Education Reform

Learn more about efforts to improve schools, especially through policy changes
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School & District Management Opinion 5 Habits of a School 'Rethinker'
As education leaders make post-pandemic reforms, they would do well to pause and reflect before enacting haphazard changes.
Rick Hess, July 10, 2023
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3 min read
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School & District Management Opinion Why Do Schools Cling to 'Stupid' Ideas?
Educators and policymakers often go along with ineffectual policies, not knowing what else to do.
Rick Hess, July 5, 2023
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3 min read
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson delivers his inaugural address after taking the oath of office as Chicago's 57th mayor on May 15, 2023, in Chicago.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson delivers his inaugural address after taking the oath of office on May 15, 2023. Johnson will have to oversee the city school district's transition from mayoral control to a fully elected school board.
Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
School & District Management A Fading School Reform? Mayoral Control Is Ending in Another City
Chicago will phase out mayoral control of its schools by 2027, becoming the latest city to drop the model.
Libby Stanford, June 27, 2023
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7 min read
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Federal Opinion School Reform Is Tough All Over, Not Just in the U.S.
Even though some reforms produce evidence of student success, that often isn't enough to overcome political hurdles.
Rick Hess, June 23, 2023
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6 min read
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School & District Management Opinion 'Innovation' Is a Four-Letter Word
Many in education thrill to the promise of ‘innovation,’ but rightly understood, it is a means, not an end.
Rick Hess, June 19, 2023
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3 min read
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School & District Management Opinion Schools Are Trying to Do Too Much
The practice of "unbundling" offers education leaders a way to rethink what they do and how they do it.
Rick Hess, June 12, 2023
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3 min read
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School & District Management Opinion Education Reform Hasn’t Failed ... Yet. 3 Overlooked Instructional Strategies
Three proven components of effective teaching could make all the difference between poor to middling and high-student achievement.
Mike Schmoker, June 8, 2023
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4 min read
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School & District Management Opinion Teachers and Parents Are Skeptical of 'New Reforms.' Leaders Can Break the Cycle
When we are enamored with promising ideas, it can be tough to understand why other education stakeholders don't see it the way we do.
Rick Hess, May 22, 2023
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3 min read
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School & District Management Opinion Memo to Ed. Leaders on School Improvement: The Right Questions to Ask Now
Rethinking prepandemic practices—staffing, technology, school choice, and more—is well worth your time, writes Rick Hess.
Rick Hess, May 17, 2023
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6 min read
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Policy & Politics Opinion Teachers' Unions Are the Rorschach Test for School Reform
Critics see special interest groups opposing common-sense reforms, but advocates see champions of workplace democracy and the common good.
Rick Hess, April 13, 2023
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7 min read
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Policy & Politics Opinion Teacher-Evaluation Policies Have Flopped. Where Did They Go Wrong?
Responsible education advocates know that the measure of an idea is not how promising it seems in theory but how well it works in practice.
Rick Hess, April 10, 2023
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4 min read
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Policy & Politics Opinion What the Last Two Decades Have Taught Us About School Reform
In a time with pandemic, hyperactive news cycles, and culture war, it’s worth taking a moment to step back in search of context.
Rick Hess, January 24, 2023
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3 min read
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School & District Management Opinion How to Address System Change in Education
Awareness of what's occurring outside of school can be beneficial—or a hierarchical hell in the wrong hands, Michael Fullan says.
Michael Fullan, January 16, 2023
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4 min read
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States State Ed. Systems Aren't Equipped to Address Schools' Big Challenges
A new report outlines a dire situation for state education agencies.
Libby Stanford, December 7, 2022
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4 min read
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