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GLC Publications List
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 The review argues that the report relies on outdated research, flawed methodology, and apparent conflicts of interest, and cautions policymakers against using it to guide teacher preparation or literacy policy.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.
Avoiding the Supreme Court's Religious Charter-School Trap: Governance Change for the New Legal Era
Publication Date
May 28, 2026
Authors
Kevin G. Welner, Carol C. Burris, and Preston C. Green III
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Equity & Civil Rights; Governance & Public Education
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
In a new policy brief, Avoiding the Supreme Court's Religious Charter-School Trap: Governance Change for the New Legal Era, authors Kevin G. Welner (University of Colorado Boulder), Carol C. Burris (Network for Public Education), and Preston C. Green III (University of Connecticut) warn that, without proactive legislative action, this radical transformation of states' charter sectors could be fully imposed within two years. Appendix
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.
Studying the First Year of Trump's Second Term: The Renewed Importance of Participatory Governance
Publication Date
April 21, 2026
Authors
Derek Gottlieb
Research Areas
Governance & Public Education; Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
The first year of the second Trump administration has seen a radical break from six decades of federal education policy, discarding the longstanding vision of equal access and human capital development in favor of a new, and as yet undefined, approach to American educational governance. In a new policy brief, Studying the First Year of Trump's Second Term: The Renewed Importance of Participatory Governance, Dr. Derek Gottlieb, a leading scholar of education policy, examines the educational purposes that administration officials have publicly articulated across a variety of platforms, along with the actions that the federal government has taken over the past year to achieve its goals.
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.
The Cycle of Disinvestment in Public Schools: How Public School Criticism Drives Policy and Disinvestment
Publication Date
March 3, 2026
Authors
Huriya Jabbar, Huriya Jabbar and Daniel Espinoza of the University of Southern California; Daniel Espinoza, University of Southern California
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; School Funding; Assessment & Accountability; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
Critiques of public education have intensified in recent years. While public schools do indeed have real areas in need of growth and improvement, many of today’s attacks are generated and amplified by organizations seeking to manufacture crises. These narratives often ignore counterevidence, and they use deceptive language to portray the system as broadly failing, even hopeless. To examine these destructive critiques, Huriya Jabbar and Daniel Espinoza of the University of Southern California authored a policy brief, The Cycle of Disinvestment in Public Schools: How Public School Criticism Drives Policy and Disinvestment, released today by NEPC. The brief identifies five core narratives used to portray a failing education system: claims of underachievement, inefficiency, inequality, lack of school choice, and indoctrination.
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.
Christian Nationalism and Educational Policy in the United States
Publication Date
November 4, 2025
Authors
Kevin Burke, University of Georgia; Heidi Hadley, Auburn University
Research Areas
Curriculum & Instruction; Equity & Civil Rights; Governance & Public Education; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
American public education faces an escalating challenge: the rise of Christian nationalism. This movement entwines politics and religion, insisting the U.S. was founded as a Christian nation and should be governed by rigid hierarchies under the Christian God. A new policy brief explores the political and ideological effects this movement has on education policy.
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.
Fit for Purpose? How Today’s Commercial Digital Platforms Subvert Key Goals of Public Education
Publication Date
September 25, 2025
Authors
Faith Boninger, University of Colorado Boulder; T. Philip Nichols, Baylor University
Research Areas
Technology & AI; Equity & Civil Rights; Governance & Public Education; Assessment & Accountability
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
A new policy brief, Fit for Purpose? How Today's Commercial Digital Platforms Subvert Key Goals of Public Education, by Faith Boninger of the University of Colorado Boulder and T. Philip Nichols of Baylor University, reviews research examining key pedagogical, logistical, and ethical implications of ed tech platforms for schools. The brief's analysis of these implications leads to recommendations for teachers, school leaders, and policymakers on how to govern its use.
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.
Stuck Between a Rock and a Hard Place? Disentangling the Intersections of Student Behavior, School Discipline, and School Safety in the Post-COVID Era
Publication Date
May 20, 2025
Authors
Richard O. Welsh, Vanderbilt University; Kathryn James McGraw, Vanderbilt University
Research Areas
School Climate & Student Support; Governance & Public Education; Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
A new policy brief addresses growing concerns about student behavior, educators' perceptions of that behavior, and the management of perceived misbehavior in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. These issues, already urgent before the pandemic, have intensified as schools contend with increased need, trauma, and behavioral challenges.
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.
California Class Sizes Matter
Publication Date
May 2, 2025
Authors
Great Lakes Center
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
Smaller class sizes are essential for our public school educators to do their jobs and provide every student with the individual attention they need to succeed. Yet the educator-to-student ratio continues to increase nationwide as educators are continually asked to do more with less.
