Two related articles — as I keep saying — conservatives (and school reformers) need to learn how to fight and win the information war.
Gallup poll finds strong support for school choice
A recent poll from Gallup shows a sizeable majority of parents support President Donald Trump’s proposal for a federal school choice program.
The poll shows that nearly two-thirds of the respondents agreed with the concept of federal support for school choice. Just 26 percent disagreed.
Tommy Schultz of school choice advocate American Federation for Children says the issue is one in which Gallup has found both Democrats and Republicans find common ground.
Read more: OneNewsNow.com
* * * * *
Failing the Civics Test, Coast to Coast
Today, most Americans can’t answer even basic questions about their government. Some states are taking steps to change that.
Last week, lawmakers in Oregon proposed a bill that would require all public-school students in the state to pass the civics portion of the U.S. naturalization test before receiving their high-school diploma. Under Senate Bill 1038, Oregon students would have to correctly answer 60 of the 100 civics questions to pass. A student could take the test as many times as necessary to reach that threshold and could begin taking the test even before high school. Just last month, Alabama, Arkansas, and Kentucky each enacted similar laws, joining at least 15 other states with such civics requirements for high-school graduation, according to the Joe Foss Institute’s Civics Education Initiative.
Though perhaps unintentional, the bill’s submission last week coincided with the 274th anniversary of Thomas Jefferson’s birth. A champion of the diffusion of knowledge, Jefferson is often — and incorrectly — credited as once saying, “An enlightened citizenry is indispensable for the proper functioning of a republic.” But, despite its spurious attribution, this popular axiom does reflect the significance Jefferson placed on education, particularly public education, and its role in civil society. Writing to fellow Virginian and lifelong friend James Madison in 1787, Jefferson stated: “Above all things I hope the education of the common people will be attended to, convinced that on their good sense we may rely with the most security for the preservation of a due degree of liberty.”
Read more: National Review
