Most people, one hopes, appreciated the public efforts of my colleague Rob Sellers, the executive director of the Opportunity Scholarship Fund, to inform families seeking better school options for their children about available opportunities to apply for scholarships that enable children to attend a private school. These privately funded scholarships and the organizations that administer…Read More
In more than four decades of coaching girls’ basketball at Lebanon Catholic High School in southeastern Pennsylvania, Patti Hower had led the team to three state championships and 20 district titles. This year, with four starting players returning, there were high hopes again. But then in April came the news: the Roman Catholic Diocese of…Read More
A Maryland county has issued a second order preventing non-public schools from reopening for in-person instruction, despite a previous effort being immediately overridden by Gov. Larry Hogan. “Reemphasizing the need to protect the health and safety of Montgomery County residents as well as parents, students, teachers and staff from the spread of COVID-19, County Health…Read More
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has offered its support for a new school funding bill, as Catholic schools grapple with the effects of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The School Choice Now Act would provide one-time funding to scholarship-granting organizations, who would be authorized to allocate those funds to parents. The funds could be…Read More
America’s Catholic schools have been called a “national treasure,” yet not everyone is willing to help preserve them with tax dollars. Opposition to federal aid for such schools likely will arise as Congress prepares the next coronavirus stimulus package. President Donald Trump has asked that it include funds for scholarships to pay tuition for private…Read More
The Oklahoma Education Association’s national parent, the National Education Association, is known for bizarre actions like working to give boys access to girls’ bathrooms and endorsing Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden. Recently the OEA added to the bizarre by trying to give the impression that public schools are receiving only half of Oklahoma’s education-related federal…Read More
In an announcement that gained praise from national education leaders, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced last week he will use millions of dollars in federal COVID funds to increase educational opportunity across Oklahoma, boosting financial resources for students, families, and schools across the state. Among other things, Stitt’s plan will boost online course offerings in rural…Read More
The White House plans to ask Congress to earmark money in the next stimulus bill for scholarship programs for private and religious schools, which the administration is promoting as a way to help families affected by COVID-19 pay their children’s tuition this fall. President Donald Trump will ask for a “one-time, emergency appropriation” for a…Read More
President Trump on Tuesday said school choice is the civil rights issue of “all-time in this country.” Speaking to reporters while announcing an executive order on law enforcement reform, Trump said: “We’re fighting for school choice, which really is the civil rights [issue] of all-time in this country. Frankly, school choice is the civil rights…Read More
As part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, Congress allocated $30 billion to assist educational institutions in handling the economic fallout from COVID-19. About half of that funding was designated for higher education and $13.5 billion for K–12 schools, with the remainder left to state governments. The bill gave the Department…Read More