Parental choice in education is growing. A dozen states and the District of Columbia provide a variety of private school choice programs. Forty states and the District of Columbia have enacted charter schools laws. A growing body of evidence suggests that parents of students participating in school choice programs are happier with their children's…

Across the United States, nearly 50 million students are served by 96,000 public schools. Federal policymakers cannot be expected to diagnose the diverse learning needs of these students and to craft solutions adequate to meet all of them. Four decades, eight reauthorizations of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and expenditure of…

In 2006, President Bush proposed the America's Opportunity Scholarships for Kids initiative in his budget request for the Department of Education. The plan would make $100 million available in competitive grant awards to provide scholarships to low income students in persistently failing public schools. Only low-income students attending public…

This transcription of a lecture delivered by Rod Paige provides a discussion of the future plans for American education. After an introduction by Phillip N. Truluck, Executive Vice President of the Heritage Foundation, Paige uses the following topic headings to direct his talk: (1) The Education Revolution; (2) Improving Accountability and…

School choice is in high demand and growing. Twenty years ago, few states had policies or programs allowing parents the freedom to make choices in their children's education. Today, 11 states and the District of Columbia have state-funded scholarship programs or provide tax relief for education expenses or contributions to scholarship funds. Most…

On April 5, 2005, the Georgetown Public Policy Institute released its first of several reports on the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. The 100+ page report describes the characteristics of the initial group of participating students and their families and offers important first-year comparative data. Moreover, the report provides important…

Educational choice can improve educational achievement and states' bottom lines. Not only do choice programs help students from lower-income families attend schools that they otherwise might not be able to attend, but they can also save money in the process. A record number of state legislatures have considered school choice legislation this year,…

This publication raises several points of discussion concerning the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and its future. Two years after its enactment, NCLB implementation proceeds by trial and error. Its ultimate success or failure remains unclear. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and teacher quality requirements are not always compatible with existing…

This document raises several points of discussion concerning higher education aid and its recipients. Increasing use of federal higher education aid by middle-class and wealthy students is costly to taxpayers, contributes to student indebtedness, and fosters greater individual and institutional dependency. The document recommends Congress restore…

As the 39-year-old federal Head Start program once again comes before Congress for reauthorization, several unanswered questions that have dogged the program since its inception should be considered: (1) Does it work? (2) Does it make any difference in the long run? and (3) Will modest changes supported by the Bush Administration gain traction?…

This document discusses issues relating to recent findings from the Congressional Budget Office relating to the cost of a college education. A groundbreaking new study from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) sheds some light on issues of college affordability and accessibility. The January 2004 study, entitled "Private and Public Contributions…

This document raises several discussion topics concerning low-income high school students in relation to Pell grants and Advanced Placement (AP) classes. It points out that bright, low-income high school students can perform college-level work either by taking Advanced Placement (AP) classes or by attending classes at a local college. AP classes…

This document discusses issues related to the historical development of school choice and its impact today. Over the past 2 decades, 9 states have adopted publicly funded voucher or tax credit programs, 40 states and the District of Columbia have enacted charter school laws, and others have established public school choice within and between…

This lecture raises several points of discussion concerning principles for education success. It reinforces that the goal is success, not process. Student satisfaction, teacher satisfaction, and even parental satisfaction are byproducts, not the ultimate goal. It asserts reform and education innovation must be addressed in the context of universal…

This lecture addresses a decision made on January 22, 2004, when Congress made a historic decision to fund opportunity scholarships in the nation's capital. As with all decisions, it was about ideas, values, facts, and dreams. This decision came with determined advocacy, vigorous opposition, dramatic moments, and political consequences. In his…