Abrams, Samuel E. (sa307)

Educational Privatization and School Choice (EDPE 4155), Teachers College, Fall 2021

Contemporary Civilization I (CC1101), Columbia College, Fall 2021

American Politics and Education Policy (EDPP 4040), Teachers College, Spring 2022

Contemporary Civilization II (CC1102), Columbia College, Spring 2022

Seminar on Politics and Education (EDPP 6540), Teachers College, Summer 2022

Samuel E. Abrams

Contact Information:                                                          

National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education

230 Thompson Hall

Teachers College, Columbia University

New York, NY 10027

Phone: (212) 678-8117

E-mail: sa307@tc.columbia.edu

Web site: https://www.tc.columbia.edu/faculty/sa307/

Education:

Ph.D., Politics and Education, Columbia University, 2018

M.A., Economics and Education, Columbia University, 2006

B.A., History, Columbia University, 1989

Appointments:

Director, National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education (NCSPE), Teachers

   College, Columbia University, September 2014 – present

Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Columbia University,

   January 2020 – present

Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of Education Policy and Social Analysis

   (EPSA), Teachers College, September 2018 – present

Visiting Professor, Institute of Advanced Studies, CY Cergy Paris Université, Neuville-

   sur-Oise, France, October 25-November 12, 2021

Instructor, EPSA, January 2015 – May 2018

Research Associate, NCSPE, September 2011 – August 2014

Visiting Scholar, Teachers College, September 2008 – August 2011

Courses Taught or Teaching:

Educational Privatization and School Choice (EDPE 4155), Teachers College, Spring

   2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall

   2021

Political Philosophy and Education Policy (EDPP 6540), Teachers College, Summer

   2019, Summer 2020, Summer 2021, Summer 2022

Politics of Centralization and Decentralization (EDPP 5041), Teachers College, Spring

   2020

American Politics and Education (EDPP 4040), Teachers College, Spring 2021, Spring

  2022

Contemporary Civilization I (CC1101) [Plato to Rousseau], Columbia College, Fall 2020,

   Fall 2021

Contemporary Civilization II (CC1102) [Kant to Fanon], Columbia College, Spring

   2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022

Publications:

Book:

Education and the Commercial Mindset  (Harvard University Press, 2016; paperback,

   2018; Chinese translation to be published by Shanghai Education Publishing, 2022)

Dissertation:

521 Fifth Avenue: The Corporate Makeover of Education and Its Limits (2018)

   Dissertation Committee: Katrina E. Bulkley, Jon Elster, Jeffrey R. Henig, Aaron M.

   Pallas (chair), and Henry M. Levin

Chapters:

“The Trouble with Outsourcing School Management,” in Joshua C. Hall and Alice

   Kassens, eds., Living Together Better (under review)

“Återbesök i en fjärran spegel,” in Per Kornhall, Sten Svensson, Jajsa Allelin, and Bo

   Karlsson, eds., När skolan blev marknad (Natur och Kultur, 2022)

“Perspectives on School Vouchers,” in Mark Berends, Ann Primus, and Matthew G.

   Springer, eds., Handbook of Research on School Choice, Second Edition (Routledge,

   2020)

“Olika vägar i Norden,” in Alli Klapp, ed., Utbildningsekonomi: Om lärandets värde

   (Natur och Kultur, 2017)

Peer-Reviewed Articles and Reports:

“National Education Policy Review: Florida Versus Kentucky: School Choice Improves

   Public School Performance, Too,” July 15, 2021 (with Steven J. Koutsavlis)

“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 Bruce Frey, ed., SAGE Encyclopedia of Research, Measurement,

   and Evaluation (SAGE, 2018)

“Technology in Moderation,” Teachers College Record, November 4, 2011

Essays, Policy Briefs, Commentaries, Book Reviews:

Book Review: Chris Brink, The Soul of a University: Why Excellence Is Not Enough 

   (2018), Higher Education Quarterly (in process)

“Carson v. Makin Echoes Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue,” NCSPE,

   December 9, 2021

“Les écoles publiques sous contrat risquent d’ajouter au phénomène de segregation,” Le

