Commentary
Out of the testing consortium, into the fire
The heroic journalism of the Boston Globe in exposing pedophilia enabled by the Catholic Church was the focus of last year’s Oscar-winning Spotlight.
Commentary
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Charter Schools
The full Mike Petrilli/Jay Greene debate on testing and school closures
The school choice tent is much bigger than it used to be. Politicians and policy wonks across the ideological spectrum have embraced the principle that parents should get to choose their children’s schools and local districts should not have a monopoly on school supply.
Commentary
Advanced Education
Honoring giftedness in the black community
At the turn of the twentieth century, scholars and politicians alike were wrestling with a new America. It was the end of Reconstruction, and race relations in the country were coming to the fore of the national conversation. Sociologists and politicians were embroiled in contentious discussions that would shape the nation’s development.
Commentary
Charter Schools, ESSA
Two great tastes that taste great together: Course access and direct student services
Editor's note: This is the sixth post in Fordham's 2016 Wonkathon. We've asked assorted education policy experts to answer this question: What are the "sleeper provisions" of ESSA that might encourage the further expansion of parental choice, at least if advocates seize the opportunity?
Commentary
Charter Schools, ESSA
Follow the money: ESSA's weighted student funding pilots
Editor's note: This is the fifth post in Fordham's 2016 Wonkathon. We've asked assorted education policy experts to answer this question: What are the "sleeper provisions" of ESSA that might encourage the further expansion of parental choice, at least if advocates seize the opportunity?
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Curriculum & Instruction
Knowledge needs champions
Harriet Tubman will grace the front of our $20 bill—a long-overdue tribute to a woman who lived up to the best of American values. But do most Americans know who she was?
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Curriculum & Instruction
Failing by design: How we make teaching too hard for mere mortals
By Robert Pondiscio
Commentary
Charter Schools, ESSA
Choosy states choose...choice!
Editor's note: This is the fourth post in Fordham's 2016 Wonkathon. We've asked assorted education policy experts to answer this question: What are the "sleeper provisions" of ESSA that might encourage the further expansion of parental choice, at least if advocates seize the opportunity?
Commentary
Charter Schools, ESSA
ESSA's hidden treasure
Editor's note: This is the third post in Fordham's 2016 Wonkathon. We've asked assorted education policy experts to answer this question: What are the "sleeper provisions" of ESSA that might encourage the further expansion of parental choice, at least if advocates seize the opportunity?
Commentary
Charter Schools, ESSA
Help Goldman Sachs profit off of at-risk teens
Editor's note: This is the second post in Fordham's 2016 Wonkathon. We've asked assorted education policy experts to answer this question: What are the "sleeper provisions" of ESSA that might encourage the further expansion of parental choice, at least if advocates seize the opportunity?
Commentary
Charter Schools, ESSA
Will states and parents seize ESSA's opportunities?
Editor's note: This is the first post in Fordham's 2016 Wonkathon. We've asked assorted education policy experts to answer this question: What are the "sleeper provisions" of ESSA that might encourage the further expansion of parental choice, at least if advocates seize the opportunity?
Commentary
ESSA
ESSA: The potential of direct student services
President Obama signed the new federal education law, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), in December 2015.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Test score gains predict long-term outcomes, so we shouldn't be too shy about using them
Editor's note: This post is the sixth and final entry in an ongoing discussion between Fordham's Michael Petrilli and the University of Arkansas's Jay Greene that seeks to answer this question: Are math and reading test results strong enough indicators of school quality that regulators can rely on them to determine which schools should be closed and which should be expa
Commentary
Charter Schools
Regulators need to use test scores with great care
Editor's note: This post is the fifth in an ongoing discussion between Fordham's Michael Petrilli and the University of Arkansas's Jay Greene that seeks to answer this question: Are math and reading test results strong enough indicators of school quality that regulators can rely on them to determine which schools should be closed and which should be expanded—even
Commentary
Charter Schools
Four ways to fuel healthy competition in education
The monopoly can and should be broken
Commentary
Charter Schools
Is "district" an operative word?
I have two requests. The first is modest. The second is…well, let’s focus on the first for the time being.Please go to your calendar and block off thirty minutes. You can call the item “Districts and the Achievement Gap.” It’s easy work; you’ll just need to do look at some pictures.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Test scores don't tell us everything, but they certainly tell us something about school quality and student success
Editor's note: This post is the fourth in an ongoing discussion between Fordham's Michael Petrilli and the University of Arkansas's Jay Greene that seeks to answer this question: Are math and reading test results strong enough indicators of school quality that regulators can rely on them to determine which schools should be closed and which should be expanded—even
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Charter Schools
One highway, two realities
A sixth grader in Mountain Brook, Alabama, can be considered one of the luckiest in the country, enrolled in a district where he and his classmates read and do math three grade levels above the average American student.
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Charter Schools
Paying homage to charter schools' early trailblazers
This is the first in a series of essays marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of America’s first charter school law. These commentaries are informed and inspired by our forthcoming book (co-authored with Bruno V.
Commentary
Undefined
Charter Schools
The Leicester City edition
On this week’s podcast, Mike Petrilli and Robert Pondiscio talk Trump, the role of test scores in determining school quality, and the opt-out movement. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern explains how the threat of NCLB sanctions reduced teacher absences.
Commentary
Advanced Education
Students need opportunities to flex their creative muscles
Although we consider creativity and critical thinking two of the most important skills today, children often have limited opportunities to flex their creative muscles. Parents and teachers need to encourage creative children to find at least one outlet, along with venues and audiences to showcase their work.
Commentary
Charter Schools
What reformers can do to expand charters and choice besides advocating for policy change
A few weeks ago, I argued that policy change is not the only path to education reform, floated five other approaches for improving educational practice, and promised to flesh them out in future posts.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Rely on local actors, instead of faulty information, to make judgements about school quality
Editor's note: This post is the third in an ongoing discussion between Fordham's Michael Petrilli and the University of Arkansas's Jay Greene that seeks to answer this question: Are math and reading test results strong enough indicators of school quality that regulators can rely on them to determine which schools should be closed and which should be expanded—even
Commentary
Charter Schools
Revamp of Charter Schools Program incentivizes (mostly) the right things
The federal Charter Schools Program (CSP), which provides seed money for charter start-ups primarily through competitive state grants, got an upgrade in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December.
Commentary
Shut bad schools for low performance, but don't draw conclusions from test scores alone
By Michael J. Petrilli
