Education and Literacy, Science
American science performance is lagging as the economy becomes increasingly high tech, but our current science standards are doing little to solve the problem. Reviewers evaluated science standards for every state for this report and their findings were deeply troubling: The majority of states earned Ds or Fs for their standards in this crucial subject, with only six jurisdictions receiving As. Explore all the state report cards and see how your state performed.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America-United States
Political leaders hope to act soon to renew and fix the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA, also known as No Child Left Behind). In this important paper, Thomas B. Fordham Institute President Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Executive Vice President Michael J. Petrilli identify 10 big issues that must be resolved in order to get a bill across the finish line, and explore the major options under consideration for each one. Should states be required to adopt academic standards tied to college and career readiness? Should the new law provide greater flexibility to states and districts? These are just a few of the areas discussed. Finn and Petrilli also present their own bold yet "reform realist" solutions for ESEA.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States
Education and Literacy, Employment and Labor
In this "Ed Short" from the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Amanda Olberg and Michael Podgursky examine how public charter schools handle pensions for their teachers. Some states give these schools the freedom to opt out of the traditional teacher-pension system; when given that option, how many charter schools take it? Olberg and Podgursky examine data from six charter-heavy states and find that charter participation rates in traditional pension systems vary greatly -- from over 90 percent in California to less than one out of every four charters in Florida. As for what happens when schools choose not to participate in state pension plans, the authors find that they most often provide their teachers with defined-contribution plans (401(k) or 403(b)) with employer matches similar to those for private-sector professionals. But some opt-out charters offer no alternative retirement plans for their teachers (18 percent in Florida, 24 percent in Arizona).
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America-United States
Ohio committed itself to embracing higher standards that cross state lines when it joined 45 other states and the District of Columbia in adopting the Common Core standards in math and English language arts (ELA) in June 2010.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America-United States (Midwestern)-Ohio
Community and Economic Development, Education and Literacy, Poverty
Benchmarking Central Ohio 2011 represents the fourth edition of the Benchmarking project, following upon previous reports released in March 2007, March 2008, and March 2009. Benchmarking is a process by which standardized, measurable indicators are used to track and assess how a community is doing in comparison to other communities across the state or nation. The report shows a mixed picture of the Columbus metro area, which ranks high in many economic and education indicators, but low in key indicators of personal prosperity and health. The report compares Central Ohio with 15 other metropolitan regions on 76 indicators in five broad areas: population vitality, economic strength, personal prosperity, community wellbeing, and lifelong learning. The 2011 report includes 18 new indicators and a companion spreadsheet with data for the 100 largest metro areas.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America-United States (Midwestern)-Ohio (Central)
Examines the urgent need to prepare students for postsecondary degrees and professional training, lessons from Northern and Central Europe, and models of school reform to provide career and technical education, including expanded roles for employers.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States
Outlines the essential elements of redesigning state student assessments: build comprehensive, up-to-date systems; link standards, assessments, and instruction; create common assessments via collaboration; create pathways to college; and maintain systems.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States;North America / United States (Northeastern) / Pennsylvania
Presents findings from a 2008-09 state-by-state survey of progress in aligning standards, graduation requirements, assessments, data systems, and accountability systems with colleges' and employers' expectations. Charts trends and lists resources.
August 1970
Geographic Focus: North America / United States
