FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 26, 2019
CONTACT: Alexandra Phelps
[email protected]
(703) 966-0831
Washington, D.C. — “Reality Check with Jeanne Allen,” the weekly podcast hosted by CER’s founder and CEO, released a special 67th episode on June 25th. The podcast hosts Dr. Christine Ivie, the Superintendent of Heritage Academy in Jerome, Idaho who responds to breaking news. A leaked recording of an April Idaho Charter Commission meeting has been met with public shock. Throughout the audio, several chairs can be heard berating Jerome’s education system and condemning the very charter schools they represent. The comments went so far as to insult the intelligence of Jerome’s population, mocking their lack of “brain cells.”
Dr. Ivie’s Heritage Academy was specifically targeted in the attack on Idaho charters: “They have no future.” The extensive vilification showcases the conflict of interests plaguing the school choice system; not everyone working in and around charters truly wants them to succeed. These comments are at odds with the true values of Heritage Academy, which grants individualized attention to its 225 students, propels underperforming students up to standard, and serves demographics statistically less likely to succeed. Many more low-income and special needs students are enrolled in Heritage Academy than in the average Idaho school.
The episode breaks down the errant statements littering the Commission’s meeting by illustrating the factual background of Heritage Academy and the Idaho charter school system. Ivie and Allen speak to the integrous, impactful state of charters and refute the Charter Commission’s problematic rhetoric.
LISTEN HERE: Who Will Watch the Watchers? Dr. Christine Ivie, Superintendent/Principal of Heritage Academy
Reality Check is a weekly podcast that features a variety of guests who bring personal stories of work in the field, amid the increasingly contentious and partisan environment around education. Past guests have included national voices Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Purdue University President Mitch Daniels, public school leaders and everyone in between. You can listen to Reality Check on iTunes, Google Play, TuneIn, and Stitcher. To learn more, visit edreform.com and follow us on Twitter @edreform and @JeanneAllen.
About the Center for Education Reform
Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that the conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education.
As a non-partisan, nonprofit organization, CER does not endorse candidates or take political positions but will always recognize and applaud those who advance sound education policies, no matter what their affiliation.