The progressive view of school choice
J. Martin RochesterOptions for students, not parents
Education Governance for the Twenty-First Century: Overcoming the Structural Barriers to School Reform
Paul Manna, Patrick McGuinnAmerica’s fragmented, decentralized, politicized, and bureaucratic system of education governance is a major impediment to school reform. In Education Governance for the Twenty-First Century: Overcoming the Structural Barriers to School Reform, a number of leading education scholars, analysts, and practitioners show that understanding the impact of specific policy changes in areas such as standards, testing, teachers, or school choice requires careful analysis of the broader governing arrangements that influence their content, implementation, and impact.
Children's museums and social-studies mush
Chester E. Finn, Jr.The new National Children's Museum, like our kids' social-studies curriculum, doesn't teach much of anything
One last thing before you go…
Andy Smarick's pick of the news, from PARCC to Zuckerberg
Online classes for K-12 students
Chester E. Finn, Jr.MOOCs in size small, please
Strategies for Smarter Budgets and Smarter Schools
Nathan LevensonThis new policy brief by Nathan Levenson, Managing Director at the District Management Council and former superintendent of Arlington (MA) Public Schools, offers informed advice to school districts seeking to provide a well-rounded, quality education to all children in a time of strained budgets. Levenson recommends three strategies: prioritize both achievement and cost-efficiency; make staffing decisions based on student needs, not student preferences; and manage special-education spending for better outcomes and greater cost-effectiveness.
Solipsism generation
Chester E. Finn, Jr.It isn't going to be easy for David Coleman and his fellow authors of the Common Core English/Language Arts standards to wean U.S. students off writing about themselves.
Salman Khan, Luddites, Bill Buckley, and online content
The middle path to technology in education
Social studies follies
Chester E. Finn, Jr.The cumbersome, inscrutable title is the first clue that something is not right: “Vision for the College, Career, and Civic Life (C3): Framework for Inquiry in Social Studies State Standards.”
Fordham President Chester E. Finn, Jr. receives NAGC President's Award
Pamela TatzCongratulations to Checker, who received the 2012 National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) President’s award for outstanding contributions to the field of gifted education
A closer look at union strength
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute's recent study of teacher-union strength is an example of the institute's willingness to "get into the weeds" of standards
The best bargain in American education
Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jessica HockettExam schools stretch the school dollar
How Strong Are U.S. Teacher Unions? A State-By-State Comparison
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D., Janie Scull, Dara Zeehandelaar Shaw, Ph.D.This timely study represents the most comprehensive analysis of American teacher unions’ strength ever conducted, ranking all fifty states and the District of Columbia according to the power and influence of their state-level unions.
The Kindergarten Canon: The 100 Best Children's Books
Michael J. Petrilli100 books every child should encounter by age five.
Gotham’s exam-school problem
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Simplistic? Yes. Discriminatory? No.
The Diverse Schools Dilemma
Michael J. PetrilliLots of parents favor sending their sons and daughters to diverse schools with children from a variety of racial and socioeconomic backgrounds. But can such schools successfully meet the educational needs of all those different kids? How do middle class children fare in these environments? Is there enough challenge and stimulation in schools that also struggle to help poor and immigrant children reach basic standards? Is there too much focus on test scores? And why is it so hard to find diverse public schools with a progressive, child-centered approach to education? These quandaries and more are addressed in this groundbreaking book by Michael J. Petrilli.
Vouchers − Darwin= ??
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Let there be controversy
Boosting the Quality and Efficiency of Special Education
Nathan LevensonThis groundbreaking study uses the largest database of information on special education spending and staffing ever assembled to uncover significant variance in how districts staff for special education. The report concludes that if the high-spending districts studied reduce their staffing in this area to the national median the public could save $10 billion and offers clear recommendations for improving special-education quality and efficiency.
Raising the floor, but neglecting the ceiling
Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jessica HockettGifted education, selective public schools, and the troubles of one of America's best high schools
Exam Schools: Inside America's Most Selective Public High Schools
Chester E. Finn, Jr., Jessica HockettWhat is the best education for exceptionally able and high-achieving youngsters? There are no easy answers but, as Chester Finn and Jessica Hockett show, for more than 100,000 students each year, the solution is to enroll in an academically selective public high school. Exam Schools is the first-ever close-up look at this small, sometimes controversial, yet crucial segment of American public education.
How Americans Would Slim Down Public Education
Steve Farkas, Ann DuffettEducation budgets are tight and state and district leaders must make tough decisions about where to save. But is the public willing to accept cuts? If so, where? According to the results of this new survey, many Americans are open—selectively open—to dramatic changes in how school districts do business.
Can schools spur social mobility?
Michael J. PetrilliHere’s hoping Charles Murray is wrong
Next Generation Science Standards: Repairs needed
Chester E. Finn, Jr., Kathleen Porter-MageeIf at first you don't succeed...
GAO and George Miller don’t understand how special education works
Michael J. PetrilliNo single public school is expected to serve students with every single type of disability. Except, apparently, public charter schools.
In defense of the F-word in K-16 education
J. Martin RochesterSuccess requires failure
Putting a Price Tag on the Common Core: How Much Will Smart Implementation Cost?
Patrick J. Murphy, Elliot RegensteinThe Common Core State Standards (CCSS) for English language arts and mathematics represent a sea change in standards-based reform and their implementation is the movement’s next—and greatest—challenge. Yet, while most states have now set forth implementation plans, these tomes seldom address the crucial matter of cost. This report estimates the implementation cost for each of the forty-five states (and the District of Columbia) that have adopted the Common Core State Standards and shows that costs naturally depend on how states approach implementation.