School choice improves parents' satisfaction with their children's schools, and public schools that face competition have shown improved performance, yet opponents continue to oppose reforms that give parents the opportunity to choose their children's schools. State and federal policymakers should reform existing education policies to give all…

In this report, the author presents the results of the Heritage Foundation's 2007 parental choice survey of Members of Congress, conducted to determine the percentage of Members of Congress that practice private school choice. It was found that the percentage of Members of the 110th Congress who practice private school choice is disproportionate…

Twenty-five years after the seminal report "A Nation at Risk," American education remains in a state of crisis. Millions of students continue to pass through the public schools without mastering basic skills and knowledge. Policymakers and the public must recognize both this persistent failure and the attendant need for systemic reform…

The Washington, D.C. school system has a long history of poor academic achievement; however, over the past decade, the District of Columbia has made strides in offering families greater choice about which schools their children attend, thanks to a strong charter school law and the federally funded D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program. District…

The results of a recent National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) study that finds that public school students are performing better then private school students should be interpreted cautiously. The National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) data used in the study provide a snapshot of student achievement at the time the NAEP tests…

An education gap between white students and their black and Hispanic peers is something to which most Americans have become accustomed. But this racial division of education--and hence of prospects for the future--is nothing less than tragic. The good news is that the racial divide in learning is a problem that can be fixed. Of course, it can only…

The more than 500,000 children currently in foster care are among the most at-risk children in American society. Research shows that adults who were formerly in foster care are more likely than the general population to succumb to poor life outcomes. Many of these problems are at least in part a product of problems in the classroom, where foster…

This transcription of a lecture delivered by Rod Paige provides a discussion of the future plans for American education. After an introduction by Phillip N. Truluck, Executive Vice President of the Heritage Foundation, Paige uses the following topic headings to direct his talk: (1) The Education Revolution; (2) Improving Accountability and…

This publication raises several points of discussion concerning the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and its future. Two years after its enactment, NCLB implementation proceeds by trial and error. Its ultimate success or failure remains unclear. Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) and teacher quality requirements are not always compatible with existing…

In 2006, President Bush proposed the America's Opportunity Scholarships for Kids initiative in his budget request for the Department of Education. The plan would make $100 million available in competitive grant awards to provide scholarships to low income students in persistently failing public schools. Only low-income students attending public…

This document discusses issues related to the historical development of school choice and its impact today. Over the past 2 decades, 9 states have adopted publicly funded voucher or tax credit programs, 40 states and the District of Columbia have enacted charter school laws, and others have established public school choice within and between…

This lecture addresses a decision made on January 22, 2004, when Congress made a historic decision to fund opportunity scholarships in the nation's capital. As with all decisions, it was about ideas, values, facts, and dreams. This decision came with determined advocacy, vigorous opposition, dramatic moments, and political consequences. In his…

The estimated 518,000 children in foster care in the United States are among the most at-risk children in American society. Research shows that foster children are more likely to be at risk of poor life outcomes. The quality of a foster child's primary and secondary education is a major factor in future life success. Early warning signs of these…

Parental choice in education is growing. A dozen states and the District of Columbia provide a variety of private school choice programs. Forty states and the District of Columbia have enacted charter schools laws. A growing body of evidence suggests that parents of students participating in school choice programs are happier with their children's…

Educational choice can improve educational achievement and states' bottom lines. Not only do choice programs help students from lower-income families attend schools that they otherwise might not be able to attend, but they can also save money in the process. A record number of state legislatures have considered school choice legislation this year,…