Opinion
-
Two Peas in a Pod
Opinion -The Sierra Club and trial lawyers have a great deal more in common than many people realize. Both have a huge financial stake in seeing to it that legal reform fails. As a result, both also have the same political enemies. -
CSF Partner Cities
Opinion -To date, 38 of 100 cities have been selected as partners by the Children's Scholarship Fund, with selection based on several factors, including local need, availability of matching funds, and capacity within the existing private and parochial schools. -
Spurious “Racist” Attack Angers Black Bishop
Opinion -A black minister cried shame on the leaders of African-American groups opposed to school vouchers, urging them to argue the merits of their case rather than lower themselves to the status of "racial mudslinger[s]. -
Approved Algebra Textbooks Flunk Review
Opinion -When a team of math professionals was asked to rate twelve introductory algebra textbooks approved for use in Texas schools, only four of the texts received better than a C grade and one was flunked. -
Midwest Gets Stuck with Tab for Northeast NOx Emissions
Opinion -How did you spend the fall? Raking leaves? Winterizing? I spent it watching health scares unravel. Meanwhile, EPA steamrolled over a whole new stretch of science. Let’s start there. -
All Pain and No Gain
Opinion -Saying the Kyoto Protocol on global warming is “all pain and no gain,” the chairman of a key congressional subcommittee warned that the yet-to-be ratified treaty “could significantly harm our economy and standard of living. -
Why Recycling Programs Fail to Meet Expectations
Opinion -Recycling programs, which began 10 years ago with high hopes of addressing the nation’s solid-waste problem, have failed to live up to expectations for profitability and consumer acceptance. -
Home Schooling Wins Acceptance
Opinion -When public school teacher David Guterson published his book, Family Matters: Why Homeschooling Makes Sense, in 1992, homeschoolers numbered just 300,000, and public reaction was decidedly negative. Now, with homeschoolers numbering an estimated 1. -
Choice Parents Rate Private and Public Schools
Opinion -Students in private schools are significantly more likely than students in public schools to report a positive educational climate in their school, according to a new report from Harvard University's Program on Education Policy and Governance. -
State Mathematics Standards
Opinion -"Standards are intended as a statement of what students should learn, or what they should have accomplished, at particular stages of their schooling," according to the evaluators of state mathematics standards, Ralph A. -
Algebra Texts that Fail
Opinion -Reviewers from Mathematically Correct say the following F-rated and D-rated algebra textbooks should never be considered for use in schools: Cord Algebra I: Mathematics in Context The Center for Occupational Research and Development (South-Western -
EPA’s Enforcement “Bean Counting” Grabs Headlines, Ignores Incentives
Opinion -Since its founding nearly 30 years ago, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has yet to grasp a fundamental truth: Sugar attracts more flies than vinegar. -
The Who, What, When, Where, and Why in Kyoto Pact
Opinion -The Kyoto Protocol was provisionally adopted last December at an international conference in Japan as an extension of the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. -
2 Nukes First to Seek 20-Year License Renewals
Opinion -The future of nuclear energy brightened dramatically when Baltimore Gas & Electric announced that it would apply for a license extension for its Calvert Cliffs nuclear power plant -- the first 20-year license request in the industry. -
Academics Over Integration
Opinion -Although integrated schools continue to be desirable to African-American and white parents, an overwhelming majority of African-American parents recently surveyed say that public schools have a more important priority: Raising academic standards and -
Children’s Scholarship Fund Announces 38 Partner Cities
Opinion -In just 100 days since entrepreneur Ted Forstmann and retailing heir John Walton committed $100 million to launch the program in June, the Children's Scholarship Fund (CSF) has raised over $70 million in matching funds from contributors in 38 partner -
‘Talkin’ Trash
Opinion -Two new reports charge that American school children are being manipulated and frightened by a steady stream of politically motivated educational materials that distort the facts about environmental issues. -
Phony Death-of-Species Arguments Won’t Die
Opinion -The argument that plant and animal species are disappearing at a rapid rate from the earth has gained a new, eloquent voice through a lengthy article in the influential Harper’s magazine. However, he fails to persuade the careful reader. -
State Geography Standards
Opinion -Of 38 states with geography standards in place (the other 12 either have no standards or are comprehensively revising existing ones), only six earned “honor” grades from the team of distinguished geographers pulled together by Susan Munroe and Terry -
To Avoid Abuse, Accountability Should Come with Autonomy
Opinion -The freedom that lawmakers give to charter schools could lead to abuse if accountability is not also part of the equation, according to Stacey Boyd, president of the ACHIEVE Pilot Project and founding director of the Academy of the Pacific Rim, an -
Ten Ingredients of High Performance Schools
Opinion -High-performance schools, according to Northwestern University management professor Michael Bakalis, are characterized by: 1. Clear vision of where to go and how to get there; 2. An administration that supports faculty and students; 3. -
Annenberg’s $500 Million: No Competition, No Gain
Opinion -As philanthropist Walter H. -
Frank Brown: School Choice Pioneer
Opinion -On July 25, the school choice movement lost one of its longest-serving heroes when Frank Brown passed away at his home in Chicago. He was 88. -
Cardinal’s Voucher Proposal Gets Cool Reception
Opinion -Philadelphia Public Schools Superintendent David W.