Voluntary Open Enrollment Means No Open Enrollment
They say the best defense is offense. Perhaps the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has gotten that...
A Bad Deal for Missouri’s Children
A version of this commentary appeared in The Heartlander Tradeoffs and give-and-take are at the heart of politics. We’re told...
Missouri Public Schools Have a Very Serious Reading Problem
Test scores on the Nation’s Report Card were released on January 29th, and Missouri faces a dire future if we...
A Milestone Reached
Nearly thirty years ago in Milwaukee, WI, a private school choice program was launched that gave vouchers to around 10,000...
And Then There Were Ten
Prior to two years ago, no state offered its families the benefit of choosing their children’s school—either public or private—using...
Missouri Becomes an Education Island
A version of this commentary appeared in the Columbia Missourian. How would your family feel if your entire neighborhood had 5G...
This Is Not a Spectator Sport
It was a banner year for families and education reform—outside of Missouri. Iowa parents got a big win. Once its...
ROFR Makes Me ROFL
To paraphrase General Douglas MacArthur, bad public policy ideas never die, they just get reintroduced in the next legislative session....
Senate Bill 88 and Licensing Restrictions
Show-Me Institute researchers have been vocal proponents of reducing government barriers to workers, including hair braiders, park photographers, and many...
Hey Licensed Professionals: It’s Time to Move to Missouri
Missouri lawmakers made an uncharacteristically groundbreaking move in 2020 when they passed occupational licensing reciprocity. This means that occupational licensure...
A Huge Win for Missouri Families
Thankfully, the Missouri Legislature has recognized that one size does not fit all when it comes to education. The House...
A Crisis of Trust
A version of this commentary was published in the Jefferson City News-Tribune. What a difference a year makes. A year...
Where Are the Kindergartners?
A version of this commentary appeared in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on December 8, 2020. According to enrollment counts taken...
Fall 2020 Educational Resources for Missouri Parents
Read the latest from Susan Pendergrass Parents are angry and confused right now. Many are receiving mixed messages from school...
Is It Just Me?
For many Missouri students, the much-anticipated start of the school year has been a bust. Thousands of parents who were...
States with School Choice Reap the Benefits
Kelly Clarkson says that what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, and I believe her. You know who doesn’t believe...
Prop A Facts
If you’ve turned on your television lately, you may have seen an ad in which a gentleman from Oklahoma tells...
Are Sales Taxes to Fund Pre-K a Good Idea?
Kansas City Mayor Sly James is working on a proposal for a sales tax increase to fund expanded pre-K education....
Mercatus Study Affirms SMI Tax Credit Suggestion from 2012
Six years ago, Michael Rathbone and I coauthored a paper that looked at Missouri’s corporate income tax, assessed its problems...
Tuition Caps on Higher Education Are Anti-Free Market
Public funding for higher education has been on the wane in Missouri. As Mike McShane pointed out in his 2017...
