Targeted News Service

Survey Finds Charter Leaders Facing Pressure From Universal ESAs

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- AEI's Conservative Education Reform Network issued 'The Future of Charter Schools in an Evolving School Choice Landscape: Survey Evidence from Arizona, Florida, and Utah,' by Ian Kingsbury and David T. Marshall. Issued Aug. 19, the report finds that charter-school leaders in the three states see universal education savings accounts, or ESAs, as intensifying competition from private schools, microschools and homeschooling options.

The authors surveyed 285 charter-school leaders after emailing 1,068 leaders in Arizona, Florida and Utah between June 10, 2025, and ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- AEI's Conservative Education Reform Network issued 'The Future of Charter Schools in an Evolving School Choice Landscape: Survey Evidence from Arizona, Florida, and Utah,' by Ian Kingsbury and David T. Marshall. Issued Aug. 19, the report finds that charter-school leaders in the three states see universal education savings accounts, or ESAs, as intensifying competition from private schools, microschools and homeschooling options. The authors surveyed 285 charter-school leaders after emailing 1,068 leaders in Arizona, Florida and Utah between June 10, 2025, andJan. 17, 2026. The respondents represented traditional, alternative, virtual and specialized charter models, with enrollments ranging from fewer than 50 students to more than 2,000.

Nearly half of respondents reported losing students to noncharter options funded through ESAs, and nearly as many expected their enrollment to decline in the future. The effect was strongest in Arizona, which expanded its Empowerment Scholarship Account program statewide in 2022. Fifty-eight percent of Arizona respondents predicted that ESAs would lower their enrollment, compared with 28 percent in Florida and 32 percent in Utah.

"We are losing students faster than we can get them in," one Arizona charter leader told the survey. The report says schools with distinctive approaches, including Montessori and alternative models, may face sharper pressure because ESA-funded private options can offer specialized programs without the testing and accountability requirements applied to charters.

Funding was another central concern. Charter leaders estimated annual per-student spending at roughly $7,000 to $12,000, while ESA amounts were perceived as generally ranging from $7,000 to $9,000. Respondents argued that charters must meet compliance, reporting, facilities and special-education requirements that do not apply in the same way to private schools and microschools receiving ESA funds.

In Arizona, the report says charter schools received $9,206 per student in equalization-formula funding and $12,405 in total funding during fiscal year 2025. ESA awards generally ranged from $7,000 to $8,000, with higher awards available for students with special needs. The authors contend that lower regulatory costs can make ESA-financed alternatives attractive even where the funding amount is less than charter revenue.

Respondents reported that private schools and microschools offer greater flexibility, autonomy and freedom from authorizer oversight, standardized testing and open-enrollment rules. Between 25 percent of Utah respondents and 38 percent of Arizona respondents said ESA programs made them more likely to consider opening a private school or microschool. Still, many leaders said they preferred reforming charter laws over leaving the sector.

The report urges a shift to what the authors call a parent-centric charter model. Its recommendations include reduced compliance burdens, more operational autonomy, equal per-student funding, access to facilities and transportation support, multiple authorizers, and fewer barriers to enrollment growth. The authors argue that charters risk losing market share unless they offer parents greater responsiveness and flexibility in an education marketplace increasingly shaped by direct public funding.

-- Moira Sirois, Targeted News Service

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View report at: https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/the-future-of-charter-schools-in-an-evolving-school-choice-landscape-survey-evidence-from-arizona-florida-and-utah/

[Category: ThinkTank]

Report Urges Teachers to Study Student Work to Guide Instruction

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The American Enterprise Institute issued 'The Power of Studying Student Work' by Paul Powell, founder of Arete Education Partners and founding director of the Florida Charter Institute at Miami Dade College. Published Aug. 24, the report argues that teachers should examine student work before, during and after lessons to identify misunderstandings, improve feedback and adjust instruction.

Powell distinguishes studying student work from grading it. Grading assigns a score and marks errors, while the report says teachers should analyze written responses and problem-solving ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The American Enterprise Institute issued 'The Power of Studying Student Work' by Paul Powell, founder of Arete Education Partners and founding director of the Florida Charter Institute at Miami Dade College. Published Aug. 24, the report argues that teachers should examine student work before, during and after lessons to identify misunderstandings, improve feedback and adjust instruction. Powell distinguishes studying student work from grading it. Grading assigns a score and marks errors, while the report says teachers should analyze written responses and problem-solvingprocesses to uncover class-wide patterns, strengths and learning gaps. A class average can conceal a shared misconception, he writes, leaving teachers to proceed with the curriculum even when many students need targeted help.

