Education
Charter Schools
Report calls for charter schools
With a pro-charter-school administration in Washington, the time is right for Nebraska to allow charter schools, according to a report being released today by a conservative Nebraska think tank. Charter schools, unencumbered by a bloated education bureaucracy, can deliver quality education at lower cost than traditional public schools, and the ...
Charter Schools
Is there a Need for Charter Schools in Nebraska?
The Platte Institute held a press conference at the State Capitol Wednesday to release a study that outlines a need for Charter Schools in Nebraska. Nebraska’s lack of legislation for allowing charter schools in the state is holding back the quality of education in Nebraska. Platte Institute Executive Director John ...
Commentary
On the Merits of Merit Pay
Last week California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two education bills that will make California more competitive for federal Race to the Top (RTTT) grants. The bills endured months of wrangling in the legislature and reformers remain concerned that the measures will not translate into the sweeping changes needed to improve ...
Education
Rethinking Big ED
Federal education spending per student has nearly tripled in real, inflation-adjusted dollars since 1970, but student achievement has, at best, flatlined. Last week President Obama admitted “On the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math tests, 4th graders showed no signs of progress for the first time in many ...
Commentary
Money before unions
Orange County Register, January 7, 2010 blog.abwre.com, January 10, 2010 Sacramento legislators and Gov. Schwarzenegger may have achieved one of the most elusive accomplishments in California politics: bucking the teachers unions. The Assembly passed a package of education bills Tuesday that give parents more authority to move their children out ...
Business & Economics
State’s taxes putting us all on the ropes
Los Angeles Daily News, January 5, 2010 MANNY Pacquiao is the premier boxer in the world, and his upcoming match with Floyd Merriweather could be the richest in history. Promoters are pushing for Staples Center in Los Angeles, but Pacquiao does not want to hold the bout in California. The ...
Education
The Obama Administration and the DC Student Voucher Program
Independent Women’s Forum, January 5, 2010 In his September 8 back-to-school speech, President Obama urged students to take responsibility for their actions. That is also good advice for the president himself and for his Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, considering that their recent actions are hurting the prospects of low-income ...
Commentary
Suburban schools not always great
A prominent California legislator from an inner-city district recently told a friend of mine that there were no poor-performing schools in the wealthy suburbs. This is a common perception among legislators, the media and parents, but it stands at odds with the facts. In 2008, there were 528 schools where ...
Commentary
As Congress Ends D.C. Voucher Program, Qatar Moves Toward Universal School Choice
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, ...
Commentary
My Word: Awful school funding formula plagues Alameda County
Bay Area News Group (Oakland, CA), December 23, 2009 CA Political News, December 23, 2009 CALIFORNIA’S FISCAL outlook continues to worsen. Concern is mounting over the impact the state’s budget deficit will have on education funding. The California Teachers Association (CTA), along with state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, ...
Report calls for charter schools
With a pro-charter-school administration in Washington, the time is right for Nebraska to allow charter schools, according to a report being released today by a conservative Nebraska think tank. Charter schools, unencumbered by a bloated education bureaucracy, can deliver quality education at lower cost than traditional public schools, and the ...
Is there a Need for Charter Schools in Nebraska?
The Platte Institute held a press conference at the State Capitol Wednesday to release a study that outlines a need for Charter Schools in Nebraska. Nebraska’s lack of legislation for allowing charter schools in the state is holding back the quality of education in Nebraska. Platte Institute Executive Director John ...
On the Merits of Merit Pay
Last week California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed two education bills that will make California more competitive for federal Race to the Top (RTTT) grants. The bills endured months of wrangling in the legislature and reformers remain concerned that the measures will not translate into the sweeping changes needed to improve ...
Rethinking Big ED
Federal education spending per student has nearly tripled in real, inflation-adjusted dollars since 1970, but student achievement has, at best, flatlined. Last week President Obama admitted “On the 2009 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math tests, 4th graders showed no signs of progress for the first time in many ...
Money before unions
Orange County Register, January 7, 2010 blog.abwre.com, January 10, 2010 Sacramento legislators and Gov. Schwarzenegger may have achieved one of the most elusive accomplishments in California politics: bucking the teachers unions. The Assembly passed a package of education bills Tuesday that give parents more authority to move their children out ...
State’s taxes putting us all on the ropes
Los Angeles Daily News, January 5, 2010 MANNY Pacquiao is the premier boxer in the world, and his upcoming match with Floyd Merriweather could be the richest in history. Promoters are pushing for Staples Center in Los Angeles, but Pacquiao does not want to hold the bout in California. The ...
The Obama Administration and the DC Student Voucher Program
Independent Women’s Forum, January 5, 2010 In his September 8 back-to-school speech, President Obama urged students to take responsibility for their actions. That is also good advice for the president himself and for his Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, considering that their recent actions are hurting the prospects of low-income ...
Suburban schools not always great
A prominent California legislator from an inner-city district recently told a friend of mine that there were no poor-performing schools in the wealthy suburbs. This is a common perception among legislators, the media and parents, but it stands at odds with the facts. In 2008, there were 528 schools where ...
As Congress Ends D.C. Voucher Program, Qatar Moves Toward Universal School Choice
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, ...
My Word: Awful school funding formula plagues Alameda County
Bay Area News Group (Oakland, CA), December 23, 2009 CA Political News, December 23, 2009 CALIFORNIA’S FISCAL outlook continues to worsen. Concern is mounting over the impact the state’s budget deficit will have on education funding. The California Teachers Association (CTA), along with state Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, ...
