Tag: school choice
SPN Poll: Parents Support School Choice
January 28, 2023 The Center Square
More than six out of every 10 voters with children under 18 would be receptive to the prospect of their child attending a school outside of their locally zoned public district, a new State Policy Network poll finds. Overall, the SPN State Voices opinion poll of roughly 2,000 registered voters conducted in partnership with Morning Consult through online interviews found that 62% of respondents said they would interested in such an option, some 30% of them very much so.
National, NewsParents, school choice, State Policy NetworkLeave a comment
Ted Cruz Bills Aim to Advance School Choice Across the Country Through Tax Credits, 529 Expansion
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, commemorated National School Choice Week by filing two bills to advance school choice, one of which his staff said would be the most significant educational reform since the GI bill. "We need to provide students with a variety of educational options to fit their needs," Cruz told The Daily Signal in an email statement Tuesday. "I have often said that school choice is the civil rights issue of the 21st century, and I believe no differently today than I did when I began serving in the Senate a decade ago.
National, News529 Expansion, National School Choice Week, school choice, tax credits, Ted CruzLeave a comment
Florida House Speaker Paul Renner announced on Thursday that he'd filed school choice legislation that would provide education savings accounts and expand eligibility to children with unique abilities.
House Bill 1, which is sponsored by Choice & Innovation Subcommittee Chairwoman Kaylee Tuck, R-Lake Placid, would expand the state's ESA program, known as the Family Empowerment Scholarship Program. It would allow the money to be used for tuition at a home education or private school, private tutoring or an approved online course.
Battleground States, Florida, News, The SouthEducation Savings Account, Paul Renner, school choiceLeave a comment
Kentucky Supreme Court's Ruling Dismantles State's School Choice Program
December 17, 2022 December 16, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff
The Kentucky Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Thursday against the state's school choice program created in 2021.
The Education Opportunity Accounts (EOA) Act created a privately funded needs-based assistance program for those seeking a private education. Those who donated to the program received a nearly "dollar-for-dollar" tax credit which the court ruled violated Kentucky's Constitution which prohibits the collecting of a "sum" for "education other than in common schools."
National, NewsEducation Opportunity Accounts, Kentucky Supreme Court, school choiceLeave a comment
The School Choice Movement is Picking Up Steam Across the Country
The school choice movement is gaining momentum as states focus on legislation that would give families greater freedom to select their child's education, advocates told the Daily Caller News Foundation.
Utah, New Hampshire and South Carolina are pushing for more expansive school choice legislation that would increase the value of school choice vouchers and the number of eligible students, while states such as Arizona and Florida have already implemented programs that provide vouchers to students outside of the public school system. The increasing push for more school choice legislation across the country is because other states have provided the model to do so, advocates told the DCNF.
National, NewsAmerican Federation for Children, Building Education for Students Together, Educational Scholarship Trust Fund, Family Empowerment Scholarship, K-12 Education, school choice, School VoucherLeave a comment
Vermont Backs Down on Religion-Free School Choice after SCOTUS Knocks Down Maine Policy
December 5, 2022 December 4, 2022 Just the News
Vermont families that want to send their children to religious schools will no longer be excluded from the state's tuition benefit program, as a result of legal settlements in two cases brought by the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF).
The plaintiffs who were denied funding under the Town Tuition Program, which provides tuition for students who live in areas without local public schools, will get reimbursement for money spent out of pocket on tuition. Other families denied funding can apply as well.
National, News, The NortheastADF, Alliance Defending Freedom, Green Mountain State, Public Schools, school choice, SCOTUS, Supreme Court, Town Tuition Program, U.S. District Judge Christina Reiss, VermontLeave a comment
Survey: 61 Percent of Americans Say Public Education on Wrong Track
October 15, 2022 October 14, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
EdChoice's annual Schooling in America survey found 61 percent of Americans believe government-run education is headed in the wrong direction, while 76% of the public back parental choice programs such as education savings accounts (ESAs).
In 2022, the poll's tenth anniversary, the survey found 61 percent of Americans and 52 percent of school parents say public schools are on the wrong track, while 34 percent of Americans and 48 percent of school parents state government-led education is headed in the right direction.
National, News, SchoolEDChoice, Education Savings Accounts, Homeschooling, public school spending, school choice, school satisfaction, Schooling in America surveyLeave a comment
Florida and Arizona Top-Ranked States in Heritage Foundation's Education Freedom Report Card
September 10, 2022 September 9, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
The Heritage Foundation ranked Florida, followed by Arizona, as the states that most empower parents in their children's education and support education freedom.
On Friday Heritage published its first Education Freedom Report Card which provides measures of the concept in four categories: school choice, academic transparency, regulation freedom, and spending.
Arizona, Florida, News, School, The Southacademic transparency, Arizona, Education Freedom Report Card, Florida, Heritage Foundation, per pupil spending, regulation freedom, school choiceLeave a comment
School Choice Gaining Favor over Teachers' Unions and Socialist Bureaucrats
July 29, 2022 July 28, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
"School choice is good for everybody but unions, socialist bureaucrats and the tired education establishment," libertarian John Stossel wrote Wednesday at the New York Post.
The author and journalist observed the "silver lining" of the COVID pandemic is that parents discovered alternatives to public schools and, as the statistics are telling us, they continue to act on that discovery by removing their children from them – in droves.
