Author
Brandon L. Wright
Articles
America’s Mediocre Test Scores
Education crisis or poverty crisis?
America’s Smart Kids Left Behind
Catching up to our global peers will require changing education policy and culture
Blog Posts/Multimedia
What Standards Should Students Meet to Graduate from High School?
Twenty three education policy wonks (or teams of wonks) answered this question as part of Fordham’s 2018 Wonkathon
Most States Step Up on Accountability under ESSA
When Congress enacted the Every Student Succeeds Act, many reformers voiced concern that states would give up on rigorous accountability systems.
State Accountability Plans Fix Many NCLB-Era Mistakes
The Every Student Succeeds Act grants states more authority over their school accountability systems than did No Child Left Behind — meaning that states now have a greater opportunity to design improved school ratings.
Three Ways Charters Reform and Improve Our Schools
Chartering has not been a single experiment or the product of a single vision, theory or doctrine.
What Happens If Obama’s ESSA Regulations are Repealed?
If the ESSA rules are repealed, states could be left with little more than an ambiguous statute and non-binding assurances from the executive and legislative branches.
The Massachusetts Charter School Cap Harms Disadvantaged Students
When the need is so great, the demand so strong, and the supply so skimpy, why not allow more charter schools to serve more children?
Charter Schools Are Reinventing Local Control
The charter phenomenon is also reinventing the school district.
What Will the Next Twenty-Five Years of Charter Schools Look Like?
June 4 marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the enactment of Minnesota’s charter school law, the nation’s first.
Three Fixes for the Charter Marketplace
Even after twenty-five years, charters in most places remain an alien implant in the body of American public education, and all sorts of immune reactions persist.
A Scholarly Approach to School Accountability
States now enjoy a freer hand to decide how they want to rate their schools. What should they do?
Should the Charter Sector Focus on Expanding and Perfecting the No Excuses Model?
The no-excuses model ought to remain a sturdy pillar of the charter sector, but bona fide school choice means plenty of different options,
Charter Schools: Where They Work, Where They Don’t
Some of America’s highest-achieving schools are charters, but so are some of its worst.
Where Did Charter Schools Come From?
The onset of chartering was no lightning bolt. This audacious innovation had multiple ancestors and antecedents.
A Different Kind of Lesson from Finland
Finland has been lauded for years as this planet’s grand K-12 education success story, but since 2009, it’s scores and rankings have slipped.
Germany Is Leaving its Bright Students Behind
Germany has been praised for raising its nationwide test scores while simultaneously reducing educational inequality. That’s no small feat—and one well worthy of recognition and accolades–but Germany’s bright students aren’t enjoying any of these gains.
The New ESEA Will Help America’s High Achievers, But Only If States Rise to the Challenge
The draft bill includes a provision that allows states to use computer-adaptive tests to assess students on content above their current grade level. That’s truly excellent news for kids who are above grade level.
Is America’s Poverty Rate Exceptional? It Depends On How You Define Poverty.
America’s efforts to combat poverty look very different in international comparison depending on what you count and how you measure.
New York City is Failing Its Bright Poor Students
New York is leaving too many gifted children behind, especially disadvantaged students who are gifted.
