Publications
Final Evaluation of the Next Generation Science Standards
Paul Gross , Douglas Buttrey , Ursula Goodenough , Noretta Koertge , Lawrence S. Lerner , Martha Schwartz , Richard Schwartz / June 13, 2013
In the final evaluation of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), the Thomas B. Fordham Institute grants the standards a C grade. The NGSS grade is superior to grades we granted to the science standards of sixteen states and the PISA framework in the State of State Science Standards 2012 but inferior to those of twelve states and the District of Columbia, as well as the NAEP and TIMSS frameworks.
The Big Squeeze: Retirement Costs and School-District Budgets
Dara Zeehandelaar, Ph.D. , Amber M. Winkler, Ph.D. / June 6, 2013
When it comes to pension reform in the education realm, it’s hard to stay positive. Here, we’re saddled with a bona fide fiscal calamity (up to a trillion dollars in unfunded liabilities by some counts), and no consensus about how to rectify the situation. No matter how one slices and dices this problem, somebody ends up paying in ways they won’t like and perhaps shouldn’t have to bear. All we can say is that some options are less bad than others. In The Big Squeeze: Retirement Costs and School-District Budgets, we analyze and project how big an impact the pension and retiree health care obligations will have on the budgets of three school districts: Milwaukee Public Schools, Cleveland Metropolitan School District, and the School District of Pennsylvania. The Big Squeeze: Retirement Costs and School-District Budgets is a summary report by Dara Zeehandelaar and Amber M. Winkler, based on three technical analyses performed by Robert Costrell and Larry Maloney to be released by the end of Summer 2013.
Paying the Pension Price in Philadelphia
Robert M. Costrell , Larry Maloney / June 6, 2013
One of three technical reports on retirement costs and school-district budgets.
Half empty or half full: Superintendents' views on Ohio's education reforms
May 16, 2013
This report is based on the responses to an online survey conducted in Spring 2013 with 344 school district superintendents in Ohio. The survey covered seven education policies, specifically: Common Core State Standards, teacher evaluations, the Third Grade Reading Guarantee, open enrollment, A-to-F ratings for schools and districts, individualized learning (blended learning and credit flexibility), and school choice (charter schools and vouchers). It also included several questions on general attitudes towards school reform in Ohio and two trend items. Download today to discover the key findings!
