Portland Public Schools’ Risky Real Estate Gamble
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. On December 2, Portland Public Schools (PPS) board voted…
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News Release: Cascade Identifies Purchase Risk for PPS One North Building
11/06/2025 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cascade Policy Institute4850 SW Scholls Ferry Rd., Ste 103Portland…
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Dear PPS Bond Committee: Please Tell the Taxpayers
By John A. Charles, Jr. Cascade’s president, John Charles, testified online at the…
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Acton Dinner: “The Future of Faith and Freedom” with Rev. Robert A. Sirico
By Naomi Inman On October 21, the Acton Institute held its Portland Dinner…
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Over-Sized, Over-Priced Schools Accelerate PPS’ Fiscal Crisis
By Naomi Inman Cascade’s President and CEO, John Charles, emailed a Memo on Monday to…
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The Center for Black Student Excellence Should Be a Private Venture
By John A. Charles, Jr. In September, the Portland Public Schools Board voted…
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Improve Education Outcomes by Removing Barriers
By Kathryn Hickok The National Association of Education Progress (NAEP) annually releases a…
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John Charles’ Sept. 9 Testimony for PPS Board Meeting Re: Purchase Agreement for Center for Black Student Excellence
Executive Summary: On September 9th, the Portland Public School (PPS) board met to…
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Student Excellence for Every Portland Public School
By John Charles On September 9th, the Portland Public School (PPS) board was…
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Separate but Equitable at Portland Public Schools
By John A. Charles, Jr. In 1954 the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that…
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New Hampshire Is First in New England to Enact Universal School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok New Hampshire has removed the income cap for families applying…
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Jefferson High School’s Dual Enrollment Dilemma
By Naomi Inman Last week, Portland Public Schools Superintendent Kimberlee Armstrong announced her…
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Educational Choice for Children Act Would Expand Private Scholarship Options for American Children
By Kathryn Hickok Groundbreaking, school choice legislation called the Educational Choice for Children…
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Testimony Before Tax Supervising Conservation Commission on PPS Proposed 2025 Budget’s Race-Based Funding Disparities
June 6, 2025 Ms. Harmony QuirozChair, Tax Supervising Conservation Commission808 SW Third AvenuePortland,…
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PPS Bond M26-259
Author: Naomi Inman, naomi@cascadepolicy.org PPS Bond Measure 26-259 isToo BigToo VaguePoorly Managed Hit…
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School Choice Is Bigger in Texas
By Kathryn Hickok It’s official: More than half of America’s K-12 students are…
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Testimony before the Multnomah County Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission regarding the PPS general obligation bond budget
John A. Charles, Jr.President and CEOMay 5, 2025 Re: PPS 2025 Bond Measure…
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North Dakota Legislature Passes ESA and Charter School Bills
By Kathryn Hickok On Monday, the North Dakota legislature passed the state’s first…
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Race-Based School Funding
By John A. Charles, Jr. On April 14, Governor Tina Kotek held a…
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School Choice Options Now Reach More Than 40% of American Children
By Kathryn Hickok What if every child could attend the school where he…
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New Law Expands School Choice to All Wyoming Children
By Kathryn Hickok This month Wyoming became the 15th state to give students…
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Education Funding Should “Follow the Child” When Parents Choose Oregon Charter Schools
By Kathryn Hickok Charter schools are public schools, but students attending Oregon charter…
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A Failure to Launch at PPS
By John A. Charles, Jr. At its March 4th meeting, Portland Public School…
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Oregon’s Neighbor Idaho Passes a School Choice Tax Credit
By Kathryn Hickok Idaho families are the winners after the state’s legislature passed…
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In 2025, Universal School Choice Comes First to Tennessee
By Kathryn Hickok Tennessee’s Education Freedom Act of 2025 has become the nation’s…
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More School Choices Mean Better Opportunities for Oregon Students
By Kathryn Hickok This week parents, educators, and students nationwide are celebrating National…
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Annual Celebration Highlights Importance of Effective Educational Opportunities for All
By Kathryn Hickok January 26-February 1 will be the 15th annual National School…
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Trust Is Earned, Not Given
By John A. Charles, Jr. The Portland School Board (PPS) wants voters to…
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PPS Bond Request Is Too Big and Too Vague
January 7, 2025 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cascade Policy Institute4850 SW Scholls Ferry Rd.,…
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Testimony for Portland Public Schools Meeting on January 7, Agenda Item #9, Resolution 7038
January 7, 2025 Mr. Eddie WangChair, PPS Board501 N. Dixon StreetPortland, OR 97227…
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School Choice – A Gift That Fits Every Family
By Kathryn Hickok What if all parents could choose schools based on where…
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Why Are Portland School Construction Projects So Expensive?
