Those Good Ole Education Blogs
Yesterday, we discussed those emails and listserves that provide valuable third-party information and news on education issues. Today, we shift the discussion to blogs. We all use them. We all talk about reaching out to the "education bloggers" to get the message out and promote a key idea or product. But who are the effective bloggers? Who shares interesting information that isn't found in other locations? Who is provocative? Who is worth reading? We all see the blog rolls on our favorite sites, but what are folks actually reading?
Blog preferences depend on the issues and ideas one focuses on. For me, my interests focus on education reform, accountability, reading instruction, and the intersection between research, policy, and product. That tends to shape my blogging preferences (and helps contribute to my wife's belief that I am just chock full of useless information). So with little fanfare, here's what's on my must-read list each day:
* Eduwonk (www.eduwonk.com) -- Andy Rotherham is the original king of education blogging. Eduwonk is a must-read for the latest on key policy issues and what's being discussed in the education policy community. Much of the content links back to original news sources, offering real proof for good opinions.
* This Week in Education (www.thisweekineducation.com) -- Alexander Russo's blog is almost the anti-Eduwonk. His postings are more personal, more pointed, and more snarky. But Russo has a great nose for news and breaking issues, providing a wide swath of issues and ideas from the major cities and the small towns. He also runs a few other blogs, including one that focuses exclusively on Chicago education issues.
* Flypaper (www.edexcellence.net/flypaper) -- Written by the team over at the Fordham Foundation, Flypaper is one of the newest additions to the must-read blog list. Yes, it comes with a particular point of view. But multiple authors means multiple posts each day, and the authors cover a wide range of topics with good links back to news items and other blogs.
* Core Knowledge Blog (www.coreknowledge.org/blog) -- Maybe it is the wonk in me, but I always find something interesting in Core Knowledge's blog postings. A good mix of media and policy, most postings keep coming back to the curricular needs of our schools.
* Eduwonkette (http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/eduwonkette) -- Some of the intrigue is gone now that the author's true identity has been revealed, but Eduwonkette is still a top site for the nitty-gritty on education reform research. A bit New York centric, yes, but usually worth the read.
* Curriculum Matters (http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/curriculum) -- Must be the reading wonk in me, but I usually enjoy the postings of EdWeek's Kathleen Manzo and Sean Cavanagh, providing the reading ying to the math yang on education policy. Real content with real impact.
* Literacy Learning (www.shanahanonliteracy.com) -- The professional blog for Tim Shanahan and all that it scientifically based reading. If you want to know the truth on SBRR, this is as good a site as any to visit.
* EdBizBuzz (http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/edbizbuzz) -- Not updated as frequently as the above blogs, Marc Dean Millot provides an interesting perspective of the business community's role in education issues
Both Eduwonkette and Curriculum Matters are part of the EdWeek blogging family. There are a number of other blogs that seem like they may have a shorter shelf life, but are incredibly strong reads:
* NCLB: Act II (http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/nclb-ActII)
* Campaign K-12 (http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/campaign-k-12)
Of course, no list would be complete without my own little blog, Eduflack (http://blog.eduflack.com). Intended to focus on effective communications in education reform, Eduflack seems to bounce between analysis of media coverage and key education issues to serving as a soapbox on a range of issues, including reading instruction, accountability, and national standards.
What else is on my daily (or quasi-daily) blog reading list, at least as it relates to education?
* Higher Ed Watch (www.newamerica.net/blog/higher_ed_watch)
* Kitchen Table Math (http://kitchentablemath.blogspot.com)
* Principal's Policy Blog (www.principalspolicyblog.org/blog)
* Going to the Mat (http://mattjohnston.blogspot.com)
* Teach Effectively (http://teacheffectively.com)
NCLBlog used to be on the list, but without an update in months, its hard to justify its inclusion in the rotation. Has new AFT Prez Randi Weingarten shut the blog down?
There's one other blog I would add to the mix, and it has very little to do with education. I'm often asked questions about new media and how the education sector can harness the power of the Internet, blogs, and general social networking. For such issues, there is no one better than former colleague and current friend Geoff Livingston. His blog -- Livingston Buzz (www.livingstonbuzz.com/blog) -- provides a lot of good thinking in terms of new media and social networking.
I know I am missing a bunch. I see those blog lists on other sites, and get overwhelmed by the possibilities. What should be on this list? What shouldn't be on this list? For this eduflack, these are my bread and butter. But I yield the soapbox to one and all.
Thanks for the shout-out, Patrick. But the one major omission from your list is Joanne Jacobs. She's always interesting and on the news. I can always tell when Joanne links to one of the stories on the Core Knowledge Blog--traffic spikes in a big way.
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You are absolutely right. I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't have Jacobs' blog bookmarked as part of my daily reading. I tend to get to her posts through links on other sites, it just seems like I am regularly reading her. She's now been added to my official "education blogs" bookmark list, and should be added to others -- http://joannejacobs.com/.
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This is a great list Patrick; your first five particularly are, as I see it, arguably the best education blogs around.
I also enjoy The Quick and the Ed for another perspective on policy issues, Bridging Differences for the back and forth between two really smart folks, and the DC Education Blog for keeping up on what's going on in the local education scene. Thoughts on Education Policy is good too, though updated less than I might like.
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Patrick, your roundup is hugely helpful to me as I climb up the learning curve on education policy resources. I'll add another one here: Early Ed Watch
http://www.newamerica.net/blog/early_ed_watch
I just started at New America, so obviously this is a shameless plug, especially because I will eventually be a big contributor to this blog, which is about early childhood policy and applicable childhood development research. Sara Mead, director of New America's Early Education Initiative and the blog's main contributor so far, has her finger on the pulse of what's happening in the Pre-K policy. Anyone looking at the younger years of education should put it on their list.
Looking forward to reading others' suggestions.
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