A St Patty’s Day Special Edition…Finding Rainbows…Driving out Snakes and a much needed Irish Blessing.
EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTIONS.
Sir Issac Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Parents and others are adding a twist – to roadblocks to open schools and innovation, there are better and opposite reactions.FAR ABOVE EQUAL BUT OPPOSITE REACTIONS NATIONWIDE. Perhaps the dam is beginning to break, as there are many hopeful signs around the country. Jeanne Allen enumerates the good news “reactions” of states pushing back against school closures in Kentucky, West Virginia and South Dakota. Whether called “Education Opportunity Accounts”, “New Hope Scholarships”, or “Education Tax Credits”, these states’ programs all have one thing in common. They empower parents to decide what path is best for their kids. These “flyover country” states may be of no interest to folks living in their bubbles on either coast, but as Jeanne points out in Forbes, “they are harbingers of things to come”.
MORE PARENT POWER COMES OUT OF THE PEACH STATE. Not waiting to react to opponents of choice for parents, first-term Democrat legislator Mesha Mainor is working hard to establish “education scholarship accounts” in Georgia that parents could use anywhere, including private schools. She was moved to action after her daughter remarked, “I think I go to the worst school in America”. Pointing out that some of the schools in her Atlanta district are among Georgia’s worst, she says; “I’m voting yes on this for my district.” A profile in courage. Find out how your state rates in parent power with our Parent Power Index.
PENNSYLVANIA PUSHBACK. The Keystone State is a prime example of where weak-kneed state and district leaders allowed unions to control reopening and remote education was a failure for most. Happily, the heroic efforts of many to fight back and educate the kids in spite of the odds stemmed catastrophic learning loss for many. We explored the rescue efforts in CER’s latest “Action Series”, “Countering COVID with education innovation”. Tune in to hear first-hand war stories – and success stories – from leaders of the Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia, Commonwealth Foundation, Philadelphia Youth Basketball, Richard Allen Preparatory Charter School, and African American Charter School Coalition. True warriors – and heroes.
BLAINE BIGOTRY’S DAYS ARE NUMBERED. It’s been nearly a year since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in “Espinoza v. Montana Dept. of Revenue” that denying public funds to schools just because they are religious was not allowed under any circumstances. South Carolina is only a few hundred miles from the Supreme Court, but the news apparently hasn’t reached lawmakers in the Palmetto State. Both the Catholic Church and the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities have had to sue the state to get its “Blaine Amendment” removed from its constitution.
GREAT HEARTS BEAT STRONGLY IN ARIZONA. Great things blooming in the desert with the news that Great Hearts Academy, a network of public charter schools, is expanding with new campuses in both Buckeye and Anthem as well as expanding its existing facility in Goodyear. These actions will make it possible for more than one thousand new students to get the quality education that Great Hearts provides.
ACTION AND REACTION IN CHICAGO. Fed-up parents in Chicago have taken to the streets to push back against continued union foot-dragging on school reopening. The union and district agreed weeks ago to reopen schools this week, but the usual subjects are throwing up roadblocks. As this insightful parent writes:
“I’m frustrated and sad to watch kids go more than a year without real contact with friends and classmates or significant relationships with their teachers. Chicago Public School high schoolers, like my daughter, are being left behind in comparison to their private and parochial school counterparts. Why? Three words: Chicago Teachers Union.”
Truly heartbreaking.
COURAGE IN CLEVELAND. While the current education debates have many Eeyore’s – Winnie the Pooh’s perpetually pessimistic friend – there are also innovative, courageous leaders all across the country who take bold action instead of just sitting back. Such leaders run schools in two of Cleveland’s poorest neighborhoods. They stayed open throughout the pandemic with few COVID cases but more learning opportunities. By doing so the schools gave their students’ futures an incredible boost. Do yourself a favor and read how common sense, not rocket science, did the trick.
We close this issue with a musical wish that you and your kids will always be brave, strong and true, and your world filled with love. Expressing that most tunefully are Petula Clark and the students in “Goodbye Mr. Chips”. Get ready to smile. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dW407rJUqVA
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 conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education. We’re always delighted to hear from our readers…suggestions, questions and even the occasional complaint!