Rethinking Federal Intervention in K-12 Education

After recent historic declines in student achievement following decades of increased federal involvement in K-12 education, it is time to re-think federal intervention in education. Ted Rebarber and Neal McCluskey, co-authors of the new Pioneer Institute White Paper, Common Core, School Choice & Re-thinking Standards-Based Reform, argue that government central-planning of education has blocked efforts to achieve international competitiveness, stifled innovation, and increasingly threaten the curricular autonomy of private schools. Instead, they propose eliminating key federal mandates and implementing school choice policies specially designed to prevent government control over private schools. Brad Thomas, House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and Patrick Wolf, University of Arkansas, will provide commentary on the report and presentation, and participate in a discussion followed by questions from the audience.