   Monde, November 30, 2021 (with Philippe Bongrand)

Book Review: Joanne W. Golann, Scripting the Moves: Culture and Control in a ‘No-

   Excuses’ Charter School (2021), NCSPE, July 26, 2021

Book Review: Derek W. Black, Schoolhouse Burning: Public Education and the

   Assault on American Democracy (2020), NCSPE, June 7, 2021

“Getting Education Data Right: The Case of High School Admissions,” Columbia

   Journalism Review, April 20, 2021

“Federal Court Strikes Down DeVos Guidance on CARES Act Funding,” NCSPE,

   September 9, 2020

“KIPP Drops ‘Work Hard. Be Nice.’ Motto and Provokes Derision from The Wall Street

   Journal,” NCSPE, July 12, 2020

“Florida Vastly Expands Voucher Program,” NCSPE, June 29, 2020

“Oliver Williamson, 1932-2020,” NCSPE, June 8, 2020

“Puerto Rico Charter Sector to Take Off,” NCSPE, February 13, 2019

“Gorsuch Makes His Mark,” NCSPE, June 30, 2017

“The Real Data for NYC High School Admissions,” NCSPE, April 9, 2017

“For-Profit Ed Sector Rebounds Under Trump,” NCSPE, February 28, 2017

“The Wrong and Right Business Lessons for Schools,” Op-Ed, The Los Angeles Times,

   January 8, 1917

“The Mismeasure of Teaching Time,” Working Paper, Center for Benefit-Cost Studies of

   Education, Teachers College, January 2015

“Free School Lunch for All,” Letter, The New York Times, April 15, 2014

“Puer Ludens: Playing and Learning in Finland,” Alberta Teachers Association

   Magazine, Winter 2011

“The Children Must Play: What the United States Could Learn from Finland about

   Education Reform,” The New Republic, January 28, 2011

Book Review: Garry Wills, Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words that Remade America

   (1992), College Board AP Central, September 26, 2007

Book Review: Joseph J. Ellis, His Excellency: George Washington (1994), College

   Board AP Central, September 26, 2007

Book Review: Edward J. Larson and Michael P. Winship (eds.), The Constitutional

   Convention: A Narrative History from the Notes of James Madison (2005), College

   Board AP Central, September 26, 2007

Book Review: David Riesman, The Lonely Crowd (2001; 1950, first ed.), College Board

   AP Central, September 26, 2007

Book Review: Ruth Schwartz Cowan, A Social History of American Technology (1997),

   College Board AP Central, September 26, 2007

Book Review: Robert Divine et al., America Past and Present (2002), College Board AP

   Central, February 1, 2006

Book Review: Robert Dallek, An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963 (2003),

   College Board AP Central, December 16, 2005

Book Review: Edmund S. Morgan, Benjamin Franklin (2002), College Board AP

   Central, August 26, 2005

Book Review: Carl Van Doren, Benjamin Franklin (1991; 1938, first ed.), College Board

   AP Central, August 16, 2005

Book Review: Louis Menand, The Metaphysical Club: A Story of Ideas in America

   (2001), College Board AP Central, August 16, 2005

Book Review: George Breitman (ed.), Malcolm X Speaks: Selected Speeches and

   Statements (1969), College Board AP Central, August 16, 2005

Book Review: Richard Hofstadter, Anti-Intellectualism in American Life (1966; 1963,

   first ed.), College Board AP Central, February 10, 2005

Book Review: Taylor Branch, Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963-65 (1999),

   College Board AP Central, February 10, 2005

Book Review: Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63

   (1989), College Board AP Central, February 10, 2005

Book Review: David Herbert Donald, Lincoln (1995), College Board AP Central,

   September 27, 2004

Book Review: David Halberstam, The Best and the Brightest (1993, 1972, first ed.),

   College Board AP Central, November 16, 2003

Book Review: James McPherson, The Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era (1988),

   College Board AP Central, November 16, 2003

Book Review: James Patterson, Brown v. Board of Education: A Civil Rights Milestone

   and Its Troubled Legacy (2002), College Board AP Central, October 27, 2003

Book Review: Richard Hofstadter, The Age of Reform: From Bryan to F.D.R. (1960;

