Why Louisiana Needs Paycheck Protection
Paycheck Protection makes sense because it gets Louisiana taxpayers out of the business of political fundraising for special interests.
The Case for Reform: Jefferson Parish Edition
The Jefferson Parish Public School System is benefiting from a remarkable initiative for accountability and reform within the school district.
Lessons for Legislators from Margaret Thatcher
With the Louisiana legislature now in session, this is an opportune time to apply some lessons from Margaret Thatcher to what may be the most important public policy issue facing our state: education reform.
The Louisiana Teacher Union Paradox
Teacher union challenges to real education reform continue to exist, though often in ways that are not measurable or reportable. If you dig deeper, the unions’ power and influence, particularly at the local school district level, remain strong in this state, challenging education reform efforts at every step of the electoral, legislative and policy implementation processes.
Teacher Evaluations Highlight Divide Between Unions and Reformers
The new system of evaluating teacher effectiveness often includes “value-added” data that measures the extra value a teacher adds to a student’s standardized test score. Value-added data offers an objective measure of teacher effectiveness that did not previously exist.
Louisiana Teachers Union Threatens Voucher Schools with Litigation
In a stunning move, attorneys representing the Louisiana Association of Educators (LAE) have threatened litigation against schools participating in the state’s voucher program.
Louisiana Voucher Applications Roll Forward Despite Union Lawsuits
Thousands of school voucher applicants who want to exit unsafe, ineffective public schools made history on Friday. That was the deadline for eligible families to apply for scholarship funds that can be used to cover the cost of private school tuition.
Commentary: Louisiana Education Budget Cuts Highlights Need for Vouchers
Voucher programs not only provide students with access to better schools of their choosing, but cost as low as a quarter per student compared to public schools.
Commentary: New Jersey’s Christie Provides Template for Reducing State Expenditures
Given our state’s looming budget deficit budget deficit and recent blows to the oil and shipping industries, Louisiana should take into consideration New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s proposed agenda to rein in superfluous state spending. Gov. Christie has been anathema to unions throughout the state of New Jersey due to his refusal to genuflect to…
Commentary: Teachers’ Union Rhetoric Distorts Benefits of New Education Law
“The LTF is insinuating that [HB 1368] will allow BESE to make arbitrary policy decisions against the schools’ wills. This is blatantly untrue.