Education 
Recent Research and Commentary
For Real Equity: Give Schools the Money Instead of Staffing Positions
November 13, 2009, 12:18pmPreschool Hype: National Security Edition
November 2, 2009, 2:05pmA bipartisan group of retired military officers says without more educational and health investments in children the country will face a growing “national security threat.”
Universal Preschool Isn't the Silver Bullet
Reason.tv video examines the arguments for and against universal pre-K
October 23, 2008Despite the massive $700 billion bailout and record deficits, many are calling on the federal government to spend tens of billions of dollars on a new universal preschool bureaucracy. To make matters worse, according to a new Reason.tv video, those billions would be spent on the same types of programs that have failed to produce better students or lasting gains on standardized tests.
Fighting to Free Kids From One of America's Worst Public Schools
Reason.tv's Drew Carey details the battle to improve Los Angeles' Locke High
February 19, 2008When looking for a symbol that epitomizes the way public schools are failing our kids, look no further than Locke High School in Watts.
Approximately 75 percent of 9th graders entering Locke do not graduate in four years. And less than five percent of Locke students go on to attend four-year colleges.
It's hard to learn when you fear for your life. In the 2003-2004 school year, there were three sex offenses, 17 robberies, 25 batteries, and 11 assaults with a deadly weapon at Locke.
In a new Reason.tv video, Drew Carey tells the story of a group of parents and teachers rising up to free kids from this failing, violent school. Carey chronicles how the school's principal and a majority of Locke's teachers decide they've had enough and revolt against their powerful union and school district in hopes of giving these kids a better education. Over half of the school's tenured teachers signed a petition calling for Locke to be converted into a Green Dot charter school.
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- Obama's Race to the Top May Help Spur Much-Needed Education Reforms
Schwarzenegger has opportunity to improve teacher performance and increase use of charter schools
Lisa Snell
August 24, 2009 - Lift Restrictions on School Outsourcing in California
Other states and school districts are saving millions by contracting out non-instructional support services
Lisa Snell
June 30, 2009 - Are Charters a Drain on Traditional Public Schools?
Charters are a legitimate part of the public school system
Lisa Snell
June 12, 2009 - Who Do Charters Educate?
The numbers prove that charters help disadvantaged students
Lisa Snell
June 11, 2009 - Massive, Expensive Expansion of the Pell Grant Program
President Obama wants to make college grants into an entitlement. Bad idea.
Michael C. Moynihan
June 10, 2009 - How Much Freedom Do Charter Schools Deserve?
Oakland owes a lot to its charter schools
June 10, 2009 - President Obama Fails the Kids in the DC Voucher Program
Ignoring the program's big successes, Congress and Obama pay off the teachers' unions
Shikha Dalmia
April 20, 2009 - Roanoke Schools Embrace Privatization to Cut Costs, Focus on Education
Privatizing transportation will free up money for classroom
Leonard Gilroy
April 14, 2009 - U.S. News' College Rankings Are Fundamentally Flawed
Creating a more results-based system
April 1, 2009 - The Inconsistencies In President Obama's Education Plans
The rhetoric on charter schools, firing bad teachers and merit pay sounds good, but where is the follow through?
Lisa Snell
March 18, 2009 - Huge Stimulus Plan Won't Change the Education System's Status Quo
Throwing money at failing schools won't boost test scores or graduation rates
Lisa Snell
January 27, 2009 - Obama Can Help Rhee Fix DC's Schools
Tackling teacher tenure could launch meaningful education reforms
Lisa Snell
December 10, 2008 - Some Democrats Supporting School Vouchers
Positive development for school choice
Lisa Snell
November 1, 2008 - Preschool's Failures
Where are the long-term benefits?
Lisa Snell
October 31, 2008 - Universal Preschool Hasn't Delivered Results
Study after study shows no long-term gains for kids who attend universal preschool
Shikha Dalmia and Lisa Snell
October 17, 2008 - LAUSD Doesn't Need $7 Billion in Bonds
District's budget is rapidly growing even as enrollment declines, schools close
Lisa Snell
October 17, 2008 - How Obama Can Win Working-Class Votes
Ask colleges to end preferences for minorities and white children of alumni in admissions
Shikha Dalmia
September 24, 2008 - More Evidence that Universal Preschool Doesn't Offer Lasting Benefits
By second grade the benefits of one of the nation's 'best' universal pre-K programs are gone
Lisa Snell
August 22, 2008 - Protect Our Kids from Preschool
Preschool doesn't show lasting gains and may do more harm than good
Shikha Dalmia and Lisa Snell
August 22, 2008 - Public Says Post Office Is Doing a Better Job Than Public Schools
New data from California shows how badly schools are failing African-Americans
Lisa Snell
August 18, 2008 - Failing Public Schools Wipe Out Any Preschools Gains
Sen. Obama's education plans should focus on charter schools, other reforms, not universal preschool
Lisa Snell
June 6, 2008 - Will a Democrat Please Stand Up?
