News – Politics – Opinion – Podcasts
Jody Underwood 
New Hampshire voters are hearing some starkly different claims about Question 2, the school property-tax cap on this November’s ballot. People who are urging you to vote no on Question 2 are mischaracterizing it as a cut to school budgets. But the question asks whether growth in the local property-taxshould be limited for two years … Read more
Come to our last fair of the year! Saturday, Oct 24 9am-1pm Benjamin Franklin Academy Charter School, 157 Chichester Rd, Loudon NH The fair will be held in conjunction with a 5k run and an organized yard sale, so we expect a lot of families to show up. There will be food available, too. Attendees … Read more
A new milestone for the School District Governance Association of New Hampshire (SDGA-NH): after ten years of work, the organization is now formally recognized in chaptered state law; see RSA 194-C:13. This is a significant step forward. SDGA-NH, as an all-volunteer non-profit seeking improved school governance, is now legislatively recognized alongside the established statewide organizations … Read more
This Saturday, October 3, from 2-4 pm, is our next EdOpt Fair at Evergreen Elementary in Hudson (near Nashua). Thanks to Tiffany Diamond for organizing and putting a creative touch on this fair! It’ll be a Fall Fest theme with Trunk-or-Treat and a food truck — the same delicious one from our Bow fair! The … Read more
New Hampshire has a math problem. In 2026, about 62% of New Hampshire’s 11th graders met the state’s proficiency standard in reading. In math, only 30% did. That gap is hard to ignore. But high school isn’t where the story begins. The Gap Begins Earlier New Hampshire’s statewide assessments tell an interesting story. In the … Read more
Here’s something you may not have known: About 88% of New Hampshire’s Class of 2025 graduated from high school. But when that same cohort was tested in Grade 11, only 63% demonstrated proficiency in reading and 30% in math. That’s quite a gap. It made me wonder: How are so many students graduating when so … Read more
The EdOpt Fair in Claremont is taking place Wednesday June 3! Come join us and have one-on-one conversations with these providers: Don’t forget to stop by the EdOpt table if you want some guidance. Looking forward to seeing you there! This will be our last fair until the end of July. Please check out our … Read more
The EdOpt Fair in Goffstown is taking place Wednesday, May 13! Katy Ann Myers from the Goffstown Homeschool Community and I worked closely to make this happen. What a ball of positive energy she is! Come join us and meet this wide range of providers: Don’t forget to stop by the EdOpt table if you … Read more
The EdOpt Fair in Candia is taking place today! Co-organized by Kathy Carlson from Jesse Remington High School and Education Options. Come join us and meet all these providers: Don’t forget to stop by the EdOpt table if you want some guidance. Looking forward to seeing you there! Please share with your friends.
School board members in New Hampshire are elected to represent their communities. They are not appointed advisors, and they are not public relations assistants for the administration. They are elected officials entrusted by voters to ask questions, raise concerns, and communicate with the public about the operation of their schools. Recent statements by Rochester School … Read more
Whenever I see legislation sponsored by Rep. Hope Damon, I wonder if she’s trying to be sneaky or if she’s just stupid. For example, not too long ago, Damon was prime sponsor on a bill to require homeschooled students to take standardized tests. The bill was so badly drafted, it provoked 500 independent home education … Read more
It’s been a while since Ian Underwood has published a Bare Minimum Book. And now we have two! Just in time for the holidays. Rethinking Fun in Education and Slouching Towards Concord. New book 1:Rethinking Fun in Education This third book in the Rethinking Education trilogy argues that schools have morphed into de facto community centers, in … Read more
The EdOpt Fair is coming to Keene this coming Monday! More than a dozen providers will be there for families to meet and learn about all the possibilities: RSVP if you’re an education provider in the region who is interested in having a table there, or if you simply want to get a reminder. We … Read more
EdOpt is hosting an EdOpt Fair this Monday, October 27, from 5-7:30 pm at the Candia Congregational Church, 1 South Road, Candia. The following providers will be there for families to meet and learn about all the possibilities: RSVP if you’re an education provider in the region who is interested in having a table there, … Read more
With the financial crisis in Claremont, families need education choices now more than ever. EdOpt is hosting an EdOpt Fair on Monday October 6, from 5-7 pm at the Claremont Savings Bank Community Center, 152 South St, Claremont. At least a dozen providers will be there for families to meet and learn about all the … Read more
Recent claims have caused confusion about EdOpt’s work and mission, and especially its terms of use. As a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families explore education alternatives in New Hampshire, we want to clarify the facts. EdOpt follows terms of use. EdOpt uses a variety of tools, including AI-supported web searches, to gather publicly available … Read more
As I watch the Claremont school board hold hearings about its current challenges, a few thoughts occur to me over and over again.
In 2012, U.S. Army Master Sergeant Cedric King woke up from a coma in Afghanistan to discover that his legs had been amputated. Today, 8 years later, Cedric says if given the chance, he’d do it all over again. You’ll hear his story of finding tremendous growth in tragedy by relinquishing control and expectations. In … Read more
Mark Twain is supposed to have said, “Never argue with an idiot, they will only drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.” That’s how I feel about the New Hampshire Supreme Court’s decision on the ConVal case (and the Claremont cases, for that matter). Their reasoning is hard to follow, … Read more
I’ve recently had questions from quite a few people about how Education Freedom Accounts (EFAs) work. During the conversations, they often mention that “the money follows the child” and “EFAs are saving money”. EFAs are one of many solutions for families for whom the default district school isn’t working. But families will be in a … Read more