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"In this research note, we estimate a series of models using publicly available school level data to address the following question: Q: Did students in Newark (combined district and charter) make gains on statewide averages (non-Newark) on state assessments, controlling for demographics? Specifically, we evaluate changes in mean scale scores on state assessments (NJASK) for language arts and math grades 6 to 8."

The public debate about the success and expansion of charter schools often seems to gravitate toward a tiny handful of empirical studies, when there is, in fact, a relatively well-developed literature focused on whether these schools generate larger testing gains among their students relative to their counterparts in comparable regular public schools. This brief reviews this body of evidence, with a focus on high-quality state- and district-level analyses that address, directly or indirectly, three questions: Do charter schools produce larger testing gains overall? What policies and practices seem to be associated with better performance? Can charter schools expand successfully within the same location?

The No Child Left Behind Act is taking quite a public beating from critics on all sides these days, but a new paper argues that the law contributed to a substantial increase in students' math skills in the years after it took hold. The problem: After the initial shock of the law's "accountability" mechanisms wore off, there was a leveling-off of student gains-which suggests that bold new education policies are needed to unleash a fresh wave of academic progress, author Mark Schneider contends.

A few months back I got into an interesting discussion with my high school friends on Facebook about the books we read in our tenth grade advanced English class at Westhill High School in Stamford. My friend Debbie, who's clearly even more of a pack rat than my mother, still had the syllabus, and was able to rattle off impressively long list of books that we'd read and analyzed. When I compared it to the number of books my daughter, a high school sophomore, will get through this year in her advanced English class, it's really quite astounding. But actually, it's not. When I look at the school calendar, the entire month of March is lost to CMT/CAPT testing.  And that's just the actual testing. Much of the month before will be devoted to exercises that prepare students for the tests. Not for reading great works of literature and learning to use critical thinking skills, but rather for learning test taking skills.

"When looking at changes in testing results between years, many people are (justifiably) interested in comparing those changes for different student subgroups, such as those defined by race/ethnicity or income (subsidized lunch eligibility). The basic idea is to see whether increases are shared between traditionally advantaged and disadvantaged groups (and, often, to monitor achievement gaps)."

"Publicly funded, privately run charter schools enroll less than half as many English-language learners and fewer kids with disabilities than district-run schools do. "

"The nation's largest charter management organization is the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP). KIPP schools are emblematic of the No Excuses approach to public education, a highly standardized and widely replicated charter model that features a long school day, an extended school year, selective teacher hiring, strict behavior norms, and a focus on traditional reading and math skills. No Excuses charter schools are sometimes said to focus on relatively motivated high achievers at the expense of students who are most diffiult to teach, including limited English proficiency (LEP) and special education (SPED) students, as well as students with low baseline achievement levels. We use applicant lotteries to evaluate the impact of KIPP Academy Lynn, a KIPP school in Lynn, Massachusetts that typifies the KIPP approach. Our analysis focuses on special needs students that may be underserved. The results show average achievement gains of 0.36 standard deviations in math and 0.12 standard deviations in reading for each year spent at KIPP Lynn, with the largest gains coming from the LEP, SPED, and low-achievement groups. The average reading gains are driven almost completely by SPED and LEP students, whose reading scores rise by roughly 0.35 standard deviations for each year spent at KIPP Lynn."

Barely one in three city eighth-graders met the bar for reading standards on state tests this year -- the lowest mark for that group since tests were changed in 2006, new data show.

Gov. Rick Scott and the state Legislature do an outstanding job of talking a good game about improving education in Florida. Too bad the lofty talk isn't backed up by action. The latest slap toward Florida's traditional public schools, following drastic budget cuts earlier this year, is the report that charter schools will receive all of the state cash - $55 million - budgeted this year for school construction and maintenance. None of that money - not a nickel - will go to traditional public schools for additions, or needed repair to aging buildings.

Letter from child to Mom & Dad about the kind of educational environment they want.

Rocketship schools have made it their mission to close the achievement gap that holds back students in under-served communities. They practice what they call the "Rocketship Hybrid School Model," which combines traditional classroom instruction with individualized instruction through online technology and tutors in a "Learning Lab."

"Our study suggests that a bullying climate may play an important role in student test performance," said Dewey Cornell, PhD, a clinical psychologist and professor of education at the University of Virginia. "This research underscores the importance of treating bullying as a schoolwide problem rather than just an individual problem."

Graphical displays of disaggregated data

Teachers can't be rated "ineffective" under a new state evaluation system solely because their students perform badly on state tests, an Albany court ruled today.

An umbrella group for the city's charter schools says its members outperformed district schools on state exams this year - but admits they serve fewer special-needs kids. A study by the New York City Charter School Center says charters "have lower enrollment rates for students with disabilities [and] much lower rates for English language learners."

The book by Brill, who is best known in education circles for exposing New York City's "rubber rooms," is not a Race to the Top exposé, but is part history lesson, part character study, part political gossip column, and part policy analysis.

A judge ruled Wednesday that the New York State Board of Regents overreached in its interpretation of a new law on teacher evaluations, offering a victory to the state teachers' union.

Misleading rhetoric overlooks poverty's impact