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.
The Mounting Trouble with Education Savings Accounts
Publication Date
April 17, 2025
Authors
Samuel E. Abrams, Director of NEPC's International Partnership for the Study of Educational Privatization
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
In NEPC's new policy brief, The Mounting Trouble with Education Savings Accounts, author Samuel E. Abrams, the director of NEPC's International Partnership for the Study of Educational Privatization, examines this surge in universal ESAs. Abrams describes their origins, rapid growth, and implications for accountability, equity, public school funding, and civic life.
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.
Let's Stop Asking Whether Teachers Are Professionals. Let's Ask What Kinds of Professionals We Want Teachers to Be
Publication Date
March 11, 2025
Authors
Emilie Mitescu Reagan, Claremont Graduate University; A. Lin Goodwin, Boston College
Research Areas
Assessment & Accountability; Equity & Civil Rights; Governance & Public Education; Teacher Workforce
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
A professionalized teaching workforce is key to strong educational opportunities, improved student outcomes, and broader societal benefits. However, recent policies aimed at improving teacher quality have had unintended consequences-eroding teacher autonomy, increasing workload, standardizing curriculum and assessment, and fostering public distrust. In NEPC's new policy brief, Let's Stop Asking Whether Teachers Are Professionals. Let's Ask What Kinds of Professionals We Want Teachers to Be, authors Emilie Mitescu Reagan of Claremont Graduate University and A. Lin Goodwin of Boston College examine the ongoing evolution of teachers' professional status. The brief explores how educators can navigate the constantly shifting societal perceptions of their profession.
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.
The Fiscal Impacts of Expanded Voucher Programs and Charter-School Growth on Public Schools: Recommendations for Sustaining Adequate and Equitable School Finance Systems
Publication Date
November 21, 2024
Authors
David S. Knight, University of Washington; David DeMatthews, University of Texas at Austin
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Governance & Public Education; School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
NEPC’s new policy brief, The Fiscal Impacts of Expanded Voucher Programs and Charter-School Growth on Public Schools: Recommendations for Sustaining Adequate and Equitable School Finance Systems, synthesizes research on the fiscal impacts of charter and voucher school policies on public school systems. Authors David S. Knight of the University of Washington and David DeMatthews of the University of Texas at Austin also discuss recent developments, including the influx of voucher policies, often promoted by large philanthropic donations and messaging campaigns.
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.
How Can States Make School Voucher Systems More Accountable, Accessible, and Transparent?
Publication Date
October 3, 2024
Authors
Joshua Cowen and Ryan D. Nowak, Michigan State University
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
In a new NEPC policy brief, How Can States Make School Voucher Systems More Accountable, Accessible, and Transparent?, Joshua Cowen and Ryan D. Nowak of Michigan State University summarize the research evidence about vouchers and consider how existing program can be improved. They identify three areas of policy design—accountability, access, and transparency—that are especially important for student success and a good-faith use of public funding.
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.
Strengthening Oversight of Education Savings Account (ESA) Funding for Private and At-Home Schooling
Publication Date
September 5, 2024
Authors
Luis A. Huerta and Trevor Baisden, Teachers College, Columbia University
Research Areas
School Choice & Vouchers; School Funding
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
The school-choice landscape in the United States is undergoing a rapid transformation, as states increasingly enact a new form of vouchers called Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). Unlike earlier voucher programs, which generally allowed taxpayer subsidies only for private school tuition, ESAs represent a radically expansive-and potentially very costly-vision for the private use of public funds. ESA participants receive public monies via direct deposit and can use them for various expenses, including but also well beyond private school tuition and fees. Many states, in fact, allow these funds to be used for nearly any purportedly educational expense. ESA funds are thus widely dispersed among participants and private providers but, to date, require little or no oversight or accountability.
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.
Time for a Pause: Without Effective Public Oversight, AI in Schools Will Do More Harm Than Good
Publication Date
March 5, 2024
Authors
Ben Williamson, University of Edinburgh; Alex Molnar, University of Colorado Boulder; Faith Boninger of the University of Colorado Boulder
Research Areas
Technology & AI; Equity & Civil Rights; Curriculum & Instruction
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
A new NEPC policy brief, Time for a Pause: Without Effective Public Oversight, AI in Schools Will Do More Harm Than Good, warns of the dangers of unregulated AI in schools, highlighting democracy and privacy concerns. Authors Ben Williamson of the University of Edinburgh, and Alex Molnar and Faith Boninger of the University of Colorado Boulder, examine the evidence and conclude that the proliferation of AI in schools jeopardizes democratic values and personal freedoms.
