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One of the often over-looked factors that influence achievement are peer effects. There is a growing body of literature that concludes peer effects have fairly substantial effects on individual achievement. However, it is incredibly difficult to disentangle peer effects from all the other factors influencing student achievement. (1) The preponderance of the research is pretty […]
December 16, 2012
IDEA Charter School markets itself as a college preparatory education organization with goals of enrolling 100% of graduates in four-year universities and have 100% persistence and graduation rates in college.[1] Indeed, in the introduction of the most recent annual report, Dr. Tom Torkelson, CEO of IDEA Public Schools, makes the following statement: IDEA puts students […]
October 15, 2012
As Austin-area readers know, the Austin school board decided to hand over Allan elementary school to IDEA Charter Schools based in the Rio Grande Valley. This decision was based partially on the relatively poor performance on the state mandated Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills at Allan (although other East Side elementary schools had worse […]
August 23, 2012
Introduction Charter schools have proliferated in Texas and across the nation. The expansion of charter schools is now a popular reform effort for many policymakers on both the right and left of the political spectrum. To examine the efficacy of such policies, a number of researchers have focused on the effects charter schools have had […]
May 13, 2012
Fiscal Accountability System for Texas Legislation in Education (FASTLE) I wrote this in response to Representative Aycock’s request for ideas on improving the accountability system. Unfortunately, he chose not to publish this suggestion. Perhaps he thought I was not serious (I am) or that it would never pass the Legislature (he is correct). I think […]
February 16, 2012
Much has been written about the investigations into cheating in DC public schools. While the investigations are ongoing, the evidence suggests either cheating or some massive teaching to the test efforts. Neither cheating nor teaching to the test benefits children in any way. In his 2008 book entitled “Measuring Up: What Do Test Scores Really […]
January 22, 2012
Below are two e-mails I received from a mother whose child attends an IDEA elementary school. I am using her letter with permission. I have changed the gender of the child to neutral language and redacted certain information to protect her identity. Also, I typically do not use unsolicited, unverifiable emails. However, this person provided […]
January 7, 2012
This post includes the information in my rebuttal to the Austin ISD critique of my study of the IDEA charter school system. The Statesman story can be found here: http://www.statesman.com/news/local/austin-school-district-says-critical-idea-study-doesnt-2085799.html Note that Dr. Julian Vasquez-Heilig, a researcher at UT Austin and recent recipient of a University Council for Educational Administration award for research by junior […]
December 18, 2011
This posts looks at the most recent cohort of 6th graders enrolling in IDEA Charter Schools and Martin MS in Austin ISD. Why start with 6th graders? Because IDEA Charter Schools are separated into elementary schools (K-5) and secondary schools (6-12). So, theoretically, students enter 6th grade and remain in IDEA Charter Schools until graduation […]
December 17, 2011
The achievement gap is generally considered to refer to the gap in achievement between two groups of students as measured by test scores. Other measures of the achievement gap include dropout rates, high school completion rates, and college-going rates. Generally, however, the phrase refers to test scores. One rationale for expanding charter schools is that […]
December 18, 2012
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