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The Education Exchange: Effectiveness of Teaching Practices Depends on Classroom Composition
A new study investigates whether teaching practices differ in effectiveness depending on the students in the class. It finds that the impact of good classroom management and student-centered instruction vary depending on whether the students in the classroom are of high ability or of mixed ability. Jane Cooley Fruehwirth, Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of North Carolina, sits down with Paul E. Peterson to discuss the study,”Teacher Effectiveness and Classroom Composition,” which she co-authored with Esteban Aucejo, Patrick Coate and Zachary Mozenter.
The Education Exchange: A Survey of Teachers by Teachers
How do teachers feel about the changes taking place in American education? Evan Stone, the co-founder and CEO of Educators for Excellence, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss his organization’s new survey, “Voices from the Classroom: A Survey of America’s Educators.”
The Education Exchange: What Happened to Black Teachers When Southern Schools Were Desegregated?
Before schools in the southern U.S. were racially integrated, schools for African American students were staffed almost exclusively by African American teachers. After the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, southern schools began to be desegregated, and this had a big effect on black teacher employment.
What We’re Watching: Can Charter Schools Survive Polarization and Populism?
On Thursday, July 26, 2018, the Fordham Institute hosted a panel discussion on changing support for charter schools featuring Charles Barone, Carlos Marquez, Nina Rees, and Mike Petrilli.
The Education Exchange: Brett Kavanaugh’s Possible Impact on the Supreme Court
Michael McConnell, a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution and a former Circuit Judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The Education Exchange: A Teacher-Centric Approach to School Reform
Students in Washington, D.C. have been making large gains on NAEP, and many credit the transformation of the teaching profession that has taken place in DCPS over the past decade. Thomas Toch of FutureEd joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss his new report, which takes a close look those changes.
The Education Exchange: LAUSD at the Edge of a Fiscal Cliff
The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) faces a debt of between $11-15 billion. How did the school district get itself into such a financial hole and what might it do to get out of it?
The Education Exchange: Why Did the Supreme Court Change Course on Agency Fees?
On the last day of its 2017-2018 term, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Janus vs. AFSCME that public employee unions can no longer collect agency fees from non-members. Clint Bolick, an associate justice of the Arizona Supreme Court, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss why the U.S. Supreme Court felt it was necessary to overrule a decision from the 1970s allowing agency fees.
Q&A: Rebecca Friedrichs
Reflections on the Janus v. AFSCME ruling, from the plaintiff in a similar case
The Education Exchange: Congress Checks In On Charter Schools
Charter schools have been in the news lately, as supporters and opponents have debated whether they are expanding opportunities for students most in need or whether they are increasing segregation. Earlier this month, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on charter schools and EdNext’s Marty West was invited to testify.
The Education Exchange: Impact of Magnet Schools in San Diego
In San Diego, one in ten students attends a magnet school, and because admission is sometimes determined by lottery, researchers have been able to study the impact of attending a magnet school on long-term outcomes.
Julian Betts of the University of California, San Diego joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss his research on magnet schools in San Diego.
What We’re Watching: Hearing on The Power of Charter Schools
The House Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on June 13, 2018 on The Power of Charter Schools: Promoting Opportunity for America’s Students. Testifying were Nina Rees, Greg Richmond, Jonathan Clarke, and Marty West.
College Accreditation, Explained
An EdNext guide to how it works, who’s responsible for it, and more
The Education Exchange: Private School Attendance and Civic Involvement
Are graduates of private schools as active in the public sphere as graduates of public schools? David Sikkink, an associate professor of sociology at Notre Dame, finds that when it comes to volunteering and charitable giving, graduates of private religious schools are more likely to be engaged. He joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss his research.
EdNext Podcast: Rebecca Friedrichs on Janus v. AFSCME
Later this month, the Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in Janus v. AFSCME on whether public sector unions should be allowed to collect agency fees from employees who choose not to join the union. The Court heard a similar case two years ago, Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association. Marty West talks with Rebecca Friedrichs, the lead plaintiff in that case, about agency fees, unions, and what to expect after Janus.
