http://www.heritage.org/static/rss/education.xmlEducation - The Heritage Foundationen-US© Copyright 2012info@heritage.orgRSS Generator {FDCAF85F-6A41-473C-B073-5946F37F83F3}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/reports/2012/04/continuing-the-school-choice-march-policies-to-promote-family-k-12-education-investmentLindsey Burke, Rachel SheffieldCoverdell education savings accounts (ESAs), created through the federal tax code, allow families to save money tax-free for K–12 and higher education expenses. Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:06:00 -0400{926109F6-585F-4F98-8359-0CEA3507C0C5}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/reports/2012/04/a-better-way-to-pay-five-rules-for-reformingJason Richwine, Ph.D.Despite ongoing debates over the adequacy of teacher compensation, the design of merit pay systems, and the structure of pension benefits, there is broad agreement that teacher pay should be designed to recruit—and retain—the highest-quality teachers in a cost-effective manner.Tue, 24 Apr 2012 10:44:00 -0400{898F10B9-B258-4528-8A55-61436BB402A6}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/reports/2012/04/states-must-reject-national-education-standards-while-there-is-still-timeLindsey BurkeCommon Core includes costly and questionable national standards for English and math, and federally funded national assessments have been crafted to align with the standards.Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:45:00 -0400{3C41856B-2D5D-4753-9918-96227F3D9ED1}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/reports/2012/04/obamas-2013-education-budget-and-blueprint-a-costly-expansion-of-federal-controlLindsey Burke, Rachel SheffieldDecades of increased federal spending have done little to benefit American students. Continuing to pour more taxpayer dollars into failed programs is unlikely to improve educational outcomes. Thu, 12 Apr 2012 18:46:00 -0400{0B03821B-1923-47A9-9CB4-6490A09C3C01}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/reports/2012/03/can-online-learning-reproduce-the-full-college-experienceKaren McKeownOnline classes are becoming a common feature of higher education, and this has led some educators to explore whether all of the features associated with a college experience could be accomplished online.Tue, 13 Mar 2012 11:03:00 -0400{54DE4FBE-9A45-462D-B87C-464A5C9F944A}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/multimedia/video/2012/02/heritage-fnc-2-14-12Heritage research on the new Obama budget is discussed on FNC's The Five.Tue, 14 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500{AF716FD8-77D1-45E2-B888-5110D80B9766}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/commentary/2012/02/no-child-left-behind-waivers-let-team-obama-seize-control-of-your-childs-educationLindsey BurkePresident Obama has mistaken bipartisan dissatisfaction with No Child Left Behind (NCLB) for a mandate to unilaterally re-write federal education law. This was evident last September, when the White House announced the Education Department would start granting waivers to exempt states from meeting NCLB requirements.Thu, 09 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500{7AD5AD0B-D659-4BEC-824C-B9D7051A3CD0}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/commentary/2012/02/why-market-forces-are-good-for-educationLindsey BurkeSeveral years ago, Paul was one of many children struggling through the Washington, D.C., public school system. In an interview as an 11-year-old, he looked back on his public school experience this way: "People screamed at the teacher, walked out of school during class, hurt me, and made fun of all my friends." His school experience changed dramatically after receiving a voucher through the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, enacted in 2004. His family was able to send him to a parochial school in the District, setting him one step closer to fulfilling his dream of becoming an architect. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0500{212E0C6C-E4BA-4394-B324-DB41581B5C6F}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/reports/2012/02/higher-education-assessing-the-presidents-proposal-on-college-tuition-costsStuart Butler, Ph.D.The real antidote to tuition hikes at traditional colleges is emerging competition from colleges that are pioneering new business models.Wed, 01 Feb 2012 12:50:00 -0500{4B1164C1-0ACC-4046-AEBA-74A0C2D253A6}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/commentary/2012/01/expand-school-choiceLindsey BurkeTwenty years ago, there weren’t many charter schools around. Today, however, they’re a common sight. Indeed, the 10 states that have failed to permit the operation of charters are the laggards of a growing school-choice movement.Sun, 29 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500{E8034347-9490-44A6-8492-F52F67E5A4D0}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/reports/2012/01/student-success-act-reforming-no-child-left-behindLindsey BurkeThe Student Success Act aims to reform accountability provisions of NCLB, provide funding flexibility, and limit federal intervention.Tue, 17 Jan 2012 14:24:00 -0500{7FA158BA-A3DF-491C-BDCE-52ABA0173747}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/commentary/2012/01/are-teachers-overpaid-a-response-to-criticsJason Richwine, Ph.D., Andrew G. Biggs, Ph.D.It is a view as ubiquitous as it is simplistic: To improve public education, pay teachers more—a lot more. Union officials, education reformers, scholars, laypeople, and politicians of all stripes endorse this principle in one form or another. Wed, 11 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0500{26728142-4170-4BC8-BBA1-B3F63BDD118D}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/reports/2012/01/critical-issues-in-assessing-teacher-compensationJason Richwine, Ph.D., Andrew G. Biggs, Ph.D.