Education Next

Education Next
Title	Education Next
Discipline	Public policy
Language	English
Publisher	Harvard Program on Education Policy and Governance
Country	United States
Frequency	Quarterly
Firstdate	2001

Education Next

Education Next is an American quarterly journal and forum devoted to issues in K–12 policy and practice, launched in 2001 to bridge scholarship and public debate. It publishes articles, essays, and empirical studies that engage policymakers, scholars, and practitioners across arenas such as school choice, teacher policy, accountability, and curriculum reform. The magazine operates at the intersection of policy research, advocacy networks, philanthropic foundations, and academic centers.

Overview

Education Next presents work that connects empirical research from universities and think tanks with debates in state legislatures and city school districts. Contributors often include faculty from Harvard University, Stanford University, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University, and scholars affiliated with Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute, Hoover Institution, Urban Institute, and RAND Corporation. Articles discuss reforms implemented in places such as New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, and Washington, D.C., and analyze policies influenced by laws like the No Child Left Behind Act and the Every Student Succeeds Act. The journal situates K–12 debates alongside labor issues involving unions such as the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, and charter initiatives associated with organizations like KIPP Foundation and Success Academy Charter Schools.

History

Founded in 2001 by a team linked to a Boston-based research program, the journal emerged amid policy shifts following the 1990s education reform movement and the enactment of federal legislation such as the Improving America’s Schools Act. Early issues featured debates between reform advocates appearing at venues like the American Educational Research Association annual meeting and critics from liberal and progressive institutions. Over time the publication chronicled major episodes including the rise of charter schools in cities like Miami and New Orleans, the expansion of school voucher programs in states such as Florida and Indiana, and controversies around accountability metrics following decisions by the United States Department of Education.

Editorial Mission and Content

The editorial mission emphasizes translating peer-reviewed findings from journals such as American Educational Research Journal, Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, and Econometrica into accessible pieces for practitioners in districts like Boston Public Schools and Chicago Public Schools. Regular sections cover topics ranging from governance and finance to literacy instruction practiced in institutions including Teach For America corps sites and demonstrations influenced by curricula from Core Knowledge Foundation and National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. The magazine runs long-form analyses, opinion columns, and data-driven investigations that draw on datasets from entities like the National Center for Education Statistics, state departments such as the Texas Education Agency, and surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center.

Leadership and Contributors

Editorial leadership has included scholars and practitioners associated with Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Graduate School of Education, Yale University, and policy groups such as NewSchools Venture Fund and Thomas B. Fordham Institute. Regular contributors have included researchers who have worked at Brookings Institution, American Enterprise Institute, and Hoover Institution, as well as former officials from the United States Department of Education and state education agencies in California and Florida. Frequent authors and interviewees have included academics tied to Princeton University, Brown University, Duke University, and University of California, Berkeley, and school leaders from districts like Denver Public Schools and Baltimore City Public Schools.

Funding and Affiliations

The publication is affiliated with a prominent policy program at an Ivy League institution and has received grants and underwriting from philanthropic organizations, foundations, and advocacy groups active in the K–12 space. Funders and partners historically include entities such as the Gates Foundation, Walton Family Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Spencer Foundation, and venture philanthropy networks like New Profit. These relationships have prompted scrutiny and commentary from researchers at organizations like Center on Education Policy and journalists at outlets including The New York Times and The Washington Post.

Reception and Influence

Education Next has been influential in shaping debates on school reform, cited by policymakers in state capitols including Raleigh, North Carolina and Sacramento, California, and referenced in hearings before legislative bodies such as state education committees and advisory panels to the United States Department of Education. Reception ranges from praise by advocates for school choice and accountability to criticism from scholars associated with Teachers College, Columbia University and civil rights groups like the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Its articles have appeared in policy roundtables convened by organizations such as The Brookings Institution, National Conference of State Legislatures, and Council of Chief State School Officers.

Notable Publications and Research Studies

The journal has published influential pieces on topics including merit pay experiments evaluated in randomized trials conducted by researchers from University of Chicago and RAND Corporation, analyses of charter sector growth in cities like New Orleans and Philadelphia by scholars from Stanford University and Harvard University, and investigations into achievement gaps drawing on data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress and state assessment systems in Texas and Florida. It has featured debates over reading instruction informed by research from University of Michigan and Florida State University, and policy briefs on school finance reform connected to litigation such as cases in New Jersey and Kansas. The journal’s compilations and special issues have been cited in scholarly work published in journals such as Educational Researcher and used as background by advocacy organizations including Education Trust and policy shops like Bellwether Education Partners.

Category:Education magazines