What we're reading this week: June 22, 2023
The Education GadflyTo sell their movement, education reformers overpromised in the 1990s and early 2000s. Now reformers need a more pragmatic narrative. —James Peyser To help students recover from pandemic learning losses, Richmond, Virginia, proposed a year-round school calendar.
#875: Charter schools that help students earn college credentials, with Kevin Teasley
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Kevin Teasley, of the Greater Educational Opportunities F
How not to read a book with students: A rebuttal to NCTE
Daniel BuckAn academic trifle to most, literary theory is a deceptively consequential issue in American education. In English classrooms, students are supposed to encounter great works of literature, sharpening and honing their own view of the world. And so it matters not just what books we choose to read with students, but how we read them.
What we're reading this week: June 15, 2023
The Education GadflyCentrists can reboot education reform. —Liam Kerr Passing legislation is only the start of the challenges to implementing universal ESAs successfully.
#874: How to build a continuum of advanced learning opportunities, with Nick Colangelo
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Nick Colangelo of the University of Iowa joins Mike Petr
How school systems can balance equity and excellence in their advanced education initiatives
Michael J. PetrilliOne of the most important efforts in America today is making sure we have as large and diverse a group of academic high achievers as possible in order to meet tomorrow’s challenges. A new report released this week—Building a Wider, More Diverse Pipeline of Advanced Learners—offers three-dozen recommendations to education leaders and policymakers at all levels on how to accomplish this.
Summertime isn’t quite so easy
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Kids are now about to finish school for the year—in some places already have—and parents face difficult challenges, even as their daughters and sons kick up their heels in blissful freedom. Some of those challenges have been around forever, such as how to keep them occupied and out of trouble without completely disrupting parents’ lives and work. But others, like offsetting the immense learning loss caused by the pandemic, are still new.
Classical charter school enrollment skyrockets in Texas
Cassidy Syftestad, Albert ChengRecent shifts in enrollment patterns across Texas school sectors have gone in one direction—out of traditional public schools. Within those shifts, a disproportionately large swath of students has left for classical charter schools. These trends reflect a wider renaissance of classical schooling across the United States.
The charter school landscape for English learners: An interview with two Texas experts
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Texas is home to a fifth of the country’s English learners, as well as the state where the number of them has quintupled over the past decade.
“Hold harmless” grading policies are anything but
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Arguments for and against “no zeroes” and other types of “hold harmless” grading
What we're reading this week: June 8, 2023
The Education Gadfly“There is no such thing as a morally neutral education, in public schools or anywhere else.” —American Conservative Schools should be phone-free zones, as a growing body of research shows that they inhibit academic, cognitive, and social development.
#873: Private and charter school teachers are thriving, with Paul DiPerna
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Paul DiPerna of EdChoice joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to di
Catch up on the religious charter schools debate
The Education GadflyIn a 3-2 decision yesterday, an Oklahoma state board defied the attorney general and approved the nation’s first religious charter school. Those of us at Fordham have been following the debate closely. These blog posts and podcasts will help you get up to speed:
Building moral literacy through reading: One charter school’s answer to “book bans”
Robert PondiscioWhile most of the country debates restricting children’s access to books, at Liberty, a Core Knowledge school that emphasizes character education, the debate runs in the opposite direction: Which books should kids be reading?
No, AP isn’t ushering in a totalitarian regime
Meredith Coffey, Ph.D.In the summer of 2018, I was thrilled to learn that I would be teaching AP English Language and Composition starting that fall. As part of New York City’s AP for All initiative, I became one of the first two AP teachers at my small, alternative public high school.
School choice proponents must wrestle with its shortcomings
Daniel BuckThomas Sowell famously quipped that “there are no solutions, only tradeoffs.” Even seemingly beneficial policies have repercussions. Reduce the prison population and crime increases. Close schools to prevent the spread of Covid and standardized test scores plummet. What’s more, even historic, society-altering changes come with side effects.
Worldwide, learning loss and pandemic school closures were directly connected
Jeff MurrayQuantifying learning loss experienced by students whose schools closed for extended periods during the coronavirus pandemic is vital.
What we're reading this week: June 1, 2023
The Education GadflyAn expert math instructor travels the country, reminding students of their humanity in the face of AI.
#872: The religious charter school debate, with Kathleen Porter-Magee
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Kathleen Porter-Magee of Partnership Schools—a network of Catholic school
School systems’ essential quest for coherence
Emily FreitagEvery leader of a state or school system gets asked the question, “How do all of the things we are doing fit together?” It’s a question about “coherence”—the Holy Grail of education, says Freitag. And for the last two years, she has worked with leaders of four offices in one state with the goal of finding more of it. Here’s what she learned.
The CLT is a growing, classical alternative to the ACT and SAT: An interview with its co-founder
Daniel BuckLast week, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed legislation that allowed high schoolers to use the Classic Learning Test (CLT)—a classical alternative to the SAT and ACT—to qualify for the state’s Bright Futures scholarship. Already accepted at over 200 colleges, this legislation is the CLT’s biggest boost yet.
States should embed civic content into statewide reading assessments
Ross WienerEditor’s note: This was first published by The 74.
Another nail in the “money doesn’t matter” coffin
Adam Tyner, Ph.D.In recent years, the debate on the impact of financial resources in education has been petering out. Studies showing that more money for schools has had a discernable effect on student academic outcomes, particularly for students from lower-income families, keep accumulating.
Dire straits: Taking stock of and addressing pandemic-related learning loss
Victoria McDougaldAs the school year winds down, and with the World Health Organization officially declaring the emergency phase of the Covid-19 pandemic over earlier this month, many students, parents, a
What we're reading this week: May 25, 2023
The Education Gadfly“Why teacher evaluation reforms flopped.” —Matthew Yglesias The Educational Testing Service and the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching are collaborating on new tests they say will promote students’ learning at their own pace and decrease the need for traditional “seat time.” —