What we're reading this week: January 13, 2022
The Education GadflyDemocrats are losing the Asian American vote, and their position on education is a key reason.
Why authorizers shouldn’t shy away from helping their charter schools improve
Alex MedlerA decade ago, most charter school authorizers agreed it was not their job to help struggling charter schools. But times have changed, and best practices in charter school authorizing are evolving.
Republicans and school boards
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Recent months have brought much hand-wringing and ink spilling over the possibility that hordes of Republicans are gearing up to plunge into local school board elections, this as part of their discovery that public education is rich with political opportunity (cue incoming Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin, his campaign advisors, and observant GOP strategists).
Colorado’s curriculum crackdown
Dale ChuTo start the year off on an upbeat note, Colorado’s muscular effort to improve K–3 reading curriculum finally appears to be paying off.
Student retention and third-grade reading: It’s about the adults
Todd CollinsImproving reading results, especially for Black and Hispanic students, is one of our top educational priorities. The numbers are dire, as we see almost half of these youngsters performing “Below Basic” on the fourth grade NAEP—a truly alarming level of performance.
Early childhood education and later educational outcomes
Julia WolfMuch attention has recently focused on early childhood education (ECE), thanks in part to its inclusion in President Biden’s Build Back Better bill. A new study by Robert C. Carr and colleagues investigated how the longitudinal effects of ECE are mediated by the quality of the K–12 schooling that follows.
An enlightening look into school funding inequalities
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.It is widely taken for granted that schoo
What we're reading this week: January 6, 2022
The Education GadflyKeller Independent School District, under pressure by the state of Texas, is convening an anonymous committee to ban books they deem questionable.
Education Gadfly Show #801: Grumpy New Year with Checker Finn