In the Arena: A tribute to John White
David ColemanIt takes a lot of bravery to enter the arena; it takes even more to stay there. That’s what I admire so deeply about John White, Louisiana’s state superintendent of education.
Unless something changes, the 2020s will be bleak for education reform
Dale ChuThe New Year, let alone the new decade, barely has its diapers on, but it’s not too early to put finger to the wind on where the next ten years might lead.
Where R & D and school improvement meet, good things happen
Michael J. PetrilliFordham’s recent Moonshot for Kids competition, a collaboration with the Center for American Progress, highlighted the distinction between research and development and “school improvement.” They’re very different concepts. R & D is inherently top-down and school improvement mostly bottom-up. Yet bringing them into productive contact with one another is vital and might be the key to getting student outcomes moving in the right direction once again.
The power of the two-parent home is not a myth
Ian RoweAmong several disturbing elements of Christina Cross's New York Times op-ed, “The Myth of the Two-Parent Home,” is the author’s seeming belief that unless growing up with married parents has the same effect on black children as on white youngsters, it is not worthy of endorsement.
Watch the movie, don’t just read the script: Teaching vs. curriculum
Mike GoldsteinFordham has produced The Supplemental Curriculum Bazaar: Is What’s Online Any Good? Worth reading! Are popular materials offered on Teacher Pay Teachers, and similar sites, useful?
Those that live by the scores…
Chester E. Finn, Jr.We are endlessly tempted—and strongly encouraged by OECD’s Andreas Schleicher—to infer policy guidance from PISA results. If a country’s score goes up, maybe other countries should emulate its education practices and priorities, as they surely must be what’s causing the improvement.
Why evidence-based practices don’t work: Part II
John A. DuesThere’s a large gap between the current state of education sector R & D and our aspirations for this research. As sectors, education and medicine have lots in common and analogies are often drawn between the disciplines. However, when it comes to evidence-based practices, there are stark differences between the two fields.
Why evidence-based practices don’t work: Part I
John A. DuesTo be clear, I am in favor of building a strong education R & D sector. However, it’s important to acknowledge the serious shortcomings of the current system. It is because of this current state that I am arguing that evidence-based practices don’t work. I’m making two claims.