Were it not for the fact that you’re reading these words, chances are you’d never have heard of AB 2999, a bill authored by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo (D. – Chatsworth) that would require every California public school district, county office of education, and charter school to develop a homework policy in compliance with…

How do we know whether an 8th-grade student is proficient in science? (Ditto for reading, math, or any other content area.) Who decides, and on what basis are such determinations made? Obviously, some form of assessment is required in order to meaningfully answer such questions. But how are assessments developed? How do we know…

With roughly three million members, the National Education Association is the largest labor union in the United States. When the American Federation of Teachers‘ 800,000 members are added to that figure, their combined membership is nearly double that of the next largest union – the Service Employees International Union (SEIU). NEA and…

Once again, a group of Californians is attempting to qualify a statewide ballot initiative intended to dramatically increase parents’ ability to enroll their children in the school of their choosing, whether public or private. And once again, the effort is almost certain to sow disappointment, invite recrimination, and result in failure. It could…

More than 30 states currently offer some form of ‘educational choice’ programming that includes private schools. Some states offer school vouchers. Some have gone a step farther by funding education savings accounts whose proceeds can be used to pay for private school tuition and other qualifying education expenses. Other states offer various education tax…