Have you heard? School choice is a bit of a hot topic in Washington lately. But whether — much less how — the federal government should help expand parental choice can be a thorny question. Indiana Rep. Luke Messer is one of the biggest school choice advocates in Congress. He’s also a[Read More…]
Tag: Andy Smarick
Charter-like networks and private schools’ resurgence
A new report looks at a key aspect of the Catholic school renaissance we’ve explored before on this blog: The rise of private school management organizations — which, it turns out, are not confined to Catholic schools. The report, from the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice, looks at the rise of these[Read More…]
What can Florida learn from Ohio’s charter school debate?
As the debate continues over improving charter school quality in Florida, it might be worth following developments in Ohio. Legislators there are working on an overhaul of charter school laws. In essence, they seem to be driving toward the kind of grand bargain that at least some charter school operators and district[Read More…]
Report: Private schools can learn from successful charter schools
A new report argues supporters of private school choice can learn from public charter schools and should look for ways to “break down the walls” between the two sectors. Private school choice programs serve only a few hundred thousand students nationally, a fraction of the 2.3 million enrolled in charters.[Read More…]
Mostly agreeing with Andy Smarick, but …
In his keynote speech to a national gathering of faith-based educators in New York City last month, Andy Smarick offered several thoughtful ideas about how to regulate and expand access to faith-based schools. I agree with some of these ideas. I disagree with others. Here’s a rundown. I paraphrased Smarick’s[Read More…]
Smarick: In new era, faith-based schools need more transparency, accountability
Few people in the field of education bring the kind of credibility to a debate on faith-based schools that Andy Smarick brings. So his keynote speech Tuesday to the American Center for School Choice’s Commission on Faith-based Schools in New York was all the more riveting for his decision not to[Read More…]
In Florida, the debate over the future of school boards is happening now
Last year, 43 percent of Florida’s PreK-12 students attended a school other than their assigned neighborhood school. This enthusiastic embrace of school choice by parents is forcing school boards to rethink their roles and responsibilities. Should they fight to prevent parents from attending non-district schools? Or should they embrace parent[Read More…]