The report illustrates the approach through a fifth-grade teacher who circulates during a math assignment, compares student work with expected reasoning and records common errors. After identifying a pattern of students misreading information in a geometry word problem involving fractions, she displays two anonymous samples and asks students to decide which response is correct and explain why.

"Teachers should grade and study student work to learn from student thinking and take stock of what's working and what's not," Powell writes. Once teachers find trends in understanding, the report says, they should plan instruction aimed at resolving the most important gap.

The report recommends that teachers establish routines that produce useful evidence of learning. These include frequent mastery tasks tied to recently taught objectives, low-stakes accountability for completion and effort, clear standards for student work and examples of strong responses. Teachers should limit the scope of review when needed, such as studying one paragraph of an essay or focusing on a task's most relevant steps.

Before a lesson, Powell advises teachers to create an exemplar response showing complete mastery. Teachers can then use that model to anticipate likely errors, determine what feedback they can provide without giving away answers and plan how they will gather information while circulating. This preparation, the report states, lets teachers focus their attention on students' thinking during a fast-paced lesson.

During independent work, teachers should identify the highest-frequency misunderstanding and respond efficiently. Possible responses include brief guidance, comparing a correct sample with an erroneous one, a teacher think-aloud that models the correct approach and a follow-up task that lets students apply the guidance.

The report also calls on school leaders to make the practice routine across classrooms. Leaders can align mastery tasks by grade and subject, train teachers before the school year, incorporate the practice into observations and schedule meetings for educators to examine work together. Powell recommends pairing novice teachers with more experienced colleagues and tracking mastery levels, priority learning gaps and planned reteaching.

Powell concludes that consistent study of student work shortens the period between a misunderstanding and successful learning. By focusing time and attention on the barriers students face, he argues, teachers can improve achievement, strengthen student confidence and build more responsive classrooms.

-- Moir Sirois, Targeted News Service

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View report at: https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/the-power-of-studying-student-work/

[Category: ThinkTank]

Report Urges 'Deterrence by Resilience' for Biological Threats

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs issued 'Deterrence by Resilience,' authored by Chris Li, Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, J. Michael McQuade, Beth Cameron, Ashish Jha, Shankar Sundaram, Trent Buatte, Dylan Rogers, Samuel Steuart, Elizabeth Guo, Shawn Haq, June Lee, Jacob Levine, Henrik Nolte and Rebekah Reed. Published Aug. 18, the report argues that the United States should adopt a resilience-centered strategy to reduce risks from the convergence of biology, artificial intelligence, bioengineering and digital infrastructure.

The authors describe ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs issued 'Deterrence by Resilience,' authored by Chris Li, Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall, J. Michael McQuade, Beth Cameron, Ashish Jha, Shankar Sundaram, Trent Buatte, Dylan Rogers, Samuel Steuart, Elizabeth Guo, Shawn Haq, June Lee, Jacob Levine, Henrik Nolte and Rebekah Reed. Published Aug. 18, the report argues that the United States should adopt a resilience-centered strategy to reduce risks from the convergence of biology, artificial intelligence, bioengineering and digital infrastructure. The authors describethis convergence as "bioconvergence," a process they say is reshaping how biological capabilities are discovered and developed. The report says these advances could support major gains in health, science and economic productivity, while also widening access to capabilities that can be misused to create biological threats.

Advances in AI-supported biological knowledge, AI-enabled design, DNA synthesis and sequencing, and laboratory automation have lowered barriers to biological research and innovation, according to the report. The authors argue that the same developments also make harmful capabilities more accessible to actors outside state-sponsored programs and create a more distributed, fast-changing threat environment.

"Traditional approaches to deterrence, including deterrence by denial and deterrence by punishment, are increasingly insufficient," the report states. It calls for a framework designed to reduce an adversary's confidence that biological misuse can succeed, grow in scale or produce a strategic benefit.

The proposed approach, deterrence by resilience, links prevention, detection, attribution, readiness, response and longer-term recovery across the biological-threat lifecycle. The framework aims to increase the expected costs of misuse while limiting the damage caused by biological incidents, creating what the authors describe as a mutually reinforcing cycle of security measures.

The report contends that innovation and security should not be viewed as competing goals. Infrastructure that supports U.S. leadership in biotechnology and AI can also strengthen biosecurity, the authors write. They acknowledge that government safeguards can impose compliance costs, but argue that safety measures can provide benefits to the public and to private AI-enabled biotechnology enterprises.

The authors recommend ongoing evaluation of how regulatory measures affect innovation and urge policymakers to use incentives for safety wherever possible. Their central conclusion is that national biosecurity must focus not only on preventing malicious activity, but also on building the capacity to detect, withstand and recover from biological incidents.

