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.
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.
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.
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.
The Romney Education Plan: Replacing Federal Overreach on Accountability with Federal Overreach on School Choice
A better idea might be to take a page from the Obama Administration handbook and make funding portability voluntary.
When Washington Focuses on Schools
Uncle Sam is dreadful at micromanaging what actually happens in schools and classrooms. What he’s best at is setting agendas and driving priorities.
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.
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.
Jack Jennings and a Half-Century of School Reform
Much as I respect and admire Jack Jennings, in spite of all his experience in this field, his main tool remains federal legislation, which I’ve come to believe is almost always wielded clumsily in pursuit of nails that either won’t budge at all or end up bent.
Putting the Schools in Charge
An entrepreneur’s vision for a more responsive education system
An entrepreneur’s vision for a more responsive education system
Florida Reformers Got It Right
Hybrid schoolers reap the benefits
Hybrid schoolers reap the benefits
The 2012 Republican Candidates (So Far)
What they’ve said and done on education in the past, and what they might do about our public schools if elected
What they’ve said and done on education in the past, and what they might do about our public schools if elected
Shouldn’t the Public Sector Share the Pain?
If the right cuts are made, the public sector can remain equally effective but operate in a more efficient manner.
Let’s Talk Education Reform: A GOP candidate’s speech
The Republican presidential field is beginning to take shape, and candidates and maybe-candidates are figuring out where they stand and what to say. Sooner or later, they will need to say something about education. May we suggest a few talking points?
President’s Approval Rating Turns Negative: Not accidentally, bipartisanship does too
Two numbers that have come out since last Friday are depressing the chances for action on federal education policy. Everyone now knows that employment ticked upward to 9.2 percent, but few have noticed that Obama’s Real Clear Politics (RCP) job approval rating, positive for most of 2011, turned negative early Sunday morning.
