Education Politics

Word for word: Democratic lawmaker says education choice saved his life

Editor’s note: Last week, as members of the Florida House Education & Employment Committee debated HB 1, some lawmakers shared how education choice, or the lack of it, shaped their lives. Among them was Rep. Gallop Franklin II. The Tallahassee Democrat, one of two members of his party who joined[Read More…]

ESAs’ surge is decades in the making, and advocates are prepared for pushback

Editor’s note: This commentary from Adam Peshek, senior director and senior fellow at Stand Together Trust, appeared today on the Thomas B. Fordham Institute’s website. In the summer of 2015, I sat at my desk and Googled “health savings account providers.” At the time, I had been in states across[Read More…]

Nebraska needs to step up on school choice

Editor’s note: This commentary from Katie Linehan, national director of communications and marketing at the American Federation for Children, appeared Wednesday on washingtonexaminer.com. Linehan’s mother, Nebraska state Sen. Lou Ann Linehan, is lead sponsor of the Opportunity Scholarships Act. This week, the Nebraska Legislature is debating a school choice bill that[Read More…]

Companion bills that would massively expand education choice in Florida win committee approvals

Historic legislation that would expand education choice in Florida got a big boost Wednesday as two committees approved House and Senate versions of bills that would allow every K-12 student in the state to be eligible for education savings accounts. Members of the Senate Appropriations Committee on Education voted 9-4,[Read More…]

Florida legislative session opening day: What they’re saying about education choice

Editor’s note: Today marks the first day of the two-month 2023 legislative session, although committees have been discussing bills since December. The state’s top legislative leaders, House Speaker Paul Renner, Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, each cited education choice expansion as a priority during opening speeches to their chambers. Likewise, Gov.[Read More…]

Private school voucher and charter-friendly bills sail through Tennessee Senate

Editor’s note: This article appeared Monday on tn.chalkbeat.org. The Tennessee Senate on Monday approved two Republican-sponsored bills that would expand and clarify eligibility for students to receive private school vouchers or enroll in charter schools. Both measures passed 27-5 along partisan lines and now await action in House committees. Sen.[Read More…]

School choice would benefit rural students in Wyoming

Editor’s note: This commentary from Jason Bedrick, a research fellow at the Center for Education Policy, and Matt Ladner, director of the Arizona Center for Student Opportunity at the Arizona Charter School Association and reimaginED executive editor, appeared Monday on The Heritage Foundation’s website. All children in Wyoming should have[Read More…]

Teacher pay, school choice, literacy: Top priorities for 39 governors in 2023

This analysis appeared Wednesday on the 74million.org. The COVID pandemic — the topic that has dominated education conversations for the past three years — is largely missing from the State of the State addresses that governors are delivering to their legislatures this winter. Instead, state leaders are using their bully[Read More…]