Education reform is not about school systems -- it's about children. That's why parents are at the heart of every successful reform effort. Informed and empowered parents are making a difference from school to school, from state to state, across the country. The Center for Education Reform is here to help you get started, get connected and get results.

GREAT HEADLINES: "Girls get extra school help while boys get Ritalin." (USA Today, 8/29/03). This story underscores the challenges schools face about the growing rift between programs that actually help girls but ignore the fundamental differences in boys. "Too often the first reaction to an attention problem is 'Let's medicate,'" Rockville, MD child psychologist Neil Hoffman told USA Today. More information on issues concerning the difference in learning styles between boys and girls may be found at the National Association of Single Sex Public Education, a relatively new influential group that promotes single sex schools as one way to address these problems. Log on to http://www.singlesexschools.org/ for more.

BEST BETS: The call for higher standards and better curricular offerings has received national attention and state-by-state support, but filtering through the scores of programs that have emerged can be confusing. CER offers basic guidelines for separating the wheat from the chaff, as well as a run-down of the current “Best Bets” in rigorous K-12 education programs.

THE WRITE STUFF: The Center for Education Reform now offers a new service, the Grassroots Action Center, to connect you to your elected representatives. The Grassroots Action Center links you to a draft letter which you can modify, or lets you write a letter that is entirely your own. You can then email your letter automatically to the officials of your choosing, or print it out to send in the mail. Check out this great new way to make your voice heard.

CLASS STRUGGLE: IS HOMEWORK REALLY SO TERRIBLE? "This allegedly overburdened American child, innocent victim of callous teachers, is averaging less than a half hour of homework each school night.... Schools that demand a half hour a day of academic work at home, less than a fifth of the time these same children spend watching television, do not seem to me to be overdoing it." By Jay Mathews, Washington Post, February 18, 2003 Link to complete article.

SOLUTIONS TO THE BIG CITY COMMUNICATIONS PROBLEM: Recently CER asked people to submit good suggestions for how New York City -- and others -- can get the word out to parents that there are "supplemental" or tutoring services available for children in schools that are failing. The number and quality of the responses were overwhelming. These are not only ways to inform parents and the community about tutoring, but also about their choices, period. The moral to this story is that there is no end to the good people can do when they put their minds together. Click here for more.

EDUCATION REFORM 2002: A VOTER'S GUIDE: Americans in 36 states will head to the polls next month to cast their vote for governor, and in seven of these states they will also select the state schools chief. The Center for Education Reform has cut through the rhetoric and spin to bring you this important guide to evaluate candidates' education reform pedigree on key issues.

BACKLASH : According to the Los Angeles Times, an estimated 100,000 California children are home-schooled, even as parents face the prospect of school district enforcers pounding on their door, coming for their children. Why? As CER President Jeanne Allen explains, there's a huge backlash against the failed status quo, and parents want every choice they can get. Read the whole story.

TARDY TEACHER EVALUATIONS: Suburban school officials in Illinois apparently are having a hard time figuring out the definition of "timely," as in all school districts are required to inform parents in a "timely" manner whether their children are being taught by an unqualified teacher. Officials are waiting on state clarification, according to the Chicago Tribune, and Chicago officials say that the task of determining who is and isn't qualified is so daunting that they don't expect to let parents know until February. Federal guidance has been issued regarding teacher qualifications in high poverty areas. In the meantime, we think most parents assume that school officials know what makes a qualified teacher and assume that they have been assessing performance of teachers all along. And to think we needed a federal law to get schools making this determination! From CER Newswire October 8, 2002.

The National PTA: Becoming Irrelevant?: "Once the central gathering point for parents to be substantially involved in making their schools better, the agenda of the National PTA is now decidedly non-educational, and reflects a defense of the status quo rather than a mission for change. In a nation where less than forty percent of all fourth graders can read and write at expected levels, and lack mastery of history, math and more, the PTA’s agenda is clearly irrelevant." By Jeanne Allen, CER President, July 2002, Link to full text.

SCHOOL CHOICE VICTORY FOR FAMILIES: On June 27, 2002 the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that the state of Ohio was within its constitutional power to enact a program to help Cleveland's children gain access to schools that parents believe will serve them better than the schools that for more than twenty-five years have failed by every measure. This landmark decision will shore up nationwide reform efforts to transform U.S. education in to a system of schools that responds first and foremost to families and children. Click here for all the details and weblinks.

