Charter Schools
Why Public Schools Lost 1.4 Million Students
Plus: J.D. Vance wants to pay stay-at-home parents, what America got wrong after 9/11, and whether FDA cuts are putting food safety at risk
Invasion of the Robot Teachers
New Mexico required kindergarten through second-grade students to learn literacy skills from a purple-haired AI avatar called Amira. Parents are pushing back.
American Public Schools Lost 1.4 Million Students Since COVID. Their Budgets Grew by 34% Anyway.
Enrollment is down and so are achievement levels, yet spending is up 34 percent.
School Choice Week: Arizona Milestone Marks Growing Popularity of School Choice
Over 100,000 students use the state’s portable education funds for private schools and homeschooling.
Chicago Is the Latest Example of How Public School Spending Doesn't Prioritize Students
Misused pandemic funds, luxury travel, and declining achievement reveal a crisis of priorities—one only school choice can fix.
Homeschooling Hits Record Numbers
Last academic year, DIY education grew at nearly three times the average rate it did during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research.
As Public School Enrollment Drops, Alternative Options Gain Traction
Private schools, charter schools, and homeschooling add students despite dwindling numbers of kids.
Eric Adams Has Turned His Back on the Charter School Movement He Once Embraced
Once a champion of school choice, New York’s mayor has caved to union pressure—leaving tens of thousands of students stuck on waitlists.
A Split Supreme Court Says Oklahoma Can't Have a Religious Charter School
The deadlocked court doesn't provide much clarity to sticky questions about the limits of religious freedom.
Competition Improves Services. So Why Not Apply That to Schools?
Government schools now spend about $20,000 per student.
This Long-Neglected Law Can Help Parents Get Their Kids Out of Violent Schools
Despite persistent violence in schools, very few states designate schools as "persistently dangerous."
The Supreme Court Is About To Hear 2 Education Cases. Neither Goes Far Enough.
The Court will weigh religious opt-outs and charter school discrimination. But true educational freedom means funding students, not systems.
Promising Federal School Choice Bill Faces Uncertain Prospects
National education freedom may depend on the budget reconciliation process.
This National School Choice Week, It's a Boom Time for Education Freedom
People want choice in how they teach their kids and are happy when they get it.
Most People Support School Choice. Why Won't They Vote For It?
School choice advocates work hard, but public school interest groups work harder.
Can Charter School Closures Be a Good Thing?
Bad charter schools can close. Bad public schools can stay open forever.
When Cities Embrace Charter Schools, Achievement Gaps Shrink
School choice makes kids better off, whether or not they're enrolled in a traditional public school.
Charter Schools Boost College Graduation Rates, Study Finds
The paper studying Massachusetts charter schools also found that students in urban charters saw a large test-score jump.
Homeschooling Grows as an Escape from Failing Schools and Curriculum Fights
Turned off by fumbling public schools and curriculum wars, families teach their own kids.
Corey DeAngelis: The School Choice Wave Sweeping America
The Parent Revolution author on lockdowns, teachers unions, and voter rage.
Oklahoma Supreme Court Finds Catholic Charter School Unconstitutional
The case hinged upon the idea of what a publicly funded school can teach. But parents do have a role to play in that conversation.
A Pennsylvania Pastor Leads His Community's Fight for Educational Freedom
Pastor Joshua Robertson stepped up when his community asked for support. His efforts have more people realizing that there is an alternative to the failing school system.
This New York Charter School Is Helping Low-Income Students. But the City Is Holding It Back.
Government school advocates say competition "takes money away" from government schools. That is a lie.
3 Unsettled Questions Regarding the Constitutionality of Public Funding of Religious Schools
The charter school movement has seen many recent Supreme Court victories widening their scope to faith-based education, but some ambiguities remain.
Do U.S. Public Schools Really Need 77,000 More Counselors?
Schools were already staffed at record levels even before COVID-19, when enrollment fell by nearly 1.3 million students.
Doug Ducey on Budget Cuts, School Choice, and Arizona's Weird Politics
"Governors don't get to print money," the former Arizona governor tells Reason.
Arizona Kids' Education Under Attack from State's Own Governor
Gov. Katie Hobbs hates that families are guiding their own children’s schooling.
School Choice Is Popular and Increasingly Common
Kids have disappeared from public schools, with most opting for a range of alternatives.
Charter Schools Get Less Funding but Achieve Similar Test Scores to Public Schools
Charter schools use "fewer dollars to achieve better outcomes," write University of Arkansas researchers.
Public Schools Must Face the Reality of Shrinking Enrollment
Post-pandemic enrollment isn’t likely to rebound anytime soon.
Jared Polis: Democrats Are 'More Pro-Freedom Than Republicans'
The Colorado governor finds common ground with many libertarians. But does he really stand for more freedom?
Down 136,000 Students in Just Four Years, New York City's Public Schools Manage To Spend Billions More
Look for these budgetary swindles at a failing K-12 system near you.
The Democratic Governor Who Wants Drug Legalization and Free Markets
"Government in general does a lot of things that aren't necessary," says Jared Polis.
In the Chicago Mayoral Race, the Teachers Union Is the Real Winner
The union "has an outsized impact on working families who have no other choice on where to send their children...that power, combined with a mayor who is essentially a wholly owned subsidiary, would make them a dangerous force," says one former Chicago Public Schools executive.
D.C.'s Test Scores and Absenteeism Rates Are Getting Worse, so Why Are More Students Graduating?
When "graduation becomes close to a virtual guarantee, it also becomes pretty functionally meaningless," says one education researcher.
Conservative Florida Lawmakers Want To Expand LGBT Censorship to Charter Schools
New bill makes a mockery of parents’ rights, school choice, and educational freedom.
Bad Schools Aren't Always Underfunded
"More money can help schools succeed, but not if they fritter those extra resources in unproductive ways," says one researcher.
Why Did Schools Stop Teaching Kids How To Read? Live With Robert Pondiscio, Nick Gillespie, and Zach Weissmueller
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET for a discussion of American K-12 education policy with author Robert Pondiscio.
Biden Wants Schools That Please Politicians, Not Parents
Educators should be responsible to parents and students, not to the government.
Will Katie Hobbs Take Down Arizona's Expanded School Choice Program?
The governor wants to roll it back, but she doesn't have the votes.
Kentucky's Governor Wants School Choice for His Kids but Not Yours
A legal assault on charter schools will deprive families of educational options.
Rural Public School Systems Aren't Threatened by Choices, Study Says
Expanding options empowers families and improves education in the country and the city alike.
Miserable Math and Reading Scores Will Fuel School Choice Movement
There’s no reason to argue over lessons and policies when you can pick what works for your family.
Education Freedom Wins Big in Arizona
Instead of being attached to public schools, funding follows students to learning options they choose.
School Choice Is Winning in Arizona—and Beyond
"There's a new special interest group in town: parents."
COVID Taught More Than 1 Million Parents the Value of School Choice
Educational freedom is good for everybody but unions, bureaucrats, and the education establishment.
Can a State-Funded Charter School Require Female Students to Wear Skirts?
Perhaps the real question is whether such a school is a state actor for purposes of Section 1983. The en banc Fourth Circuit says it is, so that a skirt requirement for girls is unlawful.
