RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, February 06, 2012, Education Next
Russ Whitehurst argues that a fundamentally new approach to education reform is needed if the government wants to achieve true equity. He proposes to reform the nation’s schools on the basis of two principles that have served the nation exceedingly well throughout its history: federalism and choice. Read More
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Washington, DC
On November 30, the Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings hosted a discussion exploring the critical role of school choice in the future of education reform. Senior Fellow and Brown Center Director Russ Whitehurst previewed the Education Choice and Competition Index – an interactive web application that will score large school districts based on thirteen categories of policy and practice – and Joel Klein, the former New York City Schools chancellor,
delivered a keynote address offering his reflections on the successes and challenges surrounding the expansion of public school choice in New York City. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, November 30, 2011, The Brookings Institution
Exploring the critical role of school choice in the future of education reform, Grover (Russ) Whitehurst introduces the Education Choice and Competition Index (ECCI), an interactive web application that scores large school districts based on thirteen categories of policy and practice. The intent of the ECCI is to create public awareness of the differences among districts in their support of school choice, provide a framework for efforts to improve choice and competition, and recognize leaders among school districts in the design and implementation of choice and competition systems. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Diane Ravitch and Ben Wildavsky, March 18, 2010, The New Republic
In a March 2010 education symposium held by The New Republic, Diane Ravitch and Ben Wildavsky argue for and against, respectively, market-based school reform on the bases of school choice and accountability. Ravitch contends that the current education reform "consensus" ignores teachers, whereas Wildavsky claims that Ravitch misunderstands the roles of teacher professionalism, charter schools and bipartisanship in education. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Tom Loveless, March 17, 2010, The Brookings Institution
The 2009 Brown Center annual report analyzes the state of American education using the latest measures of student learning, uncovers and explains important trends in achievement test scores, and identifies promising and disappointing educational reforms. The 2009 research shows the persistence of test scores and school performance, as well as examines the narrowing gap between high and low-achievers. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ben Wildavsky, March 15, 2010, The New Republic
In a review of Diane Ravitch’s The Death and Life of the Great American School System, Ben Wildavsky writes that although Ravitch offers some useful insights into the inadequacies of education reform efforts to date, she ultimately fails to make the case that the central philosophies governing today’s bipartisan reform movement - test-based accountability and school choice - have undermined teaching, learning and content. Read More
PAST EVENT
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
10:30 AM to 12:30 PM
Washington, DC
School choice exercises a powerful pull on parents and remains hotly debated among education policymakers. On February 2, the Brown Center on Education Policy and a task force composed of leading education policy experts released proposals on how to expand school choice to increase equity and create a market within the public sector for school quality. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, Tom Loveless, Jay Greene, W. Bentley MacLeod , Thomas Nechyba , Paul Peterson, Meredith Rosenthal and Michelle Croft, February 02, 2010, The Brookings Institution
School choice exercises a powerful pull on parents of school children. The Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings and a task force composed of leading education policy experts propose expanding school choice to increase equity and create a market within the public sector for school quality. Parents should be afforded the maximum degree of choice, provided with valid information on the performance of the education programs that are available, and have their preferences for education programs reflected in the funding of those programs. Read More
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
12:30 PM to 1:30 AM
Washington, DC
On Wednesday, September 2, Brookings expert Russ Whitehurst, who directs the Brown Center for Education at Brookings, and Fred Barbash, senior editor of Politico, took questions on American education policy. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, April 09, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Following Congress's vote to eliminate funding for the the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, many have criticized Secretary of Education Arne Duncan for not informing Congress of the program’s success. However, given the established procedures of the Institute of Education Sciences, it is extremely unlikely that Secretary Duncan would have known the results of the study until recently, writes Russ Whitehurst. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
John Witte and Stéphane Lavertu , March 2009, The Brookings Institution
In this Issues in Governance Studies paper, John Witte and Stéphane Lavertu analyze the impact of charter school attendance on student gain scores on mathematics and reading achievement tests in the Milwaukee Public School district. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ben Wildavsky, August 22, 2008, The Wall Street Journal
Record numbers of students aspire to higher education. But, are far too many young people with inherent intellectual limitations being pushed to advance academically when they are “just not smart enough?” Ben Wildavsky argues that this deterministic vision of education, where IQ scores matter more than teaching, curriculum or effort, makes way for what is essentially an IQ-elite. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
David F. Garrison, Marni D. Allen, Margery Austin Turner, Jennifer Comey, Barika X. Williams, Elizabeth Guernsey, Mary Filardo, Nancy Huvendick and Ping Sung, April 24, 2008, The Brookings Institution
The District of Columbia is struggling to attract and retain families with children. Most newcomers are singles and childless couples. The total number of school-age children has declined slightly. Many of the city’s schools suffer from long-standing physical, management and academic problems. The availability of quality public schools, near affordable family-friendly housing, will help determine the city’s success. Read More
PAST EVENT
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Washington, DC
Richard Kahlenberg tells the story of the founder of the American Federation of Teachers in his new book. On October 16th, Kahlenberg was joined by Brookings’s E. J. Dionne, Jr. and others for a discussion of Shanker’s legacy Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Amy Liu and Hugh B. Price, July 10, 2007, Opportunity 08
The recent Supreme Court decision to strike down the use of race as a factor for assigning children to public schools has reignited the debate about the progress of race and opportunity in the U.S. Read More