Several weeks ago, we looked at American racial achievement gaps in math and reading from an international perspective using data from the Program for International Student Assessment, an international test that every three years measures reading, mathematics and science literacy of 15-year-olds. In 2012, the PISA exam included subgroup specifically[Read More…]
Tag: Matt Ladner
Teacher-led micro schools, ESAs create opportunity in Native American education
I had the opportunity recently to visit a new, small private school on the San Carlos Apache Reservation in Arizona. The school illustrates an education trend that is providing a new avenue for addressing America’s largest achievement gap. The United States has done very poorly by Native Americans, including but[Read More…]
Death, taxes and K-12 funding disputes
Two new studies illuminate Florida K-12 funding. The first, from Mike Petrilli, president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and research fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, includes this chart: So, for those of you squinting at your iPhone, the east-west axis is tracking the percent change in enrollment between[Read More…]
Florida leads nation in degrees produced by public colleges
The research arm of the National Student Clearinghouse released a report recently on the number of students graduating from institutions of higher education by state. The Research Center works with higher education organizations to better inform practitioners and policymakers about student educational pathways, tracking students enrolling in a public four-year[Read More…]
Arizona nudges past Florida in teacher pay as both states turn Japanese
Living out in a distant and pleasant patch of cactus, I noticed this week that Arizona overtook Florida in average teacher pay in the latest National Education Association report. ZONA! ZOZA! ZON … oh, wait. Neither state is near the top. The Florida news report on the NEA numbers contained[Read More…]
A modest proposal for Florida’s academic standards
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order recently to transition the state away from the current academic standards, which begs the question: What will replace them? I have a suggestion on that front, but first, some basics. Federal law requires states to have a set of academic standards and[Read More…]
National School Choice Week: A chance to advance equality and opportunity
When The Fellowship of the Ring was released in 2001, I was in the subset of viewers who had not read J.R.R. Tolkien’s books. Yes, right, I know: Nerd demerit! It proved beneficial as a movie-going experience, as it shocked me: Wait, what? Sarumon is a bad guy?? The Gandalf[Read More…]
Ladner: Let freedom ring from every city and every hamlet
Decades after Brown v. Board of Education, a map generated by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute indicates we have miles to go regarding school integration. The map displays 615 Ohio school districts, using color coding to show those that allow open enrollment from any district; those that allow open enrolment[Read More…]