By John A. Charles, Jr. In 2021, Sherwood School District opened the largest…
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Limits on School-Day Phone Use Will Free Students to Learn
By Kathryn Hickok The Board of Portland Public Schools has been working to…
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Three Ways Oregon Can Help Students Get Back on Track in 2025
By Kathryn Hickok The Portland Tribune recently reported that Oregon elementary students’ academic…
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Oregon Ranks 35th Nationally in Return on Investment for Education Spending
By Kathryn Hickok Is more money the answer to Oregon’s abysmal K-12 academic…
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The Siren Song of free school meals
By John A. Charles, Jr. Thirty years ago, an iconic goal of liberal…
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Oregon: Improvement Needed on “Education Freedom Report Card”
By Kathryn Hickok The Heritage Foundation annually releases an Education Freedom Report Card,…
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With Declining Enrollments, Why Is Portland Building Bigger High Schools?
By Ethan Rohrbach The modernization of Benson Polytechnic High School is nearing completion….
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Liability, Not Reliability: Solar Panels in Oregon Schools
By Ethan Rohrbach In 2007, the Oregon Legislature passed House Bill 2620. The…
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What If Every Child Could Find the Path to Academic Success?
By Kathryn Hickok Children are unique, with different talents, interests, and learning styles….
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Portland Public Schools’ Building Costs Are Shaking Up Budgets
By Brittany Hjelte Worries about the Cascadia Subduction Zone have persisted for the…
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Universal School Choice Comes to Louisiana
By Kathryn Hickok On May 30, Louisiana’s legislature passed SB 313, establishing the…
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Testimony: Testimony to Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission on PPS Budget
June 4, 2024 Ms. Allegra WillhiteExecutive DirectorMultnomah County Tax Supervising and Conservation Commission…
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School Choice Expansion Continues with Missouri Education Package
By Kathryn Hickok This month, Missouri increased educational opportunity for families by expanding…
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PPS levy perpetuates ongoing discrimination
By John A. Charles, Jr. The Portland School Board is asking voters to…
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Will School Choice Be on Oregon Ballots Soon?
By Kathryn Hickok 2023 is being called the “Year of Universal Education Choice,”…
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Equity Funding Has Not Closed the Racial Achievement Gap in Portland Schools
By Ethan Rohrbach April 2024 Non-white students have historically performed worse in Portland…
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The prudent person principle should be applied to all publicly funded projects
By Karen Rue Last week, Cascade Policy Institute provided suggestions to the Board…
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Letter to PPS Board: Recommendations for Jefferson Highschool Modernization Project
April 2, 2024 Mr. Gary HollandsChair, Portland Public School Board501 N. Dixon StreetPortland,…
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By 2027, All Alabama Students Will Have Educational Choice
By Kathryn Hickok This month, Alabama became the most recent state to increase…
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More Money is Not the Solution
By Joshua Schutte The Oregonian recently reported that “Oregon students as a whole…
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Letter to the PPS Board Regarding the Sale of the District’s Headquarters Building
February 20, 2024 Portland Public School Board501 North Dixon StreetPortland, OR 97227 …
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Testimony Before the House Committee on Education Regarding HB 4161
February 14, 2024 Chair Neron, Vice-Chairs Hudson and Wright, and Members of the…
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In 2024, Will Universal School Choice Become the “New Normal?”
By Kathryn Hickok January 21-27 is National School Choice Week, the world’s largest…
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Survey: 72% of Parents Said They Considered a New School Last Year
By Kathryn Hickok The National School Choice Awareness Foundation conducted a survey of…
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Local Celebrations Highlight All the Ways Oregon Students Learn
By Kathryn Hickok January 21-27 is National School Choice Week, the world’s largest…
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Three Ways Oregon Can Help Kids Get the Education They Deserve
By Kathryn Hickok In 2023, eight states passed universal or near-universal educational choice…
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Pennsylvania’s Christmas Gift to K-12 Students
By Kathryn Hickok Christmas came early for children and parents in Pennsylvania when…
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Why 2023 Is the “Year of Universal School Choice”
By Kathryn Hickok Nationwide polling this year revealed seventy-one percent of voters say…
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Student-Focused Solutions Can Address Pandemic Learning Losses
By Kathryn Hickok The New York Times published an editorial November 18 regarding…
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Why More Money Won’t Solve the Problems in Portland Public Schools
By John A. Charles, Jr. At the Portland Public Schools board meeting last…
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Taxpayers Have Been Generous to Portland Schools
By John A. Charles, Jr. In any prolonged strike, it is usually assumed…
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Oklahoma’s Education Tax Credit Puts Families First
By Kathryn Hickok Oklahoma’s Parental Choice Tax Credit Program is the first universal,…
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What The New Homeschool Demographic Means For School Choice
By Mia Tiwana The homeschool landscape is changing. Our approach to school funding…
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School Choice Programs Don’t Cause Tuition Inflation
By Kathryn Hickok A long-standing question about taxpayer-funded school choice programs like vouchers,…
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North Carolina Becomes the 9th State to Offer Students Universal School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok North Carolina has become the ninth state to enact universal…
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Portland Students Could Strike Out Because of Teachers’ Union
By Mia Tiwana Have you heard of “No-School November”? Portland Public School (PPS)…
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Parents Say They Want More School Options for Their Children
