Published Articles & Media
Blog
Appraising Education Reform, Part 2: Has Reform Been Genuine?
The end of the decade has inspired me to reflect on contemporary efforts at education reform in the U.S., and to suggest next steps. This blog entry, in which I investigate whether the U.S. has genuinely tried to reform its schools, is the second part of what will ultimately be a three-part series.
Blog
Appraising Education Reform, Part 1: A Failed System
The end of the decade has inspired me to reflect on contemporary efforts at education reform in the U.S., and to suggest next steps. This blog entry, in which I review the evidence of failure of our education system and explain the challenge created by rapid globalization, is the first part of what will ultimately be a 3-part series.
Blog
Do Teachers Need Extrinsic Rewards like Performance Pay?
Richard Rothstein recently posed an interesting question. He asked, in effect, “why do performance pay advocates assume teachers need added motivation? Is there not evidence already that they are motivated?” As support for his position that teachers, generally, are motivated, Richard referred to gains in the fourth grade mathematics scores on NAEP for African American youngsters. In thinking about Richard’s postulate, I consulted with a number of the nation’s experts regarding reading and mathematics instruction. The general consensus is that the rise in NAEP math scores for African American students provides virtually no support for this contention.
Blog
Think Education Spending Will Decline? Think Again
America’s schools have always been well funded, despite the claims of school funding advocates who persistently assert that the nation shortchanges its students. That’s the most basic point of “The Phony Funding Crisis,”an article by myself and Arthur Peng that Education Next published on its website today.
Blog
The Decline of Ed Schools: Ten Questions and Answers
America does not now need education schools. They add little and cost a great deal. They are unable to attract talented entrants and fail to add value to their graduates (either by boosting teacher performance or teacher’s lifetime incomes).
Blog
SAT Scores: A Distraction from the Urgent Need for Massive Reform
The College Board has recently released its 2009 SAT results. These results increasingly are a distraction, a national narcotic that dulls the collective senses into believing that there are reform programs deserving of being evaluated.