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Public and Teachers Increasingly Divided on Key Education Issues
National Survey shows increased support for vouchers, but public’s views on merit pay, charters, and other policies have not changed, though teacher opposition to reforms intensifies
Republican Governors Running on Strong Education Records as Candidates for President
Romney and Pawlenty earn high marks for student achievement, Perry can spotlight Hispanic performance
Chicago Study Shows Principals Focus on Retaining Highly Effective Teachers in Dismissal Decisions – if Policies Permit
Reform improves student achievement by providing principals with the tools to manage the quality of personnel in their classrooms
Success is in the Details at High-Performing Charter Management Organizations
A “no excuses” approach to teaching and learning and tight management make the difference
Seniority Rules Lead Districts to Increase Teacher Layoffs and Undermine Teaching Quality
“Last in, first out” reduction-in-force policies give greater weight to teacher longevity than effectiveness
Behind the Headline: The German Example
On Top of the News The German Example The New York Times | 06/08/11 Behind the Headline Teaching Math to the Talented Education Next | Winter 2011 On the occasion of German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s visit to the White House, the New York Times’ David Leonhardt writes about what Germany is getting right these days, [...]
Behind the Headline – World-beating: A weird school measure
On Top of the News World-beating: A weird school measure Class Struggle (blog) | 06/07/11 Behind the Headline The NRC Judges Test-Based Accountability Education Next (blog) | 06/03/11 Jay Mathews critiques the new NRC report on test-based accountability, arguing that the NRC has an unreasonable standard for evaluating the reform strategy. Jay’s column quotes Rick [...]
Behind the Headline: Pa. girl wins Bee with ‘cymotrichous’
On Top of the News Pa. girl wins Bee with ‘cymotrichous’ USA Today | 06/03/11 Behind the Headline Competition Makes a Comeback Education Next | Summer 2010 The 84th Scripps National Spelling Bee has a winner! June Kronholz wrote about spelling bees and other academic competitions in the Summer 2010 issue of Ed Next. Also [...]
Behind the Headline: GOP questions federal rules on healthier eating
On Top of the News GOP questions federal rules on healthier eating U.S. News & World Report | 05/31/11 Behind the Headline The School Lunch Lobby Education Next | Summer 2005 Republicans in Congress are fighting the Obama administration over new rules that would require healthier school lunches. An article by Ron Haskins that appeared [...]
Through Dual Enrollment, High School Students Get an Early Start on College and Careers
Students have the chance to accelerate and gain workforce skills, but roadblocks to dual enrollment remain
Study Finds Rigorous Classroom Observations Can Identify Effective Teachers
Cincinnati’s teacher evaluation system pinpoints link between teaching practices and student achievement
Harvard Study Shows that Lecture-Style Presentations Lead to Higher Student Achievement
Widely-used problem-solving pedagogy as implemented in practice is not as effective for raising achievement levels
Assessing David Steiner’s Short Reign as New York State’s Education Commissioner
The state won the Race to the Top but his resignation leaves doubts that there will be any will to fulfill its promises
Behind the Headline: Holes in the case against Michelle Rhee
On Top of the News Holes in the case against Michelle Rhee The Washington Times | 04/11/11 Behind the Headline The Case Against Michelle Rhee Education Next | Summer 2011 In the Washington Times, Paul Peterson scrutinizes two recent studies of student achievement in the District of Columbia, and concludes that “the case against Michelle [...]
Michelle Rhee’s DC Record Survives Scrutiny
The case against Rhee evaporates in fact-checking analysis of two critiques of her record
Higher Teacher Quality Would Catapult U.S. Toward Economic Growth
Analysis examines direct link between teacher effectiveness and lifetime earnings
Behind the Headline: House passes Boehner’s school vouchers bill
On Top of the News House passes Boehner’s school vouchers bill USA Today | 03/30/11 Behind the Headline Lost Opportunities Education Next | Fall 2009 On Wednesday, the House passed a bill that would revive the school voucher program for students in Washington, D.C. Patrick Wolf, the principal investigator of the evaluation of the D.C. [...]
Behind the Headline: L.A. elementary schools to switch reading programs
The Los Angeles school board has dumped Open Court, a reading program for elementary school students which provided scripted, phonics-intensive lessons. Many teachers hated the program, the L.A. Times reports. In the Winter 2007 issue of Ed Next, Diane Ravitch traced the history of the Open Court readers.
Behind the Headline: Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell vetoes P.E. bill
Virginia Governor Robert McDonnell vetoed a bill that would have required elementary and middle school students to participate in at least 150 minutes of physical education each week. A study that was published in Ed Next in 2006 found that mandating more time in PE classes does not always result in more exercise for kids.
Schools of the Future Taking Shape through Blended Learning Innovations
Charter models that integrate teacher-directed and digital learning are on the leading edge of school reform
Behind the Headline: Detroit Plan Makes Big Charter School Bet
In a bid to prevent massive school closings, Detroit will consider converting nearly a third of its district-run schools into charter schools. In an article that appeared in the Spring 2008 issue of Ed Next, Andy Smarick urged charter school advocates to embrace a strategy of large-scale replacement of failing district schools with charter schools.
Behind the Headline: Cuts to Head Start Show Challenge of Fiscal Restraint
Republicans are pushing to cut the budget for Head Start by $2 billion. The program is popular, but studies have raised questions about its effectiveness. The current budget for the program is $7.2 billion. An article by Ron Haskins that appeared in the Winter 2004 issue of Ed Next looked at earlier efforts to reform Head Start.
Behind the Headline: Gates Says Benefits Costs Hit Schools
Bill Gates will outline how flawed pension accounting hampers the ability of states to pay for education, and will call for states to rethink their pension systems, in a talk to be presented at the TED conference tomorrow. Gates has created a website that shows the funding status for pension obligations and retiree health-care benefits for each state. In the Spring 2009 issue of Ed Next, Mike Podgursky and Bob Costrell wrote about the high cost of teacher pensions.
