Yesterday I had the opportunity to discuss public policy ideas with two bright and motivated high school debaters. By email we discussed a recent debate on whether public employees ought to have the right...
New frontiers of scientific discovery can fill us with wonder and excitement. New planets or meteors or subatomic particles discovered, or new medical breakthroughs to cure diseases, new flying cars, energy sources, or nanotech...
In Tyler Cowen’s new book Stubborn Attachments: A Vision for a Society of Free, Prosperous, and Responsible Individuals, sustaining and improving economic growth is the key to the future. Tyler Cowen’s Stubborn Attachments—A Review (Quillette,...
Brookings Institution’s Robert Litan offers A counterintuitive proposal for improving education and healing America: Debate-centered instruction (Brookings, September 27, 2018). Litan begins with a paragraph about current political and economic challenges then begins his...
Learning a foreign language helps us better understand and appreciate the workings of our own language. Similarly, researching the dynamics and demographics of either of two proposed NCFCA topics, Economic Community of West African States...
August news items and notes for the K-12 education reform topic. • “The newest advantage of being rich in America? Higher grades Escalating grade inflation at wealthy high schools is another blow to poor...
James Tooley, a professor of education policy at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, traveled the world researching The Beautiful Tree and describes the popularity of informal schools for low-income families in India and Africa. In India, Nigeria,...
“Trump Budget Would Slash Education Dept. Spending, Boost School Choice,” (Education Week, May 23, 2017), looks at changes proposed in federal education spending, but notes the largest: Grants for special education, which also go...
Sometimes looking at the past can help us see the present more clearly. And that applies to the 2017-2018 NSDA topic: Resolved: The United States federal government should substantially increase its funding and/or regulation of elementary...
“A Look at the Shocking Student Loan Debt Statistics for 2017,” (Student Loan Hero, Updated: July 11, 2017) reports: Americans owe over $1.4 trillion in student loan debt, spread out among about 44 million...
