Research

Finding the best education fit for your child can be a daunting task. In this catalog, you’ll read the stories of families just like yours who share their journey to find the perfect place for their child. You’ll also find links to resources to learn more about each option. Please take a minute to share this information with families you know. Knowledge is power, and working together, we can Empower Opportunity for students in every corner of the Palmetto State. And please take a minute to visit our dedicated Empower Opportunity website at www.mysceducation.org.

We have much to do to create the opportunity of a high-quality, customized education for every South Carolina student. In this handy publication we take a look at 10 ideas that would give us a strong start.

The advent of Common Core State Standards (CCSS) has ignited a firestorm among parents, educators and policy makers. This paper attempts to cut through the haze with a much needed common sense conservative analysis. In it, we provide a thumbnail history of educational standards in America, how CCSS went wrong, and what South Carolina can do to maintain control of our standards and promote the rigorous accountability our students need to equip them for success in school and in life. A number of the solutions we list below are expanded upon in the document text

Does education spending equate to student success? Not according to the data. Check out our comparison of Florida and South Carolina and the results each state is getting from their very different habits in education spending.

Since the arrival of Steve Spurrier in Columbia, “Florida usually beats Carolina” has eventually become “the Gamecocks usually beat the Gators.” The reverse is true in K-12 education. In 1999, South Carolina students led Florida students in performance on a number of national educational tests, including NAEP, the National Assessment of Educational Progress. But for 2003-2011, in combined Math and Reading NAEP scores, Florida was first with a 54 point improvement and South Carolina was last with a 44 point decline (page 7). Question: How did Florida leapfrog South Carolina in such a short period of time? Answer: transformation through comprehensive reform.