In the United States, Merit Pay Plans for Teachers are Few and Far Between
Even when implemented, the plans are more likely to be symbolic than substantive
Post-Katrina Reforms Produce Achievement Gains and Conflict in New Orleans Schools
New school models and governing arrangements at pivotal point as New Orleans looks ahead
Teach for America Alumni Overrepresented in Entrepreneurial Ventures
Leaders of education organizations often have TFA experience
Countries with Merit Pay Score Highest on International Tests
Significantly better student achievement seen in countries that make use of teacher performance pay
Behind the Headline: Full-Time E-Learning Not Seen as Viable Option for Many
In Ed Week, Michelle Davis describes what the school day is like for parents whose children attend virtual school full-time. (Hint: it’s a lot of work!) In the Summer 2009 issue of Ed Next, Bill Tucker wrote about Florida Virtual School, which offers supplemental courses to students attending brick-and-mortar schools but also allows students to enroll in an online school full-time.
Study provides evidence that the New York City bonus program did not lead to marked gains in student achievement
New York City’s decision to scrap school-wide bonus pay echoes study findings that school-wide performance pay hampers the incentives for individual teachers to improve performance
Behind the Headline: Whittle Starts A City School
Edison Schools co-founder Chris Whittle has announced that he will open a for-profit, elite private school in New York City in September 2012. A study by Matt Chingos and Paul Peterson that was published in Ed Next in 2009 looked at what happened when for-profit firms, including Edison Schools, were given control of some public schools in Philadelphia.
Behind the Headline: GWU launches online prep school
In partnership with K12.com, George Washington University has launched a high school that will operate entirely online. In the Summer 2009 issue of Ed Next, Bill Tucker wrote about Florida Virtual School, which offers supplemental courses to students attending brick-and-mortar schools but also allows students to enroll in an online school full-time.
Behind the Headline: Can Rhee’s reforms work without Rhee’s toughness?
In the Washington Post this weekend, Richard Whitmire worries that the race to embrace a style of school reform he calls “Michelle Light” — the kinds of teacher quality reforms identified with Michelle Rhee, but pursued in a gentle, cooperative way–may not be able to accomplish much. Rhee was profiled by June Kronholz in the Winter 2010 issue of Ed Next.
The Truly Talented Soar in Public School Targeting Their Needs
Students with exceptional intellectual ability are well served in an innovative Nevada public school
Behind the Headline: Why Teacher Pensions Don’t Work
In the Wall Street Journal, Joel Klein argues that the structure of traditional pensions discourages talented young people from becoming teachers. The Winter 2010 issue of Ed Next included a study by Bob Costrell and Mike Podgursky that showed how teacher pensions concentrate benefits on teachers who spend their entire careers in a single state, penalizing younger teachers, who change jobs and move more often than did previous generations.
Behind the Headline – Detroit Public Schools: 40,000 kids to get laptops from stimulus funds
Detroit Public Schools will spend $49 million in federal stimulus funds to buy laptops for 40,000 students in grades 6-12. In the Fall 2004 issue of Ed Next, Rick Hess wrote about other attempts by states and districts to boost achievement by passing out laptops. ” The tendency,” he noted, “has been to sprinkle computers and Internet connections across classrooms in the pleasant hope that teachers will integrate them into their lessons.”
Tax Credit Scholarships for Low-Income Florida Students to Attend Private Schools Improve Performance at Nearby Public Schools
Private school scholarship program leads to immediate and pronounced achievement improvements at neighborhood public schools, with elementary and middle schools most responsive
Percentage of U.S. Students Achieving at Advanced Levels in Math Trails Most Industrialized Nations
New analysis finds U.S. ranked 31st out of 56 countries in the percentage of students performing at a high level of accomplishment, trailing Korea, Canada, the Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Poland and Lithuania, among others
Behind the Headline: Tough as Nails, but Always Ready for a Bearhug
At De La Salle Academy, a private school in New York City for high-performing low-income children profiled in today’s New York Times, rules are strict and expectations are high, but the school becomes like a family for students. An article by David Whitman that appeared in the Fall 2008 issue of Ed Next explored the phenomenon of paternalistic schools, “highly prescriptive institutions that teach students not just how to think, but also how to act according to what are commonly termed traditional, middle-class values.”
Behind the Headline: Blending Computers Into Classrooms
Barbara Martinez of the Wall Street Journal visits a Bronx elementary school where students spend two hours per day engaged in computer-directed instruction. In the Summer 2009 issue of Ed Next, Gerald Huff and Bror Saxberg imagined what computer-assisted learning might look like in 2025 and described some ways that technology is being used to customize learning today.
Behind the Headline: Chicago Public Schools CEO Ron Huberman to step down
Ron Huberman, who was appointed Chicago Schools CEO by Mayor Richard Daley after Arne Duncan became Secretary of Education, has told Mayor Daley that he will leave his position before the mayor leaves office in May rather than serve under another mayor, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. In the Winter 2003 issue of Ed Next, Alexander Russo wrote about the early days of mayoral control of education in Chicago.
Behind the Headline: KIPP leaders unworried by test score drop
Fifth grade test scores are down at KIPP schools in Washington, DC, but KIPP leaders are not concerned, and the network is continuing to add schools and grade levels, reports Jay Mathews. In Spring 2009, Ed Next published an excerpt from Jay’s book about KIPP, Work Hard. Be Nice.
Behind the Headline: Making Math Lessons as Easy as 1, Pause, 2, Pause …
Winnie Hu writes in the New York Times about school districts adopting Singapore Math, which is thought to provide a better foundation for higher-order math skills by teaching fewer topics but in more depth. Barry Garelick investigated Singapore Math in the Fall 2006 issue of Ed Next.
Study Finds Students in K-8 Schools Do Better than Students in Stand-Alone Middle Schools
Comprehensive analysis of 10 years of data from New York City shows middle-school students experience substantial achievement decline compared to K-8 peers
Behind the Headline: Hurricane Katrina swept away years of dysfunction in New Orleans public schools
Five years after Hurricane Katrina hit, Cindy Chang of the New Orleans Times Picayune describes the transformation that has taken place in the city’s school system. In the Fall 2006 issue of Ed Next, Kathryn Newmark and Veronique de Rugy wrote about the changes that were underway.
