Opinion
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Flush, Wired California City Applies for Broadband Funds
Opinion -A Los Angeles, California suburb nestled in a valley of high-density sprawl has applied for a share of the $7.4 billion in federal broadband stimulus funds intended for “underserved” communities. -
I Accuse!
Opinion -In 1898 an article by the great French novelist Emile Zola was published in L’Aurore. It was addressed to the president of France. Zola accused the military of having wrongly convicted Capt. -
North Carolina Group Sues for Equal Funding for Charters
Opinion -School choice advocates have brought a lawsuit in North Carolina seeking funding equity in public education. -
Wi-Fi Coming to NYC Commuter Trains
Opinion -More than a dozen Internet service providers are vying to provide wi-fi service on Metro North train lines providing service between New York City and upstate suburbs, Connecticut, and the Long Island Railroad. -
Milwaukee Moves Toward Mayoral Control of Schools
Opinion -Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett wants to dispense with elections and appoint the city’s public school board and superintendent himself next year--a plan he and Wisconsin Gov. -
Consumer Power Report #200
Opinion -We're keeping it short this week. I'll just note that this is the 200th issue of Consumer Power Report. It's a milestone of sorts, though I have been doing similar newsletters since launching the Health Benefits Letter in 1991. -
Lawsuit Abuse Fortnightly #8-20
Opinion -Height of GreedA California restaurateur is charged with violating the Americans with Disabilities Act because the mirror in the restroom of his family-owned restaurant was hung two inches too high. -
Michigan Parents Wnat More Choice, Report Says
Opinion -Parents across Michigan want more options for their children’s education, according to a report issued by the Michigan Senate Fiscal Agency. -
Harlem Teachers Block Access to Charter School
Opinion -A group of teachers, parents, and union officials staging a protest of a charter school with which they share a facility in the Harlem section of New York City temporarily blocked the entrance from a group of charter kindergarteners trying to get to -
Arizona Task Force to Review Tax Credit Scholarship Program
Opinion -A task force has been named by the Arizona legislature to investigate whether scholarship-granting organizations are playing by the rules or gaming the system. The task force will make recommendations for legislation to be considered next session. -
World’s First Global Virtual University Opens
Opinion -The first tuition-free, online university admitted its inaugural class this September, setting precedent for change in access to higher education worldwide. -
Pricey ‘Garbage Tax’ Fills Wisconsin Slush Fund
Opinion -Wisconsin residents are paying the nation’s highest solid waste tipping fees, often referred to as a “garbage tax,” supposedly to support state recycling programs. Instead, much of the money is being diverted to other purposes. -
Consumer Power Report #199
Opinion -Roy Ramthun and I did a couple of events in Virginia in the past week. About 250 people attended, mostly small business owners with a few insurance brokers. We were there to lay out the evidence for consumer-driven health care. -
Washington State Allows Special-Needs Scholarships
Opinion -Special-needs students who attend private, religious schools in Washington state will have an easier time getting their supplemental educational services, thanks to a policy change spurred by the threat of legal action. -
Seattle Voters Sack Bag Fee
Opinion -The Emerald City may have lost a bit of its green reputation but increased its fiscal soundness with Seattle voters’ rejection of a 20 cent fee on disposable paper and plastic bags. -
L.A. Loosens Reins on School Administration
Opinion -The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has decided to allow outside groups, including for-profit charter school organizations, to run one-third of the district’s schools and possibly open 50 new ones of their own creation. -
Civil Rights Movement Provides Ammo for ObamaCare
Opinion -A recent bulletin from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that minorities in Chicago were four times more likely to be hospitalized for swine flu infections than whites. -
New Model Legislation Available for Policymakers
Opinion -As part of its continuing efforts to equip state legislators with innovative public policy solutions, the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Education Task Force will wrap up 2009 with five new pieces of K-12-focused “model -
Wisconsin Legislators Address Federal Funding Barriers
Opinion -The potential of receiving a federal Race to the Top grant award has shifted Wisconsin’s education reform debate, but so far the state has made little legislative progress toward reaching the goal. -
Time to End the Big Health Care Shell Game
Opinion -Washington isn't in the business of common-sense health care reform. It's in the shell game business, and business is booming. -
NYC Charter Schools Improve Student Achievement
Opinion -New, rigorous research demonstrates the effectiveness of public charter schools in raising student performance and closing achievement gaps in urban areas. -
Legislators to Attend Education Technology Workshop
Opinion -The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) will host a discussion on technology’s role in educating America’s youth at its upcoming conference in Washington, DC. -
Obama Administration Advocates Longer School year
Opinion -Schoolchildren may be singing his praises—literally—in class, but if President Obama gets his way those kids will be spending much more time in school and much less on summer break. -
Ohio Charter Schools Face New Three-Strikes Policy
Opinion -Charter schools in Ohio will face closure at the end of this school year if their performance and growth are not up to par.