Abstract: Coverdell education savings accounts (ESAs), created through the federal tax code, allow families to save money tax-free for K–12 and higher education expenses. Lifting the cap on contributions to Coverdell accounts would provide…
Abstract: President Obama’s FY 2013 budget request includes another major spending increase for the Department of Education—2.5 percent more than last year—to nearly $70 billion. American taxpayers are calling for spending restraint in Washington, yet President Obama’s proposals would exacerbate the existing bureaucratic maze…
In this week's Scribecast, former DC Councilman Kevin P. Chavous discusses school choice and education reform, in the District and around the country. Lachlan Markay hosts. Click here to subscribe to Scribecast, the weekly podcast of the Center for Media and Public Policy. …
From The Heritage Foundation, I'm Ernest Istook. …
Across the country, states are enacting and expanding school choice options for families. This year alone, 12 states and the District of Columbia have implemented new school choice options for children or expanded existing options, leading The Wall Street Journal to label 2011 “The Year of School Choice.”[1] …
Obama Executive Overreach Waivers: After failing to get its education agenda through Congress on its own rushed timeline, the Obama Administration intends to grant conditions-based waivers to states from the onerous provisions of No Child Left Behind (NCLB). NCLB requires all students to be proficient in math and reading…
We're used to hearing bad news from the education front: poor test scores, falling literacy, slipping standards. But the new academic year brings a welcome change: School-choice programs have expanded significantly in recent months. Indeed, the Wall Street Journal has already dubbed 2011 the Year of School Choice. As of…
Abstract: 2011 has been a milestone year for school choice, setting the bar high for state legislatures across the country to increase families’ educational options. What began with a crucial re-authorization of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program continued…
School choice offers families the opportunity to select schools that meet their child’s needs. Watch the video from Heritage Foundation explaining school choice, how it benefits parents and children and why school choice is needed. …
In this week's Heritage in Focus podcast, Lindsey Burke discusses what the Wall Street Journal has dubbed "the year of school choice." David Weinberger hosts. To get regular updates on Heritage in Focus podcasts, visit our RSS feed or subscribe on iTunes. To listen to more…
THE ISSUE: American education is at a crossroads. The federal government’s role in education has grown significantly over the past half-century, infringing on our long-held principle of federalism in education. Massive spending increases, and the reams of regulations that accompany…
Congress put school vouchers to the test in 2004 when it authorized the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program (DCOSP), a federally funded voucher program serving low-income students in the nation’s capital. It has awarded $7,500 scholarships to more than 3,700 students over the past six years. Congress…
Fifty years ago, no one could have conceived of an invention as revolutionary as the Internet, let alone the iPad. But neither would anyone then have guessed that educational progress would remain stagnant for the next half century. Since the 1960’s, academic achievement has remained relatively flat.…
A study published by the Department of Education (DOE) in June, “The Evaluation of Charter School Impacts,” highlights the many benefits of charter schools. The results show unambiguously that parents are substantially more satisfied with charter schools and the academic and social development of their children who attend compared to…
Delivered June 19, 2007 The more than 500,000 children currently in foster care are among the most at-risk children in American society. Research shows that adults who were formerly in foster care are more likely than the general population to succumb to poor life outcomes. They are more likely to be homeless,…
On Monday, Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr., signed into law the "Parent Choice in Education" Act (H.B. 148).[1] The legislation, which was sponsored by Rep. Stephen H. Urquhart (R-St. George) and Sen. Curtis S. Bramble (R-Provo), creates a sweeping school voucher program that puts Utah on track to offer all…
April 15 of every year usually brings news stories about taxes and fiscal discipline, or the lack thereof, in government. On April 15 of this year, however, the most interesting news story of the day went against the grain: the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program's second annual lottery generated so much interest that it produced…
Abstract: In Canada, the province of Alberta has long encouraged school choice. Historically, Alberta has had two school systems between which parents may choose: the “public” system and a “separate” system. Other Alberta choices include charter, private, and French-language schools. Homeschooling is encouraged and…
Revised and updated October 4, 2010. Abstract: An education gap between white students and their black and Hispanic peers is something to which most Americans have become accustomed. But this racial division of…
Across the United States, policymakers are increasingly adopting education policies that give families the power to choose their children’s schools. Nonetheless, the idea of providing school vouchers to allow children to attend private schools remains controversial. For instance, congressional leaders and the Obama Administration have tried to end a successful…
Mitt Romney yesterday released his plan to reform America’s ailing education system. It goes big on school choice and...…
President Obama’s latest budget request was completely rejected by Congress, failing to receive even a single vote. Yet...…
This spring, parents and grandparents throughout the nation will be misting up as the chords of “Pomp and...…
Earlier this month, schools across the country celebrated National Charter Schools Week. This commemoration comes 20...…
Opponents of national standards and tests see the push as furthering “federal intrusion into state education matters,”...…
The push to nationalize the content taught in public schools across the country should be of great concern to state...…
“Budgets are about choices,” stated President Obama in recent remarks to governors about his massive fiscal year (FY)...…
The New Hampshire legislature recently passed a tuition tax credit option that would provide low- and middle-income...…
The South Carolina House has passed a tuition tax credit program that would give children access to scholarships to...…
The positive momentum from the “Year of School Choice” in 2011 is being carried over into 2012, with several states...…
Will Skillman Fellow in Education
Director, Domestic Policy Studies
Visiting Fellow