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Michael J. Petrilli

National
President, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

President, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

Michael J. Petrilli is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, executive editor of Education Next, editor in chief of the Education Gadfly Weekly, host of the Education Gadfly Show podcast, author of the SCHOOLED Substack, and a contributor at Forbes.com. An award-winning writer, he is the author of The Diverse Schools Dilemma, editor of Education for Upward Mobility, and co-editor of How to Educate an American and Follow the Science to School. An expert on charter schools, school accountability, evidence-based practices, and trends in test scores and other student outcomes, Petrilli has published opinion pieces in the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and The Atlantic, and appears frequently on television and radio. Petrilli helped to create the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Innovation and Improvement and the Policy Innovators in Education Network, and serves on the board of the Association of American Educators Foundation. He lives with his family in Bethesda, Maryland.

For media inquiries, please email Victoria McDougald. For all other meetings, please contact Jeff Murray.

Authored Commentary & Research

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Students on computers
High Expectations

Screens, AI, and grade inflation are hollowing out the American high school experience

Amber M. Northern, Ph.D., Michael J. Petrilli 9.10.2026
NationalFlypaper
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Bridge
Quality Choices

Missouri narrowed its charter school funding gap. But it didn’t close it.

Amber M. Northern, Ph.D., Michael J. Petrilli 8.13.2026
NationalFlypaper
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Illustration
High Expectations

Has the pendulum swung too far away from college for all?

Michael J. Petrilli 8.12.2026
NationalFlypaper
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Teen using a computer
High Expectations

Hey, Claude, should I go to college?

Michael J. Petrilli 7.30.2026
NationalFlypaper
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election
High Expectations

Accountability is not just about improving instruction. It aims to shift local politics, too.

Michael J. Petrilli 7.23.2026
NationalFlypaper
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Harvard College entrance
High Expectations

Honest talk about who should go to college

Michael J. Petrilli 6.30.2026
NationalFlypaper

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