Education Reform

Too often, the traditional public-school model fails students and teachers. Charter schools, scholarship tax credits, and merit pay are giving students a better education and teachers a better career.

<p>Too often, the traditional public-school model fails students and teachers. Charter schools, scholarship tax credits, and merit pay are giving students a better education and teachers a better career. </p>

Gov. Jan Brewer is poised to expand one of the most liberty-enhancing education reforms in U.S. history, the latest step in her growing legacy of meaningful education reform.

Arizona students are at risk of having fewer digital learning options if lawmakers do not reconsider SB 1259, which provides more options for students to pursue digital learning outside of their school district’s boundaries.

In 1947, military experts were trying to build an aircraft that wouldn’t lose control at high speeds so a pilot could fly faster than the speed of sound. Pilots were afraid to accelerate beyond the sound barrier for fear they would never recover control of their plane.

Every student in a failing school should have better options. In Arizona, the largest failing schools enroll a high concentration of Hispanic students— students that, nationally, are at a high risk of dropping out and have low college attendance rates. Among the 20 largest public schools that received a “D” on their state report card, 71 percent of the students are Hispanic.

Arizona operates three tax credit scholarship programs. Under these programs, individuals or businesses can donate money to school tuition organizations (STOs). These organizations award private school scholarships to students in grades K-12. Individuals and businesses can take a tax credit equal to their donation within certain limits when they file their taxes.

Q: What are tax credit scholarships?

Last week, Gov. Jan Brewer kept Arizona out front in innovative education reform. Gov. Brewer’s signature on SB 1047 will help students on private school scholarship waiting lists finally realize their dream of attending their school of choice.

Education Savings Accounts were signed into law by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer in April 2011 and expanded in May 2012. The program opens a new frontier for education reform because parents have more options for their children with these savings accounts than under any other education reform initiative in American history. For the first time, parents can use formula funding from the state to customize their child’s education.

In 1935, Australia had a problem with beetles. The bugs were destroying the nation’s sugar cane crop, so, to combat the pests, lawmakers introduced over 100 Cane Toads to the continent.

American Indian students are more likely to live in poverty and face unemployment later in life. These children carry the burdens of geographic isolation and multi-generational poverty that are heavy to lift.

Approximately 59,000 American Indian students live in Arizona —approximately 5 percent of total student enrollment. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, Arizona’s American Indian students score below the state average on the National Assessment of Educational Progress reading and mathematics exams.