| The Thomas B. Fordham Institute

Minnesota was the first state to embrace many important education reforms, from statewide open enrollment to charter schools to tax credits for parents paying certain education expenses. This report, written by Dr. Mitchell Pearlstein, President of the Minneapolis-based Center of the American Experiment, tells the stories behind Minnesota's unique policy experiences.? What lay behind Minnesota's worthy innovations? Who was responsible for the bad ideas? Mitch's short answer: governors were behind most of the proposals that expanded education choice, while the flawed policies emerged from the state's education bureaucracy.

Policy Priority:

High Expectations

Topics:

Governance

This report explains how New Jersey has implemented high standards for teachers without causing a teacher shortage by creating an alternative certification program.

Policy Priority:

High Expectations

Topics:

Standards

Teachers & School Leaders

Most states are beginning to get serious about boosting the quality of their teaching force. Unfortunately, most of the steps they are taking point in the wrong direction. This "report card" contains plenty of evidence of that fact-together with some happy exceptions and hopeful signs.

Policy Priority:

High Expectations

Topics:

Teachers & School Leaders

Nappi tells the engaging story of how Princeton parents tried to change "the system" from within but had to resort to starting a charter school in order to raise academic standards.

Policy Priority:

Quality Choices

Topics:

Charter Schools

Louis Chandler, professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Pittsburgh, determines how widespread progressive and traditional practices are in public, Catholic, and independent schools in the fairly typical state of Ohio. This report the results of his survey of 336 elementary schools that was conducted in the Buckeye State early in 1999.

Policy Priority:

Standards & Accountability

Topics:

Curriculum & Instruction

This report takes a close look at the implementation of standards-based reform in one state, Washington, and asks why it was successful in some places but not others

Policy Priority:

High Expectations

Topics:

Standards

According to this 250-page volume, proposed federal and state policies aimed at boosting teacher quality may well worsen the problem. Instead of adding even more regulation to the teacher training system, policymakers should open up the profession to well-educated individuals and should hold principals accountable for student learning.

Policy Priority:

High Expectations

Topics:

Governance

A policy statement endorsed by governors, chief state school officers, state board members, prominent education thinkers and analysts, and veteran practitioners, which sets forth principles and policies to guide states as they prepare to hire a teaching force for the 21st century.

Policy Priority:

High Expectations

Topics:

Governance

Teachers & School Leaders

This book is a guide to ten of today's best-known school designs. It is meant for parents, teachers, school board members, philanthropists, civic leaders and other "consumers" who must evaluate which, if any, of these models they want to pursue.

Policy Priority:

High Expectations

Topics:

Governance

A survey of attitudes towards education reform in Dayton (where Mr. Fordham lived). View the survey results which show, among other things, overwhelming support for parental choice, charter schools, and higher standards.

Policy Priority:

High Expectations

Topics:

Charter Schools

Standards