top of page
Think Twice
Think Twice compiles public education-related policy reports, research and articles of interest to policymakers, educators and stakeholders. Our goal is to share information that could be used to support or undermine the work of our subscribers in supporting public schools.
Decoding Progress in Reading Preparation (National Council on Teacher Quality, June 2026)
Publication Date
August 11, 2026
Authors
Elena Aydarova, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Areas
Teacher Workforce; Curriculum & Instruction
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
This review examines a National Council on Teacher Quality report on elementary teacher preparation for reading instruction and concludes that its recommendations are not supported by rigorous evidence. The review argues that the report relies on outdated research, flawed methodology, and apparent conflicts of interest, and cautions policymakers against using it to guide teacher preparation or literacy policy.
Navigating the Math Wars: A Practical Guide to the Divides and Debates Influencing Math Instruction
Publication Date
July 28, 2026
Authors
Deborah Loewenberg Ball, University of Michigan
Research Areas
Curriculum & Instruction; Teacher Workforce; Public Education
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The review examines current debates over math instruction and argues that a report intended to clarify them instead reinforces polarization and lacks sufficient nuance about classroom practice.
Sifting Through the Mississippi Evidence
Publication Date
July 14, 2026
Authors
Gregory Camilli, Professor Emeritus at Rutgers University
Research Areas
Assessment & Accountability; Early Childhood; Curriculum & Instruction
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
New review uses Progressive Policy Institute report as starting point to try to better understand the impact of literacy reforms and other factors that may have influenced the state's NAEP fourth-grade reading scores.
Review of The Economic Impact from Colorado's Choice to Participate in the "Education Freedom Tax Credit" Provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act
Publication Date
May 21, 2026
Authors
Thomas Young and Jimena Sanchez; Joydeep Roy, Teachers College, Columbia University
Research Areas
School Funding; Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Common Sense Institute recently published a report declaring large potential benefits of the federal education tax-credit voucher program created through President Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill. However, the report's claims about the improvements the program would create for Colorado are unlikely to materialize.
Review of Beyond Race: What Really Drives Wisconsin's Achievement Gap
Publication Date
May 12, 2026
Authors
Will Flanders; Jaekyung Lee, University at Buffalo
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; Assessment & Accountability; Curriculum & Instruction
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL) highlights stark achievement gaps between White and Black students in Wisconsin, particularly in elementary-level English language arts and reading. While the report deserves credit for bringing attention to this important issue, its analysis is incomplete and misleading.
Review of Who's on Board? School Boards and Political Representation in an Age of Conflict
Publication Date
March 26, 2026
Authors
David M. Houston and Michael T. Hartney; Carrie Sampson, Arizona State University; Jeanne M. Powers, Arizona State University
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Fordham Institute report surveys more than 5,000 school board members across over 3,000 districts, finding they are disproportionately White, college educated, and often current or former teachers, with politics and beliefs that largely mirror both the U.S. public and their local communities.
Review of A New Direction for Students in an AI World: Prosper, Prepare, Protect
Publication Date
March 12, 2026
Authors
Mary Burns, Rebecca Winthrop, Natasha Luther, Emma Venetis, and Rida Karim; William R. Penuel, University of Colorado Boulder
Research Areas
Technology & AI
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Brookings Institution report synthesizes findings from a year-long study of generative artificial intelligence (AI) in education, concluding that its potential harms to young people's learning and development currently outweigh its benefits.
Review of NEPC Review: Estimating the LongRun Impact of a Universal ESA Program in Mississippi
Publication Date
February 24, 2026
Authors
Martin Lueken and Michael Q. McShan; David S. Knight, University of Washington
Research Areas
School Funding; Governance & Public Education; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from EdChoice estimates the long-term economic returns of a universal education savings account (ESA) policy in Mississippi. ESA policies provide taxpayer dollars to households that decline to send their children to public schools, allowing those funds to be used for private school tuition or other educational expenses. As ESAs and similar school choice programs expand rapidly across the country, rigorous research is essential to inform sound, evidence-based policymaking.
Review of Redrawing the Lines: How Purposeful School System Redistricting Can Increase Funding Fairness and Decrease Segregation
Publication Date
January 29, 2026
Authors
Christopher Cleveland, Brown University; Joshua Almes, Brown University
Research Areas
Governance & Public Education; Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent New America report argues that states can advance educational equity by redrawing school district boundaries to reduce within-state fiscal and demographic disparities. While the analysis has some methodological limitations, it offers policymakers a useful framework for understanding how existing district lines shape unequal access to resources.
Review of Outmatched: Special Education Can't Solve Problems Rooted in the Education Delivery System
Publication Date
January 22, 2026
Authors
Ashley Jochim and Alexander Kurz; Federico Waitoller, University of Illinois Chicago
Research Areas
Governance & Public Education; School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
While special education in the United States has advanced civil rights and educational equity, persistent concerns about inequity, labeling, and segregation remain. A recent Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) report proposes a dramatic restructuring of special education, arguing that rising identification rates and persistent achievement gaps stem from a general education system built for uniformity rather than diversity.
Review of A State-Level Perspective on School Spending and Educational Outcomes
Publication Date
December 11, 2025
Authors
Sarah Reber and Gabriela Goodman; Mark Weber, Rutgers University
Research Areas
School Funding; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A large and growing body of high-quality research shows that increased school funding positively affects student outcomes. Yet, as compared to the effect of school funding reported in an authoritative meta-analysis, a new Brookings Institution report examining this relationship finds a much smaller (although still positive) effect.
Review of ESA's in Arizona: Q3 2025 Report
Publication Date
December 4, 2025
Authors
Glenn Farley; David Garcia, Arizona State University
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Common Sense Institute (CSI) addresses two important policy questions about Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) program: 1) how much the ESA program will cost in the upcoming year, and 2) what the demographic characteristics of ESA users are by household income and race/ethnicity.
Review of Wisconsin's Most Cost-Effective K-12 Program
Publication Date
October 28, 2025
Authors
School Choice Wisconsin; Bruce Baker, University of Miami
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
As one of the nation's longest-running private school voucher initiatives, Wisconsin's program has drawn decades of research interest. A recent report from a think tank called School Choice Wisconsin considers the cost-effectiveness of voucher-receiving schools in Racine, Milwaukee, and across the state.
