Do Americans Know How Well Their State’s Schools Perform?
Evidence suggests that Americans have been wise enough to ignore the woefully misleading information about student proficiency rates generated by state testing systems when forming judgments about the quality of their state’s schools.
Ending the SEA As We Know It
While working for the New Jersey Department of Education, I consistently struggled with a basic problem. My organization wasn’t designed to do the things that our leadership team prioritized.
The Unheralded Virtues of Grown-Up Policymaking, New Jersey-style
How New Jersey has tried to bridge the gap between policy and practice on teacher evaluations.
What We’re Watching: AEI Event on Cage-Busting Leadership
Chris Barbic, Deb Gist, Kaya Henderson, Adrian Manuel, and Michelle Rhee were at AEI to discuss Rick Hess’s new book on the constraints education leaders face (and imagine).
Reform Agenda Gains Strength
The 2012 EdNext-PEPG survey finds Hispanics give schools higher grade than others do
The 2012 EdNext-PEPG survey finds Hispanics give schools a higher grade than others do
The Edu-Capture of NCLB
Is it right to set lower standards of academic performance for students from minority groups?
Obama the Education Spending Hawk
It’s a safe bet that an Obama victory will mean more federal funding for education than would a Romney victory. But, either way, federal edu-spending is going to be on a lean diet for a good, long while.
Let a New Teacher-Union Debate Begin
Examining the power—and the impact—of education’s 800-pound gorilla
Obama Administration and K-12: The Good and the Bad
We’re rolling into the final sprint to the election; this makes it a good time to look back at what the Obama administration has done with its time in office.
Behind the Headline: Seeking Allies, Teachers’ Unions Court GOP Too
On Top of the News Seeking Allies, Teachers’ Unions Court GOP Too New York Times| 9/25/12 Behind the Headline The Long Reach of Teachers’ Unions Education Next| Fall 2010 In this morning’s New York Times, Motoko Rich writes about the growth in donations made by teachers unions to support Republican candidates. Mike Antonucci had an [...]
The Chicago Strike’s Silver Lining
What this episode demonstrated was that what teacher unions care about has practically nothing to do with what’s good for the kids and everything to do with what teachers want for themselves.
The Fear Factor: Merit Pay with a Punch
The new CTU contract will not have “phony” merit pay (differentiated pay) but will have the “real” thing (school autonomy).
What the Chicago Strike is Really About
The unions are feeling whipsawed by tectonic shifts that have occurred within the Democratic Party in recent years.
Conflict is Unavoidable
There are times when the interests of the teachers and those of the broader public are not the same.
Maintenance of Inefficiency
School district officials who have attempted to do more with less have been stymied by federal maintenance-of-effort requirements for special education.
Flap in Virginia Shows Reformers’ Fealty to Ideology over Implementation
No Child Left Behind’s aspirational aims were more effective as rhetoric than as an accountability regime.
Why the Latest Race to the Top Competition Matters
The Department of Education’s latest foray into digital learning is a big deal.
Even with Limited Leverage, Uncle Sam Can Promote School Choice
Romney’s plan to voucherize Title I and IDEA has considerable merit—but it’s not the only way the federal government could foster school choice and it might not even be the best way.
Do We Need National Standards to Prevent a Race to the Bottom?
If a race to the bottom is fueled by the desire to satisfy federal bureaucratic rules, why would we think the solution is in the adoption of more federal bureaucratic rules?
‘Vouchers Unspoken,’ Predictable—But Unproductive
Whatever its other virtues or defects, Romney’s plan should be debated on the basis of what it actually proposes—and not a politically-colored version thereof.
Innosight Institute’s Comments on Race to the Top District Draft
We hope that Race to the Top-District competition encourages substantive student-centered reform, and in order to ensure this clear purpose we have a few suggested revisions.
What We’re Watching: The Teacher Unions Image Problem
Paul Peterson talks with the Wall Street Journal about a new survey showing that the public is turning against teachers unions.
Another Real Winner in Wisconsin—Real Clear Politics
My colleagues and I went out on a limb yesterday when we wrote an op-ed piece saying that teacher unions were in trouble. So I watched the news last night with a worried eye after CNN told me that the exit polls in Wisconsin showed a tight race.
