What if your local officials said to you, "As long as you live here, you will only shop at one grocery store - the one we choose for you?" (more…)
This year, it appears the legislature will finally address the need for charter schools in Mississippi. But I want to warn you: there is a lot of misinformation floating around. (more…)
Charter School FAQ
by Forest M. Thigpen
This Issue Brief describes the general concept of charter schools; specific legislation may differ.
What is a Charter School?
There's a phrase that's often used as a conversation-stopper in public policy debates. Those who use this phrase seemingly seek to intimidate their opponents into defending evil against good. It seems to be used when all rational arguments fail. The phrase? "Anything for the children." (more…)
When Congress or the state legislature decides to take money from you through taxes, they are presuming that they know better how to spend that money than you do, or that what they want to spend your money on is more important than what you would spend it on. (more…)
Monday, January 29, has been declared Milton Friedman Day to celebrate the life of perhaps the leading proponent of free market economics in the world. Friedman, who died in November, received the Nobel Prize in Economics in 1976 at age 64, but continued at full pace until his death 30 years later espousing his belief that free markets are essential for economic and political freedom throughout the world. (more…)
State Superintendent of Education Hank Bounds' plan to restructure public schools includes taxpayer-funded pre-Kindergarten, improving the quantity and quality of teachers and administrators, and increasing the rigor of the curriculum. (more…)
A new organization is being created to inform people of Mississippi whether their legislators are voting to quote "fully fund education." In announcing this group, its founders implied that the only measure of whether a legislator supports education is if they vote to fund the current system of public schools, regardless of how the money is actually spent. They seem to be for more spending, even if it doesn't produce better results. (more…)
Public school spending in Mississippi increased by more than a billion dollars from 1996 to 2005. But test scores just released by the U.S. Department of Education show that science scores over that same period of time have not changed at all in Mississippi. (more…)