Policy & Law
Stay well-informed about the ever-changing landscape of policies and laws that impact choices for students, parents, and educators.
Arizona edupreneur wins standoff with state fire marshal over costly regulations
Nothing can stop Denise Lever. Not a raging wildfire and certainly not a state fire marshal’s effort to shut down her tutoring center by trying to impose regulations that could have forced her to spend $70,000 on building upgrades. As one of the nation’s few female wildland firefighters in the... READ MOREAdventures in babysitting
Recently, someone representing a state official responded to an Arizona media outlet inquiry about the Empowerment Scholarship Accounts program and referred to “tutoring and babysitting.” Consequently, Arizona’s school district industrial...
READ MOREAgainst the divine right of (philosopher) kings
**SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNDER THE AGE OF 8** Western cultures, for some strange reason, involve rituals where we pretend that various “fairy creatures” exist, particularly...
READ MOREHere we are now, going to the supply side
Last week, I had the opportunity to make a presentation about how lawmakers can support teachers who want to start their own schools. The four key features: Universal eligibility: Everyone...
READ MOREPresident signs education choice bill into law
Editor’s note: This story has been updated after President Donald Trump signed the bill. Education choice, which has long been the domain of statehouses, is now enshrined in federal law....
READ MORETechnocrats wear a political dunce crown
David Osborne recently predicted academic doom for red states having recently passed universal private choice programs. “This will accelerate the process of the rich getting richer while the poor fall...
READ MOREImagine if the District of Columbia Public Schools gave peace a chance in special education
“War, huh, yeah What is it good for? Absolutely nothing” — Edwinn Starr, “War” The District of Columbia Public School system has a troubled history with special education. In reviewing...
READ MOREMy son’s success shows why private school IEP mandates are misguided
When our son Keith — affectionately known as “Deuce” — was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 3, we were told he might never speak beyond echolalia (the automatic...
READ MOREWe don’t need no Klanducation; We don’t need no thought control
June 1, 2025, marked the 100th anniversary of the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in Pierce v. Society of Sisters– effectively the first victory of America’s school choice movement. In...
READ MOREGet thee behind me, Bootlegger!
Longtime NextSteps readers know that your humble author has been holding forth on the Baptist and Bootlegger problem that helped throttle the growth of the charter school movement. The term...
READ MOREThe systemic improvements public education needs are coming
Student achievement has fallen to its worst levels in two decades. Throughout public education, we see blaring sirens that our students deserve better. At the same time, states across the...
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