What we're reading this week: March 14, 2024
The Education GadflyOutdated research created a false promise that tutoring could achieve two-standard deviations of academic gains in students. —Paul T. von Hippel, Education Next Joe Biden could court more votes for his struggling campaign by endorsing charter schooling.
#911: The flaws in school funding formulas, with Rebecca Sibilia
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Rebecca Sibilia, the executive director of EdFund, joins Mike and David to deb
Can we ditch the “gifted” label and just focus on what each student needs?
Alina AdamsEditor’s note: This was first published by The 74.
Doing educational equity right: Grading
Michael J. PetrilliThe way we grade student work is flawed—in some ways inequitable—and is in need of reform. But like so many things in American education, the push for “equitable grading” has often been implemented piecemeal, bringing along with it all manner of unintended consequences, the most important of which is lowered standards.
The research is clear: Charter schools work
Daniel BuckLate last year, researchers Sarah Cohodes and Susha Roy partnered with the MIT Department of Economics to release a paper summarizing the results of lottery-based charter studies. The topline conclusion is straightforward and promising:
What if Jeb Bush had won?
Dale ChuNeither of the major parties’ presumptive presidential nominees has anything serious in the offing to help American students get back on track.
How to build a better public school choice program: Evidence from Los Angeles
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.School choice discussions often overlook intradistrict open enrollment, allowing students to attend any public school within their resident district.
Most college graduates face underemployment upon bachelor’s degree attainment
Jeff MurrayMost young people who enroll in college after high school graduation do so in the hope that it will help them secure a good job. Similarly, many employers look to colleges as sources of high-quality candidates to fill job openings.
What we're reading this week: March 7, 2024
The Education GadflyDue to demographic changes and the democratization of expertise, AI could help rebuild the middle class, not destroy their jobs. —David Autor, Noēma School choice stands to benefit, not harm, rural communities.
#910: Reforming Houston ISD, with Mike Miles
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Mike Miles, the superintendent of Houston ISD, joins Mike and David to discuss the reforms he’s impl
The way we set grade-level norms on tests masks pandemic learning loss
Woody PaikThere are, generally speaking, two ways to report students’ performance on tests. One is normative, and it compares a student’s performance to his peers. The second is criterion, and it compares a student’s performance to learning standards, indicating grade-level proficiency and is independent of peers’ test performance.
The hazards of “equity grading”
Meredith Coffey, Ph.D., Adam Tyner, Ph.D.The push for more “equitable” grading policies has exacerbated grade inflation while yielding little evidence of greater learning. Some aspects of traditional grading can indeed perpetuate inequities, but top-down policies that make grading more lenient are not the answer, especially as schools grapple with the academic and behavioral challenges of the post-pandemic era.
Getting education (almost) right
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Rick Hess and Mike McShane have provided the education world with a thoughtful, accessible, perceptive, and—in its way—persuasive book on improving education. Though sub-titled (and marketed as) “a conservative vision,” it’s both more and less than that.
Study outlier teachers to solve the homework gap
Mike GoldsteinMy friend Michael Petrilli just wrote a great essay about the “homework gap.” He sets aside the upper-class question (stressed out kids with too much of it) and steers readers to the gap (some kids do what’s assigned, some kids copy and cheat, and some kids skip it).
ESSER funds are ending. What does this mean for pandemic learning loss?
Elainah ElkinsDistricts have used almost $190 billion in ESSER funds to help students recover from pandemic learning loss by implementing a wide variety of initiatives, including
What we're reading this week: February 29, 2024
The Education GadflyApproximately half of college graduates work jobs that don’t use the skills and knowledge from their degree. —Wall Street Journal A recent Supreme Court action allows schools to consider socioeconomic status, but not race, in admissions decisions.
#909: Rethinking “equitable” grading, with Adam Tyner and Meredith Coffey
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Adam Tyner and Meredith Coffey, the national research director and a se
Think Again: Does "equitable" grading benefit students?
Meredith Coffey, Ph.D., Adam Tyner, Ph.D.This policy brief challenges four key ideas that underpin “equity”-motivated trends in grading reforms.
Doing educational equity right: The homework gap
Michael J. PetrilliIf we care about doing educational equity right, we need to call the bluff of those who want to lower expectations for students’ effort “because equity.” Those so-called advocates need to do some of their own homework—and penance—as well.
Horace Mann’s solution to political turmoil in education
Daniel BuckFights over books, an exodus from public schools, politically obsessed adolescents, the need for civics education—Horace Mann predicted it all back in 1848. Thankfully, this education luminary also provided wisdom and insight in the common school era for how we can turn down the culture war heat in modern times.
Education reform is a bipartisan endeavor
Chester E. Finn, Jr.In their FUSION essay “The Past and Future of Education Reform,” drawing heavily on their worthy
Gag order? Or gag reflex?: State laws on teacher speech
Robert PondiscioA new report from PEN America claims that 1.3 million teachers, roughly a third of full-time classroom staff in the United States, are now forced to work under “educational gag orders.” PEN tallies forty pieces of legislation restricting teacher speech across twenty-two states as of November 1, 2023.
What we're reading this week: February 22, 2024
The Education GadflySeemingly positive daily attendance data can mask the realities of chronic absenteeism.
Why schools are failing to narrow excellence gaps in math
Jeff Murray, Brandon L. WrightMarginalized students have long lacked access to advanced education programs in the U.S., compared to more advantaged peers, and have been under-identified and therefore underserved when such programs exist.
#908: The looming expiration of Covid relief funds, with Chad Aldis
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Chad Aldis, Fordham’s Vice President of Ohio Policy, joins Mike and David t
NACSA's Third Thursdays // New School Applications: Do Authorizer Evaluations Predict the Success of New Charter Schools?
NACSA is honored to feature the report from the Thomas B.