Looking for someone to help kids stuck in California's failing schools
Lisa Snell
May 28, 2008 - Closer Look at California's Proposed Education Cuts
State budget deficit makes some cuts necessary
Lisa Snell
May 13, 2008 - Sen. Obama Is Right: Parents Are the Key to Fixing Schools
More money won't save our troubled public schools
Joanne Jacobs
May 1, 2008 - Are Over 100,000 California Teachers Getting Pink Slips?
When it is time to make budget cuts, teachers shouldn't be the first to go
Lisa Snell
April 3, 2008 - Legacy Admissions Hurt Middle-Class Students
Stanford, Yale, Harvard and other universities offer tuition breaks but don't fix admissions process
Shikha Dalmia
March 18, 2008 - Catholic Schools Struggle to Stay Open
Catholic schools produce good results, but are having trouble competing with public and charter schools
Joanne Jacobs
March 5, 2008 - "Instructionist" School Reform and School Choice
Low-income kids being left further behind in places where instructional reform doesn't include choice
Lisa Snell
February 6, 2008 - Legacies of Injustice
Alumni preferences threaten educational equity--and no one seems to care.
Shikha Dalmia
February 1, 2008 - The Success of Charter Schools
Letter to the Editor
Lisa Snell
January 25, 2008 - Frequently Asked Questions About Weighted Student Formula
Is it the right school finance solution for Indiana?
Lisa Snell
January 24, 2008 - Weighted Student Formula and School Empowerment
Interview with Dr. William G. Ouchi
Lisa Snell
January 24, 2008 - It Isn't the Bullying, Stupid, It's the Parenting
Don't blame school shootings on kids being bullied
Joanne Jacobs
December 4, 2007 - Lessons From Abroad
School choice only helps education
Shikha Dalmia
October 29, 2007 - Sending Poor Kids to Middle-Class Schools Doesn't Fix the System
It doesn't produce better test scores either
Joanne Jacobs
September 21, 2007 - Urban Schools Scores Rise When Parents, Principals Lead
"Weighted Student Formula" helping urban school districts close the achievement gap
Lisa Snell
August 26, 2007 - Preschool Reality Check in New Jersey
Long-term benefits of preschool are being overstated
Lisa Snell
August 9, 2007 - California's Lost Students
"English Learners" caught in perverse system
Joanne Jacobs
August 1, 2007 - Money Talks
Give families school choice, and they will get choice schools
Lisa Snell
June 1, 2007 - Election Day Lessons for LAUSD
Let Students Vote with Their Dollars
Lisa Snell
May 15, 2007 - The Weighted Student Formula
Is There a Better Way to Fund Indiana Education?
Lisa Snell
March 15, 2007 - Indiana's Full-Day Kindergarten: A Wise Choice for Education Dollars?
Negligible, short-term results won't fix Indiana's schools
Lisa Snell
March 6, 2007 - Experimenting With School Choice: A Tale of Two California Districts
Oakland, Compton show school choice can improve results more than the status quo
Lisa Snell and Shikha Dalmia
February 23, 2007 - State Education Tests Don't Snuff Creativity
Parents get road map to follow progress
Lisa Snell
December 6, 2006 - Blacks and Hispanics Don't Need Racial Preference Laws
As California shows, minorities get into good schools all the same
Shikha Dalmia
November 26, 2006 - Midterm Election Silver Lining
Michigan's affirmative action vote may signal national trend
Henry Payne and Shikha Dalmia
November 22, 2006 - Education After Affirmative Action
California's students have benefited from end of racial preferences
Shikha Dalmia and Henry Payne
November 7, 2006 - Never-Ending School Bonds
Over budget and behind schedule is state's school-building motto
Lisa Snell
November 2, 2006 - Fairness Takes Back Seat With School Impact Fees
New residents should not bear the burden of financing new schools
Leonard Gilroy
October 6, 2006 - For Answer to LAUSD's Woes, Look North
Weighted student formula can help mayor improve Los Angeles schools
Lisa Snell
August 27, 2006 - Universal Preschool Benefits Miscalculated and Overstated
RAND study compares apples and oranges, exaggerates pre-k's benefits, underestimates costs
Chris Cardiff and Edward Stringham
June 6, 2006 - Where Did India's Skilled Labor Come From?