SIZING UP WHAT MATTERS: The Importance of Small Schools: It is taken almost as an article of faith that smaller classes produce better academic results, and that reducing class size is a proven way to help America's schools. What is proclaimed less often is the truth of "smaller is better" when applied to school size, which is in fact far more important than having children sit in small classes. Get the full story and links to more resources.

NOW AVAILABLE FROM CER:
Public-Private Partnerships: A Consumer’s Guide
Public-private partnerships are at an all time high but parents and others often have difficulty making decisions without concrete information to guide them. This CER guide helps consumers navigate that information as they work to make informed school choices. A Consumer’s Guide provides history on public-private partnerships and valuable information on each company: schools and enrollment; curriculum; student achievement; and parent and student satisfaction. 

Mom, Apple Pie and the Schools. It's hard to believe in light of all that's happened that there is actually a debate about patriotism in our schools. But there is. CER has created a new section of our website to help you find ideas for bringing the American ideal alive to your children and others, so they will understand without a doubt what it is that's worth preserving in this, "the last best hope of man on earth."

Can Students Survive on Junk Food? Eighteen years ago, A Nation At Risk warned of a "rising tide of mediocrity" in American schools. This report examines how little progress has been made, and looks at recent and alarming trends in school standards, from local measurement to international standings. Here, you'll find both general and a subject-by-subject look at student achievement.

QUESTION AUTHORITY: 

• Where do the teachers unions stand? Here are a handful of questions to help you find out what the teachers unions are saying and doing -- or not -- about education and school improvement.
• Do you know what your PTA does -- or doesn't do? CER has assemble ten questions to help concerned citizens determine where the National PTA stands on critical education reform issues, and whether PTA leaders are doing what they say and saying what they mean. 
• What's your school board up to? At the next local school board meeting, take the opportunity to ask your school board members where they stand on high-stakes testing, charter schools, private contracting, full school choice, and more...
• Campaign promises: CER has compiled the Candidate Education Meter -- questions which you can ask those running for office to measure the depth of their understanding of and dedication to education reform.

CURRICULUM DEBATE UPDATE:  

Get the full scoop on...

• Calculators vs. computation and the ongoing Math Wars. 

• Phonics vs. whole language and more in the Reading Corner.

• Dumbing down the SATs.

HISTORY FAILURE: Doomed to Repeat Itself?: For years U.S. students have not received substantive teaching in history. CER's new analysis takes stock of the problem, and offers some recommendations for programs and books that could help transform history teaching, not ten years from now but today.

TALKING POINTS ... 

FINISHING COLLEGE -- WHAT MATTERS MOST: A new U.S. Department of Education study found that students with a rigorous academic background previous to college tend to complete bachelors' degrees with more frequency than those who do not. Rigorous is defined as:

• having four units of English (no remedial classes),
• four units of math (no remedial math classes),
• three or more science units (two of which should be lab science units),
• three or more years of social science/history units,
• two or more units of a foreign language,
• and a half unit of computer science.

The content of a child's high school curriculum has everything to do with college success; high school grades and class rank are much less indicative of future college success. More...

CHECK OUT THESE SUPPORT RESOURCES ...

"Knowledge is power," and Parent Power! is an electronic newsletter chock full of knowledge for parents who want to know more about the issues that effect their children’s education. Each issue is packed with informative articles that highlight new trends in schooling and offer helpful hints to parents who want to take a more active role in their local schools. Check out the latest issue now online, or go to the subject index for coverage on issues of interest.  Subscribe today and never miss another issue.

The School Reform Handbook
Here's everything you ever needed to know about how to improve our schools, from making community-based changes to far reaching state reforms. Learn the real scoop on:  what you need to know about your schools; who's really in charge; how to best present your ideas to the school and the community; how to talk to the media; how to organize a meeting; and hundreds of other important points to help an effective reformer. Says Linda Cagnetti of The Cincinnati Enquirer, "The School Reform Handbook: How to Improve Your School, published by the parent-founded Center for Education Reform, is a how-to gold mine." [Link to: full article.]

SCHOOL REPORT CARDS: Many states offer "report cards" on their schools and school districts, to help parents and taxpayers see just how and where schools are performing, or coming up short. Find out how your school and district are doing.

CER's Here to Help
The Center for Education Reform is here to help. Send us e-mail or contact us at (800) 521-2118. And check out the hundreds of local reform organizations, started by parents, professionals, policy makers and researchers, that can help you find the information and individuals to advance your education reform cause. To find one in your community, visit Education Reform Resources and Organizations, with full contact information and many web links. And stay in the loop with our CER Newswire, a regular email newsletter on the latest in education reform. Subscribe here.

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