Public and Teachers Divided in Their Support for Merit Pay, Teacher Tenure, Race to the Top
National Survey also reveals increased support for virtual schooling, support for charter schools rises sharply in minority communities
Behind the Headline: Unions Lose Election Bid
In New York, a judge has rejected a demand by the teachers union that the union be allowed to spend significantly more money on a Senate race than is permitted under the state’s current campaign finance law. In an article that appears in the Fall 2010 issue of Ed Next, Mike Antonucci took a close look at campaign spending by teachers unions.
Behind the Headline: Unions’ Tactics Diverge in Engaging Obama Agenda
In Ed Week, Stephen Sawchuk looks at how the NEA and the AFT are responding to the reforms being advanced by the Obama administration, and at what might explain the different responses from the two unions. In the Winter 2009 issue of Ed Next, Linda Seebach wrote about the two teachers unions, which had just chosen new presidents at their national conventions.
Behind the Headline: Who’s teaching L.A.’s kids?
The Los Angeles Times has obtained seven years worth of test scores for individual students and used them to calculate “value added” scores for over 6,000 teachers. The teachers will be identified by name (and scores) in a series of articles and a database that will be made public. Kati Haycock and Eric Hanushek discussed the importance of identifying ineffective teachers in a forum that appeared in the Summer 2010 issue of Ed Next about strategies for increasing the number of effective teachers in high-poverty schools.
Behind the Headline: E Is for Fail
In Slate, Brian Palmer looks at the history of letter grades for an explanation of why schools assign grades of A,B,C,D, and F—but not E. A study by David Figlio and Maurice Lucas that was published in Ed Next in 2004 found that elementary school students learn more from teachers who are tough graders.
Harvard Study Finds That Parents Grade Their Local Schools on Basis of Student Achievement Not Racial Composition of School
Analysis also debunks popular belief that low-income, minority and less-educated parents are not as informed about school quality
Behind the Headline: Venture Philanthropy gives $5.5 million for expansion of KIPP DC charter schools
A $5.5 million gift will allow KIPP to more than double the number of students enrolled in its schools in DC (to 3400 students) by 2015. In an article that appeared in Ed Next in 2008, Julie Bennett explored how KIPP has been able to expand while maintaining quality.
Behind the Headline: A food bill we need
First Lady Michelle Obama urges Congress to pass the Child Nutrition Bill, which would bring healthier school lunches to more kids. In an article that appeared in Ed Next in 2005, Ron Haskins wrote about the forces behind the federal school lunch program.
Behind the Headline: Least-Disruptive Turnaround Model Proving Popular
School districts attempting to turn around low-performing schools using federal funds are overwhelming choosing the least disruptive interventions. An article by Andy Smarick that appeared in the Winter 2010 issue of Ed Next argued that turnaround efforts like these are unlikely to succeed.
Behind the Headline: Standards Raised, More Students Fail Tests
Passing rates on state tests plummeted this year in New York after state education officials raised the cut score on the state’s reading and math tests. New York said that the tests had become significantly easier to pass. A study by Paul Peterson and Carlos Xabel Lastra-Anadón that will appear in the Fall 2010 issue of Ed Next finds that New York is not the only state that had been dumbing down its tests.
Behind the Headline: Rhee aims to build voucher programs
In Washington, schools chancellor Michelle Rhee is considering a plan that would offer vouchers to special ed students in need of full-time placements. Jay Greene and Stuart Buck explained how special ed vouchers work and dispelled myths about the vouchers in an article appearing in the Winter 2010 issue of Ed Next.
Behind the Headline: The Case Against Summer Vacation
Summer learning loss is among the most pernicious — if least acknowledged — causes of achievement gaps in America’s schools, notes David von Drehle in this week’s Time Magazine, and lengthening the school year is the answer. In an article published in the Winter 2010 issue of Ed Next, Dave Marcotte and Ben Hansen reviewed the research on the impact of extending the school year on student achievement.
Behind the Headline: ‘Common Core’ standards clearer, more rigorous
The Fordham Institute has released an analysis of the Common Core standards and the state academic standards in all 50 states which finds that the Common Core standards are better than those in three quarters of the states. In an article that appeared in Ed Next in 2009, Chester Finn and Deborah Meier debated the merits of a national curriculum.
Behind the Headline: Rare attack on Harlem Children’s Zone
A new Brookings study by Russ Whitehurst and Michelle Croft finds that students attending the charter school connected with the Harlem Children’s Zone do not outperform students at other New York City charter schools, but Jay Mathews warns that it is too soon to draw conclusions about the impact of the HCZ’s services. Cara Spitalewitz reviewed Paul Tough’s book about the Harlem Children’s Zone in the Summer 2009 issue of Ed Next.
Behind the Headline: Changes urged for Mass. schools
In Massachusetts, the commissioner of education is recommending that the state replace its highly regarded academic standards with the Common Core Standards. In an article that appeared in Ed Next last year, Charles Chieppo and Jamie Gass worried that Massachusetts might turn its back on the nation’s most successful reform strategy, including its high academic standards.
Behind the Headline: New Evaluation Laws Split Teachers Even More
In Colorado and other states, teachers’ job security will now be tied to how well their students perform on state tests. In an article appearing in the Summer 2010 issue of Ed Next, Rick Hanushek and Kati Haycock debate the best ways to get more effective teachers into high-need schools. They both note that removing poorly performing teachers is an important part of any strategy to boost teacher quality.
Teachers Unions In Five States Spent More Than $100 Per Teacher On Political Campaigns
New Education Next analysis finds two national teachers unions spent $71.7 million on political campaigns in 2007-08 and millions more on policy research to support their agendas
Behind the Headline: NJ teacher drain
In New Jersey, a flood of teachers are retiring this month in response to a proposal to reduce pension benefits for future retirees. In an article that appeared in Ed Next in 2008, Bob Costrell and Mike Podgursky investigated the peculiar incentives that are built into teacher pensions, incentives which can encourage teachers to leave teaching when they are still effective or to remain in their jobs when they have burned out.
Behind the Headline: How Many Graduates Does It Take to Be No. 1?
