Month: January 2021

Building Knowledge to Improve Degree Completion in Community Colleges – by Brian A. Jacob

Social policy research is littered with examples of small programs that show tremendous success when initially implemented, but cannot be replicated. The story of the City University of New York’s (CUNY’s) Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) – and the work that MDRC has done with CUNY to adapt, replicate and evaluate this program – is an excellent counterexample. On...

Straight Up Conversation: EMERGE Founder Rick Cruz – by Frederick Hess

Rick Cruz is the founder of EMERGE and the Houston Independent School District (HISD) College and Career Readiness Officer. EMERGE works with high-performing students from underserved backgrounds to prepare them to attend and graduate from selective colleges and universities. Rick began his career in education in 2008 as a fifth-grade teacher in HISD with Teach for America. Two...

In the News: Massachusetts Votes Against Expanding Charter Schools, Saying No to Question 2 – by Education Next

In Massachusetts voters rejected a ballot question that would have allowed the state to approve additional charter schools. Jay Greene explained “Why Charters Will Lose in Massachusetts” in a blog entry posted earlier this fall. Earlier this week, Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Brandon Wright explained “How the Massachusetts Charter School Cap Harms Disadvantaged St...

In the News: GOP Lawmakers to John King: Take Back Your Draft ESSA Spending Rules – by Education Next

What is the fate of the draft ESSA regulations? The public comment period closed on November 7. On November 4, 25 Republican members of Congress sent a letter to Secretary of Education John B. King Jr. asking the Department of Education to rescind its proposed spending rules, saying that the Department’s proposed rules contradict and violate the spirit of the law. As Andr...