Aaron Smith
@ASmithAZ
Director of Education Reform at Reason Foundation. Free minds and free markets. @ReasonFdn @Reason
Reason’s latest K-12 study takes a comprehensive look at resources and outcomes for all 50 states over the past two decades. Bringing together key revenue, expenditure, enrollment, staffing, and NAEP data, here are five key takeaways from our report. reason.org/k12-ed-spendin……
There’s a lot to unpack here, but something that needs more attention: If school choice families are finding cheaper alternatives that fit their needs, then what does that say about the efficiency of public schools? Seems to me this indicates we’re spending *too much* on…
Arizona parents have stockpiled nearly $450 million in unused public funds in their Empowerment Scholarship Accounts. If they don't need public money to educate their kids, shouldn't we get it back? h/t to @CraigHarrisNews azcentral.com/story/opinion/… via @azcentral
"The failure of the whole language approach was precisely why the Department of Education hires groups like AIR. The goal of research is to discover which teaching methods work and which don’t before schools adopt them. That didn’t happen. In fact, the opposite did. The result…
US Education Department Contractor Overcharged Taxpayers While Spending Millions On Executive Salaries As student math and reading scores declined, the American Institute of Research charged 50% in indirect costs and paid its CEO over $2 million by @galexybrane and…
Some thoughts on how Democrats have arrived at the current education policy non moment. I call it "The Bad Bet," which started in 2012, and I describe it in this paper, "Markets and Monopolies: The Faces of School Choice in 2025" hks.harvard.edu/sites/default/…
Would add that, despite increased funding, less and less goes to actual classroom instruction, more to support services such as counselors. AG been warning about this for years now.
Thank you for remembering.
This podcast on ed reform's "lost decade" is one of the best I've heard in a while. It also got me thinking: @rpondiscio was warning about this exactly ten years ago (links below) and was lucky to make it out unscathed. He should be taking well-deserved victory laps.
This is sadly all too common: Journalists accept that public schools are “low on funds” without digging an inch further. What does per student spending look like? Where are existing dollars going? What’s funding growth looked like over time? Are dollars going to low ROI…
Arizona families in school voucher program buy high-end kitchen appliances while public school raises money for home economics classes, per @CraigHarrisNews. 12news.com/article/news/i…
It would be interesting to see a poll of Americans' views on closing the Department of Education with a crosstab of "people who can correctly name two of the Department's functions."
It used to be a crime to teach slaves to read. When they're trying to keep people down, they don't want them educated, hence, closing the Department of Education.
Concern for school environment is the top reason parents homeschool.
Nearly a majority of parents fear for their child's safety at school. This number should be close to zero.
SCOTUS needs to strike down this unconstitutional madness. reuters.com/business/trump…
The thousandth reminder to progressives: You need school choice.
DID YOU SEE this news yet? 👀‼ Oklahoma is partnering with PragerU on a required “America First” test for teachers to keep their license. 🇺🇸💪🤝 Which state should be next? 🤔
Insightful, from @MariiFTrujillo: "...Despite much research indicating otherwise, public employees often report feeling underpaid. This persistent grievance suggests that government employers should consider shifting their compensation so that salaries represent a larger share…
If you loved the way NYC schools were run in 2019-21, you're gonna REALLY love Mayor Mamdani! reason.com/2025/07/10/the…
If you loved the way NYC schools were run in 2019-21, you're gonna REALLY love Mayor Mamdani! reason.com/2025/07/10/the…