On Top of the News How Many Graduates Does It Take to Be No. 1? 06/26/10 | New York Times Behind the Headline Competition Makes a Comeback Summer 2010 | Education Next Many high schools are naming multiple students–sometimes dozens–as valedictorians to reduce pressure and competition among students. An article by June Kronholz in the [...]
Behind the Headline: Villaraigosa backs charter school bids, rips Cortines
On Top of the News Villaraigosa backs charter school bids, rips Cortines 06/25/10 | The Los Angeles Times Behind the Headline Palace Revolt in Los Angeles? Summer 2010 | Education Next The mayor of Los Angeles has criticized the L.A. Unified school district for not allowing more charter organizations to take over low-performing district schools [...]
Behind the Headline: TAKS grade inflation is nothing new
On Top of the News TAKS grade inflation is nothing new 06/13/10 | Houston Chronicle Behind the Headline State Standards Rising in Reading but Not in Math Fall 2010 | Education Next It has been reported that the “passing” mark for some parts of the Texas state proficiency exam was altered after the results came [...]
Behind the Headline: Cincinnati Public Schools to put top teachers at weak schools
On Top of the News Cincinnati Public Schools to put top teachers at weak schools 06/14/10 | Cincinnati.com Behind the Headline An Effective Teacher in Every Classroom Summer 2010 | Education Next Cincinnati teachers who receive special training to serve as “lead teachers” will no longer be able to return to their home schools, but [...]
Behind the Headline: Microsoft’s Philly high school traveled rocky road
On Top of the News Microsoft’s Philly high school traveled rocky road 06/15/10 | Forbes Behind the Headline High School 2.0 Spring 2010 | Education Next Philadelphia’s School of the Future graduates its first senior class today, and every graduate is headed for an institution of higher learning. In the Spring 2010 issue of Ed [...]
Behind the Headline: Some educators question if whiteboards, other high-tech tools raise achievement
On Top of the News Some educators question if whiteboards, other high-tech tools raise achievement 06/11/10 | The Washington Post Behind the Headline Bye-Bye Blackboards Summer 2010 | Education Next Expensive and interactive, whiteboards are sprouting up in classrooms across the country. But do they improve academic achievement, Stephanie McCrummen wonders in the Washington Post. [...]
Behind the Headline: D.C. contract is just the tool to let creative, renegade teachers soar
On Top of the News D.C. contract is just the tool to let creative, renegade teachers soar 06/07/10 | The Washington Post Behind the Headline Palace Revolt in Los Angeles? Summer 2010 | Education Next The new teachers contract in D.C. will give innovative teachers an opportunity to prove that they can help poor kids [...]
Behind the Headline: Why should education be exempt from recession budgeting?
On Top of the News Why should education be exempt from recession budgeting? 06/06/10 | The Washington Post Behind the Headline The Phony Funding Crisis Winter 2010 | Education Next George Will writes that before Congress agrees to spend another $23 billion to prevent teachers from being laid off, “it should read ‘The Phony Funding [...]
Behind the Headline: 1 competitor, 1 spelling bee — 20,000 note cards
On Top of the News 1 competitor, 1 spelling bee — 20,000 note cards 05/31/10 | The Boston Globe Behind the Headline Competition Makes a Comeback Summer 2010 | Education Next With the National Spelling Bee just days away, attention has turned to its talented and dedicated competitors – including Tim Ruiter, one of the [...]
Behind the Headline: Slow learners at the 9th Circuit
On Top of the News Slow learners at the 9th Circuit 05/18/10 | The Washington Post Behind the Headline Credits Crunched Fall 2009 | Education Next On Thursday the Supreme Court will consider whether to reverse a ruling by the 9th Circuit that Arizona’s tax credit program violates the Establishment clause. “Surely this question was [...]
Ed Next Research Finds NCLB Has Produced Substantial National Gains In Math Skills
Landmark federal law responsible for gains in math among low-income and Hispanic students, but had no impact on reading achievement.
Behind the Headline: School Factors May Influence Teacher Effectiveness
On Top of the News School Factors May Influence Teacher Effectiveness 05/17/10 | Teacher Beat Behind the Headline An Effective Teacher in Every Classroom Summer 2010 | Education Next A new study by C. Kirabo Jackson finds that teachers who are effective in one school might not be as effective in other kinds of schools–schools [...]
Report Raises Questions about Standards of “Race to the Top” Winners
Education Next rates Each State’s Proficiency Standards; finds that Race to the Top Winners Delaware and Tennessee get a ‘C’ and an ‘F’, respectively
Behind the Headline: Mass. hunting for star teachers
On Top of the News Mass. hunting for star teachers 05/10/10 | Boston Globe Behind the Headline An Effective Teacher in Every Classroom Summer 2010 | Education Next Massachusetts will today announce a new effort to recruit hundreds of successful teachers to work in 35 low-performing schools in Boston and other school districts. In the [...]
Charter Schools, Traditional Public Schools Similarly Segregated
Flawed comparisons lead Civil Rights Project to unwarranted conclusions
Behind the Headline: U.S. Falls Short in Measure of Future Math Teachers
On Top of the News U.S. Falls Short in Measure of Future Math Teachers 04/15/10 | The New York Times Behind the Headline The Mystery of Good Teaching Spring 2002 | Education Next A new study finds that America’s future math teachers have less knowledge of math than their counterparts in other countries. An article [...]
Behind the Headline: Obama’s plan to reward schools for innovation sparks debate
On Top of the News Obama’s plan to reward schools for innovation sparks debate 04/14/10 | The Washington Post Behind the Headline Toothless Reform? Spring 2010 | Education Next The U.S. Department of Education is embracing an approach to spending that rewards states and districts for innovating instead of simply disbursing funds by formula to [...]
Behind the Headline: Teachers agree to shorten LAUSD school year
On Top of the News Teachers agree to shorten LAUSD school year 04/11/10 | Los Angeles Times Behind the Headline Time for School? Winter 2010 | Education Next The teachers union in L.A. has ratified a deal that will shorten the school year this year and next as a cost-saving measure. As reported in the [...]