The Potential for Land Use and Housing Reform to Address School Segregation and Educational Opportunity
Publication Date
February 13, 2024
Authors
Genevieve Siegel-Hawley, Virginia Commonwealth University
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; Governance & Public Education
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
Housing, land use, and zoning policies are often siloed in such a way that they are considered and addressed separately from school segregation and students' opportunities to learn. But these policy areas can interact in powerful ways. Professor Genevieve Siegel-Hawley of Virginia Commonwealth University explores how in a new NEPC policy brief, The Potential for Land Use and Housing Reform to Address School Segregation and Educational Opportunity, in which she examines the potential of housing and land use policy reform to address school segregation. Professor Siegel-Hawley describes the key role that has been played by discriminatory land use planning and zoning regulations. These laws contributed to the unequal wealth distribution currently afflicting the nation, and those inequities-as well as those laws themselves-now shape access to an array of public goods, including schools. Neighborhood-based school assignment creates a direct link between segregated housing and segregated schools. More positively, zoning initiatives in recent years have proliferated to roll back the use of land for exclusionary purposes, with important implications for schools.
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.
The Conflict Over Parents' Rights
Publication Date
January 16, 2024
Authors
Vivian Hamilton, William & Mary Law School
Research Areas
Technology & AI; Equity & Civil Rights; Curriculum & Instruction; Governance & Public Education
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
A vocal minority of parents has, over the past couple years, invoked the idea of "parents rights" to demand curricular and policy changes that affect not only their own children, but all children within reach of those changes. These parents have, for example, sought to alter history curricula on slavery and race, to dictate how (and whether) schools teach about sexual orientation and gender identity, to remove books in school library collections, and to set school policies relating to transgender students. Interestingly, the most vocal parents taking part in campaigns for parents’ rights tend to see themselves as standing against the state and its schools, instead of standing inside a democratic community that strives for inclusive participation, informed inquiry, and respectful deliberation among the members of the community. In a new NEPC policy brief, The Conflict Over Parents' Rights, Professor Vivian Hamilton of William & Mary Law School details the politicization of parents’ rights and specific rights and responsibilities of various stakeholders, and she explains how competing rights of parents and schools can be reasonably aligned in practice.
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.
How Discriminatory Censorship Laws Imperil Public Education
Publication Date
November 30, 2023
Authors
Jonathan Feingold, Boston University School of Law; Joshua Weishart, West Virginia University College of Law
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
Among the most alarming repercussions has been the adoption of "discriminatory censorship laws" that attempt to discredit and prevent classroom conversations about racism, gender identity, and other targeted topics. In How Discriminatory Censorship Laws Imperil Public Education, Jonathan Feingold (Boston University School of Law) and Joshua Weishart (West Virginia University College of Law) explore the spread and impact of these laws, observing that-although their language, prohibitions, and penalties vary-all further two common aims: to demean inclusionary values and to deny students access to critical thinking, inquiry, and knowledge about racism, gender identity and other targeted topics.
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.
Evaluating Research That Alleges Funding Disparities Between Charter and District Schools
Publication Date
September 12, 2023
Authors
Mark Weber, Rutgers University
Research Areas
Charter Schools; Governance & Public Education; School Funding
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
Over the past decade, pro-charter organizations have published a series of reports claiming that funding disparities put charter schools at a disadvantage compared to public schools run by school districts. However, those conclusions are invariably incorrect due to flawed research methods. In a policy memo released today by NEPC, Evaluating Research That Alleges Funding Disparities Between Charter and District Schools, Mark Weber of Rutgers University and the New Jersey Policy Perspective uses the latest "charter school funding inequity" report to illustrate these fundamental research flaws, thus providing a guide for stakeholders to evaluate the accuracy and transparency of related research.
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.
Section 504 Plans: Examining Inequitable Access and Misuse
Publication Date
June 8, 2023
Authors
Maria M. Lewis, Pennsylvania State University; Raquel Muñiz, Boston College
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; Governance & Public Education
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
In a policy brief released today by NEPC, Section 504 Plans: Examining Inequitable Access and Misuse, Maria M. Lewis of Penn State University and Raquel Muñiz of Boston College present research and emerging trends that should inform policymaking around Section 504.
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.
Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2023
Publication Date
May 11, 2023
Authors
Alex Molnar, Gary Miron, Shelby Hagle, Charisse Gulosino, Bryan Mann, Luis Huerta, Jennifer King Rice, Amanda Glover, and Kayla Bill
Research Areas
Technology & AI
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
Virtual Schools in the U.S. 2023 provides a scholarly analysis of the characteristics and performance of publicly funded K-12 virtual schools. It reviews the available research on virtual school practices, examines recent state legislative efforts, and provides policy recommendations.
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.
Consumer-Oriented School Rating Systems and Their Implications for Educational Equity
Publication Date
April 13, 2023
Authors
Jeanne M. Powers, Arizona State University
Research Areas
School Funding; Technology & AI; Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
Professor Powers describes the growing evidence base about these rating systems, their purpose purportedly being to help families navigate increasingly complex school choice options. One consistent research finding is that schools’ ratings, or the measures that comprise school ratings, are associated with schools’ demographic characteristics, such as students’ race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status. The association between ratings and demographics is stronger for status metrics (or measures of a school’s performance at a specific moment in time) and weaker but still influential for growth metrics (or measures of a school’s performance trends over time). Status metrics tend to generate lower ratings for racially diverse schools, while growth metrics tend to generate higher ratings for them. School demographics also shape the way parents and other stakeholders respond to surveys or provide descriptive comments about schools.
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.
Improving Trauma-Informed Education: Responding to Student Adversity With Equity-Centered, Systemic Support
Publication Date
November 15, 2022
Authors
Stacy Gherardi, New Mexico State University
Research Areas
Governance & Public Education; Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
Talking about education in the United States without talking about trauma has become increasingly difficult. Today’s youth suffer through challenges on multiple fronts, going far beyond the COVID-19 pandemic and its related social and educational fallout. Children experience trauma because of social conditions such as poverty, homelessness, family separation related to immigration, and increasingly frequent school shootings and community violence.
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.
A Civil Rights Framework for the Reauthorization of ESEA
Publication Date
October 11, 2022
Authors
Elizabeth DeBray, University of Georgia; Kara S. Finnigan, University of Michigan; Janel George, Georgetown University Law Center; and Janelle Scott, University of California-Berkeley.
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights; Assessment & Accountability; School Funding
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
Brief presents a framework for federal policymakers to ground the law in an evidence-based, equitable, and ecological approach centered on sustained educational equality of opportunity.
The Science of Reading Movement: The Never-Ending Debate and the Need for a Different Approach to Reading Instruction
Publication Date
September 13, 2022
Authors
Paul Thomas, Furman University
Research Areas
Curriculum & Instruction
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
How students learn to read and how reading is best taught are often the focus of media, public, and political criticism. In a new NEPC policy brief, The Science of Reading Movement: The Never-Ending Debate and the Need for a Different Approach to Reading Instruction, Paul Thomas of Furman University explores the controversial history of the reading reform movement.
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.
State Accountability Rating Systems: A Review of School Report Cards as Indicators of School Quality
Publication Date
June 22, 2022
Authors
Gail L. Sunderman, University of Maryland
Research Areas
Assessment & Accountability; Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
The federal Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015 provided states with slightly more flexibility in the design of their school accountability systems. However, while states may take different approaches to measuring and reporting school performance, they have consistently chosen approaches of public reporting that collapse multiple school performance indicators into a summative rating. In a new NEPC policy brief, State Accountability Rating Systems: A Review of School Report Cards as Indicators of School Quality, Gail L. Sunderman, co-founder and former director of the Maryland Equity Project at the University of Maryland, discusses the difficulties that arise when state's school report cards use this summative-rating approach.
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.
"Grow Your Own" Programs: Examining Potential and Pitfalls for a New Generation of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Community Teachers
Publication Date
May 19, 2022
Authors
Conra D. Gist of the University of Houston
Research Areas
General
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
Grow Your Own programs must also focus on improving retention of new teachers by considering how the teaching and learning needs of BIPOC teachers evolve as they progress along the teacher development continuum.
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.
Transgender Students and Policy in K-12 Public Schools: Acknowledging Historical Harms and Taking Steps Toward a Promising Future,
Publication Date
March 23, 2022
Authors
Elizabeth J. Meyer and Bethy Leonardi of the University of Colorado Boulder, and Harper B. Keenan of University of British Columbia
Research Areas
Equity & Civil Rights
Publication Type
Policy Brief
Summary
Transgender and nonbinary (collectively referred to here as “trans”) students are ill-served by most school environments. They experience challenges trying to navigate institutions that, at best, are poorly designed to support them and that often work against them. Although some districts and states have developed laws and policies to improve students’ experiences, many are either ill-conceived, ineffectively implemented, or reinforce restrictive and inflexible structures regulating gender.
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