   1955, first ed.), College Board AP Central, March 9, 2003

Book Review: Morton Horwitz, The Transformation of American Law, Volume II: 1870-

   1960 (1992), College Board AP Central, January 15, 2003

Book Review: Morton Horwitz, The Transformation of American Law, Volume I: 1780-

   1860 (1977), College Board AP Central, January 9, 2003

Book Review: Lawrence Friedman, A History of American Law (1985; 1973, first ed.),

   College Board AP Central, September 6, 2002

Invited Talks:

Keynote Speaker, “Milton Friedman et l’évolution de la privatisation de l’éducation,” In-

   stitute of Advanced Studies, CY Cergy Paris Université, Neuville-sur-Oise, France,

   October 26, 2021

Keynote Speaker, “The Corporate Makeover of Education,” Bar-Ilan University, Ramat

   Gan, Israel, October 5, 2021 (virtual)

Keynote Speaker, “Educational Privatization,” British Columbia Teachers’ Federation,

   Think Tank Seminar, Vancouver, Canada, May 7, 2021 (virtual)

Keynote Speaker, “The Promise and Perils of Educational Privatization,” Columbia

   Institute, High Ground 2020: Civic Governance Forum, Vancouver, Canada, March 28,

   2020 (postponed because of COVID-19)

Guest Lecturer, “Finnish Education Policy and Budgetary Constraints,” Finnish

   Consulate, New York, July 19, 2019, in conjunction with a lecture by Finnish Minister

   of Education Li Andersson on the future of Finnish education policy

Keynote Speaker, “Why Civic Education Matters,” Conference on Civic Education in the

   U.S. and France, Teachers College, March 28, 2019

Keynote Speaker, “Exit, Voice, and Charter Schools,” University of Puerto Rico School

   of Law, San Juan, February 8, 2019

Guest Lecturer, “Milton Friedman and the Evolution of School Choice,” Amherst

   College, October 4, 2018

Keynote Speaker, “Market versus Structural Reform,” University of Puerto Rico, San

   Juan, March 13, 2018

Keynote Speaker, “Education, Commerce, and Conflict,” Banco Popular Foundation, San

   Juan, March 9, 2018

Guest Lecturer, “Paradigm Encroachment,” University of Turku, Finland, February 16,

   2018

Guest Lecturer, “Market versus Structural Reform,” University of Iceland, January 12,

   2018

Guest Lecturer, “Education and the Commercial Mindset,” Tallinn University, Estonia,

   January 8, 2018

Debate Opponent (arguing the negative) v. Bob Bowdon, “Resolution: Parents should

   have the choice to opt out of public schools and redirect taxpayer tuition money for

   their children to other approved schools or educational options,” Soho Forum, New

   York, July 11, 2017

Guest Lecturer, “Education and the Commercial Mindset,” Holyoke Public Library,

   Holyoke, MA, May 10, 2017

Guest Lecturer, “Education and the Commercial Mindset,” Bard College, Annandale-on-

   Hudson, NY, April 6, 2017

Guest Lecturer, “Education, Business, and Conflict,” Bank Street College, New York,

   April 5, 2017

Guest Lecturer, “Education, Business, and Conflict,” New York City Department of

   Education Data Analytics Club, New York, March 22, 2017

Guest Lecturer, “Education and the Commercial Mindset,” Open Society Foundations,

   New York, February 17, 2017

Keynote Speaker, “The Finnish Difference,” Finnish Centennial Symposium, Finnish

   Embassy, Washington, DC, February 9, 2017

Speaker, “Education and the Commercial Mindset,” EduCon, Philadelphia, January 28,

   2017

Guest Lecturer, “Teacher Pay and Student Performance,” University of Iceland, January

   13, 2017

Guest Lecturer, “Divergent Nordic Paths,” University of Helsinki, Finland, January 11,

   2017

Keynote Speaker, “Education, Business, and Conflict,” Houston Education and Civil

