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Heartland Quotes Senior Fellow Ben Scafidi on Proposed Education Reforms

posted 3 years ago on February 11th, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

Kenneth Artz of the Heartland Institute interviewed Foundation Senior Fellow Ben Scafidi on the Georgia Education Reform Commission’s recommendations. The article is below; access the article on Heartrland’s Web site here: http://news.heartland.org/newspaper-article/2016/02/10/georgia-commission-releases-reform-recommendations. Georgia Commission Releases Reform Recommendations By Kenneth Artz A Georgia government commission released a report in December 2015 detailing recommended reforms lawmakers should consider during the recently convened legislative session. The commission called on the state’s legislature to fund charter schools in a more equitable manner and provide more support for districts wishing to explore tying teachers’ pay to student performance. The commission was composed of private-sector leaders, local and state education officials, and lawmakers. The stated goal of the Georgia Education Reform Commission is to “[provide]… View Article

School Choice Benefits: More than test scores

posted 3 years ago on February 9th, 2016 by admin 1 Comment

In a new article for Education Next, Martin R. West of Harvard University explains that research focused solely on standardized test scores will understate the benefits of school choice programs, since effects on high school graduation and college enrollment are stronger—especially among urban minority students. The study builds on early research on school choice by James S. Coleman: The chief beneficiaries of policies that expand parental choice appear to be urban minority students—precisely the group that Coleman argued has the least choice in a public school system in which school assignment depends on where a family lives. And the benefits of school choice  for these students extend beyond what tests can measure. A key paragraph at the conclusion of the… View Article

Marietta Daily Journal Covers National School Choice Week Event

posted 3 years ago on February 1st, 2016 by admin 1 Comment

The Marietta Daily Journal quotes Foundation President Kelly McCutchen in a January 31 article about the Foundation’s Leadership Breakfast celebrating National School Choice Week. The text is below; access the article online here. State senators speak out on alternatives to public school By Jon Gargis CUMBERLAND — Hours before a downtown Atlanta rally focused on school choice, state Sen. Hunter Hill, R-Smyrna, and Georgia Public Policy Foundation officials were among those who spoke of alternatives to public school education and the way the state funds it. “If you’re concerned about economic inequality, economic opportunity is what we need to promote. That’s what school choice is all about — making sure that everyone in our society has a great opportunity… View Article

Friday Facts: January 29, 2016

posted 3 years ago on January 29th, 2016 by admin 2 Comments

It’s Friday! Then and Now Did you know? In 1991, the year the Georgia Public Policy Foundation was established, there were 7.5 million cellphone users across the nation. One year later, the number surpassed 10 million and the first commercial text message was sent. This year, smartphone users in the United States are expected to surpass 207.2 million; by 2015, text messages were at 169.3 billion a year in the United States! It’s why we’ll be launching our new Web site soon! Events February 17: Register now for, “Georgia Criminal Justice Reform: Looking Ahead, Staying Ahead,” an 8 a.m. Foundation Leadership Breakfast at Cobb County’s Georgian Club. The keynote speaker is Judge Michael P. Boggs,… View Article

Five Reasons for Education Optimism in Georgia

posted 3 years ago on January 29th, 2016 by admin Leave a Comment

By Benita M. Dodd Georgians marked National School Choice Week Jan. 24-30, a week of events highlighted by thousands of yellow “woobie” scarves and celebration of the innovations in education in Georgia. Among the more than 16,000 events held around the nation was the Foundation’s January 27 Leadership Breakfast, a panel discussion with legislators Hunter Hill and Mike Dudgeon and education innovator Mike Davis. The event was followed by a massive noon rally at the Georgia State Capitol. Championing choice with one voice at the rally were Georgia Governor Nathan Deal, rapper Ludacris and an all-grown-up Keisha Knight Pulliam, who you may recall as The Cosby Show’s Rudy Huxtable. All week, the enthusiasm for school choice was overwhelming in Georgia… View Article