Behind the Headline: Budget cuts could lead to fewer options at Florida Virtual
On Top of the News Budget cuts could lead to fewer options at Florida Virtual 03/24/10 | The Gradebook Behind the Headline Florida’s Online Option Summer 2009 | Education Next The Florida Legislature is considering cutting Florida Virtual School’s per-student funding and limiting the length of time students may take to complete courses. An article [...]
New Study Finds State Funded Universal Kindergarten Provides Some Benefits for White Students but no Positive Impact for African American Students
Large state investments in universal early-childhood education programs do not necessarily yield clear benefits for more disadvantaged students
Charter Schools Show Increased Rates of High School Graduation and College Enrollment, According to New Study
In the first-ever analysis of the impacts of charter school attendance on educational attainment, educational researchers find that attending charter high schools is associated with higher graduation rates and college attendance.
The Unknown World of Charter High Schools
New evidence suggests they are boosting high school graduation and college attendance rates
Voucher Supporters Achieve Political Success in Louisiana
In a decade in which many school voucher programs have been limited or rolled back in Washington, DC, Utah, Arizona, and Florida, the Louisiana legislature in 2008 passed a new voucher program for New Orleans. In 2009-10, the second year of the voucher program, 1,324 New Orleans students attended 31 private schools using vouchers with a maximum value of over $7,000.
Race to the Top Offers Last Chance to Salvage Stimulus Spending
As states catch their breath after rushing to meet the January 19 deadline for submitting applications for the first round of Race to the Top grants, education researcher Andy Smarick of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute warns that the administration must take steps to ensure that Race to the Top funds are spent in ways that promote reform.
New Education Next Forum: Are Boys Being Shortchanged in K-12 Schooling?
After decades of concern that girls were being shortchanged in male-dominated schools, there has grown a rising chorus of voices worrying about whether boys are the ones in peril. Richard Whitmire, author of Why Boys Fail, and Susan McGee Bailey, principal author of the 1992 report How Schools Shortchange Girls debate whether schools are now shortchanging boys.
Quality Counts Grades Unfair to Poor States, Researchers Argue
As Education Week magazine prepares to release its annual report card for states, Quality Counts 2010, education researcher Margaret Raymond and a team of researchers from CREDO at Stanford University warn that one set of grades on the report card is not reliable.
Quality Counts and the Chance-for-Success Index
Narrowing its scope to factors schools can control would give the measure greater value
Winter 2010 Book Alert
Intelligence and How to Get It; Liberating Learning; Unlearned Lessons; Leading for Equity
Fraud in School Lunch Program Not Just About Free Lunches
In a time of penny pinching inspired by tight state and local education budgets, investigative reporter David Bass warns that taxpayers are picking up the tab for a large number of ineligible students who participate in the federal school-lunch program. Even more problematic may be the effect on school funding formulas, on research, and on accountability measures.
Public School Pension Plans Penalize Teachers who Move Jobs across States with Significant Retirement Losses, Researchers Find
In examining pension plans in six states, Costrell and Podgursky find that compared to a neutral cash balance system, the type of defined benefit pension system which covers almost all public school teachers redistributes about half the pension wealth of an entering cohort of teachers to those who subsequently retire in their mid-50s from those who leave the system earlier.
“Snow Day” Effect Lowers Test Scores, Complicates Accountability, Researchers Find
Researchers Dave Marcotte and Benjamin Hansen summarize new evidence that expanding instructional time is as effective as other commonly discussed educational interventions intended to boost learning.
Fueled by Federal Stimulus Package, Education Spending Will Likely Increase over Next Decade despite Lack of Achievement Gains for Students
The nation’s public schools will likely have more money and a larger and better paid labor force than they had in 2009
Evidence Doesn’t Support Investment in School Turnaround Efforts
New school start ups and replications of high performing charter school models provide a better solution
Education Next Profiles D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee
Can Michelle Rhee Wrest Control of the D.C. School System from Decades of Failure?
Researchers Find Special Education Voucher Programs Ensure Better Services and Outcomes for Students
In a feature article for the winter 2010 issue of Education Next, education researchers Jay P. Greene and Stuart Buck of the University of Arkansas dispel several common myths about these programs and show how they have benefited handicapped children in states where they have been enacted, including those not in private placements.
Law and Disorder in the Classroom
Emphasis on student rights continues in classrooms even when the Court begins to think otherwise
Fall 2009 Book Alert
Alternative Routes to Teaching; When Mayors Take Charge; From A Nation at Risk to No Child Left Behind; Inside Urban Charter Schools; The Role and Impact of Public-Private Partnerships in Education; The Latino Education Crisis
“Obama Effect” Strongly Influences Public Attitudes on Controversial Education Topics, according to Education Next–PEPG 2009 National Survey
Findings Show Research Evidence Can Be Equally Significant in Shaping Public Opinion. Read the full article,
The Persuadable Public, by William G. Howell, Paul E. Peterson and Martin R. West.
Pro-student Court Rulings Decline, Researchers Show
Many think students have more rights than courts have granted. Read the full article, Law and Disorder in the Classroom, by Richard Arum and Doreet Preiss.
Students in D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program Make Significant Improvements in Reading, U.S. Education Department Study Finds
Voucher gains are the largest achievement impacts from any federal education experiment so far. Read the full article, Lost Opportunities, by Patrick J. Wolf.
Race and Education, 1954—2007, by Raymond Wolters & Steady Gains and Stalled Progress, edited by Katherine Magnuson and Jane Waldfogel
Untangling race and education
Readers Respond
Debating Massachusetts; scaling up KIPP; practice-based teacher training; alternative certification; for-profits in Philadelphia; selling success; teacher co-ops
Young People Are All Right
Book Review: The Dumbest Generation: How the Digital Age Stupefies Young Americans and Jeopardizes Our Future
Summer 2009 Book Alert
The Beautiful Tree; The Street Stops Here; Reforming Boston Schools, 1930-2006; The Leader in Me; Changing the Odds for Children at Risk
New Education Next Forum: Is There a Connection between School Spending and Student Achievement? Should Courts Decide?
U. S. Supreme Court decision puts issue on front burner for states. Read the full article, Many Schools Are Still Inadequate, by Eric Hanushek, Alfred Lindseth and Michael Rebell.
