Douglas County, Colorado is once again leading the state in education reform by adopting a teacher compensation plan that has school districts across the nation talking. Teachers in Douglas County are finally getting a pay system that could reflect their value: one that rewards hard work based on merit, not …
Two competing forces are pushing on America’s K–12 education system today. One is an effort to infuse education choice into a long-stagnant system, empowering parents with the ability to send their child to a school that meets her unique learning needs. The other is an effort to further centralize education …
The original “Man of the People,” Thomas Jefferson, was born on April 13 in 1743. Jefferson is best known for drafting the Declaration of Independence, but he also wrote prolifically and prophetically on education. “If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects …
It’s hard to overstate what an outstanding victory for school choice Indiana’s Supreme Court issued yesterday. Indiana’s highest court ruled unanimously in Meredith v. Pence that the Choice Scholarship Program (CSP), which provides vouchers to low-income and middle-income families in the Hoosier State, is constitutional. The suit, brought by the …
President Obama announced a major effort to expand government preschool early this afternoon. The plan would create a “continuum of child care for children from birth to age 5.” Expanding government preschool, particularly federal preschool, is wrought with problems. Any expansion of government preschool, whether state or federal, comes at …
We’re all used to hearing about the public school that is underperforming. But there are, without question, pockets of excellence throughout the country. Prince Georges County, Maryland, has one such pocket in Crossland High School—a public school with a passionate and respected principal at the helm. But it wasn’t always …
In California, social science instruction in public schools must include study of the “role and contributions” of certain “categories” of persons. A law passed last month updates those categories to include “lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans.” Known as the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act, or SB …
The taxpayer-funded, $10 billion public-education bailout moved one step closer to reality today when the Senate voted 61–38 on a cloture measure, clearing the path for bill consideration toward the end of the week. Since the House has already left for recess, Speaker Nancy Pelosi will have to call members …
