Charter Schools

Gadfly Bites - 4/16/15

Special Edition looking at coverage of Ohio Senate's charter reform bill

Charter schools and backfill: The debate we're not having

An internecine argument exposes a fault line in charter school rhetoric. Robert Pondiscio

How Do School Leaders Respond to Competition? Evidence From New Orleans

Hint: Think Mad Men. Jeff Murray

Success Academy's Eva Moskowitz is America's most controversial educator

My U.S.

Why school choice is the highest form of fairness

The impulse to protect kids from bad choices serves no one well. Matthew Levey

How Do School Leaders Respond to Competition? Evidence From New Orleans

Short review of new study on the effects of competition on schools

The rough balance serves students well

Andy Smarick is clearly disappointed with the

The promise of mastery grading

Call it mastery or competency-based education, it holds promise for students of all abilities

Choice, accountability, and charter performance

If you’re at all interested in school choice, you really should read a trio of recent reports.

Time for a new non-district charter authorizer in D.C.

D.C.’s charter school sector stands as a shining example of what urban chartering can accomplish for kids in need.

The new school board

Andy delivered a shortened version of the following comments at a PPI launch event for Hill & Jochim’s new book, A Democratic Constitution for Public Education.

Accountability in Private School Choice Programs

A good primer on programs in twenty-four locales. Jeff Murray

CREDO Urban Charter School Study Report on 41 Regions

Charter schools are making a difference. Robert Pondiscio

New systems of schools and common enrollment

I didn’t see common enrollment systems coming.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

Busting myths, but not much to cheer about

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