Educating the Public
How information affects Americans’ support for school spending and charter schools
Piles of Problems
In 2006, we examined the damages from state education budget cuts. We proposed moving students in to charter schools.
When Provided with Accurate Information, Public Support for Increased Spending on Schools and Teacher Salaries Declines, Researchers Find
Read the full article, Educating the Public, by William G. Howell and Martin R. West.
Book Alert
The Beautiful Tree: A Personal Journey into How the World’s Poorest People Are Educating Themselves; The Street Stops Here: A Year at a Catholic High School in Harlem; Reforming Boston Schools, 1930-2006: Overcoming Corruption and Racial Segregation; Changing the Odds for Children at Risk: Seven Essential Principles of Educational Programs That Break the Cycle of Poverty
Children Exposed to Domestic Violence Have a Negative Effect on the Behavior and Academic Achievement of Classroom Peers, New Study Finds
Troubled boys have a greater and more adverse impact on other boys. Read the full article, Domino Effect, by Scott Carrell and Mark Hoekstra.
Education Next Forum on the Future of No Child Left Behind: Mend It? Or End It?
Education Scholars Diane Ravitch and John E. Chubb Debate the Pros and Cons of the Controversial Federal Education Policy. Read the full article, The Future of No Child Left Behind, with Diane Ravitch and John E. Chubb
State Legislators Consider Bill to Restrict Florida Virtual School despite Growing Enrollment
Florida Virtual School reports 10-fold increase in enrollments over past ten years; nearly 50 percent growth among African-Americans since 2007. Read the full article, Florida’s Online Option, by Bill Tucker.
The Education Factor
Schooling once drove the nation’s rise to the top, but things have changed, unfortunately
Book Alert
The Seduction of Common Sense:How the Right Has Framed the Debate on America's Schools; Real Leaders,Real Schools: Stories of Success Against Enormous Odds; Mobilizing the Community to Help Students Succeed; School Accountability,Autonomy, and Choice Around the World; The Future of Educational Entrepreneurship: Possibilities for School Reform
The Education Factor
Schooling once drove the nation’s rise to the top, but things have changed, unfortunately
Readers Respond
Choice international; IES; Milwaukee finance; home schooling; alternative certification; union watch
Book Alert
So Much Reform, So Little Change: The Persistence of Failure in Urban Schools Charles M. Payne (Harvard Education Press) Payne, a sociologist at the University of Chicago, here sets out to explain “the sociology of failure” of urban reform. Drawing primarily on his experiences in Chicago, Payne considers the effects of social context, poverty, race, [...]
Readers Respond
Front-loading teacher pay; California home schooling; paying students for test scores; academics and discipline; technology education for teachers
Readers Respond
Disrupting class; Governor Schwarzenegger; Reading First; New York City charters;wrong numbers; charter sector
Out of Jail and Into Jobs
Maya Angelou Public Charter School offers hope and an education to kids in trouble
Book Alert
Lessons Learned: What International Assessments Tell Us about Math Achievement Tom Loveless, editor (Brookings Institution Press) While math scores are bandied about in the modern era, how much do we really know about what they mean or what they can teach about practice and policy? In this dense but thought-provoking volume, Brookings scholar Tom Loveless [...]
Accountability Left Behind
U.S. Court of Appeals sides with the NEA, would free districts from NCLB requirements
Book Alert
The Educational Morass: Overcoming the Stalemate in American Education. Myron Lieberman (Rowman and Littlefield). The equal-opportunity, granddaddy longlegs of all curmudgeons, Myron Lieberman, manages in one volume to savage teachers unions, education schools, the Education Writers Association, the New York Times, the Washington Post, education research, egalitarian school-choice proponents, and conservatives Diane Ravitch, Terry Moe, [...]
Book Alert
Pay-for-Performance Teacher Compensation: An Inside View of Denver’s ProComp Plan. Phil Gonring, Paul Teske, and Brad Jupp (Harvard Education Press). The authors have delivered a straight-shooting, inside account of the design, politics, and implementation of the much-discussed Denver ProComp teacher pay plan—a plan the Denver Post termed “the nation’s most ambitious.” Widely regarded as the [...]
The Right Republican Strategy
“By…[selecting] the youths of genius from among the classes of the poor, we hope to avail the State of those talents which nature has sown as liberally among the poor as the rich, but which perish without use if not sought for and cultivated.” —Thomas Jefferson, 1782 “We need to challenge the soft bigotry of [...]
The Democratic Take
The 2008 presidential election stands as a “change” election. The public’s anxiety over the challenges globalization poses to the future of the American Dream is driving a desire for the country to change direction. The American people understand that what will give the nation a competitive advantage in a global marketplace are the skills, creativity, [...]
Election 2008: The Education Debate
In the 2000 election, President Bush’s pledge to combat the “soft bigotry of low expectations” was a pillar of his compassionate conservatism and crucial to his razor-thin margin of victory. That election begat the now-controversial No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The law has split the Right between those who cheer accountability and those who [...]
Readers Respond
Evidence-based studies; update on Los Angeles; pre-K for all;
Indianapolis needs philanthropy; in defense of
Accelerated Reader
Will NCLB Hit the Wall?
Congress hopes to finish work on the reauthorization of the No ChildLeft Behind Act (NCLB) before the presidential primary season beginsin January 2008, though it is unclear whether that deadline will bemet. The six-year-old law was originally passed by Congress with strongbipartisan support, but now faces opposition from both the right andthe left. Can the [...]
Checking NYC’s Facts
New York’s adequacy case; underground education; North Carolina charters; the Bloomberg revolution
Education and the Economy
For more than three decades, the United States has been scoring below the international average among participating nations on tests of math and science achievement. Again and again, civic leaders have pointed to this fact when warning that a crisis in American education may imperil continued growth in economic productivity. Yet after two decades of [...]
Power Struggle in Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Unified School District once again finds itself positioned for great things—or grave disappointment. The district has an ambitious building plan, and a tough-talking retired admiral sits in the superintendent’s chair. The legislature passed a bill in 2006 that gives Mayor Villaraigosa greater control over the schools, but a lawsuit holds up his [...]
