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February 14, 2024

Four States That Are Leading the Charge for Conservative Education

It’s looking like this year’s election will feature a Trump-Biden rematch — a pairing that’s especially frustrating for education, where the nation is wrestling with a raft of real problems: dismal student…

February 7, 2024

Elite Colleges Need to Offer Less Affirmation. And Insist on More Work.

Recently, I offered a not-so-sophisticated explanation for the histrionics we’ve seen at elite colleges: too many students are simply aimless, lonely, and bored. Well-meaning concern about the mental and emotional state of…

February 7, 2024

The Past and Future of Education Reform

When the French statesman Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand was asked for his thoughts on the Bourbon royal family in exile, he replied, “Ils n’ont rien appris, ni rien oublié.” They have learned…

December 12, 2023

Virginia’s Gov. Youngkin Offers A Republican Path On Pre-K

The public wins when Democrats and Republicans are both offering principled solutions to pressing challenges. That’s too rarely been the case when it comes to early childhood education. For a…

December 8, 2023

Biden’s Even Worse Version of “Free College”

The Biden administration has abolished the federal student-loan program, at least if a “student-loan program” is one in which students borrow money and then eventually repay it. What’s being erected…

October 12, 2023

I Spoke to Arne Duncan About School Reform. Here Are 5 Takeaways

Last week, at the American Enterprise Institute, former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and I sat down to talk about the future of school reform with The New York Times’…

October 6, 2023

After a Banner Year for School Choice, the Challenge Is to Ensure New Programs Work

…Milton and Rose Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice). His job is to wrestle with the practical and political dimensions of educational choice. Here’s what he had to say. —Rick Rick: Robert,…

October 3, 2023

A Way Forward for School Reform: A Conversation with Frederick M. Hess and Former Education Secretary Arne Duncan

…action regarding choice, teacher pay, parental involvement, the teaching of American history, or much else? Join AEI’s Frederick M. Hess, former US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, and the New…

September 19, 2023

It’s OK to Like Both Public Schools and School Choice

Education savings accounts. Universal voucher programs. Charter schools. These are words guaranteed to inspire heated debates among policymakers, parents, and educators. Teachers’ union leaders denounce school choice as part of…

September 12, 2023

Time Is a School’s Most Precious Resource. Where Does It Go?

In schools, it can feel like there’s never enough time. Even though American students spend as much or more time in school as their peers around the globe (a fact that’s not…