Working Papers

Arizona’s news media, like most large metro areas in the United States, covers education issues often. But, its coverage skews negative toward educational freedom

Arizona school districts have amassed over $8B in reserves from various sources. Not all of that can or even should be returned to taxpayers, but at over 60% of annual expenditures, the number is large enough to justify a thorough…

Matthew Nielsen reviews public statements by the leaders of the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) to determine how often they speak about academic achievement versus controversial social issues.

Dr. Jay Greene and Dr. Ian Kingsbury show that members of “The Squad” receive an extraordinary amount of their campaign donations from foreign-trained doctors.

Dr. Dennis Beck and Dr. Ian Kingsbury explore the impacts of testing context and implications for equity among virtual school students and how this affects overall school performance.

America’s school districts have been given billions of dollars from the federal government in the wake of the Covid pandemic. Poor spending habits pre-Covid will result in a fiscal cliff in coming months and years. Matthew Nielsen assesses the health…

Dr. Corey A. DeAngelis and Dr. Christos Makridis use data from multiple sources to show that union membership seems to be predictive of higher administrative staff to student ratios in schools. Policymakers should weigh this information when determining whether taxpayer…

Dr. Jay P. Greene and James Paul discuss how the choices of parents for the education of their children tend to affect later life outcomes in addition to grades and test scores. They make a powerful argument using quantitative data…

Dr. Ian Kingsbury discusses the motivation of K-12 students and parents who choose to take one or more online courses. Very little research exists in this specific area, presenting an opportunity to study and learn more about why online coursework…

Dr. Ian Kingsbury, Dr. Jay Greene, and Dr. Corey DeAngelis discuss the relationship between the most common regulations placed on charter schools and innovation among those schools in their approaches to pedagogy, methodology, and other characteristics.

Dr. Jay Greene and James D. Paul discuss the relationship between negative selection into online schooling and achievement growth.

Dr. Ian Kingsbury (Stride, Inc.) explores the implications of virtual school enrollment on demographics, some of which challenge critics’ assumptions.

Peter Gray, PhD, Research Professor of Psychology at Boston College and Founder of the Alliance for Self-directed Education, presented a lecture during a conference titled “The Disinformation Campaign Against Homeschooling.” This working paper is based on the lecture he delivered…

Brian Conner, President of the National Youth Rights Association, presented this lecture during a conference titled “The Disinformation Campaign Against Homeschooling.” This working paper is the lecture he delivered at the conference on May 1, 2020. The event was sponsored…

In this working paper, Dr. Corey A. DeAngelis (Reason Foundation, EFI Executive Director) and Dr. Angela K. Dills (Western Carolina University, EFI Advisory Board Member) ask whether compulsory schooling laws in America have affected the amount of innovation as measured…

Michael P. Donnelly, JD, LLM, Senior Counsel and Director of Global Outreach at the Homeschool Legal Defense Association, presented this lecture during a conference titled “The Disinformation Campaign Against Homeschooling.” This working paper is the lecture he delivered at the…

Corey A. DeAngelis, PhD, Executive Director of EFI, Director of School Choice at Reason Foundation, and Adjunct Scholar at the Cato Institute, presented this lecture during a conference titled “The Disinformation Campaign Against Homeschooling.” This working paper is the lecture…

Patrick Farenga, an unschooling and homeschooling author and advocate, presented this lecture during a conference titled “The Disinformation Campaign Against Homeschooling.” This working paper is the lecture he delivered at the conference on May 1, 2020. The event was sponsored…

One of the foremost experts on homeschooling in the United States, Kerry McDonald, presented this lecture during a conference titled “The Disinformation Campaign Against Homeschooling.” This working paper is the lecture she delivered at the conference on May 1, 2020.…

In response to a planned event sponsored by Harvard Law School that called for a presumptive ban on homeschooling, Cevin Soling (a current Harvard Kennedy School student) organized a conference titled “The Disinformation Campaign Against Homeschooling.” This working paper is…

Dr. Kevin Currie-Knight of East Carolina University discusses how the narratives of the history of the American education system affect how the public views the system’s legitimacy.