The Report Card with Nat Malkus

As college students around the country wrap up a tumultuous semester, debates about whether colleges should be in-person or remote rage on. About a month ago, Nat Malkus hosted an AEI web event centered on this issue. Panelists included Christopher Marsicano , assistant professor at Davidson College; Bridget Burns of the University Innovation Alliance; Robert Kelchen of Seton Hall University; and...

Now that the 2020 elections have (mostly) wrapped up, what’s the education policy forecast for next year and beyond? Will education be a top priority for the Biden administration? Have voters changed the outlook for expanded private school choice? What should accountability look like in 2021? Tony Bennett, who served as Florida and Indiana’s education chief, and Joanne Weiss, who served as Chief o...

Despite pollsters’ predictions, this election has turned out to be a nail biter. Amid this uncertainty, what’s the post-election outlook for education? On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus moderates a discussion with Third Way’s Lanae Erickson, Donna Harris-Aikens of the NEA, Roberto Rodriguez of TeachPlus, and AEI’s own Rick Hess and Jason […] The post What will the 2020 elections mean...

As most schools pass the halfway point of this tumultuous semester, one question continues to loom large: Should schools be reopening for in-person learning? That contentious question was the topic of a recent AEI web event featuring Report Card host Nat Malkus; Emily Oster of Brown University; Sarah Cohodes of Columbia University; Susan Enfield of Highline Public Schools; and Marla Ucelli-Kashyap...

As schools confront massive budget shortfalls in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, it is critical that they examine how they might use existing funding more efficiently. On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus talks with Byran Hassel about how districts might rethink their staffing models in a way that will increase students’ access to excellent teachers […] The post Rethinking School S...

Now, more than ever, it’s critical that school districts examine how to make the most of each and every dollar they receive. On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus talks with Chad Aldeman about ways states and districts might rethink two of their most significant costs—pensions and healthcare. Chad is a senior associate […] The post Rethinking Teacher Benefits appeared first on American En...

As K-12 classrooms remained shuttered in many parts of the country, childcare and early learning centers are reopening—or, in some cases, never closed in the first place. What lessons might they offer to school administrators and policymakers working to bring kids back to school? On this episode of The Report Card, Nat Malkus talks COVID […] The post Reopening K-12 Schools: Lessons from Childcare...

Nat Malkus talks with three superintendents about the planning that went into students’ return to learning and the challenges that lie ahead The post Inside School Reopening Plans: Superintendent Perspectives appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI .

The Supreme Court released two decisions this year that could have a significant impact on the nation’s education landscape: Espinoza v. Montana—a case about a small Montana school choice program—and Our Lady of Guadalupe v. Morrissey-Bureau, which considered religious schools’ “ministerial exception” protections. On this episode, Nat Malkus discusses the potential implications of these two […] Th...

Only six weeks away from the start of the school year, many questions still remain as to what schooling will actually look like come fall. Is it really feasible for schools to reopen for in-person classes as President Trump and others are pushing for? On this episode, Nat Malkus poses that question to John Bailey, […] The post How can schools possibly reopen this fall? A conversation with John Bai...

When remote learning started up this spring, a number of school districts initially forbade teachers from introducing new content in an effort to prevent achievement gaps from widening. Instead of teaching new knowledge, teachers were told to focus on maintaining previously learned skills. In subjects like reading, this focus on skills over content has long been the […] The post The Knowledge Gap...

Over the past few months, nearly every student in America has gotten a taste of what home-based learning has to offer. As many families have discovered, homeschooling has its ups and downs. On the plus-side, it can allow parents to spend more time with their children, more deeply engage in their children’s schooling, and craft […] The post Hybrid homeschooling (with Mike McShane) appeared first on...

In the world of higher education research, “success” is usually defined as a function of two statistics: enrollment and completion. Going by those two checkpoints, students experience very different chances of success based on their backgrounds and family characteristics. Consider, for example, that students who come from families in the top 20 percent of earners […] The post Degrees of freedom (w...

For years, the charter school sector enjoyed bipartisan support, counting among its advocates Presidents Clinton and Obama, as well as Presidents Bush and Trump. Yet, in 2020, nearly all democratic presidential candidates advertised their opposition to charters and many called for a moratorium on their expansion. Republicans, by some folks’ estimations, also appear to be less enthusiastic […] The...

To say that the coronavirus pandemic is one of the most significant disruptions our education system has ever faced is hardly an understatement. Back in March, without a warning, 50 million students were shut out of school buildings and asked to engage in new modes of learning. Now, with less than a month left of […] The post What will it take to get back to school? (with Rick Hess and Candice McQ...

Gov. Jeb Bush joins to discuss the immense leadership challenges COVID-19 has brought to bear against all leaders, from the White House to the schoolhouse. The post Leadership in the coronavirus pandemic, with Governor Jeb Bush appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI .

In mere weeks, coronavirus toppled a long-standing pillar of our education system: students receiving in-person instruction from teachers. In the face of this turbulent change, teachers around the country have stepped up to help their students — and their colleagues — adapt to these constraints.  Today, Nat talks with three teacher-leaders who are forging a […] The post Teacher leadership amid cor...

Among those whose work has been most impacted by the coronavirus pandemic are teachers. In the course of just a few weeks, nearly all of the nation’s 3.6 million elementary and secondary school teachers have had to reorient their carefully crafted lesson plans for distance learning. What’s more, many of them have had mere days […] The post Teaching amid the coronavirus pandemic appeared first on A...

With America's education system upended, school districts are faced with complex concerns. Nat talks with two superintendents about how to confront them. The post Superintendents and coronavirus (with Josh Starr and Duncan Klussmann) appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI .

COVID-19 has upended America's school system in unprecedented ways. AEI Fellow John Bailey joins to provide insight from his 2005 work combatting influenza The post Coronavirus and school closures (with John Bailey) appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI .

The world of higher education has increasingly come under fire in the past few years. As concerns about rising tuition costs, workplace readiness of graduates, and inequitable admissions practices have become widespread, criticisms of colleges have become more vehement. Minerva is taking these challenges head-on. Founded by former Snapfish CEO Ben Nelson in 2011, the […] The post Minerva and the f...

Liberian Education Minister George Werner and Bridge Int'l VP Steve Cantrell talk about how their partnership has helped transform Liberia's school system. The post Liberian education and Bridge International Academies with George Werner and Steve Cantrell appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI .

The 2018 Stoneman Douglas shooting was the deadliest school shooting in US history. Author Max Frost offers his take on how to prevent similar tragedies. The post Why Meadow Died: with Max Eden appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI .

Dr. Morgan Polikoff of USC joins Nat to discuss the materials teachers use to create engaging lesson plans, much of which is made without oversight The post Evaluating supplemental curricula with Morgan Polikoff appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI .

Nat and guest Robert Pondiscio discuss NYC's successful - yet contentious - Sucess Academy Charter Schools, what sets them apart, and the lessons from them The post Success Academy Charter Schools with Robert Pondiscio appeared first on American Enterprise Institute - AEI .