Improving opportunities for African American students
Clear-eyed about the challenges. Constructive and hopeful about workable solutions. Robert Pondiscio
Clear-eyed about the challenges. Constructive and hopeful about workable solutions. Robert Pondiscio
In most states, a surprising amount of progress in a short amount of time. Robert Pondiscio
ESSA’s presidential signature, the opt-out movement’s rural footprint, the economic benefit of NAEP proficiency, and TFA’s second-generation teachers.
That excuse turns out to be a crutch that’s unsupported by the evidence. Michael J. Petrilli and Brandon L. Wright
There is a fast track in American education. And we’re getting far too few African American students onto it. By Brandon L. Wright and Chester E. Finn, Jr.
Some say the world will end in fire. Some say in ice. But if you’re pressed for time and want to end all intelligent life quickly, nothing beats a task force.
Rankings against policy recommendations
Here at Fordham, you can usually find us gleefully dinging New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on his education policies. When he was first pushing his universal pre-K initiative a few years back, we argued that he should have tailored the program more narrowly to the kids who needed it most.
On Wednesday, I had the pleasure of visiting Success Academy Harlem 1 and hearing from Eva Moskowitz and the SA staff about their model. I’m not going to venture into the thorny stuff about SA here. What I will say is that their results on state tests are clearly impressive, and I doubt that they’re fully (or even largely) explained by the practices that cause controversy.
It’s difficult to get your arms around the idea of suspending a three- or four-year-old from preschool. For most of us (if we’re even able to remember back that far), pre-K discipline basically meant quiet time in the corner, miserably sulking while our friends laughed and colored.
Value-added does not need replacing
Upon the release of our first comprehensive Yearbook that included state grades in 2009, the he
Attending a religious school might reduce bigotry. Kevin Mahnken
More myth-busting evidence about serving kids with special needs. Jamie Davies O'Leary
Individual authority has decreased slightly, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Robert Pondiscio
The creation of Brooklyn Ascend charter school, textbooks in Texas, and substitute teachers in impoverished schools.
For school choice advocates, victory is inevitable. David Griffith
As states have implemented college and career readiness standards, it has sometimes been assumed that most of the work and attention has occurred at the elementary grades. In truth, many states have been working for some time to ensure that grade twelve prepares all students for post-secondary success.
There’s something about the sight of an abandoned school that tears at your heart.
The dominant narrative about the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is that it shifts authority over schools back to state governments. But this belies a key feature of the legislation.
We’ve seen a lot of hand wringing over math achievement in this country. Our students continue to underperform against their peers in other countries, lighting a fire under educators and politicians to push new STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) programming in schools. While these panicked efforts have admirable intentions, they are mostly barking up the wrong tree.
How do charters stack up next to district schools?
How new and innovative financing structures might fix the private school supply chain. Damien Schuster
Parental involvement can be counterproductive when it’s coupled with unrealistic expectations. Jeff Murray
It can be self-fulfilling, regardless of actual ability levels. Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.
Youngsters interview their elders, a new teacher prep program opens in Cambridge, and a governor launches a laudable workforce-skills initiative.
Undoing damage inflicted by the blunt axe of test-driven accountability. Robert Pondiscio
The diagnosis is mixed, but the prognosis is hardly dire. Michael J. Petrilli