Opinion
-
NCLB Systems in Place, But Results Uncertain, Study Shows
Opinion -Experts from the RAND Corporation and American Institutes for Research (AIR), analyzing data from five years’ worth of experience with the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), say states have already put into place most of the law’s test-based accountability -
What Works: Charter Schools Expect Kids to Learn, and They Do
Opinion -“Who you is?” That’s how a student greeted me years ago in a Miami classroom. -
Mainstream Media Misleads Readers on School Choice Study
Opinion -A report titled “Fixing Milwaukee Public Schools: The Limits of Parent-Driven Reform,” released by the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute (WPRI) on October 23, shows why readers should do more than glance at newspaper headlines to gather the gist of the -
Chemicals Cleared in Pennsylvania Cancer Cluster
Opinion -Scientists have cast doubt on high-profile accusations that industrial chemicals are causing an elevated number of cases of a rare disease, known as polycythemia vera (PV), in eastern Pennsylvania. -
Indianapolis Mayor Is Ousted by Voters
Opinion -In one of the biggest political upsets in the state's history, popular two-term Indianapolis Mayor Bart Peterson (D) lost to Republican candidate Greg Ballard, a political unknown, in the November 6 mayoral election. -
Michigan’s High Taxes Drag Down State’s Economy
Opinion -Defenders of Michigan's recent tax increases argued additional revenue is necessary to provide much-needed government services. (See "Michigan Legislature Approves Income Tax Hike, New Sales Tax," Budget & Tax News, December 2007. -
Chicago Mayor Blocks New ‘Safety Assessment’ Tax Proposal
Opinion -Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley (D) has blocked a plan floated in the Chicago City Council to add an extra tax on local businesses to pay for customary fire and police protection. -
Researchers, Washington State Treasurer Slam Subsidies for Sports Facilities
Opinion -State and local governments are stepping up efforts to attract and retain professional sports teams, but economists and public policy experts question that spending. -
Health Mandate Left Out of Wisconsin Budget
Opinion -The Wisconsin legislature approved the state's final budget on October 23--and did not include a controversial, near-universal health insurance mandate that would have forced every resident to purchase health insurance. -
Pressing Forward with Health IT
Opinion -A growing number of initiatives within the private sector, among industry groups, and at the state level to promote and adopt health information technology (HIT) have some analysts suggesting federal efforts have been less effective than developments -
New Jersey Court Dismisses Parents’ Lawsuit
Opinion -A New Jersey trial court has dismissed a lawsuit by some parents of students in failing schools seeking school choice as a remedy. The case, Crawford v. Davy, was filed as a class-action lawsuit on July 13, 2006 in Essex County. -
Congress Is Getting Closer to Higher Education Reauthorization
Opinion -The U.S. House Education and Labor Committee has voted unanimously to approve legislation to reauthorize federal higher education programs for the next five years. -
A Clear Overview of Current Education Issues
Opinion -Wisdom Is Better Than Strength: An intimate discussion of the erosion of education in America by Lois Stovall Williams, Ph.D. -
Global Warming Health Fears Are Unsupported by Science
Opinion -University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Jonathan Patz published a paper in the November 12 issue of the journal EcoHealth asserting carbon dioxide emissions from the United States are causing great harm in the world’s poorest nations. -
Environmental Scares Exposed One-By-One
Opinion -Challenging Environmental Mythology By Jack Dini SciTech Publishing, 2003 207 pages, $24.95, ISBN 978-1891121296 Jack Dini, author of Challenging Environmental Mythology, is every bit the environmentalist. He loves animals and scenic parks. -
Better Traffic Flow Is Possible in Puget Sound Region: State Auditor
Opinion -Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire (D) and the state legislature need to combat traffic congestion in the Puget Sound region, according to a new performance audit by State Auditor Brian Sonntag. -
Film Documents Impact of Eminent Domain Abuse
Opinion -Phil Klein has been arrested at a public meeting, and his assistant's car has been vandalized, but the incidents have done nothing to cool his zeal for exposing what he says are attacks on property rights by states and local governments. -
CDHC Drives State-Level Policy Changes
Opinion -In an effort to help consumers comparison-shop, several states are now pushing hospitals to disclose their price lists for various procedures--a move that is being prompted by the growth of consumer-driven health care. -
FDA May Allow Pharmacists to Dispense Some Drugs Without a Doctor’s Prescription
Opinion -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is considering adopting a new drug classification that would allow some medications to be sold from behind the counter (BTC)--requiring only a pharmacist's approval instead of a doctor's prescription. -
Grading the Candidates’ Health Reform Plans
Opinion -Twenty years ago Michael Dukakis campaigned for president with the boast, "I have insured everybody in Massachusetts." Of course he hadn't, and two decades later it still hasn't happened. -
Alternate Library Plan Moves Forward
Opinion -Despite the overwhelming defeat of a referendum to raise taxes for the Louisville, Kentucky library system, it appears the library system will expand. -
The New Religious Left
Opinion -Nearly two decades after the birth of the Religious Right, a new movement of religious activists is on the rise. This time, though, they lean left. -
‘Privatization’ Pioneer Wins Prestigious Professorship
Opinion -E.S. "Steve" Savas chuckles when asked what he thinks about being named, with two other professors, the first "Presidential Professor" in the history of Baruch College in New York City. "Here I am, preaching privatization in a public university. -
Dueling Tax Packages Proposed in Congress
Opinion -Two tax reform plans with sharply different views of where federal income tax policy should head have been introduced in Congress, one by Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) and the other by a fellow member of the House Ways and Means Committee Rangel chairs, Rep.
