A Better Use for Tests
Test results can be useful not only in understanding how a student is doing in the present, but also in predicting how they will do much further in the future.
Ideas Posts by Timothy Daly
Using Test Results to Help Families Forecast Long-Term Student Outcomes
Each year, millions of American families receive their children's results from federally-mandated tests. What if we used the data to tell them something about where their kids are going, not just where they've been?
The Honors Packet Experiment: Can Celebrating High-Achieving Students Encourage Future Success?
Every year, high-achieving students—especially students of color and those from low-income families—lose ground in school, in spite of their potential and talent. What if there was a simple way to disrupt this decline? We designed an experiment to test one possible strategy.
What Would a Family Friendly School Look Like?
If the school day better aligned with the work day, busy parents wouldn't be stretched quite so thin. A new bill proposes one way to address that.
Conscious Companies Should Offer Opportunity Benefits
Leaders of some of the country's most successful companies are promising to invest in their people. What does that look like?
The Secret to Creating Opportunity Is Help
A new study on housing vouchers reveals that one factor makes people more likely to take advantage of opportunity: help.
The Lone Ranger and Summer Learning Loss
Even if students don't lose a ton of ground over the summer months, summer learning still matters.
Our Education System Is Like Trading Places…and Not in a Good Way
What does a 1983 Eddie Murphy movie have to do with our education system? More than you might think.
I Don't Worry About Tests, I Worry About Real Life
Tests should measure what we want our kids to know. And when they haven't learned those things, then we should worry.
Can We Stop Pretending Fraud in Education Is Victimless?
In other fields, fraud is fraud. But in education, as long as it's "for the children," it gets a pass.
Does NYC's Mayor Really Care About Parents?
Elected officials all say they care about parents. But when the rubber meets the road, do they really?
What a Year of EdNavigator at the Workplace Can Do
What’s good for employees and their families is good for employers as well.
Maybe We Should Rate Schools Like Ski Slopes
What if the truest measure of a school is the richness of the work it asks students to tackle every day?
Your 4th Grader Probably Can’t Do This Math Problem – And That Should Worry You
A basic math problem about a tree is stumping too many students. This is why it matters.
This School Year, Let’s End Lunch Shaming
A child whose parents cannot afford food already has way more reminders about that on a daily basis than any kid needs.
New Rights for Louisiana Parents
You probably didn’t notice, but Louisiana just made it a lot easier for families to be engaged with their children’s education.
OneApp + Support = An Upgrade for Families at Closing Schools
An enrollment system built for fairness and targeted support helped 87% of students from closing schools get one of their top three school choices.
How our school systems fail bright, disadvantaged students like DeAnthony
The discussion about improving outcomes for students from low-income families has been sadly oversimplified.
Think Bigger About Paid Parental Leave
The U.S. has some of the worst, most unequal parental leave policies in the world, and millions of working parents don’t get a day of paid leave.
Why Are American Kids Delaying Adulthood?
A recent study found American teenagers are waiting longer to get their first paid jobs, learn to drive, and go on dates.
Using Educational Support to Unlock Employee Engagement
Finding and keeping talented people is an ever-increasing and costly challenge for businesses of all types.
Before Closing a School, Consider the “Upgrade Rule”
Many students who depart closing schools end up in schools that are no better.
Be Cautious with Polls that Measure “Parent Opinion”
Education polls should focus on issues as families experience them, on a personal level, rather than abstract policy debates.
How Can We Ensure More New Orleans Kids Get AP Credit?
More New Orleans students are taking and passing AP exams. But it's clear we can still do much better.
Kids Are Never Too Little to Learn
We need to reject the false choice between learning and fun. Kids don’t cease to be free when they are asked to learn something.
Having a Path is Better than Having a Choice
School choice is an important tool for families, but it’s not all they need—not even close.
Stop Calling Education a "Gift"
Let’s retire the weak clichés. Education’s no gift to be given; it’s something you claim for yourself and your family.
