Director of Education Reform at Reason Foundation. Free minds and free markets. @ReasonFdn @Reason
Phoenix, AZ
Joined June 2012
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Reason’s latest K-12 study takes a comprehensive look at resources and outcomes for all 50 states over the past two decades.
Bringing together key revenue, expenditure, enrollment, staffing, and NAEP data, here are five key takeaways from our report.
reason.org/k12-ed-spending/c…
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Interesting column by @ChadAldeman comparing child poverty rates vs. reading scores.
As states increasingly invest more dollars in community schools, SEL, and other non-academic expenses, it’s worth examining the purpose of public education and whether this is best way to allocate scarce resources.
Aaron Smith retweeted
Nearly 80% of public school students live in states with weak or ineffective laws that block students from transferring to other public schools with open seats.
buff.ly/bHqotTX
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It would be super great if there were a major party in the U.S. that didn’t follow the basic tenets of socialism.
According to the new @CatoInstitute Government Ownership Dashboard, the Trump admin has done 35 equity-stake deals since last June. Prior to that, US equity deals were unheard of in non-crisis times.
You can dig into each one here: cato.org/restoring-free-ente… #CatoRFE @Cato_RFE
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. @ReasonFdn found 55 public school divisions in Virginia charge tuition to transfer students, averaging $4,000 per transfer. Eight divisions charge over $10,000 per transfer, with public high school transfer students being charged $24,000 in Falls Church City. — @judeschwalbach
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I've been a big fan of open enrollment (OE) for a while now. Before I share my reasons, check out @ReasonFdn's latest report. Jude has been doing the best work on this topic for years now. /1
Just 13 states’ open enrollment laws got grades of B or better in @ReasonFdn’s new report, Public Schools without Boundaries: 2026. This report ranks and grades the open enrollment laws in all 50 states. 33 states got F grades. reason.org/open-enrollment/p…
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In @judeschwalbach's study of every state's open enrollment laws, Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, Oklahoma, Utah, and West Virginia earn A grades; seven states earn Bs; two states get Cs; two receive Ds; and 33 states earn F grades.
buff.ly/bHqotTX
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Leave aside debate about vouchers, ESA's, charters, federal tax credit, etc. One of easiest ways to get parents more engaged with public schools is to give them more choice *among public schools.* We're not even getting that right.
@reason @ReasonFdn
reason.org/open-enrollment/p…
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My latest in the @bostonherald.
"The first obligation of a public education system is not to preserve every job, building or program. It is to use the resources available to provide the best education possible for the students who show up."
Opinion | Fewer students are enrolling in public schools. Since the pandemic, enrollment has dropped by 1.4 million students, and analysts expect it to keep falling through 2031. bostonherald.com/2026/10/13/…
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Breaking #Dbacks news: according to @nickpiecoro the Diamondbacks have parted ways with broadcaster Steve Berthiaume who has been with the club for 14 years
Teacher salaries are down despite record K-12 funding levels. Staffing and pension debt are the main drivers.
But across-the-board pay raises aren't the answer. Policymakers need to address structural problems and find ways to pay best teachers more.
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Be Case Keenum.
> Grow up in West Texas. Two-star recruit. One scholarship offer.
> Take it. Rewrite the NCAA record book at Houston.
> Marry your high school sweetheart, the girl you took out for snow cones before any of this started.
> Go undrafted anyway.
> Spend your rookie season on the practice squad.
> Get cut. Get claimed. Get traded. Start over.
> Get your chance in Minnesota when the starter gets hurt.
> Throw the Minneapolis Miracle.
> Help take the Vikings within one win of the Super Bowl.
> Keep moving after that, too.
> Eight franchises. Different jerseys. Different playbooks. Another chance to prove you belong.
> Through all those moves, keep building a life with the girl.
> The girl from the snow-cone date becomes the mother of your two children.
> Spend years preparing for opportunities that rarely come.
> Go 1,009 days without a start.
> Keep showing up. Keep doing the work. Stay ready.
> Then, at 38, get the call. Chicago needs you.
> Walk onto Monday Night Football.
> Throw two touchdowns. Run for another. Beat the Eagles 27–7.
> Do it with both your kids watching you play in person for the first time.
> Finish the night on SportsCenter with your little girl beside you.
All those years. All those moves. All those Sundays waiting for a chance.
And when this one finally comes, you fucking crush it with your kids looking on.
Imagine what that feels like.
There are a lot of ways to teach your children to keep going.
Letting them watch you do it has to be one of the best.
Absolute legend! 🫡
"It was so much fun. I'm going to remember this night forever. This is incredible."
QB Case Keenum speaks with @notthefakeSVP after getting the start in the Bears' 27-7 win vs. the Eagles 🏈
Refreshing take on declining enrollment and local funding from a school board member in Arizona.
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I serve on the PVUSD Governing Board because public schools exist to serve students and prepare them for adulthood. My entire family went to public school. I also represent taxpayers. That means providing oversight and doing homework on spending and funding. I am asking you to do the same before November.
What state policymakers can do about the K-12 staffing surge—and modernize how teachers are paid.
Now back to our regularly scheduled policy wonkery.
How states can slow the staffing surge, by @ASmithAZ @reason
fordhaminstitute.org/nationa…
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My latest co-authored piece in @HoustonChron . College football is a microcosm of everything good about America...and Bo French attacked that goodness.
houstonchronicle.com/opinion…
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Indianapolis’ reforms streamline the investments taxpayers have made in facilities and other services to ensure that they help the most students, not just those enrolled in district schools. reason.org/education-newslet…
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In Indiana, more than one in five of publicly funded students attended schools other than their assigned one via charter schools, open enrollment, and private school scholarships during the 2025-26 school year. reason.org/education-newslet… via @ReasonFdn @JudeSchwalbach
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"A K–12 finance agenda aimed at transparency, sustainability, and productivity can help state policymakers navigate the decade ahead. The eight policies shared here are just the beginning, but they can kickstart a new era in K–12 finance." — @ASmithAZ
buff.ly/OyYugYw
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K–12 open enrollment empowers families to match their children with schools that best fit their goals and needs. In Iowa, families attributed their transfers to differences in academic and extracurricular offerings, safety, and convenience, with many also prioritizing welcoming, diverse schools.
thegazette.com/news/educatio…
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See how teacher staffing levels are changing in your district, via @The74: the74million.org/article/few…
