15 of the best opinion pieces on education reform that we read in 2023
Michael J. PetrilliEvery week in the Education Gadfly, we flag a handful of articles in our “What We’re Reading” section. Mostly these are opinion pieces, usually from leading newspapers and magazines, or occasionally high-profile Substacks. Here’s our list of our favorites for the year, presented in chronological order.
Fordham’s top 5 podcasts of 2023
Daniel BuckThe venerable hosts of the Education Gadfly show have been winging it for seventeen years.
What we're reading this week: December 21, 2023
The Education GadflyA new Rand Corporation survey finds that roughly three in ten teachers thinks that their school’s curriculum is too difficult for students. —Education Week
How an early college program in Arizona’s poorest city changes lives: An interview with Homero Chavez
Brandon L. WrightSince the Spring of 2022, I’ve had the pleasure of collaborating with Homero Chavez as part of the National Working Group on Advanced Education.
3 lessons in transformational leadership
Kathleen Porter-MageeEarlier this year, Jill Kafka, the tireless Executive Director of Partnership Schools, announced that she is stepping down after twenty-seven years of dedicated service.
What do parents need to know about the science of reading?
Robert PondiscioThe welcome rise of the science of reading has been a sober reckoning for teachers and administrators. It also raises uncomfortable questions, seldom asked: How much faith should parents have that their child’s school and teachers understand good literacy instruction? And how much do parents need to know to advocate for their children and raise strong readers?
In defense of the traditional classroom
Daniel BuckMany futuristic reformers love to hate the classroom.
What we're reading this week: December 14, 2023
The Education GadflyPeer effects and social pressure are major factors in the success of high-performing schools like Stuyvesant High School in New York City.
4 takeaways from the PISA results
Daniel BuckThe results from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) are in—an international standardized test of fifteen-year-olds and the first look at how countries compare post-pandemic—and the picture they paint of American education is disheartening. Here are four trends that you need to know: 1. U.S. math scores collapsed and reading stagnated.
Should schools ban cellphones?
Tim DalyEditor’s note: This was first published on the author’s Substack, The Education Daly. They’re coming for the kids’ phones. Who is “they”?
Which large school districts provide fertile terrain for charter growth?
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D., Michael J. PetrilliDespite the amount of attention that school choice receives in the media and among policy wonks, politicians, and adult interest groups, the extent of actual competition in major school districts is not well understood. We were curious: Which education markets in America are the most competitive? And which markets have education reformers and choice-encouragers neglected or failed to penetrate?
What would another Trump term mean for education?
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Nothing about Donald Trump is predictable except unpredictability, so it may be folly to speculate on what his return to the Oval Office would mean for American education. It also needs to be said up front that, faced with all the challenges and risks of another Trump term, K–12 education policy will not likely be the top concern on many minds.
U.S. education needs to leap ahead. R & D moonshots will pave the way forward.
Daniel CorreaEducation in the United States needs to improve and evolve. Too many learners get lost in the current system. Even more are underserved or under-resourced.
Does career and technical education still limit students’ academic opportunity?
Meredith Coffey, Ph.D.Once a de facto means of maintaining within-school segregation, career and technical education (CTE) has, in recent years, experienced a favorable shift in public perception.
What we're reading this week: December 7, 2023
The Education Gadfly“Fueled by worries over the pandemic, equity and learning loss, Republicans and Democrats are rewriting decades’ worth of strict standardized testing and graduation requirements.” —Politico American math scores
Who’s got talent for identifying diverse talent?
Scott J. Peters, Matthew C. MakelTalented and gifted school programs have a well-earned reputation for lacking student diversity.
From the statehouse to the classroom: The effects of early literacy policies on student achievement
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.The science of reading is thankfully supplanting dubious methods of teaching young children to read, as
State licensure tests and science of reading instruction
Jeff MurrayRecent legislative efforts across the country have strengthened efforts to align reading instruction with the science of reading. These laws typically require teachers to use methods and materials aligned to the solid evidence base on how children best learn to read.
What we're reading this week: November 30, 2023
The Education GadflyAfter two decades, private school choice policies in D.C. remain controversial, and both the continuation and benefits of it in D.C. are unclear.
Vibes and narratives are no way to go through education policy
Andrew J. RotherhamEditor's note: This was first published on Eduwonk, the author's blog.
High-quality instructional materials change instructional leaders’ job
Emily FreitagFive years ago, my team and I set out to understand what goes into effective implementation of high-quality instructional materials. We interviewed leaders and teachers from seventy schools that had moved to higher-quality materials in the last three years. We asked about what went well and what was hard.
9 thoughts on the Advanced Placement takedown in the Times
Michael J. PetrilliOver the weekend, the New York Times published a hard-hitting 2,300-word expose by Dana Goldstein and colleagues asking “Why is the College Board pushing to expand Advanced Placement?” Its primary answer: to rake in tens of millions of dollars a year and to support CEO David Coleman’s exorbitant sal
Grade inflation is locking in learning loss, part 2: Solutions
Tim DalyIn my previous post, we defined grade inflation and reviewed (lots of) new evidence suggesting that it is a barrier to pandemic recovery—especially for less privileged students. Today, we will identify solutions.
How to bridge racial and socioeconomic gaps in advanced education
Abigail Hamilton“Excellence gaps,” or disparities in advanced academic performance between student groups, have important implications for both academic equity and American economic competitiveness.
Who is 2023’s Wisest Wonk? Cast your vote in this year’s Wonkathon before polls close November 28
The Education GadflyAll submissions are in for the 2023 Wonkathon. Vote now for the Wisest Wonk!