Nate Silver has already changed the way people evaluate baseball players. During this election cycle, he also changed the conventional wisdom about whether that the outcome would be “too close to call.”

So I’m thinking it may be time for him to turn his talents to education.

Silver first came to national prominence with his statistical modeling in baseball. At a time wContinue Reading »

The party conventions are over; President Obama and Governor Romney are neck and neck in the polls. As we head toward November 6th it’s a good time to ask what each candidate is likely to do in the next four years to address the complex, multilayered, and politically fraught crisis in American education. The stakes are high because as the 21st century unfolds our clunky and often rusty K20 educContinue Reading »

In recent posts on The Quick and The Ed, Education Sector staff members have discussed the downsides of Romney’s recently announced school choice plan.  Policy Analyst Anne Hyslop argued that with school choice, a student’s educational opportunities will depend on the engagement and capabilities of the parent, as well as the luck of the lottery.  Under Romney’s plan, students with unengaged or Continue Reading »

Dear Kevin, Mike, Checker, and all you other edu-writers:

Voucherize is not a word.

A voucher, at least when one is referring to the use of public money to subsidize parental school choice, is a noun. While it may be popular with McKinsey, et al. to transform everyday, snooze-inducing nouns (like incentive) into a slick, shiny action verb… I expect more from you.

InsContinue Reading »

Unveiling his education plan for the nation, presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, today spoke first for the principle of school choice. He promised, if elected, to use federal dollars to encourage states to offer more choices to students from low income families, including traditional public schools, charter schools, digital schools—and private schools, if states allow it. Continue Reading »