Friday Facts: January 22, 2016

posted 3 years ago on January 22nd, 2016 by admin 2 Comments

It’s Friday! Then and Now Did you know? In 1991, the year the Georgia Public Policy Foundation was established, according to one advertisement (May 1991), a business-class 386/33 personal computer with 4MB of RAM, a 200MB hard disk and 14-inch display sold for $4,299 ($7,544 in today’s dollars). A similarly-equipped 486-33 was $7,699, or $13,511 today. Source: ZDNET.com Events January 27: MONDAY is the deadline to register for the Foundation’s annual National School Choice Week celebration. Join Georgia State Sen. Hunter Hill, State Rep. Mike Dudgeon and education innovator Mike Davis for “Georgia Education: Reforms and Recommendations,” a Leadership Breakfast 8 a.m. Wednesday, January 27 at Cobb County’s Georgian Club. This event is open to the public.… View Article

Comparing Education Funding and Student Achievement among States

posted 3 years ago on January 18th, 2016 by admin 1 Comment

Everyone likes rankings, and one of the most frequent questions we receive is about where Georgia ranks in terms of K-12 spending and achievement. Georgia’s spending per student is higher than all but one of its neighboring states, according to the most recent data. In terms of student achievement, adjusting for demographic factors that schools can’t control, Georgia ranks 19th highest in the nation. (An analysis of how Georgia compares based on unadjusted NAEP scores is available here.) Clearly, spending doesn’t equal performance, at least not in 2013. The states in Table 1 are listed in order of spending, but their academic achievement varies dramatically. Georgia ranks much higher than most would guess at 19, but Florida (#4) and… View Article

Celebrate National School Choice Week at Jan. 27 Event

posted 3 years ago on December 18th, 2015 by admin 10 Comments

EVENT INVITATION December 18, 2015 Contact Benita Dodd at 404-256-4050 or benitadodd@georgiapolicy.org Celebrate National School Choice Week January 27! Atlanta – National School Choice Week provides the theme for the Georgia Public Policy Foundation’s first event of the year every year, and 2016 is no exception! You are invited to join the Foundation on Wednesday, January 27, 2016 for, “Georgia Education: Reforms and Recommendations,” an 8 a.m. Leadership Breakfast at Cobb County’s Georgian Club. This panel discussion includes two education reform champions in the Georgia Legislature and an education innovator: Georgia State Sen. Hunter Hill, Senate sponsor of legislation creating Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) Georgia State Rep. Mike Dudgeon, vice chairman of the House Education Committee,… View Article

Friday Facts: December 11, 2015

posted 3 years ago on December 11th, 2015 by admin 2 Comments

It’s Friday! ICYMI: On December 5, we sent you some great news about results at the Foundation. If you missed it, you can read it here. Quotes of Note “Let me never fall into the vulgar mistake of dreaming that I am persecuted whenever I am contradicted.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson “The ordaining of laws in favor of one part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another, is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy. An equal dispensation of protection, rights, privileges, and advantages, is what every part is entitled to, and ought to enjoy.” – Benjamin Franklin “‘Can you assure the boys and girls of this country that NORAD and the Air Force… View Article

Solving the Failure of Education Desegregation

posted 3 years ago on December 11th, 2015 by admin 1 Comment

By Benita M. Dodd Education desegregation started out with such lofty promise in America. So why have decades of massive government efforts to mandate integration in schools and encourage racial diversity produced such dismal results? In his latest study, Dr. Ben Scafidi, Senior Fellow at the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and the Georgia Public Policy Foundation, set out to examine why schools continue to be segregated and how to overcome this. He found that neighborhoods and schools both moved toward racial integration in the 1960s and ‘70s, but in the 1980s segregation began returning to public schools even as neighborhood integration continued. Public school integration reversed at the same time neighborhood segregation by income increased, according to Scafidi’s study,… View Article