Backgrounder posted May 14, 2008 by Dan Lips, Evan Feinberg
Improving Education in the Nation's Capital: Expanding School Choice
The District of Columbia is home to one of the nation's most troubled public school systems. The District spends $14,400 for every child in public school—well above the national average and more than any of the 50 states.[1] The 2007 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reported that Washington, D.C.'s fourth and eighth graders scored lower than any other…
Backgrounder posted April 3, 2008 by Dan Lips, Evan Feinberg
Homeschooling: A Growing Option in American Education
A growing number
of American families are choosing to homeschool their
children. The U.S. Department of Education's National Center
for Education Statistics reports that approximately 1.1 million
children (2.2 percent of school-age children) were being
educated at home as of 2003-29 percent more than the 850,000
students who were being homeschooled in 1998.[1]…
Backgrounder posted September 4, 2007 by Evan Feinberg
How Members of Congress Practice Private School Choice
Many Members of
Congress value the opportunity to choose a safe and effective
school for their own children, yet many of these same Members
consistently oppose school choice legislation that would give
the same opportunity to other families. For example, Senators
Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY) have been
outspoken opponents of school choice…
WebMemo posted March 23, 2007 by Dan Lips, Evan Feinberg
The Administrative Burden of No Child Left Behind
The 110th Congress may soon consider the reauthorization of the
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This will be the ninth
reauthorization of the original Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965. Congress should
address, among other problems with the law, the massive
administrative and bureaucratic costs the federal government
imposes on state and local…
WebMemo posted February 16, 2007 by Dan Lips, Evan Feinberg
Utah's Revolutionary New School Voucher Program
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 children a scholarship
to attend the school of their…
Backgrounder posted September 18, 2006 by Dan Lips, Evan Feinberg
School Choice: 2006 Progress Report
Reforms that give parents greater ability to choose their
children's schools continue to expand across the nation. Just a
decade ago, only a few school choice programs existed. Today, a
dozen states and the District of Columbia have private school
choice programs. In 2006, eight states- Arizona, Florida, Iowa,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, and…