National, News, SchoolCorey A. DeAngelis, government schools, Homeschooling, John Stossel, Michael Bloomberg, pandemic, Public Schools, school choice, student enrollment, teachers unionsLeave a comment
Commentary: Government Is the Biggest Obstacle to Educational Freedom
July 20, 2022 July 19, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff
In Massachusetts where I live, average private school tuition hovers around $23,000. For secular private schools, the cost is typically much higher, with Boston-area private school tuition often exceeding $40,000. This price tag is way too high for most families to afford, but emerging microschools are typically a fraction of the cost of other private education options.
For example, the Wilder School is a new Acton Academy-affiliated microschool that costs about $12,000 a year, while Life Rediscovered, a new homeschool resource center offering up to five days a week of full-day, drop-off learning, costs about $10,000. Even established local microschools, such as Bay State Learning Center that was founded in 2014 and that I wrote about in Unschooled, have similar tuition costs and frequently offer financial aid or sliding scale tuition.
Commentary, NewsEducational Freedom, government, school choiceLeave a comment
Commentary: Arizona's New School Choice Bill Moves Us Closer to Milton Friedman's Vision
July 3, 2022 July 2, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff
"Our goal is to have a system in which every family in the U.S. will be able to choose for itself the school to which its children go," the Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman stated in 2003. "We are far from that ultimate result. If we had that, a system of free choice, we would also have a system of competition, innovation, which would change the character of education."
Commentary, NewsArizona, Doug Ducey, Milton Friedman, school choiceLeave a comment
Teachers' Unions Condemn Supreme Court Decision Upholding Religious Freedom and School Choice
June 22, 2022 June 21, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
National and state teachers' unions condemned the Supreme Court's decision Tuesday that held a Maine tuition assistance program that bars families from using the taxpayer funds for religious schools is in violation of the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.
Union officials denounced the ruling as one that "attacks public schools," "erodes democracy," "harms students," and undermines "the separation of church and state."
Faith, National, News, School, UncategorizedCarson v. Makin, Establishment Clause, First Amendment, Free Exercise Clause, Maine, Religious Liberty, school choice, teachers unions, U.S. Supreme CourtLeave a comment
Supreme Court Rules Maine Law Excluding Religious Schools from Tuition Assistance Is Unconstitutional
In a major decision for religious freedom and school choice, the Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a Maine law that barred taxpayer tuition assistance funds from families choosing religious schools.
The Court ruled, 6-3, in Carson v. Makin, the Maine law that governs its tuition program's exclusion of religious schools, while accepting other private schools, is a violation of the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment and is, therefore, unconstitutional.
Faith, National, News, SchoolCarson v. Makin, Establishment Clause, First Amendment, Free Exercise Clause, Maine, Religious Liberty, school choice, U.S. Supreme CourtLeave a comment
Michael Bloomberg Blames Teachers' Unions for Keeping Money Flowing to Traditional Government Schools and Away from Charter Schools
June 7, 2022 June 6, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
Former Democrat New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says teachers' unions were responsible for keeping schools locked down during the pandemic, a move that has enabled a mass exodus of students from traditional government schools throughout the country.
Given the generally poor academic achievement of America's students, the steep drop in enrollment means states are now paying more to educate fewer children, and, "paying more for failure," he asserts.
National, News, SchoolBiden Administration, charter schools, government schools, Homeschooling, Michael Bloomberg, private schools, school choiceLeave a comment
Thales Academy Opens First Rural County School in Pittsboro, North Carolina
April 14, 2022 April 13, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
Thales Academy opened the doors of its brand new building in Pittsboro, North Carolina, Monday, as about 100 students from the academy's Cary campus moved to the new facility in rural Chatham County.
"Chatham is the first time that Thales has been in a rural county," Bob Luddy, the founder and chairman of Thales Academy, told The Star News Network. "So, my thought was having a facility of that quality in a rural county that's a private initiative is going to change the way people think about K-12 education."
National, NewsBob Luddy, Chatham County, classical curriculum, Direct Instruction, North Carolina, private schools, rural schools, school choice, Thales AcademyLeave a comment
Commentary: Three States Are Rethinking the Relationship Between Housing and Education Quality
April 12, 2022 April 11, 2022 RealClearWire
Most of the nation's 48.2 million public K-12 students are assigned to their schools based on geographic school districts or attendance zones, with few options for transferring to another public school district. This method of school assignment intertwines schooling with property wealth, limiting families' education options according to where they can afford to live.
A 2019 Senate Joint Economic Committee report found that homes near highly rated schools were four times the cost of homes near poorly rated schools. This presents a real barrier for many families – and 56% of respondents in a 2019 Cato survey indicated that expensive housing costs prevented them from moving to better neighborhoods. The challenge has only deepened as housing prices skyrocketed during the pandemic, putting better housing and education options out of reach for many.
Commentary, NewsK-12 edudation, Kansas, Missouri, open enrollment, school choice, South CarolinaLeave a comment
Commentary: Racially Sensitive 'Restorative' School Discipline Isn't Behaving Very Well
April 8, 2022 April 7, 2022 RealClearWire
The fight outside North High School in Denver was about to turn more violent as one girl wrapped a bike chain around her fist to strike the other. Just before the attacker used the weapon, school staff arrived and restrained her, ending the fight but not the story.
