Successive governments, in embracing a neoliberalist ideology of decentralization and privatization, have radically reformed the nature of community-based, comprehensive state education. The transition from 'government to governance' (Rhodes, 1997) combined with the ideology of academization (DfE, 2010a) has created a democratic deficit1 (Corbett,…

The growth of school choice options such as charter schools is often understood as a way to meet the needs of under-represented communities, but concerns have been raised as to the diversity of those promoting and leading such options, as well as for the voices of those whose schooling is being reformed. Garrett Wilson and Christopher Lubienski…

Across OECD countries, education choice is proliferating as parents seek and governments permit choice both inside and outside public education systems. The movement of students out of the common public school, however, varies significantly across jurisdictions and sociodemographic characteristics such as race and class. This variation in…

This exploration of Phi Delta Kappan's archives shows how the magazine has covered questions related to the purposes, governance, and funding of the public schools. Articles have discussed the role of schools in a democratic society, how schools should relate to the public, whether public funds should be diverted to private and religious schools,…

This brief provides an overview of five strategies used for persistently underperforming schools that demand significant changes to how schools are organized. It draws upon published research, as well as the experiences of cities pursuing different types of improvement strategies. None of the five strategies offer a surefire way to improve…

Over the past decade, charter schools have gained a prominent role in the debate over how to improve K-12 education, becoming one of those rare ideas that attracts bipartisan support. Yet as charter schools have expanded and begun educating more American school children, so has discussion over the role charter schools should ultimately play in our…

The challenges associated with educating students with disabilities in charter schools in Connecticut are symptoms of two broader issues--the state's inequitable public education funding system and problematic ambiguity in the state charter law. Connecticut is a state of haves and have nots, and effectively advocating for more equitable funding…

The discussion of enrollment of students with disabilities in charter schools focuses on fundamental questions related to equal access and has not typically explored the quality of special education programming available. However, absent quality support and services, access to charter schools is essentially a hollow promise. This report examines…

The challenges associated with educating students with disabilities in charter schools in Connecticut are symptoms of two broader issues--the state's inequitable public education funding system and problematic ambiguity in the state charter law. Fundamental changes to the state education funding system are required to better position urban…

New York State's system of public elementary and secondary schools is in steep decline, but it is salvageable. The roots of its problems pre-date the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, but the system's response to that challenge accelerated discontent with the schools and harmed students. The damage of those years will not be undone if…

This annual report, The State of Public Education in New Orleans, has been the Institute's flagship publication, capturing as much information as possible about our schools in a single document. This year's report will continue that tradition, but with more of an eye towards the future and what comes next for our schools. The unification of…

Proponents of market-driven education reform view vouchers and charters as superior to local-board-run, community-based public schools. However, the author of this timely volume argues that there is no clear research supporting this view. In fact, Schneider claims there is increasing evidence of charter mismanagement--with public funding…

This article is based on a case study to explore a model of teacher governance and illustrate the distinct challenges of entrepreneurship in public education. In the Sedona Charter School, each classroom principal educator serves as instructional leader and resource leader. Principal educators adjust curricula, hire their teachers, determine…

For the past 12 years, the Cowen Institute has published the "State of Public Education in New Orleans" ("SPENO") on a near annual basis. During that time, the purpose, content, and audience of the report have evolved. This edition of the report is a snapshot of public education in the current academic year using aggregated…

Scholarly writing in the field of education policy analysis often considers two conflicting governance agendas: the social-democratic "public" agenda and the relatively young "neoliberal" governance agenda. These agendas are frequently described as being part of a process of transformation from public or state to private…