Districts & Charter Schools
From school districts to charter schools, we cover public schools and the ways they are governed.
Upsides and downsides of a SCOTUS victory for nation’s first religious charter school
The story: With less than a week to go before the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments about the constitutionality of religious charter schools, supporters and opponents are making wildly different predictions about the possible effects. Supporters, who include advocates for religious education, are framing a win for their side as... READ MOREThe inevitable is always certain but not always punctual: self-driving school carpools
Back in 2017, techno-optimist Jason Bedrick made the skeptical Robert Pondiscio a bet on the adoption rate for self-driving cars in the Phoenix area: “Robert and I are putting our...
READ MOREOpen enrollment is the King Kong of Arizona district enrollment loss
If you look at enrollment trends in the Arizona districts with the largest total enrollment losses, look at the Arizona Open Enrollment report and the Quarterly ESA report, you get...
READ MOREArizona continues to build Schools to Nowhere
In examining the 2024 NAEP results for Arizona, a rather stark picture emerged that Arizona charter and Arizona districts had strongly diverged– Arizona charter schools show academic recovery, whereas Arizona...
READ MORENew Worlds Scholarship and Captain Underpants make reading ‘cool and fun’ for young student
Cam Imburgio can tell you about Grim and Punishment and Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea. He knows For Whom the Ball Roles. Cam devoured the Dog Man series, which...
READ MOREFormer New York charter school authorization boss brings her tough but fair reputation to Florida
When Florida lawmakers established the first statewide Charter School Review Commission in 2022. The National Association of Charter School Authorizers also weighed in, saying that forcing school districts into sponsorship...
READ MORETexas 2025 debate resurrects Edgewood Horizon claims
The current debate over ESAs in Texas has brought irresponsible claims about the Edgewood Horizon program back to life. A voucher program funded by philanthropists, Edgewood Horizon made all Edgewood...
READ MORENation’s report card has better grades for charter schools
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) created a new measure of socioeconomic status for the 2024 exams. This is a welcome addition, and a better measure of student economic...
READ MOREWhy school systems fail
Authors Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson distinguished between “inclusive” and “extractive” institutions in their 2012 book “Why Nations Fail.” Inclusive political institutions allow broad political participation and are a...
READ MORECan Arizona regain the lost golden age of NAEP improvement?
“Sweet are the uses of adversity, Which, like the toad, ugly and venomous, Wears yet a precious jewel in his head; And this our life, exempt from public haunt, Find...
READ MORECatholic schools are thriving in Florida – and outperforming all over the country
Pope Francis opened the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica on Dec. 24 to mark the beginning of the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope. He has called Catholics to be “pilgrims...
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