What we're reading this week: August 18, 2022
The Education GadflyA new survey finds a growing partisan split on the public’s views about education.
Gifted education is (hopefully) a work in progress in America’s largest school district
Brandon L. WrightEditor’s note: This is an edition of “Advance,” a newsletter from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute written by Brandon Wright, our Editorial Director, and published every other week. Its purpose is to monitor the progress of gifted education in America, including legal and legislative developments, policy and leadership changes, emerging research, grassroots efforts, and more.
Education Gadfly Show #833: Are we witnessing the end of education reform?
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Checker Finn joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to dis
A freedom framework for social studies education
Cade BrumleyThe American educational system has neglected its duty to provide students with a foundational understanding of social studies for decades. Weak standards for learning were established, primary documents were ignored, and students were allowed to create their own historical truths.
Education reform is alive and well, even if the Washington Consensus is dead for now
Michael J. PetrilliThe latest declaration of education reform’s demise comes from two of Mike’s favorite people: Checker Finn and Rick Hess. But what they actually describe is the end of the bipartisan ed reform coalition—what Mike and Rick used to call the “Washington Consensus.” Even with it gone for now, however, education reform continues apace—and continues to rack up victories for kids. And there are ways to rebuild the coalition.
The new education consensus is conservative, and that’s a good thing
Daniel BuckIn the latest issue of National Affairs, Chester Finn and Frederick Hess chronicle the splintering of the school reform movement that lasted from roughly 1983 until Trump’s presidency.
Why and how leaders should tackle teacher wellness
Jessica PoinerThe mental health crisis has been a persistent headline over the last few years, as research and
Do multi-tiered systems of support improve student behavior?
Julia WolfSchool systems across the country are training teachers in multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) to tackle issues like social emotional learning, mental health, and behavioral interventions.
How states leaders can expand and support youth apprenticeships
Abigail HamiltonThe Covid-19 pandemic altered public confidence in education and left lasting shortages in the workforce. Youth unemployment rates are recovering, but young people are still in need of job opportunities that will create lasting wealth and opportunities for further education.
What we're reading this week: August 11, 2022
The Education GadflySchool choice is a contentious issue in Texas’s gubernatorial race between Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke. —The Texas Tribune Parent protests over school budget cuts have pressured Mayor Eric Adams to take the unusual step of renegotiating NYC’s education budget with the City Council.
Education Gadfly Show #832: Removing barriers to the classroom in the face of a (possible) teacher shortage: Yes or no?
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show Podcast, Heather Peske, president of the National Council
Lax school discipline is bad for teachers
Jeremy AdamsTeachers’ authority in the classroom is being undermined by policies of “restorative justice”—a non-punitive approach to discipline. But the predictable albeit unintended consequence of these well-meaning policies is that disruptive students get away with previously unacceptable behavior. Outbursts of student vulgarity and incidence of violence have become normalized as something teachers and other students have to endure.
Gifted students need a “continuum of services” now more than ever
Dina BrullesTeachers are now planning instruction for the new school year. But very quickly after their pupils arrive, many will realize that some students will not be adequately challenged by the grade-level curriculum typically assigned for the class. Some will already have mastered that material and are ready to move on.
Impacts of charter school growth on school and neighborhood diversity
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Student demographics in traditional district schools largely reflect patterns of housing availability and affordability within neighborhoods. Much of that is due to strict attendance zoning.
More evidence that making school easier does students no favors
Adam Tyner, Ph.D., Christian EggersIt’s one of those zombie mantras that just won’t die: Letting students cut corners, giving them grades they haven’t earned, and generally lowering the bar is a nice thing to do for vulnerable kids—those living in poverty, often with turbulent home lives or mental health struggles to boot.
What we're reading this week: August 4, 2022
The Education GadflyHaving friendships that cut across class lines can improve future earnings for poor children, but those relationships are rare. —New York Times Fewer young children live in cities, which could mean more enrollment declines for urban K–12 schools.
An interview with Janet Kragen, who taught gifted education for four decades
Brandon L. WrightEditor’s note: This is an edition of “Advance,” a newsletter from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute written by Brandon Wright, our Editorial Director, and published every other week. Its purpose is to monitor the progress of gifted education in America, including legal and legislative developments, policy and leadership changes, emerging research, grassroots efforts, and more.
The Education Gadfly Show #831 Resurfaced: Research Deep Dive: The impact of urban charter schools
Our host Mike Petrilli is on vacation this week, so we're republishing our most popular podcast episode for three years r
The problem with “differentiation”
Daniel BuckShouldn’t we all seek to individualize instructions to meet each child’s needs? Who could oppose “differentiation”? Well, I do.
Biden’s misguided guidance on discipline for students with disabilities
Max EdenLast week, the Biden administration released new guidance for how schools should handle discipline for students with disabilities.
When students feel unsafe, absenteeism grows
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D., Christian EggersSchool shootings are profoundly tragic—scarring not only the families whose children become victims, but casting a shadow over the lives, mental health, and outcomes of the surviving students. But evidence is also clear that it’s not only horrific mass shootings that can lead a child to miss school. Any feeling of not being safe can prompt children and teenagers to stay home.
CREDO examines charter school performance in three cities
Christian EggersAre charter schools helping students succeed?
What we're reading this week: July 28, 2022
The Education GadflyThe publisher of Lucy Calkins’s troubled reading curriculum has halted the release of an updated version over concerns about conservative states’ new curriculum laws. —New York Times Children’s needs were sacrificed more than any other group’s during Covid-19 policymaking decisions.
Education Gadfly Show #830: When it comes to Covid learning loss, the bleeding has stopped
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show Podcast, Lindsay Dworkin and Karyn Lewis, senior vice preside
Ed reformers should rally around the Romney family aid plan
Michael J. PetrilliA major, though largely unnoticed, development in America’s support for families with children is the recent release of the “Family Security Act 2.0” by Senator Mitt Romney, along with fellow Republicans Richard Burr and Steve Daines. It could and should serve as the starting point for bipartisan negotiations for a new federal investment in families that might stand the test of time.
The American family is still coming apart
Kay HymowitzIn 2004, the late Sara McLanahan published a landmark article called “Diverging Destinies: How Children Are Faring Under the Second Demographic Transition.” The paper was the first scholarly attempt to propose that the decline of the two-parent family in the United States since the 1960’s was intensifying the already unequal l