Michael Barba is the Policy Director of K-12 Education at the Texas Public Policy Foundation. His work is focused upon education because it provides our children with economic, civic, and moral benefits: a good education offers students a path to prosperous work, teaches students why and how they must care for their neighbor, and gives students practice in the virtues that allow them to attain lifelong freedom and happiness.
Previously, Michael served as a specialist on the System of Great Schools (SGS) team at the Texas Education Agency where he helped visionary school district leaders understand and deliver the schools that their families want, need, and deserve.
A recent Houston Chronicle editorial claims that empowering parents to choose their own children’s education (yes, including low-income parents) would upset the First Amendment’s Establishment clause. Sure, some schools with a religious focus can provide kids with a solid education, the editorial board admits. “But when it comes to the constitutional separation of church and...
There’s something conspicuously absent from State Board of Education member Aicha Davis’s warmed-over critique of charter schools—the voices of the thousands of Texas families who are on waiting lists to get into them. Throughout this summer, families throughout the state will desperately await phone calls and emails informing them that a seat has opened up,...
What is school choice? School choice is about a fundamental right for parents to have access to the educational environment that serves their children best. Families should have a wide range of high-quality schools or educational options to choose from – be it traditional public schools, public charter schools, private schools, homeschool, or virtual learning....
When a Utah teachers’ union stared down parents who simply wanted to know what their kids were being taught, it was a state lawmaker who blinked. Recently, Utah Rep. Jordan Teuscher introduced a house bill to require curriculum transparency in public schools. The Utah Education Association responded with an online petition, and even the ACLU...