Thomas B. Fordham Institute
 | |
| Formation | 2007 |
|---|---|
| Type | Education policy think tank |
| Headquarters | 1016 16th Street, NW |
| Location |
|
| Coordinates | 38°54′12″N 77°02′12″W / 38.9032°N 77.0368°W |
President | Chester E. Finn, Jr. |
Revenue (2012) | $1,213,712[1] |
| Website | www.edexcellence.net |
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute is an ideologically conservative[2] American nonprofit education policy think tank, with offices in Washington, D.C., Columbus, Ohio, and Dayton, Ohio. The institute supports and publishes research on education policy in the US.
History
The Institute's namesake was a businessman and civic leader in Dayton, Ohio. His widow, Thelma Fordham Pruett, established the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation in 1959 to support a wide range of causes in the Dayton area. In 1997, following the death of Pruett, the Foundation was relaunched, with a narrowed focus on education. The Thomas B. Fordham Institute joined the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation in 2007. In 2013, the Associated Press described the organization as "conservative-leaning."[3]
Fordham-National
The headquarters of the think-tank operations are located in Washington, D.C. Led by Chester E. Finn, Jr. and Michael J. Petrilli, Fordham publishes and supports research on K-12 education across the nation. Additionally, Fordham staff and board members remain involved in organizations that support and develop quality schools.
Fordham-Ohio
Fordham-Ohio publishes research and does policy work in the Columbus office and serves as a community school sponsor in its Dayton office. The Thomas B. Fordham Foundation was approved in 2004 by the Ohio Department of Education—making it the first nonprofit organization in Ohio to acquire such a responsibility. Fordham continues to sponsor charter schools even though the recent data shows that many Ohio charter schools are failing.[4][5]
Positions
Standards and accountability[6]
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute presses for the full suite of standards-based reforms across the academic curriculum and throughout the K–12 system, including (but not limited to) careful implementation of the Common Core standards (CCSS) for English language arts (ELA) and mathematics as well as rigorous, aligned state assessments and forceful accountability mechanisms at every level.
A Reform Driven System[7]
The Thomas B. Fordham Institute seeks to deepen and strengthen the K–12 system’s capacity to deliver quality education to every child, based on rigorous standards and ample choices, by ensuring that it possesses the requisite talent, technology, policies, practices, structures, and nimble governance arrangements to promote efficiency as well as effectiveness.
Publications
Newsletters Education Gadfly The Education Gadfly Weekly is a weekly newsletter featuring commentary, opinion and analysis, reviews of publications, research, and reports. Ohio Education Gadfly Weekly newsletter specific to Ohio.
Blogs Flypaper, Ohio Gadfly Daily, Common Core Watch, and Choice Words
In 2012 Flypaper won the Education Writers Association prize for “Best Blog.”
Podcasts Education Gadfly Show Each week, co-hosts offer ninety-second debates on three recent education issues, followed by a minute-long segment on recent research news.
Board of Trustees
Current [8]
- David P. Driscoll - Former Commissioner of Education Commonwealth of Massachusetts
- Rod Paige - Former U.S. Secretary of Education (2001-2005)
- Thomas A. Holton, Esq. – Partner, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur
- Chester E. Finn, Jr. – President, Thomas B. Fordham Institute
- Michael W. Kelly - President and CEO, Central Park Credit Bank
- David H. Ponitz - President Emeritus, Sinclair Community College
- Stefanie Sanford - VP, Lobbying, College Board
- Caprice Young - Vice President for Education, Laura and John Arnold Foundation
Emeritus
- Craig Kennedy - German Marshall Fund of the United States
- Bruce Kovner - Caxton Alternative Management LP
- Chester E. Finn Esq. (1918-2007)
- Bruno V. Manno - Walton Family Foundation
- Diane Ravitch
Awards
Between 2003 and 2007, the Institute gave two prizes for excellence in education. The first, for distinguished scholarship, recognized individuals whose research had furthered the cause of education reform. The second, for valor, recognized leaders whose actions had had a noticeable impact on public education. Winners of the scholarship award include Paul E. Peterson, Anthony Bryk, Eric Hanushek, Terry Moe, Caroline Hoxby, Paul T. Hill, Stephan Thernstrom, and Abigail Thernstrom. Winners of the valor award include E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Howard Fuller, Marion Joseph, Michael Feinberg, David Levin, and Kati Haycock.
References
- ^ Fordham Institute Foundations Profile – National Center for Charitable Statistics (Urban Institute)
- ^ Inside Gov
- ^ Elliott, Philip (June 17, 2013). "Report: Too many teachers, too little quality". The Boston Globe. The New York Times Company. Associated Press. Archived from the original on June 24, 2013. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
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{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ http://www.edexcellence.net/policy-priorities/standards-based-reforms/.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ http://www.edexcellence.net/policy-priorities/a-reform-driven-system/.
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