Securing the public's interest in good schools: Markets, testing, and accountability
By Chester E. Finn, Jr.
By Chester E. Finn, Jr.
By Robert Pondiscio
By Christopher Rom
Citizens Leadership Academy (CLA) is preparing Cleveland middle schoolers for success in high school, college, and life—and not just academically. CLA, whose population is 79 percent economically disadvantaged and made up almost entirely of students of color, is second among all public schools in the city on student growth.
By Michael J. Petrilli
By Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.
The major charge against Betsy DeVos—and certainly the one that the writers at “Saturday Night Live” recently ran with—was that she doesn’t know enough about “school” to be Secretary of Education. She hasn’t been a teacher, a principal, or a superintendent.
By David Griffith and Victoria McDougald
Ohio charter schools have long reported struggling in their efforts to secure school facilities.
By Derrell Bradford
A report released today outlines the facilities challenges facing Ohio’s public charter schools.
NOTE: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute occasionally publishes guest commentaries on its blogs. The views expressed by guest authors do not necessarily reflect those of Fordham.
“Winners never quit and quitters never win.” There's a lot of truth in that cliché, but it doesn't seem to apply to education. When it comes to chronically low-performing schools, in many cases, the better – and more courageous – course is to “quit” and close a school that is simply beyond repair.
One of the hallmarks of school accountability is the identification of and intervention in persistently low-preforming schools.
Parents make choices about their child’s schooling based on a variety of factors: location, safety, convenience, academics, extracurriculars, support services, and more. Many families choose their school by moving to the neighborhood of their preference, thus exercising “choice” when making homeownership decisions.