UPCOMING EVENT
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Washington, DC
The American educational system is fundamental to promoting social and economic mobility, civic engagement and global competiveness, but the subject of receives less media coverage than other major public policy issues. On December 2, Grover "Russ" Whitehurst and E.J. Dionne, authors of The Disappearance of Education News, will present their solutions for improving education reporting and promoting quality discourse. Read More
VIDEO
Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, November 17, 2009
Through a new competitive grant program called Race to the Top, the U.S. Department of Education is awarding $4 billion of stimulus money to states that demonstrate a commitment to education reform and innovation. Russ Whitehurst says it is a promising program that could promote education reform and elevate the education of thousands of children.
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, November 04, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Given a choice between the status quo in American education and change, the Obama administration has been bold in pursuit of change. The president and Education Secretary Arne Duncan have used the bully pulpit and the powerful lever of $5 billion in discretionary stimulus funds to push a catalog of initiatives, writes Brookings senior fellow, Russ Whitehurst. Whitehurst gives the administration an A+ for motive, effort and reach, but he writes the administration has made some questionable bets and ignored surer ones, most specifically improvements in curriculum and instruction. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst and Michelle Croft, October 29, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Russ Whitehurst and Michelle Croft find no association between state scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) and ratings of the quality of state standards. Moreover, their analyses suggest that the creation of common standards will have little impact on our future in and of itself. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, October 14, 2009, The Brookings Institution
President Obama has committed himself to “reform America’s public schools,” and his administration is focused on making early childhood programs, common standards, charter schools and teachers more effective. However, writes Russ Whitehurst, the administration should also undertake actions to better integrate curriculum innovation and reform into its policy framework. "Don't Forget Curriculum” compares the size of the effects on student achievement brought about by curriculum with the size of the effects of popular reform strategies favored by the Obama administration. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Margery A. Turner and Alan Berube, July 28, 2009, The Urban Institute
Margery Turner and Alan Berube explore how federal policy-makers—particularly at the Departments of Education and Housing and Urban Development—can promote local innovations that address the myriad connections between schools and housing, and provide better residential and educational environments for lower-income parents and students. Read More
PAST EVENT
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Washington, DC
President Obama has committed to the goal of having the world's highest rate of college graduates by 2020. The funding and delivery of student financial aid will be critical to reaching that goal. To that end, the president has announced plans for an overhaul of the federal college loan system. The Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings hosted an event to explore ways of improving the effectiveness of student financial aid. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Alan Berube, May 15, 2009, The Brookings Institution
The detailed FY 2010 federal budget reveals many elements of the administration’s strategy to achieve needed reforms in schooling and worker skills. Alan Berube analyzes the significant steps in the departments of Education and Labor budgets toward a national economic strategy that invests strategically in human capital to improve our collective prosperity. Read More
PAST EVENT
Monday, May 11, 2009
9:00 AM to 10:30 AM
Washington, DC
The Brown Center on Education Policy at Brookings hosted Secretary of Education Arne Duncan for a conversation on the billions of dollars of economic stimulus aid being delivered to states and school districts under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. Secretary Duncan discussed how the stimulus funds can advance the president’s goals for education reform. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, May 07, 2009
2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Washington, DC
On May 7, the Metropolitan Policy Program hosted a discussion on a new report by University of Wisconsin Assistant Professor Sara Goldrick-Rab on the need to transform America's community colleges to equip them for the 21st century. Visit the event page to download slides from the event presentation and for links to the report and policy brief. Read More
VIDEO
Alan Berube, May 01, 2009
Alan Berube says community colleges offer educational opportunities to a growing number of students and are a critical part of the national economy and our metropolitan areas.
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
Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, March 19, 2009, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer
In this online Q&A, Russ Whitehurst explains how the stimulus funds will make their way to local projects, particularly for school programs. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, March 19, 2009, The Brookings Institution
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 authorized the Secretary of Education to establish a $650 million Innovation Fund to expand the work of schools that have made gains in closing achievement gaps. With growing discussion and considerable money heading in the direction of innovation, Russ Whitehurst provides recommendations on how the Department of Education should evaluate successful programs. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Grover J. "Russ" Whitehurst, Bob L. Schieffer and Jonathan Martin , March 13, 2009, CBS News
President Obama spoke about implementing the merit pay system for teachers as well as expanding charter schools in a effort to reform the education system in the United States. Brown Center Director Russ Whitehurst joined Politico's Jonathan Martin and CBS News’ Bob Schieffer on Washington Unplugged to talk about the politics behind Obama's education policy and how it would affect our education system. Read More