EDUCATION DEBATE
Inoculating Our Children Against Socialism
For the first time in our history, many politicians and candidates label themselves socialists, as if that title were a badge of honor. Many of their young constituents doubtless find something just and romantic in the idea of socialism. Some believe, too, that socialism would provide them with "free" education, "free" medical care, and in some cases, a guaranteed income.
Warren's 'Big Fat Payoff to the Unions' Education Plan
Recently, Senator Elizabeth Warren released her education plan titled "A Great Public School Education for Every Student," but the scheme should have been named "My Big Fat Payoff to the Teacher Unions." The publicity splash in Warren's plan is her call to quadruple funding for the federal Title I program, which funnels money to disadvantaged students, to the tune of a whopping $450 billion over a 10-year period.
"Free" College Would Depreciate the Value of College Degrees Even More | Paul Boyce
For US citizens aged between 18 and 24 years, college enrollment rates reached more than 40 percent in 2017. Of those, nearly one in three (31 percent) drop out entirely. Why should the average taxpayer subsidize this? There is no conclusive evidence to prove that societal gains are worth the cost to the taxpayer.
Don't Blame Capitalism for Surging Student Debt and High Tuition | Doug McCullough, Brooke Medina
American college graduates are suffering financially under the weight of $1.5 trillion of student loan debt. The bulk of that debt stems from worrisome federal student loan practices and ballooning state tuition costs. Approximately 75 percent of college students attend a state university or college with tuition rates set by legislatures or state institutions.
Universities Face Increased Pressure from Job Programs That Generate Results, Not Just Debt | Zak Slayback
Lambda School, a Y Combinator company that trains students in software engineering in exchange for a slice of their income for a few years, recently raised $30 million from investors in a Series B round. The core differentiator between Lambda School and its competitors is that Lambda operates under the Income Share Agreement (ISA) model.
Hard-Won Homeschooling Freedoms Are Under Threat and Must Be Defended | Kerry McDonald
Current proposed legislation aims to rein in homeschooling families and require government monitoring, including forming an advisory committee to investigate, and potentially "reform," homeschooling. As NPR reports: "That could be anything from home inspections to credentialing teachers to setting specific curriculums." Now is the time for those of us homeschooling today to show our gratitude to those who came before us by continuing their fight.
What if We Treated Public Schools as Monopolies? | Kevin Currie-Knight
If commercial monopolies are bad because their power gives them the ability to do bad things, it seems strange to treat government monopolies any differently.
How the Market Can Redeem the University | Rod Hewlett
Markets and public research partnerships have served America well in medicine, law, engineering, applied science, and mathematics. New solutions are on the horizon. Let us seize the challenge and expand the idea of a university and a degree through market-based experimentation and rigorous measurement of results.
Quit Rates Suggest Teachers Are Doing Just Fine | David Youngberg
Across the U.S., teacher unions say it's because teaching is hard and students deserve the very best. They say higher salaries are needed so they can attract good teachers. They say because teachers are underpaid, current teachers will leave for greener pastures. But the quit rates say otherwise.
How Media Outlets Misinform the Public about Teacher Pay | James D. Agresti
During recent teacher walkouts in Oklahoma that captured national attention, many major media outlets reported misleadingly small figures for teacher pay. By failing to reveal all aspects of teacher compensation, these outlets hid the true costs to taxpayers-which now amount to an annualized average of about$120,000 for every public school teacher in the United States.
In the Wake of Mass Shootings, Parents Reconsider Mass Schooling | Kerry McDonald
As psychologist Peter Gray writes, "The increased time, tedium, and stress of schooling is bringing many kids to the breaking point or beyond, and more and more people are becoming aware of that. It can no longer be believed that schooling is a benign experience for children.
No, Teachers Are Not Underpaid | Andrew Biggs, Jason Richwine
Teachers enjoy widespread public favor, and their desire for higher pay is understandable. But no nationwide crisis of teacher compensation exists. Most teachers receive market-level salaries and generous retirement benefits. Local hiring problems can and should be addressed without granting windfall benefits to teachers whose compensation is already better than adequate.