By Kathryn Hickok As K-12 students return to school, about four-fifths of them…
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2023 – An Outstanding Year for School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok 2023 has been an outstanding year for school choice. Utah,…
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RealClear Opinion Poll Shows 71% of Registered Voters Support School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok A June 2023 RealClear Opinion Research survey of registered voters…
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Cascade Policy Institute’s Bill Expanding Access to the GED Exam Is Signed into Law
By Kathryn Hickok During the 2023 session, the Oregon Legislature passed Cascade Policy…
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The Memory Problem of Portland Public Schools
By Ethan Rohrbach For decades, Portland Public Schools (PPS) has tried to close…
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School Choice States Open Doors of Opportunity for Generations of Children
By Kathryn Hickok Three states recently expanded education options for K-12 students through…
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Testimony of Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Before the Oregon Senate Committee on Education
Eric Fruits, Ph.D.Cascade Policy Institute Support for HB 3068: Award high school diploma…
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Learning from Great Teachers Is a Privilege, Not a Right
By James Swyter In 2015, representatives from Portland Public Schools (PPS) gave a…
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With New Laws in Florida and Indiana, 7 States Have Universal School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok Two more states recently expanded their school choice programs, bringing…
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Educational Freedom: A Tale of Two Governors
By John A. Charles, Jr. Last November, voters in Arkansas elected Republican Sarah…
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HB 3068 Allows Students to Take the GED for a High School Diploma
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Cascade Policy Institute’s bill to make it easier for…
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Cascade Policy Institute Research Finds School Choice Programs Can Boost Public School Performance
February 16, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cascade Policy Institute4850 SW Scholls Ferry Rd.,…
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Cascade Policy Institute Research Finds School Choice Programs Can Improve Participants’ Academic Performance and Educational Attainment
February 15, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cascade Policy Institute4850 SW Scholls Ferry Rd.,…
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Press Release: Cascade Policy Institute Research Shows Education Savings Accounts Can Foster School Choice While Boosting Per-Student Funding
February 9, 2023 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cascade Policy Institute4850 SW Scholls Ferry Rd.,…
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Report shows ESA programs can give students the options they need, while increasing per-student funding for those remaining in district schools
By Kathryn Hickok Cascade Policy Institute has released a new report evaluating the…
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Small Steps Toward Solving Oregon’s Education Crisis
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the “Doonesbury”…
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Education Savings Accounts Would Make Oregon Students Better Off
By Kathryn Hickok This is National School Choice Week, an annual celebration of…
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3 Ways Oregon Legislators Can Expand Options for K-12 Students Today
By Kathryn Hickok January 22-28 is National School Choice Week, a celebration of…
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A Holiday Wishlist for Oregon
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. ‘Tis the season for holiday wishes. And, toward that…
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Education Savings Accounts: A School Choice Solution That Can Save States Money
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Critics of education savings accounts, or ESAs, claim that…
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Education Savings Accounts Can Boost Per-Student Spending in Public Schools
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Critics of education savings accounts, or ESAs, claim ESA…
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Research Shows Voucher Programs Boost Test Scores and Improve Educational Attainment
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Vouchers and education savings accounts (ESAs) are a subset…
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Decades of Research Finds Voucher Programs Are Associated with Improved Public School Quality
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. In recent years, school vouchers and education savings accounts…
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Education Group Works to Put School Choice on the Ballot in Oregon
By Kathryn Hickok This year, Arizona became the first state to expand eligibility…
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2023 Should Be Oregon’s Year of Opportunity in K-12 Education
By Kathryn Hickok A June poll of Oregonians conducted by Nelson Research and…
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For Oregon’s New Governor, Great Power Comes with Great Responsibility
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. It’s the day after Election Day and the votes…
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Oregon Needs a Free-Market Makeover
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D “What’s the one thing you’d do to fix Oregon?”…
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Closing the Racial Learning Gap in Schools: Spending Money Is Not Enough
By James Swyter For years, policymakers in Oregon have wrung their hands over…
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Oregon Ranks 40th on Heritage Foundation’s “Education Freedom Report Card”
By Kathryn Hickok The Heritage Foundation recently released its first Education Freedom Report…
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Arizona Offers All Children School Choice; Oregon Should, Too
By Kathryn Hickok This summer, Arizona expanded the nation’s first Education Savings Account…
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3 Ways New Oregon Leadership Can Improve K-12 Education Fast
By Kathryn Hickok Oregon soon will have a new governor and a new…
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Biden’s Student Loan Bailout Brings Chaos to College Students
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. By now you’ve heard of President Biden’s student loan…
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Biden Administration May Control School Suspensions
By James Swyter In less than two weeks, Oregon students will be heading…
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