What rhymes with 'self-serving'?
The Education GadflyEarlier this week, AFT president Randi Weingarten came out against the use of value-added measures in teacher evaluations, citing recent VAM shortcomings in D.C. and Pittsburgh and launching the catchy slogan, “VAM is a sham.” VAM certainly is not perfect.
Resolve to be resolute
Chad L. AldisWe’ve passed the time for standing by and patiently hoping that Ohio’s lowest-performing charter schools will improve on their own. Or that the authorizers of such charters will solve this problem on their own.
Welcome to Choice Words 2.0
Chad L. Aldis, Michael BrickmanReaders of this blog have come to expect news from around the country, analysis, cogent commentary, and best-practice policy recommendations. All of that has been in large part due to the efforts of Adam Emerson.
Save the date - January 30, 2014
Jeff MurrayFordham invites you to what promises to be a fascinating panel discussion: Private Schools and Public Vouchers.
Public accountability & private-school choice
Adam EmersonThe Fordham Institute supports school choice, done right. That means designing voucher and tax-credit policies that provide an array of high-quality education options for kids that are also accountable to parents and taxpayers.
Dis-location: School choice, residential segregation and educational inequality
Alyssa SchwenkAttorney General Eric Holder’s claim that Louisiana’s voucher program contradicts federal des
Five edu-reads to close out the year in style
Tomorrow morning, some of you are going to feel bad about yourselves for tonight’s debauch. Not much I can do for headaches and queasy stomachs, but I can help you insulate your self-esteem: Read these five things before the festivities. You’ll head into the evening knowing you smartened yourself up.
SIG in Colorado
I’ve obviously made up my mind about SIG and other school turnaround efforts.
ESEA waivers and charter school authorizing
Kathryn Mullen UptonAs ESEA waivers change the school-accountability landscape, charter authorizers need to take the opportunity to rethink how we too can measure school progress. Ohio, as part of its Title I waiver, moved to an “A” to “F” rating system for schools, is implementing new standards and assessments, and is providing some flexibility around various reporting requirements.
Charter advocates should demand only the best
Adam EmersonAccording to the newest assessment from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools regarding the charter sector’s share of the public school market, the number of school districts where at least 20 percent of students attend charters has
How about a cap on bad schools?
Michael BrickmanArbitrary caps on the number of charter schools or charter school students are still bad ideas.
Weekend reads
I can’t tell you how much I like the annual charter school “market-share” report from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. It’s my favorite annual publication.
A Growing Movement: America’s Largest Charter School Communities
Adam EmersonAccording to the newest assessment from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools regarding the charter sector’s share of the public school market, the number of school districts where at least 20 percent of students attend charters has
Little learners need better curriculum
Michael J. PetrilliMayor Bloomberg is justifiably proud of the big gains New York City made in boosting the high-school graduation rate on his watch, with about two-thirds of students now graduating in four years, up from half a decade ago.
Quick hits for a Friday
Checker Finn, chagrined at the lack of attention to gifted education in the U.S., has decided to study what other nations do.
A common app for uncommon schools
The Education GadflyFor a decade, the nonprofit Institute for Innovation in Public Choice (IIPSC) has helped the cities of New York, Boston, Denver, and New Orleans bring order to the Wild West of school choice, using the one-two punch of economic theory and custom software.
How bad are the Common Core lessons on the Gettysburg Address?
Tim ShanahanWelcome to the new Common Core kerfuffle.
Why and how parents choose schools
The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice recently released a study that seeks to better understand the decision-making processes of parents who send their children to private schools.
Testing voucher students: A reasonable quality-control measure with minimal threats to school diversity
Adam EmersonJay Greene wants school-choice supporters to relax the testing mandates in the newest and largest voucher programs in the nation.
Financing the Education of High-Need Students
Matt Richmond, Daniela FairchildSchool districts face an enormous financial burden when it comes to educating our highest-need students. Financing the Education of High-Need Students focuses on three specific challenges that are often encountered when districts—especially small ones—grapple with the costs of serving their highest-need special-education students.
Meanwhile, in ACTUAL federal-overreach news...
Michael BrickmanIt seems the largest battle in education policy today centers on the question of whether or not the Obama administration cheerleading for the Common Core State Standards, a state-led initiative, represents an existential threat to federalism.
Times have changed, so must we: Seize the day, adapt, and thrive
On Tuesday, November 19, I gave the keynote speech at the American Center for School Choice event tied to the release of the report of its Commission on Faith-based Schools. The following is the text (edited for length) as it was prepared.
Over- and underachievers
The Education GadflyThe D.C. Charter Board recently released its annual ranking of charter schools in the nation’s capital, showing that one-third of the schools it sponsors deserve a top-performing, or Tier 1, status.
Lots of school choices, and so little information about them
Adam EmersonWhat good is it to offer an abundance of school options if parents don’t know about them?
Remember whom open enrollment serves
Chad L. AldisQuick! Name the Ohio school-choice program that has provided students the opportunity to attend a school not operated by their resident school district for the longest period of time. Charter schools? Nope, strike 1. The Cleveland voucher program? Try again, strike 2. Unless you guessed open enrollment, that’s strike 3.
Anecdotes Aren’t Enough: An Evidence-Based Approach to Accountability for Alternative Charter Schools
Kathryn Mullen UptonNew from a workgroup of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), this report maps an oft-overlooked space in the charter-accountability world: How charters that serve special populations, such as students who have dropped out, are held accountable for performance.
A comeuppance deferred?
The Education GadflyAfter a week of insider chatter predicting that L.A.
What do the voices of school choice sound like?
Jeff MurrayA Fordhamite and parent discusses school choice through his family's personal experience.
Getting tough on charter authorizing
Kathryn Mullen UptonCharter school authorizing is complex work that requires specialized knowledge and skills. But all the resources in the world are nothing without institutional commitment.