Author
Michael Petrilli
Articles
Pyrrhic Victories?
The following essay is part of a forum, written in honor of Education Next’s 10th anniversary, in which the editors assessed the school reform movement’s victories and challenges to see just how successful reform efforts have been. For the other side of the debate, please see A Battle Begun, Not Won by Paul E. Peterson, [...]
Charters as Role Models
The charter school movement turns 14
this year, and its behavior, some might say, is “developmentally
appropriate.”
Linky Love, Snark Attacks, and Fierce Debates about Teacher Quality?
A peek inside the education blogosphere
Blog Posts/Multimedia
The Dilemma of Academic Diversity
Despite our student population’s diversity, the number of diverse schools, as imagined by Brown, remains limited.
Common Core Critics Want ALEC to Tell States What to Do
Which is the true “conservative” resolution? The one that tells states what to do and demands a one-size-fits-all approach (pulling out of the Common Core)? Or the one that trusts states to make up their own minds—without interference from Washington?
A States’ Rights Insurrection Led by…California?
Three cheers for California’s governor, state superintendent, and state board chair, for applying for a waiver from NCLB that doesn’t kowtow to Washington.
Have Increased Graduation Rates Artificially Depressed America’s 12th-Grade Performance?
One of the great mysteries of modern-day school reform is why we’re seeing such strong progress at the elementary and middle school levels, but not in high school.
Stretching the School-District Dollar
Rather than hope for revenue increases that are unlikely to materialize, smart leaders can turn the present budget crisis into an opportunity. Rethinking whom we hire, what they do, how we pay them, and how to incorporate technology—that’s where the big payoff is
We Don’t Judge Teachers By Numbers Alone; The Same Should Go For Schools
Why not add a human component to the process, via school inspectors like those in England?
Is the Media Biased in Favor of Reform? It Depends on the Reform
Paul Farhi of the Washington Post created a stir this weekend with an American Journalism Review article ripping mainstream education reporting for being uncritical of school reform.
Alfie Kohn’s Message: Half-Crazy, Half-True
One hundred years ago, a progressive populist barnstormed the country, delivering fiery speeches and railing against the gold standard. Today another progressive populist barnstorms the country, delivering fiery speeches and railing against academic standards. Meet Alfie Kohn, the William Jennings Bryan of our age.
George Miller and the Do-Gooder Caucus—A Top 10 List
If Republicans are radical, Miller and his allies must be conservative because they essentially want No Child Left Behind to stay the same.
Three Thoughts About The Future of School Integration
Let’s do everything we can to integrate the schools, and for the schools that are going to have high concentrations of poverty, let’s make sure that they are excellent as well.
Do We Need a “Virtual” Education Ministry?
Think of it as a private-sector department of education, but run much more efficiently and with higher-quality staff than the government ever could.
The “Teacher Effectiveness Gap” Was Just a Myth: Three Implications*
The finding—reported by the Times this weekend—that really good, and really bad, teachers are evenly distributed around New York City is jaw-dropping news.
Memo to the World: America’s Secret Sauce Isn’t Made in Our Classrooms
Pay attention to what American kids are doing after school and on the weekends, because that is when our special sauce is made.
Republicans for Education Reform
Race to the Top was good for education reform. But the 2010 election, it turns out, was much, much better.
ESEA Waivers: Are They Worth the Trouble?
With two weeks to go until the February 28 deadline for the second round of Secretary Duncan’s ESEA Waiverpalooza, states nationwide are studying the results of Round One to figure out what federal officials did—and didn’t—approve. And they are asking themselves a question: Is it even worth it?
America’s Reform Challenge
It’s not that the wrong people are in charge. It’s that there are so many cooks in the education kitchen that nobody is really in charge. And that is a consequence of an antiquated governance structure that practically forces all those cooks to enter and remain in the kitchen.
Obama’s Coming ‘Flexibility’ Debacle
An announcement on education waivers is anticipated this week. Don’t expect the reaction to be positive, for it appears that the President and his education secretary will renege on their promise of “flexibility” for the states.
Washington Insiders Favor ESEA Flexibility in Theory but Not in Reality
It’s not just the President’s bizarre State of the Union request that states raise their compulsory attendance age to 18. No, I’m referring to the Army of the Potomac’s reaction to John Kline’s ESEA proposal and to Chairman Tom Harkin’s and Rep. George Miller’s response to the waiver requests put forward by several states.
