Charter schools are nonprofit educational organizations that are public schools. As such, they:
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This morning, the Senate passed the conference report on charter schools by a vote of 34-18, which sends the measure to the governor for his signature. The House approved the conference report yesterday by a vote of 62-56. This is far from a perfect bill, but it is a good start and will give some Mississippi children an opportunity to receive a quality education that they would not have had otherwise. In politics, (more…)

Summary: Research on State-Funded Pre-K: Does it work? What does the research really say?

Advocates of government funded Pre-K claim "study after study shows that the sooner a child begins learning, the better he or she does down the road" and that "five decades of rigorous research have shown that high-quality Pre-K has large and lasting effects." (more…)

The Senate has passed and the House is considering bills that would, for the first time, provide state funding for pre-kindergarten programs from the state budget. Mississippi Center for Public Policy opposes state-funded pre-kindergarten.
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Let's get a few things straight about charter schools. First of all, there is no such thing as a private charter school. Charter schools are, by definition, public schools. They cannot charge tuition, they administer the same tests and are rated under the same system as regular public schools, and they must accept all students who apply, unless there's not enough room, in which case they draw names, giving all students an equal chance. (more…)

The new school ratings are out, and some education leaders are saying the new A-F rating system is tougher than the old model. The fact is that the new system changed nothing except the labels. It did nothing to toughen the formula that is used to derive those labels, and in fact it was actually easier to achieve an A or B this year because the State Board of Education voted to exclude graduation rates from their grading formula this year. (more…)

Fact Check: A-F Ratings

CLAIM: The new A-F ratings are tougher than the old system.
FACT: The new A-F system changed nothing except the labels. "Star" became A, "High Performing" became B, "Successful" changed to C, "Academic Watch" changed to D, and "Low (more…)

We all want our public schools to succeed. But what, exactly, does "success" mean?

In a few days the Mississippi Department of Education will release the ratings for public schools and school districts in our state. For the first time ever, schools and districts will be graded A, B, C, D, or F.
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Mississippi 2012 ACT Scores Remain Flat

The ACT is a curriculum-based measure of college readiness. (more…)