Commentary
Commentary
Charter Schools
Ohio to Florida: Better schools for thee but not for me?
If you were on vacation earlier this month—lucky you—you may have missed the release of the 2017 NAEP results. On the whole, you didn’t miss much.
Report
Charter Schools, Governance
Charter School Deserts: High-Poverty Neighborhoods with Limited Educational Options
2016–17 was one of the slowest-growth years for charter schools in recent memory. Nobody knows exactly why, but one hypothesis is saturation: With charters having achieved market share of over 20 percent in more than three dozen cities, perhaps school supply is starting to meet parental demand, making new charters less necessary and harder to launch.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Charter schools 101: Why would we need charters in suburban, rural, or “good” districts?
By Susan Pendergrass
Commentary
Charter Schools
Behind the curtain of Ohio school choice
In case you missed the headlines, D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Antwan Wilson recently resigned.
Podcast
Charter Schools
Howard Fuller on school segregation
On this week's podcast, Howard Fuller, renowned civil rights activist and education reformer, joins Mike Petrilli and Alyssa Schwenk to discuss school segregation. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines ways to help bachelor’s degrees better facilitate professional success.
Podcast
Charter Schools
Special School Choice Week edition
On this week's podcast, Mike Magee, CEO of Chiefs for Change, and Nina Rees, CEO and president of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, join Mike Petrilli and Alyssa Schwenk to discuss where the choice movement stands on the occasion of National School Choice Week. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines a study on school discipline reform in Philadelphia, complete with a jaw-dropping teacher survey.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Seven takeaways from ECOT’s potential closure
After losing its sponsorship, ECOT, the largest e-school in Ohio, appears to be on the brink of closure.
Commentary
Charter Schools
When a district steps up, the state should step out of the way
As reported by the Dispatch last week, Columbus City Schools has unveiled plans to expand selective admission among its magnet schools next year. This is a positive step in an often criticized district—an effort that should be applauded and helped to grow.
Commentary
Charter Schools
First-person perspective: Personalized learning is real—and it works
In a recent blog post, University of Virginia cognitive scientist Dan Willingham posits three possible types of personalization in personalized learning—children learning at their own speed, pedagogical tailoring, and individualized content.
Podcast
Charter Schools
Three cheers for charter leaders of color
On this week's podcast, special guest Kim Smith—CEO of the National Charter Collaborative—joins Mike Petrilli and Alyssa Schwenk to discuss single-site charter school leaders of color. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines Raj Chetty’s new “Lost Einsteins” study, which finds that smart low-income kids are much less likely than their affluent peers to grow up to become inventors.
Commentary
Charter Schools
A deeper look at parent power
The annual “parent power index” published by the Center for Education Reform raises worthy questions—how much power is afforded to parents, and what can they do to acquire more?
Podcast
Charter Schools
The charter schools popularity contest
On this week's podcast, Mike Petrilli, Alyssa Schwenk, and Brandon Wright discuss why charters enjoy more support in some states than in others. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines the impact of administrator and parent support on teacher retention.
Commentary
Charter Schools
You’re invited to a discussion of school choice and collaborative solutions for education success
For too long, the topic of school choice in Ohio has been divisive and polarizing. You are invited to attend a thoughtful and substantive discussion of school choice with experienced leaders from across the state. This effort to find common ground and collaborative solutions in support of students promises to be a great evening. We hope you can attend.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Ohio’s latest charter sponsor ratings are out: What do the numbers mean?
Yesterday, the Ohio Department of Education released the second round of charter sponsor (a.k.a. authorizer) ratings.
Commentary
Charter Schools
What CER’s parent power report card gets wrong about Ohio
Since 2012, the Center for Education Reform (CER) has released an annual “parent power index,”—a scorecard for states as well as an interactive tool for parents “to discover whether their state affords them power ov
Commentary
Charter Schools
Reputation or data: One parent's effort to identify "good" schools
For the first time in their lives, my twin daughters are attending separate schools. It was a hard decision made after a lot of research and soul searching. My wife and I think both schools are good ones, but I’d be lying if I said I was 100 percent confident.
Podcast
Charter Schools
Cheer up, education reformers
On this week's podcast, Mike Petrilli, Alyssa Schwenk, and Brandon Wright discuss education reform’s surprisingly good year. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines a rigorous new study of career and technical education and its relationship to higher graduation rates.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Ohio charter critics now stealing metaphors from horror genre
Has William Phillis, head of the Ohio Coalition for Equity and Adequacy of School Funding and long-standing charter critic, been watching too many horror films this month?
Podcast
Charter Schools
Reinventing Andy Smarick
On this week's podcast, special guest Andy Smarick, a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, joins Mike Petrilli and Brandon Wright to discuss his review of David Osborne’s new book, Reinventing America’s Schools. During the Research Minute, David Griffith examines how heightened parent expectations affect Chinese students born during the Year of the Dragon.
Commentary
Charter Schools
You’re invited to an important hands-on workshop: Closing the achievement gap for economically-disadvantaged students
The teachers and administrators at Columbus Collegiate Academy-Main Street have a strong track record of supporting their students in closing the achievement gap and putting them on a college prep path.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Rising star
NOTES: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute occasionally publishes guest commentaries on its blogs. The views expressed by guest authors do not necessarily reflect those of Fordham.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Schools were made to help students, not the other way around
It’s frustrating feeling like a broken record, but Stephen Dyer’s comparisons between school districts and charter schools can’t go uncontested.
Podcast
Charter Schools
The state of early childhood education
On this week's podcast, special guest Sara Mead, a partner at Bellwether Education, joins Alyssa Schwenk and Brandon Wright to discuss the past, present, and future of early childhood education. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines the positive effects of education reform in Newark, New Jersey.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Compassion and academic rigor not mutually exclusive for kids in poverty
I recently visited United Preparatory Academy (UPrep). It’s a charter school serving students in grades K-4 (growing to grade five) located in Franklinton—one of Columbus’s poorest neighborhoods, where the median household income is thirty percent lower than the city-wide average.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Calling all aspiring filmmakers: How has school choice made a difference in your life?
School choice is becoming more and more common across the country, creating more and more stories of student and family success. The Foundation for Excellence in Education wants to hear as many success stories as possible and has launched a contest to find them.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Thoughts on educational privilege from a middle-class parent
When it comes to gauging the performance of Ohio’s public charter schools, unfair comparisons and generalizations are all too common.
Commentary
Charter Schools
Equal access? Analyzing charter location relative to demographics in Ohio
By expanding access to options including charters, choice advocates hope that more students will reap the benefits of attending high-performing schools. But do all families have charter options in their area?
Commentary
Charter Schools
Benefits of open enrollment from an Ohio superintendent's perspective
NOTE: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute occasionally publishes guest commentaries on its blogs. The views expressed by guest authors do not necessarily reflect those of Fordham.
Podcast
Charter Schools
The thing about school closures
On this week's podcast, special guest Scott Pearson, executive director of the DC Public Charter School Board, joins Mike Petrilli and Alyssa Schwenk to discuss the pros, cons, and challenges of closing low-performing schools. During the Research Minute, David Griffith explores why unionized charter schools in California perform better.