Why legislators should slow-walk demands to limit Ohio’s state tests
Chad L. AldisRushing to find a solution could swing the pendulum too far the other way
Next-generation teacher evaluations: Are they living up to expectations?
Chad L. AldisEarly results say no. Chad Aldis
Science and social studies: To test or not to test
Aaron ChurchillData and policy options for stakeholders in Ohio
Give PARCC a chance
Aaron ChurchillAssessment is the drab side of schooling; but high-quality assessments are crucial.
A portrait of Ohio at the cusp of a new era
Aaron ChurchillThe Buckeye State is at the cusp of an era of new emphasis in K-12 education - the college-and-career-ready era. We look at Ohio's report cards in this new light.
Getting classroom observations right
Jessica PoinerA new Education Next study has implications for Ohio's OTES teacher evaluation protocols.
Ohio’s school report cards in the press
Jeff MurrayMuch analysis of Ohio's school report cards has already taken place in the mainstream media.
A first-look at student performance on Ohio state exams from 2013-14
Aaron ChurchillA quick first look at the trove of new performance data from around Ohio.
Effort to repeal Common Core leaves Ohio school board member “baffled”
Worthington school board member’s testimony in support of Common Core
The Condition of College & Career Readiness
Jessica PoinerWe take a look at a new report on college and career readiness as measured by ACT test scores.
Failing schools, or failing to consider multiple indicators?
Aaron ChurchillAchievement ratings alone don’t tell the whole story of a school.
For higher performance, use informal channels of teacher feedback
Aaron ChurchillOhio’s new teacher-evaluation system requires evaluators to conduct two, formal thirty-minute classroom observations. Yet these legally prescribed observations seem ripe for compliance and rote box-checking; in fact, they may not be quite the impetus for school-wide improvement that policymakers had hoped for.
Ohio’s high-flying public schools, in reading
Aaron ChurchillWe look for - and find - the public schools ranked in the top 10 percent on Ohio’s value-added measure for reading in each of the past four years.
Spending More of the School Day in Math Class: Evidence From a Regression Discontinuity in Middle School
Laura RobisonWe take a look at the evidence for and against "double dosing" in middle school math.
Ohio's New Learning Standards: Helping, not hampering
This piece was originally published the United States Chamber of Commerce’s website on Wednesday, July 23, 2014. Six days later, two legislators proposed a new legislative assault on Ohio’s New Learning Standards, which include the Common Core State Standards in math and English language arts.
Is alternative accountability real accountability?
Aaron ChurchillDo Ohio's multiple accountability "systems" erode the very foundation of accountability?
Standardized Tests: Correlation to Future Successes? (Part I of II)
Laura RobisonFirst of a two-part analysis looking at early indicators to future success.
The Icarus Syndrome: Why Do Some High Flyers Soar While Others Fall?
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Why do many high-achieving students struggle to sustain their academic performance over time? Eric Parsons, an economist at the University of Missouri, takes a crack at finding the answer—and unearths a paradox. In this study, he follows a single cohort of high-performing students in Missouri from grade 3 through grade 9 to see which school factors influence their academic success.
Who Rises to the Top? Early Indicators
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.Nearly three decades ago, 320 students below the age of thirteen took the SAT math or verbal test and placed in the top 1 in 10,000 for their math- or verbal-reasoning ability (some called them “scary smart”).
Status quo has got to go
The Education GadflyThe appointment of former educator and experienced administrator Carmen Fariña as the new chancellor of New York City’s one-million-student public school system has been met with cautious optimism from several fronts, spanning from those who hope she will
Losing out on big potential
The Education GadflyEarlier this week, the New York Times featured an editorial on gifted education, noting that even our best students were in the middle of the pack in the recent PISA results.
Informing Students about Their College Options: A Proposal for Broadening the Expanding College Opportunities Project
Laurel HornA better approach to “affirmative action”
Finding America’s Missing AP and IB Students
Fabienne Antoine, Pamela TatzEducation Trust discovers high achievers
Standing athwart the Internet, yelling Stop!
The Education GadflyIllinois Governor Pat Quinn signed legislation last week that places a one-year moratorium on new virtual charter schools outside Chicago and directs a state commission to study the effects and costs of virtual charters.
The first step is admitting you have a problem
The Education GadflyOur Gadfly readers won’t
Pearson crosses a line
Kathleen Porter-MageeIt’s open season on Pearson, the corporation everyone loves to hate—but this time, though they have crossed a serious line, far too many state leaders and reformers are holding their fire
Expanding College Opportunities for High-Achieving, Low Income Students
Aaron ChurchillInformation is power
Failing the gifted—and everyone else
The Education GadflyThe Obama administration’s budget proposal was late to the par
Does the percentage of students taking AP exams explain state level results?
Aaron ChurchillRe-examining the College Board's AP data for Midwestern states