Conor Williams

Progressive Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis famously argued that states should be seen as “laboratories” of democracy suited for conducting “novel social and economic experiments.” Ever since, his insight has been used to support states’ efforts to try reform policies tailored to meet their populations’ diverse needs. As we’ve noted before, many states—and cities—have been […]

Last night, comedian Louis C.K. took a stand on Twitter: My kids used to love math. Now it makes them cry. Thanks standardized testing and common core! — Louis C.K. (@louisck) April 28, 2014 Like many other parents, he was responding to new strategies for teaching math that try to prompt students to think about […]

The needs of dual language learners (DLLs) rarely get a foothold in education debates. Perhaps even worse, when we do talk about DLLs, our conversations are often centered on questions about instructional language. Are DLLs being instructed in English or their home language or a mix? Which should it be? What should policymakers mandate that […]

Yesterday afternoon, New America hosted a panel of experts for a discussion of school choice in Washington, D.C. It took Sam Chaltain’s recent book, Our School: Searching For Community in the Era of Choice, as a jumping off point for a productive conversation about education policies that are too often polarized. Here’s a bit of background on […]

I’ve been writing publicly about politics for a few years now, so I’ve become accustomed to a pretty steady stream of hate mail. It appears to come with the territory. And nothing—nothing—lights up my inbox with insults like writing about education reform. It would be one thing if folks objected to the substance of what I write—but most of […]

New Yorkers are famous for their narcissistic myopia. Talk to a long-time resident, and you’ll hear just as much parochialism as any small-town stalwart. New Yorkers take it for granted that they embody the cutting edge. If you make it in New York, sure, you can make it anywhere, but—once you’ve made it—why would you […]

Strum the American heartstrings, and you’ll hear a familiar triad of affections: baseball, apple pie, and parenthood. Americans are eager parents—our birth rates, while falling, remain well above many other developed countries. We so revere the practice of parenting, however, that we generally accept that it must necessarily be sacred to the point of magic. […]

Urban education reform fights have a way of driving the national policy conversation. New York Mayor Bill de Blasio’s ongoing efforts to change the trajectory of the Big Apple’s public schools have taken on importance well beyond the five boroughs. Of course, the political feedback system is a loop: if de Blasio’s push for pre-K […]

After nearly three months as head of New York City’s “ship of state,” Mayor Bill de Blasio is still finding his sea legs. From his approach to snow removal to his (ongoing) attempts to tamp down the controversy over his administration’s treatment of charter schools, de Blasio has had little time to craft and drive […]

While New York Mayor Bill de Blasio swept into office with a convincing electoral victory last fall, the first few months of his tenure have been challenging. He’s struggled to find leverage in the battle over how to fund universal pre-K in the city, and his recent attempt to constrain public charter schools has made him […]