In a new survey, a majority of respondents support the expansion of families’ education options. But specific programs such as vouchers remain polarizing. ALIA WONG AUG 21, 2018 The results of a new poll suggest that a majority of Americans now support the expansion of school choice for all families. With 54 percent of respondents saying they…
Category: School Choice
As public education stumbles, democracy falls
By Wendy Lecker Sunday, August 5, 2018 There is a disturbing trend in American policy where a powerful few use government to benefit themselves at the expense of the many. The most recent example is Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin’s proposal to implement a $100 billion tax cut that would primarily benefit the 0.1 percent of…
Best Schools: Virginia Public Education Ranks In Top 10, DC Fails
The value placed on the teaching profession can have a big effect on the quality of public education in Virginia and Washington, DC By Deb Belt, Aug 6, 2018 WASHINGTON, DC — Students will be going back to school in a few weeks, but where they live often determines the quality of their education, according to…
Time to reinforce the building blocks of the American dream
BY MIKE TAMOR, 07/30/18 02:30 PM Successful nations, just like successful businesses, are built on three things: people, education and ideas. By opening our nation’s doors to people ready to build new lives and abide by the Constitution, the U.S. has become a stronger, more vibrant nation. By investing heavily in public education, the nation…
No, private schools aren’t better at educating kids than public schools. Why this new study matters.
By Valerie Strauss July 26, 2018 Despite evidence showing otherwise, it remains conventional wisdom in many parts of the education world that private schools do a better job of educating students, with superior standardized test scores and outcomes. It is one of the claims that some supporters of school choice make in arguing that the…
Report slams Texas’ underfunding of public schools
By John Austin Jul 29, 2018 AUSTIN — Texas’ school-age population is the nation’s fastest-growing, with about 850,000 new pupils in the past decade, but over the same period, the state cut public-education spending by $2.5 billion. The cuts are second only to Florida’s, according to a new report from the American Federation of Teachers,…
If you have a kid in public school (or know one), you need to follow this race
If you care about public education, about what Arizona students are learning and how well prepared they are to succeed in college and beyond, you should care who wins the election for superintendent of public instruction. Even if the office is largely administrative. The education superintendent alone can’t change what we pay teachers, what we teach…
State education officials tout mediocre college-readiness ranking (Idaho)
Wayne Hoffman July 24, 2018 Parents, students, and competent teachers deserve better than a public education system that celebrates mediocrity. That’s what they got earlier this month when the state’s top education officials hailed a report that ranks Idaho No. 5 nationally for college readiness of its graduating high school seniors. The ranking comes from…
What is Gov. Matt Bevin doing with Kentucky’s education boards?
Mandy McLaren, July 22, 2018 Gov. Matt Bevin is doubling down on the use of executive power to expand his authority over the future of Kentucky’s public schools. Bevin quietly altered or abolished several education boards this month through executive order, reasoning that the changes will streamline bureaucracy and enhance student learning. But his main…
What’s behind Scott Wagner’s public school pivot? (Pennsylvania)
State Sen. Scott Wagner, of York County, was the first Republican to announce a gubernatorial bid challenging incumbent Democrat Tom Wolf.(PennLive file photos) By John L. Micek So here’s one you probably didn’t see coming: Republican governor candidate Scott Wagner, who once said Pennsylvania could lay off 10 percent of its public school teachers and they wouldn’t…
Standing Strong for Public Education! 