Swingin' at an RF Pitch
I know, I know, I promised my Quiotic quest over the IES Reading First implementation study was headed for the bench for a little bit. But after watching so many swing and miss at this RF pitch, Eduflack just has to offer plaudits when someone else makes solid contact and raises some great issues on this study.
Kudos go to Kathleen Kennedy Manzo over at Education Week. Manzo is one of the original RF reporters (along with Greg Toppo), having covered it from the early stages to today. It's meant that she's likely been flooded with information, data, research, opinion, and spin over these past six or so years. It's meant a continuous learning process. And it's meant having to sort through it all, avoiding the pitches in the dirt and waiting for the good pitch to hit.
Hit it she did. In this week's Education Week, Manzo's got a great piece on the IES study. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/06/04/39read.h27.html?tmp=1914927477 She explores many of the quality issues that have been raised to date. More importantly, though, she gets Russ Whitehurst to state that no conclusions should be made based on the interim report. Instead, we need to wait for the final.
I, for one, am hoping that means there's a whole lot of fixing coming in the final report. Of course, I've been disappointed before. Regardless, EdWeek and Manzo deserve credit for taking a complicated and growing issue, and reporting on it so that the average educator or the average policymaker understands the issues and knows the tough questions to ask.
Gold stars all around.
Kudos go to Kathleen Kennedy Manzo over at Education Week. Manzo is one of the original RF reporters (along with Greg Toppo), having covered it from the early stages to today. It's meant that she's likely been flooded with information, data, research, opinion, and spin over these past six or so years. It's meant a continuous learning process. And it's meant having to sort through it all, avoiding the pitches in the dirt and waiting for the good pitch to hit.
Hit it she did. In this week's Education Week, Manzo's got a great piece on the IES study. http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2008/06/04/39read.h27.html?tmp=1914927477 She explores many of the quality issues that have been raised to date. More importantly, though, she gets Russ Whitehurst to state that no conclusions should be made based on the interim report. Instead, we need to wait for the final.
I, for one, am hoping that means there's a whole lot of fixing coming in the final report. Of course, I've been disappointed before. Regardless, EdWeek and Manzo deserve credit for taking a complicated and growing issue, and reporting on it so that the average educator or the average policymaker understands the issues and knows the tough questions to ask.
Gold stars all around.
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