The surprising role of private education
Shikha Dalmia
June 1, 2006 - Preschool For All? Don't Feed the Beast
Claims that preschool boosts reading scores later are at odds with history
Lisa Snell
May 25, 2006 - Hands Off My Fridge, Meathead
Taxing and tactics should be questioned in California universal preschool debate
Shikha Dalmia and Lisa Snell
March 16, 2006 - School Impact Fees Create Unfair Financial Burdens
Ohio's push to fund school facilities is off the mark
Samuel Staley
January 9, 2006 - Meathead Is at It Again
California's universal preschool plan will hurt businesses, teachers
Shikha Dalmia and Lisa Snell
December 8, 2005 - Universal Preschool Is Inviting Universal Disaster
Reiner's plan is failing in Quebec, won't work in CA
Shikha Dalmia and Lisa Snell
December 4, 2005 - Let a Thousand Choices Bloom
Debating the future of education reform.
Lisa Snell
December 1, 2005 - Hard Lessons from the Big Easy's Public Schools
New Orleans private schools fight for survival
Shikha Dalmia
November 29, 2005 - California Ballot Initiatives Can Jumpstart Reforms
Teacher tenure, paycheck protection needed to improve system
Lisa Snell
November 3, 2005 - Don't Give Them Our Preschoolers
Rob Reiner's Preschool for All Act throws good money after bad
Lisa Snell
September 22, 2005 - Universal Preschool Isn't the Answer
Data show government-run preschools are a costly failure
Lisa Snell
September 7, 2005 - Special Election for Education Issues in California
Teacher tenure, paycheck protection, budgeting on ballot
Lisa Snell
September 1, 2005 - School Choice Scorecard
States decide the fate of several school choice initiatives
Lisa Snell
July 1, 2005 - Defeats, Some Victories Scored by School Choice Supporters
Lisa Snell
July 1, 2005 - Defining the Education Market: Reconsidering Charter Schools
Reconsidering Charter Schools
Lisa Snell
July 1, 2005 - How Schools Underreport Violence, Cheat No Child Left Behind
From underreporting violence to inflating graduation rates to fudging testscores, educators are lying to the American public
Lisa Snell
June 30, 2005 - School Cheating Epidemic - Among Adults
Schools across the country painting a false picture of their performance
Lisa Snell
June 20, 2005 - Questioning State Aid for Students at Private Colleges
Policies need to maximize students' opportunities, not limit their choices
Lisa Snell
June 3, 2005 - School Choice a Hot Topic in State Legislatures Nationwide
State battles over school choice yield mixed results
Lisa Snell
June 1, 2005 - Ohio House OKs Statewide Voucher Plan
Program would provide vouchers to children in underperforming school districts
Lisa Snell
June 1, 2005 - School Choice Legislation Is All the Rage in 2005
At least 17 states considering choice proposals
Lisa Snell
May 1, 2005 - The President Plays the Simon Part; Congress, alas, is Paula
Despite Bush cuts, Congress keeps ineffective education programs alive
Lisa Snell
April 10, 2005 - Break Up LAUSD's Violent Schools
Smaller campuses are the safest
Lisa Snell
March 3, 2005 - British Study Casts Doubt on Benefits of Class-Size Reductions
Reforms more likely to increase student achievement
Lisa Snell
March 1, 2005 - Align Education Funds and Results
Weighted student formulas help accountability
Lisa Snell
February 19, 2005 - US Students Flunk Math, Again
American students ranked 24th, out of 29 countries
Lisa Snell
February 1, 2005 - Outsourcing Opponents Seek to Discredit Private Sector
Lisa Snell
January 1, 2005 - Red-Tape Blues
Very tough to open a private or charter school in California
Lisa Snell
December 26, 2004 - Special Ed Students in Low Achievement Trap
Teachers fail to utilize research-based instructional practices
Lisa Snell
December 1, 2004 - School Violence Tolerated
1,603,000 non-fatal crimes at school from '96 to 2000
Walter E. Williams
October 13, 2004 - No Way Out
The No Child Left Behind Act provides only the illusion of school choice.
