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CER Publications
July 30, 1999
This week we begin by saying "Kudos" to Virginia for raising the bar and applying rigorous standards to its students. Test results released this week show significant gains of up to 20 points across the grades and subject areas that were tested. However, social study scores remain alarmingly low. If Virginia continues to work as hard next year as it did this year, look for continued improvement in the future. (Link: Virginia Standards of Learning.)
The defenders of the status quo rushed to the court system to protect the current ways teachers are accredited in Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania’s largest teachers’ union and an association of colleges filed suit to prevent the state from adopting an alternative means of teacher certification. The alternative program would allow second-career professionals to teach if they have a degree and 3.0 GPA in the subject area they will teach, attend 10 days of instruction on how to teach, and pass a series of tests. Instead of rejoicing at the opportunity to get well-qualified individuals into the classrooms, the BLOB in Pennsylvania is determined to maintain the status quo.
Join the Education Leaders Council in Orlando, Florida, on September 17 and 18 for their fourth annual conference: Reform, a National Conquest. Keynote speakers at the conference include Florida Governor Jeb Bush and T. Willard Fair, the president of the Miami Urban League. They will be joined by State Education Chiefs from more than seven states, state board of education members from around the country and others concerned about the state of education. For more information call Heidi Hankwitz at 800-521-2118.
Hats-off to the first graduating class of the City on a Hill Charter School in Boston, MA. The graduating class, which was the first graduating class from a charter school in Massachusetts’s history, will all head off to college this fall. The charter’s combination of rigorous academic standards and a commitment to community service has prepared these recent graduates for continued success in the future.
Finally, the Center has released a paper, Charter Schools: a Progress Report, Part III, on the ripple effects and positive change charter schools bring to local school districts. The view the paper online, click here; to order for delivery by mail, visit our publications page or call CER at 800-521-2118.
Tune in next week for up-to-date news about what is happening in the world of education reform.
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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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