February 10, 2026
Snow Excuses
The past few years have featured a lot of hand-wringing about chronic absenteeism and the insanity of extended pandemic school…
February 6, 2026
Progress on Absenteeism Is Stalling. What Can We Do About It?
More than five years after the pandemic threw schools off course, the latest evidence suggests…
January 26, 2026
Trump Has a Solution for Student Loans. Forgiveness Isn’t It.
President Donald Trump entered office intent on reversing most of the Biden administration’s student loan…
January 21, 2026
AI in K–12: A New Year Reality Check for School Leaders
Educators have a lot of questions about AI. Well, when I want practical insight on…
January 6, 2026
AI Changes NOTHING About What Students Need to Learn
What does AI mean for what schools should teach? The mantra of our age is…
December 9, 2025
A Bipartisan Step Toward Smarter College Accountability
Rarely do Washington policymakers find common ground on higher-education reform. Conservatives often call for discipline…
November 23, 2025
Our Wishlist for Higher Ed Reform
Now that Congress has resolved the government shutdown, attention is turning to what comes next….
November 12, 2025
Can School Reform Be Bipartisan Again?
Mike Petrilli, the president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, recently launched a new Substack, SCHOOLED, that…
October 15, 2025
Parent-School Partnerships Can Drive Academic Gains. Here’s How
A couple of years ago, in The Great School Rethink, I wrote at some length about…
October 10, 2025
Finding Common Ground on Trump’s College Compact
As with so much in 2025, the Trump administration’s proposed “Compact for Academic Excellence in…
October 8, 2025
What Could the New Federal Tuition Tax Credit Mean for School Choice?
Education savings accounts, tax-credit scholarships, vouchers, charter schools, home schooling, tutoring, course choice, dual degrees,…
October 8, 2025
Students Are ‘Learning with Their Feet’ — by Shunning Bad Colleges
Fewer students are going to college, leading many to worry that young Americans are abandoning…