Early ESSA plans don't do enough to signal that all students are important
Brandon L. WrightBy Brandon L. Wright
DeVos's ESSA peer review guidance is a victory for high achievers
Brandon L. WrightBy Brandon L. Wright
States mostly squander ESSA's school improvement flexibility
Brandon L. WrightBy Brandon L. Wright
Leveraging ESSA to Support Quality-School Growth
Nelson Smith, Brandon L. WrightUnder the Every Student Succeeds Act, the federal School Improvement Grants program is gone, but the goal of school improvement remains. States must now use seven percent of their Title I allocation for these efforts, but are no longer constrained by a prescribed menu of intervention options.
Amplifying educators' voices
On this week's podcast, special guest Eric Eagon, a senior director at the PIE Network, joins Mike Petrilli and Alyssa Schwenk to discuss why policymakers ought to pay more attention to teachers and administrators. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines the peer effects of computer-assisted learning.
The diminishing significance of racism and poverty in education reform
Ian RoweIf you want a good cry mixed in with some inspiration, watch noted human rights lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson give a searing account of bias against the poor and young men of color in a TED Talk about an Injustice.
Casting the net too wide: Ohio’s ESSA plans could place most districts in support status
Jamie Davies O'LearyOhio’s draft plan for implementing the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) came out earlier this month, and we at Fordham continue to
Ohio’s ESSA plan: The Prepared for Success component
Jessica PoinerIn early February, the Ohio Department of Education (ODE) released the first draft of its state plan for the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
Trump and Congress will repeal Obama's ESSA rules: Why that matters and what should follow
Brandon L. WrightBy Brandon L. Wright
Ohio’s ESSA plan: Identifying low-performing schools
Jessica PoinerOne of the hallmarks of school accountability is the identification of and intervention in persistently low-preforming schools.
(No) Money in the Bank: Which Retirement Systems Penalize New Teachers?
A new teacher’s pension is supposed to be a perk. The truth is that for the majority of the nation’s new teachers, what they can anticipate in retirement benefits will be worth less than what they contributed to the system while they were in the classroom, even if they stay for decades.
Fordham Institute statement on 2017 Quality Counts ratings
Ohio Education GadflyToday Education Week released its annual Quality Counts report card for states. Ohio earned a C with an overall score of 74.2, aligning the Buckeye State for the second year in a row with national U.S. average (also 74.2).
What is the purpose of teacher evaluation today? A conversation between Bellwether and Fordham
Teacher evaluation was one of President Obama’s signature policies, and a controversial element of education reform during his tenure.
Undue Process: Why Bad Teachers in Twenty-Five Diverse Districts Rarely Get Fired
Victoria McDougald, David GriffithCountless studies have demonstrated that teacher quality is the most important school-based determinant of student learning, and that removing ineffective teachers from the classroom could greatly benefit students.
A third way for Ohio teacher evaluations
Jessica PoinerThe Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) has put the future of teacher evaluations firmly in the hands of states. Ohio is now in full control of deciding how to develop and best implement its nascent system.
High Stakes for High Schoolers: State Accountability in the Age of ESSA (Part II)
Michael J. Petrilli, David Griffith, Brandon L. WrightEleven weeks ago, in High Stakes for High Achievers: State Accountability in the Age of ESSA, the Fordham Institute reported that current K–8 accountability systems in most states give teachers scant reason to attend to the learning of high-achieving youngsters.
Do high school courses prepare kids for college?
Jessica PoinerAs students and teachers settle back into school routines, thousands of high schoolers are getting their first taste of classes that are supposed to prepare them for college. Some of them are sitting in Advanced Placement courses, while others have enrolled in district-designed advanced courses.
What charter school authorizers can teach states on ESSA: It's hard to find indicators of school quality that aren’t test scores
Kathryn MullenBy Kathryn Mullen Upton
Can evidence improve America's schools?
Michael J. PetrilliBy Michael J. Petrilli
Ohio's accountability system is the best in the country for high achievers. Here are 3 ways to keep that focus
Aaron ChurchillLast week, several of my Fordham colleagues published a fantastic fifty-state review of accountability systems and how they impact high achievers. Lamentably, they found that most states do almost nothing to hold schools accountable for the progress of their most able pupils.
Cultivating America's future leaders
Robert PondiscioDuring the No Child Left Behind era of education reform, now winding down, teachers, schools and districts were tacitly encouraged to focus their efforts on raising the floor rather than raising the roof on student achievement. Whether by accident, choice or neglect, high-achievers as well as those merely "above proficient" received little attention. And why should they?
Addressing the learning needs of students performing above grade level
Yasmine RanaBy Yasmine Rana
High Stakes for High Achievers: State Accountability in the Age of ESSA (Part I)
Michael J. Petrilli, David Griffith, Brandon L. Wright, Audrey KimNo Child Left Behind meant well, but it had a pernicious flaw: It created strong incentives for schools to focus all their energy on helping low-performing students get over a modest “proficiency” bar. Meanwhile, it ignored the educational needs of high achievers, who were likely to pass state reading and math tests regardless of what happened in the classroom.
Bad policies harm bright kids in Baltimore County
Brandon L. WrightBy Brandon L. Wright
Reflections on gifted education from the Olympics: What we can learn
The games of the thirty-first Olympiad are over. Maybe now I will be able to catch up on my sleep! For two weeks I stayed up way too late, spellbound by the competition between the world’s greatest athletes. I loved the world records, the close finishes, the upsets, the rivalries, and the camaraderie. I loved the emotion.