Education Sector - Analysis and Perspectives

Recent Analysis and Perspectives:

Close Underperforming Charter Schools, Reward Those That Work

Policymakers in many states are debating proposals that could help or hamstring the growth of charter schools. That's why Sec. Duncan's third way charter strategy could prove so pivotal to changing the politics of charter schools, argue Andrew Rotherham and Richard Whitmire in U.S. News & World Report.

Revise Iowa Law to Allow More Charter Schools

In an op-ed for the Des Moines Register, Education Sector's Chad Aldeman makes the case for improving Iowa's charter school law.

Tell the Truth About Colleges

In an op-ed for The Atlantic, Education Sector's Thomas Toch argues for better public information on the quality of undergraduate learning and suggests President Obama's stimulus package could help leverage the change.

Introducing a Remedial Program That Actually Works

Remediation is the no man's land of American education, argues Kevin Carey in his latest column for the Chronicle of Higher Education. But Carey introduces readers to a remedial program that actually works.

In Politics of School Reform, Transparency Doesn't Equal Accountability

Given how the politics of education work, transparency will drive change only in concert with policies actually requiring change. Information alone is not enough, says Education Sector's Andrew Rotherham in U.S. News & World Report.

College Savings Plans: a Bad Gamble

In a recent column for The Chronicle, Policy Director Kevin Carey calls attention to the tens of thousands of families that have suddenly lost a great deal of money they put away to pay for college.

Ladders of Success: Keeping Teacher Pay on Schedule

While recent years have seen much attention on controversial performance pay plans, traditional single salary schedules can also be reformed to better attract and retain high-quality teachers, argues Policy Associate Chad Aldeman in a new Education Sector Chart You Can Trust.

Educating Urban America

In The Wilson Quarterly, Education Sector's Thomas Toch reviews three new books that highlight the innovations and challenges of urban education reform.

Florida's Online Option

In Education Next, Education Sector's Bill Tucker discusses the growth of Florida Virtual School, a decade-old public education experiment that combines distance learning with personalized instruction and supplements school district course offerings.

Education Reform Requires Symbols for the Movement to Embrace

In a column for U.S. News & World Report, Andrew Rotherham critiques the lack of symbolism in the education reform movement. Fairly or not, says Rotherham, imagery matters.

What Colleges Can Learn From Newspapers' Decline

Newspapers are losing to the Internet. The same may be true for universities. To survive and prosper, universities need to integrate technology and teaching in a way that improves the learning experience while simultaneously passing the savings on to students.

Switch Admissions to a Single Lottery

At many institutions, admissions is a far more random process than colleges would like students to believe, argues Education Sector's Chad Aldeman in Newsday.