Review of Productive Struggle: How Artificial Intelligence is Changing Learning, Effort, and Youth Development in Education
Publication Date
October 21, 2025
Authors
Amy Chen Kulesa, Marisa Mission, Michelle Croft, and Mary K. Wells; Thomas M. Philip, University of California, Berkeley
Research Areas
Technology & AI
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from Bellwether considers the role of generative AI (GenAI) in education, posing the question: When does the ease afforded by GenAI enable deeper learning, and when is ease merely a shortcut with hidden costs?
Review of Let's Get Ready! Educating All Americans for Success
Publication Date
October 14, 2025
Authors
Ryan Pfleger
Research Areas
Assessment & Accountability; Curriculum & Instruction; School Funding; General / Needs Review; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
In late July, the National Governors Association released a report urging states to transform schools into stronger drivers of economic competitiveness. The report recommends that governors build public dashboards to track outcomes, align schools with workforce needs, and evaluate programs based on graduates' earnings potential.
Review of Directional Signals: A New Analysis of the Evolving Private School Choice Landscape
Publication Date
September 30, 2025
Authors
Bella DiMarco; Christopher Lubienski, Indiana University
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
In recent years, at least a dozen states have created private school choice (aka voucher) programs that are universal—placing few or no restrictions on wealth or other factors that might limit which families can participate. A FutureEd report examines the expansion of such programs, and provides a generally useful, up-to-date compilation of basic facts and trends around universal voucher programs in 10 states.
Review of Fiscal Factbook: 2025 Edition
Publication Date
September 4, 2025
Authors
Mark Weber, Rutgers University
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
As enrollment in school privatization programs grows, right-wing ideological think tanks such as EdChoice have continued to argue that school vouchers and education savings accounts (ESAs) strengthen public school finances. Its Fiscal Factbook purports to find that voucher programs do not harm public school finances. The data presented in the report, however, fail to support its assertion.
Review of Apples to Apples: The Definitive Look at School Test Scores in Milwaukee and Wisconsin for 2024
Publication Date
June 10, 2025
Authors
Will Flanders; Benjamin Shear, University of Colorado Boulder
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) examines publicly available test score data from Spring 2024 in Wisconsin to investigate the relative effectiveness and cost of school choice programs.
Review of The Enrollment Decline Windfall
Publication Date
May 8, 2025
Authors
Ben Scafidi, EdChoice; David E. DeMatthews and Jinseok Shin of the University of Texas at Austin
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
Most U.S. states continue to heavily rely on per-pupil funding models. Accordingly, projections of declining school-aged populations through 2030—combined with the rapid expansion of private school voucher policies—have raised serious concerns about the future adequacy of public school funding. A recent EdChoice report downplays these concerns.
Review of The Persistence of Religious Discrimination in Publicly Funded Pre-K Programs
Publication Date
May 1, 2025
Authors
Nicole Stelle Garnett, Tim Rosenberger, and J. Theodore Austin; Joshua Weishart, Suffolk University Law School
Research Areas
Early Childhood; Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Manhattan Institute asserts that many religious pre-K providers are being unconstitutionally excluded from publicly funded education programs that remain open to other private schools. But incomplete research and methodological flaws render the report of relatively little value to policymakers or the public.
Review of Testing Theories of Why: Four Keys to Interpreting US Student Achievement Trends
Publication Date
April 24, 2025
Authors
Nat Malkus; Chris Domaleski, National Center for the Improvement of Educational Assessment
Research Areas
Assessment & Accountability; Governance & Public Education; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent American Enterprise Institute report does a good job of identifying and describing long-term trends in student performance using national and international assessment data. However, a review finds that the report then falls short in its attempts to analyze and understand the factors driving these trends.
Review of Thousands Served: Students with Disabilities in Wisconsin’s Parental Choice Programs
Publication Date
April 8, 2025
Authors
School Choice Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty; Maria M. Lewis, Pennsylvania State University; Julie F. Mead, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
Scholars, advocates, and policymakers have long expressed the concern that many private schools receiving taxpayer subsidies through voucher programs would fail to serve children with disabilities. The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty, in collaboration with School Choice Wisconsin, recent published a report challenging those concerns.
Review of Making the Grade: Accounting for Course Selection in High School Transcripts with Item Response Theory
Publication Date
March 25, 2025
Authors
Kenneth A. Shores and Sanford R. Student; Michael Russell, Boston College
Research Areas
Assessment & Accountability; Equity & Civil Rights; General / Needs Review; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The role of standardized test scores in college admissions is evolving, with many institutions shifting away from the SAT and ACT. In their absence, high school GPA has become the primary indicator of college readiness, though it doesn't account for course difficulty. A new Annenberg Institute report introduces "Transcript Strength," a measure designed to adjust GPA based on course rigor. While promising, the report acknowledges the approach requires further research and development.
Review of Fiscal Effects of School Choice: The Costs and Savings of Private School Choice Programs in America Through FY 2022
Publication Date
February 10, 2025
Authors
Martin F. Lueken; Mark Weber, Rutgers University
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The expansion of voucher programs, which provide taxpayer-financed subsidies for families enrolling students in private schools, has prompted a debate about their fiscal impact. A recent EdChoice report argues that these programs do not negatively affect public school finances and actually save taxpayers substantial sums of money. Today's review explains how this argument rings hollow.
Review of Think Again: Are Education Programs for High Achievers Inherently Inequitable?
Publication Date
February 4, 2025
Authors
Brandon L. Wright; Margaret Thornton, Rowan University
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Fordham Institute report analyzes several perceived threats to educational opportunities for students who score well on standardized tests and class grades. It contends that these threats come from those who are overly concerned about "equity" and who seek to undermine programs designed for these high-achieving students.
Review of Underachieving and Underenrolled: Chronically Low-Performing Schools in the Post-Pandemic Era
Publication Date
January 28, 2025
Authors
Sofoklis Goulas; Sally A. Nuamah, Northwestern University
Research Areas
Governance & Public Education; Equity & Civil Rights; School Funding; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Fordham Institute report argues that post-pandemic enrollment declines will inevitably force districts to make the controversial decision to close some schools. Embracing this possibility, it provides dual criteria of substantial declines in enrollment and chronic low performance as indicators of which schools should be closed first, naming nearly 500 specific schools that meet the criteria.
Review of Resource Realities: A Comparative Analysis of Charter and District School Funding in Washington, D.C.
Publication Date
January 21, 2025
Authors
Krista Kaput, Titilayo Tinubu Ali, and Jennifer O'Neal Schiess; Clive Belfield; Queens College, City University of New York
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Bellwether report explores how much public financing charter schools receive and whether they are funded fairly compared to traditional public schools, specifically in the District of Columbia. After finding disparities, it offers a series of recommendations to reduce those disparities, but upon review these findings and recommendations are not well-supported.
