Rabbi Moshe Matz, the executive director of Agudath Israel’s Florida office and rabbi of the Aventura Shul in Aventura teamed with Sr. Magda Elkadi Saleh is Head of School at Bayaan Academy in Tampa to coauthor a fantastic opinion piece on K-12 choice in Florida: A recent opinion column that accused[Read More…]
Education Choice
Yes, parents can be the deciders and yes, there are safeguards
A recent article in the Tampa Bay Times dissected parents’ uses of Florida’s education choice scholarships, including some unconventional uses of funding, like large-screen TVs. While the article quoted supporters of the program and defenders of parents’ choices, it did not feature the most important perspective: That of parents using the[Read More…]
Strong Sunshine State showing among Yass Prize quarterfinalists
The Yass Prize kicked off its 2023 education innovation competition today by announcing 64 quarterfinalists from 31 states. Each school or learning platform that made the list will receive $100,000 to improve or expand its program and move on to be considered as one of 32 semi-finalists. The group[Read More…]
Education entrepreneurs cite nonsensical local rules as greatest roadblocks to offering innovative learning alternatives
In Arizona, an education entrepreneur can’t open her microshool because of zoning codes that bar private schools, but not public schools, from operating in residential areas. In Nevada, a retired Navy officer and engineer who holds two college degrees is being told he can’t open a secular private school[Read More…]
Zoning, land use and local rules create hurdles for new private schools
The headline: Families who enrolled their children at a new Jewish day school in South Florida were forced to temporarily seek other options after local zoning and permitting issues delayed the school’s opening. Behind the headline: A new law granting universal K-12 scholarship eligibility to all Florida families has created[Read More…]
Melon-scoop America
America’s founders (wisely) set up a federal system in part to defend liberty. Federalism allows Americans to select a state whose policies fit their policy preferences; it’s much more difficult to immigrate between countries for this purpose. If you desire to live in a state politically dominated by public sector[Read More…]
Fight for future of Nebraska school choice moves to 2024 ballot
The big story: Opponents of Nebraska’s first K-12 school choice scholarship program that would allow the state’s neediest families access to the school that best fits their child’s needs say they have collected 117,000 petition signatures, enough to put the measure on the 2024 ballot. Yes, but: Despite claims of[Read More…]
Tiffany is armed to look to her own defense
In 410, after years of enough backstabbing, civil wars and barbarian invasions to make a Games of Thrones scriptwriter blush, the Saxons invaded the Roman province of Britannia. The Roman Britons called upon the emperor for aid, which resulted in what is known as the Rescript of Honorius. In this[Read More…]