The State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement initiative was launched in 2014 to provide a uniform standard for the regulation of distance education across states in the United States. The system established by the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (NC-SARA) allows willing post-secondary institutions to participate…

The U.S. Department of Education (ED) provided feedback to several states recently regarding the states' ESSA plan. Among other issues, ED raised questions regarding the use of indices for the achievement indicator. ED expressed concerns that some of the states' index systems allowed the performance of high achieving students to "mask"…

The purpose of this qualitative case study from archival material was to evaluate the degree of public transparency in the evaluation methodology and procedures of school superintendents of districts with student populations between 700 and 900 students in the State of New York. This study examined the language of the 71 superintendent employment…

Online education has become a central feature of American higher education, with three in 10 students enrolled partially or exclusively in distance education. Some policymakers hope that online education can help many more students earn college degrees through its geographic reach, flexible scheduling, and potential to scale. Yet while online…

In 2013, the Texas Legislature gave the state commissioner of education the broad statutory authority necessary to close poor performing public charter schools. Since then, the commissioner has vigorously exercised this new authority, preparing the way for the state to shift its resources away from enforcement and toward creation and support of…

The Common Core State Standards (CCSS 2014a, b) are here to stay. State and local education agencies are responsible for ensuring that schools teach all students the core standards that they will need in college and the work force. However, the ever-growing population of students on the autism spectrum has unique learning needs which may make it…

A companion piece to "High Stakes for High Achievers: State Accountability in the Age of ESSA," this report appraises states' current (or planned) accountability systems as they affect high-achieving students in high school. They were examined and rated based on whether they incorporate under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) the…

This resource was prepared in response to a request for examples of developmental screening activities in Early Learning Challenge (ELC) States. This information will be helpful to States as they consider how to identify and address health, behavioral, and developmental needs of children with high needs. To address this request, ELC TA reviewed…

In most states, educator evaluation systems are moving toward more frequent and focused evaluations that include educators' contributions to student outcomes such as learning growth. Many states include "Specialized Instructional Support Personnel" (SISP) in their educator evaluation systems, but the measures and methods used to evaluate…

In our 2019 annual report, we provide insight into our sponsorship work during the year and the performance of our sponsored schools. We are also pleased to highlight the good work of our colleagues on Fordham's policy and research teams. Our schools' academic performance shows several schools doing very well on Ohio's value added (growth) measure…

Across the country, states and districts are designing principal evaluation systems as a means of improving leadership, learning, and school performance. Principal evaluation systems hold potential for supporting leaders' learning and sense of accountability for instructional excellence and student performance. Principal evaluation also is an…

The 2017-18 school year saw our sponsorship portfolio grow from 4,100 students in 2016-17 to 4,800 students across five Ohio cities: Dayton, Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Portsmouth. We're also honored to have been recognized by the National Association for Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) as part of NACSA's Quality Practice Project.…

States and their colleges and universities face competing pressures when it comes to meeting the economy's demand for a more educated workforce. As providers and regulators of online education, states have a unique and challenging opportunity. They must promote access and quality assurance while working in coordination with the federal government…

This report identifies the states with current or pending state-level end-of-course assessment (EOC) programs, the subjects in which EOCs are administered in the states, and the EOCs (if any) students must pass to graduate from high school. Twenty-two states currently administer one or more EOCs to all students in an EOC course. This number will…

The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation's sponsorship annual report highlights our work with eleven schools that served 4,150 students in five Ohio cities during the 2016-17 school year. We value this opportunity to keep stakeholders and the public informed about our efforts, and provide information on each of the schools that we sponsor. Additionally,…