Beyond City Limits: Expanding Public Charter Schools in Rural America, is the latest publication from the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools. Written by David Stuit, PhD, and Sy Doan of Basis Policy Research, this issue brief explores how public charter schools can meet the educational needs of rural communities. (more…)
Charter School FAQ
This Issue Brief describes the general concept of charter schools; specific legislation may differ. (more…)
How Successful Are "Successful" Schools & Districts?
And are they so good that parents don't deserve to choose a better school for their children? (more…)
When a school district is rated Successful by the state, you might be tempted to think it's doing well. But there are twelve districts in our state where at least half the schools are underperforming but the district is rated Successful. Even worse, in two districts, all the schools are rated below Successful, but the district itself is rated Successful. This happens because those districts took their schools from being really awful to being just pretty awful. (more…)
The year 2011 was declared by the Wall Street Journal to be "The Year of School Choice," as twelve states and the District of Columbia gave parents more opportunities to choose the best education for their children. (more…)
How well are we educating children in Mississippi schools?
In many cases, we are doing quite well. Judging by test scores and graduation rates, many students are showing they can compete with the best students in the world. In some instances those are isolated schools, but in many cases, there are entire districts where most of the students are highly successful. (more…)
Another school year has started, and due to the inaction of the legislature, it's another school year in which parents are forced to send their children wherever the government tells them they have to go - even if that school is not educating their children well. (more…)
A few years ago, I met a former Prime Minister of the eastern European country of Estonia. Eighteen years ago, at the age of 32, Mart Laar set Estonia on the transforming course from being a socialist state in the Soviet bloc to its current status as one of the freest economies in the world. (more…)