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NCLB
We propose a radical rethinking of the federal role in education. That role should much more limited and focused than it is currently, and it should be tailored to Uncle Sam’s capacity and expertise. More specifically, the federal government should do the following:
- Expect states to adopt rigorous standards and assessments and to maintain sophisticated data systems so that student achievement results and school-level finances are transparent to the public;
- Eliminate AYP and allow states much greater leeway in how they rate their schools;
- Allow states complete flexibility in deciding when and how to intervene in failing schools,determining the qualifications that teachers must meet, deciding whether to adopt teacherevaluation systems, etc.; and
- Whenever possible, and with the exception of the main Title I program, turn reform-oriented formula grant programs into competitive ones.
Recent Publications
The Accountability Plateau
Mark Schneider / December 15, 2011
With the tenth anniversary of NCLB fast approaching, that law’s legacy continues to be fiercely contested. This new analysis of NAEP scores—focusing on Texas and on the entire nation—by former NCES commissioner Mark Schneider finds that solid gains in math achievement coincided with the advent of "consequential accountability," first in the trailblazing Lone Star State and a few other pioneer states, then across the land with the implementation of NCLB. But Schneider warns that the recent plateau in Texas math scores may foreshadow a coming stagnation in the country’s performance. Has the testing-and-accountability movement as we know it run out of steam? How else might we rekindle our nation’s education progress?
ESEA Briefing Book
Michael J. Petrilli , Chester E. Finn, Jr. / April 19, 2011
Political leaders hope to act this year to renew and fix the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, also known as No Child Left Behind). In this important new paper, Thomas B. Fordham Institute President Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Executive Vice President Michael J. Petrilli identify 10 big issues that must be resolved in order to get a bill across the finish line, and explore the major options under consideration for each one. Should states be required to adopt academic standards tied to college and career readiness? Should the new law provide greater flexibility to states and districts? These are just a few of the areas discussed. Finn and Petrilli also present their own bold yet "reform realist" solutions for ESEA. Read on to learn more.
The Accountability Illusion
Yun Xiang , Michael Dahlin , John Cronin , Donna McCahon / February 19, 2009
In this study of the No Child Left Behind Act system and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) rules for 28 states, we selected 36 real schools that vary by size, achievement, diversity, etc. and determined which ones would or would not make AYP when evaluated under each state's accountability rules. If a school that made AYP in Washington were relocated to Ohio, would it still make AYP?
Recent Articles
Common Core Watch
What the iPod can teach us about the failure of NCLB
January 6, 2012
Why education needs to learn a few lessons from Apple about evolving and improving over time.
Flypaper
Washington insiders favor ESEA flexibility in theory but not in reality
January 26, 2012
It turns out that many in the education world want to change federal policy in theory but not in reality.
Flypaper
The lessons of “The Accountability Plateau”
December 16, 2011
Flypaper
The future of educational accountability, as envisioned by 11 leading states
November 22, 2011
Mike takes a look at what states are proposing in their ESEA waivers applications.
Education Gadfly Weekly
The feds find a way to stem the tide of STEM innovation
January 26, 2012
Catching up on the week's news.
Recent Video
Embracing the Common Core - Michael Cohen Presentation
Mike Cohen, president of Achieve, spoke to the specifics of PARCC (the assessment consortia Ohio joined last fall) and warned that the implementation of the new standards in ELA and math will not be easy and that districts should start the implementation process now.
Has the Accountability Movement Run Its Course?
Ten years ago, George W. Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act, the law that has dominated U.S. education—and the education policy debate—for the entire decade. While lawmakers are struggling to update that measure, experts across the political spectrum are struggling to make sense of its impact and legacy. Did NCLB, and the consequential accountability movement it embodied, succeed? And with near-stagnant national test scores of late, is there reason to think that this approach to school reform is exhausted? If not "consequential accountability," what could take the U.S. to the next level of student achievement? Join three leading experts as they wrestle with these questions. Panelists include Hoover Institute economist Eric Hanushek, DFER's Charles Barone, and former NCES commissioner Mark Schneider, author of a forthcoming Fordham analysis of the effects of consequential accountability. NCLB drafter Sandy Kress, previously identified as a panelist, was unable to attend.
