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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Cascade Quarterly Spring 2024
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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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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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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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More Money is Not the Solution
By Joshua Schutte The Oregonian recently reported that “Oregon students as a whole…
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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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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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Cascade Quarterly Fall 2023
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Cascade Quarterly Summer 2022
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Lift the Cap on Oregon Charter Schools
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Next week is National Charter Schools Week. Oregon passed…
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Poll: 72% Believe Parents Should Have School Choice
By Kathryn Hickok The last two years have made it clear: Oregon parents…
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Testimony of Kathryn Hickok before the Senate Committee on Education
February 24, 2022 Senate Committee on EducationOregon State Legislature Re: Support for SB…
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Remove Oregon’s Age Restriction on GED Tests
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. COVID-19 disrupted—and may continue to disrupt—in-person learning at many…
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Oregon’s Century-Old Lesson in Public Education
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. Earlier this week, the Michigan Democratic Party’s Facebook account…
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Dropping High School Graduation Standards Hurts Students’ Future Prospects
By Stewart Robertson Recently, Governor Kate Brown quietly signed Senate Bill 744. The…
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Four Things You Should Know About Learning Pods in Oregon
By Helen Doran Learning pods have become a popular solution for parents searching…
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Oregon Families Deserve Choice in Online Learning: Cascade Policy Institute Supports SB 240 – Lift the Cap on Online Charters
April 21, 2021 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cascade Policy Institute4850 SW Scholls Ferry Rd.,…
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Are Oregon students looking at distance learning in the fall?
By Helen Doran The president of the National Education Association recently said she…
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Eric Fruits, Vice President of Research of Cascade Policy Institute, submitted testimony regarding SB 223
Via EmailMarch 11, 2021 Senate Committee on Education Oregon State Legislature Re: Opposition…
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Empower Oregon Families Today by Funding Students, Not Systems
By Kathryn Hickok and Helen Doran Every parent knows a solid education prepares…
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I was homeschooled. Here is why I support school choice.
By Helen Doran Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, many parents now find themselves…
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Achieving Equity: Oregon Students Deserve a Money-Back Guarantee
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. On September 21, 2020, Oregon’s Senate heard policy proposals…
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Supreme Court Upholds Parents’ Right to Choose Religious Schools
By Kathryn Hickok The U.S. Supreme Court ruled June 30 in Espinoza v….
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Online charter school students were learning at home just fine, so why have their schools been taken away from them?
By Kathryn Hickok If Oregon charter school students can stay at home and…
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Supreme Court Espinoza Case Debates Parents’ Freedom to Choose Religious Schools
By Miranda Bonifield When Kendra Espinoza’s husband suddenly left their small family, her…
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Miss Virginia: A Trailblazer for Educational Opportunity for Today’s Kids
By Kathryn Hickok and Miranda Bonifield Virginia Walden Ford is a Washington, D.C….
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National School Choice Week Celebrates All the Ways Kids Learn
By Kathryn Hickok January 26-February 1 is National School Choice Week, the world’s…
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Espinoza and Equal Opportunity in Education
By Miranda Bonifield In 1926, an Oregon school controversy made it all the…
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Miss Virginia
By Miranda Bonifield Virginia Walden Ford is a mom whose extraordinary sacrifice and…
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Charter Schools Create Diverse Choices for Students with Different Needs
By Miranda Bonifield Parents know the educational needs of their children are as…
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Fresh Spinach for Indifferent Students: Oregon’s Costly Farm-to-School Program
By Helen Cook When did you last hear a child profess his love…
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Testimony of Kathryn Hickok Before the Senate Education Committee Regarding SB 668 Education Savings Accounts
June 5, 2019 Chair Wagner and Members of the Committee, my name is…
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Is Oregon Really “Disinvesting” in Education?
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. The Portland Association of Teachers declares Oregon has suffered…
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Tennessee’s New Education Savings Account Law Puts More Parents in the “Driver’s Seat” of Their Kids’ Education
By Kathryn Hickok This month Tennessee enacted a new Education Savings Account (ESA)…
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Cultivating Educational Choice with Education Savings Accounts
By Miranda Bonifield A Portland public school made headlines last week for offering…
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Options in Education Fest Celebrates Oregon Parents’ Education Choices
By Bobbie Jager As a mother of 13 children (no, that’s not a…
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More Spending Won’t Solve Educational Woes
By Miranda Bonifield Increasing funding to Oregon’s school system may seem like an…
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Lessons in Education from Gandalf the Grey
By Miranda Bonifield Cascade Policy Institute has supported parental choice in K-12 education…
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Fake Leadership
By John A. Charles, Jr. Governor Kate Brown’s proposed two-year general fund budget…
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Watch “School Choice Changes Lives!” Online Now
By Steve Buckstein On September 25, Cascade Policy Institute and its School Choice…
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Children’s Scholarship Fund Gives Low-Income Parents Real Education Choices
By Kathryn Hickok This spring, the Children’s Scholarship Fund-Oregon program sponsored by Cascade…
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Time to Decentralize Oregon’s Education Reform Efforts
By Kathryn Hickok and Steve Buckstein Three years ago, Oregon state government killed…
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Four Strikes and You’re Still Out: Oregon’s Ongoing Quest to Centralize Education Policy
By Steve Buckstein In 2015 Oregon state government killed off what should have…
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Oregon Can Help Young Oregonians Be “Future Ready” by Reducing Red Tape
By Kathryn Hickok Governor Kate Brown opened this month’s legislative session with her…
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What’s at the Root of Oregon’s Education Problems? (Steve Jobs Already Told Us the Answer)
By Steve Buckstein The Oregon legislature will embark on an “impossible mission” to…
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Oregon Parents Deserve to Be the Voice for Kids’ Education Options
By Bobbie Jager For the second year in a row, Oregon has reported…
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Give Oregon Kids the Power of Educational Choice, Like Kids in Florida
By Kathryn Hickok Denisha Merriweather failed third grade twice. Today, she is finishing…
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Taxpayers Aren’t at Fault for Oregon’s Abysmal Graduation Rate
By Kathryn Hickok Willamette Week recently reported that, sadly, Oregon has the third-lowest…
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Why Protesters of Betsy DeVos Can’t Understand What She’s Talking About
By Steve Buckstein What would you do if you read an article about…
Read Blog DetailEducation Savings Accounts: Review and Evaluation of a Universal ESA in Oregon
By Eric Fruits, Ph.D. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Education Savings Accounts deposit a percentage of…
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A Legal Analysis of Oregon’s Trust Obligations in Managing the Elliott State Forest
By Kathryn Walter (Altus Law LLC) EXECUTIVE SUMMARY When Oregon became a state…
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