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The Washington Post’s Valerie Strauss recently published an opinion piece, “The ‘Walmartization’ of public education,” in which she derides the Friedman Foundation for our work to empower families to choose the best educational setting for their children. Strauss’s arguments are ones we hear repeatedly from those who would prefer a one-size-fits-most, system-centered approach to K–12 […]
In a Part I of this series, I shared my wife’s and my history with K–12 public schooling before listing seven reasons why problematic public school classroom conditions have survived decades of education reform efforts. I discussed only the first three: Weak, often poorly targeted, incentives for educator effectiveness and parental involvement Classroom composition policies […]
When many people think of school choice, they think of programs that help students who live in struggling areas where the public schools are not always the best choice for a successful education. Loudoun County, Virginia however, is not one of those counties. The county schools are exceptional. The district boasts graduation rates one […]
Faulty faucets that constantly drip can prove costly over time. In Tennessee, the legislative efforts to fix our education system via school choice have been dripping for the past five years. And indeed, that pattern not only is costing many children their futures, it’s adding up for taxpayers. As the Tennessee legislative session reaches high […]
Does the Arizona legislature hate public schools? Arizona Republic columnist Laurie Roberts says it does. Her proof: Senate Bill 1434, which would expand eligibility for Arizona’s education savings accounts (ESAs) to include students on district and charter school waiting lists. Under Arizona’s ESA law, the state takes 90 percent of the funds it would have […]
This week’s Vice.com article, “The Paradox of School Choice,” tells the story of a young couple who, despite the premium they pay in home costs, still found it difficult to enroll their younger brother in their (at-capacity) public school of choice. Even in Ohio’s educational environment, which ranks in the top 10 states of the […]
At the heart of school accountability is quality. The burn is, who decides quality? What’s relieving about school choice is the ability for families to decide that definition for themselves. And as a new study from Wisconsin shows, their reasons are not always limited to academics. Under Secretary Arne Duncan, the U.S. Department of Education […]
Today’s freakout comes to us from a frustrated teacher in the comments of “Half of All School District Employees Aren’t Teachers” on Ricochet. This veteran teacher said it best. Public schools have become increasingly burdened with regulations, including additional mandated testing, data processing, and reporting. Often times and especially in Cow Girl’s case, administrators with […]
“We need to fully fund our school formula” has become a common refrain in statehouses across the country—including in Mississippi. There is a way policymakers can increase funds for public school students—and it’s as easy as E-S-A. The Great Recession left many states unable to appropriate enough money to fund public schools at the per-student […]
Today’s freakout comes to us from the comments section of the The Washington Post piece “Amicus brief on empirical data about school vouchers”. The article itself explains Douglas County, Colorado’s school voucher pilot program, which allows up to 500 students (out of 66,000 in the district) to receive an education voucher. The ACLU of Colorado […]