"Assessing the Nation's Report Card" examines the history of the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and outlines plans for improving and modernizing the organization. Educational policy analyst Chester E. Finn, Jr. imparts a rare inside analysis of the evolution of the NAEP program at key moments in its history, and…

This article probes ways in which the school-choice marketplace as it developed via chartering has not worked as well in practice as many had hoped. It includes reflection on the profoundly different operating principles and theories of action that separate the district and charter sectors in their pure forms. It also offers market-strengthening…

"Charter Schools at the Crossroads" offers a frank and nuanced analysis of the successes and shortcomings of the charter movement, and outlines possible directions for the future. Few observers present at the creation of the first charter schools a quarter-century ago could have predicted how rapidly this movement would spread or how…

President Obama and congressional leaders have vowed to take action this year on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), most recently reauthorized and rebranded as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. While most observers remain skeptical that everyone will actually see a signing ceremony in 2011, it does appear likely that at least…

The author asserts that nothing is wrong with American education that cannot be fixed, but we need to set the proper tasks, provide an acceptable level of resources, and insist upon quality. He offers 12 prescriptions for improving education. (Author)

A critique of federal education policy discusses questionable purposes, flaws in aid-dispensing mechanisms, and undue regulatory burdens and other constraints. The proper federal role in education is described, involving information dissemination, educational improvement through federal programs, compensation, and financial assistance. (CJ)

To no one's surprise, the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act has become a political football in this election season. Amidst the heated rhetoric and impassioned claims, it can be easy to forget that NCLB is no one thing but rather an awkward compendium of many disparate pieces. While public officials are pressed to render absolute judgments--that…

It is time for national scrutiny of the quality of higher education. Some indictments of higher education include: unqualified students; diluted standards, coddled faculty, little scholarly research, no quality control, inadequate measures of performance, declining academic freedom, and self-righteousness. (MLW)

This book provides an overview of the thinking behind the charter schools movement, using information from over 3 years of immersion in the charter schools movement via the Educational Excellence Network. The first 2 years of the Network were devoted to research on charter schools in action. The research examined practical and policy issues…

Three summary judgments are rendered including many students are emerging from higher education without satisfactory intellectual skills and knowledge; higher education institutions aren't as efficient or productive as they should be; and the leaders of higher education have either misdiagnosed what its problems are or are trying to mislead…

The author, Assistant Secretary for Research and Improvement in the Department of Education, presents his views of the role federal government should take in promoting educational improvement and facilitating the successful implementation of reform proposals. Seven elements crucial to a thorough overhaul of educational systems are presented.…

Presents results from the Hudson Institute's Charter Schools in Action, a two-year research project that evaluated the creation, operation, and impact of charter schools. The paper discusses the charter notion and examines accomplishments achieved and dilemmas confronted by various charter schools. The study concludes that charter schools are a…

The year 2005 began with high schools taking center stage in Washington's continuing drama concerning education reform. President George W. Bush started things off in January, when he delivered a ringing address at a suburban District of Columbia high school about the urgency of reforming American high schools and offered a bold $1.5 billion plan…

Describes the origins, grievances, and strategies of the educational excellence movement that Ron Edmonds helped to catalyze. Sees the movement as decentralized, led by lay people and concerned with higher standards for all. Argues that the movement is fueled by public discontent of the past two decades. (RDN)

Discusses the findings (and implications) from the 1985 national assessment of American students' knowledge of history and literature funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and conducted by the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The average score of 11th graders on history was 55 percent and on literature 52 percent. (MD)