Commentary
Charter Schools
Four ways to fuel healthy competition in education
The monopoly can and should be broken
Topics
Commentary
Charter Schools
Is "district" an operative word?
I have two requests. The first is modest. The second is…well, let’s focus on the first for the time being.Please go to your calendar and block off thirty minutes. You can call the item “Districts and the Achievement Gap.” It’s easy work; you’ll just need to do look at some pictures.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Test scores don't tell us everything, but they certainly tell us something about school quality and student success
Editor's note: This post is the fourth in an ongoing discussion between Fordham's Michael Petrilli and the University of Arkansas's Jay Greene that seeks to answer this question: Are math and reading test results strong enough indicators of school quality that regulators can rely on them to determine which schools should be closed and which should be expanded—even
Commentary
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Charter Schools
One highway, two realities
A sixth grader in Mountain Brook, Alabama, can be considered one of the luckiest in the country, enrolled in a district where he and his classmates read and do math three grade levels above the average American student.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Paying homage to charter schools' early trailblazers
This is the first in a series of essays marking the twenty-fifth anniversary of America’s first charter school law. These commentaries are informed and inspired by our forthcoming book (co-authored with Bruno V.
Commentary
Undefined
Charter Schools
The Leicester City edition
On this week’s podcast, Mike Petrilli and Robert Pondiscio talk Trump, the role of test scores in determining school quality, and the opt-out movement. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern explains how the threat of NCLB sanctions reduced teacher absences.
Commentary
Advanced Education
Students need opportunities to flex their creative muscles
Although we consider creativity and critical thinking two of the most important skills today, children often have limited opportunities to flex their creative muscles. Parents and teachers need to encourage creative children to find at least one outlet, along with venues and audiences to showcase their work.
Commentary
Charter Schools
What reformers can do to expand charters and choice besides advocating for policy change
A few weeks ago, I argued that policy change is not the only path to education reform, floated five other approaches for improving educational practice, and promised to flesh them out in future posts.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Rely on local actors, instead of faulty information, to make judgements about school quality
Editor's note: This post is the third in an ongoing discussion between Fordham's Michael Petrilli and the University of Arkansas's Jay Greene that seeks to answer this question: Are math and reading test results strong enough indicators of school quality that regulators can rely on them to determine which schools should be closed and which should be expanded—even
Commentary
Charter Schools
Revamp of Charter Schools Program incentivizes (mostly) the right things
The federal Charter Schools Program (CSP), which provides seed money for charter start-ups primarily through competitive state grants, got an upgrade in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) in December.
Commentary
Shut bad schools for low performance, but don't draw conclusions from test scores alone
By Michael J. Petrilli
Commentary
Charter Schools
The weak predictive power of test scores
The school choice tent is much bigger than it used to be. Politicians and policy wonks across the ideological spectrum have embraced the principle that parents should get to choose their children’s schools and local districts should not have a monopoly on school supply.
Commentary
Charter Schools
When personal beliefs and duties collide
Personal belief cannot supersede public duty
Commentary
Charter Schools
Teaching to the Student: Charter School Effectiveness in Spite of Perverse Incentives
Test score inflation or genuine increase in proficiency?
Commentary
Charter Schools
Virtual schools mean real work for charter supporters
Efforts to reform charters must include all school types
Commentary
Advanced Education
America's Report Card: We're still ignoring low-income high-achievers
Last week, the Department of Education released the 2015 Nation’s Report Card for twelfth graders. As with the fourth- and eighth-grade scores provided last fall, there was little to celebrate. In the core subjects of math and reading, average scores held firm at the same unimpressive level they’ve been at since 2009.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Coming next week: Jay Greene and I debate school choice and the role of test scores in determining school quality
Next week, in a series daily blog posts, Jay Greene and I will explore areas of agreement and disagreement around the issue of school choice and school quality.
Commentary
Charter Schools
A deep dive into Ohio’s charter school enrollment data
Ohio's families need more high-quality choices in more locations
Commentary
Charter Schools
Opportunity awaits: A market analysis of Ohio’s charter school sector
The Buckeye State has a better opportunity than ever to raise its charter game
Commentary
Charter Schools, ESSA
Announcing the Fordham Institute's third annual Wonkathon. This year's topic: ESSA and parental choice
In 2014, we hosted our first-ever Wonkathon, which was dedicated to the subject of charter school policy.
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Charter Schools
School choice, student mobility, and school quality in New Orleans
By Robert Pondiscio
Commentary
ESSA
Is there actually a national teacher shortage?
The whole point of the Every Student Succeeds Act was to revert financial and regulatory authority back to states after No Child Left Behind’s era of federal supremacy.
Commentary
Undefined
The LEMONADE edition
On this week’s podcast, Mike Petrilli and Robert Pondiscio celebrate Prince’s little-known legacy in the world of education, assess education policies that hold parents accountable, and question the alleged diversity of the opt-out movement. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines the causes and effects of test score manipulation in New York State.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Using Google Maps to get charter students to school
Outliers make for great stories and headlines, but they don’t do much for policy discussions—particularly school choice policy. Recently, there has been a flurry of headlines citing tales of “extreme sacrifice” by Detroit students in their efforts to commute great distances to the schools of their choice.
