CER NEWSWIRE
Vol. 4, No. 8
February 26, 2002

*CHARTER LEADERS MEET WITH SECRETARY PAIGE: With hostilities toward charter schools mounting in more than half the states that have substantial laws, charter school leaders and founders find themselves fighting an uphill battle to create the accountable schools they promised, and to abide by their charters. When obstacles get in the way of good programs, and political leadership in a state is lacking, the burden on individual schools is enormous.

The charter school movement is grateful for the support and aid of the Administration and staff at the Department of Education, which was marked last Thursday by a forward-looking meeting between charter representatives from around the country, Secretary of Education Rod Paige and his senior staff. Never before has there been such clear understanding and interest in this important reform at the top levels of government.

At the meeting, the Secretary commended the efforts of the individuals and organizations working on behalf of charter schools in their states, and requested additional information on areas of concern and action.

Under Secretary Eugene Hickok implored the groups to keep working, to keep in touch with the Department, and to expect a high degree of support and cooperation with charter schools.

The meeting, coordinated by the Center for Education Reform, lasted approximately two hours and signaled a new openness toward charter schools across the country. Link here for more information, include list of attendees and photo slide show..

* CYBER CHARTERS: The troubles of a Pennsylvania charter school having to contend with school board obstacles is the subject of a front page article in the Washington Post today. In a well-crafted article, the reporter writes, "The schools have the potential to provide an array of new educational options to underserved students and home schoolers, offering almost complete flexibility to children served best by a custom-tailored curriculum. Instead, the cyber charter movement in Pennsylvania is bogging down in a morass of lawsuits and bureaucratic battles." Link to the full article, which is chock full of other information and analysis, at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A1935-2002Feb25.html And for more in depth reading on cyber charters check out our CER action paper Beyond Brick and Mortar: Cyber Charters Revolutionizing Education.

* ACHIEVEMENT?: The next time someone asks you why it is that the nation has to take a heavy-handed approach to connecting federal funding and achievement, as it did in recent federal legislation, take a look at Georgia, where some are crying foul over a new "standard" that allows schools where only 3 in 10 students pass to be considered acceptable. According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, "Only 41 schools have a place on Georgia's list of failing public schools. But that's because the standard was set so low that schools can avoid making the cut if as few as three of 10 children pass state exams."

* CHARTERS II: St. Louis, Missouri, long plagued by failing schools that have thrice nearly lost accreditation, is finally beginning to catch up with Kansas City in its hosting of charter schools as a necessary option. But don't thank the school board, which has scorned all applications. Rather, the University of Missouri at Rolla has stepped up to the plate. Last week, it approved four Edison Charter Schools for St. Louis and this week approved two charters operated by an alliance of concerned black ministers who have been providing tuition free public schooling on a combination of federal day care grants, Medicaid, school lunch programs and before- and after-school funds since they were denied a charter by the district last year. Once the state approves these schools, this fall there will be 13 charters operating in St. Louis, not a school too many given the academic failure of the district schools.

* CHOICE: The news following last week's Supreme Court hearing on choice was plentiful, but the continual theme in each report of the proceedings was that the Justices seemed to be looking for a way to square the choices of parents with the clearly failing system. Proponents are hoping the Court considers the educational issues implicit in the intent of the program, while opponents want the Court to only rule based on their perception that the private choices of parents are largely limited to religious schools. (For more information go to CER's analysis right here.)

Meanwhile, researchers released a report last week confirming that black students attending private schools in New York City's School Choice Scholarships program score "substantially higher" in math and reading than their public school counterparts. These findings and more will be discussed at this weekend's meeting of the Black Alliance for Educational Options in Philadelphia, PA. BAEO is expecting hundreds of minority leaders and advocates for better education, against the backdrop of woes in the City of Brotherly Love. For more information contact BAEO at 202-544-9870 or go to http://www.baeo.org.

* RESEARCH: "Students in large high schools more likely to fall through the cracks,'" shouts the headline from The Public Agenda Foundation's latest survey (which can be found at http://www.publicagenda.org/specials/smallschools.htm.). The only question in our mind is, why local districts persist in building huge, impersonal and often harmful schools that we see going up in communities nationwide? The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation have taken an interest in small schools, helping the University of Minnesota's Center for School Change, among others, to push the envelope on this issue. And of course, charters are following suit, often by desire and necessity, in ensuring that schools remain small or more conducive to learning. Now it's time for policymakers to catch up.

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