Here are some recent useful posts and articles on educational policy issues (You might also be interested in The Best Articles & Posts On Education Policy In 2015 – Part Two):

Of course, I’ve got to lead off with today’s big news – President Obama Signs Into Law a Rewrite of No Child Left Behind is from The New York Times. I’m adding it to The Best Resources On The No Child Left Behind Reauthorization Process. You might also be interested in my previous post, New Version Of “No Child Left Behind” Passes House – Includes Changes For English Language Learners.

And here’s tonight’s PBS News Hour segment on it:

How Arne Duncan Lost The Common Core And His Legacy is from Five Thirty Eight.

LA Times Gets Unlikely Support For Decision To Publish Allegations Against Famed LA Teacher is by Alexander Russo, and is the best up-to-date “take” on the Rafe Esquith saga. I still don’t think the district has shown any concrete evidence of serious charges, though some of the recently released emails are clearly inappropriate. I’m adding it to The Best Posts, Articles & Videos On The Rafe Esquith Controversy.

The Myth of Unions’ Overprotection of Bad Teachers: Evidence from the District-Teacher Matched Panel Data on Teacher Turnover is a new research paper I learned about through The Shanker Institute. Here’s an excerpt:

The data confirms that, compared to districts with weak unionism, districts with strong unionism dismiss more low-quality teachers and retain more high-quality teachers. The empirical analysis shows that this dynamic of teacher turnover in highly unionized districts raises average teacher quality and improves student achievement.

I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Learning Why Teachers Unions Are Important.

How I Studied the Teaching of History Then and Now is by Larry Cuban. I’m adding it to The Best Resources For Understanding How To Interpret Education Research.