More D.C. Schoolchildren Can Read
A federal study of trends in 11 urban school systems shows that only one has made significant gains in reading achievement since 2007 in fourth and eighth grades: D.C. public schools.On the other hand, Michelle Rhee once posed for the cover of Time holding a broom.
Governance Matters
Nevada has recently been considering whether to change the way its state education agency is run. The governor has asked for the state superintendent to be part of the cabinet and for the power to name the state school chief. The legislature has turned down this request with a political argument, arguing the governor would have too much power under such an arrangement.
This might appear be a boring political question, but it’s an example where research could have helped to guide education policy. Professor Paul Manna* at the College of William and Mary has found that questions about basic governance structures matter. After controlling for race and income, states where the governor appoints the schools chief perform better on the National Assessment of Educational Progress than states where the school board selects the chief. Ideally, the governor appoints the chief and the board is selected by voters or the