Homeschoolers Defeat California's Push to Further Regulate Education | Tony Perkins
They came by the hundreds, one newspaper said -"perhaps thousands." Some traveled hours, others waited hours, all for the opportunity to protest one of the most outrageous homeschooling bills ever introduced: California's AB 2756.
California Trade Schools - Institute for Justice
Earlier this year, Bob Smith, owner of the Pacific Coast Horseshoeing School, opened his mailbox to find a notice from the state of California threatening to shut him down. The notice said that Bob was violating state law by admitting students to his horseshoeing school who hadn't first graduated from high school or passed an...
The Most Basic Freedom Is the Freedom to Quit | Peter Gray
Lots of words have been spent on the problem of school bullying and related problems such as students' general unhappiness, boredom, and cynicism in school. Nobody has found a way to solve these problems, and nobody ever will until we grant children the freedom to quit.
Victory for School Choice in Florida - Institute for Justice
Tallahassee-Today, in a major victory for more than 100,000 students in Florida, the First District Court of Appeal affirmed a lower court ruling that Florida's Tax Credit Scholarship Program (FTC) and McKay Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities are constitutional. The court held that the challenge to the FTC was eliminated by its earlier 2016 ruling...
What Skateboarders Can Teach Us about Education | Kerry McDonald
In the mid-1980s, there was an explosion of talent and tricks in skateboarding. Almost overnight, mediocre skateboarders became really good and good skateboarders became exceptional. Why? New technology, in the form of VHS videos and VCRs, enabled skilled skateboarders to create and distribute instructional videos that were gobbled up by eager learners.
3 Reasons Why Homeschooling is Booming in the Middle East | Annie Holmquist
When one thinks of the Middle East, freedom - particularly the freedom to swim against conventional wisdom - is not the first thing that comes to mind. It is for that reason that it is surprising to hear that one of the biggest freedom trends in the U.S.
How Mass Schooling Perpetuates Inequality | Kerry McDonald
For some kids, schooling brings out the very worst in them. Unable to conform to mass schooling's mores, they get a label: troubled, slow learner, at-risk. They carry these scarlet letters with them throughout their entire education, emerging not with real skills and limitless opportunity, but further entrenched in their born disadvantage.
Thirteen Other Reasons Why Schools Are Creating a Lost Generation | Peter Diekmeyer
Netflix's recent announcement that it would be producing a second season of Thirteen Reasons Why has raised new questions about the disastrous state of the US public school system and its effects on the economy. "Hey, it's Hannah Baker," says the show's protagonist, played by a stunning Katherine Langford in the opening episode.
Lawmaker Calls for the Repeal of Compulsory Schooling | Kerry McDonald
Most Americans agree that an educated citizenry is a priority for a thriving democracy. In fact, the first compulsory education statute was passed in Massachusetts Bay Colony not long after the Pilgrims arrived. An Arizona lawmaker is hoping to abolish compulsory schooling.
Education Used to Happen Outside of School | Kerry McDonald
Prior to passage of America's first compulsory schooling statute, in Massachusetts in 1852, it was generally accepted that education was a broad societal good and that there could be many ways to be educated: at home, through one's church, with a tutor, in a class, on your own as an autodidact, as an apprentice in the community - and often all of the above.
The Devastating Rise of Mass Schooling | Kerry McDonald
For generations, children learned in their homes, from their parents, and throughout their communities. Children were vital contributors to a homestead, becoming involved in household chores and rhythms from very early ages. They learned important, practical skills by observing and imitating their parents and neighbors--and by engaging in hands-on apprenticeships as teens--and they learned literacy and numeracy around the fireside.
Why Black Families are Rejecting Public Schools | Annie Holmquist
Because of their long-fought battle for equal access to education, it is generally assumed that black families are big fans of public schooling. That assumption, however, is beginning to show its datedness, as evidenced by the research of University of Georgia College of Education professor Cheryl Fields-Smith.
Money Won't Save the Failing Public School System | Daniel J. Mitchell
The story of the private sector is that competition generates ever-more output in ways that bring ever-higher living standards to ever-greater numbers of people. By contrast, the story of the government is inefficiency and waste as interest groups figure out how to grab ever-larger amounts of unmerited goodies, often while doing less and less.
