Fortune Favors the Bold: Reforms for Results in K-12 Education

by Matthew Ladner, Arwynn Mattix

Overview

Arizona trails far behind other states in terms of public school academic achievement. National comparative data often place Arizona near the bottom of state rankings. Aggregate fourth-grade reading scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress, also known as the Nations Report Card or NAEP, barely budged between 1992 and 2007. Other states, meanwhile, have made substantial progress.

But Arizona lawmakers and educators can turn this situation around. Previously enacted reforms, such as the charter school law, have shown a promising ability to produce exceptional outcomes in Arizona. Nine of the top 10 public high schools in the greater Phoenix area, ranked by reading scores, were charter schools in 2007. Arizona lawmakers can build on this success.

Furthermore, broad systemic reforms enacted in Florida have shown incredible results. The strategy of committing far more resources to private and public school choice and pursuing a more steadfast testing strategy has paid huge dividends in Florida. The average Florida Hispanic scores on fourth-grade reading are far above the average for all Arizona students. Floridas average score for African-Americans has improved to the point that it virtually ties the average score for all Arizona students.

This study lays out four broad education reforms:

First, parental choice in education should be significantly expanded.

Second, lawmakers should reform district school governance. The academic success of charter schools raises the question of whether school district bureaucracies are worth the resources diverted from classroom use. California has established a democratic process for district schools converting into charter schools. Other countries have abolished school districts completely.

Third, because of the dummying down of the AIMS (Arizonas Instrument to Measure Standards) test and the unreliability of the states version of TerraNova, Arizonas system of student assessment desperately requires an overhaul.

Finally, the state must measure teacher effectiveness in terms of how much students really learn over the course of a yearto improve the quality of instruction.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940013617957
Publisher:	Goldwater Institute
Publication date:	07/02/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	378 KB

About the Author

Dr. Matthew Ladner is a research scholar at the Foundation for Excellence in Education. He previously served as vice president of research and director of the Center for Economic Prosperity for the Goldwater Institute. Prior to joining Goldwater, Ladner was director of state projects at the Alliance for School Choice, where he provided support and resources for state-based school choice efforts. Ladner has written numerous studies on school choice, charter schools and special education reform. Ladner is a graduate of the University of Texas at Austin and received both a Masters and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Houston. Ladner previously served as vice president of policy and communications at Children First America.

As a policy analyst for the Goldwater Institute Center for Educational Opportunity, Arwynn Mattix works to advance policy solutions that establish educational freedom and promote a competitive education market in Arizona. Her research areas include testing and accountability, vouchers, tuition tax credits, school finance, charter schools, and higher education reform.

Prior to joining the Goldwater Institute full-time, she served as a Goldwater Institute Ronald Reagan fellow. Mattix graduated from Hillsdale College, receiving her bachelors degree in history with a minor in political science. She spent a semester abroad, studying in a tête-à-tête tutorial system at New College, Oxford University. Mattix also holds a masters degree in American Studies from the University of Dallas.