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CER in the News

Ed experts mum on improving schools without raising taxes

With the school year just on the horizon, WalletHub published its annual report on states with the best and worst education systems. What catches the eye in this 2015 report is the failure of the experts to answer an important question: What can state and local policymakers do to improve their school systems without raising…

On his birthday, Milton Friedman celebrated by school choice movement

Today, the school choice movement still recognizes the significance of Friedman to all the progress that's been made in advancing school choice. Friday would have been Friedman's 103rd birthday, and the movement took an opportunity to reflect on his work.

The charter solution

In the early morning hours of Aug. 29, 2005, Tom and Carolyn Crosby drove through the night to their cottage by Florida's Gulf Coast to escape Hurricane Katrina. At 6 a.m., they arrived, turned on the television and found good news: The worst of the hurricane was supposed to miss New Orleans.

In D.C., parents risk jail to get students into highly ranked schools

D.C. has cracked down on parents lying to city and school officials about where they live, after an increase in tips that families from nearby Maryland and Virginia are illegally enrolling their children.

Capitol Hill rally celebrates 'school choice champions'

School choice advocates gathered on Capitol Hill Tuesday to rally for educational options and celebrate three members of Congress that PublicSchoolOptions.org has named as Champions of School Choice.

Parents group rallies at Capitol for school choice

by Caroline Kelly The Hill July 21, 2015 Republican lawmakers joined an advocacy group seeking greater powers for parents to choose their children's schools in a rally at the Capitol on Tuesday. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Rep. Luke Messer (R-Ind.) spoke at the event organized by PublicSchoolsOptions.org, a group of parents in over 30 states…

Winners and losers in the Senate's fix to No Child Left Behind

The federal government's role in education is one step closer to getting its first major overhaul in 13 years. The Senate passed a bill Thursday that would reform No Child Left Behind, a law that is widely viewed as broken.

Majority of Americans support school choice, poll finds

by Moriah Costa Watchdog July 1, 2015 Public support for school choice is increasing, a poll released on Tuesday by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and Braun Research, Inc. found. About 62 percent of Americans support education savings account, an increase of 6 percent from last year, the poll revealed. “As families’ learning needs…

Local battles for charter schools continue in California

by Alice Salles Watchdog.com June 22, 2015 While education reform efforts remain strong at the local level in the face of legislation threatening the very existence of California charter schools, the authorization of new charter schools at the local level remains restrictive. Under state law, only local or county school boards are allowed to authorize…

Idaho education system eclipsed by neighbor to the south

by PG Veer Watchdog June 18, 2015 The Center for Education Reform recently published its annual “parent power index,” a web-based report judging how accessible information on education is for parents in every state. This year, Idaho took the 19th spot in the ranking. It is superior to all of its neighboring western states but…