Head Start Programs Are Setting Kids Up for Failure | Annie Holmquist
Two studies, one from 2012 which studied children in a Head Start program and another from 2016 which studied children in Tennessee's statewide preschool program, found that children who participated had worse academic outcomes and were more likely to have behavioral problems.
Both Students and Teachers Deserve Better Than This | Eddie Ferrara
The confirmation of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education was perhaps the hardest-won victory of President Trump's nascent administration. Opposition to DeVos ran deep enough to require Vice President Pence to cast a historic tie-breaking vote. This kind of stagnation isn't typical among other nations.
School Choice Can Save Our Stagnating Economy | Julian Adorney
Traditional public schools are still focused on outdated classes that aren't teaching children the skills they need to thrive in the workplace. Educational competition will give our kids their best chance to succeed in a dynamic and rapidly evolving economy.
What If Grocery Stores Worked Like Public Schools? | Eric Schuler
One of the most important things to consider when buying a house is the quality of the grocery district. As the name implies, the grocery district determines which public grocery store you and your family get to use. District maps are drawn by the government to ensure each grocery store has an appropriate number of patrons based on its capacity.
Entire Homeschooling Family Kidnapped by the State | Brittany Hunter
Raising children is no walk in the park, but it's even more difficult when the state dictates what you can and cannot do with your own family. Kiarre Harris is a devoted single mother, trying her hardest to provide her children with the best possible upbringing. Government schooling has been failing children for years.
A Libertarian Builds Low-Cost Private Schools for the Masses
Bob Luddy was tired of trying to convince North Carolina educrats to improve the state's public schools, so he built his own network of low-cost private schools that the government can't meddle with.
Martin Luther King III on Freedom, Justice, and School Choice | B.K. Marcus
A day after the nation celebrated the holiday named for his father, Martin Luther King III joined several thousand parents and children at a rally in Tallahassee to support the beleaguered Florida Tax Credit Scholarship (FTC), the largest private school choice program in the United States. "This is about justice," said King.
Myths about School Choice and Betsy DeVos - Just Facts
In an op-ed for the New York Times, U.S. Senator Maggie Hassan (D-NH) alleges that she is voting against Betsy DeVos for Secretary of Education because: DeVos opposes policies that allow "our young people, all of them, to participate in our democracy and compete on a fair footing in the work force."
Selling Higher Education Is Sleazier Than Selling a Used Car | Jay Stooksberry
In a previous life, I worked in sales. But not just your everyday, run-of-the-mill brand of sales: I worked in a sleazy industry that championed predatory lending practices and distorted the pricing of its lackluster product, which often sent my clients spiraling down a rabbit hole of debt.
School Choice Will Restore Our Competitive Edge | Tyler Bonin
In his inauguration speech, President Donald Trump asserted, "We must protect our border from the ravages of other countries making our products, stealing our companies and destroying our jobs. Protection will lead to great prosperity and strength." There's just one problem with Trump's Carrier deal: the jobs are not actually staying.
Why Those Student Loans Aren't Getting Paid Off
Last month, the US Department of Education admitted that a much larger number of students are defaulting on student loans than previously reported. According to the Wall Street Journal : An earlier report released in April had stated that "More than 40% of Americans who borrowed from the government's main student-loan program aren't making payments or are behind."
School Choice Benefits Teachers Too | Corey DeAngelis
Proponents of the public school system argue that school choice policies divert financial resources from public institutions and therefore harm teachers . While it is true that funds are reallocated, it is not clear that these policies actually make teachers worse off overall.
Book Police Are Inherent to Public Schools | Corey DeAngelis
Because learning is facilitated by curiosity and interest, censorship decreases the likelihood that children will have a successful educational experience. Since the quality of a child's education is limited, and education is essential for lifelong success, censorship harms a child's life trajectory.
