Education

The Hope Scholarship Lawsuit So Far As families try to navigate their options, it is important that they understand the legal proceedings surrounding the Hope Scholarship. This post won’t go into great detail about the parties who brought the lawsuit. You can read more about them in my… Read More

Education Battles in the News Recently, West Virginia’s news headlines have been filled to the brim with stories related to education reform and the concomitant legal battles: “Case challenging public funding for private education goes to court,” “Lawsuit aims to repeal WV Hope Scholarship… Read More

School Choice Isn’t New The idea and practice of school choice has been around for more than 150 years.    In fact, the Founding Fathers asserted that the success of American democracy would depend on the proficiency of our citizens. They… Read More

Misleading Messages in the Media Thousands of West Virginia families are eagerly preparing to attend one of the state’s four new charter schools or use the Hope Scholarship for their child. Despite the progress our state has made in education freedom, misinformation about school funding is running r… Read More

New Research Highlights Free Speech Violations on WV Campuses An analysis of speech restrictions at West Virginia’s four-year colleges and universities has shown widespread violations of free speech. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), where I worked for five years, found clo… Read More

Hope Scholarship Rules Are a Good Start On April 18, 2022, the Hope Scholarship Board passed an amended version of the rules to govern the Hope Scholarship. These rules are governing the program as emergency rules, pending final approval by the state legislature. These rules are not perfect but they… Read More

Imagination is a curious thing, something inborn, but sadly, for most adults, it fades over time. The ability for one to conceive of a different, better world becomes more difficult for adults as the reality of life, with all its setbacks and disappointments, settles in. This is especially true in… Read More

Not Everyone Wants Families to Choose Their Child’s Education People who think they know better than parents often seek to challenge programs aimed at empowering families. When West Virginia passed the Hope Scholarship, it was lauded by supporters as an opportunity to help invest in children w… Read More

Apply Now! What is the Hope Scholarship? West Virginia parents now have more flexibility and choices to educate their children. The Hope Scholarship, passed in the Legislature during the 2021 Regular Session, is a portion of state-allocated educational dollars that funds a student… Read More

Closing Remarks, NSCW Rally (These remarks were delivered by Garrett Ballengee at the closing celebration of West Virginia’s week-long National School Choice Week festivities on Thursday, January 27, 2022 at the West Virginia Capitol.)   First, I would like to thank everyone who attended today’… Read More