Commentary
Teacher-education programs fall short
A new NCTQ report delivers a scathing rebuke of most teacher-education programs
Commentary
First Bell 6-17-13
A first look at today's education news: Philadelphia's "draconian" budget leads the city to pink-slip 19 percent of its school-based work force, Newark's schools supe calls for a common application for charter and traditional public schools, and more
Commentary
First Bell 6-14-13
A first look at today's education news: An expansion of pre-K will likely mean an expansion of private pre-K providers, Montgomery County plans to make it harder to transfer to out-of-district high schools, and more
Commentary
Charter Schools
Some early-summer reads, part 2
The second half of Andy's compilation of must-read recent publications
Video
Don't jump the NGSS bandwagon yet
Chester E. Finn, Jr. breaks down why Fordham does not support implementation of the NGSS.
Commentary
First Bell 6-13-13
A first look at today's education news: The Senate Education Committee approves Sen. Harkin's NCLB-reauthorization bill, the share of the nation's population with college degrees reaches an all-time high, and more
Commentary
Is Arne Duncan serious about preschool…or not?
In classic Team Obama style, Duncan explains resistance to the president's pre-K plan as Congressional dysfunction
Commentary
Commentary
Commentary
First Bell 6-12-13
A first look at today's education news: Kansas adopts the NGSS, Gov. Perry signs a bill reducing the number of state tests Texas's students must take prior to graduation from 15 to 5, and more
Commentary
Charter Schools
By The Company It Keeps: Mashea Ashton
Andy Smarick interviews Mashea Ashton, CEO of the Newark Charter School Fund
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Repairing the conservative school-reform coalition
Recent events have divided conservative school reformers, but it’s not too late to stitch it back together
Report
Standards
Final Evaluation of the Next Generation Science Standards
In the final evaluation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the Thomas B. Fordham Institute grants the standards a C grade. The NGSS grade is superior to grades we granted to the science standards of sixteen states and the PISA framework in the State of State Science Standards 2012 but inferior to those of twelve states and the District of Columbia, as well as the NAEP and TIMSS frameworks.
Commentary
Some early-summer reads, part I
Andy channels the NYT book review--offering four insightful early-summer education reports worth reading.
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Muddying the Waters on Common Core
Peter Cunningham responds to an anti-Common Core article in the New York Times
Commentary
First Bell 6-10-13
A first look at the education news from this weekend and today: Ability grouping and computer-adaptive testing are on the rise, special-ed students attend class virtually, and more
Commentary
Curriculum & Instruction
Poor children need a hand up, not hospice
Mike asks Deborah the question: Does it "work"?
Video
A Crash Course in Teacher Pensions
Dara Zeehandelaar, author of The Big Squeeze: Retirement Costs and School District Budgets, explains teachers pensions and the difference between defined benefits and defined contribution plans that states offer teachers.
Commentary
40 reasons to call Harkin’s claim of flexibility laughable
The ESEA-reauthorization bill released by Senate HELP committee Chairman Tom Harkin could have left much more policy to the states
Commentary
What we talk about when we talk about poverty
Tackling poverty and inequality from the reformer's perspective
Commentary
Commentary
First Bell 6-5-13
A first look at today's education news: Senate Democrats unveil an NCLB-reauthorization bill; a deal on Wisconsin's income-tax cuts, school-voucher expansions, and public school funding moves forward; and more
Commentary
Charter Schools
By the Company It Keeps: Robin Lake
Andy Smarick's latest interview is with Robin Lake, director of the Center for Reinventing Public Education (CRPE)
Commentary
First Bell 6-4-13
A first look at today's education news: A 40-year-old CA law requires student achievement to be included in teacher evaluations, a D.C. councilmember proposes a package of bills that would dramatically reform the District's public education system, and more
Commentary
Commentary
Use facts, not courts, to fix affirmative action
Before the Supreme Court announces its decision in Fisher v. University of Texas, let's consider two important findings about the real world of higher education
Report
School Finance, Teachers & School Leaders
Paying the Pension Price in Philadelphia
One of three technical reports on retirement costs and school-district budgets.
Commentary
First Bell 6-3-13
A first look at today's education news: NYC finally has a new teacher-evaluation system, some Michigan lawmakers set their sights on blocking Common Core funding, and more
Report
School Finance, Governance
The Big Squeeze: Retirement Costs and School-District Budgets
When it comes to pension reform in the education realm, it’s hard to stay positive. Here, we’re saddled with a bona fide fiscal calamity (up to a trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities by some counts), and no consensus about how to rectify the situation. No matter how one slices and dices this problem, somebody ends up paying in ways they won’t like and perhaps shouldn’t have to bear. All we can say is that some options are less bad than others.
Commentary
First Bell 5-31-13
A first look at today's education news: Colleges attempt to recruit disadvantaged students early on, tea-party groups are mobilizing against the Common Core, and more