Review of School Segregation on School Report Cards: Who Are We Grading Anyway?
Publication Date
December 10, 2024
Authors
Jay Carter and Leonardo Restrepo; James Noonan, Salem State University
Research Areas
Assessment & Accountability; Equity & Civil Rights; Governance & Public Education
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Urban Institute report examines proposed legislation in North Carolina that would add a "proportionality score" to the state accountability system, measuring how closely a school’s racial demographics match those of the surrounding county. James Noonan of Salem State University reviewed School Segregation on School Report Cards: Who Are We Grading Anyway? and found it to be logical but somewhat under-explained.
Review of Searching for the Tipping Point: Scaling up Public School Choice Spurs Citywide Gains
Publication Date
December 3, 2024
Authors
Tressa Pankovits; David R. Garcia, Arizona State University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Equity & Civil Rights; Assessment & Accountability; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Progressive Policy Institute report purports to examine the impact of charter schools on the achievement of students who remain enrolled in district-run public schools. Based on the data in the report, however, it shows only a weak relationship between the presence of charter schools and increases in achievement for all students, which contradicts the report's claims.
Review of Learning Systems: Shaping the Role of Artificial Intelligence in Education
Publication Date
November 26, 2024
Authors
Amy Chen Kulesa, Michelle Croft, Brian Robinson, Mary K. Wells, Andrew J. Rotherham, and John Bailey; T. Philip Nichols, Baylor University
Research Areas
Technology & AI; Governance & Public Education
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent three-part report from Bellwether explores the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in K-12 education and offers recommendations for policymakers and practitioners to navigate this emerging landscape.
Review of Reassessing ESSA Implementation: An Equity Analysis of School Accountability Systems
Publication Date
November 20, 2024
Authors
Nicholas Munyan-Penney, Abigail Jones, and Shayna Levitan; Derek Gottlieb, University of Northern Colorado
Research Areas
Assessment & Accountability; Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
EdTrust recently published a report using what it calls an "equity analysis" to critique states' accountability plans, recommending several steps states might take to improve their systems. But a new review explains how that report rehashes old arguments for the original No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB).
Review of Pennsylvania's Education Tax Credit Scholarships: How EITC Serves Children and Families in the Commonwealth
Publication Date
November 12, 2024
Authors
Rachel Langan; Bruce Baker, University of Miami
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Commonwealth Foundation report praises Pennsylvania's tax credit scholarship programs, which create private-school vouchers funded through tax-credited donations. The report argues in favor of the programs' expansion, but it has at least three major shortcomings.
Review of Systemwide and Intervention-Specific Effects of Denver Public Schools' Portfolio District Strategy on Individual Student Achievement
Publication Date
November 7, 2024
Authors
Parker Baxter, Anna Nicotera, David Stuit, Margot Plotz, Todd Ely, and Paul Teske; Robert Shand, American University
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers; Governance & Public Education; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Center for Education Policy Analysis at the University of Colorado Denver attempts to assess the effect of a "portfolio district strategy" on student performance in the Denver Public Schools. As was the case with its 2022 predecessor (reviewed here), advocates for portfolio reforms have trumpeted the new study as showing that this "portfolio" package of reforms has a positive and large impact on student outcomes. The review, however, concludes that the study lacks the ability to so definitively link Denver's improved outcomes to these particular reforms.
Review of Ohio Charter Schools After the Pandemic: Are Their Students Still Learning More Than They Would in District Schools?
Publication Date
September 24, 2024
Authors
Stephane Lavertu; Bryan Mann, University of Kansas
Research Areas
Governance & Public Education; Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Fordham Institute report contends that the state's charter schools have outperformed traditional public schools and implies that they merit continued or expanded state investment.
Review of Helping Families Navigate the Changing Education Landscape
Publication Date
September 10, 2024
Authors
Colleen Hroncich and Jamie Buckland; Huriya Jabbar, University of Southern California
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Cato Institute report describes how Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), the newest form of private-school voucher, have the potential to transform education by giving families increased options for tailoring their child's education, especially with the guidance of special consultants along the way. A review of that report, however, determines that it fails to provide useful evidence to support its conclusions and its recommendation that the cost of these "choice navigators" should be included as an eligible expense.
Review of The Broken Pipeline: Advanced Education Policies at the Local Level
Publication Date
July 18, 2024
Authors
Adam Tyner; Eunice S. Han, University of Utah
Research Areas
Governance & Public Education; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Thomas B. Fordham Institute report describes current policies and practices at the district level across the U.S. that are designed to provide what the report calls advanced and gifted education. A review of the report determines, however, that its conclusions and policy suggestions lack validity.
Review of 'So Hard, but So Rewarding:' How School System Leaders are Scaling up Strategic School Staffing Models
Publication Date
July 11, 2024
Authors
Lisa Chu, Lydia Rainey, & Steven Weiner; Elizabeth Stringer Keefe, Stonehill College
Research Areas
Governance & Public Education; Teacher Workforce
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
Following the pandemic, pervasive challenges have plagued the teaching profession, including teacher shortages, burnout, job dissatisfaction, and attrition. A new report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education proposes what it calls "strategic school staffing models" as a solution, though its evidence for this conclusion is lacking.
Review of Did the Emergence of Ohio Charter Schools Help or Harm Students Who Remained in District Schools?
Publication Date
June 20, 2024
Authors
Stéphane Lavertu; Bryan Mann, University of Kansas
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
Legislatures across the United States continue to pass policies to add or expand school choice. Within this context, the Fordham Institute, an advocate of school choice expansion, has published a report asserting that charter schools have not negatively affected students in traditional public schools. However, a review of this report finds that though it could contribute to the conversation, its conclusions are highly misleading.
Review of Spark & Sustain: How All the World's School Systems Can Improve Learning at Scale
Publication Date
June 13, 2024
Authors
Jake Bryant, Felipe Child, Ezgi Demirdag, Emma Dorn, Stephen Hall, Kartik Jayaram, Charag Krishnan, Cheryl Lim, Emmy Liss, Kemi Onabanjo, Frédéric Panier, Juan Rebolledo, Jimmy Sarakatsannis, Doug; Clara Fontdevila, University of Glasgow; Antoni Verger, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; and Adrián Zancajo, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona
Research Areas
Governance & Public Education; Technology & AI; School Choice & Vouchers; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
McKinsey & Company released a new global report on education that provides guidelines for policy reforms and governance strategies offered as promoting significant and sustained improvement in students’ learning outcomes. A review of the report, however, identified weaknesses likely to compromise the robustness of its conclusions.
