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…
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…
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…
From the Heritage Foundation, I'm Ernest Istook. In Atlanta, the newspaper was skeptical about rising test scores…
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…
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…
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…
More Power to Washington Another Federal Takeover: The Obama Administration’s push for national standards is a federal overreach into yet another sector…
Lindsey Burke discusses the administration's agenda to impose national standards on public schools, and what this means for parents' power over their children's education. …
Abstract: American education needs to be fixed, but national standards and testing are not the way to do it. The problems that need fixing are too deeply ingrained in the power and incentive structure of the public education system, and the renewed focus on…
When "states signed on to common core standards, they did not realize…that they were transferring control of the school...…
Opposition to the Obama Administration’s push for national standards and tests is growing. Yesterday, more than 100...…
It’s back to school time for students across the United States, and no doubt parents and students are hoping for a...…
Last year, GM CEO Rick Wagoner "voluntarily" stepped aside when Washington took over his company. BP is "voluntarily"...…