CHEERS:
This week, Joe Klein and Nick Kristof look at how accountability led to real academic gains in schools across Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama—especially for low-income kids. Kristof calls on blue states to take notice, but Klein wonders why Kristof and other Democrats go to such great lengths to avoid highlighting the role of charter schools in creating the conditions for success in places like post-Katrina New Orleans. “Kristof can write persuasively about the success of testing in the Deep South,” Klein notes, “but can’t talk about why it can’t be replicated in the north. Why not? Because the unions hate accountability.” —Joe Klein, Sanity Clause (Substack)
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Gov. Jared Polis speaks to Kevin Mahnken about why he wants Colorado’s kids to benefit from free federal money under the OBBB’s tax credit scholarship program. Not only does Polis expect other blue-state governors to opt-in eventually, he also calls on his party to renew focus on student outcomes, transparency, and accountability across all levels of schooling. —The 74
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“These Kansas City students run a credit union from inside their high school. Yes, with real money.”—Jodi Fortino, KCUR: NPR in Kansas City
JEERS:
A new study from Jeffrey Denning digs into the harmful effects of grade inflationin high schools. Easy A’s lead to lower future grades, test scores, high school graduation, and college enrollment. But the effects don’t stop there. As Jill Barshay reports, Denning finds that a single teacher’s grade inflation can lead to a collective loss of $160,000 in future earnings for students in that class. —The Hechinger Report
For more on the study, check out Jeff Murray’s short review.
Editor's note: This was first published on Mike Petrilli's Substack, SCHOOLED, a twice-weekly free Substack and email newsletter restarting the education-reform conversation.
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