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Socking It To Staples

May 22, 2014 By

In rather unsurprising fashion, the powers that be at the American Federation of Teachers are taking up a cause with no discernible connection to improving the education of our nation’s students.

The AFT Michigan and California chapters are boycotting office supply chain Staples because of the decision to install postal counters in stores, undercutting the interests of the American Postal Workers Union, according to Politico.

Because this is an issue so near and dear, AFT officials felt the need to throw their hat in the ring and urge people to increase their use of mailboxes and shop at Office Depot. That’s right, they’ll be darned if anyone has the audacity to purchase a single paper clip from any one of Staples’ over 1,500 locations in the U.S.

And they’re not stopping there. Apparently, the Michigan branch plans to call for a nationwide boycott of Staples, though it’s unclear whether teachers and union officials in other states will feel the same sense of urgency.

If the nationwide boycott is approved, it’s safe to assume the Michigan AFT union chief won’t be pressing a “that was easy,” button, and will have to resort to another way of celebrating.

At this point, it’s difficult to see how the installation of postal counters at an office supply store fits in with the interests of teachers and students, but the Michigan and California AFT chapters seem convinced that this is a priority.

In the meantime, boosting stagnant student proficiency rates and advocating for innovative learning options will have to make room for preventing Staples shoppers from simultaneously purchasing stationery and mailing letters.

Teachers will continue to teach, students will continue to attend school, and state union reps will busy themselves with ridding the scourge that is automated mail service.

But rest assured, it’s for the students (or something.)

Filed Under: Commentary, Edspresso

Are You Ready for the Bee?

May 21, 2014 By

Not to sound harsh, but if you’re not totally psyched for the Scripps National Spelling Bee starting May 28, then you’re doing it wrong.

In a five-day-long extravaganza composed of both preliminary and final rounds, 277 spellers will try to advance each step by piecing together some of the most complex, nuanced and just plain odd-sounding words the English language has to offer.

It’s a competition so intense that ESPN airs it. Last year, 13 year-old Arvind Mahankali won by spelling “knaidel,” a word not exactly part of the American vernacular.

One of these spellers is Kiana Jaz Lacroix from Idaho, a student at Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy. An unsurprisingly voracious reader, Kiana won her regional spelling bee in 36 rounds that originally included 50 others at North Idaho College.

Kiana joins students who come from a wide range of schools, whether they are traditional, charter, virtual, parochial or home. This makes for a positively diverse crowd of students who have acquired a thirst for learning – and spelling – through their unique educational experiences.

Everything about the Bee makes for a heartwarming event where kids reaching for their dreams ceases to be an abstract concept. In fact, taking a respite to scroll through the personal stories of each Bee participant proves to be a very inspirational exercise.

Best of luck to all the young spellers in their quest for V-i-c-t-o-r-y.

Filed Under: Commentary, Edspresso

NEWSWIRE: May 20, 2014

May 20, 2014 By

Vol. 16, No. 20

60 YEARS AGO, the Warren Court in Brown v. Board of Education unanimously struck down the inherently unequal system of segregated schools by race. The Brown decision reversed a societal ill, demanding schools integrate with “all deliberate speed,” with the end promise being equality of opportunity for all students to pursue a quality education. Sadly, 60 years later, that equality-of-opportunity promise remains unfulfilled for far too many students, mostly because of the slow pace at which states are willing to embrace reforms that lift student outcomes. With the unacceptably low percentages of kids proficient in math and reading, “all deliberate speed,” must take on new meaning to motivate lawmakers in the here and now to create power and choice for parents, transcending race, income and zip code.

WE WANT TO HEAR what educational freedom means to you on the anniversary of this monumental ruling. Share with us here.

