How not to write state standards for civics and U.S. history
Jeremy SmithAs discussed in Fordham’s new report, many states aren’t making the grade when it comes to their civics and U.S. history standards, which are often vague to the point of being meaningless.
Strong standards are vital for making history and civics central in K–12 education
Peter GibbonGone are the days when we could all agree with Ben Franklin’s sunny admonition: “Indeed the general tendency of reading good history must be, to fix in the minds of youth deep impressions of the beauty and usefulness of virtue of all kinds.” Instead, we must cope with political polarization, schools preoccupied with the achievement gap, students who learn from social media, and adults who are t
An improved forecast for the NAEP reading assessment
Chester E. Finn, Jr.The prolonged fracas within and far beyond the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB) concerning a new “framework” for NAEP’s future assessment of reading has been ominous on several fronts—as I haven’t hesi
Texting parents helps improve student literacy. But how much is too much?
Jeremy SmithText-message nudges have been a viable tool in early-childhood literacy in recent years, with parents or guardians receiving occasional missives to encourage specific literacy activities with their children.
Are Virginia’s elementary schools worsening achievement gaps?
William RostA new working paper from researchers out of the University of Virginia uses data from the state’s kindergarten literacy assessment, the Phonological Awareness Literacy Screening (PALS), to examine how the subsequent achievement trajectories of kindergarteners who enter school with similar literacy levels differ by race and/or SES. The findings are worrying.
5 things I’ve learned from teaching U.S. history to high schoolers
José A. GregoryI’ve taught U.S. history to high schoolers for almost twenty years, during which time I’ve worked in multiple states with students of varying personal and cultural backgrounds. Below are the five things that I think I’ve learned. 1) Our students need more exposure to U.S. history.
We need better civics education, but it won’t happen anytime soon
Dale ChuFordham’s new report found that twenty states have “inadequate” civics and U.S. history standards that need a complete overhaul. An additional fifteen states were deemed to have “mediocre” standards that require substantial revisions. This fits the lackluster showing of U.S. students on the NAEP exams in these subjects, and suggests that some schools barely teach this content at all. Unfortunately, the obstacles in the way of improving this sad state run up and down the line.
How to strengthen U.S. history and civics standards
Louise DubéFor our constitutional democracy to survive, much rests on our ability to resolve “…differences even as we respect them,” which is The State of State Standards for Civics and History in 2021 report’s definition of the social purpose of civic education.
Dan Willingham’s "Why Don’t Students Like School" stands the test of time. That was the point.
Robert PondiscioMy 2009 copy of Why Don’t Students Like School by Dan Willingham is among the most dog-eared and annotated books I own. Along with E.D. Hirsch’s The Knowledge Deficit (2006) and Doug Lemov’s Teach Like a Champion (2010), I’m hard-pressed to think of another book in the last twenty years that had a greater impact on my teaching, thinking, or writing about education.
How gender gaps in math and literacy change as students age
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.While women have largely erased, and in some areas even reversed, the historic gender gap in educational attainment, some career outcomes can still skew along gender lines.
The Education Gadfly Show #776: Can curriculum reform succeed where the rest of standards-based reform failed?
Proof that it’s possible to approach civics and U.S. history in a balanced way
David Griffith, Chester E. Finn, Jr.Is America a racist country? Or the greatest nation on earth? Or both or neither or some of each?
Teaching U.S. history and civics in America’s pluralistic society
John Wood, Jr.The Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s review of state standards for U.S. history and civics comes at a critical moment in American civic life.
Five pandemic-era education practices that deserve to be dumped in the dustbin
Michael J. PetrilliA crisis like a pandemic can spark unpredictable changes in trends and behavior, like widespread mask wearing in the United States. But it also can accelerate changes that were already underway but otherwise would have taken root much more slowly.
Evaluating state intervention in low-performing districts 2011–2016
Jeff MurrayAcross America, states are constitutionally responsible for providing K–12 education, but in practice school districts are the primary structure by which education is delivered. The vast majority of such districts are run by locally elected school boards.
The State of State Standards for Civics and U.S. History in 2021
Jeremy A. Stern, Ph.D., Alison E. Brody, José A. Gregory, Stephen Griffith, Jonathan PulversIs America a racist country? Or the greatest nation on earth? Such a divisive question leaves little room for the complexity, richness, and nuance of our country’s past and present. But it’s the sort of question that often seems to get asked in today’s polarized environment. Small wonder, then, that the tattered condition of civics and U.S. history education constitutes a national crisis.
This simple therapeutic technique would help schools support traumatized students
Sarah BroomeOver the past several years, schools have begun to reckon with the level of trauma students are dealing with and the effect that trauma has on students’ lives and their ability to learn. An increased focus on trauma-informed models has given leaders the beginnings of a road map to helping affected students be successful.
President Biden’s $220,000,000,000 “American Family Plan” should also pivot home
Miriam Kurtzig FreedmanSitting on a Boston city bus, I watched a mother with a young child. For the twenty-five-minute ride, they didn’t speak a word. No “Look at that little girl on the bicycle” or “We’re having pizza for dinner!” When you’re with a young child for that long, do you talk to her?
Tennessee’s excellent plan to address unfinished learning
Dale ChuNearly three months have passed since the third round of ESSER funding was signed into law as part of the American Rescue Plan (ARP). These dollars can be used for almost anything under the education sun, and most of them will flow directly to districts, but the limited set aside for states merits attention if only for the staggering scale of Uncle Sam’s total outlay.
Zombie ideas in education
Bryan GoodwinEditor’s note: This was first published in Educational Leadership.
Fast break: Instilling emotional safety and engaged learning in high schools
Barry E. Stern, Ph.D.Editor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2021 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to address a fundamental and challenging question: “How can schools best address students’ mental health needs coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic without shortchanging academic instruction?”
Partnering with culturally-specific community organizations to provide consistent, expansive, and adaptive mental health services
Christine Pitts, Elizabeth GilkeyEditor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2021 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to address a fundamental and challenging question: “How can schools best address students’ mental health needs coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic without shortchanging academic instruction?”
SEL for all begins with SEL for educators
Sulina Mohanty, Genesis KellerEditor’s note: This essay is an entry in Fordham’s 2021 Wonkathon, which asked contributors to address a fundamental and challenging question: “How can schools best address students’ mental health needs coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic without shortchanging academic instruction?”
To address mental health, think systemically about social, emotional, and academic learning
Justina SchlundEditor’s note: This was the third-place submission, out of twenty-five, in Fordham’s 2021 Wonkathon, in which we asked participants to answer the question, “How can sc
A new look at the question of the effectiveness of school turnarounds
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Turnaround efforts for low performing schools have been the subject of research interest since their advent in the No Child Left Behind era.
How remote instruction affected learning at the college level
Jeff MurrayStories of successful remote teaching and learning experiences during the pandemic are heartening. But more and better data around those successes are required.
The Education Gadfly Show #771: Same old, same old: How districts are spending federal relief dollars (so far)
Choosing “all of the above” serves all
Dr. Alex Casillas, Dr. Bonnie A. HainHow can schools best address students’ mental health needs coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic without shortchanging academic instruction? Question #1: Schools can best address the needs of whole learners coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic by: