Vol. 4, No. 39
September 24, 2002

REFORM MOMENTUM: On state and national fronts the fight for education reform is getting more intense. Thankfully, in many battles choice and accountability seem to be on the winning side.

* FLORIDA: The A+ Accountability plan, which detractors once widely claimed would be the ruin of Sunshine state schools, has brought about much improvement. Last week Governor Jeb Bush and Lt. Governor Frank Brogan announced the results of the most recent Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT). There was encouraging progress across the board. Some of the most notable accomplishments include nearly tenfold increases in the number of African-American and Hispanic 4th graders achieving the highest possible scores in reading, and overall increases in math and reading for almost all grades. It seems that setting high standards and holding schools accountable for meeting them not only hasn't ruined Florida's schools but has actually been one of the best things to ever happen to them. Link here for more on Florida and the A+ Plan.

* MAINE: The first challenge to a state constitution after U.S. Supreme Court's June choice ruling is now set. Several Pine Tree State parents, tired of the state's tuitioning program that includes all schools but those that are religious, have filed suit. For almost 100 years Maine has permitted students in districts too small to support their own high schools to receive tuition to attend public, private, in-state or out-of-state schools of their choice. In 1981, however, a law was passed excluding religious schools from the program. This directly contradicts the Supreme Court's June ruling that choices made by parents to send their children to religious schools using per-pupil allotments of public funds is constitutional. Moreover, a law that excludes schools from a program simply because they are religious clearly discriminates against religious institutions, and is therefore unconstitutional. This case could be an important bellwether for attempts to roll back anti-choice laws in other states. We'll be watching it closely.

        Link here to read details and analysis of the Supreme Court's ruling in the Cleveland voucher case.

* NEW YORK: The formation of a new group that will push for more charter schools, private school tuition tax credits, single-sex classrooms and mayoral control of more city schools was announced last week. The Foundation for Education Reform and Accountability will be led by Thomas Carroll, who will seek to reform New York's ailing education system. Calling the public discussion about the Empire State's educational struggle "remarkably stale given the magnitude of the failure in our schools," Mr. Carroll will lead his group's quest for true school reform. Not surprisingly, establishment apologists like Thomas Hobart of the New York State United Teachers union claim that the state's schools are just fine, and that Carroll and other members of his group are just crabby rich guys. Apparently, the fact that one out of every eight schools in the state is considered failing doesn't bother Mr. Hobart. It rightly concerns Mr. Carroll.

* NATIONALLY: U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige has announced the creation of a new office designed to bring entrepreneurial ideas and flexibility to federal education policy. The new Office of Innovation and Improvement will be run by Nina Shokraii Rees, who for more than ten years has been a leader in both the government and private sectors, advocating tirelessly for expanded flexibility for schools and choices for parents, teachers and students. Prior to taking over the new office, Ms. Rees was a senior education policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation, and most recently served as a domestic policy advisor to the Vice President on education, crime, homeownership, race, welfare, and other issues affecting families and children. The creation of this new office, and the appointment of Ms. Rees as its head, are promising signs for the future.

* TEACHING HISTORY: Just this month, President George W. Bush announced three new initiatives to support the teaching of American history and civics education. He was joined by world-renowned historian David McCullough, whose biographies of such people as Harry Truman and John Adams reignited interest in our nation's founding. In announcing efforts to improve the teaching of American history and civics, the president noted that "our children have large and disturbing gaps in their knowledge of history.... Ignorance of American history and civics weakens our sense of citizenship. To be an American is not just a matter of blood or birth; we are bound by ideals, and our children must know those ideals."

        We agree. And we also know that to fix our mistakes we must learn from them, and we must offer our students better programs and curricula than what they have now. Resolved to do just that, CER has analyzed the most recent scores on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) U.S. History Exam, and has sought out some of the best currently existing curricula for teaching our nation's story. That analysis and the descriptions of exemplary curricula are available on HISTORY FAILURE: Doomed to Repeat Itself?

        For further discussion of civics and history teaching check out CER's page Mom, Apple Pie and the Schools.

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The CER Newswire may be redistributed in its entirety with proper attribution. The CER Newswire is published by The Center for Education Reform, the nation's leading authority on school reform. CER is dedicated to making schools better for America's children by improving educational access and excellence for all. CER works with parents, teachers and policymakers to advance meaningful education improvement initiatives.

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