Education
The Value of More Choice in the Long Run Article Published in the Norfolk Virginian-Pilot As public schools prepare to start a new year, administrators in many localities are grumbling about the burdens and inconsistencies imposed by No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the new law governing federal ...
Bilingual Ed Must Translate To Results Whether or not voters favor a pending ballot initiative to replace bilingual education with English immersion, it is easy to appreciate the serious dialogue that is now taking place about how well Massachusetts’ current system serves English learners.
Ruling Is A Huge Victory The U.S. Supreme Court Thursday delivered a huge victory for the right of all parents to direct their children’s education as they see fit.
Carefully Weigh Special Ed Funding Needs As Federal policymakers examine special education programs this summer, the most important question they will ask is whether special ed actually helps the students who depend on it. Recently, when National Research Council scholars were asked, “Is placement in special education a benefit or a risk?” the fact they were unable to provide an answer should offer little comfort to parents, policymakers or educators.
Could Vouchers Be An Antidote To Ritalin? Vouchers are the education establishment’s worst nightmare. But for parents not knowing where to turn for help for their special-needs children, they can be a dream come true. And for children who’ve been inappropriately labeled, perhaps even put on psychiatric drugs like Ritalin, and shunted to a special program with no exit in sight, vouchers may offer a ladder out of the abyss.
Increased Use of Psychiatric Drugs in American Schools Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has become the most frequently diagnosed mental health condition among American children. Now, a growing body of research indicates that overdiagnosis of ADHD and overuse of psychiatric drugs, including Ritalin, is a problem in many American schools and communities.
Making Education Tax Credits Work at the Federal Level Good afternoon. It is a real pleasure to have this opportunity to address an esteemed panel of state legislators here to talk about education policy.
Warner Has Kept a Promise That Could Help At-Risk Kids Article Published in the Roanoke (VA) Times Governor Mark R. Warner vowed during the election campaign last fall to let voters in the most traffic-choked areas of the Old Dominion decide if they wanted a sales tax increase to fund projects intended to ...
Special Education Reform 2002: Where To Begin? Executive Summary As Congress undertakes reauthorization of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), it faces what many observers predict will be a highly contentious process with little consensus beyond a determination to increase federal funding levels.
A Boon for Tutors – and Test Makers William Symonds correctly identifies some valuable openings for the private sector with the passage of President Bush’s “No Child Left Behind Education Plan” (“A New Push to Privatize,” January 14). But he misses perhaps the most significant one: Under the “supplemental services” section of the new law, parents of children stuck in chronically failing public schools will be able to use their entire share of Title I aid – approximately $500 to $1,000 per child – to purchase private tutorial services to help improve their children’s academic performance. Tutoring, afterschool and summer school programs are all eligible uses for these funds, and providers can include private or religiously affiliated organizations.