Bless the tests: Three reasons for standardized testing

It takes more than a "gut feeling" to know how a school is doing

The limits of equity

Editor’s note: This is the eighth in a series of personal reflections on the current state of education reform and contemporary conservatism by Andy Smarick, a Bernard Lee Schwartz senior policy fellow with the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

Shifting from learning to read to reading to learn

This post has been updated with the full text of "Shifting from learning to read to reading to learn."

EdReports.org

A great resource fact-checks textbooks’ “Common Core-aligned” claims. Victoria Sears

The 2014 Education Choice and Competition Index

Rating school choice in the country’s biggest districts. Aaron Churchill

The 2014 Education Choice and Competition Index

Taking a look outside the public education monopoly at the educational marketplace

The Academic Impact of Inter-district Open Enrollment in Public Schools: The Results from a Decade of Choice

Inter-district open enrollment: the oldest, yet least studied, choice option in Ohio

Moral facts and the Common Core

Just when you thought we’d run out of things to blame on the standards. Kathleen Porter-Magee

How to end the education reform wars

On Sunday, Mike spoke to the New York State Council of School Superintendents. These were his remarks as prepared for delivery.

No time to lose on early reading

This post has been updated with the full text of "No time to lose on early reading"

School choice technocrats wanted

One of the most important developments in urban education over the last two decades has been the rapid expansion of school choice.

Turn and Face the Strain: Age Demographic Change and the Near Future of American Education

Coming soon: Fifty states of grey. Jane Song

The Teaching Brain: An Evolutionary Trait at the Heart of Education

Both teacher and student characteristics ought to influence instructional design. Megan Lail

CPAC's Common Core vaudeville show

I’d like to see Bobby Jindal use a teleprompter the next time he attacks Common Core. I’d like to be reassured he knows how to read.

Using equity reports to drive school improvement in D.C.

When we talk about high standards, accountability, and school choice, one essential element is often overlooked: giving parents and education leaders information they can actually use. It’s one thing to produce data, but quite another to make it useful—easily understood, comparable, and actionable.

Four ideas for Montgomery County Public Schools

The sudden departure of Joshua Starr, superintendent of Montgomery County Public Schools, caught many by surprise—including Starr.

Finding life lessons for students on the obituary page

Character education with real characters. Peter Sipe

NEW from Fordham: Common Core and America's High-Achieving Students

While the merit and politics of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) have been much debated and discussed, one topic has been virtually ignored: What do the standards portend for America’s high-ability students?  In a new brief from Fordham, Jonathan Plucker, professor of education at the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education, provides guidance for districts

Can gifted education survive the Common Core?

Higher standards are no excuse to ditch gifted services. Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.

Ed Trust Midwest report on Michigan's charter authorizers: A decent start, but hardly the final word

Followers of Fordham’s work know that we are obsessed with charter school quality, both nationally and in our home state of Ohio. We are also a charter school authorizer, responsible for overseeing a portfolio of eleven schools in the Buckeye State—a job we take very seriously.

Kids in Crisis, Cobwebs in Classrooms

Put empty Milwaukee school buildings to use for kids who desperately need them. Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.

The central problem with Jason Riley's argument

We at Fordham are big fans of Jason Riley, a Wall Street Journal columnist who just joined the team at the Manhattan Institute.

Is Common Core too hard for kindergarten?

There’s no such thing as too much, too soon in reading. Robert Pondiscio

Common Core: Lessons learned from a year of debate

Revisiting the Common Core debate in Ohio

Comparing Student Attrition Rates at Charter Schools and Nearby Traditional Public Schools

Busting myths, but not much to cheer about

Differentiated to death

It’s the Holy Grail! If only we could figure out what it is. David Griffith

Backfilling charter seats: A backhanded way to kill school autonomy

In defense of New York City's selective high schools

This post was originally published in a slightly different form by the CUNY Institute for Education Policy.

Public funding, parent choice, and the values of the majority

Last week, in his State of the State address, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo put the weight of his office behind an education tax credit

The case against federal accountability mandates in education

All we are saying is give choice a chance. Michael J. Petrilli