Christian Barnard
Assistant Director of Education Reform, Reason Foundation
Christian Barnard is assistant director of education reform at Reason Foundation.
Barnard's work includes research and analysis of state education and school district finance systems, with the goal of making them more equitable and innovative.
Barnard's writing has been featured in outlets including USA Today, Los Angeles Daily News, Washington Times, and The Hill, among others.
Barnard previously worked with the Foundation for Government Accountability, where he conducted research on labor policy and criminal justice. He also worked for the Pioneer Institute.
He holds a bachelor of arts degree in philosophy and economics from Messiah College.
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Why the State Takeover Hurt Detroit’s Public Schools and What to Do Now
A study finds the 15-year period that DPSCD was largely governed by state officials rather than a local school board was a “costly mistake.”
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Infographic: How Indiana’s School Finance System Works
Indiana should reduce reliance on local revenues and move funding to a state formula so charter schools and districts are funded on an equal footing.
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Infographic: How South Carolina’s School Finance System Works
A better alternative would be to give local leaders autonomy over how education dollars are spent.
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Liberty University: A Cautionary Tale From a School Receiving $770 Million Annually From Government Sources
Reforming Liberty University doesn’t mean compromising its mission.
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State Takeovers Are Not the Best Solution When a District Is In Financial or Academic Distress
A growing number of school districts are finding success in giving principals the flexibility to make decisions through student-based budgeting.
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Don’t Let State Education Reforms Overshadow Need For District Change
Individual school districts, not states, are the true gatekeepers for how school-level resources are used.
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Public Schools Are Not Value-Neutral
How is it possible to take and teach a neutral position?
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Weighted Student Funding Programs Continue to Show Promising Results
A survey of 20 school districts across the country that use some form of student-based budgeting finds it is working, particularly in large urban school districts.
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I Worked as a Janitor To Keep My Student Loans Low. Wiping Debt Punishes Students Like Me.
Not only does canceling all student loan debt make the sacrifices I made meaningless, Bernie Sanders' proposal would benefit people who need help the least.
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To Ensure Equitable Funding for Low-Income Students, Fixing Title I Isn’t Good Enough — It Needs to Be Rebuilt From Scratch
Title I developed a dizzyingly complex funding mechanism that poses serious equity concerns for America’s poor children.
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Paying More Attention to Where and How Education Funding Is Spent
The achievement gap between advantaged and disadvantaged U.S. students has remained unchanged for nearly 50 years.
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Examining Sen. Kamala Harris’ Plan to Give All Teachers Raises
There also needs to be a discussion about pension debt and the real culprits behind stagnant teacher salaries.
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Sen. Cory Booker’s Record on School Choice Sets Him Apart From Many Other Democrats
Sen. Booker has a laudable track record as an advocate for educational freedom.
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Teachers’ Unions May Have to Put Students First, Rethink Opposition to Education Reforms
”What’s best for teachers is what’s best for kids” isn't always true.
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Here’s What Millennial Parents Are Getting Right About Their Kids’ Educations
Today’s young parents care about more than just test scores, and are increasingly supportive of educational choice.
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Examining What Went Wrong With the Student-Based Budgeting Pilot Program
Overly rigid implementation played a part in setting back the Every Student Succeeds Act's student-based budgeting pilot program.
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Stop Trying to Claim Charter Schools ‘Steal’ Money from Traditional Public Schools
Charters shouldn’t be blamed for “stealing” public schools’ funding when parents are just choosing what’s best for their kids.
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Ballot Measure That Would Have Expanded Arizona’s Empowerment Scholarship Program Defeated
Proposition 305 would have extended eligibility for the state’s Empowerment Scholarship Program to all K-12 students in the state over the next four years.