School Choice Could Help States Balance Budgets

"Nearly all of America's 50 states are facing budget deficits," writes education professor William Jeynes, who maintains that education spending, which consumes nearly 50% of state budgets, is the biggest driver of those deficits. Since private schools operate at roughly 60% of public schools' per student costs, "states would save money by implementing programs that pay for children to attend these schools instead of more expensive public ones."

National School Choice Week Jan 23-27

For decades conservatives have advocated giving all families the freedom to choose from among all available schooling options—public, private, parochial and home—without having to pay twice for the education service for their children (i.e., public school taxes plus private school tuition). Today the desire for school choice spans all socio-economic, political, and ethnic groups, as this You Tube video celebrating last year's events and activities shows.

Pass the Kool-Aid: OWS Protest Welcomed Only in Academe

The Occupy Wall Street protest movement has worn out its welcome even in the most liberal US cities, but there's one place idiotic Leftist ideas always find a home—the education system.

Next semester Columbia University will offer an OWS course "in which grad students and upperclassmen can earn a full course credit by getting involved in the movement's projects outside the classroom."

And in the Albemarle County, Virginia, school district, a group of third graders reportedly wrote the following lyrics—on their own—to an Occupy song:

Some people have it all
But they still don’t think they have enough
They want more money
A faster ride
They’re not content
Never satisfied
Yes — they’re the 1 percent

I used to be one of the 1 percent
I worked all the time
Never saw my family
Couldn’t make life rhyme
Then the bubble burst
It really, really hurt
I lost my money
Lost my pride
Lost my home
Now I’m part of the 99

Some people have it all
But they still don’t think they have enough
They want more money
A faster ride
They’re not content
Never satisfied
Yes — they’re the 1 percent

I used to be sad, now I’m satisfied
’Cause I really have enough
Though I lost my yacht and plane
Didn’t need that extra stuff
Could have been much worse
You don’t need to be first
’Cause I’ve got my friends
Here by my side
Don’t need it all
I’m so happy to be part of the 99

Public school officials insist the eight-year-olds wrote the lyrics without any direction or assistance from school officials or adults. 

Of course they did. Pass the Kool-Aid, please.