What evidence supports the call for discipline reform? How might alternative strategies affect students and schools? In this article, the authors describe the critiques of exclusionary discipline and then examine the research base on which discipline policy reform rests. They also describe the alternative approaches that are gaining traction in…

Last year, 29 percent of New York City children were considered proficient in English and 35 percent in math on the state's challenging Common Core-aligned exams. For Success Academy students, the proficiency rates were 64 percent in English and an astonishing 94 percent in math. Success students in the city's poorest communities outperformed kids…

Critical review of critical pedagogy, a body of education theory represented by the work of Henry Giroux and others. (PKP)

The author presents his opinion regarding the September 24, 2003, column, of New York Times education columnist, Michael Winerip. Under the headline "On Front Lines, Casualties Tied to New U.S. Law," Winerip reported that NCLB funding shortfalls were "devastating" for New York City. The author argues that Winerip neglected to…

Rejoinder to Rose and Gallup's defense of 2001 Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll's results concerning the public attitude toward educational vouchers. (PKP)

Questions use of value-added assessment of student achievement to solve problems of accountability. Discusses three problems associated with value-added assessment: (1) limited accuracy of testing to measure student gains; (2) factors other than teacher or school quality possibly attributable to gains; and (3) lack of gain comparators for students…

In this article, the author reviews school lunches around Boston. He discusses a significant fact about school lunches today, which is the "free" and "reduced" lunch program. The most promising developments he saw came from two opposite directions: (1) from food conglomerates reformulating snack foods to eliminate transfats,…

Disputes results of study by two Arizona State University researchers that found high-stakes testing has a negative impact on student achievement and dropout rates. (PKP)

Uses student scores on Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) in 18 countries to examine the relationship between class size and student achievement. Finds that with the exception of two countries--Greece and Iceland--reduction in smaller class had no effect on test scores. Suggests that class-size effect is related to teacher…

Critical review of "Education Week's" annual compilation "Quality Counts." (PKP)

Critiques the writings of "New York Times" education columnist Richard Rothstein. (PKP)

The education problems in New York City (and a number of other jurisdictions that face court financing challenges) are real and important. Many people would indeed be willing to put more money into New York City schools (or any poorly performing school for that matter) if they had any reason to believe that students' achievement would improve…