Opinion
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Every Year, One-Half Million Students Drop Out of School
Opinion -Virtually guaranteeing for themselves a bleak future, almost 6 percent of the country’s 9.5 million youths aged 15-24 years dropped out of school in 1994-95 instead of successfully completing a high school program. -
Did They Really Say That?
Opinion -Among the misconceptions reported by respondents to the National Constitution Center’s Constitutional Knowledge Poll were these: The Constitution was written in France. -
Congressional Hearing Held on Cleveland Vouchers
Opinion -In September, the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program was the focus of a special Congressional subcommittee hearing held at the HOPE Central Academy in Cleveland. -
Cleveland Parents Are Highly Satisfied with Choice Schools
Opinion -While Cleveland, Ohio’s school choice scholarship program has been the target of much criticism from public school supporters such as the American Federation of Teachers, the families whose children are enrolled in the choice program have few if any -
Teachers Cheat in Kentucky
Opinion -Kentucky’s seven-year education reform effort, which rewards teachers with cash bonuses if their school’s test scores improve, has been marred by evidence of cheating by teachers to improve student scores, by highly subjective portfolio assessments, -
A Constitutional Quiz
Opinion -Although 84 percent of the people responding to the National Constitutional Center’s recent Constitutional Knowledge Poll believe that our system of government depends on active and informed citizens, only 5 percent could correctly answer ten -
New Poll and Paper Show How Schools Fail to Teach Civics
Opinion -A new poll reveals that most Americans lack a basic understanding of the U.S. Constitution and its provisions. While the new poll raises doubts about how well public education is achieving its fundamental mission, a white paper issued by the U.S. -
Typical Teachers Can Save Half Million in 12 Years?
Opinion -American Express Financial Advisors wanted a print advertising campaign showing how they could help those with modest incomes save for a comfortable retirement. -
Voucher Support Surprisingly Strong
Opinion -The support for school choice demonstrated by the 1997 National Survey of Americans’ Attitudes Toward Education and School Reform, released September 23 by the Center for Education Reform, is consistent with trends shown by the recently released Phi -
Fed. Standards, Tests Threaten Local Authority
Opinion -Although President Bill Clinton insists that his proposed national education standards and tests for fourth-grade reading and eighth-grade mathematics will be “voluntary,” concerns have been raised that the President’s plan will lead to increased -
11/1997 Voucher Voice
Opinion -New Scholarships Established in San Francisco In a unique expansion of the CEO America private scholarship program, the Pacific Research Institute has established a new performance-based, results-oriented program to serve 300 academically talented -
Ohio Hears Reform Lessons Learned by Other States
Opinion -Well over one hundred people attended an early September Symposium on School Finance and Reform, held in Columbus, Ohio, to hear experts from states on the leading edge of school reform. -
School Choice Progress by State
Opinion -Both The Heritage Foundation and the Center for Education Reform recently published 1997 editions of their state-by-state reviews of school choice programs. -
Precipitous Drop Seen in Illinois Reading Scores
Opinion -Although statewide third-grade reading scores on the Illinois Goals Assessment Program have dropped only slightly over the past five years, scores for other grades have suffered what State Schools Superintendent Joseph A. -
President Attacks School Choice
Opinion -Striking back at supporters of educational choice who had cheered Congress’ passage of two choice-friendly amendments to the education spending bill, President Clinton threatened to veto the entire package if either provision were included in the final -
11/1997 School Choice Roundup
Opinion -School choice news from the states. -
Responding to the Critics of Vouchers: What about the Kids?
Opinion -School Reform News contributing editor David Kirkpatrick is uniquely qualified to speak as an advocate of school choice. -
Scholarship Bill Introduced in Delaware
Opinion -Citing state spending that is now 22 percent above the national average and SAT scores that continue to fall, Delaware state representative Deborah H. -
Public Schooling Headed for Chaos
Opinion -Taking his title from a line in Robert Bolt’s play A Man For All Seasons, Stephen Arons’ insightful book, Short Route to Chaos: Conscience, Community, and the Reconstitution of American Schooling (University of Massachusetts Press, 1997), considers the -
11/1997 Parents’ Choice: Information for advocates of educational freedom
Opinion -Choice in the Courts While one school choice lawsuit reached a successful conclusion earlier this year, with the favorable June 23 U.S. -
Survey: Americans Want More Education Options, Better Education Quality
Opinion -Over 80 percent of Americans want more options and better education for their children, according to a new survey released on September 23 by the Washington, DC-based Center for Education Reform (CER). -
President’s Veto Threats Aim to Thwart Educational Choice
Opinion -President Bill Clinton has issued four veto threats since July 29 to thwart legislation promoting choice in education. -
A New Strategy for Property Tax Relief
Opinion -Another year has passed without reform of the state's system of financing schools. Republicans once again stopped a "tax swap" plan to lower property taxes by raising the state income tax, this time despite sponsorship of the plan by Governor Edgar. -
House Moves to Halt ‘Green Army’ Scheme
Opinion -Representative Kevin Brady (R-Texas) has cosponsored (with Representative Richard Pombo, R-California) and won House passage of legislation that expressed the “sense of Congress” that U.S.