Senate Bill 34 gives TriMet authority to increase payroll taxes. Watch Representative Wingard’s compelling testimony here. SB 34 passed the House on a 32 to 28 vote.

Summary African-Americans support school choice at a rate higher than any other ethnic group. A recent Harvard poll showed 67% of blacks support school choice for low-income students and 52% support vouchers for all children in failing public schools. Yet, presidential candidate Barack Obama recently refused to stand up for the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program [...]

Summary The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program enjoys broad bipartisan support, yet Congress is about to end this life-saving chance for a better future for 1,900 District children. Educational opportunity for all students, especially for the most disadvantaged, should not be allowed to be a partisan issue.

Does planning have to work to be successful? We Oregonians believe many myths about ourselves that just don’t happen to be true. As a visioning group created by the Governor put it not too long ago: We Love Dreamers! For instance, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton recently came to town and congratulated Portland on reducing its [...]

Summary Calculating the true per-student cost of public education in Oregon is complicated, but taxpayers have a right to expect government to be transparent about spending and to provide honest figures — calculated from a taxpayer’s perspective.

Recently, the Oregon Board of Education took up the issue of whether and how to regulate online or “virtual” charter schools. A state law, passed in 2005 at the request of the teachers union, places severe restrictions on virtual charter schools that would essentially prevent them from operating without a waiver from the Board. The [...]

Summary A Portland delegation saw what real education reform looks like on a recent visit to the Big Easy.

A recent study suggested that nearly half of the cost of a home in the Seattle area is due to land-use regulations. The study, by University of Washington Economics professor Theo Eicher, was highlighted in a recent article in the Seattle Times. Professor Eicher’s research shows that the

The Portland Public School Board recently denied all four requests from charter school applicants who wanted to offer more options for Portland children in the 2008-09 school year. The Willamette Week described the meeting this way: “Charter schools got no love Monday night from Portland Public Schools’ Board of Education. The board unanimously rejected four [...]

Contrary to what the interest groups who run our public education system keep saying, the general public understands their schools aren’t all that they could be. A recent nationwide poll of 1,000 adults by The Economist Magazine reveals an interesting picture of how voters feel about public education. Only 13% say “Too little money” is [...]