Abrams, Samuel E. (sa307)
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Office:
230 Thmps
Office Hours:
Thursday, 3:00 to 5:00, and by appointment
Scholarly Interests
Educational Background
Columbia, B.A., M.A., Ph.D.
Selected Publications
Books:
Education and the Commercial Mindset (Harvard University Press, 2016; paperback, 2018)
Chapters:
"Perspectives on School Vouchers," in Handbook of Research on School Choice, 2nd ed. (Routledge, 2019)
"Olika vägar i Norden," in Utbildningsekonomi: Om lärandets värde (Natur och Kultur, 2017)
Articles:
"The Importance of Measuring What Does Not Get Measured," NORRAG Special Issue No. 4: New Philanthropy and the Disruption of Global Education (April 2020): 140-142
"Exit, Voice, and Charter Schools," La Revista Jurídica de la Universidad de Puerto Rico 88 (3) (May 2019): 895-919
"School Vouchers," in SAGE Encylopedia of Educational Research, Measurement, and Evaluation (SAGE, 2018)
"The Real Data for NYC High School Admissions," National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education, April 9, 2017
"The Wrong and Right Business Lessons for Schools," The Los Angeles Times, January 8, 2017
"The Mismeasure of Teaching Time," Working Paper, Center for Benefit-Cost Studies of Education, Teachers College, Columbia University, January 2015
"Free School Lunch for All," The New York Times, April 15, 2014
"Puer Ludens: Learning and Playing in Finland," ATA Magazine, December 5, 2011
"Technology in Moderation," Teachers College Record, November 4, 2011
"The Children Must Play: What the U.S. Could Learn from Finland about Education Reform," The New Republic, January 28, 2011
Personal News
Marlene Sokol, "Tampa Bay Charter Schools Are Growing During the Pandemic," Tampa Bay Times, December 10, 2020
Arno Rosenfield, "Betsy DeVos Loved Religious Education-What Will Happen to Jewish Schools Under Biden?," The Forward, December 4, 2020
Leslie Brody, "Education Guru Chris Whittle Tries a Comeback With New School in Brooklyn," The Wall Street Journal, November 14, 2019
Jim Rendon, "Can Controversial Entrepreneur Chris Whittle Create a New Model for Private Schools?," The Washington Post Magazine, October 23, 2019
Lynn Hatter, "Richard Corcoran's School Choice Agenda Riles Local Leaders, Unions," WFSU, August 27, 2019
Lakshi De Vass Gunawardena, "Finland's Education System Leads Globally," Inter Press Service, July 22, 2019
Carola Mamberto and Lorena Pieri, "Ecco le scuole dei riechi: 40 mila euro l'anno per studiare solo con i potenti," L'Espresso, January 17, 2019
Sam Tanenhaus, "The Strange Ascent of Betsy DeVos and Erik Prince," Vanity Fair, September 6, 2018
Violette Goarant, "Privatisation de l'école, le fiasco suédois," Le Monde Diplomatique, September 1, 2018
Sam Tanenhaus, "Can Chris Whittle Launch a Truly Global School?," Town & Country, July 10, 2018
Adriana De Jesús Salamán, "Profesor estadounidense aborda áreas grises de las 'charters'," NotiCel, March 10, 2018
Sarah Butrymowicz, "Betsy DeVos's School Choice Ideas Are a Reality in Sweden," Hechinger Report, February 28, 2018
Heikki Kettunen, "Samuel Abrams: Koulutuksen mittarit voivat korruptoida opetusta," University of Turku, February 23, 2018
Jim Cuddy, "Will Public Schools Survive Betsy DeVos?" America's Democrats, Podcast 367, February 18, 2018
Reed Karaim, "Privatizing Government Services: Do Business-Run Public Services Save Taxpayers Money?" CQ Researcher, December 8, 2017
Gary D. Robertson, "North Carolina a Leader in State Vouchers for Private School," Associated Press, December 1, 2017
Monica Disare, "Why Do Some New York City Schools Get to Choose Their Students?" Chalkbeat, November 6, 2017
