The cover story of our Spring 2019 issue examines the 10-year tenure of former Denver Superintendent Tom Boasberg, who stepped down in October. His district redesign plan—focusing on choice, teacher quality, accountability, and more—sparked controversy despite progress.
This issue also grapples with how to promote both student safety and academic success. A new study analyzes evidence from 31 countries to determine how teachers’ cognitive skills translate to student success in math and reading. And, as we reach the one-year anniversary of the Parkland school shooting, a critical look at school security measures weighs how best to protect students while maintaining a school culture conducive to learning.
On the higher education front, we consider how to expand college enrollment and better understand the opportunities institutions provide to low-income students. Online programs lower course costs for at-risk students but struggle to support persistence and degree attainment. A new measure reveals which colleges and universities are actually excelling at providing opportunities to low-income students. The technique may also help institutions better align their admissions and enrollment practices to their missions.
Also in this issue, a reflection by Senator Lamar Alexander on the education legacy of President George H. W. Bush; an investigation into Turkey’s war on a network of high-performing American charter schools; and a look at a new approach to adult education.
See the full list of contents below or at www.educationnext.org/journal.
FEATURES
Redesigning Denver’s Schools
The rise and fall of superintendent Tom Boasberg
By Parker Baxter, Todd Ely, and Paul Teske
Protecting Students from Gun Violence
Does “target hardening” do more harm than good?
By Bryan R. Warnick and Ryan Kapa
Turkey’s Fight against U.S. Charters
An autocrat declares war on high-performing American schools
By Menachem Wecker
Adult Education Comes of Age
New approach blends basic academics and job training
By Beth Hawkins
Entrée to Freshman Year
Online programs offer low-cost courses for college credit
By Kelly Field
RESEARCH
Do Smarter Teachers Make Smarter Students?
International evidence on teacher cognitive skills and student performance
By Eric A. Hanushek, Marc Piopiunik, and Simon Wiederhold
The Right Way to Capture College “Opportunity”
Popular measures can paint the wrong picture of low-income student enrollment
By Caroline Hoxby and Sarah Turner
FROM THE EDITORS
The Strikes Keep Coming
By Martin R. West
LEGAL BEAT
Suing for Desegregation in Minnesota
By Joshua Dunn
BOOK REVIEWS
The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt
As reviewed by Mark Bauerlein
Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World by Maryanne Wolf
As reviewed by Doug Lemov
Adequate Yearly Progress: A Novel by Roxanna Elden
As reviewed by Frederick M. Hess
WHAT NEXT
Online Learning Goes Hollywood
By Michael B. Horn
SCHOOL LIFE
Remembering an Education President
By Lamar Alexander