Most high schools would have referred the chain-wielding girl to the police. But North High brought the two girls together to resolve the conflict through conversation. They discovered that a boy was playing them off each other. Feeling less hostile after figuring out the backstory, the girls did not fight again.
This alternative method of discipline, called "restorative practices," is spreading across the country – and being put to the test. Many schools are enduring sharp increases in violence following the return of students from COVID lockdowns, making this softer approach a higher-stakes experiment in student safety.
Commentary, Newsbehavior, education, learning, public school, racially sensitive, School, school choice, school disciplineLeave a comment
Commentary: Parents Can Fight and Defeat Critical Race Theory
April 4, 2022 April 3, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff
Five years ago, hardly anyone knew what Critical Race Theory (CRT) was, but now the phrase is a common one in American households. The Marxist-based theory advocating a race-essentialist approach to education, law, public policy, and even health care, seeks to deconstruct the foundations of society and rebuild it as "antiracist," while discriminating against whites along the way. Many people are overwhelmed with both the pervasiveness of the doctrine and the large task of fighting it.
Parents in Loudon County, VA, have tackled the issue head on, making national news by loudly criticizing CRT and electing school board members opposed to it. Such efforts, however, have been piecemeal nationwide.
Momentum in fighting this hate-doctrine is growing, though, and many parents want to know how they can protect their children and eradicate such teaching from their local schools. Catrin Wigfall, a Policy Fellow with the Center of the American Experiment, offers some practical ways parents can fight CRT.
Commentary, NewsCRT, education, government, learning, Parents, school choice, schools, students, teachersLeave a comment
Commentary: Hybrid Schools Are Reshaping Education
They're not exactly schools, but they're not homeschools either. They have elements of structured curriculum and institutional learning, while offering maximum educational freedom and flexibility. They provide a consistent, off-site community of teachers and learners, and prioritize abundant time at home with family. They are not cheap but they are also not exorbitant, with annual tuition costs typically half that of traditional private schools.
Hybrid schools are, in the words of Kennesaw State University Professor Eric Wearne, the "best of both worlds," drawing out the top elements of both schooling and homeschooling while not being tied too tightly to either learning model.
Wearne studies hybrid schools and is the director of the National Hybrid Schools Project which seeks to better understand this educational approach and why it's been gaining popularity in recent years. Wearne joined me on this week's episode of the LiberatED Podcast to talk more about hybrid schools and how they are reshaping American education.
Commentary, NewsCRT, education, homeschools, learning, LiberatED, Private School, School, school choiceLeave a comment
Biden Education Department 'Declares War' on Charter Schools as School Choice Becomes Overwhelmingly Popular in America
March 30, 2022 March 29, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
As more families and teachers flee government schools, the Biden administration – bound to the teachers unions – has now "declared war" on charter schools, as Robert Maranto, editor of the Journal of School Choice, wrote at National Review Monday.
The Biden education department is now on a path to sabotage the federal grant program that funds charter schools, public schools that are privately managed, with its proposal of new rules that appear to actually deter applicants from seeking grants.
National, News, SchoolBiden Administration, Bob Luddy, charter schools, Corey DeAngelis, government schools, private schools, Robert Maranto, school choice, teachers unions, Thales Academy, U.S. Department of Education, Wall Street JournalLeave a comment
Kerry McDonald: Parents' Demand for More Education Options Has Been Met with Greater Innovation in Providing Alternatives to Public Schools
March 22, 2022 Susan Berry, PhD
Senior Education Fellow at the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) Kerry McDonald told The Star News Network the time is ripe in America for greater innovation and entrepreneurship in providing new education models for parents exiting the government school system.
Many parents got an up-close look at what their children are learning in public schools for the first time during the pandemic school closures and subsequent remote learning, leading them to consider education alternatives.
National, News, SchoolEntrepreneurship, government schools, Homeschooling, K-12 Education, Kerry McDonald, microschools, public school exodus, Public Schools, school choiceLeave a comment
Corey DeAngelis: More School Choice Creates Greater Incentive for Teachers' Unions to Push Student-Focused Policies
In an interview with The Star News Network, nationally known school choice advocate Corey DeAngelis said teachers' unions would be incentivized to push for more student-focused policies in public schools if school funding followed the child and more states adopted school choice programs.
DeAngelis, the national director of research at the American Federation for Children, is also an adjunct scholar at the Cato Institute, and a senior fellow at the Reason Foundation.
National, News, SchoolAmerican Federation for Children, Corey DeAngelis, Education Savings Accounts, government schools, K-12 Education, Parental Rights, Public Schools, school choice, school vouchers, teachers unionsLeave a comment
Commentary: Civics Education Is More Important Than Ever
March 16, 2022 March 15, 2022 RealClearWire
At its founding, American K-12 public education was meant to prepare young people to be active participants in our democratic republic. That should still be its highest purpose, especially when it comes to teaching civics.
Historically, public schools held fast to the principle that effective education must be non-partisan. Knowing they had great power to influence young minds, teachers used to be careful to choose content and pedagogies that restricted their ability to impose their personal political views on schoolchildren.
Today, maintaining non-partisanship is more important than ever in classrooms. Sadly, it's increasingly dishonored. Civics has become a hot-button issue of late, particularly after remote learning allowed more parents to see what their children were actually being taught. Many were not happy with what they saw, and the debate over civics education is symptomatic of the larger divide that has become such a looming threat to American society.
Commentary, NewsCivics, classrooms, education, government, K-12, learning, Policy, public education, school choiceLeave a comment
Texas Lt. Governor Proposes Eliminating Tenure to Rid CRT from Public Universities
The Texas Lieutenant Governor has stated his priority to eliminate tenure in an attempt to stop Critical Race Theory (CRT) from "poisoning the minds of the next generation."
During a Feb. 18 press conference, Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick argued that academia has been infiltrated by "tenured, leftist professors" and called for additional oversight methods to crack down on the controversial curriculum.
Patrick defined CRT as "an offshoot of critical legal studies, which is an offshoot of a socialist program (which says) that everything that happened in life is based on racism."
National, NewsAdministration, CRT, education, higher education, learn, learning, School, school choice, students, teacher, Tenure, Texas, UniversitiesLeave a comment
Commentary: Revitalizing K-12 Education with 10,000 New Charter Schools
March 2, 2022 March 1, 2022 RealClearWire
The American K-12 education system has been failing too many students for too long. And the problem has only gotten worse amid pandemic-era school closures and remote learning.
Increasingly, parents are venting their frustration at local government bureaucracies and teachers' unions that they believe have too often failed to put the interests of kids first — and some are voting with their feet.
Throughout Covid-19, traditional public school enrollment has dropped by 3.3% (1.45 million students) while charter school enrollment has increased by 7.1% year over year (237,000 students). Families are increasingly taking advantage of other non-traditional schooling options as well: according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the rate of homeschooling nationwide increased by 5.6 percentage points between April and October 2020.
Commentary, NewsAdministration, CRT, education, K-12, learning, pandemic-era, Parents, public school, school choice, students, teachersLeave a comment
Over 70 Percent of Americans Support School Choice: Poll
Over 70% of Americans support funding students' education rather than public education systems, according to a new poll conducted by RealClear Opinion Research.
Among a majority of respondents, 72% support school choice, according to a poll conducted by RealClear Opinion Research, which surveyed over 2,000 registered voters from Feb. 5 – 9, 2022.
National, NewsAmerican Federation for Children, Cory DeAngelis, education, RealClear Opinion Research, school choice, studentsLeave a comment
Commentary: Shutting Down Parents Does Not Help Public Education
February 22, 2022 February 21, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff
As school districts start dropping the mask mandates, removing pornographic books from their libraries, and explicitly prohibiting critical race theory, it's clear that the parent protests are working. School boards, even in progressive bastions like San Francisco, are currently being cleaned out and replaced by more pro-parent members. Moreover, politicians like the governor of Oklahoma are openly instituting a school choice model that would allow for different schooling models and have education dollars follow the student, not automatically go to the school.
Naturally, these developments invite more pushback (sometimes literally so) from those who believe they're supporting public education. It was fine in the past to let various kooky parents carry on about the evils of teaching Harry Potter or sex ed; school boards and district leaders could simply yawn and carry on as before. However, now that it actually threatens their authority and influence, they can no longer ignore parents' concerns..
In general, opponents of protesting parents make the same points over and over. They deny that public schools have problems, play semantic games with critical race theory ("it's just an abstract legal theory taught in law school," etc.), and accuse angry parents of being misguided racists. In their view, parents who demand a more wholesome and academic experience for their children are actually demanding an exclusively white and privileged experience. And for good measure, they will add an anecdote about a heroic public school teacher changing lives, proving beyond any doubt that public schools are still doing noble work and are essential for a healthy, diverse society.
Commentary, NewsAdministration, critical race theory, CRT, diversity, education, Mask Mandates, parent, Public Schools, school board, school choice, students, teachersLeave a comment
Commentary: Democrats Want to Destroy Your Children
February 8, 2022 February 7, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff
No, this is not another Qanon or Pizzagate conspiracy theory. It's a sober recitation of the facts and incidents that can support no other conclusion.
Let's start with one important stage-setting fact: According to OpenSecrets.org two organizations account for practically all of the contributions made by teachers unions: The National Education Association (about $20 million in 2016) and the American Federation of Teachers (almost $12 million). Both groups — which compete for members, but also collaborate with each other through the NEA-AFT Partnership — are consistently among the organizations that contribute the most money to candidates and political groups. From 2004 to 2016, their donations grew from $4.3 million to more than $32 million — an all-time high.
Even more than most labor unions, they have little use for Republicans, giving Democrats at least 94 percent of the funds they contributed to candidates and parties since as far back as 1990, where the Open Secrets' data begins. Go here for a detailed breakdown of teachers union political giving.
Commentary, Florida, NewsDemocrats, government, Mask Mandates, Mental Health, Physical Health, politics, public school, Regulations, school choice, schoolsLeave a comment
Commentary: Critical Race Promoters Are More Odious than Marxists
January 25, 2022 January 24, 2022 Florida Capital Star Staff
Of late, Fox News has been hosting a series called "The MisEducation of America" featuring gatherings of critical race theory's critics—such as Carol Swain of Vanderbilt University—focusing on the danger of teaching racially divisive versions of American history. According to Swain, a black professor of political science at Vanderbilt, forcing kids to do things like play games called "privilege bingo" are "a prime example of how CRT, has seeped down to K-12 education, and it disturbs students." Further: "All of these critical theories with Marxist roots are destroying American education, and parents have to save their children. But they also have to work to save other people's children."
