The Thomas B. Fordham Institute promotes educational excellence for every child in America via quality research, analysis, and commentary.
We believe that all schools that are supported with public funds should be held accountable for helping their students make academic progress from year to year; that all parents deserve to have a range of high-quality options, as well as reliable information with which to make the best choice for their children; and that students have a variety of needs, interests, and ambitions, and that our K–12 education system ought to reflect this.
The Education Gadfly Show: Educational pluralism
On this week’s podcast, Ashley Berner, assistant professor and deputy director of the Institute for Education Policy at Johns Hopkins, joins David Griffith and Adam Tyner to discuss pluralism in American education. On the Research Minute, Amber Northern examines the latest data on school spending, as well as high school dropout and completion rates from the Institute of Education Sciences.
High Expectations for All Schools
We believe that all schools that are supported with public funds—whether in the district, charter, or private school sector—should be held accountable for helping their students make academic progress from year to year. The combination of rigorous state standards, high-quality assessments, aligned curricula, and transparent school report cards provides the necessary pressure and support for our system to put students on the path to readiness for college, career, and citizenship.
Quality Choices for All Families
The most promising development of the past quarter century has been the expansion of high quality schools of choice, especially charter schools. We believe that all parents deserve to have a range of high-quality options, as well as reliable information with which to make the best choice for their children.
Personalized Pathways for All Students
Fordham believes that students have a variety of needs, interests, and ambitions, and that our K–12 education system ought to reflect this by offering challenging opportunities for high achievers, effective support for struggling students, and various avenues to college and career success.