Michael Petrilli

FYI @mpolikoff.bsky.social @jenjennings.bsky.social @kevincarey1.bsky.social @mattbarnum.bsky.social @danagoldstein.bsky.social @joshua-goodman.com @bethhawkins.bsky.social @imbernomics.bsky.social @kirabojackson.bsky.social @matthewakraft.com @chingos.bsky.social @conorpwilliams.bsky.social

This is great news for kids and families, and should boost student achievement over time, too.

Rising share of lower-income families with married children

GOOD NEWS FOR A CHANGE

Divorce Is Down, Family Stability Is Up www.aei.org/articles/is-...

I agree that politics/local school boards often gets in the way of student achievement), and making the right metric (student growth) more transparent to people in elections (change off year elections) seems sensible, but not sure we should expect big gains. Vlad, we need more ideas!

Opinion | The Trump Presidency Takes a Better Turn

Bret Stephens is right, as much as I hate to admit it: Not everything Trump does is bad. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/29/o...

#979: Is too much democracy hamstringing our schools? with Vlad Kogan On this week’s Education Gadfly Show, Vlad Kogan—professor and director of undergraduate studies at The Ohio State University—joins us to discuss his forthcoming book, No Adult Left Behind: How Politi...

Terrific convo w/ Vlad Kogan about his new book: No Adult Left Behind. I got an early look at the book and it's terrific!

A few more thoughts 👇👇👇

fordhaminstitute.org/national/res...

Percentage of public school fourth graders scoring basic or above in reading on NAEP, Black and Hispanic

Hmm. OK, use "basic" instead of "proficient." How would you interpret the past decade of data? @plthomasedd.bsky.social

How Do Kids in Top-Spending States Perform on NAEP? Not as Well as You’d Think Aldeman: New York spends the most, but its results are middling. Mississippi, Texas, Florida get the most bang for their buck.

Analysis: How do kids in top-spending states perform on the NAEP? Not as well as you'd think. @chadaldeman.bsky.social reports

Gotta be on Team Read To Your Kids. Gotta be.

Teachers hurt on the job: Colorado task force makes recommendations for change "School violence is often just seen as student to student. We need to expand that definition to include student to staff,” one former principal said.

"School violence is often just seen as student to student. We need to expand that definition to include student to staff,” one former principal said.

OPINION: If we are serious about improving student outcomes, we can’t treat teacher retention as an afterthought A myth has persisted in education policy circles that after their first few years on the job, teachers stop improving. This belief has undercut efforts to retain seasoned educators — and it is wrong.

OPINION: If we are serious about improving student outcomes, we can’t treat teacher retention as an afterthought, write Linda Darling-Hammond & @michaelpetrilli.bsky.social for @hechingerreport.org. hechingerreport.org/opinion-here...

Thanks Morgan

An unexpected byline, and an excellent argument!

@joshua-goodman.com @mpolikoff.bsky.social @cedr.bsky.social @alexanderrusso.bsky.social @evanrstone.bsky.social

OPINION: If we are serious about improving student outcomes, we can’t treat teacher retention as an afterthought A myth has persisted in education policy circles that after their first few years on the job, teachers stop improving. This belief has undercut efforts to retain seasoned educators — and it is wrong.

Linda Darling Hammond and me in the @hechingerreport.org:
Here’s how we hold on to experienced teachers: Give them the support they need

If we are serious about improving student outcomes, we can’t treat teacher retention as an afterthought hechingerreport.org/opinion-here...

The pandemic drove chronic absenteeism rates sky high.

In Massachusetts and elsewhere, kids still aren't showing up to learn.

But there are solutions! The @bostonglobe.com reviews ideas for getting kids back to school.

www.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/26/m...

Charter school authorizers like Fordham don't say no to proposed charters because we fear innovation. It's because some proposals are just bad.

🎧 Watch or listen now: fordhaminstitute.org/national/res...

One thing I don't understand about the politics here is that if the state has a lot of latitude over what the scholarships can be used for it seems like a savvy governor might be able to find ways to hand out scholarships that don't involve anybody leaving public schools and/or that subsidize TPSs.

Trump’s school choice initiative puts Democratic governors in a bind Will Democratic leaders opt their states into the new federal school choice provision, allowing families to accept scholarships that are funded by charitable donations from taxpayers nationwide? Or wi...

