A Conservative Alternative to No Child Left Behind

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IN THIS EDITION

What to Watch Ohio governor signs statewide voucher expansion for low-income students. Number of the Week U.S. education spending tops global list, according to a new study. Quote of the Week Senator John Cornyn stands up for A-PLUS. Don't Miss New article pulls back the curtain on Common Core.

A-PLUS: A Conservative Alternative to NCLB By Lindsey Burke On Thursday, lawmakers in both the House and the Senate introduced a conservative alternative to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success Act (A-PLUS) would allow states to completely opt out of the programs that fall under NCLB and empower state and local leaders to direct funding to their most pressing education needs. Specifically, A-PLUS would send funding under NCLB back to states in the form of block grants, and states would then be able to direct that funding to any education purpose under state law. LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS IMPORTANT ISSUE >> What To Watch Ohio Governor Signs Statewide Voucher Expansion for Low-Income Students “Once limited just to low-income children in Cleveland, private school choice now will be available statewide to kindergartners whose family income does not exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty line, or $46,100 for a family of four. The program will add one grade level of eligibility each year over the next 12 years.” See the full article, from The Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice. Federal Student Loans Cost Taxpayers Money “The federal government’s current accounting practices fail to account for market risk, likely understating the cost of student loans to taxpayers.” LEARN MORE >>

Number of the Week $15,171 “The United States spent $15,171 on each young person in the system — more than any other nation covered in the report…[But] spending does not guarantee students' success. The United States routinely trails its rival countries in performances on international exams despite being among the heaviest spenders on education.” See: CBS News' "U.S. Education Spending Tops Global List, Study Shows”   Quote of the Week “Ensuring that students have access to the best possible educational opportunities that meet their needs should be the cornerstone of education policy. Because local educators and parents are best equipped to make decisions for their schools, A-PLUS would provide states with the necessary flexibility to create programs that best fit the needs of their students, while improving schools’ accountability to parents." -Senator John Cornyn (R-TX)

Don’t Miss Pulling Back the Curtain on Common Core “Common Core’s national K-12 standards supposedly emerged from a state-led process in which experts, educators, and parents were well represented. But the people who wrote the standards did not represent the most important stakeholders.”

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