DRIVING SCHOOL REFORM HARVARD’S PROGRAM ON EDUCATION POLICY AND GOVERNANCE 2011 REPORT EN Program on Education Policy and Governance (PEPG) Director Faculty Affiliates Research Affiliates Paul E. Peterson Roland Fryer Christopher Berry Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Government Professor of Economics, Harvard University Assistant Professor, Harris School Harvard University Nathan Glazer University of Chicago Editor-in-Chief, Education Next Professor of Education, Emeritus, David Campbell Harvard University Associate Professor of Political Science Deputy Director Christopher Jencks University of Notre Dame Martin R. West Professor of Social Policy, Harvard University Rajashri Chakrabarti Assistant Professor of Education Richard Light Economist, Federal Reserve Bank of New York Harvard Graduate School of Education Professor of Education, Harvard University Jay Greene Endowed Chair and Head of the Department of Advisory Committee Education Next Education Reform, University of Arkansas Jeb Bush (Chair) Chester E. Finn Jr. Frederick Hess Foundation for Excellence in Education Senior Editor Resident Scholar and Director of Education Policy Cory Booker Marci Kanstoroom Studies, American Enterprise Institute Mayor, Newark, NJ Executive Editor Executive Editor, Education Next Bruce Douglas Michael J. Petrilli William G. Howell Harvard Development Company Executive Editor Professor of American Politics, Harris School University of Chicago Timothy Draper Carol Peterson Caroline M. Hoxby Draper Fisher Jurvetson Managing Editor Professor in Economics, Stanford University Peter Flanigan Kathryn Ciffolillo Brian Jacob UBS Securities LLC Manuscript Editor C. Boyden Gray Professor of Education Policy Gray & Schmitz LLP Staff Ford School, University of Michigan Ludger Woessmann Phil Handy Antonio M. Wendland Professor of Economics of Education Winter Park Capital Company Associate Director University of Munich Roger Hertog Ronald C. Berry Patrick J. Wolf Alliance Capital Management Research, Web & Data Manager Al Hubbard Professor and Endowed Chair in School Choice Ashley E. Inman Department of Education Reform E&A Industries Staff Assistant University of Arkansas Gisèle Huff Jaquelin Hume Foundation Postdoctoral Fellows Project Funders and Contributors John Kirtley Matthew M. Chingos Bodman Foundation KLH Capital, L.P. Ph.D., Harvard University Lynde & Harry Bradley Foundation Steven Klinsky Guido Schwerdt New Mountain Capital Ph.D., European University Institute Thomas B. Fordham Foundation Deborah McGriff Martina Viarengo The Kern Family Foundation NewSchoools Venture Fund Ph.D., London School of Economics The Kovner Foundation Terry M. Moe and Political Science Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Hoover Institution, Stanford University Jaquelin Hume Foundation James Piereson Harvard Research Fellows Searle Freedom Trust William E. Simon Foundation Michael Henderson William E. Simon Foundation Jerry Rappaport Department of Government and Inequality Program Phyllis & Jerome Lyle Rappaport Carlos Xabel Lastra-Anadón Taubman Center for State and Local Government Charitable Foundation Public Policy Program–HKS Thomas W. Smith Foundation Nina S. Rees Elena Llaudet Smith Richardson Foundation Knowledge Universe Education Department of Government The Walton Family Foundation, Inc. Gerard Robinson Daniel Nadler U.S. Department of Education Secretary of Education, Department of Government Commonwealth of Virginia Omar Wasow Department of Government and Department of African and African American Studies Program on Education Policy and Governance (PEPG) Harvard Kennedy School, Room T-304 79 John F. Kennedy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 Phone: (617) 495-7976, Fax: (617) 496-4428 E-mail: [email protected] Web: http://www.hks.harvard.edu/pepg/ http://www.educationnext.org From the Director Driving School Reform arvard’s Program on Education Policy and that may help focus HGovernance (PEPG) continues to have numerous public attention on the opportunities to shape the direction of school reform. Its educational needs of former research and postdoctoral fellows are staffing think our very best students tanks in Washington, D. C., and holding key positions as well as those have at universities across the country. Its studies have been been left behind. The PEPG’s distinctive role is quoted in the halls of Congress and state legislatures, cited PEPG poll of public to provide high-quality research by judges in significant court cases, and reported in major opinion revealed a slide on critical issues that deserve media outlets. Its journal, Education Next, is thriving on in public satisfaction national attention. its newly revamped website, reaching a dramatically larger with the nation’s schools audience than