What we're reading this week: August 25, 2022
The Education GadflyThe Great Recession baby bust and the Covid-19 pandemic led federal statisticians to predict enrollment declines in almost every state by 2030.
How Attaining Industry-Recognized Credentials in High School Shapes Education and Employment Outcomes
Matt Giani, Ph.D.Using data from more than one million students who graduated from public high schools in Texas from 2017 to 2019, this first-of-its-kind study examines how IRCs completed in high school affect college enrollment and workforce outcomes.
Education Gadfly Show #834: Whether industry-recognized credentials benefit high schoolers
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Mike Petrilli and David Griffith are joined by Matt Giani, a professor an
Instructional coherence isn’t a trendy reform. It’s necessary—and it works.
Kunjan NarechaniaIn a recent piece about the state of standards-based reform, Dale Chu weighs the benefits and challenges of a district “relinquishment” versus “instructional coherence” approach to improving student learning.
Teachers unions should stay in their lane
Nathaniel GrossmanAmerican children are suffering from unprecedented learning loss, and many are not even bothering to show up to school.
States revamp early reading policies. Is this time for real?
Dale ChuSince 2013, thirty states have passed legislation or implemented new policies related to the “science of reading.” Their collective effort to change how early reading is taught in America’s classrooms is the focus of an excellent new project by Education Week’s Sarah Schwartz. There are, however, questions about the sustainability of these massive efforts.
Exit interview: “America’s authorizer,” Susie Miller Carello
Robert PondiscioSusie Miller Carello may not be a household name in education, but she’s a household name among those who are.
Virtue and classic children’s literature
Jennifer FreyParents are often given dubious advice about their children’s reading: Let them read whatever they enjoy, as we must encourage literacy. This is a strangely laissez-faire attitude to take towards such a fundamentally formative activity. No decent school counsels parents to let their children watch or listen to whatever they want, so why is reading different?
The benefits of multiple screenings for student giftedness
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Efforts to diversify the roster of students classified as gifted often focus on race and ethnicity.
What we're reading this week: August 18, 2022
The Education GadflyA new survey finds a growing partisan split on the public’s views about education.
Gifted education is (hopefully) a work in progress in America’s largest school district
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.
Education Gadfly Show #833: Are we witnessing the end of education reform?
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Checker Finn joins Mike Petrilli and David Griffith to dis
A freedom framework for social studies education
Cade BrumleyThe American educational system has neglected its duty to provide students with a foundational understanding of social studies for decades. Weak standards for learning were established, primary documents were ignored, and students were allowed to create their own historical truths.
Education reform is alive and well, even if the Washington Consensus is dead for now
Michael J. PetrilliThe latest declaration of education reform’s demise comes from two of Mike’s favorite people: Checker Finn and Rick Hess. But what they actually describe is the end of the bipartisan ed reform coalition—what Mike and Rick used to call the “Washington Consensus.” Even with it gone for now, however, education reform continues apace—and continues to rack up victories for kids. And there are ways to rebuild the coalition.
The new education consensus is conservative, and that’s a good thing
Daniel BuckIn the latest issue of National Affairs, Chester Finn and Frederick Hess chronicle the splintering of the school reform movement that lasted from roughly 1983 until Trump’s presidency.
Why and how leaders should tackle teacher wellness
Jessica PoinerThe mental health crisis has been a persistent headline over the last few years, as research and
Do multi-tiered systems of support improve student behavior?
Julia WolfSchool systems across the country are training teachers in multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) to tackle issues like social emotional learning, mental health, and behavioral interventions.
How states leaders can expand and support youth apprenticeships
Abigail HamiltonThe Covid-19 pandemic altered public confidence in education and left lasting shortages in the workforce. Youth unemployment rates are recovering, but young people are still in need of job opportunities that will create lasting wealth and opportunities for further education.
What we're reading this week: August 11, 2022
The Education GadflySchool choice is a contentious issue in Texas’s gubernatorial race between Greg Abbott and Beto O’Rourke. —The Texas Tribune Parent protests over school budget cuts have pressured Mayor Eric Adams to take the unusual step of renegotiating NYC’s education budget with the City Council.
Education Gadfly Show #832: Removing barriers to the classroom in the face of a (possible) teacher shortage: Yes or no?
On this week’s Education Gadfly Show Podcast, Heather Peske, president of the National Council
Lax school discipline is bad for teachers
Jeremy AdamsTeachers’ authority in the classroom is being undermined by policies of “restorative justice”—a non-punitive approach to discipline. But the predictable albeit unintended consequence of these well-meaning policies is that disruptive students get away with previously unacceptable behavior. Outbursts of student vulgarity and incidence of violence have become normalized as something teachers and other students have to endure.
Gifted students need a “continuum of services” now more than ever
Dina BrullesTeachers are now planning instruction for the new school year. But very quickly after their pupils arrive, many will realize that some students will not be adequately challenged by the grade-level curriculum typically assigned for the class. Some will already have mastered that material and are ready to move on.
Impacts of charter school growth on school and neighborhood diversity
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Student demographics in traditional district schools largely reflect patterns of housing availability and affordability within neighborhoods. Much of that is due to strict attendance zoning.
More evidence that making school easier does students no favors
Adam Tyner, Ph.D., Christian EggersIt’s one of those zombie mantras that just won’t die: Letting students cut corners, giving them grades they haven’t earned, and generally lowering the bar is a nice thing to do for vulnerable kids—those living in poverty, often with turbulent home lives or mental health struggles to boot.
What we're reading this week: August 4, 2022
The Education GadflyHaving friendships that cut across class lines can improve future earnings for poor children, but those relationships are rare. —New York Times Fewer young children live in cities, which could mean more enrollment declines for urban K–12 schools.
An interview with Janet Kragen, who taught gifted education for four decades
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.