Opinion
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DC Leaders Announce Support for Vouchers
Opinion -A new day is dawning for K-12 education in the nation’s capital. -
Good News on U.S. Reading Scores–Or Is It?
Opinion -The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), which examined the performance of 150,000 fourth-grade students throughout the world, found U.S. -
Too Many Students Flunk Writing
Opinion -In response to growing concerns in the business, education, and policy-making communities about the low level of student writing skills, a blue-ribbon panel is recommending a writing agenda for the nation that includes doubling the time most K-12 -
Education Failures Imperil U.S. Manufacturing
Opinion -A looming shortage of highly skilled employees threatens to undercut the competitiveness of U.S. manufacturing and weaken the economy, according to a study released in April by the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). -
Disrespectful Students More of a Concern than Testing
Opinion -While some educators and administrators have raised concerns about the testing and accountability provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, there’s no nostalgia among teachers or others for a return to the pre-standards policies of the past, -
The Crayola Curriculum
Opinion -After touring hundreds of early-grade classrooms during the designated reading period a few years ago, education writer Mike Schmoker generally found students sitting in small, unsupervised groups, supposedly involved in learning activities. -
Special Ed Bill Brings Valuable Reforms, No Choice
Opinion -Being the parent of a disabled child can never be an easy task, and the rules governing the federal special education system often add onerous new levels to the challenge. -
06/2003 The Friedman Report: An Eye on the Opposition
Opinion -Those who work in school choice advocacy are undoubtedly familiar with the cleverly written and impeccably researched insider’s knowledge on teacher unions that hits their email in-boxes every week from the Education Intelligence Agency. -
Where Do Public Education Dollars Go?
Opinion -U.S. public education spent a total of $410.6 billion in school year 2000-01, according to Public Education Finances 2001, a March 2003 report from the U.S. Commerce Department’s Census Bureau. Out of each public education dollar spent, 85. -
Mayor’s Statement on DC School Choice Initiatives
Opinion -“For too many years, District government officials have struggled to make improvements to our school system. Despite an infusion of local funding over the past four years, we have not seen the kinds of improvements that we had hoped to see. -
Right Man for the Job: an exclusive interview with Roderick Paige
Opinion -If ever the right man got the job, it was Roderick Paige when he was appointed the seventh U.S. Secretary of Education in January 2001. -
06/2003 The Friedman Report: School Choice Roundup
Opinion -Alabama * Arizona * Colorado * Connecticut * Florida Louisiana * New York * Rhode Island * Texas * Wisconsin ALABAMA Register: State Should Consider Vouchers Noting that as many as 20 other states are considering vouchers as a way to improve -
Cleveland Voucher Students Match Public School Peers
Opinion -In March 2003, the Indiana Center for Evaluation at Indiana University released the newest of a seven-year series of evaluations of the Cleveland Scholarship and Tutoring Program (CSTP). -
How Much Does Your School District Spend?
Opinion -In March, the U.S. Census Bureau released Public Education Finances 2001, a 99-page report highlighting school revenues and expenditures for the 2000-01 year. -
Just the Facts: NAEP Reports Reading and Writing Scores
Opinion -The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is a continuing nationwide assessment of what America’s students know and can do in various subject areas. -
Public School Spending Will Be More Accurately Reported
Opinion -The nation is spending more money on public education than the public has been led to believe. -
Reading Is at the Forefront of Local Education Policy
Opinion -The new federal push for schools to ensure their programs of instruction are based on valid science is lending urgency to an old debate over the best way to teach reading. -
Camden, NJ Takeover Upheld
Opinion -On March 18, at the Mercer County Courthouse in Trenton, New Jersey, Superior Court Judge Andrew J. Smithson upheld the constitutionality of a state takeover plan, originally passed last July, for the city of Camden and its public schools. -
With Vouchers, Would Religious Schools Predominate?
Opinion -If parents were provided with tax-funded vouchers, or scholarships, so they could freely choose to send their child to a public school, a secular private school, or a religious school, would it lead to a preponderance of religious schools of choice? -
Six Bills Would Expand Choice in Vermont
Opinion -Suit Aims to Open Choice to Religious Schools Although the U.S. -
Two Hairy Stories
Opinion -A public school policy that a judge regards as “stupid” nevertheless provides two lessons for private schools who wish to maintain their independence: It is vitally important--even in the absence of vouchers--to adopt and communicate written policies -
Accountability Requirements of Existing School Choice Programs
Opinion -Independence Institute researcher Marya DeGrow has compiled an informative list of the accountability requirements of current voucher and tax credit programs, from tuitioning in Vermont and Maine to the latest tax credit and voucher programs in -
School Choice Would Encourage Parental Involvement
Opinion -Although education-related organizations like the National PTA, the American Federation of Teachers, and the National Education Association all promote the idea of parental involvement, they are rigidly opposed to one proven method for encouraging -
Just the Facts: Parents and Student Achievement
Opinion -According to a study by Brian D.
