Speculation swirled after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled yesterday that Missouri could not exclude private religious schools from a playground grant program. Did justices signal they set their sights on a legal obstacle to school vouchers? Even informed legal scholars disagreed. But the high court sent a much clearer signal this[Read More…]
Tag: Douglas County
Special needs lawsuit could have major parental choice implications
The Senate will no longer hold confirmation hearings on prospective Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Wednesday, but another hearing will have at least as much potential to rock the world of public education. The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments in what could be a landmark special education case. And unlike[Read More…]
School choice groups ask Supreme Court to hear Colorado voucher case
Four school choice advocacy groups are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to hear a case that found the the Douglas County, Colo., school voucher program unconstitutional. The school district is looking to use the case to strike a blow against constitutional restrictions on school choice. In an amicus brief filed this week, the Goldwater[Read More…]
Douglas County appeals to U.S. Supreme Court to save voucher program
A Colorado school district is trying to take the legal fight for its voucher program to the U.S. Supreme Court, in a case that could have implications for school choice programs all over the country. Last week, the Douglas County school district formally appealed a ruling against its school voucher program.[Read More…]
How a stubborn Catholic Church fostered worldwide educational choice
I head this week to Madrid for the annual meeting of OIDEL, a Geneva-based organization promoting educational freedom around the world. We advocate for policies that allow parents to decide to what school they entrust their children and that allow teachers to decide to which educational project they will dedicate their[Read More…]
As in the 19th century, the language of passion takes over the language of reason
Among the newest contributors to redefinED is Boston University professor Charles Glenn, an expert on educational history and comparative policy who last summer served as a witness in the court challenge to Douglas County’s school voucher pilot. His testimony showcased not only the 19th-century American history of providing public educations funds[Read More…]
Widening support for school choice
Editor’s note: This entry comes from Charles Glenn, professor of educational leadership at Boston University and the former director of urban education and equity efforts for the Massachusetts Department of Education. He is the author of nine books, including The Myth of the Common School, and of more than 100[Read More…]
Strong words, and a little cognitive dissonance
A judge in Colorado on Friday blocked the Douglas County school district’s voucher experiment, insisting that allowing the program to move forward will lead to “real, immediate, and irreparable injury” to the plaintiffs and others who asked for the injunction. Specifically, Judge Michael A. Martinez wrote in a 68-page ruling that[Read More…]