Nancy also received the Governor's Initiative for Volunteer Excellence Award the same year.Nancy served as chairman of North Mississippi Interact and as a board member for Sav-a-Life, Boys and Girls Club, Tupelo Christian Women's Club, Habitat for Humanity and the Family Resource Center. As chairman of North Mississippi Medical Center's Habitat project, Nancy coordinated the funding and building of homes for two hospital employees. Nancy is a registered nurse, a limited obstetrical ultrasonographer, a speech therapist and has been a social worker. Nancy established the Medical Clinic at Parkgate Pregnancy Center.   For the latest in education reform news, check ChoiceMedia.TV.  For free karma points, tell a friend about the Ed Reform Minute podcast.© 2013 Choice Media 

Eric Hanushek of the Hoover Institution talks about the parents who were arrested after falsifying information in order to get their kids into a better school.Eric Hanushek is the Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow and a member of the Koret Task Force on K–12 Education at the Hoover Institution.A leader in the development of the economic analysis of educational issues, his research spans the impact on achievement of teacher quality, high-stakes accountability, and class-size reduction. He pioneered measuring teacher quality on the basis of student achievement, the foundation for current research into the value-added evaluations of teachers and schools. His work on school efficiency is central to debates about school finance adequacy and equity; his analyses of the economic impact of school outcomes motivate both national and international educational policy design.Hanushek previously held academic appointments at the University of Rochester, Yale University, and the US Air Force Academy and served in government as deputy director of Congressional Budget Office. He is a member of the National Academy of Education and the International Academy of Education along with being a fellow of the Society of Labor Economists and the American Education Research Association. He was awarded the Fordham Prize for Distinguished Scholarship in 2004.   For the latest in education reform news, check ChoiceMedia.TV.  For free karma points, tell a friend about the Ed Reform Minute podcast.© 2013 Choice Media 

Anne Gurnee, Education Director at Southwest Charter School, talks about the possible teacher strike that is looming in Portland, Oregon.   Anne has served as the Education Director since January 2008. Anne was an original member of the Board and played an integral role in developing the early curriculum model for Southwest Charter School. Prior to SWCS, she has been working in the field of science education for nearly 20 years, and worked most recently as the Senior Associate at David Heil and Associates, Inc., a science education consulting firm here in Portland. As such, she worked with clients nationwide to create and evaluate science education programs in schools, communities and museums. She has a B.S. in Environmental Planning & Management and an M.Ed. in Program Administration and Evaluation, both from the University of California, Davis. Anne is also mom to two kids at SWCS, and in her spare time, she enjoys running, camping, hiking, gardening, cooking and sewing.  For the latest in education reform news, check ChoiceMedia.TV.  For free karma points, tell a friend about the Ed Reform Minute podcast.© 2013 Choice Media 

James Shuls, Education Policy Analyst at the Show-Me Institute, talks about the latest news regarding the Missouri's interdistrict school choice program.  James V. Shuls, who joined the Show-Me Institute in July 2012, earned his Ph.D. in education policy from the University of Arkansas. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Missouri Southern State University and a master’s degree from Missouri State University, both in elementary education. Prior to pursuing his doctorate, James taught first grade and fifth grade in southwest Missouri. His primary research interests are in the areas of school choice and teacher quality.   For the latest in education reform news, check ChoiceMedia.TV.  For free karma points, tell a friend about the Ed Reform Minute podcast.© 2013 Choice Media 

Alex Luchenitser of Americans United for Separation of Church and State explains his views on why school vouchers are unconstitutional. Alex J. Luchenitser is the Associate Legal Director at Americans United for Separation of Church and State.Mr. Luchenitser has litigated church-state cases throughout the country for Americans United since January 2001. His work has included lawsuits challenging public-school graduations in churches, student-voted prayer at public-school graduations, intelligent-design creationism in public-school science classes, public funding of proselytizing programs for prisoners, public funding of religious discrimination and coercion by sectarian children’s homes, and government-sponsored displays of the Ten Commandments. He was lead counsel in Americans United for Separation of Church & State v. Prison Fellowship Ministries, 509 F.3d 406 (8th Cir. 2007), a successful challenge to a publicly-funded program that sought to “rehabilitate” prisoners by converting them to a fundamentalist form of Christianity. He has also authored and edited many friend-of-the-court briefs filed in federal courts of appeals on behalf of Americans United.   For the latest in education reform news, check ChoiceMedia.TV.  For free karma points, tell a friend about the Ed Reform Minute podcast.© 2013 Choice Media 

