Character strengths can be taught
As the founder and Executive Director of KIPP Philadelphia Schools, I was surprised to read Dr. Laurence Steinberg’s Flypaper post on how KIPP charter schools approach character development. In response to his portrayal of our character work, I want to offer a KIPP educator’s perspective.
VIDEO: The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-by-State Analysis
Twenty-six state-by-state rankings of charter school quality, growth, and innovation.
New OCR guidance on equitable resources: A godsend for charter schools?
Michael J. PetrilliOn the whole, the new guidance from the U.S.
The Health of the Public Charter School Movement: A State-By-State Analysis
Megan LailSome good results, but there’s work to be done everywhere. Megan Lail
How to kill reading achievement
Robert PondiscioThere’s more to Common Core than “close reading.” Robert Pondiscio
In the Common Core era, different kids need different credentials
Chester E. Finn, Jr.We need two kinds of high school diplomas. Chester E. Finn, Jr.
District school authorizers and next-generation accountability
I’m excited about a recent shift in the reform conversation. After years of focusing on Common Core, common assessments, and teacher evaluation, many of those interested in large-scale K–12 improvements are turning their attention back to state accountability systems.
The one question that should determine NCLB waiver renewals
As a premed student in college, I grew accustomed to being evaluated on just a handful of marks—two midterms and a final exam made up the entire grade. With so few assignments, the stakes to do well on each test were high. But there were a couple of professors who upped the ante even more. They’d toss out your shoddy midterm grades if you aced the final, no questions asked.
The one question that should determine NCLB waiver renewals
As a premed student in college, I grew accustomed to being evaluated on just a handful of marks—two midterms and a final exam made up the entire grade. With so few assignments, the stakes to do well on each test were high. But there were a couple of professors who upped the ante even more. They’d toss out your shoddy midterm grades if you aced the final, no questions asked.
It’s time for Annenberg and AFT to be a little bit more “progressive”
Michael BrickmanThere’s a lot of talk about disruptive innovation these days. It seems hardly a month goes by that we don’t see some sort of exciting new innovation that changes an industry. Sometimes it happens over and over again in the same space. First we had paper maps that were replaced by custom driving directions we could print out from MapQuest (remember those?).
First Bell: September 25, 2014
The Education GadflyDEPARTMENT OF GOOD NEWS:Hispanic children, the fastest growing group of young people in the U.S., are seeing improvements on many academic measures, including increased math proficiency and lower dropout rates.
Leveled reading: The making of a literacy myth
Robert Pondiscio, Kevin MahnkenAmong opponents of the Common Core, one of the more popular targets of vitriol is the standards’ focus on improving literacy by introducing higher levels of textual complexity into the instructional mix.
A new start on accountability
Robin J. Lake, Paul T. Hill, Michael J. PetrilliEvery child should be in a school where he or she can learn effectively. That’s not a controversial goal in itself, but the methods meant to accomplish it can become hot buttons.
The high cost of misinformation
The Education GadflyOn Monday, Paul Peterson penned a Wall Street Journal op-ed arguing that American politicians ought to stop exploiting the common, mistaken belief that most schools are getting by on a shoestring.
Creating a City-Based Blended Learning Network
Michael BrickmanBlended learning, a teaching model in which students learn from both online sources and traditional instruction, has recently seen tremendous growth. Advocates say it can improve brick-and-mortar schools and increase students’ curricular options.
Does Gifted Education Work? For Which Students?
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.To answer the questions in its title, this NBER study analyzes administrative and test score data in the upper elementary grades from one of the country’s largest school districts (not identified).
Putting civics to the test: The impact of state-level civics assessments on civic knowledge
Robert PondiscioOur earliest thinkers about education—men like Benjamin Rush, Noah Webster, and Horace Mann—would have found our current obsession with preparing children for college or a career a trifle odd. Given the uncertain prospect of ordinary Americans running their own affairs, they were focused on an entirely different “C”—citizenship.
Montgomery County's elementary school curriculum: Where's the beef?
Michael J. PetrilliIt was back-to-school night last week at my son’s elementary school in Montgomery County, Maryland, which meant that we moms and dads got a first look at “Learning for the Future: A Parent’s Guide to Grade 1 Curriculum 2.0.”
Ed Next Book Club: Dana Goldstein on The Teacher Wars
In this installment of the Education Next book club, host Mike Petrilli talks with Dana Goldstein about her new best-selling book.
Is Your School "Celebration Eligible"? - Rating the School Ratings
Michael BrickmanSince the beginning of the No Child Left Behind era, most schools in all 50 states have been given an evaluation of student performance and an overall rating.
Is character education the answer?
Over the last few years, there has been a growing awareness of the need to incorporate character development into school curricula, and various efforts to do so have received wide attention. Perhaps the best-known effort is the Knowledge Is Power Program, or KIPP, which has been implemented in close to 150 charter schools across the country.