Every week in the Education Gadfly, we flag a handful of articles in our “What We’re Reading” section. Mostly these are opinion pieces, usually from leading newspapers and magazines, or occasionally high-profile Substacks. Here’s our list of our favorites for the year, presented in chronological order.
Long-time followers of Fordham’s work may remember the pre-internet era, when we published hard-bound compilations of articles like these in our Selected Readings on School Reform. And in the pre-Fordham era, those were disseminated by the Education Excellence Network. We’re glad to continue the tradition of highlighting and sharing great writing and thinking on education reform.
For additional articles, see Mike McShane’s “Great Education Writing From 2023,” or the list of Fordham’s most popular posts from the year that was.
Ø Advances in artificial intelligence and big data could lead to a “Big Bang” in education research. —Mark Schneider
Ø “The strange death of education reform” —Matthew Yglesias, parts one, two, three, and four
Ø “Egalitarianism is important but we neglect STEM education at our peril.” —Noah Smith
Ø For education, artificial intelligence tools will likely succeed where other technologies failed. —John Bailey
Ø Democrats are growing increasingly hostile to meritocracy, putting them at odds with the general public. —Ruy Teixeira
Ø Schools should be phone-free zones, as a growing body of research shows that they inhibit academic, cognitive, and social development. —Jon Haidt
Ø Defying stereotypes, Mississippi makes trailblazing progress in reading instruction. —Nicholas Kristof
Ø Centrists can reboot education reform. —Liam Kerr
Ø As rudeness, polarization, and rates of violence are surging, perhaps the reason why is really quite simple: We’re no longer focused on moral education. —David Brooks
Ø Mississippi didn’t fudge its reading gains with student retention, but achieved real, lasting academic improvements through smart policy. —Washington Post Editorial Board
Ø The pandemic set Americans back not just in education, but in crime and mortality rates as well. —David Wallace Wells
Ø One columnist’s experience getting kicked out of school for lying about her address so she could attend a better school. —Barbara Martinez, Mosaic
Ø Here are the concrete policies and practices districts can implement to remedy chronic absenteeism. —Boston Globe Editorial Board
Ø The charter sector keeps growing across the country, opening new schools and racking up policy victories. —Jed Wallace, Education Next
Ø Schools and teachers should drop the “leave to succeed” narrative. —Sharif El-Mekki, Education Week