Review of The Reality of Switchers
Publication Date
May 2, 2024
Authors
Martin F. Lueken; Joshua Cowen, Michigan State University
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A new report from the voucher-advocacy group EdChoice takes issue with the overwhelming evidence establishing that most users of vouchers under recent expansions of these policies have never attended public schools.
Review of Public Education at a Crossroads: A Comprehensive Look at K-12 Resources and Outcomes
Publication Date
April 9, 2024
Authors
Aaron Garth Smith, Christian Barnard, and Jordan Campbell; Clive Belfield, City University of New York
Research Areas
School Funding; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A growing and persuasive body of research has established the causal relationship between school funding and academic outcomes. The reality that money matters is not in serious dispute. But a new report from the Reason Foundation uses some superficial comparisons to try again to muddy the waters.
Review of K-12 School Choice Calculator
Publication Date
March 19, 2024
Authors
Bruce Baker, University of Miami
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A new calculator from two voucher-advocacy organizations is offered as a tool to assist state policymakers and choice advocates in providing more accurate estimates of the expenses of adopting publicly financed private-school choice (i.e., voucher) programs. But several factors suggest it should be used with caution and caveats.
Review of Still a Good Investment: Charter School Productivity in Nine Cities
Publication Date
January 23, 2024
Authors
Alison H. Johnson, Josh B. McGee, Patrick J. Wolf, Jay F. May, and Larry D. Maloney; Mark Weber, Rutgers University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Department of Education Reform at the University of Arkansas has maintained, in an ongoing series of reports, that charter schools suffer from inequitable funding compared to public district schools. Their latest output extends this argument, claiming that despite receiving less revenue, charters achieve better results on standardized tests, making them the more cost-effective choice. However, the same methodological flaws identified in earlier reports continue, and worsen, in this one.
Review of The Cost-Effectiveness of Wisconsin's Private School Choice Programs
Publication Date
December 12, 2023
Authors
Stephen Kotok, St. John’s University; Stephen Kotok, St. John's University
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from School Choice Wisconsin claims that Wisconsin's voucher programs are highly "productive," achieving better academic outcomes at lower costs than public schools. A closer examination, however, calls into question the validity of these assertions.
Review of From Surviving to Thriving: K-12 Choice and Opportunity for Rural Texas Students and Teachers
Publication Date
December 7, 2023
Authors
Matthew Ladner and Jason Bedrick; Amanda Potterton of the University of Kentucky, Annah Rogers of the University of West Alabama, and Jeanne Powers of Arizona State University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Choice & Vouchers; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Heritage Foundation recently published a report that claims increased competition has improved academic achievement in Arizona's rural public schools and that similar policies will be good for rural Texas. However, a review finds several flaws in the report's reasoning and methodology.
Review of Small Class Sizes for Improving Student Achievement in Primary and Secondary Schools: A Systematic Review
Publication Date
November 21, 2023
Authors
Trine Filges, Christoffer Scavenius Sonne-Schmidt, and Bjørn Christian Viinholt Nielsen; Clive Belfield, Queens College, City University of New York
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A 2018 report from Campbell Collaboration, analyzing research literature estimating the impact of class size reduction on reading and math achievement, has recently been gaining renewed attention, thanks in part to a Washington Post piece by Michael Bloomberg.
Review of Integrating Housing and Education Solutions to Reduce Segregation and Drive School Equity and When Good Parents Go to Jail: The Criminalization of Address Sharing in Public Education
Publication Date
November 14, 2023
Authors
Megan Gallagher, Rachel Lamb, Alexa Kort, and James Carter | Tim DeRoche, Hailly T.N. Korman, and Harold Hinds; Andrene J. Castro, Virginia Commonwealth University
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The first report, Integrating Housing and Education Solutions to Reduce Segregation and Drive School Equity, specifically focuses on inequitable school resources and educational outcomes tied to residential and school segregation. The second report, When Good Parents Go to Jail: The Criminalization of Address Sharing in Public Education, similarly locates school and residential boundaries as drivers of educational inequities.
Review of The 123s of School Choice: What the Research Says About Private School Choice Programs in America, 2023 Edition
Publication Date
October 12, 2023
Authors
EdChoice; Christopher Lubienski, Indiana University
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The 2023 (fifth) edition of a semi-regular EdChoice report about school-choice studies is billed as an updated overview of the varied and often contested research on outcomes in voucher-like programs that provide public funding for private schools. But like earlier editions, it uses flawed methods that tally certain voucher studies finding impacts on any subgroup, even if there was no effect on most students. There is little to no accounting for the studies’ sampling, quality, generalizability, or other important factors.
Review of Qualified Education Expense Tax Credit: Economic Analysis
Publication Date
September 26, 2023
Authors
Greg S. Griffin and Lisa Kieffer; David Knight, University of Washington
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts examines the monetary costs and benefits of the state's Qualified Education Expense Tax Credit (QEEC), a voucher policy that provides a public subsidy for families to pay for private school tuition. A review of the report, however, contradicts its claim that the policy provides a net fiscal benefit to the state budget.
Review of Teacher Prep Review: Strengthening Elementary Reading Instruction
Publication Date
September 19, 2023
Authors
Christie Ellis, Shannon Holston, Graham Drake, Hannah Putman, Abigail Swisher, and Heather Peske; Paul Thomas, Furman University
Research Areas
Curriculum & Instruction; Teacher Workforce
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ) evaluates more than half of the elementary teacher preparation programs in the U.S., to gauge their effectiveness in reading instruction. A review finds, however, that the report lacks the rigor necessary to adequately inform policy or practice.
Review of As a Matter of Fact: National Charter School Study III 2023
Publication Date
September 7, 2023
Authors
Margaret E. Raymond, James L. Woodworth, Won Fy Lee, and Sally Bachofer; Joseph J. Ferrare University of Washington Bothell
Research Areas
Assessment & Accountability; School Funding; Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
In a recent report, the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) examined charter school students' year-to-year test score growth over four years, and across 31 states. The report shows very small differences favoring charter schools and has been repeatedly trumpeted by charter school advocates as having policy significance-as weighing in favor of charter school expansion.
Review of Think Again: Is Education Funding in America Still Unequal?
Publication Date
September 5, 2023
Authors
Adam Tyner; Bruce Baker, University of Miami
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute recently released a report claiming that the problems of inequality and inadequacy of public school funding have largely been solved. This is incorrect, according to a review of the report.