Although the media and our universities may choose to ignore Swain's complaint, she is actually understating the problem she and "MisEducation" host Pete Hegseth are featuring. I'm not sure I see "the Marxist roots" of the crusade against white people and their history in quite the same way Swain and Hegseth see it. We are indeed witnessing class warfare but not of the kind that Marx foresaw. It is a war being waged by white elites against the "basket of deplorables," the predominantly white, working-class, and small-town Americans whom these elites hate and want to divest of human dignity. Similar conflicts are going on simultaneously in other Western countries, featuring equivalent social conflict.
In none of these cases do we find Marx's appeals to the proletariat to rise up against those who control the means of production. In fact, we are witnessing exactly the opposite. An alliance of corporate capitalists, feminists, the LGBT lobby, and black race hustlers are directing their fire on the working class, which seems to be the least affected by the hegemonic ideology of wokeness. If anything, we are now looking at what Pedro Gonzalez has characterized as "the counterrevolution of the ruling class." If Marxist theory, which supposedly is "seeping in" has any application, it would be as an analysis of how our elites are suppressing those they are stepping on and trying through increasingly vicious hate speech to isolate.
Commentary, NewsAdministration, critical race theory, CRT, education, K-12 Education, learning, Parents, politics, school choice, teachers, The MisEducation of AmericaLeave a comment
Missouri Legislators Remain Divided over Critical Race Theory Bill
If criticism of two Republican members of the Missouri House of Representatives is any indication, a bill to ban critical race theory (CRT) will face challenges.
More than a thousand people filed digital testimony forms on the bill and the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee's hearing lasted more than four hours.
State Rep. Nick Schroer, R-O'Fallon and a candidate for the term-limited Senate seat of Bob Onder, R-St. Charles, testified on HB1474 on Tuesday. State Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, joined Schroer as they teamed to combine the banning of critical race theory with Richey's "Parents' Bill of Rights," HB1995.
National, Newscritical race theory, CRT, education, government, learning, legislation, politics, school choice, State Rep. Doug Richey, State Rep. Nick SchroerLeave a comment
State Superintendent Says She Won't Approve Curriculum That Instructs Disabled Preschoolers to 'Deconstruct Whiteness'
The North Carolina State Superintendent walked back plans to implement a statewide curriculum that would teach disabled preschoolers to "deconstruct whiteness," according to a report from Education First Alliance (EFA).
Catherine Truitt, North Carolina's superintendent of public instruction, said she has not "will not sign" a contract proposal that would teach disabled preschoolers "we are all products of a racialized society" and that "Whiteness affects everything … inside and outside the classroom."
"Instead, I will create a new contract proposal that has strict guardrails and new accountability measures to ensure the true needs of our youngest and most vulnerable learners are met," she said. "As long as I am Superintendent, our pre-K classrooms will remain places of play and learning."
National, NewsCRT, education, Education First Alliance, EFA, learning, School, school choice, SuperintendentLeave a comment
As More Schools Start 2022 with Remote Learning, Advocates Say 2021 Was 'Historic Year' for School Choice
January 6, 2022 The Center Square
As school districts across the U.S. start 2022 in remote-learning settings or are considering doing so because of a rise in COVID-19 cases, parents now have more options as 22 states expanded or created school choice initiatives in 2021.
That's a silver lining, advocates say, as parents grow more frustrated by ever-changing mandates, failed virtual learning outcomes and conflicting views with school boards over a range of issues.
National, NewsAmerican Education, Remote Learning, school choiceLeave a comment
Commentary: Four Education Trends That Will Continue in 2022
There is a lot to be frustrated about as 2021 concludes. Some places are back in lockdown over rising coronavirus cases, while others are re-imposing previous restrictions and introducing new ones—including my city.
But at this joyful time of the year, I choose to be optimistic and focus on all the good things happening right now, particularly in the world of education.
Commentary, NewsAmerican Education, Homeschooling, Public Schools, school choiceLeave a comment
Commentary: Poll Reveals Education Quality, Curriculum Stoke Parents' Concern
December 21, 2021 December 20, 2021 RealClearWire
After a year in which parents across the country began exercising more political power at school board meetings and through activist groups, the COVID-fueled parent movement is unlikely to subside any time soon, a new poll released Monday found.
Even as some school districts in Oregon and other locales this year suspended math and reading proficiency graduation requirements, most Americans believe public school academic standards aren't high enough.
Commentary, Newschildren, COVID-19, curriculum., education, school choice, studentsLeave a comment
Florida Bill Could Expand Hope Scholarship Access
December 3, 2021 December 2, 2021 Grant Holcomb
Florida Sen. Manny Diaz (R-FL-36) is sponsoring legislation that would expand opportunities for students to be able to attend a school of their choice through a voucher program. SB 506 would amend the Hope Scholarship program to permit students who attend school districts who are not complying with state law to apply for the program and receive a voucher.
