Screens in School
What to know: In 2009, Sweden replaced all of its school textbooks with laptops and tablet computers. Now, it’s spending $120 million to bring back books.
The TPPF take: “EdTech” overpromises and under-delivers.
“The amount of time students are spending glued to taxpayer-subsidized screens in the classroom is hard to determine, but one estimate puts it at more than 20% of instructional time—a number that is only growing post-pandemic,” says TPPF’s David Dunmoyer. “But now that the Covid-19 dust has settled, we have the data, and it overwhelmingly shows that school-issued devices are worsening student outcomes—and it’s not even close.”
For more on EdTech, click here.
Mail-In Ballots
What to know: Even the leftist New Republic magazine acknowledges that the U.S. Supreme Court may be about to crack down on mail-in ballots in federal elections.
The TPPF take: Mail-in ballots have eroded the integrity of our elections for decades – and it’s easy to see how.
“Texas has improved its mail-in ballot requirements in recent years by not only limiting who is legally allowed to vote by mail but also increasing the identification information of the voter on the ballot,” says TPPF’s Brian Phillips. “There’s less of a chance for fraud, but it’s still not mistake-proof. Voting is a fundamental right and key pillar of our democracy. It should be treated with tremendous respect and care and not weakened to invite fraud and error.”
For more on mail-in ballots, click here.
Please Come Home
What to know: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is begging high income “refugees” to come home to New York to be taxed, even though she told Republicans in 2022 to leave the state.
The TPPF take: No wonder people are leaving New York.
“New York and New Jersey lost $140 billion in income over the last decade because nobody wants to live there anymore,” says TPPF’s Sherry Sylvester. “Over 2 million people have taken their money and moved to other states—mostly Texas and Florida. We’ve heard all the reasons before—property and income taxes are off the charts, housing prices are astronomical and then there’s crime. Those old blue states are no fun anymore. I was just in New York recently, and everybody is depressed.”
For more on New York, click here.