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!
Harnessing powerful AI while mitigating risks: It’s about the data!
Jeremy RoschelleEditor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2023 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to answer this question: “How can we harness the power but mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence in our schools?”
From chalkboards to chatbots: Ethically embracing AI in education
Jennifer StaufferEditor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2023 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to answer this question: “How can we harness the power but mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence in our schools?”
Mitigating the risks of AI in today’s schools: A new taxonomy for the information age
Beth-Ann Tek, Ph.D.Editor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2023 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to answer this question: “How can we harness the power but mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence in our schools?”
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear might be a moderate Democrat, but he’s no education reformer
Daniel BuckAfter handily defeating his Republican rival for the governorship of red-hued Kentucky, Democrat Andy Beshear is having a moment as a center-left moderate who could run for president in 2028. But we education reformers should curb our enthusiasm because Beshear’s stances are alien to ours.
Culture wars aside, barriers to everyday family-school communication remain
Meredith Coffey, Ph.D.Since 2020, we’ve heard quite a lot about families’ growing influence over public schooling.
Liberty and civic education
David Davenport, Mark C. SchugEditor’s note: This was first published by The Liberty Fund.
Do schools provide equal value to all their students?
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Previous literature on school quality and teacher quality largely assumes that good schools and good teachers are beneficial for all enrolled children, which means that a school’s “value added” is typically calculated as the average effect on students.
What we're reading this week: November 16, 2023
The Education GadflyPreferring half measures, states must go all-in for universal education savings accounts if school choice is to truly revolutionize education. —Roland Fryer, Wall Street Journal School vouchers fail to create the conditions necessary for effective markets to function.
An overlooked application for AI: The city as a Montessori shelf
Travis PillowEditor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2023 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to answer this question: “How can we harness the power but mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence in our schools?”
Reimagined: AI can be a catalyst for a more learner-centered system of education, if done right
Alex Spurrier, Amy Chen KulesaRead the winning entry in 2023's Wonkathon, which asked contributors to answer this question: “How can we harness the power but mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence in our schools?”
How we can use AI to increase access and equity in science education
Melissa Peplinksi, Haley GaudreauEditor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2023 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to answer this question: “How can we harness the power but mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence in our schools?”
Robot teachers
AnonymousEditor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2023 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to answer this question: “How can we harness the power but mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence in our schools?”
Apprenticeships are the new learning campus
Bruno V. MannoCollege for all has been the goal of K–12 schools for at least twenty-five years. This has meant that America’s schools typically do not provide young people with work experience. This experience gap has young people leaving high school with little understanding of work and practical pathways to jobs and careers.
Grade inflation is locking in learning loss, part 1
Tim DalyEditor's note: This was first published on the author's Substack, The Education Daly.
Why AI doesn’t worry me in the classroom, and why it does
Thomas CourtneyEditor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2023 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to answer this question: “How can we harness the power but mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence in our schools?”
Using artificial intelligence to measure the effectiveness of professional learning
Annie MorrisonEditor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2023 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to answer this question: “How can we harness the power but mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence in our schools?”
Accountability will be the bedrock of AI in education
Khaled IsmailEditor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2023 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to answer this question: “How can we harness the power but mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence in our schools?”
Transformative for the motivated and mere meh for the unmotivated: How AI will and won’t affect learners
Sean Geraghty, Mike GoldsteinEditor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2023 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to answer this question: “How can we harness the power but mitigate the risks of artificial intelligence in our schools?”
School choice isn’t killing traditional public schools. It’s making them better.
Michael J. PetrilliThe impact of school choice on traditional school districts, what scholars call its “competitive effects,” is an area in which there is much high-quality research. A new book critical of choice fails to wrestle with this fact.
Schools aren’t up to the task of teaching students about the Israel-Hamas War
Robert PondiscioCampus radicalism is easy to spot—and condemn.
State education departments are cheerleading mediocrity
Dale ChuPost-pandemic learning loss is a lot like the national deficit. It is huge, it is exacerbated by political divisions, and nothing that’s currently being done about it will come close to solving the problem.