-- Moira Sirois, Targeted News Service

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View report at:

[Category: ThinkTank]

Report Calls for Wisconsin Childcare Rules, Subsidies Overhaul

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Badger Institute issued 'Wisconsin Childcare Subsidies, Regulations Fail for Families,' by Angela Rachidi, senior fellow and Rowe Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Issued Aug. 20, the report argues that Wisconsin should reduce regulatory barriers for childcare providers and replace provider-focused aid with more flexible, family-directed assistance.

Rachidi writes that dependable and affordable childcare remains important for working families, but contends that expanding subsidies to providers or families does not necessarily lower households' overall ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Badger Institute issued 'Wisconsin Childcare Subsidies, Regulations Fail for Families,' by Angela Rachidi, senior fellow and Rowe Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. Issued Aug. 20, the report argues that Wisconsin should reduce regulatory barriers for childcare providers and replace provider-focused aid with more flexible, family-directed assistance. Rachidi writes that dependable and affordable childcare remains important for working families, but contends that expanding subsidies to providers or families does not necessarily lower households' overallfinancial burden. The report argues that government assistance, including childcare funding, can increase consumer demand and contribute to inflation, reducing the purchasing-power gains families might expect from subsidy increases.

Wisconsin policymakers responded to rising childcare costs through Child Care Counts and higher Wisconsin Shares subsidies. The report maintains that those expansions likely left families no better off financially because of inflation across the broader economy. It argues that policymakers should focus less on increasing direct subsidies and more on lowering the cost of supplying care.

"Many regulations increase childcare costs with little evidence of a positive impact on program quality," the report states. It identifies the sector's regulatory structure as a central factor affecting childcare availability and affordability.

The 2025-27 biennial budget included several childcare-policy changes, according to the report. Those measures reduced staffing requirements and gave family-care providers more flexibility in their operations. Rachidi presents those actions as a move toward reducing barriers for smaller, home-based and informal providers.

The report recommends further regulatory revisions to make it easier for informal and family childcare providers to operate. It calls on Wisconsin's Legislature to require a comprehensive review of current childcare regulations, including an assessment of their costs and benefits. It also urges the next governor and Legislature to examine the YoungStar provider-quality rating system and consider changes that preserve quality while improving care availability and affordability.

Rachidi proposes account-based assistance options that would give parents greater discretion over childcare spending rather than limiting aid to a selected group of providers. The report points to Arizona's Empowerment Scholarship Accounts and Florida education-choice programs as examples of public funding models organized around family choice.

The report concludes that Wisconsin policymakers should direct assistance toward families, expand their ability to choose care arrangements and continue removing rules that the author argues restrict provider participation and raise costs.

-- Moira Sirois, Targeted News Service

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View report at: https://www.aei.org/research-products/report/wisconsin-childcare-subsidies-regulations-fail-for-families/

[Category: ThinkTank]

Rand Report: AI Development in the United States and China

SANTA MONICA, California, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- Rand Report issued the following report on August 17, 2026, entitled "AI Development in the United States and China."

Here are excerpts:

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The emerging U.S. and Chinese commercial artificial intelligence (AI) developer sectors remain poorly specified. The aim of the study described in this report was to systematically characterize the commercial AI ecosystems within the United States and China and thus broaden the empirical foundation for business intelligence and policy analysis. To this end, the authors constructed a novel dataset of AI developers ... Show Full Article

Investor Group on Climate Change: 'Fossil Methane is a Near-term Abatement Opportunity'

SYDNEY, Australia, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Investor Group on Climate Change issued the following report on August 7, 2026, by Anna Hancock entitled "Fossil methane is a near-term abatement opportunity."

Here are excerpts:

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Introduction

The Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Fossil Methane consultation paper and questions issued by the Australian Climate Change Authority (CCA).

IGCC is a collaboration of Australian and New Zealand institutional investors focused on the impact of climate change on investments. IGCC represents investors with ... Show Full Article SYDNEY, Australia, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Investor Group on Climate Change issued the following report on August 7, 2026, by Anna Hancock entitled "Fossil methane is a near-term abatement opportunity." Here are excerpts: * * * Introduction The Investor Group on Climate Change (IGCC) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Fossil Methane consultation paper and questions issued by the Australian Climate Change Authority (CCA). IGCC is a collaboration of Australian and New Zealand institutional investors focused on the impact of climate change on investments. IGCC represents investors withover A$4.6 trillion in funds under management in Australia and New Zealand. IGCC's members are the custodians of the retirement savings of more than 15.8 million Australians and millions more New Zealanders.

Relevant framing

Investors have a fiduciary duty, mandated by law, to generate returns for their beneficiaries, and are assessed against benchmarks that require a certain level of fund performance. Investors rely on reported emissions data to provide an accurate picture of companies' emissions and transition risk, to assess current and prospective investments, and risks to asset values.