Lisa Snell
October 1, 2004 - Privatization Produces Gains in Philadelphia
District posts average gains of 10 points in reading and math
Lisa Snell
October 1, 2004 - Corruption in Public Schools Costs Taxpayers
$8 million in undocumented expenses
Lisa Snell
September 1, 2004 - The State's Backward Ways
Refusal to allow privatization of some services hurts students
Lisa Snell
August 4, 2004 - Privatize...for the Kids, of Course
Schools save by outsourcing maintenance, transportation, and food service
Geoffrey Segal
July 21, 2004 - LAUSD Plunders Funds for Charter Schools
37 percent of funds never reach schools
Lisa Snell
July 14, 2004 - Virginia Schools Should Focus on Mission: Educating
Privatizing services could save millions
Geoffrey Segal
June 21, 2004 - $100 Million Fraud in Miami-Dade Schools
Corruption, mismanagement plauge district
Lisa Snell
June 1, 2004 - Scandals Prevalent in Public Schools
Examples of public schools fleecing taxpayers
Lisa Snell
June 1, 2004 - Accountability Looms for Special Education
How to best achieve accountability
Lisa Snell
March 1, 2004 - School Choice Programs Tighten Accountability
Overregulation could hurt growth
Lisa Snell
February 1, 2004 - Restructuring California's School Finance System
State should use weighted student formula
Lisa Snell
January 23, 2004 - Analyzing the CA Education Budget
Structural reform needed
Lisa Snell
January 14, 2004 - Reducing Class Sizes Achieves Mixed Results
Studies question effectiveness
Lisa Snell
January 1, 2004 - Teacher Unions Crush Philanthropy and Volunteerism
Michigan rejects $200 million
Lisa Snell
December 1, 2003 - Schools Improve When Principals Can Be Entreprenuers
Local control improves results
Lisa Snell
December 1, 2003 - Charter Schools Improve Achievement, Despite Resistance
Charters face more hurdles than public schools
Lisa Snell
November 1, 2003 - Will Schwarzenegger Support School Choice?
Arnold will likely follow Bush's model
Lisa Snell
August 19, 2003 - Kill DARE Now
It's Costly. It Doesn't Work. It Can't Reform.
David Nott
February 10, 2003 - Why Are Unions Trying to Kill Charter Schools?
A sad charter story
Lisa Snell
December 3, 2002 - LAUSD Should Let Builders Build Schools
School construction boondoggles common in CA
Lisa Snell
November 10, 2002 - Edison Charter Soars in San Francisco
Real accountability, real results
Lisa Snell
August 15, 2002 - Resisting Meaningful School Choice
Baltimore offers 194 transfer spots for 30,000 kids
Lisa Snell
July 11, 2002 - The Arizona Tax-Credit Program Paradox
Successful example of a school-choice initiative
Lisa Snell
April 2, 2002 - Virtual Schools are the Future
Public schools will face stiff competition
Lisa Snell
March 5, 2002 - Crippling California Schools
New law prohibits privatization savings
Lisa Snell
January 15, 2002 - Gaming for Education Dollars
Federal bill long on money, short on reform
Lisa Snell
January 7, 2002 - Increasing Student Performance Through Competition
Examining the President's Management Agenda
Lisa Snell
January 7, 2002 - Edison Should Get to Run Schools Its Way
Keys to success in Philly privatization
Lisa Snell
December 12, 2001 - Facts, Not Agendas in Textbooks
Slanted environmental news shouldn't be in schools
Kenneth Green
December 2, 2001 - Getting the Bias Out of Environmental Communications
Textbooks, reports need science, not politics
Kenneth Green
October 1, 2001 - Choice Shouldn't Just be for School Supplies
Kids should be able to flee failing schools
Lisa Snell
August 17, 2001 - Value of Vouchers
Competition leads to results
Lisa Snell
February 18, 2001 - Response to Bush Education Plan
School Vouchers are Needed to Enforce Bush's Accountability Program
Lisa Snell
January 26, 2001 - Brand-Name Schools Closing Achievement Gap
Alternatives to failing schools
Lisa Snell
October 20, 2000
Out of Control Policy Blog - Education
- For Real Equity: Give Schools the Money Instead of Staffing Positions (11/13)
- Preschool Hype: National Security Edition (11/2)
- Ayn Rand Preschool Action with Barack Obama, Preschool Advocates as Comprachicos, and "Maggie Roark" Standing Alone Against the Daycare Worker of Her Time... (11/2)
- In Honor of Ayn Rand's Long Legacy: Rand on Tax Credits for Education (11/2)
- Tennessee's Gold-Standard Preschool Not Effective After 2nd Grade (11/1)
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