by David Safier Obama's Ed Sec said over 80% of schools could miss their AYP (adequate yearly progress) this year, up from 37% last year. Does that mean schools are getting worse? In a word, no. It's all about balloon payment NCLB scoring. No Child Left Behind set a target starting in 2002 of all … Read more
by David Safier First it was vouchers, but no one liked the word. Then it was "school choice," but that's awfully vague and covers too many bases. Now, the term of art for vouchers is "educational savings accounts" or, in a new Arizona bill, "Arizona empowerment accounts." HB2706 creates these vouchers-by-a-different-name for students who are … Read more
by David Safier The hike in private school tuition tax credits is moving right along. It passed the Senate committee and is waiting for a roll call vote. Then it's on to the House. It's a big hike, from $500 to $750 a year per individual, and from $1000 to $1500 for a couple. Since … Read more
by David Safier No, more money isn't the solution to improving education. Good teachers — enough of them to give students individual attention — good adminstrators, clear goals and adequate supplies are what it takes to improve students' learning. But the thing is, most of that stuff costs money. Two cases in point: 1. Obama … Read more
by David Safier The charter school, Carpe Diem Collegiate High School and Middle School in Yuma, may be doing a great job seeing as how, "The school posted some of the highest gains in three grades on the AIMS test of any of the 1,337 schools analyzed by The Arizona Republic and USA Today." But … Read more