Ten map meditations on economic mobility
For a couple weeks now, I’ve been obsessing over this map. It’s the product of a remarkable research project that collected and analyzed the incomes of the thirty-year olds who were born between 1980 and 1982.
Lies, damned lies, and the Common Core
Michael J. PetrilliIf you want to understand why supporters of the Common Core are frustrated—OK, exasperated—by some of our opponents’ seemingly unlimited willingness to engage in dishonest debate, consider this latest episode.
A New Frontier: Utilizing Charter Schooling to Strengthen Rural Education
Aaron ChurchillWith thirty-two cities across the nation placing more than 20 percent of their students in charter schools, it is clear that chartering has changed the face of urban education. But what about students from rural areas?
The standardized test as Tocquevillian device
This is a cliché by now, but the public schools where I live are producing test takers: pretty good ones, as far as the numbers show. At parent night at the beginning of the school year, we were introduced to a curricular program explicitly built around “assessments”—the new euphemism, I gather; maybe it intimidates less.
School choice and accountability: Finding the right balance
Charles L Glenn, Jr.Editor’s note: This article wades into the ongoing debate over private school choice and public accountability.
Netflix Academy: The best streaming videos on Colonial America
Michael J. PetrilliNote: This post is part of our series, "Netflix Academy: The best educational videos available for streaming." Be sure to check out our previous Netflix Academy posts on
National School Choice Week: A time to recognize outstanding choices
Chad L. AldisWe recognize 25 of the best charter schools in Ohio.
Charter lessons for school choice, including accountability via authorizers
Yesterday at AEI’s terrific conference on “encouraging new and better schools” via school-choice programs, I presented a paper on
The Ticket
Elisabeth HoysonAt less than an hour, this documentary, directed by Choice Media founder Bob Bowdon, provides a digestible overview of school choice and how it impacts families. The film’s slightly hokey structure is a transcontinental exploration of school choice by train.
Measuring Up to the Model: A Ranking of State Charter School Laws
Aaron ChurchillA state’s laws and policies set the conditions for a thriving charter-school environment. Good policy can ensure that public charters have access to the resources they need and the freedom to innovate, while also ensuring accountability for academic outcomes. But not all state charter laws are created equal.
Replicating Quality: Policy Recommendations to Support the Replication and Growth of High-Performing Charter Schools and Networks
Kathryn Mullen UptonWe take a look at Public Impact's recent publication of ten policy recommendations to foster growth of successful charters.
Focus on success, not just improvement
Lisa Graham KeeganI have been blessed with a few decades worth of work in education policy, and I have never seen a moment with more potential.
The President on Education
Chester E. Finn, Jr.On the K–12 education front, the president made no news and no big mistakes. He scarcely even mentioned teachers. Save for “Race to the Top,” he mentioned none of his administration’s more controversial (and sometimes worthy) initiatives such as charter schools, teacher evaluations, and state waivers from No Child Left Behind.
Utilizing charter schooling strengthens rural education
Today, Bellwether released a new report on the promise of charter schooling in rural America—and the very real challenges facing it.
Flipping Out: Controlled choice restricts options
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Mike Petrilli and Rick Kahlenberg are among my favorite people (I don’t know Sam Chaltain, although I might like him, too), but their piece in Sunday’s Washington Post smacks of nanny-statism rather than school choice and educationa
Re: Flipping Out
Michael J. PetrilliChecker thinks that Sam Chaltain, Rick Kahlenberg, and I are engaging in “nanny-statism” when we propose a form of “controlled choice” in strategic locations of Washington, D.C., which he likens to “forced busing&rdqu
Executive action I can support: weighted lotteries for charter schools
Michael J. PetrilliLast night, President Obama promised to use the stroke of his pen to push forward initiatives upon which Congress refuses to act. In the education realm, this is nothing new (see: conditional ESEA waivers) and generally nothing to cheer. But just this morning, the U.S.
School choice and the beginnings of a conservative agenda for economic opportunity
Michael BrickmanPresident Obama is leaving us on the edge of our seats as to whether he will discuss certain topics in tonight's State of the Union address.
The most important resolution: STEM education
Our nation’s education crisis is not exaggerated, nor is the risk to our economic prosperity and national security.
A tribute to the work of E. D. Hirsch, Jr.
A luminary on the importance of a sequential, content-rich curriculum.