The Education Exchange

A Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Parag A. Pathak, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Pathak's recent working paper, which investigates the effects of busing on integration, achievement, and college enrollment. “Still Worth the Trip? School Busing Effects in Boston and New York,” co-written with Joshua Angrist, Guthrie Gray-Lobe, and Clemence M. Idoux, is available now. https://www.nber.org/papers/w30308

The director of education reform at Reason Foundation, Aaron Garth Smith, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Smith's latest analysis, which shows per-pupil spending increased in 49 out of 50 states during the 2020 fiscal year, while student enrollment declined in 22 states, plus the district of Columbia. Smith's report, "K-12 Education Spending Spotlight: An in-depth look at school finance data and trends," co-written with Jordan Campbell, is available now at reason.org. https://reason.org/commentary/k-12-education-spending-spotlight/

The editor-in-chief of Education Next and member of the National Assessment Governing Board, Martin R. West, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the latest release of National Assessment of Educational Progress data, which shows test performance dipped for most fourth-grade students in both math and reading since the beginning of the pandemic.

An assistant policy researcher at RAND, Melissa Kay Diliberti, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Diliberti's recent report, which collects survey responses from school districts through the 2021-22 academic year, and how schools are expecting teacher shortages for 2022-23. The report, "Districts Continue to Struggle with Staffing, Political Polarization, and Unfinished Instruction," co-written with Heather L. Schwartz, is available now. https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA956-13.html

The director of the Center for School and Student Progress at NWEA, Karyn Lewis, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Lewis' new research brief, which finds signs of student performance in math and reading rebounding during the 2021-22 academic year. The research brief, "Student achievement in 2021–2022: Cause for hope and continued urgency," co-written with Megan Kuhfield, is available now. https://www.nwea.org/content/uploads/2022/07/Student-Achievement-in-2021-22-Cause-for-hope-and-concern.researchbrief-1.pdf

An Assistant Professor at George Mason University, David Houston, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the 2022 Education Next Survey, on which both Houston and Peterson are co-authors. "Partisan Rifts Widen, Perceptions of School Quality Decline: Results of the 2022 Education Next Survey of Public Opinion," by David M. Houston, Paul E. Peterson, and Martin R. West, is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/partisan-rifts-widen-perceptions-school-quality-decline-results-2022-education-next-survey-public-opinion

A Post Doctoral Researcher at the Harvard Kennedy School, M. Danish Shakeel, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss their new study, which finds that student achievement has increased since the 1970s. "A Half Century of Student Progress Nationwide" is available now at EducationNext.org. https://www.educationnext.org/half-century-of-student-progress-nationwide-first-comprehensive-analysis-finds-gains-test-scores/

An Associate Professor in the Department of Economics at the University of California, Santa Cruz, George Bulman, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how the Covid-19 pandemic affected enrollment and performance in community colleges in California. "The Impact of COVID-19 on Community College Enrollment and Student Success," by Bulman and Robert W. Fairlie, is available now. https://www.edworkingpapers.com/sites/default/files/ai22-602.pdf

The founder of Vertex Partnership Academies, a nonprofit charter school network, Ian Rowe, joins Paul Peterson to discuss the opening of Vertex Academies, a new charter high school set to open this month in the Bronx, New York City.

An adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute and superintendent of Partnership Schools, Kathleen Porter-Magee, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how enrollment in Catholic schools increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. Porter-Magee's brief, "Catholic School Enrollment Boomed During Covid. Let’s Make It More Than a One-Time Bump," co-written with Annie Smith and Matt Klausmeier, is available now. https://www.manhattan-institute.org/catholic-school-enrollment-boomed-during-covid

The 11th Secretary of Education of the United States, Betsy DeVos, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss her experience in the U.S. Department of Education, and her new book, Hostages No More: The Fight for Education Freedom and the Future of the American Child. A review of the book by Peterson for Education Next is available now: "In New Book, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Emerges as a Modern Alyosha." https://www.educationnext.org/hostages-no-more-school-choice-advances-farther-than-anticipated/

An assistant professor of political science at Boston College, Michael Hartney, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Hartney's new book, how influential teachers unions are in shaping educational policy, and how parents have fared in their own efforts. Hartney's book, How Policies Make Interest Groups: Governments, Unions, and American Education, will be available in Sept. 2022 by the University of Chicago Press.

