This page previously linked to data provided by the Alliance for Excellent Education (AEE). The Alliance uses what it calls a "Promoting Power" indicator as a means of identifying the "lowest-performing high schools" in each state. These high schools are more popularly known as "dropout factories." According to AEE, a dropout factory is defined as follows: (more…)

Below is a list of high schools ranked by descending order of graduation rate. This data was released by the Mississippi Department of Education for the 2010-2011 school year. It is available online here. (more…)

Newsweek magazine did a cover series titled, "Why Public Schools Are Flunking." 

Listen to this:  The roll call of problems is almost as familiar as the ABCs. (more…)

2012 Session | Education Bills Recap: Mississippi Students Denied Choice Yet Again

As far as education policy goes, the low point of the 2012 session was the failure of charter school legislation in the House. In addition to charters, legislators introduced several other bills that would have expanded educational freedom in Mississippi. These include a bill to provide scholarships to low-income students to attend the school of their choice; a special needs voucher bill; and an open enrollment public school choice bill. (more…)

I have some great news, and some bad news.

First, the bad news. Charter school legislation is dead for this legislative session. Thousands of children will go another year without being able to escape the schools that are failing to meet their needs. (more…)

One of the objections to charter school legislation I'm hearing more and more is that the regular school districts ought to be given the same freedoms that charter schools would have. (more…)

One of the concerns about charter schools is that the money will follow the child to the school. Whatever would be spent on a child in public school A would now be spent on that child in public charter school B. If the money going to a child's current school - money which is supposedly appropriated to educate that child - is not accomplishing that goal, wouldn't it be better to use that money at a school where he or she will learn? (more…)

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…)