Readers of the Education Next blog in 2024 evinced intense interest in what is happening in American classrooms on both sides of the desk. Blog posts that drew attention to the degree of rigor students are exposed to in school were especially popular, as were musings on the type of instruction teachers are offering. Also top of mind was the turbulent election season, during which education likely would have again played a bit part, if not for President-elect Donald Trump’s renewed calls to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education.
Former Education Next managing editor Ira Stoll earned the top blog spot in 2024 with his analysis of skyrocketing scores on AP tests between 2023 and 2024, particularly in U.S history and U.S government. Both he and renowned education reformer Chester E. Finn Jr. drew reader’s attention to the College Board’s “recalibration” of scores, giving far more students top marks than in past years—a concerning development for readers tuned into the trend of diminishing academic excellence in American schools.
Philadelphia-based math teacher Ryan Hooper called out another unnerving trend: Building Thinking Classrooms, an inquiry-based learning model for math instruction that minimizes teachers and puts students in the driver’s seat for learning math. Hooper’s critique of this edu-fad and counter-promotion of direct instruction earned him second place among this year’s blog posts. Meanwhile, Education Next executive editor Michael Petrilli landed at number five with a fresh take on the phenomenon of elite-college students who struggle to read books, while Benjamin Riley took the seventh spot with his critique of predictions that generative artificial intelligence is poised to transform schooling.
In an election year filled with handwringing over The Heritage Foundation’s Mandate for Leadership (commonly known as “Project 2025”)—which calls for, among other things, the elimination of ED—followed by the Republicans’ decisive sweep of the presidency and Congress in November, blog readers also sought out guidance on the future of the federal role in education. Education Next emeritus editor and host of the Education Exchange podcast Paul E. Peterson and executive editor Rick Hess offered a pre-election and post-election take, respectively, on that future, both of which earned spots in this year’s list.
A pervasive sense of wariness may well be the unifying theme of the Education Next blog this year. Readers will be able to continue to rely on its succinct, reasonable analyses of the ever-shifting education landscape in the year ahead.
The full top ten list is here: