What we're reading this week: February 9, 2023
The Education GadflyA new study makes a compelling case that there is racial bias in K-12 student referrals and discipline, although socio-economic status could account for much of the disparities.
Racial and ethnic gaps in advanced STEM achievement: 3 takeaways from recent research
Brandon L. WrightEditor’s note: This is an edition of “Advance,” a newsletter from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute written by Brandon Wright, our Editorial Director, and published every other week. Its purpose is to monitor the progress of gifted education in America, including legal and legislative developments, policy and leadership changes, emerging research, grassroots efforts, and more.
Parent navigators are worth the investment for school choice supporters
Travis PillowFrom 2015 to 2018, the start of spring meant I could expect to hear from parents across Florida. At the time, I worked for Step Up Students, the Florida-based organization that administers the nation’s largest education scholarship (i.e., voucher) program. My job was not in customer service. I was the editor of a blog focused on school choice issues.
How much education is a public responsibility?
Chester E. Finn, Jr.So many of our debates about paying for higher education hinge on conflicting views of what’s the taxpayer’s responsibility and what’s the recipient’s. These days, that’s also true of pre-schooling and it also arises, albeit in different form, when we fight over vouchers, tax credits, ESAs and such. Is it society’s responsibility to pay for private schooling or is it the family’s?
Will ESAs change America’s definition of “public education?”: An interview with Ashley Berner
Robert PondiscioLast week, two more states—Iowa and Utah—joined Arizona and West Virginia in adopting universal education savings accounts.
Schools have been adding teachers and student support staff, even as they serve fewer students
Chad AldemanEditor’s note: This was first published by The 74.
Americans are embracing non-college pathways to upward mobility
Bruno V. MannoThe pandemic changed what the American public wants from K–12 education.
Cheers and Jeers: February 2, 2023
The Education GadflyCheers Contrary to popular belief, gifted and talented programs have a negligible effect on racial segregation in schools. —Education Next Jeers
What we're reading this week: February 2, 2023
The Education GadflyMost of the socio-economic gap in college enrollment, and all of the gender and racial gaps, can be explained by differences in academic preparation during K–12 schooling. —Brookings Institution Education Savings Accounts represent a shift from boosting student outcomes to empowering all parents.
Toward a broader conception of student success—and a broader conception of accountability
Gene PinkardI have held firm to this belief since my early days of teaching: Getting students to proficiency and above in reading and math is a commitment to social justice and democracy. Education can empower students to change the world, especially when it counters cycles of poverty.
Interpreting the Covid impact on achievement
David ArmorThe release of “The Nation’s Report Card” on October 24, 2022, created shock waves though out the country’s education and policy establishments.
Fordham is proud of our (limited) role in Virginia’s effort to improve its civics and U.S. history standards
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.We were glad to function in that capacity for Virginia as we’ve done for many other states over the years. But it’s also been implied by some that we tried to inject the draft standards with conservative bias, even to “whitewash” history, and that is completely false.
Dr. King and the liberal arts
Jennifer FreyLast week, as we celebrated the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we recalled his civil rights activism as an admirable example of creating what John Lewis called “good trouble.” Dr. King is an American icon precisely because he possessed the wisdom and courage to hold America up to her own high standards: that all men are created equal and must be treated equally before the law.
Public dollars, private schools
Robert PondiscioFor the vast majority of America’s children, going to school has changed little from their parents’ generation, even their grandparents’: Where you live is where you learn, in a school run by your local public school district.
Getting ready for future employment opportunity: Evidence from Pittsburgh
Jeff MurrayReversing decades of economic struggle in America’s former manufacturing centers is a high priority for leaders in cities and regions across the nation. Many would like to see technology-focused industries lead such a resurgence, but do they have enough qualified workers? And if not, how can they increase those numbers?
Impact of community schools on attendance and achievement
Meredith Coffey, Ph.D.Many experts have lauded community schools as a means of mitigating the impact of pandemic-era c
What we're reading this week: January 26, 2023
The Education GadflyA Boston writer reminisces about participating in a radical school integration project fifty years ago.
Driving equity in gifted policies: Insights from Harlem Academy in New York City
Vincent DotoliEditor’s note: This essay was part of an edition of “Advance,” a newsletter from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute that is published every other week. Its purpose is to monitor the progress of gifted education in America, including legal and legislative developments, policy and leadership changes, emerging research, grassroots efforts, and more.
The true enemy of equity
Michael J. PetrilliAdvocates have turned “equity” into a trigger word by pitting the concept against “excellence.” But that line of argument is not only politically unpopular, it’s wrong. In fact, excellence is not the enemy of equity, but the antidote to inequity.
“Curriculum transparency” is harder to achieve than lawmakers assume
Robert PondiscioHouse Republicans this week introduced a curriculum transparency bill aimed at ensuring parents know what their kids are learning in school, particularly when that includes “divisive concepts” like critical race theory, which has been banned from classrooms or restricted i
Are education leaders mismeasuring schools’ vital signs?
David OsborneTwo years ago, students at a charter school in East Los Angeles were learning at 1.5 to two times the pace of their grade level peers around the state, based on three years of standardized test scores. But the California Department of Education labeled the school a “low performer,” which put it at risk of closure. Why?
National Working Group on Advanced Education: Summary of third meeting
The Education GadflyEditor’s note: On November 17, 2022, seventeen members of the National Working Group on Advanced Education met for its third meeting in Indianapolis.
The slowly-narrowing achievement gap
Josh EinisA recent study by Eric Hanushek, Jacob Light, Paul Peterson, Laura Talpey, and Ludger Woessmann finds that, contrary to
What we're reading this week: January 19, 2023
The Education Gadfly“In Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, Russian strikes and power outages are part of the school day.
Why I’m against the economic argument for educating gifted children
Victoria McDougaldOne common and longstanding argument made in defense of gifted education (including by some of my valued colleagues) is that we as a nation must cultivate the talents of these bright students in order to remain economically competitive and because th
Rural school choice is more common than you think
Robert PondiscioA common observation made by critics of school choice is that it has little to offer families in rural communities where the population isn’t large enough to support multiple schools, and where transportation is already burdensome. I’ve made the point myself, and I’m a school choice proponent.
One teacher’s response to the reading wars
Nathaniel GrossmanSold a Story, the podcast series from American Public Media, is essential listening for parents and teachers. Through six episodes, host Emily Hanford documents how schools failed to adequately teach reading to students over the past thirty years.