Celine Coggins of Teach Plus talks about her new report, "The Student & the Stopwatch: How much time do American students spend on testing?"  Celine Coggins is the founder and CEO of Teach Plus. Coggins is a former teacher and current Mind Trust Education Entrepreneur Fellow.She has a background that includes research, policy and K-12 teaching. She originally launched Teach Plus in 2007 as a subsidiary of the Rennie Center for Education Research and Policy in Cambridge, MA and incorporated it as an independent 501c3 in 2009. She has been a labor-management consultant in Providence, RI as well as Worcester and Springfield, MA and was formerly special assistant to the Massachusetts Commissioner of Education on teacher quality. She is the author of more than two dozen reports and journal articles and the editor of two books. She earned her Ph.D. in Education Policy Analysis from Stanford University.    For the latest in education reform news, check ChoiceMedia.TV.  For free karma points, tell a friend about the Ed Reform Minute podcast.© 2013 Choice Media 

Dr. Terry Stoops of the John Locke Foundation talks about the recent teacher gathering in Raleigh to protest the new teacher contracts. Terry Stoops is the Director of Education Studies at the John Locke Foundation. Before joining the Locke Foundation, he worked as the program assistant for the Child Welfare Education Programs at the University of Pittsburgh. After crossing the Mason-Dixon Line, he taught English at Spotsylvania High School and served as an adjunct instructor in professional communication at the University of Mary Washington. He was a research assistant in the Department of Leadership, Foundations, and Policy at the Curry School of Education, University of Virginia.Stoops earned a bachelor’s degree in speech communication from Clarion University and a master’s degree in Administrative and Policy Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, School of Education. He received a Ph.D. in Social Foundations of Education from the University of Virginia, Curry School of Education. For the latest in education reform news, check ChoiceMedia.TV.  For free karma points, tell a friend about the Ed Reform Minute podcast.© 2013 Choice Media 

Charles Sahm of the Manhattan Institute talks about NYC Mayor, Bill de Blasio's, universal pre-K and charter school plan.Charles Sahm is the deputy director of the Manhattan Institute’s Center for State & Local Leadership and oversees the Institute’s education reform initiatives.Before joining the Manhattan Institute in 1998, he worked for the Princeton Review and the Boys Club of New York. His writing on education and other public policy issues has appeared in City Journal, the New York Post, the New York Daily News, the Los Angeles Times, and the Daily Beast.     For the latest in education reform news, check ChoiceMedia.TV.  For free karma points, tell a friend about the Ed Reform Minute podcast.© 2013 Choice Media 

Robert Enlow of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice talks about the expansion of the school voucher program in Indiana. He also comments on the Griffith Federation of Teachers' lawsuit  against their school district. Robert C. Enlow is the President and CEO of the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, the school choice legacy foundation of Milton and Rose D. Friedman. Robert has been an integral part of the Foundation since its founding in 1996, previously serving as fundraiser, projects coordinator, vice president, and executive director prior to being named president and CEO in 2009.Under his leadership, the Foundation has become one of the nation’s leading advocates for school choice, working in dozens of states to advance its founders’ vision by disseminating research, sponsoring seminars, undertaking advertising campaigns, organizing community leaders, and providing grants.Robert is the co-editor of “Liberty and Learning: Milton Friedman’s Voucher Idea at Fifty,” author of “Grading Vouchers: Ranking America’s School Choice Programs,” and co-author of “School Choice: A Reform that Works” and a chapter in “An Education Agenda: Let Parents Choose Their Children’s School.” His opinions have appeared in numerous publications, including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Arizona Republic, National Review, and USA Today.    For the latest in education reform news, check ChoiceMedia.TV.  For free karma points, tell a friend about the Ed Reform Minute podcast.© 2013 Choice Media 

