Displaying 1-11 of 11 results
Report
12.11.2012
School Finance, Governance, Teachers & School Leaders

Strategies for Smarter Budgets and Smarter Schools

Nathan Levenson

This new policy brief by Nathan Levenson, Managing Director at the District Management Council and former superintendent of Arlington (MA) Public Schools, offers informed advice to school districts seeking to provide a well-rounded, quality education to all children in a time of strained budgets. Levenson recommends three strategies: prioritize both achievement and cost-efficiency; make staffing decisions based on student needs, not student preferences; and manage special-education spending for better outcomes and greater cost-effectiveness.

Report
10.29.2012
Governance, Teachers & School Leaders

How Strong Are U.S. Teacher Unions? A State-By-State Comparison

Amber M. Northern, Ph.D., Janie Scull, Dara Zeehandelaar Shaw, Ph.D.

This timely study represents the most comprehensive analysis of American teacher unions’ strength ever conducted, ranking all fifty states and the District of Columbia according to the power and influence of their state-level unions.

Report
8.28.2012
Governance

Boosting the Quality and Efficiency of Special Education

Nathan Levenson

This groundbreaking study uses the largest database of information on special education spending and staffing ever assembled to uncover significant variance in how districts staff for special education. The report concludes that if the high-spending districts studied reduce their staffing in this area to the national median the public could save $10 billion and offers clear recommendations for improving special-education quality and efficiency.

Report
7.20.2012
School Finance, Governance

How Americans Would Slim Down Public Education

Steve Farkas, Ann Duffett

Education budgets are tight and state and district leaders must make tough decisions about where to save. But is the public willing to accept cuts? If so, where? According to the results of this new survey, many Americans are open—selectively open—to dramatic changes in how school districts do business.

Report
5.24.2012
School Finance, Governance

Putting a Price Tag on the Common Core: How Much Will Smart Implementation Cost?

Patrick J. Murphy, Elliot Regenstein

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English language arts and mathematics represent a sea change in standards-based reform and their implementation is the movement’s next—and greatest—challenge. Yet, while most states have now set forth implementation plans, these tomes seldom address the crucial matter of cost. This report estimates the implementation cost for each of the forty-five states (and the District of Columbia) that have adopted the Common Core State Standards and shows that costs naturally depend on how states approach implementation.

Report
4.20.2012
Governance

Education Reform for the Digital Era

Bryan C. Hassel, Emily Ayscue Hassel, Tamara Butler Battaglino, Matt Haldeman, Paul T. Hill, John E. Chubb

Can we be smarter about taking high-quality online and blended schools to scale—and to educational success? Yes, says this volume, as it addresses such thorny policy issues as quality control, staffing, funding, and governance for the digital sector. Read on to learn more.

Report
4.11.2012
School Finance, Governance

How School Districts Can Stretch the School Dollar

Michael J. Petrilli

The "new normal" of tougher budget times is here to stay for American K-12 education. So how can local officials cope? This policy brief, by Mike Petrilli, provides a useful tool for navigating the financial challenges of the current school-funding climate, complete with clear dos and don'ts for anyone involved in or concerned with local education budgets.

Report
3.14.2012
Governance, Teachers & School Leaders

Teacher Compensation Based on Effectiveness: The Harrison (CO) School District's Pay-for-Performance Plan

This report, authored by Superintendent Mike Miles, takes a detailed look at the Harrison (CO) School District 2's Pay-for-Performance Plan. The Harrison Plan confronted the dual challenges of defining an effective teacher and identifying all the things that demonstrate her effectiveness. This how-to guide is meant to serve as a tool and model for Ohio’s school districts.

Report
2.6.2012
Governance

Overcoming the Governance Challenge in K-12 Online Learning

John E. Chubb

In this paper, John Chubb examines how local school district control retards the widespread use of instructional technologies. He argues that the surest way to break down the system’s inherent resistance to technology is to shift control from the local district—and thus the school board—and put it in the hands of states. Download the paper to read the ten steps Chubb argues will get us to this brave new governance system.

Report
1.9.2012
Accountability & Testing, Governance

Quality Control in K-12 Digital Learning: Three (Imperfect) Approaches

Will the move toward virtual and “blended learning” schools in American education repeat the mistakes of the charter-school movement, or will it learn from them? The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, with the support of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, has commissioned five deep-thought papers that, together, address the thorniest policy issues surrounding digital learning. The goal is to boost the prospects for successful online learning (both substantively and politically) over the long run. In this first of six papers on digital learning commissioned by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Frederick M. Hess explores the challenges of quality control.

Report
1.9.2012
Governance, Teachers & School Leaders

Teachers in the Age of Digital Instruction

Will the move toward virtual and “blended learning” schools in American education repeat the mistakes of the charter-school movement, or will it learn from them? The Thomas B. Fordham Institute, with the support of the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation, has commissioned five deep-thought papers that, together, address the thorniest policy issues surrounding digital learning. The goal is to boost the prospects for successful online learning (both substantively and politically) over the long run.