Five member universities departed the Pacific-12 Conference last week, following the leads of three others. Despite boasting more NCAA national championships than any other league, the “Conference of Champions” as we knew it died. I anxiously await a modern Edward Gibbon to document the fall of this part of American[Read More…]
Tag: public education
Column: School quality rises as school choice expands
Editor’s note: This opinion piece, written by Step Up For Students’ director of policy and public affairs, appeared April 19 on the Florida Politics blog. The commentary was submitted as a rebuttal to an editorial in the Palm Beach Post, which declined to publish it. Florida’s public education system is[Read More…]
“Public education” is anything but public
In much of American society, children attend a school that has been chosen by their parents. Mom and Dad have picked out a home in the attendance area of a certain school that is owned and run by the government. At the very least, when they moved they knew its[Read More…]
Multiple school choice options are just right for this family
Today is back-to-school day for most school districts in Florida. But for the Plucinski family of Central Florida, it’s back to schools. And not just district schools. Sisters Cora and Zuri will board a school bus to start the day at a district elementary school, while mom Corin Plucinski will[Read More…]
William N. Sheats and pitfalls of democratic control of public education
William N. Sheats was, in many ways, the father of Florida’s public school system. He was also an ardent racist who declared war on a racially integrated private school in North Florida, which he referred to as a “nest of vile fanatics” in an episode that subjected the state to[Read More…]
School choice scholarships don’t hurt public education
Editor’s note: This op-ed by Step Up For Students President Doug Tuthill was written in response to a March 10 column by Palm Beach Post columnist Frank Cerabino. The Post published it online last night. Sixty-thousand of Florida’s poorest schoolchildren chose a private school this year with the help of a[Read More…]
School choice opposition too often mired in myths
Education is a complex and nuanced issue, and advocates on all sides need to be mindful not to overreach. Supporters of school choice sometimes overpromise the benefits of vouchers and tax-credit scholarships, leaving them open to attack. On the other side, school choice critics sometimes appeal to a mythical concept[Read More…]
Private interests abound for everyone in public education debate
We all have private interests. People pursuing their private interests – individually or as a group – is what drives progress and innovation. But our private interests should never trump the common good. Private interests usurping the public good is privatization. Privatization is bad. It undermines democracy and progress. Encouraging[Read More…]