Robin Lake of the Center on Reinventing Public Education has a must-read on how her quest to find an appropriate school for her son changed her views on educational choice. I’m an education researcher and policy analyst, and before that point I’d been firmly opposed to school vouchers, for all the[Read More…]
Tag: the week in school choice
The week in school choice
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was back on Capitol Hill. She faced more questions on school choice and civil rights. “Schools receiving federal funds must follow federal laws,” was her refrain. Here’s what the law says now. Here’s another answer she could have given. She also talked about the link between funding[Read More…]
The week in school choice: Of the people
A narrative continues to grow that an unprecedented focus on private school options somehow threatens the institution of American public education. The word derives from the Latin word publicus, meaning “of the people.” This concept — that the government belongs to the people and the government should provide for the[Read More…]
The week in school choice: A model for the nation?
So much pre-confirmation talk about Betsy DeVos focused on her home state of Michigan. As education secretary, she’s pointing to a different state — arguably her second home — as a model for the nation. “Florida is a good and growing example of what can happen when you have a robust array[Read More…]
The week in school choice: Breaking through the noise
In the wake of the confirmation of Betsy DeVos, and amid the political tensions that remain, a few key points should break through the noise. Understanding the teachers union politics that drove the Senate confirmation vote. Three lessons reformers had better learn from the battle. Here’s what the new education secretary could actually do.[Read More…]
The week in school choice: Nationalized
The Senate prepares for a final vote Tuesday to confirm Betsy DeVos as education secretary. It’s worth wondering why her nomination — of all the picks in Donald Trump’s cabinet — is so controversial. Some real talk. Charter school leaders from Florida to California triangulate, criticizing DeVos and school vouchers.[Read More…]
The week in school choice: Current events
Ahead of this week’s expected confirmation vote on Betsy DeVos, more facts are beginning to puncture the myths spawned by problematic media coverage — on her extensive Florida ties and political involvement, on misinformation and bad math that cloud the real state of Detroit’s charter schools, on her nuanced record on LGBT[Read More…]
The week in school choice: New opportunities
It’s National School Choice Week, and everyone’s celebrating — including 1.6 million Floridians. Yet the politics of school choice are getting weird. A Senate confirmation hearing for Betsy DeVos spawned countless memes, talk of fake gaffes and questions about her grasp of education policy details. Democrats like Al Franken and Maggie Hassan backed charters[Read More…]