The 21 studies that generated the findings in “Civics Exam: Schools of Choice Boost Civic Values”
Campbell, David E. 2001a. “Civic Education: Readying Massachusetts’ Next Generation of Citizens.” White Paper 17, Boston: Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research. Available by request of the author, Dave_Campbell@nd.edu. ———. 2001b. “Making Democratic Education Work.” In Charters, Vouchers, and Public Education, edited by Paul E. Peterson and David E. Campbell. Washington, DC: Brookings, pp. 241-67. [...]
Book Alert
Educating School Teachers. Arthur Levine (The Education Schools Project). In this 140-page report, the former president of Teachers College, Columbia University, seeks to do for teachers what his 2005 report did for administrators: appraise the current state of their professional preparation and suggest needed reforms. The news is mostly glum: “Teacher education in the U.S. [...]
Readers Respond
Teacher Certification; Adequacy Studies; National Standards; Restructuring Questions; Spotlight on Newark; Kids and Exercise
Readers Respond
Teacher Gender; Hope in New Orleans; Miracle Math; PE in Schools; Newark’s Cory Booker; National Standards
Reflections on the One-Room Schoolhouse
If children showed any aptitude and ambition for learning, they were not hampered by restrictions [or] rules
Book Alert
Cutting Through the Hype: A Taxpayer’s Guide to School Reforms. Jane L. David and Larry Cuban (Education Week Press). Silver bullets come not here. In this slender, readable volume, veteran educators Jane David (now head of the Bay Area Research Group) and Larry Cuban (emeritus education professor at Stanford) conduct a breakneck tour of almost—but [...]
The NCLB Restruct-a-tron
Does the law’s great big machine for overhauling schools produce anything worthwhile?
Our Schools and Our Future
Assessments of the state of American education on the 20th anniversary of the A Nation at Risk report
Book Alert
Collective Bargaining in Education: Negotiating Change in Today’s Schools. Edited by Jane Hannaway and Andrew J. Rotherham (Harvard Education Press). It is not clear what justifies use of “change” in the title of this book. Since the days of the Luddites, it has been in the nature of unions to oppose anything that jeopardizes worker [...]
Battling the Progressives
The Knowledge Deficit: Closing the Shocking Education Gap for American Children
By E. D. Hirsch, Jr.
Thomas Payzant; union politics; Jack Jennings; high school; keeping Christians out
The Bostonian Tom Payzant had an extraordinary ten-year run as superintendent of schools in Boston, as described in Alexander Russo’s fine story (“The Bostonian,” features, Summer 2006). Although it’s hard to remember now, Boston public schools were in free fall a decade ago, with a dysfunctional school committee, a series of short-term superintendents, and a [...]
Civics Lesson
Diversity and Distrust: Civic Education in a Multicultural Democracy by Stephen Macedo Asking the schools to mold good citizens—again
Rewarding Expertise
For most of the century just past, and into the current one, school districts have paid their teachers according to a “single salary schedule,” a pay scheme that bases an individual teacher’s salary on two factors: years of experience (steps) and number of education credits and degrees (lanes).
A Few Good Schools
Why start a charter school in the style of a military college-prep academy? Put simply, Oakland’s public high schools are a disaster.
Defrocking the National Board
Will the imprimatur of “board certification” professionalize teaching?
Flunking ETS
The Educational Testing Service makes divining the methods of good teachers look easy. It’s not.
Much Too Early
SIDEBAR: Head Start by Tyce Palmaffy.
SIDEBAR: More than the Three Rs by Edward Zigler and Sally J. Styfco.
Seasons Change
The shifting make-up of society and schools has already undermined the common culture
High-Stakes Culture
Any attempt to divine the cultural consequences of choice must recognize that the movement for educational choice has not been limited to vouchers.
Taking Measure
A recent Council of the Great City Schools report hailed Houston for ‘beating the odds’ by generating sizable gains in student achievement.
Fixing Federal Research
Education demands a first-rate R & D shop. The Department of Education isn’t it-yet
School @ Home
Fearing conformity, violence, secularism, or simply bad teaching, more and more parents are taking their children’s education into their own hands. And more and more of their children are entering the nation’s finest institutions of higher education. Can home schoolers handle college life?
Hero Worship
Cities look for a savior to transform their school systems, lasting reform takes a sustained, community-wide effort
Can’t Let Go
Just a few years back, school-based management was the rage in Cleveland. Except that the central office wasn't all that interested in relinquishing control
Old Wine, New Bottles
In Baltimore, the mayor’s lack of success at school reform led to a state takeover of the city’s schools. In Washington, D.C., mayoral control has begun to stabilize the system. So what does this tell us about the ability of city hall to run a school system?
Finishing Touches
If school vouchers bettered the educational opportunities only of children who use the vouchers to attend private schools or schools in another district, many reformers would be left holding cups half empty.
A Work in Progress
After five years, school choice is beginning to have visible effects in Michigan’s education system.
Blog Posts/Multimedia
What We’re Watching: Good Teachers Boost Students’ Future Pay
Harvard professor John Friedman discusses his study on the use of value-added analysis and the effects a high-value-added teacher can have on students’ future earnings.
What We’re Watching: Reform School – New Series by ChoiceMedia.TV
Jay Greene and Joe Williams discuss the role of the federal government in education in the pilot episode of a new show.
Implications for Policy Are Not So Clear
Commentary on “Great Teaching:Measuring its effects on students’ future earnings” By Raj Chetty, John N. Friedman and Jonah E. Rockoff Raj Chetty, John Friedman, and Jonah Rockoff have carried out a remarkable study, but I suspect it will be misinterpreted. The main contribution of their research is quantifying the importance of teaching. Specifically, the authors [...]
Profound Implications for State Policy
If we are truly serious about improving student learning, we must think anew about teacher recruitment, placement, evaluation, professional development, retention, and separation.
More Evidence Would Be Welcome
Commentary on “Great Teaching:Measuring its effects on students’ future earnings” By Raj Chetty, John N. Friedman and Jonah E. Rockoff The new study by Raj Chetty, John Friedman, and Jonah Rockoff asks whether high-value-added teachers (i.e., teachers who raise student test scores) also have positive longer-term impacts on students, as reflected in college attendance, earnings, [...]
