Personalized learning for the wee ones in the wake of the pandemic, Part I
Michael J. PetrilliEditor’s note: This is the fourth in a series of posts about envelope-pushing strategies that schools might embrace to address students’ learning loss in the wake of the pandemic.
Cautious hope for a new history-and-civics roadmap
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Bullish but far from sanguine is how I view the ambitious history-and-civics “roadmap” unveiled
Lessons for standardized testing from the cancellation of the NFL scouting combine
Dale ChuDespite last week’s announcement by the U.S. Department of Education that it won’t grant blanket testing waivers this year, a number of states have decided to push for one anyway.
Jay Mathews’s admirable optimism about American education
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Yes, I blurbed it—and I like it. Yes, a visitor to our home, a worldly and skeptical sort, hefted it and looked at the title and asked me “Isn’t that awfully thick for a book about optimism regarding American public education?”
Digging deeply into the data on school turnarounds
Olivia PiontekStates embraced school turnaround efforts in the wake of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act in the early 2000s. These took various forms at first, as each state pursued their own turnaround strategies per NCLB’s requirements.
Is hybrid learning killing teaching?
Robert PondiscioA lot of us have been confused, angry, and frustrated by the reluctance of some teachers, and particularly their unions, to resume in-person instruction.
Power to the people? Part 2: History’s lessons for “community control”
Chester E. Finn, Jr.In last week’s Gadfly, I shared some misgivings about today’s push for “community control” on the part of many education reformers and philanthropists.
Charter school growth increases resources in district-run schools
Patrick WolfEducation funding is sticky. Once dollars are sent to a public school or school system, they tend to stay there.
Assessing the value of community college credentials
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.The return on investment for four-year college degrees is fairly well-established in terms of graduates’ employment and
What happens to English learners’ academic achievement when they’re reclassified as English proficient?
Melissa GutweinAs English learners approach language proficiency, does it matter whether they continue to receive English language instruction? A recent paper published in Economics of Education Review seeks to answer this question for English learners in Minnesota.
Gen Z and Millennials are bullish on their futures and critical about today’s schools
Bruno V. MannoGeneration Z and Millennials are optimistic about their future and confident it will be filled with opportunity, despite the pandemic and other problems they face. Two in three (67 percent) believe they “have the opportunity to achieve the American dream,” with more than one in two (56 percent) saying “all people in my generation” can achieve it.
Biden’s soft touch might be the only hope for schools in blue districts to reopen
Michael J. PetrilliWhat will it take for President Biden to make good on his December promise to reopen a majority of U.S. schools within his first one hundred days?
Teacher unions are the only ones being coldly rational about reopening schools
Dale ChuBarely a day goes by without another story reporting the negative effects
Power to the people? Part I
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Perhaps the biggest buzz in education-reform circles these days, and among the philanthropies that pay for such things, is community empowerment and community control.
Are classroom instructional materials meeting the needs of English learners?
Julie FitzBack in May 2020, The U.S. Department of Education had to issue guidance clarifying that, yes, schools and districts were still required to provide language instruction services for English learners (EL) during remote learning.
How schools should spend federal Covid-19 aid
Brandon L. WrightWith two big rounds of Covid-19 aid having been sent to schools and at least a third on the horizon, leaders must make difficult decisions, especially as more schools reopen and the pandemic rages on. How can they use this money to best mitigate risk, facilitate effective hybrid learning, and most importantly, get kids back on track after suffering substantial learning losses?
Massive student loan forgiveness would be a lost opportunity to help needy Americans
Michael J. PetrilliIt’s not surprising that most of the arguments against widespread student loan forgiveness are coming from the political right, given that the idea itself gained prominence during the 2020 presidential campaigns of Senators Bernie Sander
Literacy is equity
Robert PondiscioAny discussion about “equity” in education that is not first and foremost a discussion about literacy is unserious.
How much does student motivation affect student outcomes?
Adam Tyner, Ph.D.Why do some students succeed and others lag behind? This is, of course, a central question in education policy.
What drives racial gaps in special education identification?
Melissa GutweinRecent work published in the Journal of Labor Economics examines how school segregation may be related to racial gaps in special education identification.
Are charter schools a drain on district finances?
David Griffith, Michael J. PetrilliShould President Biden follow through on his campaign promise to grant local school districts veto power over the creation of new charter schools within their borders, on the assumption that their expansion harms traditional public schools?
Robbers or Victims? Charter Schools and District Finances
Mark WeberOpponents of charters contend that they drain district coffers, while proponents argue that it is charters that are denied essential funding. Yet too often, the claims made by both sides of this debate have been based on assumptions rather than hard evidence.
How ya gonna keep ‘em back in that old school?
Chester E. Finn, Jr.If the pandemic vanished tomorrow and all U.S. schools instantly reopened in exactly the same fashion as they were operating last February, how many parents would be satisfied to return their daughters and sons to the same old familiar classrooms, teachers, schedules and curricula? A lot fewer than the same old schools and those who run and teach in them are expecting back!
How anger over Covid closures can fuel the school choice movement
Robert PondiscioThe father testifying before Virginia’s Loudon County school board
Opening schools can help heal our divided country
Dale ChuLast month, I weighed in on the renewed calls for civics education after January 6’s disgraceful assault on the U.S. Capitol. While teaching civics would be a good start, schools are critical institutions of civil society regardless of whether they teach civics well or at all.
The negative effects of student absenteeism: From bad to worse in a pandemic
Victoria McDougaldPredicting the effects of pandemic-related disruption on students’ education is a vital but fraught pursuit.