Discussions about current education-reform efforts are typically focused on three separate topics: the Common Core standards, the new tests, and the curriculum. The alignment among the three seems to receive little attention—though it is a critical matter, as the degree of alignment will determine the validity of student test scores.
As legislative sessions across the country continue to wind down, it's worth keeping tabs on some of the big private-school-choice proposals still under consideration.
Ohio is facing a potential “storm” in relation to the reading success of its third grade students. It’s critical that parents, teachers, administrators, and policymakers stay calm and remind themselves how important reading is to a child's long-term success.
There are strong calls for a Renaissance in vocational education in Ohio. Here's what we think.
A brief look at how accountability options for virtual schools can be strengthened.
I started teaching seven years ago, and I have worked in four different schools in three different states. I’ve always sought schools and environments with higher standards for what students should know and be able to do, as well as higher expectations for what teachers can accomplish.
How well do existing pension plans serve charter and urban teachers? The unsurprising answer: not well. At all. Economist Cory Koedel and his colleagues study teacher-pension plans in Missouri, which has three teacher pension plans—Kansas City Public Schools (which covers 3 percent of Missouri teachers), the Public School Retirement System for the City of St.
As the debate over education reforms like the Common Core rage across the country, policy makers, advocates, pundits, and wonks clamor to have their views heard. In the din, the voices of teachers—upon whose shoulders the success of education reform ultimately lies—are sometimes drowned out.
Rationalizing America’s lackluster academic performance is something of a cottage industry. One of the most popular ways people explain away our low test scores is to claim that they don’t matter much anyway. “Let others have the higher test scores.
On February 18, the Indiana Department of Education released the first public draft of a set of new K–12 expectations for English language arts and math.
Note: This post is part of our series, "Netflix Academy: The best educational videos available for streaming." Be sure to check out our previous Netflix Academy posts on
The last year has found critics and advocates of the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) duking it out in the political arena. That a common set of high expectations for K–12 students would catalyze such fierce fisticuffs reminds us of both the ugliness and beauty of democracy.
Which state ranks last of the fifty in fourth-grade math on the NAEP, last in eighth-grade r
by Katie Cristol and Brinton S. Ramsey Foreword by Amber M. Northern and Michael J. Petrilli
The COMMENTARY blog is my absolute favorite, so I was more than a little crestfallen when I read Seth Mandel’s recent entry.
Frustration and misinformation on the Common Core State Standards abound.
A first look at today's most important education news.In a letter issued to members of the House Budget Committee, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon claimed the education budget for the current fiscal year overestimates the reve
Of all the current political threats to the Common Core, the most dangerous is the brewing backlash from the teachers' unions. To be sure, the GOP-Tea Party rebellion against federal intrusion is also threatening and holds the possibility of leading to repeal in several states.
The tough letter that senior House Republicans sent last week to Arne Duncan and Eric Holder should have been even tougher. For the “guidance” that their agencies issued to U.S.
School choice marketplace in one Columbus neighborhood, all in the name of urban stability.
The success of classrooms—and students—starts with a great educator. But since not all educators are equally effective, is there a way to ensure that more students have access to the best in the field—especially our most disadvantaged students? As the U.S.
Fantastic things are happening for students in central Ohio's KIPP school.
Repeated failures of charter schools around Ohio seem endless; some hope may be around the corner.
School choice marketplace in one Columbus neighborhood, all in the name of urban stability.
A first look at today's most important education news:North Carolina Superior Court judge will hear the case against allowing student opportunity grants for use in private, religious schools.Illinois legislature begins to rew
I began my career as an inner-city elementary teacher because I was dedicated to helping students succeed. Listening to them and helping them improve to meet their goals was at the heart of my work. Today, as the executive director of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium, I feel that passion more deeply than at any point in my career.