Review of Think Again: Do Charter Schools Drain Resources From Traditional Public Schools?
Publication Date
May 18, 2023
Authors
David Griffith; Huriya Jabbar, University of Texas at Austin
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute considers whether charter schools increase or decrease traditional public school districts’ total revenues, instructional spending per pupil, and efficiency.
Review of School Choice Is Not Enough: The Impact of Critical Social Justice Ideology in American Education
Publication Date
May 2, 2023
Authors
Zach Goldberg and Eric Kaufmann; Christine Sleeter, California State University Monterey Bay; David Garcia, Arizona State University
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Manhattan Institute presents results of a survey of U.S. adults aged 18-20 to determine the extent to which eight concepts the report equates with what it calls "critical social justice" (CSJ) theory-which the report frowns upon-are taught in schools. The first of the eight concepts, for instance, is, "America is a systemically racist society."
Review of Assessing the National Landscape of Capital Expenditures for Public School Districts
Publication Date
April 20, 2023
Authors
Kristin Blagg, Fanny Terrones, and Victoria Nelson; Jeffrey M. Vincent, University of California, Berkeley
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The report relies primarily on school district annual capital outlay data reported in the U.S. Department of Education's Common Core of Data. It also examines which state policies may promote more progressive investment patterns. Confirming other studies, the report finds that school district capital expenditures vary from year to year and from state to state, that each state has a unique approach and mix of policies governing state support for local capital outlay, and that capital outlay is rarely equal or progressive. The report also finds that states with policies that aim to equalize capital spending are more likely to provide capital outlays for students from low-income backgrounds that are equal to or greater than outlays in wealthier communities.
Review of Public Education Funding Without Boundaries: How to Get K-12 Dollars to Follow Open Enrollment Students
Publication Date
April 6, 2023
Authors
Aaron Garth Smith, Christian Barnard, and Jordan Campbell; Dr. Mark Weber, Rutgers University
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Reason Foundation, a vigorous advocate for choice policies such as vouchers and charter schools, recently published a report advocating for the increased "portability" of school revenues, allowing for "money to follow the students" and, therefore, the expansion of interdistrict choice programs.
The Effects of High-Performing, High-Turnover Teachers on Long-Run Student Achievement: Evidence From Teach for America
Publication Date
March 14, 2023
Authors
Virginia S. Lovison; Emilie Mitescu Reagan, Claremont Graduate University
Research Areas
Assessment & Accountability; Teacher Workforce
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent paper published by the Annenberg Institute at Brown University presents findings from a study examining Teach for America (TFA) teacher turnover and teachers’ contributions to fourth through eighth grade student achievement.
Review of The Economic Cost of the Pandemic: State by State
Publication Date
March 7, 2023
Authors
Eric A. Hanushek; Clive Belfield, Queens College, City University of New York
Research Areas
School Funding; Governance & Public Education; Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers; Assessment & Accountability; Technology & AI
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Hoover Institution report by Eric Hanushek presents a calculation of the future learning-related economic burden resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. It projects a large and persistent economic loss by using a set of assumptions about the link between reduced student achievement levels and earnings, but in doing so fails to consider several factors.
Review of K-12 Without Borders: Public School Students, Families, and Teachers Shut In by Education Boundaries
Publication Date
March 2, 2023
Authors
Martin F. Lueken and Michael Q. McShane; Christopher Lubienski, Indiana University; T. Jameson Brewer, University of North Georgia
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; Assessment & Accountability; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the directors of EdChoice, published by the Manhattan Institute, oversimplifies important equity issues as problems of school zone boundaries.
Review of The Ohio EdChoice Program’s Impact on School District Enrollments, Finances, and Academics
Publication Date
February 21, 2023
Authors
Stéphane Lavertu and John J. Gregg; Joshua Cowen, Michigan State University
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding; Equity & Civil Rights; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute considers the impacts of vouchers as related to competition in Ohio public schools, increased racial segregation, and local district financial resources. It presents these three issues as the chief concerns of voucher critics and finds few harmful impacts.
Review of Equal Is Not Good Enough: An Analysis of School Funding Equity Across the U.S. and Within Each State | Access Granted: School Funding Between Schools in Districts
Publication Date
February 14, 2023
Authors
Ivy Morgan | Indira Dammu, Bonnie O'Keefe, and Jennifer O'Neal Schiess; Bruce Baker, University of Miami
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Education Trust report, Equal is Not Good Enough and an accompanying piece, Access Granted: School Funding Between Schools in Districts, evaluate district revenue and school spending per pupil with respect to poverty, race, and language status. They focus on the extent to which states and local districts target sufficient resources fairly to these subgroups of students. They clearly lay out consistent evaluation criteria and conceptual framing, apply appropriate empirical methods with that framing, and provide data visualizations for understanding whether and to what extent states and local districts provide equitable school funding.
Review of The System-Level Effects of Denver's Portfolio District Strategy: Technical Report
Publication Date
February 7, 2023
Authors
Parker Baxter, Anna Nicotera, Erik Fuller, Jakob Panzer, Todd Ely, and Paul Teske; Robert Shand, American University
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers; Governance & Public Education
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Center for Education Policy Analysis at the University of Colorado Denver claimed that portfolio reforms in the Denver Public Schools led to substantial academic gains for students. As the report’s lead author told the Denver Post, "This study makes clear that the reforms helped students and strengthened the district." A review of the report concludes, however, that claims attributing those gains specifically to the portfolio reforms are not valid. The report analyzes changes in academic performance as measured by test scores and graduation rates versus comparable schools in Colorado over 11 years of the district’s experimenting with the “portfolio” approach to school district management. The portfolio approach includes central-office oversight of different school types (such as charter schools, innovation schools, and district-run schools), with widespread parental choice under a single enrollment system. The model looks to choice, competition, and accountability to drive gains in student performance.
Review of Off Track: An Assessment of Wisconsin's Early Care and Learning System for Young Children
Publication Date
January 31, 2023
Authors
Angela Rachidi; W. Steven Barnett, Rutgers University
Research Areas
Early Childhood; Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Badger report presents data on trends in Wisconsin's ECE system. It then identifies government regulations-particularly those focused on improving teacher-child interactions--as a problem, concluding that those regulations have limited supply, decreased parental choice in providers, and increased costs. Its recommendations include reducing continuous improvement efforts focused on quality while increasing performance accountability (aka testing burdens), consolidating state agencies, and increasing parental control over use of government childcare subsidies.
