Public Schools
Commentary
Are You Smarter than a Fourteen-Year-Old?
Among the 32 countries participating in the latest Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. led in teaching hours per public school year – 1,080 – compared with an international average of 803. American schools also spend significantly more than their international counterparts (p. 265). What international achievement leaders ...
Commentary
Bringing clarity to school financing in Santa Clara County
Evergreen Times (San Jose, CA), June 27-July 10, 2009 p.5 California’s fiscal outlook continues to worsen. Concern is now mounting over the impact the state’s budget deficit will have on education funding. The California teachers Association (TTA), along with tate Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, claims California’s per-pupil funding ...
Commentary
I Have to Admit, I Was Wrong
CATO at Liberty Blog, June 26, 2009 I’ve just discovered that my calculation of DC education spending per pupil was wrong, and I have to publish a correction. I wrote back in March that total DC k-12 spending, excluding charter schools, was $1,291,815,886 during the 2008-09 school year. That still ...
Commentary
The Teacher Unions’ War Against Military Families
The Senate Armed Services Committee is considering a proposal to provide military families with tuition vouchers. The idea enjoys support in the military but the National Education Association (NEA) has mounted an attack in a letter to the Committee, part of its ongoing battle against educational choice. Both the NEA ...
Commentary
“Districts of Choice” Program a Good Choice
California’s Districts of Choice program allows school boards to decide if their districts will accept students from outside their boundaries, giving families more options beyond the confines of their zip code. The program has been in place for 17 years but is set to expire at the end of June, ...
Business & Economics
Mountaineer Perspectives
As West Virginia celebrates its 146th birthday, residents ponder meaning, relevance of Montani Semper Liberi. Emblazoned upon the state flag and seal, the Latin phrase Montani Semper Liberi means “Mountaineers are always free.” Although West Virginians see the motto every time they look at a state flag, how often do ...
Commentary
Why Not Expand Successful G.I. Bill Concept to K-12?
AM1440 KINF – The Andy Caldwell Show (Santa Maria/Lompoc, CA) June 24, 2009 Independent Women’s Forum, June 24, 2009 Human Events, June 18, 2009 This week marks the 65th anniversary of the Servicemembers’ Readjustment Act of 1944, today known as known as the Montgomery G.I. Bill of Rights. By putting ...
Commentary
Diplomas Count…If You Can Get Them
Women’s Independent Forum, June 16, 2009 This post was co-authored by Evelyn B. Stacey, Education Studies Policy Fellow at the Pacific Research Institute in Sacramento, California. Education Week just released its annual “Diplomas Count ” report. It found that nearly 31 percent of students ended up without a high school ...
Business & Economics
California’s Textbook Case
Governor Schwarzenegger last month announced a first-in-the-nation plan to offer free digital math and science textbooks for high school students. Facing a $24 billion budget deficit, the governor touts the need for “such innovative ways to save money and improve services.” Shifting the curriculum online might help reduce the state’s ...
Commentary
Want Better Teachers? Improve Working Conditions
New research finds that compared to their public school counterparts, private school teachers are much more satisfied with their jobs. Why? Private schools hire based on talent and empower their teachers with decision-making about classroom discipline, curricula, and standards. In contrast, public schools often squander teacher talent, with only 68 ...
Are You Smarter than a Fourteen-Year-Old?
Among the 32 countries participating in the latest Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the U.S. led in teaching hours per public school year – 1,080 – compared with an international average of 803. American schools also spend significantly more than their international counterparts (p. 265). What international achievement leaders ...
Bringing clarity to school financing in Santa Clara County
Evergreen Times (San Jose, CA), June 27-July 10, 2009 p.5 California’s fiscal outlook continues to worsen. Concern is now mounting over the impact the state’s budget deficit will have on education funding. The California teachers Association (TTA), along with tate Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell, claims California’s per-pupil funding ...
I Have to Admit, I Was Wrong
CATO at Liberty Blog, June 26, 2009 I’ve just discovered that my calculation of DC education spending per pupil was wrong, and I have to publish a correction. I wrote back in March that total DC k-12 spending, excluding charter schools, was $1,291,815,886 during the 2008-09 school year. That still ...
The Teacher Unions’ War Against Military Families
The Senate Armed Services Committee is considering a proposal to provide military families with tuition vouchers. The idea enjoys support in the military but the National Education Association (NEA) has mounted an attack in a letter to the Committee, part of its ongoing battle against educational choice. Both the NEA ...
“Districts of Choice” Program a Good Choice
California’s Districts of Choice program allows school boards to decide if their districts will accept students from outside their boundaries, giving families more options beyond the confines of their zip code. The program has been in place for 17 years but is set to expire at the end of June, ...
Mountaineer Perspectives
As West Virginia celebrates its 146th birthday, residents ponder meaning, relevance of Montani Semper Liberi. Emblazoned upon the state flag and seal, the Latin phrase Montani Semper Liberi means “Mountaineers are always free.” Although West Virginians see the motto every time they look at a state flag, how often do ...
Why Not Expand Successful G.I. Bill Concept to K-12?
AM1440 KINF – The Andy Caldwell Show (Santa Maria/Lompoc, CA) June 24, 2009 Independent Women’s Forum, June 24, 2009 Human Events, June 18, 2009 This week marks the 65th anniversary of the Servicemembers’ Readjustment Act of 1944, today known as known as the Montgomery G.I. Bill of Rights. By putting ...
Diplomas Count…If You Can Get Them
Women’s Independent Forum, June 16, 2009 This post was co-authored by Evelyn B. Stacey, Education Studies Policy Fellow at the Pacific Research Institute in Sacramento, California. Education Week just released its annual “Diplomas Count ” report. It found that nearly 31 percent of students ended up without a high school ...
California’s Textbook Case
Governor Schwarzenegger last month announced a first-in-the-nation plan to offer free digital math and science textbooks for high school students. Facing a $24 billion budget deficit, the governor touts the need for “such innovative ways to save money and improve services.” Shifting the curriculum online might help reduce the state’s ...
Want Better Teachers? Improve Working Conditions
New research finds that compared to their public school counterparts, private school teachers are much more satisfied with their jobs. Why? Private schools hire based on talent and empower their teachers with decision-making about classroom discipline, curricula, and standards. In contrast, public schools often squander teacher talent, with only 68 ...