Irene Plagianos, "WeWork Is Launching a Grade School for Budding Entrepreneurs," Bloomberg, November 6, 2017
Graham Vyse, "Ralph Northam Is Taking on Betsy DeVos--by Breaking with Barack Obama," The New Republic, October 19, 2017
Heather Vogell, "For-Profit Schools Reward Students for Referrals and Facebook Endorsements," ProPublica, October 6, 2017
Wendy Paris, "Dear New York Times: Please Don't Hype the High School Admissions Process Again," Phi Delta Kappan, September 28, 2017
Maria Danilova, "Study: Florida Private School Choice Program Sees Gains," Associated Press, September 27, 2017
Natasha Singer, "Silicon Valley Courts Brand-Name Teachers, Raising Ethics Issues," The New York Times, September 2, 2017
Jim Epstein and Ian Keyser, "Is School Choice Good for Kids? Listen to Last Night's Debate," Reason.com, July 12, 2017
Leo Casey, "The Warped Logic of School Privatization," Dissent, Summer 2017
Emery P. Dalesio, "States Test Worksite Charter Schools for Company Kids," Associated Press, June 17, 2017
C-SPAN2, "School Choice," Education Writers Association National Seminar, Georgetown University, June 1, 2017
Monica Disare, "New York City's High School Applicant Stats Paint a Misleading Picture, Columbia Researcher Says," Chalkbeat, May 30, 2017
Jeremy Hobson, "Why There's a Renewed Push to Privatize Public Education," National Public Radio, May 9, 2017
Maria Danilova, "Study: DC Voucher Program Shows Poorer Math Results," Associated Press, April 27, 2017
Maria Danilova, "Trump, DeVos Tour Private School in Florida, Promoting School Choice," Associated Press, March 3, 2017
Emily DeRuy, "In Finland, Kids Learn Computer Science Without Computers," The Atlantic, February 23, 2017
Halla Hardardóttir, "Skólar eru ekki matvara (og kennarar ekki grænmeti)," Fréttatíminn, January 19, 2017
Päivi Repo, "Huippututkija kehuu Suomen kouluja, mutta murehtii nuorten kykyä keskittyä," Helsingin Sanomat, January 13, 2017
Alexander Nazaryan, "Betsy DeVos Is Coming for Your Public Schools," Newsweek, January 10, 2017
Diane Ravitch, "When Public Goes Private, as Trump Wants: What Happens?," The New York Review of Books, December 8, 2016
Valerie Strauss, "Why the Movement to Privatize Public Education is a Very Bad Idea," Washington Post, July 14, 2016
Laura Saarikoski, "Amerikkalaisen huippuyliospiston tutkija Pisa-tuloksista," Helsingin Sanomat, April 11, 2016
Megan Tompkins-Stange, "Educaton and the Commercial Mindset," Teachers College Record, October 19, 2016
Sarah D. Sparks, "Study Faults Data on U.S. Teachers' Instruction Time," Education Week, February 4, 2015
International Education News, "Teaching Time in the U.S.," January 28, 2015
Matti Saarinen, "Tips from the United States for Improving Our Education System," The Helsinki Times, August 14, 2014
International Education News, "The Broader Context of School Choice in Sweden," August 8, 2014
Anu Partanen, "What Americans Keep Ignoring about Finland's School Success," The Atlantic, December 29, 2011
Rosemary Shinohara, "Education Expert Offers Views after Visiting Alaska Schools," Anchorage Daily News, December 25, 2011
Rosemary Shinohara, "Mayor's Education Summit Told Teacher Quality is Crucial," Anchorage Daily News, November 15, 2011
Educational Privatization and School Choice (EDPE 4155), Teachers College, Fall 2020
Contemporary Civilization (CC1101), Columbia College, Fall 2020
Contemporary Civilization (CC1102), Columbia College, Spring 2021
American Politics and Education Policy (EDPP 4040), Teachers College, Spring 2021
Seminar on Politics and Education (EDPP 6540), Teachers College, Summer 2021