Is hybrid learning killing teaching?
Robert PondiscioA lot of us have been confused, angry, and frustrated by the reluctance of some teachers, and particularly their unions, to resume in-person instruction.
Power to the people? Part 2: History’s lessons for “community control”
Chester E. Finn, Jr.In last week’s Gadfly, I shared some misgivings about today’s push for “community control” on the part of many education reformers and philanthropists.
Charter school growth increases resources in district-run schools
Patrick WolfEducation funding is sticky. Once dollars are sent to a public school or school system, they tend to stay there.
What happens to English learners’ academic achievement when they’re reclassified as English proficient?
Melissa GutweinAs English learners approach language proficiency, does it matter whether they continue to receive English language instruction? A recent paper published in Economics of Education Review seeks to answer this question for English learners in Minnesota.
Gen Z and Millennials are bullish on their futures and critical about today’s schools
Bruno V. MannoGeneration Z and Millennials are optimistic about their future and confident it will be filled with opportunity, despite the pandemic and other problems they face. Two in three (67 percent) believe they “have the opportunity to achieve the American dream,” with more than one in two (56 percent) saying “all people in my generation” can achieve it.
Biden’s soft touch might be the only hope for schools in blue districts to reopen
Michael J. PetrilliWhat will it take for President Biden to make good on his December promise to reopen a majority of U.S. schools within his first one hundred days?
Teacher unions are the only ones being coldly rational about reopening schools
Dale ChuBarely a day goes by without another story reporting the negative effects
Power to the people? Part I
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Perhaps the biggest buzz in education-reform circles these days, and among the philanthropies that pay for such things, is community empowerment and community control.
Are classroom instructional materials meeting the needs of English learners?
Julie FitzBack in May 2020, The U.S. Department of Education had to issue guidance clarifying that, yes, schools and districts were still required to provide language instruction services for English learners (EL) during remote learning.
How schools should spend federal Covid-19 aid
Brandon L. WrightWith two big rounds of Covid-19 aid having been sent to schools and at least a third on the horizon, leaders must make difficult decisions, especially as more schools reopen and the pandemic rages on. How can they use this money to best mitigate risk, facilitate effective hybrid learning, and most importantly, get kids back on track after suffering substantial learning losses?
Massive student loan forgiveness would be a lost opportunity to help needy Americans
Michael J. PetrilliIt’s not surprising that most of the arguments against widespread student loan forgiveness are coming from the political right, given that the idea itself gained prominence during the 2020 presidential campaigns of Senators Bernie Sander
Literacy is equity
Robert PondiscioAny discussion about “equity” in education that is not first and foremost a discussion about literacy is unserious.
How much does student motivation affect student outcomes?
Adam Tyner, Ph.D.Why do some students succeed and others lag behind? This is, of course, a central question in education policy.
What drives racial gaps in special education identification?
Melissa GutweinRecent work published in the Journal of Labor Economics examines how school segregation may be related to racial gaps in special education identification.
How ya gonna keep ‘em back in that old school?
Chester E. Finn, Jr.If the pandemic vanished tomorrow and all U.S. schools instantly reopened in exactly the same fashion as they were operating last February, how many parents would be satisfied to return their daughters and sons to the same old familiar classrooms, teachers, schedules and curricula? A lot fewer than the same old schools and those who run and teach in them are expecting back!
How anger over Covid closures can fuel the school choice movement
Robert PondiscioThe father testifying before Virginia’s Loudon County school board
Opening schools can help heal our divided country
Dale ChuLast month, I weighed in on the renewed calls for civics education after January 6’s disgraceful assault on the U.S. Capitol. While teaching civics would be a good start, schools are critical institutions of civil society regardless of whether they teach civics well or at all.
The negative effects of student absenteeism: From bad to worse in a pandemic
Victoria McDougaldPredicting the effects of pandemic-related disruption on students’ education is a vital but fraught pursuit.
Rick Hess and Ian Rowe discuss 1776 Unites and efforts to promote a vision of a unified America
Frederick M. Hess, Ian RoweEditor’s note: This interview was first published by Rick Hess on his blog with Education Week, Rick Hess Straight Up.
Unexpected innovation: Charter schools and novice teacher development
Bill WaychunasLet’s start with a little game. Trust me, it will be helpful if you play along… Grab a piece of paper and a writing utensil. Complete the following sentence: First-year or early-career teachers typically struggle most with… (Try to come up with a few answers.)
What to do about the Covid kindergarten cohort?
Michael J. PetrilliEditor’s note: This is the third in a series of posts about envelope-pushing strategies that schools might embrace to address students’ learning loss in the wake of the pandemic.
Don’t let bad habits become the “new normal”
Robert Pondiscio, Julie FitzFrom the start of the pandemic, I’ve resisted talk of the “new normal” in education for two reasons. First and most importantly, there’s an unquenchable thirst for the old normal, and increasingly so as disruptions to traditional patterns of schooling approach the twelve-month mark.
Merit aid and college outcomes
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.For many years, the Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation (STBF) in Nebraska has provided full-ride college scholarships to eligible high school graduates in the state. This randomized study examines how such largesse affects higher education enrollment and degree completion.
The unexamined cost of teachers’ time spent choosing instructional materials
Robert PondiscioDespite the burgeoning interest in “high-quality instructional materials” (HQIM) and energetic efforts in recent years to incentivize their use, “evidence is mixed on how much teachers actually use the materials that districts or schools adopt,” note the authors of a new research report from the RAND Corporation.
3 ways instructional materials help to address unfinished learning in math
Tim TruittA few months ago, I wrote an article about Covid-19 learning loss and t
Advice to the Biden administration on improving special education. More money isn’t enough—or most important.
Nathan LevensonAmong the many reasons equity advocates are celebrating new leadership in Washington is the hope that President Biden and Secretary of Education-designate Cardona will do more to help students with disabilities. These kids struggled mightily in school before the pandemic, and no group of students has suffered more from remote and hybrid learning.
The Education Gadfly Show: The education issues facing state legislatures in 2021
Eight recommendations for the Biden administration
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Besides pumping tons more recovery dollars into schools, getting more teachers vaccinated, and trying to get many more kids back into classrooms, what might the Biden-Cardona team do in K–12 education that would actually be worthwhile?