Low-Performing Teachers Have High Costs
Chetty et al.’s evidence shows that bad teachers cost hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost income and productivity each year that they remain in the classroom. These costs are large enough that failing to address them is simply inexcusable.
What We’re Watching: The 26-Ingredient School Lunch Burger
NPR’s Tiny Desk Kitchen series looks at the surprising ingredients that go into a hamburger served in a school cafeteria.
What We’re Watching: Education Reform for the Digital Era
John Chubb, Bryan Hassel, Mark Bauerlein, Eleanor Laurans, and Mike Petrilli discuss whether digital learning is education’s latest fad or its future at a Fordham Institute event held last week.
What We’re Watching: Education Reform for the Digital Era
On Thursday, April 19 from 9:00-10:30 am we’ll be watching a live webcast of the Fordham Institute’s webinar event on digital learning.
What We’re Watching: The Tartans
This 13-minute documentary by the Fordham Foundation describes the challenges and successes of a rural Appalachian charter school.
What We’re Watching: Short Circuited
The benefits and challenges of bringing online learning into California classrooms are explored in this video from the Pacific Research Institute.
What We’re Watching: Lunchtime in America
The Fordham Institute’s Rejected Super Bowl XLVI Commercial – Lunchtime in America
What We’re Watching: The Chicago VIVA Project
In Chicago, individual teachers are working with policymakers to figure out how to use a longer school day to improve student learning.
What We’re Watching: Education Could Be ‘Greatest National Security Challenge’
In this PBS interview, Condoleezza Rice and Joel Klein discuss the new report by the task force they chair linking education to national security.
What We’re Watching: Another Solution to Crime
David Deming talks with the Wall Street Journal about how school choice programs in North Carolina have reduced criminality among high risk males.
What We’re Watching: Teacher Test Scores Go Public
Eric Hanushek talks with the Wall Street Journal about why teachers’ value-added scores should be made public.
What We’re Watching: Weighing the Waivers
On Friday, March 2 from 9:00-10:30 am we’ll be watching a live webcast of the Fordham Institute’s forum on NCLB waivers.
What We’re Watching: David Gergen on TFA and Teachers Unions
David Gergen talks with Bob Bowdon of Choice Media TV about Teach for America.
What We’re Watching: Rethinking Education Governance with Chris Cerf
Chris Cerf, acting commissioner of education in New Jersey, speaking at the Fordham Institute on the role of governance in improving education outcomes.
What We’re Watching: Education Policy in an Election Year
Panelists at this AEI event, moderated by Rick Hess, discussed the outlook for federal education policy in 2012.
What We’re Watching – Salman Khan: Let’s Use Video to Reinvent Education
In this TED talk, Salman Khan talks about how and why he created the remarkable Khan Academy. In the spring issue of Ed Next, June Kronholz looks at two school districts working with Khan Academy to boost math achievement.
Ed Next Book Club: Paul Tough’s Whatever it Takes
Podcast: Mike Petrilli talks with New York Times Magazine editor Paul Tough about his book on the Harlem Children’s Zone.
What We’re Watching: Whose Side Are You On? The NAACP Sues Charter Schools
Choice Media TV looks into why the NAACP joined a lawsuit to evict charter schools from buildings they share with traditional district schools in New York.
Did the Chetty Teacher Effectiveness Study Use Data that are No Longer Relevant?
In a two steps forward, one step back dance worthy of Vladimir Lenin himself, the New York Times properly gave front-page coverage to the breathtaking new teacher effectiveness study by Raj Chetty and his colleagues, but then allowed Michael Winerip space to give teacher unions a denial opportunity.
What We’re Watching: Creating Opportunity Schools
The Mind Trust’s CEO discusses bold school reform plans for Indianapolis Public Schools.
What We’re Watching: Has the Accountability Movement Run Its Course?
On Thursday, Jan. 5 from 8:30-10:00 am we’ll be watching a live webcast of the Fordham Institute’s forum on accountability, starring Eric Hanushek, Charles Barone, Sandy Kress, and Mark Schneider.
Terry Moe on Teacher Union Power
Terry Moe talks with Eric Hanushek about his recent book, Special Interest: Teachers Unions and America’s Public Schools.
Adding Education and Growth to Deficit Talks
Eric Hanushek and Terry Moe talk about using education policy to improve long-term growth and reduce deficits.
Flawed Evaluation of Test-Based Accountability
Rick Hanushek critiques the latest anti-testing report from the National Research Council.
What We’re Watching: A Day in the Life of the National Online Teacher of the Year
Kristin Kipp teaches 11th and 12th grade English virtually from her home in Colorado.
What We’re Watching: Live Webcast of Fordham Event on Education Governance
Watch the Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s conference “Rethinking Education Reform in the 21st Century” streaming live all day (Thursday) from the Capitol Hilton in Washington D.C.
Ed Next Book Club: Chester Finn’s Troublemaker: A Personal History of School Reform Since Sputnik
Mike Petrilli talks with Chester Finn about the path education reform has taken over the past 40 years and his own path through history.
Ed Next Book Club: Paul Peterson’s Saving Schools
Mike Petrilli talks with Paul Peterson about six great education heroes.
What We’re Watching: Disruptive Innovations Could Transform Washington State Schools
Michael B. Horn explains how blended learning can be a useful and effective tool for teachers.
What We’re Watching: Mayor-Led Turnarounds in Los Angeles
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is working with the LAUSD to try to turn around 22 low-performing schools.
What We’re Watching: GA Supreme Court Strikes Down State Chartered Schools
In this Choice Media TV report, Georgians react to the news that their state can no longer approve or direct funding to charter schools.
What We’re Watching: NewSchools Interview with Sal Khan
NewSchools interviews Sal Khan, whose Khan Academy has delivered more than 71 million online video tutorials, as part of a series on education entrepreneurs.
What We’re Watching: The Other Achievement Gap
Are America’s highest achieving students being left behind? Watch the Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s webinar “The Other Achievement Gap”
Tony Miller Keynote on Learning from Other Countries
U.S. Deputy Secretary of Education Tony Miller discuss the importance of learning best practices from the highest-achieving nations in this keynote address.
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