When partnering with outside consultants to turn around a school, schools districts must consider how the work is setting schools up for long-term success.

Where Obama went wrong on education – and what Romney needs to say

In February 2012, President Obama announced the end of No Child Left Behind as we know it: waivers for any state willing to meet the Administration's standards. In the latest American Enterprise Institute (AEI) Education Outlook, Ben Riley from NewSchools Venture Fund explains the potential perils of this plan.

Obama's 2011 Elementary and Secondary Education Act Flexibility plan grants certain states waivers from No Child Left Behind accountability requirements if they agree to a series of preset conditions, but the waiver plan poses several notable risks.

An intriguing experiment is afoot in some of the nation’s struggling public schools. New “Parent Trigger” laws passed in California and on the agenda in New York, Ohio, Colorado, and Chicago, allow parents of chronically failing schools to unseat the schools’ leadership and staff. But the initiative has pitfalls.

Join us to hear U.S. Rep. John Kline (R-Minn.), chairman of the House Education and the Workforce Committee, discuss the Student Success Act and the Encouraging Innovation and Effective Teachers Act prior to their introduction in the U.S. House.

Steven Brill’s Class Warfare is an immensely readable take on a slice of the “school reform” movement and an intriguing look at some key individuals in that effort. But, as is shown by its treatment of philanthropy, the book is perhaps more revealing for what its author omits—and how its blinkered view can mislead readers on big questions.

Normally, we expect to get thanked when giving a few bucks to a good cause. When it comes to K-12 schooling, though, folks giving away millions have been slammed for their trouble.

With the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization looming and Washington’s eyes focused on school turnarounds and the Common Core State Standards, we must listen to the voices of dynamic leaders tackling the challenge of high-quality literacy instruction in the nation’s school districts.

President Obama’s remarks on inequality, stoking populist anger at “the rich,” suggest that the theme for his reelection bid will be not hope and change but focus on reducing class disparity with government help. But this effort isn’t limited to economics; it is playing out in our nation’s schools as well.