Trump’s school choice initiative puts Democratic governors in a bind fordhaminstitute.org/national/com...

Meaning that if they have no latitude, they simply won't opt in?

Trump’s school choice program puts Democratic governors in a bind Will Democratic leaders opt their states into the new federal school choice provision, allowing families to accept scholarships that are funded by charitable donations from taxpayers nationwide? Or wi...

Here ya go: fordhaminstitute.org/national/com...

What Happens to the Department of Education After Trump’s Cuts? | KQED We talk about what is next for the Department of Education and what it means for students.

Hey Bay Area peeps, TUNE IN at 9 am pacific to @kqedforum.bsky.social for an episode on the dismantling of the Department of Education, with @jilltucker.bsky.social Noliwe Rooks & yours truly. www.kqed.org/forum/201010... @kqednews.kqed.org @alexanderrusso.bsky.social

Thanks Dan!

#978: Mike on the mic: Regulation in school choice programs On this week’s Education Gadfly Show, Mike returns for another solo episode, reflecting on the role of regulation in school choice—is it stifling innovation or saving us from bad schools?

@michaelpetrilli.bsky.social is flying solo again on the Gadfly in this riff on school choice & regulation. I'm a fan of these episodes that show internal (to Mike) thoughts/debates. They show that an advocate label on an issue can miss a lot of nuance.

fordhaminstitute.org/national/res...

Opinion | Democrats’ School Choice Dilemma The Medicaid expansion put GOP governors in a tough spot. Republicans have flipped the script.

My thoughts on the school choice dilemma facing Democratic governors: wsj.com/opinion/demo... @mpolikoff.bsky.social @paul-bruno.com @joshua-goodman.com @joshcowenmi.bsky.social

New Federal Tax Credit Boosts School Choice—but Blue States Face Big Decision Governors will now decide whether to accept private-school tuition subsidies.

New Federal Tax Credit Boosts School Choice—but Blue States Face Big Decision

Governors will now decide whether to accept private-school tuition subsidies wsj.com/us-news/educ...
@mattbarnum.bsky.social

On this week’s Education Gadfly Show podcast, Doug Harris, director of the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH), joins us to discuss a new website aimed at advancing evidence-based education policy and supporting more effective decision-making in schools. Then, on the Research Minute, Meredith Coffey examines new data from Massachusetts that reveal lasting post-pandemic shifts in school enrollment, particularly in the middle grades and in higher-income districts. Recommended content: “AEFP Live Handbook of Education Policy Research” —Association for Education Finance & Policy (AEFP) “School Enrollment Shifts Five Years After the Pandemic” —Abigail Francis and Joshua Goodman, EdWorkingPapers (June 2025) “Analyzing homeschooling demographics and families’ definitions of student success” —Jeff Murray, Thomas B. Fordham Institute “Fixing IES” —Chester E. Finn, Jr., Thomas B. Fordham Institute Feedback Welcome: Have ideas for improving our podcast? Send them to Stephanie Distler at sdistler@fordhaminstitute.org. #976: A new hub for smarter education policy, with Doug Harris

My recent article with @joshua-goodman.com on Massachusetts school enrollment shifts was discussed on the Education Gadfly Show! They also highlight @aefplivehandbook.bsky.social, a resource full of rigorous work in education policy. Highly recommend the listen! fordhaminstitute.org/national/res...

Conservative-leaning thinktank weighs in on what's next for the Education Department NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with Michael Petrilli, head of the education policy thinktank Thomas B. Fordham Institute, about the Trump administration's efforts to dismantle the Education Department.

OK, I'll admit it, it was a real thrill to speak with @ailsachang.bsky.social on NPR's All Things Considered last night. Give it a listen! www.npr.org/2025/07/15/n...

11 thoughts about the massive layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education Trump administration officials announced on Tuesday that they are laying off 1,300 employees at the U.S. Department of Education. This is on top of nearly 600 people who had already taken early retire...

11 thoughts about the massive layoffs at the U.S. Department of Education fordhaminstitute.org/national/com...

(From March, but it holds up, and is of course newly relevant.)

On this particular program, it's going to be really hard to claim that it takes money away from public schools. The money is coming from taxpayers all over the country. Sure, if kids leave public schools, districts lose their state share. But that's no different from them moving out of state.