   Rights Summit, co-sponsored by the Houston Federation of Teachers and United Opt

   Out, October 15, 2016

Guest Lecturer, “Divergent Nordic Paths,” followed by discussion with Michael Dobbins,

   Goethe Graduate Academy, University of Frankfurt, Germany July 7, 2016

Guest Lecturer, “Education and the Commercial Mindset,” Goethe Graduate Academy,

   University of Frankfurt, Germany, July 6, 2016

Guest Lecturer, “Education, Business, and Conflict,” Harvard Club of New York, May

   11, 2016

Keynote Speaker, “Education and the Commercial Mindset,” Teachers College, May 2,

   2016

Guest Lecturer, “Education, Business, and Conflict,” Alberta Teachers Association,

   Calgary, Alberta, April 28, 2016

Keynote Speaker, “The Commercial Mindset: The Leadership Challenge,” Summit of

   Educational Leadership, Alberta Teachers Association, Banff, Alberta, April 27, 2016

Keynote Speaker, “Education and the Commercial Mindset,” Teaching Profession

   Around the World Symposium, Harvard Graduate School of Education, April 22, 2016

Guest Lecturer, “Education, Business, and Conflict,” Council for European Studies, Duke

   University, April 20, 2016

Speaker, “Education and the Commercial Mindset,” Academic Festival, Teachers

   College, Columbia University, April 2, 2016

Guest Lecturer, “Two Sides of the Gulf: Sweden and Finland,” seminar led by Professor

   Pasi Sahlberg, Harvard Graduate School of Education, March 30, 2016

Guest Lecturer, “Vouchers, Tuition Tax Credits, and School Choice,” Klingenstein

   Program for Independent School Leadership, Teachers College, July 13, 2015

Guest Speaker, “Back to School: A Taste of Finland,” Museum of Modern Art, New

   York, October 4, 2012

Guest Speaker, “The Finnish Paradox,” Policy Student Network, Teachers College,

   February 21, 2012

Guest Lecturer, “Finnish Common Sense,” Graduate School of Education, University of

   Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, January 14, 2012

Guest Lecturer, “The Joseph Principle and Finnish Education,” Congregation Beth

   Sholom, Anchorage, Alaska, November 18, 2011

Guest Lecturer, “Alaska, Finland, and Better Schooling,” Alaska Community Foundation,

   Anchorage, Alaska, November 17, 2011

Keynote Speaker, “The Finnish Difference,” Mayor’s Education Summit, Anchorage,

   Alaska, November 15, 2011

Keynote Speaker, “Innovation, Quantification, and Education,” Planning Committee

   Annual Meeting, Alberta Teachers Association, Banff, Alberta, September 15, 2011

Guest Lecturer, “American Education Policy,” Finnish Consulate, New York, March 16,

   2011

Guest Lecturer, “For-Profit Education in Sweden and America,” Klingenstein Program

   for Independent School Leadership, Teachers College, December 1, 2009

Guest Lecturer, “School Choice in America,” Board of Directors, Kunskapsskolan,

   Stockholm, Sweden, May 11, 2009

Guest Lecturer, “School Choice,” pre-service course taught on instruction by Professor

   Diane Tortu, Bank Street College, New York, April 1, 2009

Guest Lecturer, “Teaching Today,” pre-service course on literacy taught by Professor

   Dolores Perin, Teachers College, December 1, 2008

Discussant, Moderator, Panelist, Coordinator:

Discussant, “The Latest Evidence on Private School Choice: Cognitive and Non-

   Cognitive Outcomes,” commenting on presentations by Ning Rui, Heidi H. Erickson,

   Daniel Kuehn, and Corey A. DeAngelis, Annual Conference, Association for Public

   Policy Analysis and Management, Denver, November 7, 2019

Panelist, “What Is the Most Productive Role for Researchers Examining the Expansion

   of Private-School Vouchers?,” with Julian Vasquez Heilig, Annual Meeting, National

   Education Policy Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, September 27, 2019

Moderator, “Education Policy: School Vouchers, Charters, and the Privatization of

