School Choice: The Moral Debate
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Alan Wolfe, editor, Princeton University PressJanuary 2003
Teaching Mathematics in Seven Countries: Results from the TIMSS 1999 Video Study
Chester E. Finn, Jr.National Center for Education Statistics March 2003
Lessons from Florida: School Choice Gives Increased Opportunities to Children with Special Needs
Eric OsbergDavid F. Salisbury, The Cato InstituteMarch 20, 2003School Vouchers and Students with DisabilitiesNational Council on DisabilityApril 15, 2003
House passes IDEA reauthorization
Yesterday, by a vote of 251-171, the House passed a $125.9 billion, seven-year reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Innovate, don't duplicate
The U.S. Department of Education has reorganized itself to focus more attention and resources upon scientifically based research and education programs with proven results. Though many believe this new focus will ultimately boost student achievement, some education experts are cautioning reformers to learn from mistakes of the past.
CA Assembly votes to allow unions to post propaganda
On April 10, the lower house of the California legislature passed an amendment to the Education Code that would allow teacher unions to post political propaganda in public schools.
California Board of Ed wrangles over "highly qualified" teacher requirement
After being chided by education officials in Washington for trying to sidestep the No Child Left Behind Act's "highly qualified" teacher mandate, the California state Board of Education is still struggling to define what makes a teacher "highly qualified" to comply with federal guidelines.
Consolidating ERIC
The Department of Education released a proposal this week that would overhaul and consolidate the 37-year old Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) to make it more efficient and cost-effective. The current system is comprised of 16 clearinghouses devoted to specific subject areas, which, under the Department's new plan, would be consolidated and run by a single contractor.
Mixed results for Michigan charter schools
Last week, Standard and Poor's released its newest analysis of the performance of the charter schools run by Central Michigan University (CMU). The results are mixed.
A Competent, Caring Journalist in Every Newsroom?
Chester E. Finn, Jr.People (myself included) who favor the radical overhaul of educators' training are wont to suggest that ed schools should become more like journalism schools: optional institutions that you attend if you think they add value but that you're not obliged to attend before entering this profession, so long as somebody wants to hire you and give you a chance.
Evaluation of the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program 1998-2001
Chester E. Finn, Jr.The Indiana Center for EvaluationMarch 2003
Beyond Islands of Excellence: What Districts can do to Improve Instruction and Achievement in All Schools
Kathleen Porter-MageeThe Learning First AllianceMarch 2003
International Comparisons in Fourth-Grade Reading Literacy: Findings from the Progress in International Reading Literacy (PIRLS) of 2001
Chester E. Finn, Jr.The National Center for Education StatisticsApril 2003
Budget Woes and Whines
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Nobody likes having their budgets cut or income diminished. But my gracious, what a lot of griping, blaming and gnashing of teeth there has been in recent weeks with regard to public-school budgets. A blizzard of articles has chronicled the fiscal agonies of school systems whose revenues are pinched by the present downturn in state and municipal tax collections.
Bridging the Achievement Gap
Terry RyanJohn E. Chubb and Tom Loveless, eds. Brookings Institution Press2002
The Virtual High School: Teaching Generation V
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Andrew Zucker, Robert Kuzma, Louise Yarnall, Camille Marder, Teachers College PressJanuary 2003
NBPTS Certification: Who Applies and What Factors are Associated with Success?
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Dan Goldhaber, The University of WashingtonMarch 2003
The challenge of basing education policy on sound research
The challenge of basing education policy on sound researchEarlier this year, Mathematica Policy Research released a sophisticated study of federally funded after-school programs showing that such programs do not raise the academic achievement of participating students.
Parents, not ed schools, oppose test-driven accountability
I read your comments about protests against standards-based, test-driven state accountability systems [see "The law people love to hate--and pretend to love,".
Selling vouchers to suburbanites
The April/May 2003 issue of American Enterprise, organized around the theme Race, Broken Schools, and Affirmative Action, contains several interesting articles on school choice.
High-stakes tests boost minority results
Yesterday's New York Times reports on two new studies that challenge test critics' claims that high-stakes testing undermines learning and hurts struggling students. Both studies instead find that high-stakes testing brings about academic gains, particularly for minority students.
Denver considers district-wide merit pay
A plan developed with the assistance of the Denver Classroom Teachers Association and backed by the school board would replace the traditional teacher salary schedule with a system of incentives based on performance if teachers vote to approve it next year.
New Leaders program brings nontraditional principals to more schools
Launched just over two years ago, New Leaders for New Schools (NLNS) recruits and trains outstanding prospective principals who lack conventional credentials and puts them on a fast track to public (and charter) school leadership positions.
State Support to Low-Performing Schools
Chester E. Finn, Jr.The Council of Chief State Schools OfficersMarch 2003
Strategic Investment in Ideas: How Two Foundations Reshaped America
Eric OsbergThe Philanthropy RoundtableJohn J. Miller2003
Another Look at the New York City Voucher Experiment
Eric OsbergAlan B. Krueger and Pei ZhuPrinceton UniversityApril 2003
Shopping for Evidence Against School Accountability
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Margaret E. Raymond and Eric Hanushek, Education NextSummer 2003
Perceived Effects of State-Mandated Testing Programs on Teaching and Learning: Findings from Interviews with Educators in Low-, Medium-, and High-Stakes States
Chester E. Finn, Jr.National Board on Educational Testing and Public PolicyJanuary 2003
A Matter of Definition: Is there truly a shortage of school principals?
Terry RyanCenter on Reinventing Public Education Marguerite Roza, Mary Beth Celio, James Harvey and Susan Wishon January 2003