Commentary
ESSA
The new ESEA, in a single table
The action is moving to the state level. It’s about time. Michael J. Petrilli
Commentary
ESSA
Fordham's Mike Petrilli and Checker Finn on the ESEA compromise
Editor's note: Politics K-12 reports that House and Senate negotiators have reached a preliminary compromise on reauthorization of No Child Left Behind.
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Scaling up the "Success for All" model of school reform
An affordable model that helps students who are already behind become better readers. Robert Pondiscio
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Don't mess with NAEP now!
Remember that past changes were controversial and probably unwise. Do not stir this pot again now. Chester E. Finn, Jr.
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Aligning K-12 and postsecondary career pathways with workforce needs
State efforts are uneven, but some are on the right track. Stephan Shehy
Commentary
Charter Schools, Curriculum & Instruction
Doing the right thing
Pell grants for dual college enrollment and Nevada’s early returns on education savings accounts.
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
The problem isn't testing, it's short-term thinking
Last week, in the wake of President Obama’s pledge to reduce the amount of time students spend taking tests, my colleagues Robert Pondiscio and Michael Petrilli weighed in with dueling stances on the current state of testing and accountability in America’s schools. Both made valid points, but neither got it exactly right, so let me add a few points to the conversation.
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Pell grants should go (only) to needy students who are ready for college
What if federal aid for college students were focused exclusively on those who are truly ready for college? What if we stopped subsidizing remedial courses on campuses and insisted that students pursuing higher learning be prepared for college-level courses (none too strenuous nowadays in many places)?
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
President Obama's meaningless pledge to reduce school tests
The time spent testing isn’t the issue; the problem is the sky-high stakes attached. Robert Pondiscio
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
The hidden value of curriculum reform
What’s it going to take to get curriculum taken seriously as a reform lever? Robert Pondiscio
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Down and out in Jackson and Selma
Is LAUSD railroading Rafe Esquith? Also: the value of lectures, and a sad tale of wasted promise.
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
America's abandoned smart kids
Intel cuts the cord on its Science Talent Search sponsorship and drives another nail into the coffin of U.S. gifted education. Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Brandon L. Wright
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Finland's "joyful, illiterate kindergarteners"
Beware the snake oil. The fact is that early learning produces long-term gains. Tim Shanahan
Commentary
ESSA
Does the chaos in the House mean ESEA reauthorization is dead? Maybe
Boehner is out! McCarthy is in! No, wait, McCarthy is out!
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Curriculum: The great divide among education reformers
Writing in his always-entertaining blog a few weeks ago, Whitney Tilson gave a nice nod to Dan Willingham’s New York Times
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Rethinking the high school graduation age
The “godfather of charter schooling” pushes us to reimagine adolescence. Kate Stringer
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
The bright children left behind
We mustn’t let other countries surpass us in producing tomorrow’s inventors, entrepreneurs, artists, and scientists. Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Brandon L. Wright
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Early childhood interventions—a slow fade and a strong comeback?
When trying to improve educational outcomes, it is hard not to feel the need for urgency. We want to figure out what works now and implement changes immediately—because if we wait, kids who are in schools now will miss out.
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
How test-based retention affects student outcomes
Mixed results, at least in the short term. Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
On Constitution Day, in search of the public mission of schools
When school boards describe their missions, they often overlook citizenship. Robert Pondiscio and Kate Stringer
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Teaching 9/11
The first few weeks of September make up a sweet spot between seasons, with summer's last days of warmth and play mingling with the beginning a new school year. All that beauty and excitement can make it easy to forget the significance of today's date: Fourteen years have passed since the 9/11 terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania.
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Teaching religious literacy in American classrooms
In Faith Ed: Teaching About Religion in an Age of Intolerance, Linda K.
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
"Hamilton" is a miracle of civics education
Today marks the first class in a yearlong seminar in civics and citizenship I teach at Democracy Prep Charter High School in Harlem. My goal is for students to see America as their own, a country worthy of their dreams and ambitions. I will assign readings and papers, lead discussions, and design tests. I should take them all to see Hamilton on Broadway as well.
Commentary
ESSA
Supporting literacy within ESEA
A new report can’t see the forest for the trees. Robert Pondiscio
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Two routes to college readiness
Editor's note: This post originally appeared in a slightly different form at InsideSources.
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
We need to know more about credit recovery
Editor's note: This post originally appeared in a slightly different form at U.S. News & World Report
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
We need to know more about credit recovery
Editor's note: This post originally appeared in a slightly different form at U.S. News & World Report
Commentary
ESSA
The new ESEA will be “loose-loose” because Arne Duncan went overboard with “tight-tight”
If it becomes law, the federal government will have much less power than it does today. Michael J. Petrilli
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
The myth of the overstressed American teen
Privileged outliers get media attention, while far greater numbers of kids live inactive and unchallenged lives. Robert Pondiscio
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
A pause in the history wars
The College Board listened—and set AP U.S. History right. Chester E. Finn, Jr.