“Every child deserves to have an education tailored to meet their needs, and parents deserve the right to make that choice,” stated Arizona Governor Jan Brewer (R) last year. A self-professed proponent of school choice, last night she shed that mantle and vetoed legislation that would have provided significant new choices to students in failing schools. Last year, Arizona was on the forefront of a school choice revolution, thanks in large part to Governor Brewer. The Grand Canyon State created first-in-the-nation Empowerment Scholarship Accounts (ESA). Through the ESAs, parents of … More
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The New Hampshire legislature recently passed a tuition tax credit option that would provide low- and middle-income students with increased educational choice. The School Choice Scholarship Act would provide tax credits to businesses that donate to nonprofit organizations that provide vouchers to low- and middle-income children. The participating businesses can receive a credit of up to 85 percent of their donations. Students would receive up to $2,500 per scholarship to move to another school or up to $625 to cover the expenses of homeschooling. The School Choice Scholarship Act also … More
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In Connecticut, Commissioner of Education Stefan Pryor believes drastic measures are needed to improve the state’s education system: Our state has the dubious distinction of having the largest achievement gap in the nation. This situation cannot be remedied through patient rationalization and modest tinkering. Instead, we must get involved—immediately and vigorously—in the places where students’ performance and life prospects are severely limited by their schools’ struggles. He’s right. Modest tinkering is not enough to cure Connecticut’s education ailments. And while Governor Dannel Malloy (D) is taking some good first steps, … More
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The South Carolina House has passed a tuition tax credit program that would give children access to scholarships to attend a private school of their choice. Individuals who donate to the privately funded scholarships for low-income and special needs students would be eligible for a tax credit. The proposal also creates tax deductions for families to help cover educational expenses. Families would receive tax deductions of up to $4,000 to cover the cost of sending their children to private schools, $2,000 for homeschooling, and $1,000 to help with expenses related … More
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By Neal McCluskey
There is little question that parents have too little power in elementary and secondary education. In fact, they have almost no power: they can vote, but are otherwise usually relegated to being class moms, or holding bake sales, or some other fluffy “involvement” that gives them no real say over how their children are educated. [...]
Power Yes, Trigger No is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
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The positive momentum from the “Year of School Choice” in 2011 is being carried over into 2012, with several states primed to implement major reforms. Louisiana, already a pioneer in the school choice movement, is poised to make its New Orleans voucher program available statewide, allowing low-income students attending “C”-rated schools or lower to receive vouchers to attend private schools of their choice. If implemented, 380,000 students would qualify for the program, which has received high praise from New Orleans families. South Carolina is examining a proposal to implement a … More
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The Weekly Standard is reporting that teachers in Louisiana plan to cancel class this week in order to protest Governor Bobby Jindal’s (R) education reform proposals, which will see committee action tomorrow. The governor’s proposals include reforms to teacher tenure, a significant school choice expansion, and changes to teacher compensation in order to reward teachers based on performance, not seniority: And so, in response to these reforms even being considered, “at least three school districts are canceling classes and telling children to stay home to allow school employees the chance … More
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A newly released report by David Deming, assistant professor at the Harvard Graduate School for Education, shows that school choice doesn’t just foster academic improvement and increased graduation rates—students are also safer. Deming studied data on the amount of criminal activity that occurred in the Charlotte–Mecklenburg school district (CMS) after the district ended its policy of busing students in 2001. CMS had enacted its busing policy to satisfy Swann v. Charlotte, a court order to desegregate schools in the district starting in 1971. In 2001, the court order was overturned, … More
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Four years after data collection was completed, Americans are still awaiting the results of a study conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on the impact of the federal Head Start program. “The United States fought and won in the Pacific and Atlantic fronts of World War II in less time,” writes Carrie Lukas, managing director of the Independent Women’s Forum. Lukas goes on to say: Imagine the FDA [Food and Drug Administration] was conducting a clinical trial about a medication that nearly one million toddlers use … More
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Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s comments last week, in which he equated state lawmakers who question the Common Core national standards push with conspiracy theorists, are another indication that the Common Core Initiative is not the states-based movement the Administration claims it to be. Indeed, national standards have become the cornerstone of the Department of Education’s efforts to increase federal control over the content taught in local schools. As the Pioneer Institute has recently reported, national standards adoption will cost states nearly $16 billion—an amount far exceeding any grant money doled … More
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