Why reading growth flatlines, and what to do about it
Gene KernsDiscussions about the power of literacy are ceaseless.
No easy choices except to be kind (and butt out!)
Erika SanziIf we are to survive the stress and uncertainty of this year’s school reopenings, we are going to have to learn how to lead from a place of grace and empathy. None of this is easy. There are not any good, let alone perfect, options. The conditions on the ground are changing daily, and the personal circumstances of each family—whether teacher or student—are different.
Will NAEP wreck its reading assessment?
Chester E. Finn, Jr.The National Assessment Governing Board is in the middle of an enormous effort to revamp its framework for assessing reading, a central element of the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Frameworks set forth what is to be assessed and how that’s to be done. Changing them is harder than moving a cemetery, requiring years of lead time, costing much money, and entailing endless palaver among people with divergent views of the subject. Unfortunately, in the proposed set of revisions, the bad outweighs the good by a considerable margin
Dueling Florida standards reviews
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Last month, Fordham released a detailed review of Florida’s latest K–12 academic standards for English language arts (ELA) and mathematics.
Why Secretary DeVos should reject Michigan’s testing waiver request
Dale ChuToday, Michigan became the first state to formally seek federal permission to suspend standardized testing in 2021 because of learning disruptions caused by the coronavirus.
The case for statewide diagnostic assessments in the fall
Trinady MaddockThe start of a new school year is always filled with challenges. New teachers, new classes, and new expectations can be difficult for both teachers and students. But what if teachers and students haven’t been in school for six months or more? How can schools try and prepare to get back to a sense of normalcy after all of this?
Keeping the teacher-student feedback loop intact during distance learning
Maggie JohnsonEditor’s note: This blog post was first published by Partnership Schools.
A self-reflection tool for distance learners
Beth BlaufussEditor’s note: This blog post was first published by Partnership Schools.
Denver’s ambitious reimagination of accountability
Derek GottliebDenver Public Schools (DPS) has long prided itself on being ahead of the curve when it comes to education reform. It was one of the first major urban districts in the country to negotiate a pay-for-performance system for its teachers in 2005.
Shooting the test-messenger to end accountability
Chester E. Finn, Jr.This year’s holiday from federally-mandated end-of-year assessments in math and English language arts will undoubtedly embolden test haters to declare once again—and louder than ever—that we never needed those damned exams in the first place and that our schools and students are far better off without them.
COVID-19 cancelled state assessments for the spring. Should we push for permanent reductions in testing going forward?
Cory Koedel, Eric ParsonsWith schools shuttered nationwide by the COVID-19 pandemic, states had no choice but to cancel standardized testing for the 2019–20 school year. Although certainly less pressing than many other COVID-related issues, the test stoppage is a long-run concern for states and school districts that monitor student performance using annual tests.
The chronic condition of American education
Dale ChuI proudly serve on the board of the Colorado League of Charter Schools.
Back to basics for conservative education reform
Yuval LevinThis major essay comprises one of the concluding chapters of our new book, "How to Educate an American: The Conservative Vision for Tomorrow's Schools." Levin brilliantly—and soberingly—explains what conservatives have forfeited in the quest for bipartisan education reform. He contends that future efforts by conservatives to revitalize American education must emphasize “the formation of students as human beings and citizens,” including “habituation in virtue, inculcation in tradition, [and] veneration of the high and noble.”
The biggest scandal in education is hiding in plain sight
Dan WeisbergKids hear all the time that working hard and earning A’s and B’s in school will open opportunities for them later in life. Families rely on those grades to tell them whether their kids are getting what they need out of school to become happy, successful adults.
Students learn more from teachers with high grading standards
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D., Michael J. PetrilliFordham’s newest report, "Great Expectations," delves into high school grading practices and the impact they have on student outcomes. Turns out that higher standards benefit students of all types and in all kinds of schools. Whether black, Hispanic, white, male, or female, students learn more when taught by teachers with higher expectations. Unfortunately, American schools are gradually making it harder, not easier, for teachers to keep standards high.
The Florida LGBTQ controversy: A gut-check moment for school choice
Robert PondiscioFlorida’s Tax Credit Scholarship program has provided more than 780,000 scholarships since its inception in 2001.
Lessons from New Hampshire’s innovative approach to assessment and accountability
Charles BaroneAlthough most states are only about a year and a half into implementation of the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), we’re seeing an uptick in conversations about what the next generation of school assessment and accountability systems should look like. Those discussions should begin with what we’ve learned since the passage of ESSA in 2015.
We need schools that form the backbone of communities, and Catholic schools have been doing that for generations
Kathleen Porter-MageeLast week, the Supreme Court heard arguments in Espinoza v.
Enduring math woes jeopardize America’s standing in the world
Brandon L. WrightConsiderable research suggests that “math skills better predict [individuals’] future earnings and other economic outcomes than other skills learned in high school,” report Eric A. Hanushek, Paul E. Peterson, and Ludger Woessmann.
Espinoza and the myth of values-neutral schooling
Dale ChuThe education world was slow on the uptake, but oral argument this week in the case of Espinoza v.
D.C. continues to improve its teacher evaluation system
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Amid all of the hullabaloo over teacher evaluations, fewer states are now using test scores to assess the quality of their teacher workforce.
School Improvement Grants worked well—at least in these four locales
Jessica PoinerThe American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 marked a massive federal investment in our schools, with more than $100 billion to shore up school systems in the face of the Great Recession. Along with that largesse came two grant programs meant to encourage reform with all of those resources: Race to the Top and School Improvement Grants (SIGs).
Those that live by the scores…
Chester E. Finn, Jr.We are endlessly tempted—and strongly encouraged by OECD’s Andreas Schleicher—to infer policy guidance from PISA results. If a country’s score goes up, maybe other countries should emulate its education practices and priorities, as they surely must be what’s causing the improvement.
Why Catholic schools have regained their place in education reform
Kathleen Porter-MageeAt the beginning of the modern ed-reform movement, getting onto four decades ago, urban Catholic schools were everywhere, serving as vital proof points in the debate about what was possible. While too many traditional public schools serving disadvantaged communities were either unsafe, failed to produce graduates with even basic skills, or both, urban Catholic schools stood apart.
Why China’s PISA scores are hard to believe
Tom LovelessThe 2018 PISA results are out. Generally, countries scored within an expected range given their past records. Except one. The scores are astonishing for B-S-J-Z, an acronym for the four Chinese provinces that participated: Beijing, Shanghai, Jiangsu and Zhejiang.
What other states can learn from Indiana’s funding, choice, and accountability reforms
Dale ChuSeveral candidates in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary have criticized the inequities created by school funding formula
PISA 2018: Leaning into the economic headwinds
Michael J. PetrilliThe latest PISA results largely mirror the findings from NAEP: America’s scores are mostly flat, with some widening of gaps between our high and low performers in reading and math because the higher achieving students are making progress while their less accomplished peers aren’t. America’s standing also improved because some of the highest-achieving countries lost ground. Here are five big takeaways.
The Houston Federation of Teachers plays the Trump card
Dale ChuIn the latest episode of what promises to be a protracted saga in the Lone Star State, the Houston Federation of Teachers (HFT) recently filed a federal lawsuit to halt the state’s takeover of the Houston school district, one of the largest in the country.
Mississippi rising? A partial explanation for its NAEP improvement is that it holds students back
Todd CollinsAuthor’s Update, August 5, 2022: Analysis of NAEP demographic data shows that retaining students was in fact not a major contributor to Mississippi’s improved fourth grade NAEP results in the last few years—at least not the way this article suggested.