Need New Reading Material? Take a Look at My Blogroll, Part I

Today, I'm posting about the education blogs on my blogroll. Next Sunday, look for all of the assorted other blogs on my blogroll. Note: these are not in any particular order.

National Education Blogs

• Diane Ravitch--she posts a lot of information about public education around the country. There is a lot of good stuff but it can be hard to keep up.
• @ The Chalk Face Knows Schools Matter--this is two blogs merged into one. I used to really like Schools Matter. I don't like the format of this "wedded" blog as much but there is a lot of good information. But I love their mission: to defend public education and oppose the so-called "reform" movement.
• Modern School: A public school teacher blogs about education, science, youth, and labor. Lately this blog has had a lot of information about labor. If you're interested in teachers' and administrators' unions, this is a good place for you to look.
• Assorted Stuff: This blog is written by an east coast educator/technology person. After I read a post of his, I often wish I'd thought to write about it first. He also has a nice education blogroll (even though I'm not on it :)
• Eduwonk: Some might find this education policy blog slightly too conservative (I think the author would describe it as centrist). However, he writes short pieces that point to interesting policy discussions at the national level. Mostly, the author links rather than editorializes.
• Title IX blog: Honestly, this is one of my favorite blogs. Title IX had a major impact on my life, and probably yours as well, and if you are interested in gender equality issues in schools at all levels, this is worth your time. The authors track stories from across the country. (Go ahead, do a search on the Title IX blog for Ann Arbor. We're in there.)
• Electric Educator: John Sowash posts from Oakland County, MI so I guess I could count him as a "local" educator--but the topic he blogs about is technology, particularly using Google programs, in the classroom. That information is useful no matter where you are in the country. He teaches at a private Christian school in Oakland County.
• School Finance 101: A thoughtful blog from Bruce Baker on school finance issues across the country.
• Honestly, I think this overview post on school funding is a must read.
• A "Fuller" Look at Education Issues: Dr. Ed Fuller looks at K-12 and higher education issues. The blog is rather data heavy, and often focuses on Texas, but it offers a good template for some ways data could be used to investigate "education reform."
• Scrap the MAP: Solidarity with teachers opposing the NWEA MAP test. Ann Arbor could learn a lot from them.
• Students Last: I just discovered this blog. It is kind of like the Onion for educators. If you like satire, if you liked Jonathan Swift's A Modest Proposal, this blog is for you. Just look at its tagline: "If you care about education, we would like to encourage you to stop." You would laugh, except it's a truth that hurts.

Local Education Blogs

• k12christinestead.com: Kudos to AAPS School Board member Christine Stead for blogging regularly. Christine follows state education policy closely and is a good source for that information.
• Saline Superintendent's Blog: Scot Graden posts fairly regularly (and I think there are some related blogs from some other Saline administrators that are not on the blog roll). Scot's posts are generally fairly positive and short--if you live in Saline you definitely should be reading him!
• Okemos Parents for Schools: This group is loosely affiliated with Michigan Parents for Schools and I like their web page. 
• Oakland Schools: Lead blogger is Jean McLeod, and I think this group is also loosely affiliated with Michigan Parents for Schools.
• Education Matters: I just discovered this blog by a Van Buren Schools school board trustee. Martha Toth doesn't blog all that often, but this post about charter schools is quite good.