A Distinguished Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution and director of the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) at Stanford University, Macke Raymond, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss CREDO's latest study, which shows growth for students attending Innovation Network and charter schools in Indianapolis. The "2022 Indianapolis CREDO Study" is available now. https://www.themindtrust.org/indycredo/

A University Professor in Economics and the College and the Harris School of Public Policy, Director of the Development Innovation Lab, Michael Kremer, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Kremer's latest working paper, which examines the impact of enrolling in Bridge International Academies in Kenya. Kremer's paper, "Can Education be Standardized? Evidence from Kenya," co-written with Guthrie Gray-Lobe, Anthony Keats, Isaac Mbiti, and Owen Ozier, is available now. https://bfi.uchicago.edu/working-paper/2022-68/

A senior writer and national correspondent at The 74, Beth Hawkins, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the ramifications of the Minneapolis teacher strike, which ended in March 2022. "Minneapolis Teacher Strike Lasted 3 Weeks. The Fallout Will Be Felt for Years," by Hawkins is available now at The 74. https://www.the74million.org/article/minneapolis-teacher-strike-lasted-3-weeks-the-fallout-will-be-felt-for-years/

An Assistant Professor at Temple University, Sarah Cordes, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Cordes' latest study, which measures the effect of charter schools on the diversity of nearby district schools. "Choice and Change: The Implications of Charter School Expansion for School and Neighborhood Diversity in NYC," co-written with Agustina Laurito, is available now. https://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai22-556

The lead research scientist in Applied Research at ACT, Edgar Sanchez, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Sanchez's latest report, which investigates how grade inflation has grown since 2010, and how inflation increased during the Covid-19 pandemic. The report, “Grade Inflation Continues to Grow in the Past Decade,” co-written with Raeal Moore, is available now. https://www.act.org/content/dam/act/secured/documents/pdfs/Grade-Inflation-Continues-to-Grow-in-the-Past-Decade-Final-Accessible.pdf

An assistant professor at the University of Oklahoma, Daniel Hamlin, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Hamlin's research on gun ownership in America, and its relationship to school shootings over 40 years. Hamlin's paper, "Are gun ownership rates and regulations associated with firearm incidents in American schools? A forty-year analysis (1980–2019)", is available now. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0047235221000672

A Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute and a Senior Fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, Chester E. Finn, Jr., joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Finn's new book, Assessing the Nation’s Report Card: Challenges and Choices for NAEP. Finn's latest piece for Education Next, “It Felt Like Guerrilla Warfare” — Student achievement levels in the Nation’s Report Card: a brief history of “basic,” “proficient,” and “advanced,” is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/it-felt-like-guerrilla-warfare-student-achievement-levels-nations-report-card-brief-history-basic-proficient-advanced/

The Walter H. Gale Professor of Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and faculty director of the Center for Education Policy Research, Thomas Kane, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Kane's latest study, which looks into how remote and hybrid instruction impacted students' learning in the 2020-21 academic year. "The Consequences of Remote and Hybrid Instruction During the Pandemic" is available now at the Center for Education Policy Research: https://cepr.harvard.edu/files/cepr/files/5-4.pdf?m=1651690491

The Executive Director of the Pioneer Institute, Jim Stergios, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the current state of Boston Public Schools, and whether control of the district should be taken over by the state. "Time for Receivership in Boston," a report by Stergios, is available now. https://pioneerinstitute.org/opeds/education-oped/time-for-receivership-in-boston/

A professor of economics at Duke University, Peter Arcidiacono, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Arcidiacono new study, which examines how racial preferences for under-represented minorities affected admissions to Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The report, "What the Students for Fair Admissions Cases Reveal About Racial Preferences," co-written with Josh Kinsler and Tyler Ransom, is available now. http://public.econ.duke.edu/~psarcidi/racialpref.pdf

