Do Private Schools Serve as Oases in Charter School Deserts?
Last April, we published a report by Andrew Saultz and colleagues highlighting “charter school deserts” across the country, or high poverty areas that lack charter schools.
How much should we rely on student test achievement as a measure of success?
By Dan Goldhaber and Umut Özek
Gotta Give 'Em Credit: State and District Variation in Credit Recovery Participation Rates
Adam Tyner, Ph.D., Nicholas Munyan-PenneyCredit recovery, or the practice of enabling high school students to retrieve credits from courses that they either failed or failed to complete, is at the crossroads of two big trends in education: the desire to move toward “competency based” education and a push to dramatically boost graduation rates.
Teacher outs Trump official for being a loner and eating glue—in the third grade
Erika SanziBy Erika Sanzi
The perils of revising the Common Core
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D., Michael J. PetrilliBy Amber M. Northern and Michael J. Petrilli
The State of State Standards Post-Common Core
David Griffith, Victoria McDougaldEight years ago, we compared states’ English language arts (ELA) and mathematics standards to what were then the newly-minted Common Core State Standards. That report found that the Common Core was clearer and more rigorous than the ELA standards in thirty-seven states and stronger than the math standards in thirty-nine states.
Education tailored to the whole child
On this week’s podcast, Jim Shelton, who is about to step down from the helm of the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s education efforts, joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss the whole-child approach to personalized learning. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines how coaching programs affect teachers’ instructional practices and student achievement.
Reading and Writing Instruction in America's Schools
David GriffithSince 2010, when most states adopted the Common Core State Standards (CCSS), the Thomas B. Fordham Institute has been committed to monitoring their implementation.
Nudge, nudge, wink, wink
On this week's podcast, Ben Castleman, an assistant professor at the University of Virginia, and Ethan Fletcher, a managing director at ideas42, join Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to discuss Ben and Ethan’s collaborative project to improve college access and completion, Nudges, Norms, and New Solutions. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern looks at nudges, too, in this case the role of information and incentives in getting students to fill out their FAFSA forms.
Self-Discipline and Catholic Schools: Evidence from Two National Cohorts
Regardless of where you stand on the debate currently raging over school discipline, one thing seems certain: Self-discipline is far better than the externally imposed kind.
Teachers vs. STEM integration
Jeff MurraySTEM education is, by design, integrative. It strives to emulate the real-world work of engineers within a teaching environment.
Ruminating on the Kerner Commission’s fiftieth anniversary
On this week's podcast, Roberto Rodríguez, president and CEO of Teach Plus, joins Mike Petrilli and Alyssa Schwenk to discuss race and poverty in education. During the Research Minute, David Griffith examines whether authorizers are making it harder for people of color to win charter contracts.
How Ohio could pursue curriculum reform
Jessica PoinerLouisiana gets a ton of education-related attention, most of it focused on the Recovery School District and the proliferation of charter schools in New Orleans. While these reforms are certainly worth a close look, it’s the state’s quieter efforts on curriculum that may be truly changing the game for students and teachers.
Is There a Gifted Gap? Gifted Education in High-Poverty Schools
Christopher Yaluma, Adam Tyner, Ph.D.Schools have long failed to cultivate the innate talents of many of their young people, particularly high-ability girls and boys from disadvantaged and minority backgrounds. This failure harms the economy, widens income gaps, arrests upward mobility, and exacerbates civic decay and political division.
Fordham statement on state board of education’s recommended changes to Ohio graduation requirements
Ohio Education GadflyThe state board of education voted today to recommend that the General Assembly extend previously-relaxed graduation requirements for the class of 2018 to the classes of 2019 and 2020.
Ohio’s new readiness seal: Soft skills, but a hard reality
Jessica PoinerIn case you missed it during the hustle and bustle of the holidays, Ohio recently announced how students can earn a new endorsement on their high school diplomas.
Transforming Educator Preparation: Lessons Learned from Leading States
Jessica PoinerTo give some added oomph to excellent teacher preparation, the Council of Chief State School Officers launched the Network for Transforming Educator Preparation (NTEP) in 2013. Its purpose is to identify states with track records of innovative teacher preparation and support them in their efforts to implement aggressive and lasting improvements.
Teacher Absenteeism in Charter and Traditional Public Schools
David GriffithResearch confirms what common sense dictates: Students learn less when their teachers aren’t there. According to multiple studies, a ten-day increase in teacher absence results in at least ten fewer days of learning for students.
Is New York City vacuously filling teacher vacancies?
On this week's podcast, special guest Constance A. Lindsay, a research associate at the Urban Institute, joins Mike Petrilli and Brandon Wright to discuss New York City’s controversial new plan to use its Absent Teacher Reserve Pool to fill its teacher vacancies. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines an imperfect study of classrooms’ use of technology.
Illiteracy in Ohio: Where does the buck stop?
Madison YoderLast month, several urban Ohio school districts began sounding alarms over Ohio’s third-grade reading guarantee—a policy put in place several years ago that requires students who don’t reach reading proficiency by the end of grade three to be held back—fearful that a much larger number of their third graders won’t meet the requirements for promotion.
Where teacher evaluation reform was a home run
On this week's podcast, special guest Thomas Toch, director of FutureEd at Georgetown University, joins Mike Petrilli and Alyssa Schwenk to discuss teacher reform in Washington, D.C. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines how well principals’ evaluations differentiate teacher performance.
The student engagement edition
On this week's podcast, special guest Joshua Starr, CEO of Phi Delta Kappa International, joins Mike Petrilli and Alyssa Schwenk to discuss Fordham's new report What Teens Want From Their Schools: A National Survey of High School Engagement. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines early results from Joseph Waddington's and Mark Berends's ongoing study of the Indiana Choice Scholarship Program.
House Bill 176: Stealing the playbook won’t lead to results
Jessica PoinerBack in February, U.S. News and World Report named Massachusetts the top state in its Best States rankings.
House Bill 176 goes nuclear on education
Jessica PoinerIn politics as of late, there’s been a lot of talk about “going nuclear” in order to accomplish a goal.
Amplifying educators' voices
On this week's podcast, special guest Eric Eagon, a senior director at the PIE Network, joins Mike Petrilli and Alyssa Schwenk to discuss why policymakers ought to pay more attention to teachers and administrators. During the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines the peer effects of computer-assisted learning.
The Right Tool for the Job: Improving Reading and Writing in the Classroom
Melody Arabo, Jonathan S. Budd, Shannon Garrison, Tabitha PachecoAlthough it’s been almost seven years since many states took the important step of elevating their academic standards by adopting the Common Core, teachers and administrators across the country still bemoan the lack of reliable information about which instructional materials are high-quality and best aligned to the new standards.
The diminishing significance of racism and poverty in education reform
Ian RoweIf you want a good cry mixed in with some inspiration, watch noted human rights lawyer and activist Bryan Stevenson give a searing account of bias against the poor and young men of color in a TED Talk about an Injustice.
Some immodest advice to the Ohio graduation requirements work group
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.