features

The School Lunch Lobby
A charmed federal food program that no longer just feeds the hungry
By Ron Haskins

What’s for Lunch?
A restaurant critic goes to the school cafeteria
By Mark Zanger

The Legal Cash Machine
A New York adequacy case tests the limits of fiscal coherence
By Joe Williams

The Accidental Principal
What doesn’t get taught at ed schools?
By Frederick M. Hess and Andrew P. Kelly

Unflagged SATs
Who benefits from special accommodations?
By Samuel J. Abrams

Inadequate Yearly Progress
Unlocking the Secrets of NCLB
By Caroline M. Hoxby

Johnny Can Read...in Some States
Assessing the rigor of state assessment systems
By Paul E. Peterson and Frederick M. Hess

forum

Identity Crisis
Charter schooling and test-based accountability both have their roots in concerns that public schools are not sufficiently accountable.

Charters as Role Models
The charter school movement turns 14 this year, and its behavior, some might say, is “developmentally appropriate.”
By Michael J. Petrilli

Don’t Tie Us Down
Charters Are for Choice and Must Be Given the Freedom to Experiment
By Theodore R. Sizer

research

The English Experiment
An hour a day keeps illiteracy at bay
By Stephen Machin and Sandra McNally

Vote Early, Vote Often
The role of schools in creating civic norms
By David E. Campbell

Vote Early, Vote Often - Figure 1

Vote Early, Vote Often - Figures 2 & 3

check the facts

Equity v. Equity
Why Education Week and the Education Trust don’t agree
By Robert Costrell

from the editors

Tread on Me—but Lightly
The Era of Big Government Is Complicated
By Chester E. Finn Jr.

correspondence

The Future of NCLB
The future of NCLB; the mandate to teach character; falling teacher aptitude; rules for breaking the law

book reviews

Training Teachers
The Trouble with Ed Schools By David F. Labaree
By Nathan Glazer

America the Unbelievable
America (The Book): A Citizen's Guide to Democracy Inaction by the writers of The Daily Show, with Jon Stewart. With a foreword by Thomas Jefferson.
By Diane Ravitch

Book Alert

school life

Protagonist Meets Antagonist
When 2nd Graders “Do” English Lit
By Lawrence Goldstone and Nancy Goldstone