The Ohio Star

Commentary: Teachers Unions Are More Powerful Than You Realize, But That May Be Changing

September 2, 2020September 1, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

Teachers unions throughout the US claim to be looking out for the best interests of teachers and students, but they are deeply political organizations with significant influence over what, how, where, and with whom most children learn.

While the nation’s largest teachers unions have long been deeply connected to the Democratic Party and left-wing ideology, this political affiliation has become increasingly apparent in recent months. From hinging their support for reopening schools on outrageous policy demands to launching court battles, threatening strikes, and openly supporting disturbing actions during recent protests, today’s teachers unions are more powerful and dangerous than many parents may realize.

Commentary: How to Recognize a Bad Teacher

August 27, 2020August 26, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

The sign of a good music teacher, I was told as a teenager, is a willingness to allow parents to sit in on lessons. A teacher willing to have parents observe their lessons demonstrates that she has nothing to hide, is open to critique or comments, and is one who partners with parents in helping students succeed. Having witnessed this policy firsthand with my own piano instructor, a woman whose students won competitions and entered world famous music schools, I followed suit when I began teaching myself.

Analysis: Public School Funding Per Student Averages 80 Percent More Than Private Schools

July 31, 2020July 30, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

According to the New York Times, one of the main reasons why public K–12 schools are reopening more slowly from Covid-19 lockdowns than private schools is because public schools generally have less money. Times reporter Claire Cain Miller makes this claim three times in a single article, but her assertion is the polar opposite of reality and has been so for decades.

Commentary: Ninety Three Vermont Towns Have No Public Schools, But Great Education

February 5, 2020February 4, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

In just a couple of weeks, 50 boys with learning disabilities will take to a stage in Vermont, one after the other, to recite the Gettysburg Address from memory. It’s a daring experiment undertaken each February at the Greenwood School and its population of boys who’ve struggled in public schools. Diagnosed with ADD, dyslexia, and executive function impairments, Greenwood’s boys stand before an auditorium full of people (and once even a Ken Burns documentary crew) to recite powerful words many adults would struggle to retain.

Commentary: Families Today Have More Schooling Options Than Ever, But Nowhere Near Enough

February 2, 2020February 2, 2020 Ohio Star Staff

I am a glass-half-full kind of person, so while we could focus on the criticisms and some of the setbacks related to expanding educational freedom to more families, there is much more to celebrate than to lament. As National School Choice Week ends, it’s a great time to spotlight the growing variety and abundance of education options available to parents and young people.

Commentary: Witness to Public Schools Brainwashing

November 15, 2019November 15, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

According to the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation’s (VOC) fourth “Annual Report on US Attitudes Toward Socialism, Communism, and Collectivism,” today’s youth is quite fond of political-economic systems that have resulted in more than 100 million deaths over the past century. At the same time, these misguided youths are increasingly hostile toward the political-economic system that has lifted countles millions more out of abject poverty over the same period.

Poll: Majority of Nation’s Democrats Favor Educational Choices

October 12, 2019October 11, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by Bruce Walker School choice is overwhelmingly supported by likely Democratic primary voters nationwide, according to a recent poll conducted on behalf of Democrats for Education Reform (DFER). Education analysts interpret the poll results as a rebuke of current Democratic Party strategies nationwide in general and, specifically, Michigan Gov.…

DeVos: No Surprise That ‘Families Want More Control’ Over Children’s Education

August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said that it is no surprise “families want more control” over their children’s education.

Commentary: The Difference Between Public Libraries and Public Schools

August 18, 2019August 18, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

Plans for the Boston Public Library, the nation’s second-oldest public library, were approved in 1852, the same year Massachusetts passed the country’s first compulsory schooling law. Both public libraries and public schools are funded through taxation and both are “free” to access, but the similarities end there. The main difference between public libraries and public schools is the level of coercion and state power that public schooling wields.

The History and Results of America’s Disastrous Public School System, Part I

May 28, 2019May 27, 2019 Ohio Star Staff

by Mike Margeson and Justin Spears While it’s almost universally understood that the American school system is underperforming, “reform,” too, is almost universally prescribed as the solution. Yet in other walks of life, bad ideas are not reformed – they are eliminated and replaced with better ones. Our school system is…

Ohio School Voucher Program Doubles as More Public Schools Fail to Make The Grade

January 14, 2019January 14, 2019 Andrew Shirley

After a staggering number of Ohio public schools failed to make the grade, the state’s voucher and charter school system is poised for tremendous expansion. In Ohio, if the public school test scores of a student’s home district fall below a certain level, calculated by the Ohio Department of Education, a…

We’re Not in Kansas Anymore: ‘Drag Queen Readings’ No Longer in Far Off Places, Now in Tennessee

August 11, 2018August 10, 2018 Julie Carr

In the audio below, conservative political commentator and Tennessee Star Political Editor Steve Gill of The Gill Report, broadcast live on WETR 92.3 FM in Knoxville discussed his concern regarding the new trend to expose our young children with ‘drag queen readings’ and how it has slithered it’s way into…

Public School Teachers Are Paid More Than Commonly Reported

July 12, 2018July 13, 2018 Admin

by James Agresti During recent teacher walkouts in Oklahoma that captured national attention, many major media outlets reported misleadingly small figures for teacher pay. By failing to reveal all aspects of teacher compensation, these outlets hid the true costs to taxpayers—which now amount to an annualized average of about $120,000 for every…