Charter school effectiveness in spite of perverse incentives
Aaron ChurchillBy Aaron Churchill
One highway, two realities
Kevin MahnkenA 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.
Paying homage to charter schools' early trailblazers
Chester E. Finn, Jr., Brandon L. WrightThis 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.
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.
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.
What reformers can do to expand charters and choice besides advocating for policy change
Michael J. PetrilliA 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.
Rely on local actors, instead of faulty information, to make judgements about school quality
Jay P. GreeneEditor'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