ever before. The number ofEducation to an all-time low. Surprisingly, it also found a high— Next Twitter followers grows steadily, and a new social and growing—level of support for online learning. networking website has been launched. Of all those Entering its 14th year, and celebrating the 10th engaged in school reform, Education Next was the first to anniversary of Education Next, Harvard’s PEPG is proud have an application for the iPad. of its record and looks forward to continued growth and Others blog, tweet, and network, of course. PEPG’s unbending commitment to a school reform mission it distinctive role is to provide high-quality research on has had from its beginnings. In the pages that follow, we critical issues that deserve national attention. A PEPG provide a snapshot of the many ways it has been helping research fellow demonstrated that the constitutionally to drive school reform. mandated class-size reduction in Florida did not yield educational benefits commensurate with its cost. PEPG researchers found that the United States ranks 31st in the world in turning out high school students who perform at the highest level in math, a finding —Paul E. Peterson Inside Conference on Merit Pay . 2 Findings from the 4th Public Opinion Survey. 4 U.S. Math Performance in Global Perspective . 6 Education Next Celebrates 10th Anniversary . 8 Shaping Court Decisions. 10 Program Fellows on the Cutting Edge. .12 Class Size Research by Postdoctoral Fellow. 14 From the Press . 15 PEPG Friends. 16 PEPG Fellows and Alumni. 17 Conference on Merit Pay Will it work? Is it politically viable? arvard’s PEPG hosted a national conference on State of New Jersey, identified the surprising extent to which HJune 3-4, 2010 that examined the political, economic, the Obama administration’s support for merit pay has gone and educational issues associated with teacher performance pay. well beyond anything the president indicated during his The conference attracted over 100 participants and was campaign for national office. In his comments on the paper, covered by several media outlets, including the New York Roberto Rodriguez, Special Assistant to the President for Times and the Washington Post. Education on the Domestic Policy Council, agreed that the In the opening session, Andrew Smarick of the Fordham administration was searching for creative ways to promote Institute, now Deputy Commissioner of Education for the needed school reforms. Roberto Rodriguez (White House) said that the surprisingly robust merit pay policies of the Obama administration reflect growing divisions on this issue within the Democratic party. PEPG deputy director Above, L to R: Alan Altshuler (Harvard), Martin R. West reports that Kenneth Wong (Brown) and Matthew when more effective teachers Springer (Vanderbilt) listen attentively leave the profession, they earn to discussion of the ways in which higher salaries from their new compensation policies limit the supply of National & World Affairs employer than less effective effective teachers. Education teachers do. The mystique of merit pay PEPG in the News Panel probes programs aimed at improving student performance By Colleen Walsh Harvard Staff Writer Wednesday, June 9, 2010 National & World Affairs Education Study: N.Y. teacher performance pay TheThe mystique mystique of merit pay program flops ofPanel merit probes pay programs aimed at improving student The Uncertain Impact of Merit Pay performance By Valerie Strauss ByBy Colleen Colleen Walsh Walsh for Teachers Harvard Staff Writer By Edward L. Glaeser A paper prepared by two Colum- HarvardWednesday, JuneStaff 9, 2010 bia University researchers for a Writer, Wednesday, Harvard’s Program on Education Policy and June 9, 2010 Governance held a two-day conference on recent education conference at Harvard University said that the In a two-day teacher merit pay. I remain convinced that seminar at Race to the Top was wise to include a push New York City Bonus Program, which attempts to raise student Harvard last week for merit pay, because it shakes up the com- (June 3-4), scholars, politicians, pensation status quo, which is both rigid and achievement by paying teachers for it, was unsuccessful. Why and educators gathered at Harvard replete with bonuses for things, like graduate Kennedy School (HKS) to discuss the degrees, that are statistically unrelated to shouldn’t student achievement be included in the evaluation and value and feasibility of performance student outcomes. The program brought Stephanie Mitchell/Harvard Staff Photographer compensation of teachers? pay.Stephanie The Mitchell/Harvard Harvard Staff Photographer Program on incentives up for discussion, and no Andrew Smarick (right) speaksEducation fromAndrew theSmarick podium (right) Policy speaks on the fromand thornythe