   Education Funding,” American Constitution Society, New York University Law

   School, April 3, 2019

Moderator, “A Tale of Two Cities: The Multicultural Classroom in Paris and New York,”

   with Samia Essabaa, Fabrice Jaumont, Mika Kinoshita, Samiratou Sang, and Ibrahima

   Sow, Conference on Civic Education in the U.S. and France, Teachers College, March

   28, 2019

Discussant, “The Nordic Model: Finland and Education,” with Linda Liukas and Steven

  Peri, Scandinavia House, New York, March 13, 2019

Panelist, “Privatización y Reforma Educativa,” with Roamé Torres González, Loida

   Martinez, and William Vazquez Irizarry, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, March

   13, 2018

Panelist, “School Choice,” with Derrell Bradford, Robert Enlow, Maggie Garrett, and

   Erik Robelen (moderator), Education Writers Association, Georgetown University,

   Washington, DC, June 1, 2017

Panelist, “Privatization of Education,” with Denisha Jones (moderator), Cristobal

   Rodriguez, Tiffany Simmons, and Nantasha Williams, David. A. Clarke School of Law,

   University of the District of Columbia, Washington, DC, March 30, 2017

Panelist, “Teacher Sustainability,” with Zac Chase (moderator), Derek McCoy, Deborah

   Meier, and Renee Moore, EduCon, Philadelphia, January 28, 2017

Panelist, “Education and the Commercial Mindset,” with Carol Burris, Sharif El-Mekki,

   LynNell Hancock, and Jeffrey R. Henig (moderator), Teachers College, May 2, 2016

Panelist, “The Twin Peaks of Datafication and Commercialization,” with Sam Sellar,

   Greg Thompson, and Joel Westheimer, Summit of Educational Leadership, Alberta

   Teachers Association, Banff, Alberta, April 24, 2016

Panelist, “The Role of Corporations and Philanthropy in Financing Privatization,” with

   Joseph Ferrare, Steven Klees, Bob Lingard (moderator), Susan Robertson, Kenneth

   Saltman, and Janelle Scott, Politics of Privatization in Education, Steinhardt School of

   Culture, Education, and Human Development, New York University, April 13, 2016

Discussant, “Global Education Reform: How Privatization Versus Public Investment

   Influences Education Outcomes,” commenting on presentations by Frank Adamson,

   Björn Åstrand, Martin Carnoy, Linda Darling-Hammond, and Michael Fullan, Annual

   Meeting, American Educational Research Association, Washington, DC, April 11,

   2016

Discussant, “Policy, Governance, and Quality in Teacher Education Systems: Four

   Cases,” commenting on presentations by Katharine Burn, Marilyn Cochran-Smith, Ian

   Menter, Kari Smith, and Simone White, Annual Meeting, American Educational

   Research Association, Washington, DC, April 10, 2016

Discussant, “Beyond the Matching Algorithm: The Implications of Intra-District Choice

   for Schools, Families, and Students,” commenting on presentations by Sean Corcoran,

   Betheny Gross, Michah Rothbart, and Jon Valant, Annual Meeting, Association for

   Education Finance and Policy, Denver, March 19, 2016

Panelist, “For-Profit Schools: Potential or Poison?,” with John Bailey, Michael Horn, and

   Mickey Revenaugh, Education Leadership Conference, Yale School of Management,

   March 27, 2015

Moderator, “Nurturing Minds: Educational Design Policies, Finland/New York,” with

   Bruce Barrett, Ruth Lacey, Kaisa Nuikkinen, Pasi Sahlberg, and Steve Stoll, Center for

   Architecture, New York, October 16, 2012

Panelist “The Finland Phenomenon,” with Richard Ianuzzi, Tony Wagner, and Randi

   Weingarten, Half Hollow Hills Teachers Association, Half Hollow Hills High School,

   NY, May 30, 2012

Panelist, “Creating Great Schools,” with Stephen Murgatroyd, Pasi Sahlberg, and Dennis

   Shirley, Alberta Teachers Association and Finnish National Board of Education,

   Helsinki, Finland, May 3-4, 2012

Coordinator and Discussant, “Finnish Lessons,” lecture by Pasi Sahlberg, Teachers

