The Winter 2017 issue celebrates the tenth anniversary of the annual EdNext Poll of American public opinion on K-12 education policy with a special report that includes 2016 poll results as well as ten-year trends. Public support for Common Core and school vouchers has fallen to an all-time low but has remained steady for federally mandated testing, charter schools, and merit pay for teachers, among other reforms.
Public support for race-based policies also waned in 2016. Although in recent years some policymakers have advocated for alternative disciplinary strategies, a new article reports that critiques of exclusionary discipline and the arguments in favor of alternatives are based on thin evidence. However, new research appearing in this same issue finds that students are less likely to be suspended or expelled when they and their teacher are of the same race.
The public’s support for charter schools has been as steady as the sector’s continued growth and success. Across the country from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., charter schools are expanding their pioneering K-12 models even further to offer preschool programs. And in Chicago, the Noble Network’s “no excuses” education philosophy prepares students to not only perform well on standardized tests but also to enroll and persist in college.
Also in this issue: an analysis of open educational resources and what the federal role should be in facilitating their adoption; an assessment of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s first few years in office in New York City; and an expert debate on the merits of two different approaches to designing state accountability systems.
See the full list of contents below or at www.educationnext.org/journal.
Table of Contents
FEATURES
Common Core Brand Taints Opinion on Standards
2016 findings and 10-year trends from the EdNext poll
By Paul E. Peterson, Michael B. Henderson, Martin R. West, and Samuel Barrows
Open Educational Resources
Is the federal government overstepping its role?
By Michael Q. McShane
Ed Reform Rollback in New York City
Mayor de Blasio’s efforts remain a work in progress
by Stephen Eide
The Charter Model Goes to Preschool
Despite obstacles, innovative new programs expand access
By Ashley Libetti Mitchel and Sara Mead
What Do We Know about School Discipline Reform?
Assessing the alternative to suspensions and expulsions
by Matthew P. Steinberg and Johanna Lacoe
FORUM
How Should States Design Their Accountability Systems?
Education Next talks with Jeb Bush, Heather Hough, and Michael Kirst
RESEARCH
Raising More than Test Scores
Does attending a “no excuses” charter high school help students succeed in college?
By Matthew Davis and Blake Heller
Teacher Race and School Discipline
Are students suspended less often when they have a teacher of the same race?
By Constance A. Lindsay and Cassandra M. D. Hart
FROM THE EDITORS
At the Ballot Box, a Test for Bay State Charters
by Martin R. West
LEGAL BEAT
Strictly Discrimination
by Joshua Dunn
BOOK REVIEWS
Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool
As reviewed by Daniel T. Willingham
The End of Average: How We Succeed in a World That Values Sameness by Todd Rose
As reviewed by Mark Bauerlein
WHAT NEXT
Common Confusion
by Michael J. Petrilli
SCHOOL LIFE
The Problem with Pencils
by Beth Hawkins
