When it comes to low-performing schools, we seem to be witnessing the same thing over and over—not unlike the classic movie, Groundhog Day.
A recent study by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute tracked about 2,000 low-performing schools and found that the vast majority of them remained open and remained low-performing after five years. Very few were significantly improved. So, are failing schools fixable?
Hosted by the Nord Family Foundation, Thomas B. Fordham Institute, and Ohio Grantmakers Forum with additional support from the Edward A. Lozick Foundation, Martha Holden Jennings Foundation, Nordson Corporation Foundation, and Stocker Foundation.
Some education reformers contend that elected local school boards are anachronisms that maintain the status quo rather than change agents bent on ushering U.S. education toward a brighter future. Their supporters argue that they embody democracy, give voice and power to the local community, and are more reliable and trustworthy than any other school-governance structure.
With ESEA reauthorization looming, there’s much debate over the proper role for the federal government in holding schools accountable. In their recent ESEA Briefing Book, Fordham Institute President Chester E. Finn, Jr., and Executive Vice President Michael J.
Please join us for Education Reform Idol, where leaders from five cutting-edge states will battle for the honor of "Reformiest State 2011." This Fordham Institute panel will pit Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Wisconsin against one another in what should prove to be the biggest education policy event this summer. The winner will be determined by a vote of the in-person and online audience.
A teacher’s effectiveness has a tremendous impact on a child’s learning and academic trajectory. Ohio has debated for many months about how best to strengthen the quality of its teaching force. The biennial budget adopted in June calls for the state to develop a model teacher evaluation framework by the end of 2011 and to adopt policies tying teacher evaluations to key personnel decisions such as compensation, placement, tenure, and dismissal.
A teacher’s effectiveness has a tremendous impact on a child’s learning and academic trajectory. Ohio has debated for many months about how best to strengthen the quality of its teaching force. The biennial budget adopted in June calls for the state to develop a model teacher evaluation framework by the end of 2011 and to adopt policies tying teacher evaluations to key personnel decisions such as compensation, placement, tenure, and dismissal.
There has been much heated debate this year over bold changes that affect teachers, including dialing back pensions and union rights. Come to the Fordham Institute on August 23 to hear these matters candidly discussed by two high-visibility national education leaders who don't always agree: Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers and Frederick M. Hess, director of Education Policy Studies at the American Enterprise Institute. Which issues do we actually disagree about? Can we do so in ways that illumine rather than obscure?
Presented by the Nord Family Foundation, Ohio Grantmakers Forum, and Thomas B. Fordham Institute, with the ESC of Central Ohio and Public Performance Partners, this is a free, non-partisan event to help local government administrators – from county commissioners and city managers to school district superintendents – think differently about how they operate, and learn tangible strategies for sharing services and saving money.
