Charter schools at 30: Looking back, looking ahead
Chester E. Finn, Jr., Bruno V. MannoToday, forty-four states—plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and Guam—have public charter school laws on their statute books, laws that have led to more than 7,500 schools employing 200,000-plus teachers and serving 3.3 million students.
The Education Gadfly Show #770: Hooray for Florida’s new school choice legislation
On this week’s podcast, Doug Tuthill, president of Step Up for Students, joins Mik
Was Eli Broad right to try to improve urban districts or should he have focused solely on charter schools?
Dale ChuEli Broad, who passed away late last month at the age of eighty-seven, long sought to rectify the excessively bureaucratic, overly politicized, and woefully underperforming big city school district. But should he have pivoted instead to charter schools?
Cancel culture versus parent choice
Terry RyanCan parent choice survive the cancel culture that is becoming ever more prevalent on both the political left and political right? What happens when the principles of diversity and choice in schools conflict with either the left’s or the right’s firm view of truth and falsehoods?
Don’t believe the haters. The federal Charter Schools Program deserves full funding.
Libby SobicIn the coming weeks, the House Appropriations subcommittee that decides on education spending will consider how much money to allocate to the federal Charter School Program (CSP).
Not all non-traditional schooling is created equal
Julie FitzWhen we imagine the typical school, at least one from the pre-pandemic era, generally the first thing that comes to mind is a teacher instructing a classroom full of students.
The high cost and low performance of online charter schools in California
Julie FitzFull-time virtual charter schools received a great deal of attention as schools scrambled to transition classes online back in the Spring of 2020, and have experienced booming enrollments over the past year.
Our full rebuttal to a flawed critique of “Robbers or Victims? Charter Schools and District Finances”
Earlier this month on her “Answer Sheet” blog in the Washington Post, Valerie Strauss ran a lengthy rebuttal written by Carol Burris about a study that we recently published. Robbers or Victims?
CDC school guidelines, acceleration, stimulus, and other goings-on
Chester E. Finn, Jr.The CDC’s revised guidelines for pupil spacing in school—three feet under most circumstances rather than six—opened a floodgate of gratitude from superintendents and parents.
School choice proves no match for wokeness
Robert PondiscioSchool choice proponents argue that when parents vote with their feet—and dollars—schools listen. But choice is no match for the pandemic of wokeness that has seized K–12 education. The most advantaged, privileged, and powerful parents in America have been cowed into submissive silence when elite schools of choice adopt neoracist practices masquerading as “anti-racism.”
Power to the people: Further reflections
Bruno V. MannoThe Fordham Institute has published a two-part piece by Checker Finn on giving “power to the people,” as well as
Working with communities is hard and complex—and vital
M. Karega RauschCentering the work of charter schooling and authorizing in communities means listening to the aspirations and needs they have for students—especially communities that have been overlooked and not prioritized, like communities of color, those from lower-income tax brackets, and those with disabilities—and delivering with, not to, them.
Jay Mathews’s admirable optimism about American education
Chester E. Finn, Jr.Yes, I blurbed it—and I like it. Yes, a visitor to our home, a worldly and skeptical sort, hefted it and looked at the title and asked me “Isn’t that awfully thick for a book about optimism regarding American public education?”
Charter school growth increases resources in district-run schools
Patrick WolfEducation funding is sticky. Once dollars are sent to a public school or school system, they tend to stay there.
Assessing the value of community college credentials
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D.The return on investment for four-year college degrees is fairly well-established in terms of graduates’ employment and
Are charter schools a drain on district finances?
David Griffith, Michael J. PetrilliShould President Biden follow through on his campaign promise to grant local school districts veto power over the creation of new charter schools within their borders, on the assumption that their expansion harms traditional public schools?
Robbers or Victims? Charter Schools and District Finances
Mark WeberOpponents of charters contend that they drain district coffers, while proponents argue that it is charters that are denied essential funding. Yet too often, the claims made by both sides of this debate have been based on assumptions rather than hard evidence.
How ya gonna keep ‘em back in that old school?
Chester E. Finn, Jr.If the pandemic vanished tomorrow and all U.S. schools instantly reopened in exactly the same fashion as they were operating last February, how many parents would be satisfied to return their daughters and sons to the same old familiar classrooms, teachers, schedules and curricula? A lot fewer than the same old schools and those who run and teach in them are expecting back!
How anger over Covid closures can fuel the school choice movement
Robert PondiscioThe father testifying before Virginia’s Loudon County school board
Unexpected innovation: Charter schools and novice teacher development
Bill WaychunasLet’s start with a little game. Trust me, it will be helpful if you play along… Grab a piece of paper and a writing utensil. Complete the following sentence: First-year or early-career teachers typically struggle most with… (Try to come up with a few answers.)
Career and technical education and the soft bigotry of low expectations
Tamar JacobyBeware the “soft bigotry of low expectations.” President George W. Bush’s trenchant warning resonated across the political spectrum when he voiced it to the NAACP in 2000, and it has more or less driven federal education policy ever since. For many, educators and noneducators alike, it remains a touchstone of how to think about racial equity.
The Education Gadfly Show: The education issues facing state legislatures in 2021
Charter schools are a Band-Aid when a heart transplant is needed
Marc TuckerThis post is adapted from an email conversation between Marc Tucker and Fordham’s Michael J. Petrilli, in which Marc was responding to Mike’s recent article, “The case for urban charter schools.” It also appeared in Fordham’s Flypaper newsletter.
Dan McKee, poised to be Rhode Island’s next governor, is a model of how to improve schools for all children
Erika SanziRhode Islanders just saw their governor, Gina Raimondo, tapped to become President-elect Biden’s Secretary of Commerce.
It’s not news that Miguel Cardona is a charter school authorizer—and that’s worth celebrating
Alex MedlerPresident-Elect Biden has confirmed that he will nominate Dr. Miguel A. Cardona to serve as the next U.S. Secretary of Education. He appears to be a prudent choice for Biden, earning support from teachers unions and education reform groups, including charter operators. Cardona is the current Connecticut Commissioner of Education.
The Education Gadfly Show: Emily Oster and Noelle Ellerson Ng answer the big question: Will schools reopen this spring?
Mind the gap: Persistent and growing inequities in charter school funding
Victoria McDougaldLike traditional public schools, charter schools are publicly funded according to student enrollment. But compared to their district counterparts, charters have long received far less per-pupil funding.
Do charter schools help new teachers get better faster?
Amber M. Northern, Ph.D., Michael J. PetrilliStudy after study has found that urban charter schools, and non-profit charter networks in particular, tend to be more successful at boosting student achievement than traditional public schools in similar settings. But why?