This reliance is compromised if reported methane emissions do not adequately reflect their contribution to climate change.

IGCC member organisations acknowledge methane's acute near-term potency and its significant role in accelerating global warming. More transparent reporting of this potency is needed to better reveal the climate effects of activities and strengthen market understanding of the risks and opportunities embedded in the real economy, so that more finance can be deployed in pursuit of near-term decarbonisation.

Institutional investors are already facing the accelerating consequences of a physically changing climate. Investors therefore have a strong interest in measures that slow the acceleration of climate change. The science is clear that decisive action on methane emissions is essential to slowing the rate of warming.

Summary and Recommendations

IGCC members have a strong interest in actions that position Australia competitively for international trade into the future, improve the emissions information they rely on for making investment decisions, and support abatement that is proportionate to accompanying climate impacts and risks. We therefore call for an urgent policy response to methane that strengthens Australia's international standing, brings methane's climate effects into sharper focus, and accelerates real reductions this decade.

Substantial methane reductions are achievable this decade, building from existing technologies and engineering solutions, particularly in the gas and coal sectors. It is essential to bring forward and scale investment in on-site solutions that capture, treat and avoid the wastage of methane, while work continues in parallel to improve the completeness of methane measurement and observation at each site.

Australia already has national emissions reduction targets, the architecture for six sector emissions reduction plans, and a commitment, consistent with COP30 "Global Mutirao" commitment 7, "to limit both the magnitude and the duration of any temperature overshoot" the foundations for action on methane and other superpollutants are therefore already in place.

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View full report at: https://igcc.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/20260807-IGCC-Submission-to-CCA-on-Fossil-Methane.pdf

[Category: ThinkTank]

Competitive Enterprise Institute: 'The Protection Paradox'

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Competitive Enterprise Institute issued the following study on August 20, 2026, by Marin Murdock entitled "The Protection Paradox."

Here are excerpts:

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The everyday American expects certain basic services from her government. She expects her roads to be maintained, her mail to be delivered, and her communities to be kept reasonably safe and orderly. Beyond these core services, she also expects something more fundamental: that the government will respect (and ideally protect) her rights to life, liberty, and property. And if the government falls short ... Show Full Article WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (TNSLrpt) -- The Competitive Enterprise Institute issued the following study on August 20, 2026, by Marin Murdock entitled "The Protection Paradox." Here are excerpts: * * * The everyday American expects certain basic services from her government. She expects her roads to be maintained, her mail to be delivered, and her communities to be kept reasonably safe and orderly. Beyond these core services, she also expects something more fundamental: that the government will respect (and ideally protect) her rights to life, liberty, and property. And if the government falls shortof fully protecting those rights, it should at least refrain from undermining them.

Federal executive agencies should be created with these principles in mind. Congress delegates authority to these agencies to carry out specific missions such as protecting workers, ensuring fair markets, safeguarding investors, and promoting public welfare. In theory, these regulatory bodies exist to reinforce a system in which individuals are free to work, innovate, and build businesses within a fair and stable framework.

But in practice, a paradox often emerges. Regulations designed to protect the public can end up restricting opportunity, suppressing innovation, and hindering the very individuals they are meant to serve. This is the Protection Paradox: well-intentioned government interventions create structural barriers that entrench incumbents and hurt the public by squeezing out smaller competitors.

This report advances a single claim: certain modern regulatory frameworks can, under identifiable structural conditions, invert their protective purpose by embedding private gatekeeping authority or asymmetric enforcement power. These structures suppress innovation, entrench incumbents, and erode due process. Case studies from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) illustrate two distinct mechanisms through which this inversion occurs. They highlight how regulatory frameworks can unintentionally operate as barriers to competition rather than guardians of public health and safety. OSHA Standards 29 C.F.R. Sec.Sec. 1926.453 and 1910.67 demonstrate how private delegation can function as market gatekeeping, while the SEC enforcement proceedings show how enforcement asymmetries and settlement pressures can coerce outcomes and suppress dissent.

By shedding light on these dynamics, this report calls for a closer examination of how regulatory systems function in practice. Understanding the Protection Paradox can help determine whether those systems truly serve the individuals they are meant to protect. Moreover, the Paradox is a framework for evaluating whether regulatory systems continue to serve their stated protective purposes or whether their institutional design has unintentionally shifted costs onto the very individuals they were intended to protect.

This report will look first at OSHA Standards 29 C.F.R. Sec.Sec. 1926.453 and 1910.67 and their requirements for safety innovations to mobile elevating work platforms (MEWPs), and then at the SEC's administrative proceedings that enforce securities regulations.

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View full study at: https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/OnPoint-312_THE-PROTECTION-PARADOX.pdf

[Category: ThinkTank]

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