Battleground States, Florida, News, The SouthFlorida Department of Health, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida Republicans, mask mandate ban, school choice, school voucher programLeave a comment
Commentary: The Path to 'Racial Justice' Runs Squarely Through Fixing Failed Schools
November 30, 2021 November 29, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff
The Rittenhouse verdict has unleashed a torrent of stupidity and racist rhetoric from commentators across the country. The usual race peddlers seem to have kicked into high gear—even though everyone involved was a person of pallor.
But for me it only got my blood boiling. Let me explain.
In the course of my management consulting, I've been to some of the roughest neighborhoods in the country.
Commentary, Newsdiversity, education, K-12, learning, public school, quality schools, race peddlers, Racial justice, Rittenhouse, Rittenhouse verdict, school choiceLeave a comment
Analysis: Teacher Unions, Parents Gird for 2022 Battles
November 30, 2021 November 29, 2021 RealClearWire
Over the last year, school board meetings have become ground zero for the country's culture wars as irate parents have showed up in droves to decry school COVID closures, mask mandates, and critical race theory, as well as transgender policies.
After political analysts credited a parental uprising with helping Republican political newcomer Glenn Youngkin capture the Virginia governorship this month, these fights show no sign of easing. Both major political parties are already gearing up for next year's midterm elections with Republicans sensing an advantage and Democrats digging in to defend beleaguered school boards, teacher unions, and the progressive policies they hold dear.
This week, conservative parents and their supporters are expressing new outrage over news that the FBI is placing "threat tags" on individuals accused of harassing or trying to intimidate school board members and teachers. For months, disgruntled parents have angrily targeted school board trustees for recalls across the nation, regularly denouncing union control of the schools as the crux of the problem. Recall attempts against school board trustees have tripled in 2021, targeting at least 216 officials, according to Ballotpedia.
National, NewsCRT, education, learning, Parents, Policy, politics, school choice, students, teachers, Teachers UnionLeave a comment
Commentary: Critical Race Theory Destroys American Justice
The George Floyd riots, conveniently shut off this past summer, were as much theater as reality. They were designed to associate Donald Trump with police abuses and disorder, while painting Democrats and their notions of "racial justice" as the path forward.
Ordinary citizens standing up for themselves interfere with this guerilla theater indoctrination; after all, there are a lot more normal people who do not want their towns burned down than there are maniacs willing to do street violence. This is why individuals like Kyle Rittenhouse and citizen self-defense groups are dealt with so harshly by the government and the media.
Government Did Not Protect Us Last Summer
Consider that there were dozens of fires and beatings and a significant number of killings in Minneapolis, Kenosha, Chicago, Portland, St. Louis, and Seattle in the summer of 2020. Hardly any Antifa and BLM rioters have been brought to justice. Federal authorities have made no significant effort to roll up these groups.
Commentary, NewsClass, critical race theory, CRT, Donald Trump, education, gender, George Floyd, government, Justice, law, learning, legal system, politics, Race, school choiceLeave a comment
Commentary: Parent and School Board Tensions Could Be Eased by School Choice
Public education has been under the microscope lately, especially since many states shut down in-person learning last year during the COVID-19 pandemic. With children learning from home via technology, many parents had the chance to hear what their children's teachers were saying—and they didn't always like it. In fact, many were downright disturbed by what public schools were teaching their children.
Parents should not be forced to sit by and watch as their children get indoctrinated with progressive ideas they don't agree with. Assuming it is legitimate for the government—that is, the taxpayers—to fund education, the government should distribute those funds directly to parents in the form of vouchers and allow them to choose where to educate their children. Not only would this allow for more choice in schools, but it would also reduce much of the conflict we are seeing today between parents and school boards across the country.
A common response to voucher proposals is that they would allow parents to use taxpayer dollars to send their children to private religious schools, thus violating separation of church and state. In other words, atheists and progressives argue that they should not have to financially support schools that teach students religious worldviews.
Commentary, NewsAdministration, Board of Education, Conservative, COVID-19, education, K-12, learning, Parents, public school, school board, school choice, students, Taxpayers, Virtual LearningLeave a comment
Commentary: On Critical Race Theory, the Left's Manipulations and Double Standards Are No Match for the Truth
People old enough to remember the academic culture wars of the late 1980s and early '90s have a special insight into this year's controversy over critical race theory. I don't mean insight into the identity politics of the old days and into the identity politics of 2021, though the basic features are the same whether we are talking about the English syllabus in college in 1989 or the equity lesson in elementary school this fall. I mean, instead, the particular way in which liberals have handled the backlash once the trends in the higher education seminar of yore and in the 6th grade classroom of today have been made public.
Here's what happened back then. In the 1970s and '80s, a new political awareness crept into humanities teaching and research at elite universities, casting the old humanist ideals of beauty and genius and greatness as spurious myths, as socially constructed notions having a political purpose. We were told that they are not natural, neutral, or objective. No, they are Eurocentric, patriarchal, even theological (in that they presumed a transhistorical, universal character for select masterpieces). Shakespeare, Milton, Bernini, et al., were not on the syllabus because they were talents superior to all others. No, they were only there because the people in control were institutionalizing their biases. This whole canon thing, the revisionists insisted, was a fake. As Edward Said put it in "Secular Criticism," "The realities of power and authority . . . are realities that make texts possible," and any criticism that skirts the power and authority that put Shakespeare on the syllabus and not someone else is a dodge.
