top of page


Joanne Jacobs
Sep 25, 20242 min read
No return to normal: Homeschooling is still growing
Homeschooling surged during the pandemic, and continues to grow.
1 comment


Joanne Jacobs
Sep 14, 20242 min read
A new choice in New Orleans: District opens a non-charter school
New Orleans is no longer an all-charter district.
1 comment


Joanne Jacobs
Sep 11, 20242 min read
Urban Democrats want choice, but Harris-Walz campaign backs union agenda
The U.S. has "already passed peak public school " (excluding public charters), writes Matt Welch on Reason. Enrollment in district-run...
2 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Sep 8, 20241 min read
A la carte learning in Florida
Alicia Garcia was a part-time cooking teacher before the pandemic closed Florida schools, writes Ron Matus on Next Steps. Now the former...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Sep 6, 20241 min read
How good is my kid's school? Good luck figuring out state report cards
State report cards do a poor job of informing parents. IDEA charters want Texas parents to see their ratings.
1 comment


Joanne Jacobs
Aug 16, 20242 min read
Parents want choices: 84% support education savings accounts
Americans -- including Democrats -- strongly favor school choice, especially education savings accounts.
10 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jul 26, 20242 min read
Harris thrills teachers' union, sticks to progressive orthodoxy
"God knows, we don't pay you enough," Kamala Harris told teachers at the American Federation of Teachers convention in Houston. That went...
2 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jul 25, 20241 min read
Urban charters boost scores, degrees in Massachusetts
Urban charter school students in Massachusetts earn higher test scores and are more likely to enroll in college and earn a degree,...
0 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jul 25, 20242 min read
Most challenging schools are charters educating low-income students
Urban charters in high-poverty areas have become the most challenging high schools in the country, as measured by students taking...
2 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jul 18, 20242 min read
'Raised by wolves,' Vance defends parents' rights
“Parents should absolutely be the primary stakeholders in their kids' education, and anyone who disagrees should stay the hell away from...
2 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jun 26, 20242 min read
If minority parents choose a charter, that's not 'resegregation'
Parents should be able to choose a public school that meets their children's academic needs and their family's values, writes Debbie...
2 comments


Joanne Jacobs
May 18, 20242 min read
Democrats care about equality, but not education, say voters
Black and Hispanic parents may switch from Biden to Trump. Democrats value equality but don't deliver on quality, they say.
6 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Mar 25, 20242 min read
Classical ed -- seen as 'a white child's education' -- is thriving in the Bronx
Are the liberal arts conservative?, asks Emma Green in a New Yorker story about the revival of "classical education." A growing number of...
3 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jan 24, 20242 min read
'No excuses' school guru passes on: Will excellence survive?
Linda Brown, who trained hundreds of charter leaders as leader of (Building Excellent Schools (ES), has died at the age of 81. Many of...
1 comment


Joanne Jacobs
Jan 22, 20242 min read
Black parents want choices, but Chicago plans to limit options
Black parents are the most likely to choose charter, selective enrollment or magnet schools in Chicago, reports Sarah Karp for WBEZ. She...
1 comment

Joanne Jacobs
Jan 22, 20242 min read
Union-backed group claims choice is 'rooted in racism'
The union-backed Partnership for the Future of Learning has launched an anti-choice campaign charging that "voucher programs" are "deeply...
11 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Jan 19, 20241 min read
Success Academy charters are #1 in New York in math, #3 in reading
Success Academy charter students are the best in New York state in math, third best in English Language Arts (ELA) among schools with 95+...
1 comment


Joanne Jacobs
Dec 20, 20231 min read
Charters are growing: Latino enrollment is way up
As district-run public schools lose enrollment -- 1.5 million students since 2019 -- charter schools are adding students, according to a...
1 comment


Joanne Jacobs
Dec 18, 20232 min read
Choice, selective schools perpetuate 'inequity,' says Chicago mayor, school board
"Equality in misery" is the new plan for Chicago Public Schools, writes Paul Vallas, who lost the race for mayor to Brandon Johnson, a...
32 comments


Joanne Jacobs
Nov 27, 20232 min read
'Liberal arts' education is now 'classical,' which makes it 'right wing'
"Classical" charter schools are a right-wing plot to "destroy democratically governed public schools while turning back the clock of...
1 comment
bottom of page