NPR's Rocketship exposé fizzles on the launchpad
2016 is providing ample opportunities for the charter sector to take stock.
2016 is providing ample opportunities for the charter sector to take stock.
By Chester E. Finn, Jr., Bruno V. Manno, and Brandon L. Wright
On this week’s podcast, Mike Petrilli and Robert Pondiscio discuss Fordham’s new Common Core math study, NPR’s questionable coverage of Rocketship charter schools, and the summertime widening of the achievement gap. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines efforts to reform disciplinary practices in D.C. and New Orleans charter schools.
On June 22, the Dropout Prevention and Recovery Study Committee met for its first of three meetings this summer.
Dan Quisenberry’s recent piece in Fordham’s Gadfly suggested that newly enacted legislation in Michigan represents a “victory for charter quality in Detroit.” Dan is great, and it’s true that the legislation will likely help a little with charter quality.
Traditional districts that serve as charter school sponsors are often glossed over in the debate over Ohio’s charter sector. But given their role in two recent reports, it’s an opportune time to take a closer look at their track record.
School choice advocates have long agreed on the importance of understanding what parents value when selecting a school for their children. A new study from Mathematica seeks to add to that conversation and generally finds the same results as prior research.
On this week’s podcast, Mike Petrilli and Alyssa Schwenk discuss education reform’s common ground, the diversity of selective public high schools, and Ohio’s new charter law. During the Research Minute, David Griffith examines the effects of D.C.’s citywide charter school lottery.
By Amber M. Northern, Ph.D. and Dara Zeehandelaar, Ph.D.
Elite public academies like Boston Latin, Stuyvesant High School, and San Francisco’s Lowell High School have long been acclaimed for the top-flight academics they offer to applicants who pass their rigorous entrance exams.
School districts across the country are asking high-quality charter school operators to restart failing public schools. In New Orleans, nearly every public school has been relaunched as a charter school. In Tennessee, the new Achievement School District is focusing its attention on a range of school improvement options, including charters, to boost the state’s lowest-performers.
Earlier this month, the Department of Education released new data exposing the uneven suspension rates and limited learning opportunities faced by students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
On the heels of national research studies that have uncovered troubling findings on the performance of virtual charter schools, a
By Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Brandon L. Wright
It isn't perfect, but Jeanne Allen's new education reform "manifesto" makes a number of valuable points and powerful suggestions for the future.
Today, a consortium of charter school supporters released a new report containing solid, commonsense policy recommendations aimed at improving virtual schools. This report comes on the heels of national research studies that have documented the dismal performance of virtual schools across the country.
Jamie Davies O’Leary
During my first year at the University of South Carolina, I often purchased a morning cup of coffee in the university’s student union. Early one morning, I spotted a young man dressed in a business suit and bow tie carrying on an animated conversation with a group of undergraduates.
By Michael J. Petrilli and Brandon L. Wright
ESSA implementation means changes to Ohio's school report cards
By Kathryn Mullen Upton
We here at Fordham are really jazzed about the potential of high-quality career and technical education (CTE).
By Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Brandon L. Wright
Students at the Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology produce the highest SAT and ACT scores in the nation. All of the students take at least one Advanced Placement exam, with 97 percent of them scoring well enough to receive college credit. But those high scores don’t come without intellectual cost.
A high school diploma is a critical marker in the transition to adulthood that affects labor participation, social mobility, and opportunities for success. The good news is that high school graduation rates reached an all-time high of 82 percent in spring 2014. The overall graduation rate for charter public schools, however, fell short of that number by ten points.