K-12 Federal Policy Issues

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Backgrounder posted April 25, 2012 by Lindsey Burke, Rachel Sheffield Continuing the School Choice March: Policies to Promote Family K–12 Education Investment
Abstract: Coverdell education savings accounts (ESAs), created through the federal tax code, allow families to save money tax-free for K–12 and higher education expenses. Lifting the cap on contributions to Coverdell accounts would provide…
Backgrounder posted April 24, 2012 by Jason Richwine, Ph.D. A Better Way to Pay: Five Rules for Reforming Teacher Compensation
Abstract: Despite ongoing debates over the adequacy of teacher compensation, the design of merit pay systems, and the structure of pension benefits, there is broad agreement that teacher pay should be designed to recruit—and retain—the highest-quality teachers in a cost-effective manner. Policymakers should avoid…
Backgrounder posted April 16, 2012 by Lindsey Burke States Must Reject National Education Standards While There Is Still Time
Abstract: For four and a half decades, the federal role in education has been growing. Costly in terms of taxpayer dollars spent and local control of education lost, this expanding federal control has failed to improve outcomes for America’s children. National standards will further…
Backgrounder posted April 12, 2012 by Lindsey Burke, Rachel Sheffield Obama’s 2013 Education Budget and Blueprint: A Costly Expansion of Federal Control
Abstract: President Obama’s FY 2013 budget request includes another major spending increase for the Department of Education—2.5 percent more than last year—to nearly $70 billion. American taxpayers are calling for spending restraint in Washington, yet President Obama’s proposals would exacerbate the existing bureaucratic maze…
WebMemo posted January 17, 2012 by Lindsey Burke The Student Success Act: Reforming Federal Accountability Requirements Under No Child Left Behind
On its 10-year anniversary, there is consensus that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is broken. The debate over how to reform NCLB has generated a number of proposals from both houses of Congress and the Obama Administration, but ideas about how to rewrite the law differ greatly. …
Backgrounder posted January 10, 2012 by Jason Richwine, Ph.D., Andrew G. Biggs, Ph.D. Critical Issues in Assessing Teacher Compensation
Abstract: A November 2011 Heritage Foundation report—“Assessing the Compensation of Public-School Teachers”—presented data on teacher salaries and benefits in order to inform debates about teacher compensation reform. The report concluded that public-school teacher compensation is far ahead of…
WebMemo posted December 21, 2011 by Lindsey Burke A National Education Standards Exit Strategy for States
The push for centralized control over what every child should learn has never had more momentum. The Obama Administration has pressured states to adopt the Common Core State Standards Initiative, conditioning more than $4 billion in Race to the Top grants on its adoption. The Administration’s blueprint for the rewrite…
Factsheet on December 20, 2011 NATIONAL EDUCATION STANDARDS: An Exit Strategy for States
Imposing Centralized Education Authority Unprecedented Federal Overreach: President Obama’s push for national standards and…
Play Movie Video Recorded on November 8, 2011 Without Fanfare of Ohio or Wisconsin, Idaho Enacts Sweeping Reforms
Across the country with much less fanfare, Idaho implemented its own set of landmark reforms. And while the state has lacked the drama playing out in the Midwest, the education changes implemented earlier this year in Idaho are arguably the most sweeping of any adopted in 2011. Read more…
Center for Data Analysis Report posted November 1, 2011 by Jason Richwine, Ph.D., Andrew G. Biggs, Ph.D. Assessing the Compensation of Public-School Teachers
Executive Summary The teaching profession is crucial to America’s society and economy, but public-school teachers should receive compensation that is neither higher nor lower than market rates. Do teachers currently receive the proper level of compensation? Standard analytical approaches to this question compare teacher salaries to the…

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WebMemo posted March 30, 2004 by Robert Rector Facts about Abstinence Education
In April, the Senate will vote on reauthorization of welfare reform. The Senate welfare reform legislation will include the reauthorization of the federal government's main education program. Despite the overwhelming popularity of education, some groups seek to divert funds away from and into "safe sex" programs. These efforts to redirect funds are usually…
Center for Data Analysis Report posted November 1, 2011 by Jason Richwine, Ph.D., Andrew G. Biggs, Ph.D. Assessing the Compensation of Public-School Teachers
Executive Summary The teaching profession is crucial to America’s society and economy, but public-school teachers should receive compensation that is neither higher nor lower than market rates. Do teachers currently receive the proper level of compensation? Standard analytical approaches to this question compare teacher salaries to the…
Backgrounder posted April 16, 2012 by Lindsey Burke States Must Reject National Education Standards While There Is Still Time
Abstract: For four and a half decades, the federal role in education has been growing. Costly in terms of taxpayer dollars spent and local control of education lost, this expanding federal control has failed to improve outcomes for America’s children. National standards will further…
Backgrounder posted April 12, 2012 by Lindsey Burke, Rachel Sheffield Obama’s 2013 Education Budget and Blueprint: A Costly Expansion of Federal Control
Abstract: President Obama’s FY 2013 budget request includes another major spending increase for the Department of Education—2.5 percent more than last year—to nearly $70 billion. American taxpayers are calling for spending restraint in Washington, yet President Obama’s proposals would exacerbate the existing bureaucratic maze…
Backgrounder posted April 24, 2012 by Jason Richwine, Ph.D. A Better Way to Pay: Five Rules for Reforming Teacher Compensation
Abstract: Despite ongoing debates over the adequacy of teacher compensation, the design of merit pay systems, and the structure of pension benefits, there is broad agreement that teacher pay should be designed to recruit—and retain—the highest-quality teachers in a cost-effective manner. Policymakers should avoid…
WebMemo posted February 18, 2011 by Lindsey Burke National Education Standards and Tests: Big Expense, Little Value
The federal Race to the Top (RTTT) competitive grant program awarded $4.35 billion among select states, giving preference on grant applications to those states that agreed to adopt national education standards and tests. Moreover, the Obama Administration has suggested making federal Title I funding contingent upon adoption of national standards—a…
Backgrounder posted January 5, 2011 by Lindsey Burke, Jena Baker McNeill “Educate to Innovate”: How the Obama Plan for STEM Education Falls Short
Abstract: President Obama’s Educate to Innovate initiative has provided billions in additional federal funding for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education programs across the country. The Administration’s recognition of the importance of STEM education— for global competitiveness…
Report on August 17, 2010 Solutions for America: Education Reform
THE ISSUE: American education is at a crossroads. The federal government’s role in education has grown significantly over the past half-century, infringing on our long-held principle of federalism in education. Massive spending increases, and the reams of regulations that accompany…
Backgrounder posted April 20, 2011 by Jason Richwine, Ph.D. The Myth of Racial Disparities in Public School Funding
Abstract: Achievement disparities among racial and ethnic groups persist in the American education system. Asian and white students consistently perform better on standardized tests than Hispanic and black students. While many commentators blame the achievement gap on alleged disparities in school funding, this Heritage…
WebMemo posted January 17, 2012 by Lindsey Burke The Student Success Act: Reforming Federal Accountability Requirements Under No Child Left Behind
On its 10-year anniversary, there is consensus that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is broken. The debate over how to reform NCLB has generated a number of proposals from both houses of Congress and the Obama Administration, but ideas about how to rewrite the law differ greatly. …