The Executive Director at North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, Michael Maher, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the state's preliminary report on student learning loss in North Carolina during the pandemic. "Report to the North Carolina General Assembly: An Impact Analysis of Student Learning During the COVID-19 Pandemic," is available now. https://simbli.eboardsolutions.com/meetings/TempFolder/Meetings/202203_SLA%208_OLR%20HB196%20JLEOC%20Report%20HB196.%20Impact%20on%20Lost%20Instructional%20Time%20for%20SBE%20March_316248ogtvtibjvhu5at0tf5k5cokq.pdf

The National Director of the National Center for Research on Education Access and Choice (REACH), Douglas N. Harris, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Harris' new study, which analyzes data from 1995 to 2016 for the nation's publicly funded school systems, and finds that charter schools increased average graduation rates, as well as math and reading test scores. "The Bigger Picture of Charter School Results: A National Analysis of System-Level Effects on Test Scores and Graduation Rates," co-written with Feng Chen, is available now. https://www.educationnext.org/bigger-picture-charter-school-results-national-analysis-system-level-effects-test-scores-graduation-rates

The Chief Executive Officer for ExcelinEd, Patricia Levesque, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the Biden Administration’s recent policies that could limit the ability to open new charter schools. Levesque's op-ed, "A Case of Charter School Sabotage," is available now at The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/charter-school-sabotage-biden-teachers-union-public-school-achievement-gap-hispanic-black-students-charter-schools-program-rules-11648224610?mod=opinion_lead_pos2

An Associate Professor of Education at Ursinus College, John P. Spencer, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Spencer's new book, which traces the life and work of educator Marcus Foster, who became the first black superintendent of a large school district in the United States in 1970. "In the Crossfire: Marcus Foster and the Troubled History of American School Reform" is available now from University of Pennsylvania Press. https://www.upenn.edu/pennpress/book/15030.html

A Professor of Military Theory and Strategy at the US Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, Kevin Weddle, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Weddle's new book, The Compleat Victory: Saratoga and the American Revolution, and how the battle of Saratoga parallels Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

A professor in the College of Business at Western Carolina University, Angela Dills, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss a report co-written by Dills, which works to dispel common myths about charter schools and their funding, spending and management. The report, “Charter School Funding: Dispelling Myths about EMOs, Expenditure Patterns, & Nonpublic Dollars,” is available now. https://cpb-us-e1.wpmucdn.com/wordpressua.uark.edu/dist/9/544/files/2018/10/21-1018-charter-school-funding-dispelling-myths-002.pdf

A Senior Fellow with the Pioneer Institute, Cara Candal, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the state of Boston Public Schools, including the resignation of Superintendent Brenda Cassellius and more than a decade of declining test scores.

The chief academic officer of elementary humanities at Amplify, Susan Lambert, and a research director at Amplify, Paul Gazzerro, join Paul E. Peterson to discuss Amplify's research brief, which looks at students in grades K-2, and how they are at greater risk for not learning to read due to the pandemic school shutdowns.

A longtime reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Maureen Downey, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the efforts of Atlanta neighborhood Buckhead to break away and form its own city, how it failed and what it could have meant for Atlanta Public Schools and its students.

Joanne Jacobs, an education reporter and former San Jose Mercury News editorial writer and columnist, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the recent recall of three members of the San Francisco Unified School Board. Jacobs wrote about the effort to recall the board members for Education Next, in "Behind a School Board Recall in San Francisco, a Diverse Coalition." https://www.educationnext.org/behind-school-board-recall-san-francisco-diverse-coalition/

An assistant professor at Tulane University, Ilana Horwitz, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Horwitz's new book, God, Grades, and Graduation: Religion's Surprising Impact on Academic Success.

The founder of Common Good and author of "Try Common Sense: Replacing the Failed Ideologies of Right and Left," Philip K. Howard, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Howard's latest report, "Accountability on Trial," which contends that accountability is being undercut by public union contracts.

The Director of Education Policy at the Goldwater Institute, Matt Beienburg, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how Arizona's allocations of money to education savings accounts could result in a pullback of federal coronavirus relief funds in the state.

