Vermont has had school choice for over a century, and yet the struggle of one southern Vermont public school to close its doors and reopen as an independent school has stirred up all the controversy that one might expect elsewhere in the country. Despite significant pushback from some local voters, the independent school has ultimately been approved at both the local and state level. Still, oppContinue Reading »

Mike Petrilli argues for public school choice in the suburbs today. He suggests that residents in “affluent, leafy suburbs” deserve school choice, too. Okay. Except, mostly, those parents already exercise choice–and inside the public school system.

They just move. Ask any realtor in a plummy neighborhood–most of their potential buyers have more data on the local sContinue Reading »

A couple weeks ago, when the Romney campaign unveiled its education plan, I predicted that it would quickly be characterized as a voucher program because it dares to include private schools in its choice proposals. Sure enough, in its first major story about the Romney plan, the nation’s newspaper of record, The New York Times, did just that on Tuesday.

It was no small task. The Continue Reading »

Dear Kevin, Mike, Checker, and all you other edu-writers:

Voucherize is not a word.

A voucher, at least when one is referring to the use of public money to subsidize parental school choice, is a noun. While it may be popular with McKinsey, et al. to transform everyday, snooze-inducing nouns (like incentive) into a slick, shiny action verb… I expect more from you.

InsContinue Reading »

As Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney’s record on education mirrored that of President Bush, including rigorous standards, assessments, and charter schooling. He even supported No Child Left Behind. But as Andy Rotherham noted in TIME nearly a month ago, “As the presumptive nominee of a party that is increasingly allergic to a robust federal role in most areas of domestic policy, Romney talContinue Reading »

Unveiling his education plan for the nation, presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Mitt Romney, today spoke first for the principle of school choice. He promised, if elected, to use federal dollars to encourage states to offer more choices to students from low income families, including traditional public schools, charter schools, digital schools—and private schools, if states allow it. Continue Reading »

Sharing is caring. “Collaboration isn’t a fad or a silver bullet. And make no mistake, it’s not easy.” But when done thoughtfully and deliberately, it can boost kindergarten readiness, test scores, and graduation rates, just as it has in Cincinnati. Education Sector recently looked at the city’s Strive Partnership, which includes civic groups, businesses, nonprofits, and philanthropies, that seContinue Reading »

The New York Times’ most emailed articles list typically does not include the most hard-hitting journalism. Instead, the list features pet stories about Ivy League graduates forced to wait tables or, this week, parents paying for their middle-aged daughters to freeze their eggs as grandparent insurance. Monday morning’s list, however, had an important story that examines a tradeoff poseContinue Reading »

Editor’s Note: Last week, Education Sector released On Her Majesty’s School Inspection Service, which outlines how school inspections have become part of the accountability system in England. Would such a system work in the U.S.? We asked a variety of education experts to weigh in with their thoughts. We’ll share them throughout the week, and we encourage you to share your reactions as weContinue Reading »

Editor’s Note: Last week, Education Sector released On Her Majesty’s School Inspection Service, which outlines how school inspections have become part of the accountability system in England. Would such a system work in the U.S.? We asked a variety of education experts to weigh in with their thoughts. We’ll share them throughout the week, and we encourage you to share your reactions as well.Continue Reading »