Seeking a culture of improvement
Michael J. PetrilliIf this era is to become a Golden Age of Educational Practice, we need successful, evidence-based practices—to the extent that they actually exist—to spread far and wide.
Grade inflation is rampant, but accreditors can help
By Jeremy Noonan
Thinking about classroom practice: Five ideas for ed reformers
Robert PondiscioBy Robert Pondiscio
Identifying and encouraging students to earn industry-recognized credentials
Sophie SussmanBy Sophie Sussman
What options do students have in areas where private school choice proposals were defeated?
The Education GadflyThe Education Gadfly
Advanced content, academic achievement, and social-emotional outcomes in kindergarten classrooms
Jessica PoinerBy Jessica Poiner
Practicing humility when it comes to evidence-based practice
Michael J. PetrilliBy Michael J. Petrilli
ESSA seeks a well-rounded education. Louisiana seeks partners to explore new measures.
While the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) gave states the opportunity to broaden and deepen their visions of what makes for an excellent education, researchers and states have both struggled to design measures and systems that take meaningful steps in that direction. Most of us would agree that primary grade literacy, knowledge of U.S.
Restorative justice isn't working, but that's not what the media is reporting
Last week, the first randomized control trial study of “restorative justice” in a major urban district, Pittsburgh Public Schools, was published by the RAND Corporation.
Which candidate would you want your child's school named after?
Robert Pondiscio“We ain't asking you to love us You may place yourself high above us Mr. President, have pity on the working man.” —Randy Newman, Mr. President (Have Pity on the Working Man)
The room where it happens: Changing students’ college outcomes by changing their self-perception
Over the past thirty years, I’ve witnessed one education reform effort after another. We’ve had standards-testing-accountability, school choice in innumerable forms, curriculum reform, teacher reform, and much more. All have been worthwhile and should continue. However, while we persist on these paths, I suggest we also look at reforming where our students are educated in the first place.
Unsolicited advice for discipline reformers—from a wannabe
David GriffithJust before Christmas (or about ten thousand news cycles ago) the Trump administration took the widely anticipated step of reversing the Obama administration’s much-debated guidance on school discipline, the essential goal of which was to pressure school districts to address the well-documented and longstanding r
How to get schools to use practices that work
Michael J. PetrilliBefore the holiday break, I wrote a series of posts discussing how we might turn the “End of Education Policy” (as I see it) into a Golden Age of Educational Practice. It’s time to pick up where I left off.
Rekindling moral education: A worthy challenge for schools of choice
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Late December brought not one but two excellent disquisitions on moral education, both the importance of rekindling an emphasis on it in American schools and some thoughtful advice as to how to go about it.
The effects of Pittsburgh's new restorative justice program
Jessie McBirney“Restorative practices” are an increasingly popular alternative to suspensions. To examine the effectiveness such practices, researchers at the RAND Corporation studied Pittsburgh’s new restorative justice program. It’s the largest study of its kind, and the first randomized control trial of this disciplinary strategy—and unfortunately, the results are decidedly mixed.
Is 2019 the year education reformers fold or double down?
A month ago, a prominent philanthropist described today’s education reform climate to me as “The Empire Strikes Back.” I had to acknowledge that 2018 capped off an extraordinary run for opponents of education reform. If only the American public understood how high the stakes are as we enter 2019.
Three men with a shot at being the next education governor
Dale ChuThe ringing in of the new year brings a changing of the guard as twenty new governors take office. This new cohort could bring new opportunities for education reform, but there are indications that they may be less enthused than their predecessors were on the issue.
Education choice in 2019 and beyond
The Fordham Institute’s analysis of “charter school deserts” helps answer a vital question: Where are neighborhoods in which low-income children lack access to schools of choice?
Districts should start fresh on school discipline reform in the new year
Michael J. PetrilliFor the new year to bring a new politics to America—one marked by a pragmatic search for solutions, with good ideas from left, right, and center—it’s going to have to come from the bottom up, far away from the Washington outrage machine. A good place to start would be the contentious challenge of school discipline.
What to expect in Wisconsin with Governor (gulp!) Tony Evers
On January 7, 2019, State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers, a Democrat, will take the oath of office as Wisconsin’s next governor. His narrow defeat of Republican Scott Walker represents the end of an era for education reform in the Badger State, which now faces a governor who is famously hostile to school choice.
Deconstructing teacher turnover
Chester E. Finn, Jr.During the news lull between Christmas and New Years, the Wall Street Journal published an alarmist piece about the high rate of teachers and other public educators quitting their jobs.
Successfully supporting community college students in Ohio
Jeff MurrayIn 2015, Ohio imported a successful program used to help community college students in the City University of New York (CUNY) system persist in school and complete a degree in three years or less.
At least encourage the crazy ones: How to reward our highly motivated students
For the better part of two decades, school improvement has been focused on narrowing “achievement gaps” by raising the reading and math scores of low-performing students. While this charge has undeniable merit, it also carries some real costs.
Education 20/20: Mona Charen and Ramesh Ponnuru
Fordham’s Education 20/20 speaker series kicks off the New Year with a bang on January 9th as we bring you another double header.
2020 is practically around the corner
Chester E. Finn, Jr.No, this has naught to do with the next election. It’s about an immediate target here at Fordham: to generate and publish some fresh thinking, mostly from prominent conservatives and other sensible folk, about the future direction of American education.