How families adapted to early Covid disruption and remote learning
Jeff MurrayIn the spring of 2020, a group of researchers from the University of California San Diego was engaged in a longitudinal study of changes in young children’s learning experiences during kindergarten and first grade at an anonymous, medium-sized, socioeconomically diverse school district in southern California.
What to expect from Ohio’s federally-funded summer and afterschool programs
Jessica PoinerSince the start of the pandemic, Ohio schools have received more than $6 billion via three federal relief acts.
Can Ohio clean up its teacher pension mess?
Aaron ChurchillOhio’s teacher pension system is woefully underfunded, imposes significant costs on teachers and schools, and shortc
Ohio takes a positive step toward statewide high-dosage tutoring
Jessica PoinerIn late March, the Ohio Department of Education announced a grant program aimed at developing and expanding tutoring for K–12 students in the wake of pandemic-caused learning losses.
The romance versus the reality of teacher pensions
Aaron ChurchillPensions, a promise of guaranteed lifetime income for retirees, have been around since antiquity.
What do teachers know about their retirement benefits?
Aaron ChurchillHow many teachers know even the basics about their retirement plan? Too few according to a recent study by Dillon Fuchsman of Saint Louis University and Josh McGee and Gema Zemarro of the University of Arkansas.
One successful formula for teaching young children to read online
Jeff MurrayCan children learn to read via fully online instruction?
Assessing a standards-aligned physical science curriculum
Jeff MurrayWhile not as rapidly embraced as its math and ELA cousins, which have great merit, a new set of science standards has slowly gained traction in a majority of states.
Benefits and balancing acts: The impact of faith on educational outcomes
Jeff MurrayA 2018 Pew Research Center study demonstrated the perhaps surprising fact that the United States remains a robustly religious country, indeed the most devout of all the wealthy Western democracies.
Intensive interventions and the third grade reading guarantee
Aaron ChurchillPassed in 2012, Ohio’s third grade reading guarantee aims to ensure that all children have the foundational literacy skills needed for success in middle school and beyond.
Lessons from a pilot tutoring project
Jeff MurrayFolks who have “tutoring” as the hoped-for winning square on their post-Covid bingo card will want to pay close attention to a recent report detailing a field experiment in virtual tutoring. A group of researchers led by Sally Sadoff of the University of California San Diego created the pilot program and tested its efficacy via a controlled experiment.
RemotEDx: A closer look at how Ohio spent some of its federal Covid relief dollars
Jessica PoinerIn March of 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic was just beginning its deadly sweep across the United States, Ohio became the first state to close
Grade promotion standards and the Third Grade Reading Guarantee
Aaron ChurchillReading is essential to functioning in today’s society. Job applications, financial documents, and instruction manuals all require basic literacy. Above that, our lives are greatly enriched when we can effortlessly read the printed word.
A window on teachers’ hybrid work experience in the first phase of the pandemic
Jeff MurrayJust like the term “virtual schooling,” the moniker “hybrid learning”—which came to the fore at the start of Covid disruptions—does not denote one educational model.
My favorite children’s books of the past year
Aaron ChurchillAmong the many things that I’ve come to better understand as a new parent is that children’s books are a literary genre of their own. Who knew there’d be board books, peek-a-flaps, and battery-powered books that make sounds? Some books have clever storylines and rhymes. Some have exquisite artwork. They literally come in all shapes and sizes.
A descriptive look at high school students earning college credit in Rhode Island
Jeff MurrayThe term “dual enrollment” is often used to refer to young people earning college credits while simultaneously completing their high school coursework.
The future of high tech education is probably not in your kid’s school
Jeff MurrayRegardless of whether you believe that too much is being asked of our schools and our educators these days, it is always worth asking whether th
Even better than the real thing: Four-day school weeks make adults very happy
Jeff MurrayThe most commonly expressed motivator for school districts to adopt a four-day school week is monetary: lowering expenditures on hourly staff, transportation, and utilities costs. It is not incidental that the most recent uptick in districts opting for them was in the aftermath of the Great Recession.
Some Ohio schools are facing a teacher shortage. What caused it, and how can it be addressed?
Jessica PoinerOver the last few months, there have been growing concerns over a teacher shortage
NCTQ sheds light on Ohio teacher licensure exams
Jessica PoinerBefore they can stand in front of a classroom full of students, most prospective teachers have to pass state licensure exams. But how many candidates pass those exams on the first try and how many need multiple attempts? Which schools fare best at readying their students for these exams?
Want great teachers and higher achievement? A study from Wisconsin suggests trying flexible pay.
Aaron ChurchillThe vast majority of Ohio teachers are paid according to salary schedules that reward seniority and degrees earned, the result of state l
Gadfly Bites 7/9/21—Exponential
Jeff MurrayOur own Chad Aldis is quoted in this piece from public radio here in Columbus, saying that the new state budget “completely divorced” school report cards from vouche
The past, present, and future of summer programs for students
Jeff MurrayAs post-pandemic life cautiously starts to take shape here in America, uncertainty abounds. Will our systems and processes and activities eagerly snap back to their 2019 forms? Or will our lives in 2021 and beyond take on new contours influenced by what we have learned, for good and ill, during the challenges forced upon us by 2020?
What’s next for College Credit Plus?
Aaron ChurchillBack in 2014, Ohio lawmakers overhauled the state’s dual-enrollment program that gives students opportunities to take advanced courses through two- or four-year colleges.
An overview of the computer science provisions in the state budget
Jessica PoinerIt’s rare for policies that are proposed in the state budget to sail untouched from the governor’s office through the House and to the Senate—especially if they’ll have a significant impact on the status quo.
Here’s what Columbus City Schools plans to offer students this summer
Jessica PoinerIn February, Governor DeWine asked all public schools to create plans designed to address the learning loss caused by pandemic-related school closures.
Impact of video presentations on learning outcomes in college courses
Jeff MurrayA new report from the Journal of Chemical Education takes a look—pre-pandemic—at the ways in which college students benefited from a new opportunity to participate remotely in their education.
Governor DeWine’s budget proposal tackles FAFSA completion
Jessica PoinerIf Ohio is going to continue making progress toward Attainment Goal 2025, a larger percentage of Ohio’s K–12 graduates must enroll in postsecondary programs and earn a degree or credential.
Equitably funding Ohio’s STEM schools will drive innovation, improvement
Meka N. PaceNOTE: The Thomas B. Fordham Institute occasionally publishes guest commentaries on its blogs. The views expressed by guest authors do not necessarily reflect those of Fordham.