End school mask mandates
Daniel BuckThirteen states and D.C. still mandate face masks for students, as do myriad individual districts in places that defer to local leaders. In total, about half of American students have to wear a mask every day. But there’s little evidence that this mitigates the spread of Covid—a consideration that the Omicron variant has made less important anyway—and, more importantly, masking inflicts real educational and emotional harm on students.
Why I left the classroom during the Great Resignation
Nathaniel GrossmanMillions of Americans are quitting their jobs. “The Great Resignation” is causing a labor shortage in many industries, as workers leave for other jobs or simply stay home. The field of education is one that’s hurting.
Incentivize individual agency to achieve upward mobility
Ian RoweEditor’s note: This testimony was given by Fordham Institute trustee Ian Rowe on January 20, 2022, to the U.S.
Dual language education seems to be a promising route to academic progress
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Dual language instruction (DL) is a version of bilingual education that renders instruction in two languages in the same classroom. It differs from the more common English-only classroom with pullout/separate services for students learning English as a second language (ESL). It also differs from language immersion in which students receive all instruction in their non-native language.
What we're reading this week: February 17, 2022
The Education GadflyIn this interview, the Manhattan Institute’s Reihan Salam explains why a conservative vision for civic discourse in a pluralistic democracy is at odds with critical race theory.
The plot to weaken New York City charters
Robert PondiscioIf New York politics were sane and rational—if our elected officials were serious about the pursuit of educational excellence and what’s best for children—the city’s charter school sector would be a point of civic pride.
Of course there’s tracking in high schools. Get over it.
Michael J. PetrilliTracking in our high schools is simply a fact, and we would do well to stop pretending otherwise or believing that it could be any other way. At the very least, we should allow for diverging paths after tenth grade, and we need to completely rethink our approach for our lowest-performing kids.
The pedagogy of the depressed
Robert PondiscioEditor’s note: This essay is adapted with permission from the cover story of the March issue of Commentary, “The Unbearable Bleakness of American Schooling.” The middle school two blocks from my New York City apartment is named for Jonas Salk.
We’re teaching mediocrity in literature classrooms
Daniel BuckSince the beginning of the common school movement in the 1800s, we have valued our institutions of public education for their unifying nature, and the creation of a literate populace is an essential element of that goal. But much modern-day English instruction accomplishes neither. These middle school and high school classrooms barely resemble what you or I remember from our school years.
What factors predict states’ embrace of private school choice?
Nathaniel GrossmanSchool choice is on the rise. In the last few decades, families have benefited from an explosion of educational options.
How did the pandemic affect school bullying?
Julia WolfWhen schools went online at the beginning of the pandemic, it was unclear how the sudden and disruptive shift would impact student behavior. Would cyberbullying, for example, increase with students spending more time on their devices? And would time away from other students increase bullying when students returned to buildings?
What we're reading this week: February 10, 2022
The Education GadflyParents and young adults have similar opinions about the effectiveness of K–12 and postsecondary education.
Other states should follow Virginia’s lead on critical race theory
William J. BennettEditor’s note: This was first published by Fox News.
Did public education have it coming?
Chester E. Finn, Jr.In many ways, the educational failures of the past several years—including those caused by the pandemic—were far worse than they needed to be because of long-standing characteristics of American public education. Namely, the tendency to place employees’ interests first, the disempowering of parents, and the failure to innovate.
The Maus that roared: Who do you want to decide what’s best for kids?
Robert PondiscioThe school board in McMinn County, Tennessee, voted 10-0 to remove Maus, a Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel by cartoonist Art Spiegelman, from its eighth grade curriculum last month, citing concerns about explicit language and disturbing illustrations.
The curriculum transparency trap
Dale ChuAmid the raging culture fires engulfing our politics and schools comes a concerted push among some conservative groups to codify a “parents’ bill of rights.” House minority leader Kevin McCarthy rolled out
Is Florida showing the way on boosting middle school outcomes?
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Much has been written about the third grade retention policy
What we're reading this week: February 3, 2022
The Education GadflyEd reform must accept the fact that “there are some kids that are more academically talented than others.” —
We all agree that college isn’t for everyone. We should start acting like it.
Michael J. PetrilliOne of the biggest shifts in education reform in recent years has been widening acknowledgment that the “college for all” mantra was misguided. Yet so far our commitment to “multiple pathways” to opportunity is almost all talk accompanied by very little action. High school course requirements and accountability systems continue to push almost all students into the college-prep track.
Charter school expansion narrows achievement gaps
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D., Michael J. PetrilliFordham’s new study, based on data from 400 metropolitan statistical areas and 534 micropolitan statistical areas, finds that an increase in total charter school enrollment share is associated with a significant narrowing of a metro area’s racial and socioeconomic math achievement gaps. With the country reeling from a pandemic that’s caused widespread learning loss, especially for disadvantaged students, getting more children into charter schools could help reverse those dire trends.
Americans have lost trust in public schools
Robert PondiscioEditor’s note: This essay was first published by The 74.
A century of school reform, through the eyes of Larry Cuban
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Confessions of a School Reformer, a new book by emeritus Stanford education professor Larry Cuban, still going strong at eighty-eight, combines personal memoir with a history and analysis of U.S.
Virtual schools should get more support and attention
Jeff MurrayA recent release from the Education Commission of the States reminds us that the term “virtual school” refers to several different types of educational options, and that the ecosystem—more important now than ever before—requires specific attention and support from policymakers.
What we're reading this week: January 27, 2022
The Education GadflyThis month’s sudden switch to remote learning is troubling news for kindergarteners.
Some Republicans want Miguel Cardona gone. They might come to regret it.
Dale ChuA letter seeking federal law enforcement intervention into threats aimed at school board members has caused a hullabaloo one year into U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona’s otherwise unremarkable tenure. Though his role in soliciting the letter is unclear, some Congressional Republicans would love nothing more than to see him become the fall guy. They would do well to consider how their thirst for blood might cut both ways.