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Topics
Video
Can gifted education survive the common core?
Jonathan Plucker, Rena Subotnik, and Tricia Ebner discuss what the new standards portend for high achievers.
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Advanced Education, Curriculum & Instruction
NEW from Fordham: Common Core and America's High-Achieving Students
While the merit and politics of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have been much debated and discussed, one topic has been virtually ignored: What do the standards portend for America’s high-ability students? In a new brief from Fordham, Jonathan Plucker, professor of education at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education, provides guidance for districts
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Scott Walker doesn't need a college degree—and neither do you
The pundit class is raising questions about whether Scott Walker’s lack of a college degree disqualifies him from being America’s forty-fifth president. This is what educators call a “teachable moment” because the issue goes much deeper than Governor Walker’s biography.
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Standards
An ode to Common Core kindergarten standards
This post originally appeared in a slightly different form at Psychology Today.
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Five ideas to strengthen the No Child Left Behind reauthorization proposals
For the first time since No Child Left Behind became law in 2002, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) stands a real chance to be reauthorized by Congress. It’s been at least seven years since it was supposed to be re-upped, and it’s overdue for some changes.
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Charter Schools
Ed Trust Midwest report on Michigan's charter authorizers: A decent start, but hardly the final word
Followers of Fordham’s work know that we are obsessed with charter school quality, both nationally and in our home state of Ohio. We are also a charter school authorizer, responsible for overseeing a portfolio of eleven schools in the Buckeye State—a job we take very seriously.
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Getting observations right
Recent research has shown that it may be more difficult for teachers of students with certain background characteristics (i.e., low achieving, poor, minority) to score highly on teacher observations.
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Exponential Growth, Unexpected Challenges: How Teach For America Grew in Scale and Impact
TFA’s hard work and honorable open-mindedness. Alyssa Schwenk
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Standards
Dual enrollment course content and instructor quality
The pros and cons of college courses in high school. Michael Brickman
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Charter Schools
Kids in Crisis, Cobwebs in Classrooms
Put empty Milwaukee school buildings to use for kids who desperately need them. Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.
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Standards, Curriculum & Instruction
The central problem with Jason Riley's argument
We at Fordham are big fans of Jason Riley, a Wall Street Journal columnist who just joined the team at the Manhattan Institute.
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Accountability & Testing
ESEA testing proposals in one picture
A couple weeks ago, I created a graphic to help explain the contours of the debate about federal accountability in the ESEA reauthorization process.
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Standards
One size fits most, even in the suburbs
Some progressive parents will never embrace Common Core. And that’s OK. Michael J. Petrilli
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School Improvement Grants: Progress Report from America’s Great City Schools
Turnaround advocates have little to celebrate. David Griffith
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Curriculum & Instruction, Standards
Is Common Core too hard for kindergarten?
There’s no such thing as too much, too soon in reading. Robert Pondiscio
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Doug Lemov reveals his secrets
Editor's note: These remarks were delivered as an introduction to Doug Lemov's February 10 panel discussion at the Fordham Institute.
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What "Humans of New York" should teach education reformers
Data warm wonks’ hearts. But stories win hearts and minds.
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Teacher evaluation gone wrong
Student learning gains ought to be a component of teacher evaluations. Measures such as value added are a useful and important complement to classroom observations. But not all models are created equal, as illustrated by a new lawsuit in Tennessee that reveals a rather preposterous policy.
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The future of school accountability
Recent days have brought several thoughtful commentaries on results-based accountability in K-12 education, why it’s important, what it’s accom
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Curriculum & Instruction, Standards
Common Core: Lessons learned from a year of debate
Revisiting the Common Core debate in Ohio
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Charter Schools, Accountability & Testing
Comparing Student Attrition Rates at Charter Schools and Nearby Traditional Public Schools
Busting myths, but not much to cheer about