Backgrounder posted May 15, 2013 by Lindsey Burke, Rachel Sheffield
13 Ways the 113th Congress Can Improve Education in America
There is no shortage of opportunities for Congress to reform federal education policy. Dozens of federal education programs are managed by well-intentioned yet disconnected bureaucrats in Washington, who are far removed from the needs of teachers and children in the classroom.
Taxpayers, meanwhile, must send billions of dollars every year to Washington to fund federal…
Backgrounder posted September 21, 2012 by Lindsey Burke, Stuart M. Butler, Ph.D.
Accreditation: Removing the Barrier to Higher Education Reform
Abstract: America’s higher education system is in dire need of reform. The average
college student leaves school with more than $23,000 in debt, and total student loan debt in the United
States now exceeds $1 trillion. Furthermore, too many students are leaving college without the skills
needed to be successful in the workforce. And yet, despite the dire state…
Issue Brief posted September 5, 2012 by Lindsey Burke
No Child Left Behind Waivers: Bogus Relief, Genuine Overreach
Seizing on widespread dissatisfaction with No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and blaming congressional inaction for the need to act unilaterally, the Obama Administration has begun issuing waivers from the law to states willing to accept Department of Education (DOE) conditions that will end up further centralizing education policy.
The NCLB waivers pose serious legal…
Backgrounder posted January 10, 2012 by Jason Richwine, Ph.D., Andrew G. Biggs, Ph.D.
Critical Issues in Assessing Teacher Compensation
Abstract:
A November 2011 Heritage Foundation report—“Assessing the Compensation of Public-School Teachers”—presented data on teacher salaries and benefits in order to inform debates about teacher compensation reform. The report concluded that public-school teacher compensation is far ahead of what comparable private-sector workers enjoy, and that recruiting more…
White Paper posted November 1, 2011 by Patrick Louis Knudsen, Emily Goff
Appropriations Tracker: FY 2012
The FY 2013 version of the Appropriations Tracker is available here.
Download a PDF version with hyperlinks to House and Senate Appropriations Committee documents: Appropriations Tracker: FY 2012
Designed to inform American policymakers and citizens, the Appropriations Tracker: FY 2012 monitors the progress of appropriations bills as they move through the…
WebMemo posted October 13, 2011 by James Sherk, Patrick Louis Knudsen
Two Cheers for Proposed Labor, Health, Education Appropriations
House appropriators deserve two cheers for their recently released bill funding the Departments of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services, Education, and related agencies for fiscal year (FY) 2012.[1] Disappointingly, the legislation only slightly reduces federal spending. Nevertheless, its policy riders take important steps in the right direction.
The legislation…
Backgrounder posted November 4, 2010 by Matthew Denhart
Federal Overreach into American Higher Education
Abstract: If allowed to take effect, three regulations proposed by the U.S. Department of Education will raise costs for students and limit their educational opportunities. These regulations would require state authorization of higher education institutions, impose gainful employment requirements, and dictate a one-size-fits-all definition of a credit hour. Instead of…
WebMemo posted July 20, 2010 by Lindsey Burke
Creating a Crisis: Unions Stifle Education Reform
The Senate will soon consider creating a $10 billion “Education Jobs Fund.” The measure has already been included in a war funding bill passed in early July by the House. Union influence and power has continued to prevent meaningful education reform, and another public education bailout from Washington will further empower unions, which will make it more difficult for…
WebMemo posted July 2, 2010 by Lindsey Burke
Creating a Crisis: Spending Increase to Fund Bloated Education Bureaucracy
Congress will soon consider spending $10 billion to prevent layoffs in the public education sector. This money comes in addition to the $80 billion awarded to the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) for K-12 education as a result of the stimulus bill.
While DOE funding has increased nearly fivefold in the 30 years since its creation, academic achievement has…
WebMemo posted June 15, 2010 by Lindsey Burke
Creating a Crisis: The Squandered $100 Billion Education Stimulus
Congress will soon consider a $23 billion spending measure for public education. This money comes on the heels of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA)—the so-called stimulus bill—which contained $80 billion in K-12 education funding. Further, President Obama’s fiscal year (FY) 2011 budget request seeks to increase discretionary education spending by 10…
WebMemo posted May 28, 2010 by David B. Muhlhausen, Ph.D.
Head Start Program: Fraudulent and Ineffective
The year 2010 will surely go down as a bad year for Head Start—a “Great Society” pre-school program intended to provide a boost to disadvantaged children before they enter elementary school. First, a scientifically rigorous experimental evaluation of Head Start found that the program largely failed to improve the cognitive, socio-emotional, health, and parenting outcomes…
WebMemo posted May 26, 2010 by Lindsey Burke
Creating a Crisis: Schools Gain Staff, Not Educational Achievement
Congress is considering $23 billion in new “emergency” spending on public education. This new spending comes on top of the nearly $100 billion appropriated to the Department of Education through the 2009 economic stimulus bill. At the same time, $34.7 billion in stimulus funds for education remain unspent.[1]
States should consider reforms that would reduce costs…