Education

For the first time in 15 years, higher education enrollment in the United States fell. It is a widely shared concern that the U.S. is losing ground against developed nations in terms of college attainment rates.  While enjoying a relatively high proportion of college-educated adults, this most recent data highlights that the U.S. doesn’t hold the same advantage in the developed world that we used to. 

Soon after the teachers strike ended in Chicago, Karen Lewis, President of the Chicago Teachers Union and Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) penned an opinion piece, “A Gold Star for the Chicago Teachers Strike” (Wall Street Journal, September 23, 2012).

Watching the events unfold in Chicago brings to the forefront how out of touch teacher unions truly are with what our students need to be competitive in today’s global economy.   The primary concerns of Chicago’s striking teachers are not about demanding additional resources and tools so that they can be more effective in the classroom.  On the contrary, Chicago’s striking teachers want to maintain the status quo which rewards teachers based on seniority, not performance, returns teachers to the classroom who have been laid off, and relies on an evaluation system that rates 9

A Comparison of the Republican and Democrat 2012 Education Platforms

As another school year begins, questions for parents and taxpayers abound about the quality of education our children are receiving in our public schools.   A recent Gallup Poll notes that 29% of those surveyed had confidence in America’s public schools, an all-time low.  The recent annual report by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) showed that only one-third of 4^th and 8^th graders are reading and solving mathematical equations at or above grade level.   The high school graduation rate hovers at 75 percent and those student

The Administration has drawn considerable attention to welfare policies recently through a proposed waiver to the popular 1996 welfare reform legislation.  Touted as providing flexibility to states, the Health and Human Services (HHS) letter permits states to stop enforcing work requirements for welfare recipients.

This summer millions of people are watching the finest athletes in the world compete at the 30^th Summer Olympic Games in London.  Representing over 200 countries, these athletes will demonstrate their exceptional athletic abilities, their passion for competition, their joy in winning and their sorrow in defeat.  The majority of them will not medal in a sport they have spent a lifetime perfecting but they are all Olympians proud to represent their country.   To date, the United States is second only to China in the total number of medals won by our athletes.&nb

Executive Summary

For over a century policymakers have sought to assist students in attaining a college education.  However, 150 years after the federal government began higher education financial assistance, the taxpayers find themselves paying too much for too little results.  In particular:

With the skyrocketing rise in college costs and student debt reaching over $1 trillion, it’s time for Americans to demand reforms in our postsecondary education system.   Since the return of American GI’s after World War II, a college education has been the ticket to a decent, high-paying job and the American dream.  In fact, research suggests individuals who have a college degree earn almost twice as much as those who don’t.  However, in today’s economy, many college graduates are not seeing a return on their investment.  Over half (56.6%) of students under the age

In just three short years, President Obama and Secretary Duncan have quietly been laying the ground work to put this country on the path toward a national education system. While many are celebrating the premature death of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, a greater threat looms on the horizon which has received little attention. Make no mistake about it; through waivers and federal grants, this administration is changing our K–12 educational system as dramatically as our health-care system but without the statutory authority granted by our elected officials.