Jason Bedrick
Heritage Foundation
Phoenix, AZ, United States
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Past articles by Jason:
State Legislative Push for School Choice Gains Momentum Nationwide
Two years ago, 2021 was declared “The Year of Education Choice,” when 19 states enacted 32 new or expanded education choice policies. This year could be even bigger, as more states consider making choice policies available to all K-12 students. → Read More
School Choice Would Benefit Rural Students in Georgia
“To equip Georgia’s young students with the right tools for success and prepare them as our next generation of leaders, we must empower families with the ability to choose the best educational environment for their children,” declared Gov. Brian Kemp, a Republican, in his recent proclamation declaring January 22-28 School Choice Week in Georgia. The Georgia legislature may soon consider a… → Read More
Here’s How the Federal Government Is Funding Antisemitism With Your Tax Dollars
“There is an epidemic of hate facing our country. We’re seeing a rapid rise in antisemitic rhetoric and acts,” said Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff at a roundtable on combatting antisemitism that he convened last month. → Read More
Iowa and Utah Lead States on School Choice Progress in the New Year
As America celebrates National School Choice Week, two states—Iowa and Utah—have made the first moves this year to empower families with a greater say in how their children are educated. Additionally, the evidence from states with robust school choice policies is debunking opponents’ charges that choice harms rural students and homeschoolers. → Read More
Education Choice in Rural America
THE ISSUE Every child deserves the right to attend a school that can best meet his or her individual learning needs. Where the child lives should not be a limiting factor, and no one school is the best fit for every child who just happens to live nearby. Education-choice policies have the potential to expand education options for students in rural areas. BACKGROUND → Read More
School Choice Would Benefit Rural Students in Texas
The Texas legislature will soon consider a proposal to give families greater freedom to choose learning environments that align with their values and meet their children’s individual learning needs. As Gov. Greg Abbott put it, “We need to restore parents as the rightful people in charge of making the decisions for their children about their health care and about their education.” → Read More
Iowa Governor Leads on Ambitious School Choice Initiative
Iowa came very close to enacting an expansive education choice policy last year. This year, after supporting school choice advocates who successfully primaried incumbents from her own party opposed to reform, Gov. Kimberly Reynolds is determined to see her ambitious education agenda over the finish line. → Read More
Why Rural Students Need School Choice
As a former public school teacher, Kat S. deeply values education. She was glad her local public school had a good reputation for quality. But even though her son made honor roll consistently, Kat suspected something was wrong. She never saw him writing, and she felt he wasn’t getting the help he needed at school for his ADHD. When her son’s school closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, she… → Read More
High Marks for This Education Policy, but Still Room for Improvement
As a classroom teacher and mother of 10 children, Esther Fleurant knows that every child has different needs. And she knows how important education is for their futures. “I love for my kids to know more than I did,” says Esther. “Knowledge is powerful. You give that to your kids, and you open the world to them.” → Read More
Giving Every Child an Excellent Future with Education Savings Accounts
In July 2022, Arizona lawmakers converted the nation’s oldest K–12 education savings account (ESA) policy into the country’s most inclusive learning option: Every child in Arizona can now apply for a private account that empowers families to customize a student’s learning experience according to his or her unique needs. → Read More
Education Choice Supporters Win Big in 2022 Midterm Elections
Proponents of empowering parents with education choice should feel encouraged by the outcome of the midterm elections. States that went big on choice policies in the last two years overwhelmingly re-elected the policymakers who made it happen. → Read More
Arizona Parents Show How To Beat the Teachers’ Unions
In a massive win for families, the last obstacle to universal school choice in Arizona has fallen. → Read More
Day School and State
I’m grateful to the Jewish Review of Books for publishing an exchange between leading constitutional scholars Michael A. Helfand and Noah Feldman (Spring 2022) over the implications of the landmark Carson v. Makin case. → Read More
Teachers Unions Against Teachers and Parents
Mr. DeAngelis rightly questions the wisdom, after COVID, of politicians embracing the teachers unions and opposing school choice. But parents’ anger at the unions and their allies is about much more than school shutdowns and lack of choice. Parents are awakening to a fundamental disagreement over the purpose of education. → Read More
School Choice Opponents Concede Defeat Just Days After Declaring Victory
On Friday, opponents of education choice in Arizona declared a “historic victory.” But by Monday, they were conceding defeat. → Read More
Apparent Victory Rings Hollow for Group Opposing School Choice
The effort to block a massive expansion of education choice in Arizona appears to be running out of steam. → Read More
The New York Times’s Botched Attack on Jewish Schools
There are lies, damned lies, and New York Times statistics. Last Sunday, the New York Times published a hit piece on yeshivas, the religious schools that serve Orthodox Jewish students. The piece, rife with half-truths and distortions, was clearly timed to influence a vote by the New York Board of Regents on a proposal to regulate private schools. → Read More
Heritage Foundation Finds Idaho Schools Deliver Biggest Bang for the Buck
You’ve probably heard the claim: “Idaho is the worst in the nation for education.” But what if it’s really one of the best? It all depends on what you’re measuring. Earlier this year, the National Education Association (NEA), the nation’s largest teachers union, ranked Idaho last in the nation for per-pupil spending. Scholaroo ranked Idaho the 39th public school system in the nation for school… → Read More
School Choice Winning but Teachers Union Empire Striking Back
The school choice movement is winning like never before, but government school defenders are doing all they can to protect their monopoly. In the wake of extended school shutdowns, second-rate Zoom school, and politicized classrooms, 19 states last year enacted 32 new or expanded education choice policies, making it "The Year of Education Choice." → Read More
Arizona Extends School Choice to All K-12 Students
“This session, let’s expand school choice any way we can,” declared Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey in his State of the State address on Jan. 10, “Let’s think big and find more ways to get kids into the school of their parents’ choice. Send me the bills, and I’ll sign them.” → Read More