The Education Exchange: Tennessee Commissioner of Education Candice McQueen on High State Standards
A new analysis by Education Next finds that the state that has raised its proficiency standards the most over the past 10 years is Tennessee. Tennessee Commissioner of Education Candice McQueen joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how her state has raised its standards and made other changes to advance student learning.
EdNext Podcast: Tenure Reform and Test Scores in Florida
In 2011, a Florida law eliminated tenure for teachers hired on or after July 1, 2011. A new study looks at the impact of that change on student achievement in the state. Celeste Carruthers joins Marty West to discuss the new study, which she co-authored with David Figlio and Tim Sass.
The Education Exchange: How Have States Changed Their Standards?
Dan Hamlin, a postdoctoral fellow at the Program on Education Policy and Governance (PEPG) at the Harvard Kennedy School, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss their new article, “Have States Maintained High Expectations for Student Performance? An analysis of 2017 state proficiency standards.”
EdNext Podcast: Motivating American Students to Work Harder
In the United States, we don’t expect most kids to work very hard, and they don’t. So write Mike Petrilli and Adam Tyner of the Fordham Institute in a new EdNext article about student motivation. Should we try to make schools more engaging? Use external exams to hold students accountable for their learning? Adam Tyner sits down with Marty West to discuss some options that he and Mike Petrilli explore in their article, “The Case for Holding Students Accountable.”
What We’re Watching: Are State Proficiency Standards Falling?
On Tuesday, May 22, Education Next presented the results of its latest evaluation of the rigor of state proficiency standards at an event hosted by the Hoover Institution.
The Education Exchange: Understanding the Social Aspect of Truancy
Schools are paying increasing attention to the problem of truancy, and many states are including an indicator measuring chronic absenteeism in their accountability plans for the Every Student Succeeds Act. In this episode, Paul E. Peterson talks with Peter Bergman about the phenomenon of joint absences, when students have a peer with whom they systematically skip class.
What We’re Watching: School Funding – Stories from the States
On Wednesday, May 30, 2018, the Urban Institute will host a panel discussion on how states can make changes to their school funding systems.
EdNext Podcast: The Trouble with Ranking Teacher-Prep Programs
For a brief period, states were required to rank their teacher education programs based in part on how much their graduates were boosting student test scores. But when Paul von Hippel and Laura Bellows took a close look at the evaluations of teacher education programs in six states, they found that the differences between the programs in their graduates’ impact on student learning were negligible.
The Education Exchange: When For-Profit Colleges Lose Access to Federal Aid
The Trump administration may undo regulations that punish for-profit colleges if their graduates are unable to earn enough money to repay their student loans. The authors of a new study discuss the impact on student enrollment in for-profit colleges and community colleges when the federal government cracks down on for-profit colleges with high rates of students defaulting on their loans.
EdNext Podcast: When Benefit Costs Rise, Teacher Salaries Bear the Brunt
In many states, teacher pay has stagnated or even declined in recent years. The rising cost of maintaining teacher retirement systems is part of the problem. Chad Aldeman joins Marty West to discuss the increasing cost of teacher benefits, how this affects teacher take-home pay, and what teachers gain and lose under the current system.
The Education Exchange: Phonics Makes a Comeback in England
A little over a decade ago, a new government in the United Kingdom issued a report recommending that early reading instruction include phonics. What has been the impact of that change in approach to teaching reading?
Martina Viarengo, the author of a study on this topic, joins Paul Peterson to discuss her research.
What We’re Watching: Learning from the Long-Term Effects of School Choice in America
The Program on Education Policy and Governance at Harvard hosted a conference last month on the long-term effects of choice.
EVENT: Are State Proficiency Standards Falling?
A new analysis using the latest NAEP data
EdNext Podcast: Changes in State Spending on Higher Ed
The cost of college is rising, in part because of declines in state support for higher education. But what explains those declines?
Douglas Webber, associate professor in the Temple University Department of Economics, joins EdNext Editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss his article, “Higher Ed, Lower Spending: As States Cut Back, Where Has the Money Gone?”
The Education Exchange: Effects of Refugee Students on Non-Refugee Students
After a devastating earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010, thousands of Haitians moved to the U.S. and enrolled their children in school here. David Figlio, Dean of the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss his research on the impact these Haitian refugee students had on the non-refugee students who were already attending those schools.