A resident fellow at the Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization, Mary Grabar, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Grabar's new book, "Debunking The 1619 Project: Exposing the Plan to Divide America."

A professor of political science at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Joshua Dunn, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the oral arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court in the Carson v. Makin case, and what could be in store for religious education and state Blaine amendments. Read Dunn's blog post, "Supreme Court Oral Argument in Carson v. Makin Sends Hopeful Signal for Religious School Aid." https://www.educationnext.org/carson-v-makin-supreme-court/

An an economics professor at Brown University, Emily Oster, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Oster's latest research, which finds that pass rates on standardized tests declined in district schools during the Covid-19 pandemic, and that those rates were lower in schools with less in-person instruction. Oster's paper, "Pandemic Schooling Mode and Student Test Scores: Evidence from US States," co-written with Clare Halloran, Rebecca Jack and James C. Okun, is available now. https://www.nber.org/papers/w29497

The Will Skillman Fellow in Education at The Heritage Foundation, Jonathan Butcher, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the growing controversy over critical race theory and its place in the classroom. Butcher's report, "Critical Race Theory, the New Intolerance, and Its Grip on America," co-written with Mike Gonzalez, is available now. https://www.heritage.org/civil-rights/report/critical-race-theory-the-new-intolerance-and-its-grip-america

The Superintendent of the Dallas Independent School District, Michael Hinojosa, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how Dallas handles school safety, the recent lifting of the mask mandate in schools, and how the district has rewarded their best-performing teachers while limiting turnover.

A senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Naomi Schaefer Riley, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Schaefer Riley's new book, "No Way to Treat a Child: How the Foster Care System, Family Courts, and Racial Activists Are Wrecking Young Lives."

The director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, Rick Hess, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the critical race theory debate, and how the media has covered the subject. "Misleading Media Coverage Has Made Critical Race Theory Debate Angrier and Less Honest," a report by Hess, is available now. https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/medias-misleading-portrayal-of-the-fight-over-critical-race-theory/

The president and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools, Nina Rees, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss a recent report by the National Alliance which shows an increase in enrollment in charter schools across the country in the 2020-21 academic year. The report, "Voting with Their Feet: A State-level Analysis of Public Charter School and District Public School Enrollment Trends," is available now. https://www.publiccharters.org/our-work/publications/voting-their-feet-state-level-analysis-public-charter-school-and-district

The president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, Mike Petrilli, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the results of the 2021 Virginia Governor race, and what the election of Glenn Youngkin could signal for school choice moving forward.

A junior economist and doctoral student at the Ifo Center for the Economics of Education, Benjamin Arold, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Arold's research, which looks at the impact of the Common Core on subjects outside of math and reading. The paper, "The Unintended Effects of the Common Core State Standards on Non-Targeted Subjects," by Arold and M. Danish Shakeel, is available here: https://www.hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Taubman/PEPG/research/PEPG21_03.pdf

Investor and Chairman of the Board for the American Federation for Children, Bill Oberndorf, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how progress in the school choice movement has been made in the states, with private school choice programs in 32 states, and charter programs in 48. Oberndorf was recently awarded the 2021 Simon-DeVos Prize for Philanthropic Leadership by Philanthropy Roundtable.

A senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, columnist for the Wall Street Journal, and author of Maverick: A Biography of Thomas Sowell, Jason Riley, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss some of Riley's reservations with adoption of critical race theory into school curriculum.

The Superintendent of Detroit Public Schools Community District, Dr. Nikolai Vitti, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss how he has helped Detroit schools rebound from financial strains to its current renaissance.

The Managing Attorney at the Liberty Justice Center, Daniel Suhr, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss the Bishop of Charleston v. Adams case, which challenges South Carolina state officials from using the Blaine Amendment to block Covid-19 funds from going to non-public schools and historically black colleges and universities.

The Paul and Jean Hanna Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University, Eric Hanushek, joins Paul E. Peterson to discuss Hanushek being awarded the $3.9 million Yidan Prize, which honors individuals or teams that have significantly contributed to the theory and practice of education.