The Formula Behind Maryland's K-12 Funding

By Benjamin Scafidi, Ph.D.
Published on Monday, November 17, 2008
An analysis of Maryland's Thornton Commission legislation has found significant increases in per pupil spending, a slight equalization in funding among the state's school districts, and a declining pupil-staff ratio, according to a report released today by the Maryland Public Policy Institute and the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice.The study also recommended two changes in how the state funds its schools, calling for more transparency in per pupil funding among school districts via a new state Web site, and providing tuition directly to parents, who would choose the schools their children attend. Read More »

Questions To Ask Board of Education Candidates

By Tom Neumark
Published on Monday, October 20, 2008
As the election season enters full swing this fall, local Board of Education candidates across Maryland will present their platforms to the public, while local organizations will try to determine which candidate best supports their views. In most districts, candidates will receive questionnaires from the teachers' union, the local newspapers, and a few civic organizations, but not from rank-and-file parents. Most questionnaires ask candidates general questions such as: "Why are you running for Board of Education?"; "How would you rate the performance of the Superintendent?"; and, in the case of the union, whether the candidate is disposed to support the existing collective bargaining agreement. Rarely do these questionnaires probe candidates' knowledge for the specifics of their education policy positions. Unfortunately for parents, who tend not to question candidates, a candidate's views on nuts-and-bolts issues-such as what type of math and reading programs the school system uses-have the greatest impact on their children's education.Those important questions usually go unasked and should be posed to the candidates. This article offers a questionnaire that parents can use to better ascertain candidates' views on important issues that often do not get the attention they deserve. It also provides an answer guide to help clearly differentiate between education reformers and candidates who support the education status quo. Read More »

The High Cost of Maryland's Dropout Rate

By Justin P. Hauke
Published on Tuesday, September 30, 2008
The state of Maryland loses about $193 million in tax revenues each year as a result of the state's growing number of high school dropouts, according to a study released today by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice and the Maryland Public Policy Institute.The study documents the public costs of high school dropouts in Maryland, examining how the state's decreasing graduation rates are materially affecting the state's finances through reduced tax revenues and increased public expenditures. The study was undertaken by Friedman Fellow Justin P. Hauke, a Chicago securities analyst and former economic research analyst at the Federal Reserve Bank at St. Louis. Read More »

To Improve Educational Opportunities in Baltimore City, Expand Public and Private School Choice

By Dan Lips
Published on Monday, September 22, 2008
On May 17, 2008, 300 students from across Maryland sought to be among the first 80 students to enroll in the SEED School of Maryland, a statewide college preparatory academy set to open in Baltimore in August 2008.[1] The lucky students were drawn through a lottery. The Baltimore Sun reported that parents cried with joy when their children's number was called. Families with unlucky children whose numbers were not called were left shedding tears of disappointment. "It was a long shot...but it was a chance we had to take," explained Maurice Chandler, who son was seen crying when he was not chosen.[2] This scene is evidence of the crisis in Baltimore City's public schools, where a child's opportunity to attend a safe and effective school is left to chance. For more than a decade, state and local policymakers have sought to improve children's opportunities by reforming the city's beleaguered public school system. Those reforms have largely failed. [1] Tanika White, "Parents, kids pin their hopes on one white orb in boarding school lottery," Baltimore Sun, May 18, 2008. [2] Ibid. Read More »

School’s in, but many parents turn outside for better education

Originally published in the Baltimore Examiner

By Alison Lake
Published on Wednesday, August 22, 2007
BALTIMORE - A wall will eventually sag or crumble if too many blocks are missing. The same thing can happen to a child’s education when he or she lacks too many skills. Because so many taxpayer-funded schools are not providing adequate instruction to children, parents must look elsewhere to help fill the gaps. This situation drives growth in the supplemental education market every year. The demand stems both from federal requirements and parents. No Child Left Behind requires that Title I schools not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) provide tutoring to needy students. In spite of the NCLB mandate, many more children need supplemental education than receive it. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) said states and school districts need to vastly improve how they advertise tutoring information to parents in an August 2006 report. Contracting and services mismanagement, for example, led to only 19 percent of eligible students in the 2004-2005 school year receiving extra help. In 2007, 2.3 million students were eligible for services. Many issues can contribute to students not using services, including living in rural or dangerous areas without many tutor choices, a lack of information about them and language barriers. Read More »