A popular Government, without popular information, or the means of acquiring it, is but a Prologue to a Farce or a Tragedy; or, perhaps, both. Knowledge will forever govern ignorance: And a people who mean to be their own Governors, must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.
– James Madison
Ross Izard
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- Ross Izard
Anything that makes him laugh, cry, or pensively ponder the human condition. Also, Cormac McCarthy’s The Road was pretty good.
Ross has opted to use this space to remind Jon Caldara that Star Wars was, is, and will forever be better than Star Trek. Yes, even the original Star Trek.
Ross flew an airplane by himself before he was legally able to drive a car alone. Over people’s houses. Maybe even your house.
Ross Izard is a senior fellow at the Independence Institute’s Education Policy Center. After working with the Education Policy Center for three years, Ross left the Independence Institute to become the National Policy Director at ACE Scholarships. ACE provides scholarships to low-income children to help pay the tuition costs at K-12 private schools.
Ross has authored or coauthored a number of pieces on a variety of topics, including articles, policy briefs, issue papers, school profiles, and blogs. His editorials have been published by national, state, and local media outlets. He has assisted in the production of amicus briefs for the Colorado Supreme Court on important education issues, and has also been involved in legal disputes related to collective bargaining. Ross has appeared in and narrated Independence Institute videos in support of school choice and other education reform efforts, and he is frequently cited by a variety of news sources.
Ross was born and raised in Denver, Colorado. He holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Colorado and an M.A. in Public Administration from the University of Colorado Denver School of Public Affairs.
Ross lives in Douglas County, Colorado, with his wife and two young sons.
Latest Education Policy Center Posts
Ysursa and the Supreme Court III: Return of Clean Government0
- EDUCATION - Labor
- March 9, 2009
In the third and final installment of a Star Wars-like trilogy on the Ysursa v. Pocatello Education Association case, Michael Reitz of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation explains how the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling is a victory for good state-labor relations, taxpayers, and clean government. The ruling upholds laws passed in Idaho and Utah that prohibit government payroll systems from being used to collect private political contributions.
READ MOREYour Chance to Say “Yes” to Falcon 49’s Bold, Cost-Saving Innovation Plan0
- EDUCATION - Blogs
- February 4, 2011
Colorado Springs Gazette editor Wayne Laugesen posted a great piece last night urging citizens to give District 49 leadership a chance with its bold plan that favors students over bureaucrats:
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The school board has decided the large district will go forward without a superintendent — an experiment educators are sure to watch throughout the United States. […]
Yes, Really! Blended Learning Great Reason to Appreciate AND Celebrate Teachers0
- EDUCATION - Blogs, EDUCATION - Teachers
- May 7, 2013
Happy National Teacher Appreciation Day! What better way to celebrate here than to talk about blended learning? I saw a few of you scratch your heads out there. But the national Digital Learning Now (DLN) group has blessed us with a new report titled Improving Conditions and Careers: How Blended Learning Can Improve the Teaching […]
READ MOREYes, It’s Hard to Be Humble — for Education Reformers and for This Blog0
- EDUCATION - Accountability, EDUCATION - Blogs, EDUCATION - Teachers
- April 23, 2015
There have been more than a few times when I’ve gloated about an awesome blog idea that came to life here. On some occasions, my Education Policy Center friends warned me not to “get a big head.” At first, I was worried they meant little Eddie might turn out like this guy. Later I figured […]
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