A Better Way to Measure Student Success
Six years ago, supporters of the national Common Core academic standards thought they had the formula to measure student success. Under the Common Core, states would agree to teach the same material in the same sequence to all students. The ensuing tests would measure...
Fraud prevention: There’s an app for that
A school board member in New Jersey pleaded guilty to wire fraud. A “longtime educator” in Palm Beach County, Florida, resigned from a school board after authorities charged him with fraud and bribery. Nearly a dozen school leaders in Detroit accepted $900,000 in...
Seventy-Five Percent of Republican Primary Voters Cast Ballots Approving Real School Choice
Republicans included a non-binding referendum question in yesterday’s Primary Election ballot asking if voters support school choice, and 75 percent of voters declared their support for the concept of education dollars following the student. The question was direct,...
Criminal Justice Reforms: Increasing Access to Work
On April 27th, Governor Deal signed into law the most recent round of criminal justice reforms in Georgia. Senate Bill 367 enacts many of the recommendations of the state's Council on Criminal Justice Reform. Among the reforms are a number that will improve the...
Give a Little, Get a Lot!
Now is an especially good time to support GCO financially. Thanks to the generosity of a key supporter and GCO’s Board, every donation given between now and May 31st – up to $87,000 – will be matched dollar-for-dollar. This means if we reach our goal, GCO will have an...
Celebrating Healthy Families
Healthy families are the bedrock of a healthy, prosperous society. They are the place where children develop the values, skills, and habits that largely determine the kind of adults they will become. Georgia Center for Opportunity’s Healthy Families Initiative (HFI)...
Land Ho!
By April 1916, Sir Ernest Shackleton’s crew wanted to see land. The men spent more than a year sailing to Antarctica and six days drifting in lifeboats with little food or sleep. Finally, the men spied a narrow, 30-mile long enclave called Elephant Island. Writing in...
More Choices for Teachers with School Choice
Legislatures across the country have been discussing education reform for many years, specifically educational choice options. This year Georgia joined the conversation considering education savings accounts. Much of the dialogue is student centered - as it should be....
The First Amendment and Donald Trump
Like many observers, I was surprised and appalled by the events in Chicago a week ago, when Donald Trump’s campaign cancelled a rally in the face of concerted, well-organized protests both inside and outside the venue. Well, perhaps I shouldn’t have been all that...
Education Savings Accounts Could Help Virginia and Georgia “Face the Strain”
Last week, the Virginia senate passed what could become the nation’s sixth education savings account law, pending a governor’s signature. HB 389 would allow children with special needs to apply for an account. With an account, Virginia would deposit a portion of a...
