The Thomas B. Fordham Institute

The predictive power of third-grade test scores points to troubling outcomes for boys

Tue, 07/14/2026 - 08:03

A plethora of research findings indicate that the gender gap in college performance today—favoring females in terms of enrollment in a four-year college and completion of a bachelor’s degree—appears as early as elementary school, with some variation in timing based on race/ethnicity and family income. A new report pins the timing down to no later than third grade and shows that the race and income introduce less variation than previously thought. Researchers Dan Goldhaber and Stephanie Liddle… Read More

Ohio lawmakers aim to bring evidence-based innovation to higher education

Mon, 07/13/2026 - 10:08

In Ohio, the summer months are quiet on the legislative front. This fall is shaping up to be quiet, as well, with lawmakers focusing most of their attention on the November election and its potential impacts. But there is some low-hanging, bipartisan fruit that policymakers can and should pluck before the end of the year. House Bill 644, which was passed out of the House in May, aims to boost postsecondary student outcomes by establishing the Higher Education Evidence-Based Innovation Fund.[1… Read More

Gadfly Bites 7/13/26—“So many wonderful opportunities”

Mon, 07/13/2026 - 10:02

News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. You have been warned. Are there too many non-teaching staff members in Ohio’s public schools, especially in light of student enrollment declines? That’s the question up for debate in this Toledo Blade article. Our own Aaron Churchill says—very simply—yes: “If you do have an enrollment decline, it does mean you should reduce your budget.” And administrative staffing is a huge budget item today, still… Read More

Ohio’s collective bargaining laws are a drag on its schools

Fri, 07/10/2026 - 09:46

The Fordham Institute recently published a comprehensive study comparing the power of teacher unions across all 50 states. The report’s authors—Melissa Arnold Lyon, Sandy Frost Waldron, and Rebecca Jacobsen—compiled data on 59 indicators that capture unions’ resources, political involvement, policy wins and losses, and perceived influence, as well as the extent to which state labor and bargaining laws empower them. One can quibble with some of the methodology, of course. The indicators… Read More

Washington‘s Teacher Union Strength Profile

Fri, 07/10/2026 - 09:36

This profile is one of 51 state profiles accompanying Fordham’s report, A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026, which updates Fordham’s 2012 rankings of state teacher union strength.Drawing on the latest publicly available data and a new survey of K–12 stakeholders in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, researchers Melissa Arnold Lyon, Sandy Frost Waldron, and Rebecca Jacobsen find that the education policy landscape has become increasingly crowded and contested over the… Read More

Rhode Island‘s Teacher Union Strength Profile

Fri, 07/10/2026 - 09:27

This profile is one of 51 state profiles accompanying Fordham’s report, A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026, which updates Fordham’s 2012 rankings of state teacher union strength. Drawing on the latest publicly available data and a new survey of K–12 stakeholders in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, researchers Melissa Arnold Lyon, Sandy Frost Waldron, and Rebecca Jacobsen find that the education policy landscape has become increasingly crowded and contested over the… Read More

Idaho‘s Teacher Union Strength Profile

Fri, 07/10/2026 - 09:21

This profile is one of 51 state profiles accompanying Fordham’s report, A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026, which updates Fordham’s 2012 rankings of state teacher union strength. Drawing on the latest publicly available data and a new survey of K–12 stakeholders in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, researchers Melissa Arnold Lyon, Sandy Frost Waldron, and Rebecca Jacobsen find that the education policy landscape has become increasingly crowded and contested over the… Read More

Oregon‘s Teacher Union Strength Profile

Fri, 07/10/2026 - 09:17

Ohio Charter News Weekly – 7.10.26

Fri, 07/10/2026 - 09:16

Stories featured in Ohio Charter News Weekly may require a paid subscription to read in full. WE’RE BACK AFTER A TWO-WEEK BREAK, WITH NEWS ITEMS FROM 6/26 – 7/10/26. Community We start with some great news from Ravenna, Ohio, where Portage Leadership Academy recently celebrated a community open house. PLA is housed in a closed district elementary school which will continue serving local students when it begins its first school year this fall. Superintendent Darryl Lindsay, who also serves as… Read More

Delaware‘s Teacher Union Strength Profile

Fri, 07/10/2026 - 09:13

Gadfly Bites 7/10/26—Slow the presses a tiny bit

Fri, 07/10/2026 - 09:09

News stories featured in Gadfly Bites may require a paid subscription to read in full. You have been warned. Far less to cover today after Wednesday’s gargantuan catch-up post, and all three of these are follow-ups from previous stories. First is our own Chad Aldis with his sassy take on that Network for Public Education report that gave Ohio an F grade for the mere existence of laws supportive of charter and private schools. “It’s not a paper with strong analytics,” he tells State Affairs… Read More