Review of Empowering Parents with School Choice Reduces Wokeism in Education
Publication Date
January 24, 2023
Authors
Jay P. Greene and Ian S. Kingsbury; Christine Sleeter, California State University Monterey Bay; and T. Jameson Brewer, University of North Georgia
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
In one of the more unusual reports NEPC has ever reviewed, Heritage Foundation authors recently argued for school-choice deregulation by comparing the amount of "wokeness" terminology in parent/student handbooks in U.S. charter schools with the level of charter school regulation in their states. The Heritage report finds that increased manifestations of "woke" terminology are associated with higher state levels of charter school regulation. On this basis, the report concludes that while charter schools represent a safe space away from "woke indoctrination" in public schools, further deregulation and less bureaucracy will allow the charter sector to truly respond to parent desires to avoid "leftist" curriculum.
Review of Autonomous Schools Can Help Solve the Problem Behind the Teacher Shortage Problem
Publication Date
January 17, 2023
Authors
Tressa Pankovits; Charisse Gulosino, University of Memphis; Hajime Mitani, Rowan University
Research Areas
Teacher Workforce
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Progressive Policy Institute highlights the emergence of widespread teacher staffing shortages. By describing teacher autonomy as a panacea for reversing the problem, however, the report oversimplifies the issue.
Review of For-Profit Charter Schools: An Evaluation of Their Spending and Outcomes
Publication Date
December 1, 2022
Authors
Stéphane Lavertu and Long Tran; Joshua Cowen, Michigan State University
Research Areas
School Funding; School Choice & Vouchers; Technology & AI
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute examines academic outcomes in Ohio’s nonprofit and for-profit charter schools. It also explores whether differences in contracted services in for-profits appear to correlate with differences in their outcomes.
Review of #StudentsFirst: Empowering Parents to Help Students Regain Lost Learning
Publication Date
November 22, 2022
Authors
Greg R. Lawson; David S. Knight, University of Washington
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A new Buckeye Institute report recommends sweeping K-12 policy reforms in response to COVID-19 academic disruptions and what the report asserts to be declining confidence in public schools. However, a review of the report criticizes the analysis and cautions against its policy recommendations.
Review of Some Assembly Required: How a More Flexible Learning Ecosystem Can Better Serve All Kids and Unlock Innovation
Publication Date
November 8, 2022
Authors
Juliet Squire and Alex Spurrier; Carrie Sampson, Arizona State University
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A report from Bellwether details what its authors call "assembly-based education," a concept described as a hypothetical ecosystem that removes schools as a central education component. A review of the report exposes this concept as unworkable outside of a miraculous private marketplace, and thus a shortsighted attempt to invalidate public schools.
Pandemic Educational Models Remain Unproven
Publication Date
October 18, 2022
Authors
Christopher Doss, Elizabeth Steiner, Bryan C. Hassel; Bryan Mann of the University of Kansas
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers; Technology & AI
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
In response to unsafe conditions and school closures, families across the U.S. experimented early in the COVID-19 pandemic with new educational models. Two recent publications from the Center on Reinventing Public Education (CRPE) describe two related strategies that exemplify such experimentation: microschools and learning pods. However, a review recommends that neither report should be used to guide policy and practice.
Review of Michigan Student Opportunity Scholarships: Overview and Fiscal Analysis
Publication Date
July 14, 2022
Authors
Ben DeGrow, Martin Lueken; Christopher Saldaña, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Mackinac Center report claims that the proposed Michigan Student Opportunity Scholarship (MSOS) neovoucher program has the potential to create fiscal benefits for the state of Michigan and its school districts.
Review of Addressing Teacher Shortages: Practical Ideas for the Pandemic and Beyond
Publication Date
May 24, 2022
Authors
Ben DeGrow; Ed Fuller, Penn State University
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; Teacher Workforce
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
In response to Covid-related teacher shortages, the TNTP think tank (formerly “The New Teacher Project”) released a report with recommendations for district leaders in crafting short- and long-term teacher staffing plans.
Summit Charter Organization Continues to Make Unjustified Claims
Publication Date
May 10, 2022
Authors
Anum Ali Mohammed and Adam Black; Audrey Amrein-Beardsley, Arizona State University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
Summit Public Schools, a charter school organization operating schools in California and Oregon, published Pathways to Success: Exploring the Long-Term Outcomes of Alumni from Summit Public Schools in September 2021, detailing the success of its graduates. A review by Audrey Amrein-Beardsley of Arizona State University examines these questionable assertions made about the performance and life satisfaction of Summit graduates. The report claims that Summit alumni graduated from college at nearly double the national average and self-reported high levels of well-being, fulfillment, and workplace satisfaction. It also reports that alumni from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds now make more than $60,000 per year on average working full time.
Review of From School Aid to Student Aid: Modernizing K-12 Funding in Michigan
Publication Date
May 3, 2022
Authors
Ben DeGrow; Bruce Baker, Rutgers University
Research Areas
School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
In recent years, supporters of school choice have promoted school finance reforms sometimes called "backpack funding," but also called "money follows the child" or "student-based budgeting." Whatever the term used, the idea is facilitate choice by attaching a funded amount to each student, with that payment following the students to their chosen schools. A recent version of this proposal is found in a new report from the Mackinac Center, which provides a six-part recommendation for changes to Michigan's current approach to financing public and charter schools. The report's overarching theme, which is examined in a new review, is to move toward a system where more funding follows the student to either public, charter, or private schools—or to other service providers.
Review of Find Documenting Inequitable Patterns in Spending by Parent Teacher Associations, Parent Teacher Organizations, and “Friends of” Fundraising Groups at Illinois Public Schools
Publication Date
March 29, 2022
Authors
Claire Mackevicius; Maia Cucchiara,Temple University
Research Areas
School Funding; Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Urban Institute report analyzing the role of Parent Teacher Organizations and similar groups in Illinois echoes and amplifies the existing critique of private fundraising: that it exacerbates inequitable school funding.
Review of Fiscal Effects of School Choice: Analyzing the Costs and Savings of Private School Choice Programs in America
Publication Date
March 15, 2022
Authors
Martin Lueken; Luis A. Huerta and Steven Koutsavlis, Teachers College, Columbia University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from EdChoice argues for expansion of policies that publicly fund private schools, contending that private schools could provide equal or better outcomes at lesser cost.