What We’re Watching: Beyond the Classroom
The Education Without Walls program run by the National Center for Outdoor and Adventure Education gives chronically homeless students in North Carolina the chance to learn from outdoor experiences like camping trips.
EdNext Podcast: A More Diverse Charter Sector
As the charter school sector grows, there is more emphasis on replicating school models with a track record of success and less emphasis on single-site schools that increase the variety of schooling options. So argues Derrell Bradford in a new article for Education Next, “Strengthening the Roots of the Charter-School Movement.”
This week, Derrell Bradford joins EdNext editor-in-chief Marty West to discuss his article, what can be done to support single-site schools, and why it matters.
The Education Exchange: Gov. Chris Sununu and Education Reform in New Hampshire
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss efforts to bring education savings accounts and full-day kindergarten to his state.
EdNext Podcast: Teacher Education Reboot – An Expert Proposal
Do teachers know enough about how students think and what motivates them? Daniel Willingham thinks that ed schools are not giving teachers enough useful information about how children learn. He laid out his argument in an Education Next article, “Unlocking the Science of How Kids Think.”
The Education Exchange: New Research on the Impact of Teachers
Instead of just looking at the effect teachers have on the test scores of their students, researchers have expanded their focus to include the impact of teachers on student attendance and the long-run outcomes of their students. Seth Gershenson joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the latest findings on the impact teachers have on their students.
What We’re Watching: NAEP, A Nation at Risk, and the Future of Education Reform
On April 25, 2018, the Hoover Institution, the Fordham Institute, and Education Next hosted a panel discussion on the progress ed reform has made since the 1980s and what the latest NAEP scores suggest about America’s future.
EdNext Podcast: A Lost Decade for U.S. Education?
The results of the 2017 National Assessment of Educational Progress have just been released and the news is not good. National trends are mostly flat, and as Mike Petrilli notes, it’s now been almost a decade since we’ve seen strong growth in either reading or math, with the slight exception of eighth grade reading. Mike Petrilli joins Marty West to take a close look at the results and to consider what lessons we can draw from them.
The Education Exchange: Studying a Large-Scale Voucher Program in Colombia
In Colombia, a voucher program has awarded over 125,000 poor children scholarships to help them attend private high schools. Eric Bettinger of Stanford University talks with Paul Peterson about the program, which has been found to have positive long-term impacts on participating students, including better labor market outcomes.
What We’re Watching: NewSchools Venture Fund Summit 2018
The New Schools Venture Fund (NSVF) live-streamed sessions of its annual summit on Wednesday, February 9, 2018 starting at 11 am Eastern time.
EdNext Podcast: One University Enters Innovative New Territory in Online Learning
Georgia Tech already offered a highly regarded master’s degree in computer science. In 2014, the school added a fully online version of the degree. In this episode, Josh Goodman joins Marty West to discuss the impact of the program.
The Education Exchange: Checking In on Support for Charter Schools
Results from a survey released last week showed that support for charter schools has come back up after a sharp drop last year. In this week’s episdode, Nina Rees of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools sits down with Paul E. Peterson to discuss what might have caused support for charters to dip and then rise and to consider the results of some recent studies on charter schools.
Three Hoover Fellows on NAEP, A Nation at Risk, and the Future of Education Reform
On April 10, the U.S. Department of Education will release the latest results of the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), which will tell us how fourth- and eighth-grade students are faring nationally, in every state, and in most big cities in math and reading. That week also marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of A Nation at Risk.
EdNext Podcast: Charter Schools and Teacher Retirement Benefits
In some states, charter schools can design their own retirement plans for teachers. In this episode, Michael Podgursky, professor of economics at the University of Missouri–Columbia, joins Marty West to discuss what we can learn from charter innovation in this area.
What We’re Watching: Charter Schools – Expanding Opportunity or Reinforcing Divides?
On Thursday, March 29 at 5:30 pm, the Harvard Graduate School of Education hosted an Askwith Debate on whether charter schools enahnce or undermine equity.
The Education Exchange: Looking Beyond Test Scores
School choice researchers are finding that vouchers may impact student test scores and later attainment outcomes in different ways. In this episode, Patrick Wolf joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss why researchers should consider other outcomes besides test scores when evaluating school choice programs.