While many kids have sent their wish lists to Santa Claus, millions of kids around the country are wishing for an even more important gift this year—the chance to attend a good school. Brooke Dollins Terry of the Texas Public Policy Foundation published an important report documenting the long waiting lists at the Lone Star State’s charter schools. She found that: “Last year, 40,813 students were on waiting lists to attend a public charter school in Texas,” This number is more than double the 16,810 students the previous year.” Texas …
As regular readers of the Foundry know, Congress has recently moved to end the popular and effective D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program, denying low-income families the chance to attend a school of their parents’ choice. Meanwhile, other countries are pushing forward with plans to give all parents school choice. In September, Heritage’s Stuart Butler looked at the Sweden’s popular universal school voucher that began in 1992. Now, Lance Izumi of the Pacific Research Institute explains that Qatar, the small Persian Gulf nation, is planning to move forward with a universal school …
Writing on Townhall.com, Dr. Walter Williams asks an important question: “What’s to be done about this tragic state of black education?” Williams highlights the shockingly low test scores of students in predominantly African American cities like Detroit, where only 3 percent of 4th grade students scored proficient on the NAEP exam. He also examines a number of problems that contribute to the failing condition of black education in America, including: too much trust in the education establishment’s favored—but unsuccessful—policy solutions (including more school funding and teacher pay), a lack of …
In “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” Dr. Suess teaches children that even the most cold-hearted among us can find good in their hearts, especially during the holidays. Despite a series of recent setbacks, hundreds of low-income kids in Washington, DC are holding out hope that the Grinches on Capitol Hill who are working to kill the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program will have a similar change of heart. Last week, the House and Senate approved an Omnibus spending bill that includes legislative language that effectively ends the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program, …
Heritage’s Brian Riedl published a new web-memo today examining the earmark projects in the Pork-filled Omnibus bill that’s being rushed through Congress. Riedl reports that the bill: “Includes approximately 5,224 earmarks, bringing the FY 2010 total to 8,939, with a pork-laden defense bill expected to push the final total over 10,000.” Parents and taxpayers who are concerned about the condition of American education may be interested to review some of the large servings of pork that will be dished out by the Department of Education next year. (You can review …
Following news this week that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has led to jobs being “created or saved” in Congressional districts that don’t exist, the GAO issued a new report warning that the U.S. Department of Education is falling down on its oversight responsibilities. The GAO reports that the U.S. Department of Education: …Has made uneven progress in implementing a department-wide, risk-based approach to grant monitoring…Has limited financial expertise and training, hindering effective monitoring of grantees’ compliance with financial requirements… Lacks a systematic means of sharing information on grantees …
This week, the College Board released its annual report on Trends in College Pricing which found bad news for students and taxpayers. American colleges continue to hike tuition rates to record high levels—well ahead of the consumer price index. At 4-year public institutions, tuition and fees rose by 5.9 percent. At private 4-year (not for profit) colleges, tuition and fee costs rose by 4.4 percent. This year’s increases follow a trend that has lasted for decades with post-secondary education costs skyrocketing at rates well ahead of inflation. Policymakers on Capitol …
Parents across the country have raised alarm about President Obama’s planned “back to school” address to American students. When the Department of Education released a lesson plan that included asking youngsters—how can you help President Obama?—parents’ concern that their children were being “organized” for political purposes was justified. Since Thursday, the Department of Education’s “lesson plans” have been scrubbed of potentially political questions. When President Obama speaks to American students later today, we’re likely to hear a positive message that few will disagree with—about the need for students to stay …
D.C. School Choice Supporters Protest Education Secretary Duncan This morning, Education Secretary Arne Duncan held a joint press conference at a school in Washington, DC marking the start of the new school year. Sec. Duncan was there to speak about the challenges schools face related to the flu and H1N1 virus. But the Secretary was reminded about the administration’s decision to take away school choice scholarships from 216 children living in DC by a group of protestors led by school choice activist Virginia Walden Ford. As children in D.C. head …
In a cover story today, the Washington Examiner highlights the continuing exodus from traditional public schools in the D.C. school system: By Monday’s first school bell, charters project at least 28,000 students, or about 2,400 more than last year, while D.C. Public Schools expect about 45,000, or 2,000 fewer than in spring.dc This year’s decline follows a trend that has continued for decades. According to the Examiner, nearly 30,000 students have left the city’s public school system. Much of the exodus has been into the charter school system, which has …
