School Choice Works What to know: Texas Tech economics Professor Alexander Salter writes in the Austin American-Statesman that data gleaned from other states shows parent empowerment works. The TPPF take: It’s time for Texas lawmakers to empower Texas parents. “Researchers have done important work demonstrating, by any reasonable standard, that school choice works,” says Salter. “Now it’s up to public servants...
School Choice Week What to know: As national School Choice Week begins, Iowa is poised to take a big step toward parent empowerment, as its governor pushes an expansion of education savings accounts. The TPPF take: Support for parent empowerment is strong, even in rural areas of the nation. “Texas politicians, take note: parents aren’t fooled by the...
Republicans Can Fix the Border What to know: As the border crisis rages on, with little effort from the Biden administration to truly fix it, Rep. Chip Roy and former Rep. Mayra Flores are laying out the policies House Republicans could pursue to force the president’s hand. The TPPF take: If Biden will not act, then House Republicans must....
Reforming Higher Ed What to know: Ilya Shapiro and Christopher Rufo make the case that state lawmakers can end the divisive, identity group policies and ideologically driven agenda that permeates university campuses today by shutting down the so-called “diversity, equity and inclusion” bureaucracies at taxpayer funded academic institutions. The TPPF take: Lawmakers can reform higher education and ending “diversity...
Largest Property Tax Cut in History What to know: In in his inaugural speech, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott promised “the largest property tax cut in the history of the state of Texas.” The TPPF take: Such a property tax cut is long overdue and will help Texans everywhere escape from the sixth-highest rates in the nation. “This is a...
Protecting Kids on Social Media What to know: The Dallas Morning News published an editorial suggesting a shift away from the topic of inappropriate and adult information available to kids in school libraries to focus on something they view is far more pervasive – pornography on social media platforms. The TPPF take: Children deserve more safeguards to protect them,...
Texas Schools California What to know: Last year, California Gov. Gavin Newsom touted a $100 million budget surplus. This year, California faces a $22.5 billion deficit while Texas announced a $32.7 billion surplus. The TPPF take: As California tries to end oil and gas, while sticking their residents with high income and gas taxes, their budget problems aren’t going...
Social Media Is Bad For Your Children What to know: Seattle Public Schools filed a lawsuit against TikTok, Meta, Snap, and other social media companies, accusing them of contributing to the youth mental health crisis. The TPPF take: Lawmakers must do more to protect children online. “Academic research and nearly daily tragic stories continue to...
Record Texas Budget Surplus What to know: On Tuesday, Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced that the state of Texas was expecting $188 billion in revenue and a $32.7 billion budget surplus for 2024-25, both of which are a state record. The TPPF take: The Legislature needs to provide Texans with substantial property tax relief, rather than grow the state budget....
They Don’t Trust Parents What to know: The Bryan ISD school board laid out the district’s legislative priorities, and said it would oppose any measure that would “would divert public tax dollars to private entities or homeschooled students, parents with little or no academic or financial accountability…” The TPPF take: Parents can be trusted, and public school officials are...
Can’t We Just Start with the ABCs? What to know: The CDC is urging public school teachers and administrators to adopt LGBTQ+ curricula to support students who believe they are transgender. The TPPF take: “Supporting” confused and traumatized children as an “ally” is a disservice to them. “I have yet to see a single (gender dysphoria) patient who doesn’t...
Learning Loss What to know: The pandemic school closures will cost American students trillions of dollars in lost earnings, a new study by Stanford University shows. The TPPF take: The harm done by school closures won’t be fully known for years. “Without foundational knowledge, struggling students pass from 8th grade to high school woefully unprepared,” says TPPF’s Michael Barba....