School Choice Works, and Here's the Evidence | Jason Bedrick
There are a great many reasons to support educational choice: maximizing freedom, respecting pluralism, reducing social conflict, empowering the poor, and so on. One reason is simply this: it works. This week, researchers Patrick J. Wolf, M. Danish Shakeel, and Kaitlin P.
This Kind of School Choice Is Superior to Vouchers | Corey DeAngelis
Private school choice in the United States come in four basic forms: individual tax credits, tax credit scholarships, vouchers, and Education Savings Accounts (ESAs). Voucher programs are the most well-known type of private school choice. While voucher programs are desirable for individual students and the societies in which they reside, ESAs have a few important advantages that make them more effective, according to economic theory.
How Regulation of Private Schools Hurts the Poor | Corey DeAngelis
Every private school choice program in the United States monetarily benefits private schools at the expense of an increased regulatory burden. Even decision-makers that support private school choice agree that some degree of quality control is essential for programs to be successful.
School Choice with Public Funds Is Government Choice | Corey DeAngelis
Allocating public funds to private schools increases competitive pressures in the short-run and leads to specialization, but this comes at a price we all must pay in the long-run. Whenever a private institution accepts public funding, that private entity gives up some of its autonomy.
Schooling Is Not a Public Good | Corey DeAngelis
Critics of the proposed to expand private school choice in the United States that the government must fund and control schooling since it is a "public good." This may sound accurate, as we label some schools as "public" and some as "private." Since we have public schools, schooling must be a public good, right?
This Is the Way Forward for Schools | FEE
Entrepreneur Bob Luddy was tired of trying to convince North Carolina education bureaucrats to improve the state's public schools, so he built his own network of low-cost private schools, to show that it can be done, and to provide a model for the future. The Thales Academy network is now ten-years running and operating brilliantly.
Public Ed Gets Schooled in Developing Countries | Luis Pablo de la Horra
Does this sound familiar? "Education is a basic pillar for any society. It is the bedrock upon which a country builds its present and future prosperity; therefore it is important that governments in developing countries provide free, basic education so that children do not fall behind due to lack of economic resources, thereby expanding opportunities to thrive and abandoning the vicious circle of poverty."
The Internet Is Maximizing Educational Choice | Zachary Garris
Everyone knows America's public school system is a mess. The government has a monopoly on education created by compulsory attendance laws and confiscatory taxation. In other words, government has used coercion to establish a uniform system that suppresses competition. Such a monopoly of course breeds inefficiency and ineffectiveness.
Why Americans are Getting Dumber and How to Fix It | Annie Holmquist
Recently I learned that long time economist Thomas Sowell is retiring from his position as a syndicated columnist. Curious, I flipped through an archive of his many columns and stumbled on one entitled Education: Then and Now, written in early 2006. One paragraph in particular caught my eye.
The Failure of Public Schooling in One Chart | Daniel J. Mitchell
Between 1950 and 2009, American public schools experienced a 96 percent increase in student population. During that time, the number of administrators and other staff increased by over seven times the increase in students. This staffing surge still exists today, but the promised benefits are nowhere to be seen.
Charter Schools Are Reinventing Local Control in Education
America's devotion to local control of schools is dying, but it is also being reborn as a new faith in charter schools. These independently operated public schools-nearly 7,000 across the country, and counting-provide a much-needed option for almost three million youngsters in 43 states.
Legalizing Discrimination Would Improve the Education System | Corey DeAngelis
School choice programs around the world prohibit discrimination in hiring employees and enrolling students. While discrimination policies aim to protect employees and children, the result is the opposite. Discrimination in hiring employees increases the likelihood that children are educated by teachers that are aligned with their interests and abilities.
School Choice Works, and Here's the Evidence | Jason Bedrick
There are a great many reasons to support educational choice: maximizing freedom, respecting pluralism, reducing social conflict, empowering the poor, and so on. One reason is simply this: it works. This week, researchers Patrick J. Wolf, M. Danish Shakeel, and Kaitlin P.
Survey Says: African Americans Love School Choice | Jason Bedrick
The Black Alliance for Education Options released the results of a new survey of black voters in four states on education policy. The poll found that more than six in ten blacks in Alabama, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Tennessee support school vouchers.