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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 taking a test
High Expectations

The AP quandary and how to resolve it

Chester E. Finn, Jr., Michael J. Petrilli 11.5.2026
NationalFlypaper
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Donald Trump
High Expectations

Election reflections

Michael J. Petrilli 11.4.2026
NationalFlypaper
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Rob Sand
High Expectations

School choice and the election: Pre-registering my take

Michael J. Petrilli 11.3.2026
NationalFlypaper
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You can just do things
High Expectations

Hey, states: You can just do things

Michael J. Petrilli 10.29.2026
NationalFlypaper
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Office meeting
High Expectations

AI, messy jobs, and the future of schooling

Michael J. Petrilli 10.15.2026
NationalFlypaper
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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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