Does the New York Times Know What a Good School Looks Like?
A recent Upshot analysis of home prices and school quality in major urban areas makes us wonder.
What is an “A” School, Really?
Not every school that has been earning an A under Louisiana's current rating system is actually a top-performing school, and some very worthy schools are being overlooked.
When Grading Schools, Parents Care about Student Growth
Student growth isn’t everything. Just because a school has high growth doesn’t mean it’s always going to be a great school, or a great school for every family. It’s one piece of data. But I’m not sure how we could give good counsel to families about their school choices without it.
Parenting Is Not a Race
Parents should cut themselves some slack. Killing yourself to raise a superchild is going to make you crazy — and probably won’t work.
A Surprising New Look at School Spending in New Orleans
It's not terribly surprising that school spending went up after Hurricane Katrina and as New Orleans shifted to a charter school-based system. It’s <em>how</em> the spending increased that’s worth a closer look.
Schools Treat Some Families Differently Than Others. What Do We Do about It?
There’s nothing wrong with moms and dads advocating for their kids. The problem is that some families are better situated to advocate for their children, and they’re getting what they want while others don’t.
Six Ways to Run a School that Families Love
There's no single formula for running a school that families are passionate about. But there are some basic building blocks that far too many schools skip.
Louisiana Proposes a Smarter Way to Grade Schools
he state's plan to base 25 percent of a school's grade on how much students grow at the school is a step in the right direction.
Opting Out of Tests Is an Act of Privilege
Most families don’t live in the same reality as the families who are opting out.
Secretary of Education John King, Jr.'s #ParentPerspective
John and his wife Melissa are enormously accomplished education professionals—but they are also parents trying to find a path for their children. We asked them to share how they approach the hard work of parenting.
Do New Orleans Families Prefer Higher Performing Schools?
When families have the ability to choose schools, do they flock to higher-performing schools? We took a closer look at kindergarten enrollment data in New Orleans to find out.
Without a Path Forward, Parents Won't Vote with Their Feet
Instead of asking parents if they want their school to remain open, we should ask them whether they would choose to stay if they had other options. And give them real options.
What Adjusted Grades Tell Us about New Orleans' Schools
Changing how school grades are calculated changes the overall picture of school performance -- and yields new insights about New Orleans' schools.
What's the Measure of a Good School?
When we work with families at EdNavigator, they are more interested in how much a school helps students <em>grow</em> than how many students demonstrate proficiency overall. What if we gave greater consideration to a school’s success in growing its students? We did just that.
Where's the War on Summer Learning Loss?
There aren’t enough good programs. The good programs aren’t always affordable. Or they’re already full. Or they only run for three hours a day, and how is a single parent going to pick up her children at camp, get them to another affordable child care option, and get back to work?
Let Parents Opt Out (Even If It's a Bad Idea)
If parents feel strongly that the tests aren’t educationally valuable for their kids, no one should force them to participate or punish them for opting out. But that doesn't mean they <em>should</em> opt out.
Excessive Force Is a Problem in Schools, Too
What happens when students aren’t safe in school? And when the harm comes not from other students but from adults who are specifically charged with keeping children safe?
School Cheating is Fraud Against Families
Students are the real victims in these incidents. They’re the ones who are misled about what they have learned and can do. They’re the ones who unwillingly carry away tarnished academic records. They’re the ones who are forced to re-take exams and try to learn in schools distracted by audits and investigations. They’re the ones who were lied to.
School Choice Isn't Real if Parents Don't Get Help
Even in New Orleans, which is ten years into its all-choice era, this is still hard work for families, schools, and administrators. There’s a real difference between “increasing school choice” as an abstract policy position and making school choice work in practice.
Real Engagement Means Telling Parents the Truth
Teachers and parents often “engage” about student progress, yet part ways without getting on the same page. In many cases, that’s easier than dealing with the hard truth. Learning problems linger and worsen before they are addressed. Years later, someone looks at a thick file and says, “How is it possible that nobody intervened to help this child?”