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Not so fast on the parade celebrating the Nevada ESA program

I have been and continue to be a strong supporter of parental choice. I joined this fight over twenty-five years ago because I believe it can help address the systemic inequities so many poor students face. In my mind, the primary purpose of parental choice is to provide those who do not currently have high-quality educational options with access to those options.

Scott Walker quotes about education

Building social capital: What schools can learn from Head Start programs

In a National Review piece last month, Mike Petrilli raised the important issue of how schools can build on the existing social capital in low-income

Jim Webb quotes about education

Gadfly Bites - 7/10/15

Federal efforts to fix charter law in Ohio

Rural innovators in education: How can we build on what they are doing?

The promise of resource sharing, blended learning, and administrative flexibility far off the beaten path. Jane Song

Credentials for All

Building career and technical pathways to improve struggling state economies. Michelle Lerner

Does Character Matter?

Of course it does, but don’t expect common standards anytime soon. Robert Pondiscio

The yin and yang of reforming Head Start

New federal regulations are encouraging. But de-federalization is half the solution. Chester E. Finn, Jr.

Is the Friedrichs case an “existential threat” to the teachers' unions?

A Supreme Court defeat in the Friedrichs case would likely weaken unions—not end them. Michael J. Petrilli and Dara Zeehandelaar, Ph.D.

Don't ditch accountability

Editor's note: This post originally appeared in a slightly different form at National Review Online.

To my friends on the Left and Right: Please stop polarizing the ESEA debate

It’s finally here: Our best chance to update the Elementary and Secondary Education Act since its passage shortly after 9/11.  A whole generation of students has come and gone, yet our nation’s key education law remains the same. There’s absolutely no good reason to delay reauthorization any longer. To the contrary; it’s sorely overdue.

Bobby Jindal quotes about education

Theory without experience is intellectual play

John Dickinson, probably our nation’s most underappreciated founder, argued at the Constitutional Convention, “Experience must be our only guide. Reason may mislead us.”

A step back in accountability

Guest post discussing the drawbacks of the “Similar Students Measure” (SSM)

Faith, hope, and hard work: Reflections on Year One of Partnership Schools

June marked the end of my first year as superintendent of Partnership Schools, a nonprofit school management organization that (thanks to an historic agreement with the Archdiocese of New York) was granted broad authority to manage and operate six K–8 urban Catholic schools.

Chris Christie quotes about education

Speak up! Change the world! Ruin your career!

The intriguing new book This Idea Must Die argues that we’re beset by beliefs that have outlived their usefulness.

ESAs aren't for everyone

And that’s OK. Michael J. Petrilli

Giving Teachers the Feedback and Support they Deserve

Firing our way to excellence is an incomplete strategy. Clara Allen

The Educator's Dilemma: When and how schools should embrace poverty relief

Putting anti-poverty programs under one roof is a promising approach. Jessica Poiner

Buckets of Water into the Ocean: Non-Public Revenue in Public Charter and Traditional Public Schools

Everybody knows charters make up funding shortfalls with philanthropic dollars. And everybody’s wrong. Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.

Tapas-style curriculum

Editor's note: This post originally appeared in a slightly different form at the Core Knowledge Blog.

Do good schools leave low-achieving students behind?

How to ensure that all students are making learning gains

RIP, Marva Collins

It wasn't cool to be a "no-excuses," tough-love teacher for poor minority kids in the 1970s. That was the era of access centered "equity" for one and all, and most educators fretted more about kids struggling in school than about boosting their achievement.

Want to change school names? Involve students in the decision

I taught fifth grade for many years at P.S. 277, in New York City’s South Bronx. But the school's full name was the Dr. Evelina Lopez-Antonetty Children's Literacy Center.

The State of Public Education in New Orleans: 10 Years After Hurricane Katrina

An insightful and nuanced take on a unique school district. Ellen Alpaugh

What Happens When Schools Become Magnet Schools?

A study of specialized schools reveals a mixed legacy of success. Alyssa Schwenk