For Media

About the Education Consumers Foundation The Education Consumers Foundation (ECF) is a tax-exempt nonprofit corporation chartered in Tennessee. It is a spin-off of the Education Consumers ClearingHouse (ECC)—an online consumer organization founded in 1995.  ECF is dedicated to representing the interests of parents. taxpayers, and their elected representatives.  Its mission is to improve public education outcomes through the use of research and policy analysis.  ECF is like Consumer Reports but focused primarily on education policy, practice, and outcomes.   … Read More

For Activists

American Decline can be Reversed through Grassroots Action Public education has been decaying on the inside for decades. Educators blame poverty, poor parenting, changing demographics, the growth of hedonistic popular culture, insufficient funding, and myriad other factors. Seldom mentioned, however, is education’s failure to adapt and overcome these conditions. In the view of most educators, schools are doing all they can–an explanation that is contradicted by the measurable differences in effectiveness among teachers within the same school and … Read More

For Parents

Support for Parents, Educators, and the Community For parents and others interested in pursuing improved student and/or school performance, the links below should serve as a starting point. An Overview of Resources from ECF The Education Consumers Foundation website offers a great deal of information for parents and others interested in effective K-12 education. Download this brochure for an overview of what’s available, presented in a format that’s easily shared with others in your child’s school. Books by Elaine McEwan … Read More

Support the Education Consumers Foundation

Every year, public schools pour vast amounts of money into self-congratulatory reports and public communications designed to build and maintain a favorable image.  Smaller school districts have staff designated as communications specialists and larger ones host entire public relations offices.  Many are members of a national organization with hundreds of members:  The National School Public Relations Association.  Their role is to inform the public but they selectively highlight successes and favorable events while minimizing anything that would detract from … Read More

Second Opinion Examples

  A Report to the Nebraska Board of Education, September 9, 1999 Testimony to the Select Committee on House Resolution 495, Pennsylvania House of Representatives, September 19, 2000 Teacher Training and Texas Education Reform: A Study in Contradiction; Austin, Texas; November 7, 2000 Improving Teacher Quality in Oklahoma: A Closer Look, October 2001 (print version) Wasting Time and Money, Why So Many Nevada Students are not Ready for College, Spring 2004 Homeschooling in Nevada:  The Budgetary Impact, Spring … Read More

Second Opinions

The Education Consumers Consultants Network is a partnership of experienced scholars and educators committed to the interests of education’s consumers – i.e., parents, taxpayers, and policymakers. It is affiliated with the Education Consumers ClearingHouse, a grassroots “Consumers Union” (publisher of Consumer Reports) for the consumers of public education. Just as there are law firms specializing in corporate law or consumer law, the Network specializes in serving the interests of education’s consumers. Our primary service is to provide Second Opinions to … Read More

Current Members

The current member list of the Education Consumer Consultants Network Harold A. Black, Ph.D. Emeritus Professor of Finance Haslam College of Business University of Tennessee hblack@utk.edu Wayne Bishop, Ph.D. Professor of Mathematics Department of Mathematics California State University-Los Angeles wbishop@calstatela.edu William L. Brown, Ph.D. Coordinator of Test Development Michigan Education Assessment Program bbainc@sbcglobal.net Tom Burkard, B.A. Honors Director The Promethean Trust Norwich, England burkard@tiscali.co.uk Louis Chandler, Ph.D. Professor & Chairman Department of Psychology in Education University of Pittsburgh … Read More

About ECCN

Getting a Second Opinion The Need for Consumer-Friendly Expertise Local and state school boards, legislative committees, parent organizations, and business and community groups are often asked to endorse or approve education policy. Typically, the policy is supported by an authoritative recommendation—usually a panel of educators, an employee of the recommending agency, or a handpicked consultant. Rarely are such requests accompanied by an appraisal by an expert that is sympathetic to the consumer’s perspective. The result: Every year, public … Read More

New report on teacher preparation aligns with ECF resources

posted in: General Information |

The National Council on Teacher Quality has released a landmark report, evaluating more than 1,100 colleges and universities that prepare elementary and secondary teachers and largely finding them wanting. Kate Walsh, CEO of NCTQ, writes on the issue here. This effort aligns closely with ECF’s work on the subject, a summary of which can be found here. Update: J.E. Stone, President of the Education Consumers Foundation, pens an article on this new report here.

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