As state legislatures go to work this year, one of the overriding questions is whether 2012 will bring a reprise of last year's frenzied work on education--much of it shepherded by newly elected Republican majorities and governors--or whether elected officials will take a more deliberate and cautious approach. Last year, many governors and…

This year's presidential campaign offers at least one unequivocal contrast on education issues: The Republican candidate supports private school vouchers, and the Democratic incumbent does not. But at the state and local levels, Democrats' views on vouchers are more diverse and nuanced than what is suggested by the party's national platform, which…

Creating private school vouchers for special education students--programs that are largely unchallenged in court, unlike other publicly financed tuition vouchers--can be the perfect way to clear a path for other students to get school options, according to school choice proponents. At least seven states--Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio,…

The momentum in Florida to expand one of that state's voucher programs is a subtle but significant sign that such programs, which have been anathema to many Democrats, are beginning to win bipartisan support in a number of states. State lawmakers from both sides of the aisle in Florida are already voicing support for new legislation that would…

This article reports on the provisions of a new Utah voucher plan that is hoped to embolden other states to embrace universal-voucher programs. The legislation, the product of a six-year statehouse battle, would provide every public school student who wanted one, a voucher worth $500 per year, while low-income children would receive as much as…

This article highlights the contrasting views between presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama on school choice and teacher issues. Senator McCain, R-Arizona, has pledged to direct federal money to alternative teacher-certification programs, give parents more direct access to supplemental educational services, and expand private school…

The debate over a school choice bill in the Missouri legislature has opened a bitter rift among some of the state's top Black elected officials and reflects a larger divide among African-Americans over school choice nationwide. The bill, which is similar to programs that are growing in popularity in other states, would provide tax credits for…

Florida's voucher program for students in the lowest-rated public schools is unconstitutional, the state supreme court ruled early January 2006 in a 5-2 decision that friends and foes of private school choice are scrutinizing for its potential impact on voucher debates nationwide. Chief Justice Barbara J. Pariente of the Florida Supreme Court…

Florida's Opportunity Scholarships faced their most crucial test in June 2005, as the state supreme court heard arguments in a case about the constitutionality of the voucher program. In more than an hour of oral arguments in "Bush v. Holmes," held June 7, in Tallahassee and shown live on the Internet, lawyers sparred over the…

Some scholars see it as a gold mine, others as a subject they wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole. Either way, the chance to study the new federally financed school voucher program in the nation's capital has piqued the interest of education researchers around the country. Spelled out in detail in the D.C. School Choice Incentive Act of 2003--part…

These articles highlight reactions to the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark ruling upholding the Cleveland voucher program. "Justices Settle Case, Nettle Policy Debate" (Mark Walsh) discusses how the ruling has rejuvenated the school choice movement and reinvigorated debates over how best to improve education for all students. "Voucher…

This collection of articles on school choice profiles five Hispanic and Black families who were not willing to wait for promised improvements in local schools. The articles begin with a discussion of minority parents who are quietly embracing school choice, examining their restlessness with the public schools, the charter school push, mixed public…