Vol. 17, No. 32
INFORMATION IS POWER. Everyone knows that parents can make great choices when they have good information and an opportunity to use it. That opportunity is only available in states and communities that permit a wide variety of options to parents. Since 1993 CER has been advocating for increased Parent Power!, and analyzing the data and policies that make the most number of choices available to the most number of parents. Later this week, CER will be revealing the new and improved Parent Power Index(c), 2015, a central repository to learn how states are doing providing Parent Power! and specific steps they need to take to increase it. We’ve made the PPI tools mobile, more user friendly and parent approved! Be sure to stay tuned at www.edreform.com for the big reveal on Thursday, August, 20.
WHAT IS PARENT POWER? Dr. Marco Clark, Founder and CEO of Richard Wright Public Charter School in Washington, D.C., and Julie Collier, Parents Advocate League Founder & Executive Director and CER Grassroots Advisory Board member, are just two of many Edreform superstars that sat down with CER to provide insight on the importance of Parent Power!:
“When I
hear parent power it gives me hope. Once parents are informed, they are definitely a force to be reckoned with.” –Julie Collier
“Empowering them gives them a voice. When you empower parents, their voice becomes stronger.” – Dr. Marco Clark
MORE POWER PLEASE. As a debate over the constitutionality of Washington State’s charter school law remains in the works, all eight charter schools opening this year are filled to capacity, reports the Seattle Times. The Evergreen State permits just up to 40 charter schools over a five-year period according to the C-rated charter school law created in 2012. With an overall Parent Power Index grade of 68 percent – which by the way is a ‘D’ according to most U.S. school report cards! – it’s no surprise parents are scrambling to take advantage of the charter schools, as they really aren’t afforded any other options when it comes to choosing the best education for their child.
POWER OF VIRTUAL SCHOOLING. North Carolina parents have a new option for their children this school year: virtual charter schools. Parents in the Tarheel State have been able to take advantage of brick and mortar charter schools since the late 90’s, but the fact that one of the state’s first virtual charter schools has already met the arbitrary cap of 1,500 students and has a wait list points to the fact that the state must continue to grow options in order to meet parent demand. Thankfully, the school voucher program just recently survived a legal challenge in the State Supreme Court, so a certain segment of parents meeting income requirements will have access to vouchers that can open up the doors to private school as an option for their child.
#EDlection2016 AND PARENT POWER. Will #ParentPower be at the center of the education debate? By now it should be clear that the need for more parent power is not limited to one community, city, or state, and CER hopes that candidates in New Hampshire this week tackle this issue head on. The first of two Education Summits sponsored by The Seventy Four with the American Federation for Children and the Des Moines Register will feature candidates Bush, Christie, Fiorina, Jindal, Kasich & Walker on August 19 at 8:50am EST as they discuss K-12 education in America. Before the debate, see where governors stand on vital reform issues at Education Fifty, your #EDlection headquarters, dedicated to providing you, the voter, with the information that can best inform your vote, ensuring meaningful changes to our educational system are realized. Tune into the debate on August 19 live here, and follow the conversation on Twitter at @Edreform and #EDlection2016.