What we're reading this week: June 8, 2023
The Education Gadfly“There is no such thing as a morally neutral education, in public schools or anywhere else.” —American Conservative Schools should be phone-free zones, as a growing body of research shows that they inhibit academic, cognitive, and social development.
#873: Private and charter school teachers are thriving, with Paul DiPerna
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Paul DiPerna of EdChoice joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to di
Catch up on the religious charter schools debate
The Education GadflyIn a 3-2 decision yesterday, an Oklahoma state board defied the attorney general and approved the nation’s first religious charter school. Those of us at Fordham have been following the debate closely. These blog posts and podcasts will help you get up to speed:
Building moral literacy through reading: One charter school’s answer to “book bans”
Robert PondiscioWhile most of the country debates restricting children’s access to books, at Liberty, a Core Knowledge school that emphasizes character education, the debate runs in the opposite direction: Which books should kids be reading?
No, AP isn’t ushering in a totalitarian regime
Meredith Coffey, Ph.D.In the summer of 2018, I was thrilled to learn that I would be teaching AP English Language and Composition starting that fall. As part of New York City’s AP for All initiative, I became one of the first two AP teachers at my small, alternative public high school.
School choice proponents must wrestle with its shortcomings
Daniel BuckThomas Sowell famously quipped that “there are no solutions, only tradeoffs.” Even seemingly beneficial policies have repercussions. Reduce the prison population and crime increases. Close schools to prevent the spread of Covid and standardized test scores plummet. What’s more, even historic, society-altering changes come with side effects.
Worldwide, learning loss and pandemic school closures were directly connected
Jeff MurrayQuantifying learning loss experienced by students whose schools closed for extended periods during the coronavirus pandemic is vital.
What we're reading this week: June 1, 2023
The Education GadflyAn expert math instructor travels the country, reminding students of their humanity in the face of AI.
#872: The religious charter school debate, with Kathleen Porter-Magee
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Kathleen Porter-Magee of Partnership Schools—a network of Catholic school
School systems’ essential quest for coherence
Emily FreitagEvery leader of a state or school system gets asked the question, “How do all of the things we are doing fit together?” It’s a question about “coherence”—the Holy Grail of education, says Freitag. And for the last two years, she has worked with leaders of four offices in one state with the goal of finding more of it. Here’s what she learned.
The CLT is a growing, classical alternative to the ACT and SAT: An interview with its co-founder
Daniel BuckLast week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation that allowed high schoolers to use the Classic Learning Test (CLT)—a classical alternative to the SAT and ACT—to qualify for the state’s Bright Futures scholarship. Already accepted at over 200 colleges, this legislation is the CLT’s biggest boost yet.
States should embed civic content into statewide reading assessments
Ross WienerEditor’s note: This was first published by The 74.
Another nail in the “money doesn’t matter” coffin
Adam Tyner, Ph.D.In recent years, the debate on the impact of financial resources in education has been petering out. Studies showing that more money for schools has had a discernable effect on student academic outcomes, particularly for students from lower-income families, keep accumulating.
Dire straits: Taking stock of and addressing pandemic-related learning loss
Victoria McDougaldAs the school year winds down, and with the World Health Organization officially declaring the emergency phase of the Covid-19 pandemic over earlier this month, many students, parents, a
What we're reading this week: May 25, 2023
The Education Gadfly“Why teacher evaluation reforms flopped.” —Matthew Yglesias The Educational Testing Service and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching are collaborating on new tests they say will promote students’ learning at their own pace and decrease the need for traditional “seat time.” —
#871: The severity of pandemic learning loss, with Tom Kane
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Tom Kane of Harvard University joins Mike Petrilli to discuss his findings from The Education Recovery Scorecard Project.
New York City turns gifted education into a glorified lottery, disregarding research
Alina AdamsEditor’s note: This article was first published by The 74.
What we need from a “DARPA for education”: A Mars rover for schools
Michael J. PetrilliThere’s a lot of buzz right now about the potential for the Institute of Education Sciences to finally get the resources and authority to support major breakthroughs in teaching and learning via an “ARPA-ED,” modeled after the Defense Department’s DARPA program. Petrilli wants something more fundamental: basic information about what the heck is going on in America’s classrooms. Enter his (admittedly far-fetched) “Mars rover for schools” idea.
Getting reading legislation right
Dale ChuIndiana’s Republican governor just signed into law a bill that mandates, among other
AI won’t replace teachers, but it can make them more effective
Nathaniel GrossmanSince the release of Chat GPT last year, the professional classes have suffered an existential dilemma.
“Grading for Equity” isn’t grounded in reality
Meredith Coffey, Ph.D.A few weeks ago, I finally sat down with Joe Feldman’s Grading for Equity (2018), expecting to nod my head along with every page. I loved teaching at an alternative school, considered myself flexible about deadlines, and frequently encouraged students to revise their writing.
What we're reading this week: May 18, 2023
The Education GadflyNew data show that rates of adolescent mental health emergencies are still high but falling compared to 2021. —Education Week Eric Hanushek’s previous four decades of research suggested that there was no clear link between school funding and performance.
#870: The Great School Rethink, with Rick Hess
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Rick Hess of the American Enterprise
The 10 biggest charter school wins in the past year
Jed WallaceIt being National Charter Schools Week, I thought I would look at the progress that we have made since last year’s celebration.
Webinar: Charter Schools and English Learners
Join us to discuss the implications of Fordham's recently published report Charter Schools and English Learners in the Lone Star State.
Do charter schools improve outcomes for English learners?
David Griffith, Michael J. PetrilliThe number of English learners in charter schools has increased markedly in recent years, but our knowledge of how well charters serve these students hasn’t kept pace with that growth. That’s why we conducted our new study, "Charter Schools and English Learners in the Lone Star State." It finds, among other things, that compared to their traditional public school peers, English learners in Texas charters are more likely to graduate high school and enroll in college. They also earn more money in the post-college years.