Angela Lumpkin of the University of Kansas talks about her study that analyzed the academic performance of athletes and non-athletes. Angela Lumpkin is professor in the Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences at the University of Kansas and formerly Dean of its School of Education.She previously served as Dean of the College of Education at State University of West Georgia, Department Chair at North Carolina State University, and Professor at the University of North Carolina.She is the author of 23 books, has published 60 refereed manuscripts, and delivered approximately 200 professional presentations. Formerly she was President of the National Association for Sport and Physical Education, an American Council on Education Fellow, and a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the United States Military Academy.   For the latest in education reform news, check ChoiceMedia.TV.  For free karma points, tell a friend about the Ed Reform Minute podcast.© 2013 Choice Media 

Nina Rees of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools talks about the Department of Education's decision to let charter schools hold weighted lotteries.  Nina Rees is the president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Nina has over 20 years of experience in Washington, D.C., most recently as senior vice president for strategic initiatives for Knowledge Universe, a leading global education company with investments in early childhood education, before- and after-school programs, and online instruction. Previously, she served as the first assistant deputy secretary for innovation and improvement at the U.S. Department of Education. In this capacity, she oversaw the administration of 28 grant programs supporting 1,300 projects and was responsible for spearheading innovative federal programs and policies such as school choice, charter schools, alternative routes to teacher certification, and school leadership. She also helped coordinate the implementation of several provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. Prior to joining the Education Department, Nina served as deputy assistant for domestic policy to Vice President Dick Cheney.   For the latest in education reform news, check ChoiceMedia.TV.  For free karma points, tell a friend about the Ed Reform Minute podcast. © 2013 Choice Media 

Lance Izumi of the Pacific Research Institute talks about the teacher tenure lawsuit in California. Lance T. Izumi is president of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges, the largest system of higher education in the nation with 2.8 million students. Mr. Izumi is also the Koret Senior Fellow and Senior Director of Education Studies at the Pacific Research Institute, based in Sacramento and San Francisco. He is the co-author of two books, co-executive producer of a full-length documentary film, co-editor of several books, and author/co-author of numerous studies on a variety of important education reform issues.  He also served as an online contributor on education issues for the New York Times during the presidential campaign in 2008.  He received his juris doctorate from the University of Southern California School of Law, his master of arts in political science from the University of California at Davis, and his bachelor of arts in economics and history from the University of California at Los Angeles. For the latest in education reform news, check ChoiceMedia.TV.  For free karma points, tell a friend about the Ed Reform Minute podcast.© 2013 Choice Media 

Laura Speer of the Annie E. Casey Foundation on early reading proficiency in the United States. As associate director for policy reform and advocacy, Laura Speer is responsible for KIDS COUNT, a Casey Foundation initiative launched in 1990 to track the well-being of children at the national and state level.  Speer oversees the annual KIDS COUNT Data Book and related reports. She also serves as liaison to a national network of state advocacy organizations that produce their own KIDS COUNT reports and promote data-based policies and communication strategies.  Speer worked as a research analyst with the Rhode Island KIDS COUNT grantee before joining Casey in 2003. She has a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a master’s in public administration from New York University.  For the latest in education reform news, check ChoiceMedia.TV.  For free karma points, tell a friend about the Ed Reform Minute podcast.© 2013 Choice Media 

Audrey Spalding, Director of Education Policy at the Mackinac Center, talks about school choice in Michigan.  As the Director of Education Policy, Spalding oversees the Center's education research and publications, including Michigan Education Digest and Michigan Education Report. She started at the Center in 2012 as an education policy analyst. Before joining the Mackinac Center, Spalding worked as a policy analyst at the St. Louis-based Show-Me Institute, where she provided analytical research and legislative testimony on tax credits, land banking and education. Her public policy op-eds have been published in a variety of newspapers, including the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the St. Louis Business Journal and The Kansas City Star.    For the latest in education reform news, check ChoiceMedia.TV.  For free karma points, tell a friend about the Ed Reform Minute podcast.© 2013 Choice Media