Articles

The Common Core blues : one size education doesn't fit all

April 22, 2014 | By ANASTASIA BODEN

Below is a collaboration between singer/songwriter Scott Simpson and South Dakota high school teachers, aptly titled,  “The Common Core blues.”  This lament may become the anthem for teachers across America, as states continue to accept the bribes inducements the federal government is offering in exchange for adopting Common Core. ...

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PLF defends school choice in Alabama

July 28, 2014 | By JONATHAN WOOD

PLF has filed an amicus brief in the Alabama Supreme Court defending the constitutionality of school choice in the Heart of Dixie. The Alabama Accountability Act creates a system of tax credits to help parents transfer their kids from failing public schools to better public or private schools. Should be uncontroversial, right? Wrong. The statute w ...

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One size does not fit all preschoolers

August 20, 2014 | By ANASTASIA BODEN

While many of us think the term “cradle to grave government” is a derogatory label, state governments are wearing the title like a badge of honor.  Despite the massive amount of funds needed, and the loads and loads of research about what a failure it is, states are seeking to establish or expand compulsory, uniform … ...

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School choice is a boon for taxpayers

January 27, 2015 | By JONATHAN WOOD

People support school choice for many reasons. Most support it because it’s the last best hope for their children to get a decent education. Some hope that it is a means to mitigate the impacts of racial and income segregation. Still others support it as an alternative to the highly-politicized resolution of sensitive religious and … ...

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The battle over school choice begins in Nevada

September 01, 2015 | By ETHAN BLEVINS

The ACLU plans to sink school choice in Nevada. In June, Nevada passed the nation’s first universal Education Savings Account. The law allows students to take their allotment of per-pupil public school funding and direct it towards tuition for the school of their choice. In short, it offers a lifeline to parents and kids who want to … ...

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Court axes charter schools in Washington

September 09, 2015 | By ETHAN BLEVINS

Over a thousand kids in Washington no longer have their school of choice. The Supreme Court of Washington decided last Friday that the state’s voter-passed charter school act violates the state constitution. The decision came on the cusp of the school year, tossing 1200 charter school students into limbo and axing Washington’s only sc ...

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The gavel is down : the High Court is in session

October 12, 2015 | By KATE POMEROY

As is its tradition, the Supreme Court began its new Term on the first Monday in October. In the weeks leading up to that day, many organizations host “preview” events (especially in Washington, DC) with leading Supreme Court advocates and other legal experts to discuss the most important cases the Court has agreed to hear. … ...

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Florida charter school application illegally denied by hostile school board

January 22, 2016 | By CHRISTINA MARTIN

This week, PLF filed a friend-of-the-court brief arguing that the School Board of Palm Beach County illegally denied an application to start a new charter school. Charter schools are privately run public schools that operate under a performance contract (charter) with a public sponsor (usually a school district). Charter schools operate free from ...

Articles

Are schools like shoes?

December 21, 2016 | By ETHAN BLEVINS

No one could find decent shoes in communist Russia. You’d get a pair with no choice regarding quality, type, or shoe size. No thought for your situation; no need to please the customer. You got what they gave you. Our public school system faces the same basic problem. Quality and fit too often suffer because we’ve forgotten … ...