This is a favorite of mine. Roland Fryer is an economist at Harvard whose work has been heavily subsidized by Eli Broad and Bill Gates. He is a great believer in incentives and choice.
Thus, it was quite surprising to read this study (which I wrote about here).
This is the key finding.
We estimate the impact of charter schools on early-life labor market outcomes using administrative data from Texas. We find that, at the mean, charter schools have no impact on test scores and a negative impact on earnings. No Excuses charter schools increase test scores and four-year college enrollment, but have a small and statistically insignificant impact on earnings, while other types of charter schools decrease test scores, four-year college enrollment, and earn- ings. Moving to school-level estimates, we find that charter schools that decrease test scores also tend to decrease earnings, while charter schools that increase test scores have no discernible impact on earnings
Diane Ravitch's blog 
I always find it shocking when these Reform-backed research groups give out honest reports of their results (assuming these results are honest and weren’t actually worse than reported).
LikeLike
This is one of my favorites
“Roland ‘Nobel-less Ed lab’ Fryer” (apologies to the late great Warren Zevon, RIP)
Roland was a warrior from the land of the Crimson sun
An econ man for hire, fighting to be done
The deal was made at Harvard on a dark and stormy day
So he set out for the White House to join the Edu-fray
Through merit pay and testing he fought the Edu-wars
With his finger on the figure, knee-deep in the scores
For days and nights he battled, the unions and their ties
He tried to earn his living, with some help from Condi Rice
Roland the Ed Lab Fryer
Roland the Ed Lab Fryer
His comrades fought beside him, Raj Chetty and the rest
But of all the Ed Lab hires, Roland was the best
But his merit-pay experiment went belly-up to hell
That son-of-a-gun experiment, blew up his Nobel
Roland “Nobel-less Ed Lab” Fryer, Harvard’s bravest hire
They can still see his Nobel-less body stalking through the night
In the brilliant flash of Roland’s Ed Lab fryer
In the brilliant flash of Roland’s Ed Lab fryer
Roland “Nobel-less Ed Lab” Fryer
Roland “Nobel-less Ed Lab” Fryer
Roland “Nobel-less Ed Lab” Fryer
Talkin’ about the man, Roland “Nobel-less Ed Lab” Fryer
If you never heard the original, it’s a classic
Here it is
LikeLike
Nothing like the truth based on facts … but wait, in Trumplandia, the truth is false thanks to the liar-in-chief.
LikeLike
This article reaffirms that “reform” is more about politics than any real need. Privatization has failed to deliver on its claims of improved academics. Privatization harms public schools since money is diverted to pay for parallel charter schools and is subtracted from public school budgets. As a result, public schools that most children attend must cut programs and course offering for the 90% that attend them. This makes no sense at all; yet we continue to privatize because it will the will of the wealthy to do so. The goal is to move public money into private investors’ pockets.
In Houston Kipp is king. This no excuses chain often gets decent results by cherry picking the “strivers” and discarding the problematic or expensive students. This model allows a few to benefit at the expense of many and is no real solution on a large scale. There is no way to prove that these same strivers could have accomplished the same thing at a comprehensive public school. Libertarian, Rand Paul, who espouses choice, is a graduate of the Brazosport Public Schools, a diverse school district in Texas. He managed to become an opthamologist and a senator, even though he overtly opposes “government schools.”
LikeLike
Happily, Fryer has stepped down form his position on the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. Unhappily, here’s the bio of one of the two new members to MA BESE, Amanda Fernandez, who also is a member of Governor Baker’s Latino Advisory Commission:
http://www.mass.gov/governor/press-office/press-releases/fy2017/administration-establishes-latino-advisory-commission.html
“Amanda Fernandez
Amanda is the Founder and CEO of Latinos for Education. Most recently Amanda was with Teach For America as Vice President of Latino external engagement and was also at the Bridgespan Group supporting clients on organization and talent development. Amanda has over 25 years of experience in the areas of recruiting, diversity, organization development, change management, strategic planning, and Latino community relations. She has been a blogger on Huffington Post Latino Voices, has been featured in Poder Magazine’s list of movers and shakers, and is the recipient of the Ricardo Salinas Scholarship. She currently serves on the KIPP Massachusetts and Roxbury Community College Boards of Trustees, and the RISE Colorado and CSC Consulting advisory boards. She is a Fall 2015 Aspen Pahara Fellow out of the prestigious Aspen Institute and recently delivered the convocation speech at Boston University School of Education graduation. El Planeta also named her one of the 100 most influential Hispanics in Massachusetts. Amanda holds a Master’s degree in Education and a Bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University.”
So, a TFA, KIPP and Aspen Pahara Fellow (which I always think of as Pariah Fellow, hat tip to Laura Chapman!) is one of the few persons charged with making decisions for the public schools of Massachusetts. Wonder whether Two-Tier Fryer was less dangerous.
LikeLike
French-fry fryer would be less dangerous than any of these people, that’s for sure.
LikeLike
Oh to “measure” all the wrong things
Insane correlations of future being
With those we falsely judge
the irreality that poses
as reality.
LikeLike
Wish I had the energy to read the full study. That’s quite an excerpt.
LikeLike