The Top 20 Education Next Articles of 2013

Which Education Next articles were most popular in 2013?

UPDATE: Check out our top 20 articles of 2014, top 20 articles of 2015, and our top 20 articles of 2016.


Which Education Next articles were most popular in 2013?

Our top article of 2013 was a randomized experiment designed to measure the effect of taking students on a field trip to an art museum. The study concluded, as the authors wrote in an op-ed in the New York Times, that “art makes you smart.”

What other topics were popular?

Five of the top 20 articles for 2013 looked at some aspect of technology in education: an article on flipped classrooms, a study of the effectiveness of online learning for college students, a profile of a charter school that utilizes blended learning to individualize instruction, an article “checking the facts” of a study that evaluated K12 virtual schools, a look at educational apps aimed at preschoolers.

Another five articles of the top 20 articles focused on teachers or teacher training: a critique of ed schools, a look at the role played by substitute teachers, an article describing new organizations aimed at giving teachers a greater voice in the profession, a study of the academic qualifications of today’s teachers, an article on the cost of teacher benefits, and an article on changes at Teach for America.

Five more articles looked at some aspect of charter schooling:  a look at how graduates of No Excuses charter schools are doing in college, an inside look at high-scoring BASIS charter schools, a look at the softer side of KIPP schools, an article about a blended learning charter school in L.A., and a study looking at how competition with charter schools affects district schools.

Without further ado, here are the top 20 articles:


1. The Educational Value of Field Trips
Taking students to an art museum improves critical thinking skills, and more
By Jay P. Greene, Brian Kisida and Daniel H. Bowen
2. ‘No Excuses’ Kids Go to College
Will high-flying charters see their low-income students graduate?
By Robert Pondiscio
3. 21st-Century Teacher Education
Ed schools don’t give teachers the tools they need
By Kate Walsh
4. Despite Common Core, States Still Lack Common Standards
Students proficient on state tests but not national
By Paul E. Peterson and Peter Kaplan
5. The Transformational Potential of Flipped Classrooms
Different strokes for different folks
By Michael B. Horn
6. High Scores at BASIS Charter Schools
Arizona students outperform Shanghai
By June Kronholz
7. No Substitute for a Teacher
Adults’ absences shortchange students
By June Kronholz
8. Online Learning in Higher Education
Randomized trial compares hybrid learning to traditional course
By William G. Bowen, Thomas I. Nygren, Kelly A. Lack and Matthew M. Chingos
9. Taking Back Teaching
Educators organize to influence policy and their profession
By Richard Lee Colvin
10. Gains in Teacher Quality
Academic capabilities of the U.S. teaching force are on the rise
By Dan Goldhaber and Joe Walch
11. The Softer Side of ‘No Excuses’
A view of KIPP schools in action
By Alexandra Boyd, Caleb Rose and Robert Maranto
12. The Promise of Personalized Learning
Blending the human touch with technological firepower
By Susan Headden
13. The 2013 Education Next Survey
What Americans are thinking about Common Core and other education policies
By Michael Henderson and Paul E. Peterson
14. The Rising Cost of Teachers’ Health Care
Private-sector employers pay much less
By Robert M. Costrell and Jeffery Dean
15. Competition with Charters Motivates Districts
New political circumstances, growing popularity
By Marc J. Holley, Anna J. Egalite, and Martin F. Lueken
16. Questioning the Quality of Virtual Schools
NEPC report on K12 uses flawed measures of school performance
By Matthew M. Chingos
17. Still Teaching for America
Common vision creates forward momentum
By June Kronholz
18. Combating the ‘Culture of Can’t’
School leaders have more power than they think
By Frederick Hess and Whitney Downs
19. Toddlers and Tablets
Emerging apps take cues from learning science
By Alex Hernandez
20. Graduations on the Rise
The 2000s saw boost in U.S. students completing high school
By Richard J. Murnane and Stephen Hoffman

Congratulations to all of our authors!

—Education Next

P.S. You can find the Top 20 Education Next articles of 2011 here.

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