   College, September 27, 2010

Coordinator and Moderator, Symposium on Finnish and American Schooling, involving

   ten members of the Finnish Parliament, six members of the Teachers College faculty,

   and four outside experts, March 22, 2010

Professional Activity:

Fellow, National Education Policy Center, University of Colorado, Boulder, September

   2020 –

Commissioner, Health and Education Subcommittee, Resilient Puerto Rico Advisory

   Commission, January – June 2018

Spencer Fellowship Mentor to Audrey Watters, Columbia Journalism School, September

   2017 – May 2018

Consultant, Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2012-2014,

   author of indicators on learning time, teacher education, teaching, and professional

   development for Education at a Glance

Referee/Reviewer: Emil Aaltonen Foundation, Bloomsbury Press, Columbia University

   Press, Compare, Education Inquiry, Educational Policy, Educational Researcher,

   Harvard Education Press, Higher Education Quarterly, Interchange, International

   Conference on School Choice and Reform, Journal of Education Policy, Peter Lang,

   Review of Educational Research, Springer, Teachers College Press, Teachers College

   Record

Book Reviewer, College Board, A.P. Central, 2002 – 2007

In the Media:

The Anchorage Daily News, Associated Press, The Atlantic, Bloomberg, Chalkbeat, CQ

   Researcher, Education Week, L’Espresso, Fréttatíminn, The Hechinger Report,

   Helsingin Sanomat, The Helsinki Times, International Affairs Forum, Inter Press

   Service,  Le Monde Diplomatique, The New Republic, Newsweek, The New York Times,

   NotiCel, Phi Delta Kappan, ProPublica, Slate, Sveriges Television, Tampa Bay Times,

   Time, Town & Country, Vanity Fair, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post,

   The Washington Post Magazine, WBUR, WFSU, and WXPI

Association Memberships:

American Educational Research Association

Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management

Comparative and International Education Society

World Association for International Studies

Awards and Honors:

Knight, First Class, Order of the Lion of Finland, awarded by the Finnish government,

   May 2014, in recognition of advancing the understanding of Finnish education

Coach of the Year, Ice Hockey in Harlem, 2009-2010

Faculty Commencement Speaker, Beacon School, June 2009

Faculty Commencement Speaker, Friends Academy, June 1995

King’s Gold Crown Award, 1989, for service as a volunteer in the Columbia Big

   Brothers/Big Sisters program, both as a Big Brother to a neighborhood boy for four

   years and co-director of the program for two

Research Grants:

Southern Poverty Law Center, “Pilot Study of Fiscal Impact of Private School Vouchers

    on Public Schools,” February 15, 2020 – February 14, 2021 ($35,000)

Smith Richardson Foundation, “The Limits of For-Profit Schooling,” September 1, 2008

    – August 31, 2009 ($25,000)

Anthony E. Meyer Family Foundation, “The Limits of For-Profit Schooling,” September 

   1, 2008 – August 31, 2009 ($5,000)

Fellowships:

Fulbright Scholar Award, University of Turku, Finland, September 2022 — August 2023

Tisch Distinguished Fellow, Teachers College, September 1, 2016 – May 31, 2018

Previous Employment:

Beacon School, Department of Education, New York, September 1999 – August

   2008

   Teacher: taught American history and economics; programming chair (2001-2008),

   responsible for building and managing the school’s master schedule; commencement

   faculty speaker (2009)

Friends Academy, Locust Valley, NY, September 1991 - June 1999

   Teacher: taught European and American history as well as economics; assistant coach

   of the cross-country team (1992-1994) and coach (1995-1998); faculty coordinator

   of Work Crew, the student clean-up program (1992-1999); faculty representative on

   the Student-Faculty Judiciary Council (1993-1995); commencement faculty speaker

   (1995); author of chapter on grammar and usage for the school’s style manual (1995)

Harvard University Libraries, Cambridge, MA, November 1990 - August 1991

   Bibliographic Researcher

Westfield Senior High, Westfield, NJ, September 1989 - June 1990

   Teacher: taught American and world history