Negotiate From a Position of Strength
The topic of collaboration between districts and charter schools inevitably leads to Cold War imagery. Are we talking about appeasement? Détente? Trust but verify?
ESEA Reauthorization – Everyone’s cards are on the table. Now let’s make a deal.
A clear path toward a workable, maybe even bipartisan, package is still visible. In short: all roads lead to Lamar.
Five Thoughts About NCLB on its Tenth Anniversary
The federal law that everybody loves to hate turns ten on Sunday. Here’s what to think about it…
My Seven Predictions for 2011: A Scorecard
A year ago I played prognosticator and offered “educated guesses” about what 2011 would bring. So how did I do?
Closing the Achievement Gap, but at Gifted Students’ Expense
President Obama’s remarks on inequality, stoking populist anger at “the rich,” suggest that the theme for his reelection bid will be not hope and change but focus on reducing class disparity with government help. But this effort isn’t limited to economics; it is playing out in our nation’s schools as well.
Texas Hit the Accountability Plateau, Then the Rest of the Country Followed
“Consequential accountability” corresponded with a significant one-time boost in student achievement. As an early adopter, Texas got a head start on big achievement gains, and also a head start on flat-lining thereafter.
In Praise of Performance Pay—for Online Learning Companies
Whether you consider yeserday’s New York Times article on K12.com a “hit piece” (Tom Vander Ark) or a “blockbuster” (Dana Goldstein), there’s little doubt that it will have a long-term impact on the debate around digital learning. So how can we go about drafting policies that will push digital learning in the direction of quality?
The Obama Administration’s War on Stuyvesant and Thomas Jefferson
Last week, the Departments of Education and Justice released new guidance for school districts and institutions of higher education on constitutionally-sound ways to encourage racial diversity and avoid racial isolation. The guidance for elementary and secondary education includes some odious and potentially damaging suggestions for America’s 150-odd academically-selective public high schools
Don’t Blame D.C.’s Woes on School Choice
The reduction of choice isn’t because of Michelle Rhee’s policies — it’s because of gentrification.
Too Many Cooks, Too Many Kitchens
It’s well past time to rethink, re-imagine, and reinvent education governance for the twenty-first century.
What Kevin Carey Didn’t Say about Diane Ravitch, but Should Have
As everyone knows, Kevin Carey has a long essay in The New Republic about Diane Ravitch’s apostasy of the education reform movement, much of it fair and on point.
The Future of Educational Accountability, As Envisioned by 11 Leading States
The states are presenting sensible alternatives to the antiquated Adequate Yearly Progress model. The challenge to Arne Duncan, his peer reviewers, and his team: Say yes to these proposals or be accused of a “Washington knows best” mentality.
Responding to Diane Ravitch, Randi Weingarten, & Others on Education, Democracy, and Unions
The solution is not to abandon democracy, but to consider whether different iterations of it might work better than others.
Dealing with Disingenuous Teachers Unions: There Are No Shortcuts
School boards should drive a hard bargain with unions, but they don’t, because their members are so often elected with the support of those very same unions. The “no shortcuts” plan is to roll up our sleeves and engage in the fight for political control of local school boards.
We Have a Parenting Problem, Not a Poverty Problem
It strikes me as highly unlikely that we’re ever going to significantly narrow the achievement gap between rich and poor unless we narrow the “good parenting gap” between rich and poor families, too.
NAEP 2011: The Reading First effect?
Last night was fun for the kids, but today is every education wonk’s favorite holiday: NAEP release day!
A is for Accountability*; What’s at stake in the ESEA debate**
Liberal reformers and prominent editorial pages are raging mad about the Harkin-Enzi bill’s supposedly weak approach to accountability in its ESEA update. Are they right to be? And is it true that Republicans have become teacher union stooges when it comes to federal education policy?
It Sure Wasn’t Pretty, but Harkin-Enzi’s Out of Committee
Assuming that the House bills will be even better, I would claim that reauthorization is finally heading in a hopeful direction.
Harkin-Enzi’s Hodgepodge
We finally have a serious, thoughtful ESEA reauthorization proposal in the Senate, one that should gain support from both sides of the aisle and both ends of Pennsylvania Avenue. But here’s a warning: It’s not the bill that the Senate is currently marking up.
Accountability’s End?
If the debate around the federal role in accountability is coalescing, a much bigger question remains wide open: Could we be watching the beginning of the end for the accountability movement in toto?
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