They could diversify, then. That's what the skepticism enabled them to do. They could drop requirements in Western civilization. They needn't force every student through a "great books" sequence. The "classics" are just one possibility among many others. That was the policy outcome at one tier-one campus after another.
Commentary, Newsacademic culture, Administration, classrooms, conservatives, critical race theory, CRT, Democrats, education, Glenn Youngkin, government, learning, media, media allies, Parents, Policy, politics, school choice, school system, students, teachersLeave a comment
October 23, 2021 October 22, 2021 The Center Square
The majority of Americans oppose the Biden administration's plans to monitor and investigate outspoken parents at school boards meetings, new polling from Convention of States Action reveals.
The poll found 57% of those surveyed do not support the announcement while 19.8% are in favor. The rest are not sure.
"…One can plainly see that those who are aware that Merrick Garland made this announcement oppose him by large majorities, while there's a group who marked 'not sure' because they don't know about his announcement or don't know enough about it," said Mark Meckler, president of Convention of States Action.
National, NewsBiden Admin, COVID-19, COVID-19 school mandates, FBI, government, investigation, Mandates, Mark Meckler, meetings, Merrick Garland, politics, polling, public school, Regulations, School Boards, school choice, state actionLeave a comment
Commentary: Critical Race Theory Is Being Taught in Public Schools
October 14, 2021 October 13, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff
The National School Boards Association (NSBA), which according to its website serves about 51 million public school students nationwide, made headlines recently when it requested that President Biden use federal terrorism statutes and issue other "extraordinary measures" against those pushing back against school boards that are indoctrinating children in critical race theory (CRT) and gender ideology. Much has already been written about this, and for good reason. In our Constitutional Republic, the federal government has no authority over education. As James Madison famously stated in Federalist 45, "The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite." A quick scan of the Constitution reveals that the people and states have delegated no educational power to the federal government. Because all power originates in the people and the states, all powers not delegated to the federal government remain in the states and the people. The Tenth Amendment states this principle explicitly.
Instead of leaving educational policy (and challenges to it) to state and local governments, however, President Biden is using the power of federal law enforcement to quell debate and intimidate parents from exercising their First Amendment rights. Using federal law enforcement to chill debate on what is and should be a truly local issue is totalitarianism at its zenith. All totalitarian states centralize educational control in the federal government for the purpose of indoctrinating children in their preferred ideology. The Nazis, Soviets, and Communist Chinese all did (or still do) it, and now, following in their footsteps, the Biden administration is giving it a try, albeit in an indirect, more nuanced manner.
But this piece is actually about a second, more subtle point. A key presupposition underlying the NSBA's request — and the Biden DOJ's response — is that parental protests against school boards are completely unfounded. As the NSBA letter notes, "many public school officials are [] facing physical threats because of propaganda purporting the false inclusion of critical race theory within classroom instruction and curricula." The letter then states that "[t]his propaganda continues despite the fact that critical race theory is not taught in public schools and remains a complex law school and graduate school subject well beyond the scope of a K-12 class" (emphasis added).
Commentary, NewsAdministrators, critical race theory, CRT, discipline policies, education, equity based, Gaslighting, gender identity, government policy, ideological instruction, learning, School, school choice, students, Tenth AmendmentLeave a comment
Commentary: New Group Equips Parents with Seven Tools to Combat Wokeness in K-12 Education
It's no secret that the far left has infiltrated higher education with its radical ideas. But now, woke ideology has come for K-12 classrooms across the country.
"As parents, we send our kids to school to learn to think critically, to figure out how to solve problems, and to respectfully discuss and resolve differences of opinion," Ashley Jacobs, executive director of Parents Unite, said Friday during the new organization's first conference.
"But," Jacobs said, "our educational systems are not enabling these skills, and in some cases, [they are] stifling them."
Commentary, NewsChicago Statement, critical race theory, CRT, economic principles, education, Educational liberty, higher education, K-12, Kids, Parents, public school, radical ideas, school choice, teachers, wokenessLeave a comment
Commentary: Christian Schools Vastly Outperforming Public Schools During COVID-19, According to New Survey of Parents
August 29, 2021 August 28, 2021 RealClearWire
Among last year's other lessons, none may be more important than this: Our taxpayer-funded education establishment cares more about adults than children.
Consider the evidence: public school union bosses pressured officials to close schools and keep them shuttered beyond what medical authorities recommended. In spite of the obvious harm to children of school closures, unions throughout the country lobbed threats and issued demands. In Chicago, the union went so far as to sue the Mayor to keep schools closed; in San Francisco, the city had to sue its school board.
A public education system that failed to do right by our children has kept union bosses empowered and politicians cowed. Thankfully, our country offers an alternative—one that proved its mettle this past year. In a recent survey of public school and Christian school parents, the Herzog Foundation found that parents of children who attended a Christian school were vastly more satisfied with their school experience.
Commentary, NewsChristian, Christian school parents, COVID-19, education, Education System, learning, politics, Private School, public school, religion, research, school choice, SurveyLeave a comment
Biden's Education Department Won't Enforce a Key Due Process Protection for Students Accused of Sexual Assault
August 29, 2021 August 28, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff
The Department of Education announced it would stop enforcing a Trump administration rule designed to protect those accused of sexual assault on college campuses.