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Backgrounder posted April 25, 2012 by Lindsey Burke, Rachel Sheffield Continuing the School Choice March: Policies to Promote Family K–12 Education Investment
Abstract: Coverdell education savings accounts (ESAs), created through the federal tax code, allow families to save money tax-free for K–12 and higher education expenses. Lifting the cap on contributions to Coverdell accounts would provide…
Backgrounder posted April 24, 2012 by Jason Richwine, Ph.D. A Better Way to Pay: Five Rules for Reforming Teacher Compensation
Abstract: Despite ongoing debates over the adequacy of teacher compensation, the design of merit pay systems, and the structure of pension benefits, there is broad agreement that teacher pay should be designed to recruit—and retain—the highest-quality teachers in a cost-effective manner. Policymakers should avoid…
Backgrounder posted April 16, 2012 by Lindsey Burke States Must Reject National Education Standards While There Is Still Time
Abstract: For four and a half decades, the federal role in education has been growing. Costly in terms of taxpayer dollars spent and local control of education lost, this expanding federal control has failed to improve outcomes for America’s children. National standards will further…
Backgrounder posted April 12, 2012 by Lindsey Burke, Rachel Sheffield Obama’s 2013 Education Budget and Blueprint: A Costly Expansion of Federal Control
Abstract: President Obama’s FY 2013 budget request includes another major spending increase for the Department of Education—2.5 percent more than last year—to nearly $70 billion. American taxpayers are calling for spending restraint in Washington, yet President Obama’s proposals would exacerbate the existing bureaucratic maze…
WebMemo posted January 17, 2012 by Lindsey Burke The Student Success Act: Reforming Federal Accountability Requirements Under No Child Left Behind
On its 10-year anniversary, there is consensus that No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is broken. The debate over how to reform NCLB has generated a number of proposals from both houses of Congress and the Obama Administration, but ideas about how to rewrite the law differ greatly. …
Backgrounder posted January 10, 2012 by Jason Richwine, Ph.D., Andrew G. Biggs, Ph.D. Critical Issues in Assessing Teacher Compensation
Abstract: A November 2011 Heritage Foundation report—“Assessing the Compensation of Public-School Teachers”—presented data on teacher salaries and benefits in order to inform debates about teacher compensation reform. The report concluded that public-school teacher compensation is far ahead of…
WebMemo posted December 21, 2011 by Lindsey Burke A National Education Standards Exit Strategy for States
The push for centralized control over what every child should learn has never had more momentum. The Obama Administration has pressured states to adopt the Common Core State Standards Initiative, conditioning more than $4 billion in Race to the Top grants on its adoption. The Administration’s blueprint for the rewrite…
Center for Data Analysis Report posted November 1, 2011 by Jason Richwine, Ph.D., Andrew G. Biggs, Ph.D. Assessing the Compensation of Public-School Teachers
Executive Summary The teaching profession is crucial to America’s society and economy, but public-school teachers should receive compensation that is neither higher nor lower than market rates. Do teachers currently receive the proper level of compensation? Standard analytical approaches to this question compare teacher salaries to the…
WebMemo posted October 4, 2011 by Lindsey Burke Education Savings Accounts: A Promising Way Forward on School Choice
Across the country, states are enacting and expanding school choice options for families. This year alone, 12 states and the District of Columbia have implemented new school choice options for children or expanded existing options, leading The Wall Street Journal to label 2011 “The Year of School Choice.”[1] …
WebMemo posted September 7, 2011 by Patrick Louis Knudsen The President’s New “Jobs Speech”: More Economic Alchemy Likely
Judging by the accounts published to date, the “jobs” plan President Obama proposes Thursday night will likely include the typical set of infrastructure spending, school construction, aid for teachers, unemployment benefits, “targeted” tax breaks, and the like.[1] In other words, the President will call for more of the…

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