Review of Priced Out of Public Schools: District Lines, Housing Access, and Inequitable Educational Options
Publication Date
March 1, 2022
Authors
Alex Spurrier, Sara Hodges, and Jennifer O'Neal Schiess; Erica Frankenberg, Penn State
Research Areas
Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Bellwether Education Partners, Priced Out of Public Schools: District Lines, Housing Access, and Inequitable Educational Options, attempts to examine the availability of low-income rental units in school districts to understand whether districts in the largest 200 metropolitan areas are accessible to families in poverty. The report finds nearly 500 examples of borders between two starkly different types of districts: those that are the most and least "accessible" based on the cost of rental housing. It designates these borders between these districts as barriers. After describing the problem, the report recommends a combination of education policy solutions, including expanding school choice, and affordable housing opportunities.
Review of The Unexamined Rise of Therapeutic Education: How Social-Emotional Learning Extends K-12 Education's Reach Into Students' Lives and Expands Teachers' Roles
Publication Date
February 21, 2022
Authors
Robert Pondiscio; Julia Mahfouz, University of Colorado Denver
Research Areas
Curriculum & Instruction
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the American Enterprise Institute presents concerns regarding how Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) approaches have imposed ideas and techniques from psychology on classroom practices, and thus have shifted the mission of education away from academic instruction. But a review of the report finds misrepresentations of both the definition and the goals of SEL.
Review of The Basic Education Program: How the Volunteer State's Education Funding Formula Doesn't Make the Grade
Publication Date
February 15, 2022
Authors
Ron Shultis and Jason Edmonds; David S. Knight, University of Washington
Research Areas
School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent policy brief from the Beacon Center of Tennessee describes the state's K-12 finance formula and makes recommendations for reform. According to a new review, however, there is little if any peer-reviewed research to support the brief's findings. In fact, several recent studies present contradictory findings.
Review of Representation of Social Groups in U.S. Educational Materials and Why It Matters
Publication Date
February 8, 2022
Authors
Amanda LaTasha Armstrong; Christine Sleeter, California State University, Monterey Bay
Research Areas
Curriculum & Instruction; Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
New America recently released a report about the value of culturally relevant curriculum in schools. According to a new review, the report is timely and helpful, although some limitations in its analysis weaken an otherwise valid exploration of how to address long-standing issues of racial and gender justice.
Review of Equity Elementary: “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion” Staff in Public Schools
Publication Date
January 25, 2022
Authors
Jay P. Greene and James D. Paul; Edward García Fierros, Villanova University
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; Governance & Public Education
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Heritage Foundation report objects to the increasing number of Chief Diversity Officers (CDOs) emerging on public school districts’ administrative teams, but it appears to be supporting a conservative agenda rather than guiding policy related to student achievement gaps.
Review of Charter School Funding: Dispelling Myths about EMOs, Expenditure Patterns, & Nonpublic Dollars
Publication Date
January 18, 2022
Authors
Angela K. Dills, Patrick J. Wolf, Corey A. DeAngelis, Jay F. May, Larry D. Maloney, and Cassidy Syftestad
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The latest in a series of reports from the University of Arkansas Department of Education unconvincingly attempts to show that charter schools are inequitably funded compared to public district schools. The report, Charter School Funding: Dispelling Myths about EMOs, Expenditure Patterns, & Nonpublic Dollars, runs into several major problems according to Dr. Mark Weber of Rutgers University and the New Jersey Policy Perspective in the latest NEPC review.
Review of How to Regulate Critical Race Theory in Schools: A Primer and Model Legislation
Publication Date
December 14, 2021
Authors
James Copland; Kevin D. Brown, Indiana University Maurer School of Law
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Manhattan Institute recently released a report that manufactures a case against Critical Race Theory (CRT), building on a foundation of right-wing talking points. The report offers model legislation as a tool for countering schools’ purported CRT-inspired indoctrination. It contends that CRT is the foundation of a widespread effort by public schools to forcibly indoctrinate students and teaching staff to support an anti-conservative, anti-civil rights, anti-White, and anti-American agenda. However, as Professor Brown explains, the report’s errant conclusions were derived from misleading anecdotal evidence and a misrepresentation of important literature.
Review of Suspended Reality: The Impact of Suspension Policy on Student Safety
Publication Date
December 7, 2021
Authors
Will Flanders and Ameillia Wedward; Kathryn E. Wiley, University of Colorado Boulder; Kate Somerville, University of Colorado Boulder
Research Areas
Governance & Public Education; Equity & Civil Rights; School Climate & Student Support
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) report suggests a relationship between school suspension rates and some students' perceptions of safety in Milwaukee schools. Its conclusion-which was examined in a new review-claims a causal chain that begins with unpunished misconduct in schools and ends with disruptive classroom environments that harm primarily African American students.
Review of Ohio's Lost Einsteins: The Inequitable Outcomes of Early High Achievers
Publication Date
December 2, 2021
Authors
Scott Imberman; Eunice Han, Yongmei Ni, University of Utah
Research Areas
Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent Thomas B. Fordham Institute report examines the achievement growth of Ohio's "early high achievers," some of whom are identified as gifted and talented (GT). Its conclusion-which was examined in a new review-was that closing the "gifted identification gap" can help to close the "excellence gap."
Review of Accountability and Private-School Choice
Publication Date
November 15, 2021
Authors
Nicole Stelle Garnett; Jack Schneider, University of Massachusetts Lowel
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Manhattan Institute addresses the question of how private school voucher programs should be regulated, asking the important question of what accountability mechanisms will safeguard taxpayer dollars if private schools are to receive public funds.
Review of Education Savings Accounts: How ESAs Can Promote Educational Freedom for New York Families
Publication Date
November 9, 2021
Authors
Martin F. Lueken; Bruce Baker, Rutgers University
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Manhattan Institute promotes Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) by presenting a scenario whereby taxpayer expense would fall if the program motivated families to move children from public schools funded by the state to private schools funded primarily by families.
Review of Charter School Funding: Support for Students with Disabilities
Publication Date
September 2, 2021
Authors
Cassidy Syftestad, Patrick J. Wolf, Wendy Tucker, and Lauren Morando Rhim; Bruce D. Baker, Rutgers University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent brief from the School Choice Demonstration Project at the University of Arkansas erroneously asserts that charter schools are shortchanged of funding for students with disabilities.
Review of Florida Versus Kentucky: School Choice Improves Public School Performance, Too
Publication Date
July 15, 2021
Authors
Samuel E. Abrams and Steven J. Koutsavlis; Sam Abrams and Steven Koutsavlis, Teachers College, Columbia University
Research Areas
Charter Schools
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from Kentucky's Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions claims, with little supporting evidence, that trends from the 1990s to 2019 on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) show that choice programs catalyze significant educational improvement.
