Do recessions contribute to spikes in drug use? That was the question on the lips of the philanthropists and media big wigs at the Waldorf-Astoria ballroom last night; where the Partnership for a Drug Free America's sixth annual gala was honoring Sony CEO Sir Howard Stringer. Retired ad man Richard ...

Barack Obama's friend and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett likens the effort of piecing together a Cabinet for the president-elect to assembling a puzzle. The co-chair of his transition, John D. Podesta, promised that his team will "keep our eye on the ball" as it attempts to balance racial diversity,...

Barack Obama's friend and senior adviser Valerie Jarrett likens the effort of piecing together a Cabinet for the president-elect to assembling a puzzle. The co-chair of his transition, John D. Podesta, promised that his team will "keep our eye on the ball" as it attempts to balance racial diversity,...

With the city facing a $4 billion budget gap over the next two years, New Yorkers are fortunate that we have a fiscally conservative mayor in City Hall, one who understands that an elected official’s responsibility is to make tough decisions rather than pass the buck—or lack of bucks—on to the...

There is a lot of talk about who the next U.S. secretary of education will be. All I know is it won't be Rob Smith....

According to the November 15th Slate, Barack Obama needs to choose a cabinet of really smart genius types—that is, with those who are “brilliant—albeit prickly, semi-autistic, and egomaniacal—thinkers”: The issue starts at the Treasury Department, where the best choice would be...

The New York City public school system is a notorious underperformer (a 2002 report found just 70 percent of students complete high school, steady since the early 1990s). In recent years, organizations from Teach For America and New York City Teaching Fellows to the government (or NYC Dept. of Educa...

Eduwonkette gives the Moneyball/education links in chronological order - my original entry is here. I’m pleased that the issue is getting some attention. It’s a worthwhile discussion and there are important points on both sides. The UFT’s Leo Casey responded to my post by telling u...