Commentary
What we're reading this week: December 5, 2024
New findings challenge the assumption that obtaining a master’s degree will lead to higher financial returns down the line.
Topics
Podcast
Governance
#948: School choice setbacks: Interpreting the referenda losses with Colleen Hroncich
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Colleen Hroncich, a policy analyst with the Cato
Commentary
Charter Schools, Governance, Private School Choice
So you want to make education great again? 3 executive orders for Trump on day 1.
The Founding Fathers never envisioned that executive orders would be a major policymaking tool, circumventing legislative and executive deliberations, political stalemates, and partisanship. But recent history has deemed them essential levers if there is to be urgent action on the most important matters of the day.
Commentary
Charter Schools, Governance
Why education reformers should respond to the election with critical self-reflection
Editor’s note: This was first published by CharterFolk.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing, Facilities, School Finance, Governance
The high cost of maintaining under-enrolled schools in Baton Rouge
At peak enrollment in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, our local school system educated over 70,000 children. Now, in essentially the same facilities, it serves just over 34,000 children. The district has been experiencing a steady decline in student enrollment since the early 2000s, losing around 2 percent of our student population each year on average.
Commentary
Governance, Teachers & School Leaders
How much blame does the federal government deserve for America’s mediocre schools?
In announcing his nomination of former SBA director Linda McMahon as the next secretary of education, President Trump promised yet again to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education. An important question is whether abolishing the agency—and its programs, policies, and regulations—would actually make things better for America’s students.
Commentary
Evidence-Based Learning, Curriculum & Instruction, Governance, Teachers & School Leaders
Linda McMahon should wrestle with learning loss
Social media lit up Tuesday evening with the news that President-elect Trump has tapped professional wrestling magnate and former Small Business Administration (SBA) administrator Linda McMahon to lead the U.S. Department of Education.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing, Evidence-Based Learning, Curriculum & Instruction, Governance, Teachers & School Leaders
David Brooks vs. meritocracy
Ah, David Brooks. Ordinarily, I’d start a piece in which I plan to (partially) disagree with him by stating that he’s a very smart guy—but what I’m going to push back at this time is his much-disseminated contention that America needs to rethink what “smart” means. Even though his own qualities would likely still qualify under his new formulation, I ought not take chances.
Commentary
Evidence-Based Learning, Governance, Teachers & School Leaders
The causes of teacher strikes and their impacts on student outcomes
A new working paper by an accomplished team of researchers uses a new dataset to dive deep into the dynamics and impacts of teacher strikes. This paper provides a fresh perspective on why these strikes happen, how they influence school districts, and their broader implications on education policy and student achievement.
Commentary
Commentary
What we're reading this week: November 21, 2024
A partial defense of Lucy Calkins and her role in America’s reading crisis. —Helen Lewis, The Atlantic Despite efforts to diversify, Harvard still admits a disproportionate number of students from a small number of affluent and/or highly-selective high.
Podcast
#947: MCAS no more: High school in the post-exit-exam era, with Jim Peyser
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Jim Peyser, former Massachusetts Secretary of Education, joi
Commentary
Evidence-Based Learning, Curriculum & Instruction, Governance, Advanced Education
A cornucopia of advanced learning reports to spice up your Thanksgiving
After an eventful year of politics and controversy—with more lurking on the horizon—several friends have shared their apprehension about holiday gatherings. No one wants to see Grandma serve the turkey wearing her red hat or Uncle Bob stick a “We’re not going back” flag in the cranberry sauce.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing, School Finance, Governance, Teachers & School Leaders
A reform agenda for Montgomery County: Investing in effective teachers in the system’s high-poverty schools
Editor’s note: This is the second in a series about Montgomery County [Maryland] Public Schools (MCPS), the fifteenth largest district in the country. Part one covered curricular and related issues and is available here.
Commentary
Governance
A silver lining for blue state education reform?
Trump 2.0 is likely to be bad for education reform, especially in blue states, says Petrilli. But that take could prove too pessimistic. Perhaps the rightward shift in some of the bluest parts of America will encourage Democrats to fight for the center again, including by embracing sensible education reforms. Let’s give this possibility a hearing.
Commentary
Accountability & Testing, Governance
Florida, the forgotten education-reform star
Around the turn of the millennium, Florida was widely regarded as a pace-setter in education reform.
Commentary
Evidence-Based Learning, Curriculum & Instruction, Governance, Advanced Education, Teachers & School Leaders
How schools can support equitable advanced education
In the Fordham Institute policy report titled Think Again: Are Education Programs for High-Achievers Inherently Inequitable?, Brandon Wright outlines four claims describing arguments that opponents of advanced education programs use to advocate for their
Commentary
Evidence-Based Learning, Curriculum & Instruction, Advanced Education
The longer-term impacts of early-college high schools
Early-college high schools are those that fully incorporate college course-taking into the curriculum. They are not to be confused with a more-typical “dual enrollment” model, which allows students the opportunity to take college courses if they have time.
Commentary
Commentary
What we're reading this week: November 14, 2024
Betsy DeVos expresses interest in returning to the secretary of education role while discussing the president-elect’s plans for education in his second term.
Podcast
Governance
#946: Is there hope for education reform after the election? with Dale Chu
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Dale Chu, a senior visiting fellow at the Fordham Institute
Commentary
Accountability & Testing, Evidence-Based Learning, School Finance, Governance, Private School Choice
How to ensure accountability in private-school choice programs
Yes, choice itself is a form of accountability, but “customer satisfaction” isn’t enough when tax dollars are in play—even for private-school choice programs. The public has a right to know that participating students are gaining essential skills. To that end, this post discusses four tiers of escalating accountability and where state policy should land, depending on the amount of taxpayer dollars provided to individual schools, among other considerations.
Commentary
Evidence-Based Learning, Curriculum & Instruction, Governance, Advanced Education, Teachers & School Leaders
Advanced education provides benefits that differentiated instruction can’t
Editor’s note: This is an adapted excerpt from the author’s recent Fordham Institute report, “Think Again: Are Education Programs for High Achievers Inherently Inequitable?”
Commentary
Evidence-Based Learning, Curriculum & Instruction, Teachers & School Leaders
How teachers can build knowledge
Almost forty years ago, E.D. Hirsch published his seminal book, Cultural Literacy, which advanced a simple, albeit paradigm-shifting, premise: Intellectual aptitudes—including literacy itself—depend on knowledge more than skills.
Commentary
Evidence-Based Learning, Charter Schools, Governance, Private School Choice
Are the competitive effects of charter schools muted or magnified by private schools?
One of the most interesting and significant findings about charter schools in the last decade—outside of the fact that they tend to outperform traditional public schools (TPS)—is that growin
Commentary
Evidence-Based Learning, Teachers & School Leaders
How some schools help students get back to grade level
According to estimates by principals nationwide, about 44 percent of American public-school students were behind grade level in a least one subject at the start of the 2023–24 school year.
Commentary
Commentary
What we're reading this week: November 7, 2024
New research shows that an endorsement from a local teachers’ union can boost a school board candidate’s likelihood of winning by up to 20 percentage points, due in large part to the popular belief that teacher approval signals competence in improving schools.
Podcast
#945: What happened when Tennessee colleges dropped remedial courses, with Jill Barshay
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Jill Barshay, author of The Hechinger Report’s
Commentary
Career & Technical Education, Curriculum & Instruction, Governance
Imagining a post-Biden blueprint for education and workforce regulatory reform
Within just a few short months, there will be a new occupant of the Oval Office and, with that, a new administration in charge of the education and workforce regulatory regime.
