Tom Birmingham, Author at CommonWealth Magazine

Tom Birmingham

Guest Contributor, Pioneer Institute

Stories by Tom Birmingham

Rigorous civics education needed now more than ever

Sound academics, not activist or faddish approaches, should be the foundation

Charter schools leading the way with in-person instruction

Schools are also working to support families hit hard by pandemic

Voc-tech schools thriving despite pandemic strictures

Schools finding innovative ways to continue hands-on learning

Mass. schools must recommit to knowledge-based curriculum

We’ve been paying the price for straying off course

Don’t mess with success of voc-tech high schools

Abandoning competitive admissions for a lottery system would be a mistake

Career and technical high schools are jewels of ed system

We should expand what works and give more students shot at attending voc-techs

Charter school debate is not over

More are needed to deliver on state’s educational promise

education reform schools

Falling short on school standards and funding

As Mass. celebrates 25th anniversary of 1993 reform law, we're squandering our gains

Time to lift up Boston’s voc-tech high school

Years of missteps are leaving students behind

Our schools ignore US history at our peril

State must make good on requirement for history instruction and testing

education reform schools

Will district schools embrace charter-like reforms?

Burden now falls on local school leaders to deliver results

Voc-tech schools are a Mass. success story

4,400 students are on waitlists; let's expand schools that work

A school-choice double standard

METCO supporters should also embrace charters

About-face

Diane Ravitch's change of heart on testing and charter schools

A diploma means nothing without evidence of skills and learning