Review of The Effect of Constitutional Provisions on Education Policy and Outcomes
Publication Date
June 22, 2021
Authors
Scott Dallman, Anusha Nath and Filip Premik; Bruce D. Baker, Rutgers University
Research Areas
School Funding
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Effect of Constitutional Provisions on Education Policy and Outcomes, a recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, examines the potential effects of amending education clauses contained in states' constitutions. The apparent intent of the Federal Reserve Bank report is to provide an empirical justification for amending the education clause of Minnesota's constitution. Specifically, the report lays out four independent empirical analyses in an attempt to advance a theory of action for improving education quality. This theory of action asserts that amending these education clauses to include strong language regarding a legislative duty to fund schools leads to increased citizen leverage, potential judicial intervention, and adopted legislation-all of which lead to better school quality and student outcomes.
Education Freedom and Student Achievement: Is More School Choice Associated with Higher State-Level Performance on the NAEP?
Publication Date
June 15, 2021
Authors
Patrick J. Wolf, Jay P. Greene, Matthew Ladner, and James D. Paul; T. Jameson Brewer, University of North Georgia; Joel Malin, Miami University
Research Areas
Governance & Public Education; School Choice & Vouchers; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent brief from the School Choice Demonstration Project at the University of Arkansas is being used by voucher advocates to argue that increasing school choice can spur broad test score improvements.
Review of The Drawbacks of Universal Pre-K: A Review of the Evidence
Publication Date
April 20, 2021
Authors
Max Eden
Research Areas
Early Childhood
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Manhattan Institute recently published a brief, The Drawbacks of Universal Pre-K: A Review of the Evidence, which reviews evidence relating to both means-tested and universal early childhood care and education programs.
Review of Harnessing Micro-Credentials for Teacher Growth: A National Review of Early Best Practices
Publication Date
April 8, 2021
Authors
Melissa Tooley and Joseph Hood; Elena Aydarova, Auburn University
Research Areas
Teacher Workforce
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
New America recently published a report, Harnessing Micro-Credentials for Teacher Growth: A National Review of Early Best Practices, that champions ways that micro-credentials have been used to allow teachers to move up the career ladder, receive higher pay, or renew their licenses. The report, along with an accompanying implementation guide, offers recommendations for how to implement and integrate micro-credentials into states’ human resources systems.
Youth Engagement in Collective Impact Initiatives: Lessons from Promise Neighborhoods
Publication Date
March 30, 2021
Authors
Jessica Shakesprere, Mica O'Brien, and Eona Harison; Dana Mitra, Penn State University
Research Areas
Community Schools; Governance & Public Education; General / Needs Review
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
When youth engage in collective-impact strategies, they have the potential to strengthen the design, implementation, and outcomes of school decision-making. A recent Urban Institute report takes up this important topic, examining what youth engagement initiatives look like within a broader reform structure. It presents a continuum of youth involvement-focused on issues of support, input, and leadership.
Review of Capitalism in the 1619 Project
Publication Date
March 23, 2021
Authors
Samuel Gregg; Seth Rockman, Brown University
Research Areas
School Funding; Governance & Public Education; Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
Recently, the Heritage Foundation published a report, Capitalism in the 1619 Project, seeking to disqualify the 1619 Project curricular materials as insufficiently celebratory of American capitalism. The report primarily asserts that the 1619 Project overstates slavery’s importance to U.S. economic history.
Review of 2020 Teacher Prep Review: Clinical Practice and Classroom Management
Publication Date
March 16, 2021
Authors
Laura Pomerance and Kate Walsh; Jamy Stillman and Katherine Schultz, University of Colorado Boulder
Research Areas
Technology & AI; Curriculum & Instruction; Teacher Workforce
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The authors of the NCTQ report reviewed over 2,400 programs, including what NCTQ terms "traditional" and "alternative" programs in two areas: clinical practice and classroom management. Only 3% of traditional programs received the highest grade for their approaches to clinical practice, signaling their compliance with the internal standards set by NCTQ. Asserting that a "positive" environment is the product of classroom management, the report offers as a major conclusion that there was a 26% increase in the number of programs that taught five specific classroom management strategies
Review of Language Counts: Supporting Early Math Development for Dual Language Learners
Publication Date
March 2, 2021
Authors
Brandon Lewis, Melissa Steel King, and Jennifer O'Neal Schiess; Sylvia Celedón-Pattichis, University of New Mexico
Research Areas
General / Needs Review; Equity & Civil Rights; Curriculum & Instruction
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
Bellwether Education Partners recently published a report that establishes the need to focus on the mathematics education of young Dual Language Learners (DLLs). The report provides a useful resource for policymakers and practitioners.
Review of Remote Learning Is Here to Stay
Publication Date
February 16, 2021
Authors
Heather L. Schwartz, David Grant, Melissa Diliberti, Gerald P. Hunter, and Claude Messan Setodji; David Garcia, Arizona State University
Research Areas
Technology & AI
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The RAND Corporation recently released a report based on a national survey of school district superintendents and charter management organization (CMO) directors (or their designees) about their experiences navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
Review of School Accountability-Past, Present, and Future: Findings and Recommendations for State and District Policymakers
Publication Date
February 9, 2021
Authors
Chester E. Finn, Jr.; Gail L. Sunderman, Maryland Equity Project
Research Areas
Assessment & Accountability; Governance & Public Education
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A recent report from the Hoover Institution's Education Success Initiative argues that state and federal officials should retain what it calls "results-based" accountability systems that use standardized assessments of students followed by consequences for not meeting performance goals. But it does not provide the evidence needed to support that contention.
Review of Toward Equitable School Choice
Publication Date
February 4, 2021
Authors
Paul E. Peterson; Christopher Lubienski, Indiana University
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
A new report from the Hoover Institution’s Education Success Initiative purports to offer evidence-based guidance for policymakers in shaping more equitable outcomes from school choice programs.
Review of Religious Charter Schools: Legally Permissible? Constitutionally Required?
Publication Date
January 26, 2021
Authors
Nicole Stelle Garnett; Derek Black, University of South Carolina School of Law
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Governance & Public Education; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Think Twice
Summary
The Manhattan Institute recently published a report concluding that the Supreme Court’s 2020 decision in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue requires states to grant charters to religious organizations, including those that intend to deliver an explicitly religious curriculum that teaches religion as truth.
bottom of page