A Multiracial Society with Segregated Schools: Are We Losing the Dream?
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Erica Frankenberg, Chungmei Lee and Gary Orfield, The Harvard Civil Rights ProjectJanuary 2003
On Outrage and Double Standards
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Many have remarked upon the double standard that operates in American education when judging the regular school system versus proposed reforms in it.
Public School Graduation Rates in the United States
Eric OsbergJay P. Greene and Marcus A. Winters, Center for Civic Innovation, Manhattan InstituteNovember 2002
Church schools beat public in UK
Students in Anglican and Roman Catholic schools bested their public-school counterparts on this year's national English, math and science exams, new figures from the British Department of Education show.
Ohio dips its toe into the creationist pond
The standards committee of the Ohio Board of Education has approved a new set of science standards that includes a compromise over how to teach evolution in the state's schools, one that will please creationists more than scientists.
The hazards of local control: one New York school's experience
Effectively reversing its 1969 decision to grant control over elementary and middle schools to local school boards, the New York legislature earlier this year gave Mayor Michael Bloomberg control of those schools by granting him power over a citywide Board of Education.
2001 State Policies on Assessment Participation and Accommodations
Allison ColeNational Center on Education OutcomesJuly 2002
Why Jews should embrace school choice
American Jews were strong supporters of equal educational opportunity for all children in the civil rights era, but the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Committee oppose school vouchers (and therefore the Supreme Court's recent Zelman verdict), equating support for this reform with rejection of public education.
How other countries use choice to benefit learning disabled students
Voucher opponents argue that allowing some children to exit public schools for private schools will burden the public system with the most difficult to educate children, who are presumed to be left behind by school choice.
Going Charter: New Models of Support
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Carol Ascher et al., Charter School Research Project, New York UniversityDecember 2001
Opponents of evolution challenge science standards in Ohio
Before a packed house earlier this week, the Ohio board of education hosted a two-hour panel discussion on the teaching of evolution and how it should be handled within the state's new science standards.
Principal-run schools embraced by Edmonton
Two years ago, a commission convened by the Education Commission of the States recommended a new model for school and district governance: instead of running all their schools directly from headquarters, districts would merely monitor the effectiveness of the (public) schools in their jurisdiction.
A peek inside American high schools
Two new books offer firsthand evidence that our high schools - even "high-achieving" schools in fancy suburbs - often aren't places where the focus is on learning. For Doing School, Stanford ed school professor Denise Pope shadowed five honors students from a wealthy California suburb for a year.
Smaller, Safer, Saner Successful Schools
Lauren CollinsJoe Nathan and Karen Febey, Center for School Change, Humphrey Institute, University of Minnesota 2001
Bridging the gap: a tale of two school systems
Montgomery County, Maryland is known for having public schools among the best in the nation, ranking high in test scores and college admissions. But that doesn't mean every school is effective. Especially as the county has become more economically and culturally diverse, its school system has struggled to deal with the challenge of low-performing schools.
Education Next
The journal formerly known as Education Matters is now Education Next, and the fall issue is now available. Among the highlights: Diane Ravitch, Nathan Glazer, and David Steiner debate whether school choice will destroy our common culture; Jane Hannaway, Paul Hill and Marci Kanstoroom look at what makes Houston the toast of urban school reformers; and Lauren Resnick
How Necessary is Ed School?
Chester E. Finn, Jr.A fundamental issue and long-running debate in U.S.
School Choice in Dayton, Ohio after Two Years: An Evaluation of the Parents Advancing Choice in Education Scholarship Program
Jacob LoshinProgram on Education Policy and Governance, Harvard University
What matters in teaching?
Chester E. Finn, Jr.A random confluence of events can sometimes be clarifying. That happened to me one day last week. What got clarified was why U.S. kids aren't learning enough. The morning brought fresh evidence that they're not: the 2000 NAEP math results. As you have read elsewhere (and can read below), while NAEP showed some gains (in grades 4 and 8, not 12), overall scores remain lamentable.
When trust is broken between schools and parents
A long piece by Linda Perlstein in the Washington Post Magazine's Education Review issue explores how schools and teachers have lost our trust and how they might restore it. "Suspicious Minds," by Linda Perlstein, Washington Post Magazine, July 22, 2001.
Assessing and Addressing the "Testing Backlash"
Kelly ScottWith annual testing at the heart of President Bush's education plan now nearing the end of its Congressional journey, testing has never been a hotter issue in national politics. It is also generating plenty of heat at the state and local levels as more test-and-standards-based accountability systems kick in. Business leaders have been among the strongest advocates for higher standar
AFT Jewels
The American Federation of Teacher's magazine, American Educator, offers several gems in its most recent issue. Kay Hymowitz asks what it means for kids when parents have foresworn their traditional role and turned themselves into advocates, friends, and providers of entertainment for their children. Walter McDougall explains why an understanding of geography is fundamental to true education.
2012 Closing the Expectations Gap: 50-State Progress Report on the Alignment of K-12 Policies and Practice with the Demands of College and Careers
Kathleen Porter-MageePulling their punches
What Can Ohio Learn from the Louisiana Recovery School District?
Terry RyanIs it time for Ohio to consider new forms of governance and management for its most troubled schools and districts, and, if so, what might alternatives look like?
High-quality customizable learning options should be the rule, not the exception
Terry RyanOne could argue that 2011 was the year of “digital learning” in Ohio and across the nation. In September, the White House announced its “Digital Promise” campaign, while a number of states have been embracing initiatives and campaigns in this realm, aided and encouraged by national groups like the Digital Learning Council and the Foundation for Excellence in Education. Ohio’s biennial budget launched the Ohio Digital Learning Task Force and charged it with ensuring that the state’s “legislative environment is conducive to and supportive of the educators and digital innovators at the heart of this transformation.”
Equal Educational Opportunities in Charter Schools
Layla BonnotLeave charters to educate