A district court in Massachusetts upheld most of the Title IX 2020 amendments in a July ruling, maintaining new regulations related to public institutions managing allegations of harassment, assault, violence, and more. Although, the court struck down one procedural regulation related to what evidence a "Decision-Maker," or the employee who is designated to adjudicate the case, may consider in making rulings.
Following the court ruling and a letter from the Department of Education on Tuesday, the chosen adjudicator can now consider emails and texts between the parties and witnesses, police reports and medical reports, regardless of cross-examination status at the live hearing.
National, NewsBiden Administration, Biden's Education Department, Civil Rights, Department of Education, education, reliability, School, school choice, sexual assault, Title IXLeave a comment
Biden's Education Secretary Voices Support for Schools That Force Mask Mandates
Joe Biden's Secretary of Education, Miguel Cardona, admitted to having spoken directly with faculty members from school districts that are defying the law and forcing mask mandates on their students, even if their states have banned such mandates, ABC News reports.
Cardona said that some such schools fear repercussions from the state governments if they continue defying the bans, including in Texas and Florida. "I have had the conversations with superintendents," Cardona said in an interview on Tuesday. "And they have asked, if this goes in that direction, how do we get support? My message is, open the schools safely; we got your back."
Cardona had previously sent a letter to several school districts in Florida promising that the federal government would fund the schools directly in the event that Governor Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) follows through on his promise to suspend the salaries of all superintendents who force such mandates onto their students in defiance of state law.
National, NewsBiden Administration, CDC, COVID guidelines, COVID safety, COVID-19, education, Joe Biden, learning, Mask Mandates, Miguel Cardona, School, school choice, Secretary of Education, studentsLeave a comment
School Board Recall Attempts Spike Amid Concerns About COVID Closures, Critical Race Theory
August 18, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff
School board recall efforts are sweeping the country, with many driven by parents claiming Critical Race Theory (CRT) is infecting schools, demanding schools reopen in person, and arguing that boards are consumed by virtue signaling.
According to Ballotpedia, 58 such efforts against 144 board members have taken place in 2021. Those are both all-time highs since it started tracking school board recall efforts in 2006, and far above the next highest year, 2010.
Only one school board member has been removed in 2021, however, while three resigned and seven were retained in elections. One is scheduled for a November recall vote in Kansas for upholding a mask mandate.
National, News, portCOVID closures, COVID spikes, COVID-19, CRT, education, learning, mask mandate, Parents, petitions, school board, school choiceLeave a comment
Memo Reveals University of North Carolina Plan to Sideline 'Diversity of Thought' Ahead of Nikole Hannah-Jones Appointment
August 10, 2021 August 9, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff
A memo obtained by Campus Reform reveals that the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media considered "diversity of thought" to be in conflict with its efforts to achieve social justice objectives.
Hussman Dean Susan King wrote the August 1, 2020 memo to university Chancellor Kevin Guskiewicz. She stated, "There is a fundamental conflict between efforts to promote racial equity and understandings of structural racism, and efforts to promote diversity of thought. These two things cannot sit side by side without coming into conflict."
King wrote the memo in anticipation of Nikole Hannah-Jones joining the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty and teaching a class based on the "1619 Project."
National, Newscritical race theory, CRT, curriculum., diversity, diversity of thought, higher education, learning, Nikole Hannah-Jones, North Carolina, school choice, Susan King, The 1619 Project, UNC, UNC Hussman School of Journalism, University of North CarolinaLeave a comment
Commentary: School Choice Is Not Enough
If there is a public policy silver lining to this past year, it is the increased support for school choice. Most public schools went online during lockdowns and parents, dissatisfied with the results, sought out other solutions, including private schools, pods, charter schools, online learning, and homeschooling. The last more than doubled with 11.1 percent of households homeschooling, up from 5.4 percent the year before.
Many state legislatures improved school choice options in their states. This is to be celebrated and continued.
School choice by itself, however, will not save students from a failing education if charter and private schools adopt the same curriculum and practices as the most woke schools. Without a focus on the right subjects and lessons, students will be unprepared for personal or professional success.
Commentary, News1619 Project, Commentary, critical race theory, CRT, division, education, learning, Parents, professional success, Race, Racism, school choice, students, teachersLeave a comment
Universities Train Future Teachers to Push Critical Race Theory and Social Justice
August 9, 2021 August 8, 2021 Florida Capital Star Staff
As the controversy over Critical Race Theory rages across the country, several prominent teacher preparation programs are training future teachers to use Critical Race Theory in the classroom. Several of the nation's largest teacher preparation programs are training future teachers to use Critical Race Theory in the classroom.
Campus Reform reviewed course descriptions for upcoming classes in college teacher training programs at several major universities. Many intentionally prepare students to use progressive ideology in their own classrooms. Several use Critical Race Theory and social justice as a starting point for learning how to teach.
Among those courses are the University of North Carolina education department's class, ""Critical Race Theory: History, Research, and Practice." The course will cover how Critical Race Theory connects to "LatCrit Theory, AsianCrit, QueerCrit, TribalCrit, and Critical Race Feminism," those terms being more recent areas of study that draw heavily from Critical Race Theory.
National, Newscritical race theory, CRT, education, Education System, K-12, learning, school choice, social justice, students, teacher preparation, teachersLeave a comment