Democrats’ ed designs dealt setback in statehouses
Dale ChuControl of state legislatures is particularly important in a census year, but it’s also an often-overlooked element in driving substantive education policy changes. National politics takes up all the oxygen, but it’s state legislators who make most of the big decisions about how a state’s public-education system operates, is funded, is held accountable (if at all), and much more.
Suing for peace in the culture wars
Michael J. PetrilliDespite the divisiveness of the past four years, we should give peace a chance and heed President-Elect Biden’s plain but true words: “It’s time to put away the harsh rhetoric, lower the temperature, see each other again, listen to each other again. And to make progress, we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies. They are not our enemies, they are Americans.”
Create more autonomous, accountable district schools. Here's how.
Tressa Pankovits, David OsborneEducation wasn’t explicitly on the national ballot in 2020, but education is always on the ballot, even when you don’t see it. Now that the election is behind us, education reformers can focus again on states and communities, where most of the important decisions about K–12 education get made.
Finding inspiration in Idaho voters
Terry RyanDivisiveness, anger, frustration, mistrust, and threats. That is the narrative emerging around the 2020 presidential election. What I saw on election day as an Ada County poll worker in Boise, Idaho, couldn’t have been more different. The election I witnessed and served was distinctly positive and hopeful.
The Education Gadfly Show: What the election means for education reform
Cancel partisan politics to reopen our schools safely and sensibly
Victoria McDougaldAs we conclude a particularly fraught and divisive presidential election, most Americans (and even those of us who live in D.C.) welcome a reprieve from the constant onslaught of negative political ads, contentious debates, and around-the-clock election coverage.
Our aging population will end this golden era of school spending
Andrew J. RotherhamSpend a few minutes on education Twitter or listening to the loudest special-interest voices, and you’d think the future of public education hinges on whether Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, and the president can agree to another stimulus deal. That’s just a short-term Washington game—that will likely soon have a new roster of players.
Are schools essential or not?
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Are schools essential or aren’t they? Are teachers essential workers or aren’t they? How would Americans respond if large numbers of doctors, nurses, policemen, firemen, and postal workers simply opted to stay home—and their unions defended them? If you’re essential, you go to work.
About those 12th grade NAEP scores: The cake was (mostly) baked years ago
Michael J. PetrilliAs we previously saw at the 4th grade and 8th grade levels, the just-released 2019 12 grade NAEP results were mostly flat or down. But we already knew from the 2015 results that this cohort of students entered high school performing below their older peers.
Three gubernatorial contests with important ed implications
Dale ChuAs the clock winds down on the 2020 presidential campaign, what seems certain is that the path forward on education reform will not be through whoever wins the White House.
Gifted education done right benefits Black and Hispanic children. It’s not inherently racist.
Brandon L. WrightAs our country grapples with racial injustice, there are persistent calls to diversify elite institutions at all levels, from corporate and foundation boards to law schools and medical schools to undergraduate programs. All good.
Educating patriots
Robert PondiscioDecades before “equity” became a buzzword in education, E. D. Hirsch, Jr. had his finger on what the word actually means: equal access for all children to the knowledge and verbal proficiency that makes full participation in American life possible.
Teacher improvement during the first ten years
David GriffithA recent study from Brown University’s Matthew A. Kraft and John P. Papay and Harvard’s Olivia L. Chi uses nine years of administrative data from Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina to examine teacher improvement through the lens of principal evaluations.
Don’t place all the blame on our high schools—or Trump—if the 12th-grade test scores disappoint this week
Michael J. PetrilliOn Wednesday, the government will release the 2019 National Assessment of Educational Progress scores for twelfth grade students.
How charter supporters can win over Joe Biden
Michael J. PetrilliOn paper, it seems like Joe Biden would champion the cause of expanding high-quality charter schools, given his identity as a longtime centrist Democrat. Yet he doesn't. Thankfully for charter supporters, there pragmatic ways to bring him around, should he win the election next month
Restarting the “science of reading” conversation
Robert PondiscioEarly childhood literacy advocacy has been a quiet casualty of our current annus horribilis.
Strategies to help schools navigate the Covid-19 cash crunch
Frederick M. Hess, Brandon L. WrightIn education, one of the more bizarre debates of the past quarter century has been over whether more money improves students’ outcomes. It’s tough to think of anywhere else in American life where we’d even have that discussion.
Creating autonomous schools in traditional districts
Chester E. Finn, Jr.The Progressive Policy Institute’s indefatigable David Osborne, a long-time student of and advocate for quality charter schools, now joined by Tressa Pankovits, has penned a valu
The Education Gadfly Show: The loathsome war on exam schools
On this week’s podcast, Fordham’s Checker Finn joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss the growing, misguided war on selective-admissions
Will more social studies instruction improve students’ reading outcomes?
According to the Nation’s Report Card (NAEP), just one-third of U.S. fourth- and eighth-grade students can read proficiently. Among students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, it’s just one in five.
Partisanship and American education
Ashley Rogers BernerWhat are we teaching the children about our country? The short answer: not much.
The case for urban charter schools
David Griffith, Michael J. PetrilliContrary to much public rhetoric, the evidence for expanding charter schools in urban areas is stronger than ever. To be sure, the research is less positive for charters operating outside of the nation’s urban centers. And multiple studies suggest that internet-based schools and charters that serve mostly middle-class students, perform worse than their district counterparts, at least on traditional test-score-based measures. But charters needn’t work everywhere to be of service to society.
Charter schooling on the ropes?
Dale ChuThe negative partisanship animating this year’s presidential contest notwithstanding, charter school advocates will have their hands full no matter who prevails.
Ohio’s charter school turnaround
Aaron ChurchillFor a number of years, Ohio’s charter school sector has been more of a punchline than an exemplar in national debates about charters. The criticisms, though sometimes exaggerated, were not entirely unwarranted.
The vanishing pre-K advantage
Jeff MurrayBefore the coming of the pandemic, pre-K was a hot topic.
Denver school board champions Black excellence, except in charter schools
Alan GottliebThe Denver school board spent forty-five minutes Monday getting an update on its Black Excellence Resolution and worthy efforts being made at district and school levels to address systemic racism and implicit bias.
The Education Gadfly Show: Lemov and Woolway on teaching like a champion—online
On this week’s podcast, Mike Petrilli and David Griffith are joined by Doug Lemov and Erica Woolway, co-managing director and chi
A response to Tim Shanahan on “Social Studies Instruction and Reading Comprehension”
Adam Tyner, Ph.D.After the release of a new study I co-authored for the Thomas B.
Equity and unintended consequences in the Washington suburbs
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Two big public-school systems in the D.C. area are on the verge of letting their zeal for equity and racial justice lead to consequences they may end up regretting. Fairfax County, which operates one of America’s best known and most esteemed “exam schools,” is may use a lottery, rather than test scores and other quality measures, for admissions. And Loudoun County is considering revising its rules for “professional conduct” by school staff to punish employees—teachers included—in truly Orwellian ways.