Texas‘s Teacher Union Strength Profile

Fri, 07/10/2026 - 09:06

This profile is one of 51 state profiles accompanying Fordham’s report, A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026, which updates Fordham’s 2012 rankings of state teacher union strength. Drawing on the latest publicly available data and a new survey of K–12 stakeholders in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, researchers Melissa Arnold Lyon, Sandy Frost Waldron, and Rebecca Jacobsen find that the education policy landscape has become increasingly crowded and contested over the… Read More

There’s actually more to the i-Ready story: A rebuttal

Fri, 07/10/2026 - 00:01

Curriculum Associates CEO Kelly Sia recently defended her company’s flagship i-Ready platform to Fordham readers. The program, used by millions of students, has come under fire from teachers, parents, and students as part of an ed-tech backlash sweeping the nation. To set the record straight, Sia stated that Curriculum Associates “welcome[s] honest scrutiny of our research.” She then pointed to a large correlational study out of Georgia State University that evaluated i-Ready use in one large… Read More

Illinois’s Teacher Union Strength Profile

Thu, 07/09/2026 - 15:42

This profile is one of 51 state profiles accompanying Fordham’s report, A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026, which updates Fordham’s 2012 rankings of state teacher union strength. Drawing on the latest publicly available data and a new survey of K–12 stakeholders in all fifty states and the Illinois, researchers Melissa Arnold Lyon, Sandy Frost Waldron, and Rebecca Jacobsen find that the education policy landscape has become increasingly crowded and contested over the past fifteen… Read More

Georgia’s Teacher Union Strength Profile

Thu, 07/09/2026 - 15:26

This profile is one of 51 state profiles accompanying Fordham’s report, A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026, which updates Fordham’s 2012 rankings of state teacher union strength. Drawing on the latest publicly available data and a new survey of K–12 stakeholders in all fifty states and the Georgia, researchers Melissa Arnold Lyon, Sandy Frost Waldron, and Rebecca Jacobsen find that the education policy landscape has become increasingly crowded and contested over the past fifteen… Read More

Michigan‘s Teacher Union Strength Profile

Thu, 07/09/2026 - 15:20

This profile is one of 51 state profiles accompanying Fordham’s report, A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026, which updates Fordham’s 2012 rankings of state teacher union strength. Drawing on the latest publicly available data and a new survey of K–12 stakeholders in all fifty states and the Michigan, researchers Melissa Arnold Lyon, Sandy Frost Waldron, and Rebecca Jacobsen find that the education policy landscape has become increasingly crowded and contested over the past fifteen… Read More

District of Columbia‘s Teacher Union Strength Profile

Thu, 07/09/2026 - 15:11

This profile is one of 51 state profiles accompanying Fordham’s report, A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026, which updates Fordham’s 2012 rankings of state teacher union strength. Drawing on the latest publicly available data and a new survey of K–12 stakeholders in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, researchers Melissa Arnold Lyon, Sandy Frost Waldron, and Rebecca Jacobsen find that the education policy landscape has become increasingly crowded and contested over the… Read More

Nebraska’s Teacher Union Strength Profile

Thu, 07/09/2026 - 14:52

This profile is one of 51 state profiles accompanying Fordham’s report, A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026, which updates Fordham’s 2012 rankings of state teacher union strength. Drawing on the latest publicly available data and a new survey of K–12 stakeholders in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, researchers Melissa Arnold Lyon, Sandy Frost Waldron, and Rebecca Jacobsen find that the education policy landscape has become increasingly crowded and contested over the… Read More

Missouri’s Teacher Union Strength Profile

Thu, 07/09/2026 - 14:47

This profile is one of 51 state profiles accompanying Fordham’s report, A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026, which updates Fordham’s 2012 rankings of state teacher union strength. Drawing on the latest publicly available data and a new survey of K–12 stakeholders in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, researchers Melissa Arnold Lyon, Sandy Frost Waldron, and Rebecca Jacobsen find that the education policy landscape has become increasingly crowded and contested over the… Read More

Minnesota’s Teacher Union Strength Profile

Thu, 07/09/2026 - 14:41

This profile is one of 51 state profiles accompanying Fordham’s report, A Crowded Table: Teacher Union Strength in 2026, which updates Fordham’s 2012 rankings of state teacher union strength. Drawing on the latest publicly available data and a new survey of K–12 stakeholders in all fifty states and the District of Columbia, researchers Melissa Arnold Lyon, Sandy Frost Waldron, and Rebecca Jacobsen find that the education policy landscape has become increasingly crowded and contested over the… Read More