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 effective teachers will be more difficult than simply raising salaries. The debate over the report’s findings has generated substantive inquiries as well as some misconceptions. Here, the report’s authors respond to questions and concerns, in the process showing that certain critical accusations—such as undercounting teachers’ work hours or overestimating retirement benefits—are simply false. The broader implication of the authors’ research is that the current teacher compensation system is not working. The United States needs a more rational system that pays teachers according to their performance.Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:50:00 -0500{EF81BC93-5D31-4187-AE4C-7FDF39328A92}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/reports/2011/12/a-national-education-standards-exit-strategy-for-statesLindsey BurkeState policymakers should resist the imposition of national education standards and tests and prevent their implementation.Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:12:00 -0500{7D721EFB-8ADD-4DFC-9BF2-0A483C5B14D8}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/factsheets/2011/12/national-education-standards-an-exit-strategy-for-statesPresident Obama’s push for national standards and tests is an unprecedented federal overreach into education. The Common Core State Standards Initiative is entangled with federal incentives and policy and would significantly weaken state control over the content taught in local schools.Tue, 20 Dec 2011 16:25:00 -0500{343A506D-6151-4A95-9928-387710623BBA}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/reports/2011/11/providing-in-state-tuition-for-illegal-aliens-a-violation-of-federal-lawHans von Spakovsky, Charles StimsonFederal law prohibits state colleges and universities from providing in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens “on the basis of residence within the State”—unless the same in-state rates are offered to all citizens of the United States. Today, 12 states are circumventing this federal law, and the legal arguments offered to justify such actions are untenable, no matter what other policy arguments are offered in their defense. Because at least one federal court of appeals has held that there is no private right of action under the specific statute in question—§ 1623 of the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996—the U.S. Department of Justice must enforce this statutory provision against states that have violated federal law. Yet even as it sues states like Arizona and Alabama for trying to assist the enforcement of federal immigration law, the U.S. government refuses to sue states that are incontrovertibly and brazenly violating an unambiguous federal immigration law. Such inaction is unacceptable: The President and the Attorney General have an obligation to enforce every provision of the United State’s comprehensive federal immigration regulations—including the federal law prohibiting state colleges and universities from providing in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens “on the basis of residence within the State.”Tue, 22 Nov 2011 10:13:00 -0500{8EB49738-3645-4DB5-9DC8-C8A9525D5070}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/commentary/2011/11/what-happened-to-data-driven-education-reformLindsey Burke, Andrew G. Biggs, Ph.D., Jason Richwine, Ph.D."The path to real reform begins with the truth," stated Education Secretary Arne Duncan in 2009 during an education forum with the Data Quality Campaign. Sec. Duncan, who argues that policymakers should use "data to drive reform," strongly believes that education policy should be "framed by evidence."Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500{839C0D6E-8939-4259-B7AC-6083B241BD54}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/multimedia/video/2011/11/lunaBrandon Stewart, Robert BlueyAcross the country with much less fanfare, Idaho implemented its own set of landmark reforms. And while the state has lacked the drama playing out in the Midwest, the education changes implemented earlier this year in Idaho are arguably the most sweeping of any adopted in 2011. Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500{FA6A74CD-7BC6-494C-A80B-CFD6B5BBF647}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/research/commentary/2011/11/public-school-teachers-arent-underpaidJason Richwine, Ph.D., Andrew G. Biggs, Ph.D.A common story line in American education policy is that public school teachers are underpaid—"desperately underpaid," according to Education Secretary Arne Duncan in a recent speech. As former first lady Laura Bush put it: "Salaries are too low. We all know that. We need to figure out a way to pay teachers more." Tue, 08 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0500{A6806AB5-85CC-412A-BA3F-272E42FDBD81}http://www.heritage.org/sitecore/content/home/multimedia/video/2011/11/richwine-cnn-11-5-11Jason Richwine, Ph.D.Jason Richwine discusses teacher compensation.Sat, 05 Nov 2011 01:00:00 -0400