In a belated quest to find a single document from a few years ago, I uncovered some notes that I had made while teaching high school. I started looking through my old papers and realized that I was a very data-driven Read more…
Category: Academia
Today, I taught my last class. After a decade of teaching, I am hanging up my teaching boots. I am leaving for three reasons. First, I am in a comfort zone, and I find it is extremely uncomfortable. Second, I am increasingly disturbed Read more…
Hundreds (if not thousands) of commentators highlight the growing achievement gap in education between wealthy and less-wealthy schools. Most of these arguments point to the unequal resources provided to the stereotypical “rich” school and the stereotypical “poor” school. Although these Read more…
When a colleague asked me to discuss my Chicago Public Schools experience with her undergraduate class, I received a valuable opportunity to reevaluate my understanding of public education. I have encountered two very different versions of CPS, the good and the Read more…
Much of the recent hullabaloo over municipal finance has focused on large cities. Detroit’s bankruptcy largest peer is Birmingham-Jefferson County, Alabama’s financial failure last year. These large-scale crises often have many causes, both in the short and long runs. The contemporary Read more…
Detroit Autopsy August 1, 2013 On July 18, 2013, the City of Detroit, Michigan filed for bankruptcy protection, citing billions in bonds and the lack of viable options to service debt. Detroit’s story is not simply a case of rust Read more…