Featured Article
Education Starts Here
By Kenneth Blackwell
Senators John McCain and Barack Obama both say public schools need work, but neither of their proposed solutions get to the root problem of our education crisis.Mr. McCain has supported President Bush's No Child Left Behind policy, albeit with qualifications, calling the policy a "good beginning" but maintaining that "there are a lot of things that need to be fixed." He plans to fix many of these problems with financial incentives, distributed in a decentralized, entrepreneurial network of schools."
Buckeye Voices
In
this week's Buckeye
Voices, the Buckeye Institute's Mike Maurer discusses the
governor's economic agenda, the federal bailout of Fannie Mae and
Freddie Mac, and what it means to be a conservative with Ohio
Republican Rep. William G. Batchelder. A 32-year legislative veteran,
Rep. Batchelder is the dean of Ohio conservatives.
Save the Date
The Friedman legacy
in Ohio: How Far Have We Come and What remains to Be Done
July 31, 2008,
would have been
Milton Friedman's 96th birthday. To honor his vision and the impact he
has had on our society, we will celebrate the Friedman Legacy for
Freedom in partnership with the Friedman Foundation for Educational
Choice. Our keynote speaker will be Matthew Carr, the Buckeye
Institute's Education Policy Director.5:30 p.m. - Cocktail Reception
6:15 p.m. - Program begins
7:30 p.m. - Event Concludes
Thursday, July 31, 2008
The Athletic Club of Columbus
136 East Broad Street
Columbus, Ohio 43215-2606
This is a complimentary event, but space is limited. Please R.S.V.P. byemailing Heidi Smith at hsmith@buckeyeinstitute.org or calling (614) 224-4422 with your name and your guests' names exactly as they should appear on name tags.
Mandatory Health Insurance?
The
Columbus Dispatch reports,
"All Ohioans would be required to buy at least a basic health-insurance
plan, and family policies could cover dependents up to age 29, if
recommendations on reducing the number of uninsured Ohioans are
adopted."
In
Mandating Insurance not
the Answer,
Buckeye Institute analyst Marc Kilmer
writes, "It is unfortunate that the Governor's task force sees the way
to address Ohio's health care problems as taking away more freedom from
Ohioans instead of giving them more options. A health insurance mandate
will not solve any health care problems faced by the average Ohioan.
The answer to our problems lies in more freedom for consumers, not in
more mandates by the government."
School Choice is Popular
"More than 10,450 public school students in Ohio, including 2,088 or so in the Cincinnati area, will attend private schools on the state's dime in the upcoming school year," according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
In School Choice and Civil Rights, Buckeye Institute Ronald Reagan Distinguished Fellow Ken Blackwell writes, "These fledgling choice programs are becoming increasingly popular because public schools are performing so poorly. In fact, Ohio's charter schools and vouchers are only available to students living in districts in academic emergency or academic watch. Parents like the programs because they empower them. Teacher unions oppose the programs because they weaken their position at the collective bargaining table."
Reforming Education in Ohio
The Akron Beacon Journal reports, "Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland asked some 280 education professionals, students and parents at Akron's North High School on Wednesday night for their ideas of what education should be in the 21st century -- not how to fix the current system."
In
Getting it Wrong for
Ohio's Future,
Buckeye Institute Director of Education Policy Matt Carr
writes, "If Ohio's policymakers are serious about meaningful reform in
the way education is funded the best place to start is by funding
students rather than buildings and political boundaries. Placing
education funds with the student, introducing competition where little
has ever existed, would do more to break down the myriad barriers to
better schools than any other reform policy tried or even considered in
this state."