ACCOUNTABILITY: IT’S IN THEIR DNA. The Department of Education issued guidance to charter schools reminding school leaders that federal law applies to both charter and traditional public schools. Saying that anti-discrimination laws are there to be followed is already enough of a tautology, but the exercise becomes even more exhaustive when directed specifically at charter schools. Due to accountability standards unique to the charter sector that determine whether charter schools stay open and are making good on their promise to deliver a higher caliber of education, charter leaders are acutely aware of the regulations with which they must comply. Of course no charter school is exempt from guaranteeing civil rights, and they in fact take great pains to honor the civil right of a quality education to parents and students, often serving more disadvantaged populations. The Department claims the guidance was a response to the growing number of charter schools in the U.S., reinforcing the ability of charter school leaders to remain accountable to both the law and the students they serve.

PHILLY PRIORITIES. The fight to stay open for Walter D. Palmer Leadership Learning Partners Charter School has taken an interesting turn. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court set the stage for oral arguments in a case this September that will have lasting implications on what kind of actions the Philly School Reform Commission (SRC) can take towards charter schools. Blatantly ignoring due process, the SRC took steps to remove WDP – LLPCS’ charter as the school has been working diligently to resolve financial issues while still providing a viable parental choice for 1,289 students. These proceedings underscore the importance of respecting law and working collaboratively with charter schools, which benefit the Philly educational landscape at large. Read the petition to learn more about WDP-LLPCS and help save a school that parents have called, “excellent” and a “godsend.”

AVOID FLEETING CHANGE IN NEWARK. Mayor meets Governor. Both meet Facebook founder. All three express desire to turn around the Newark school system. It’s a story full of high profiles and good intentions that has the potential of a happy ending, were it not for one critical missing element – structural policy changes. For instance, this feature goes into great detail about the roles of former Newark Mayor Cory Booker, Gov. Chris Christie and Mark Zuckerberg in introducing much-needed reforms to Newark schools, and the great pains taken at the municipal level to bring about change. And while it’s heartening to see such innovation take place, there must be support at the state level to make sure innovations are protected by law for years to come. In other words, the bold leadership in Newark must be backed by structural change in Trenton to create the necessary funding and safeguards for all schools and students to truly succeed. Otherwise, funding dries out and leaders move on, but kids are still going to need an education.

AT THE REVOLUTION. We’re on the ground at the American Federation for Children’s 5th Annual National Policy Summit. Follow CER pres @CERKaraKerwin for the latest @SchoolChoiceNow’s #EdRevolution.

Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

Philly Cheating Scandal One of Many

May 16, 2014 By

CER President, Kara Kerwin, spoke with Choice Media about the Philly cheating scandal, noting teacher and school reforms are needed to solve the cheating problem.

Filed Under: CER in the News

What every parent needs to know about their schools

May 15, 2014 By

Jeanne Allen, Hillsdale Daily News

Teacher Appreciation Day, Field Day, spring concerts, sports competitions and awards ceremonies, plays, debates, school application and testing, testing, testing.

They are all part of that familiar end-of-school-year rhythm, which has started for most and will begin to play out through the year’s end, and the hopeful promotion of our babies to their next level in school.

Would that it were so simple — and pleasant — for all families!

While most of us will experience these milestones with joy and a twang of bittersweet as they signal the progression of our kids and their growing up, others find that these experiences mask the real issues surrounding the school experience — namely, success for their children and their particular kind of learning.

Indeed, in a nation where less than 40 percent of our children are barely proficient in reading and math and where even the highest-performing schools pale in comparison to those of previous generations and even other countries, there is much more work to be done than our rewarding volunteer work at the school or park would suggest.

For every parent that finds his or herself in a school or educational setting that is meeting the needs of their child nearly 100 percent, there are at least 10 who are scratching their heads at their daughter’s demise in math class, their son’s sudden lack of interest in English, the suggestion that Johnny needs a tutor or that Marcie is distracted or seems bored.

Once upon a time, parents just naturally assumed that these problems were a result of their own kid’s deficiencies, of their own family’s failures in some way. A generation of tutoring companies and support organizations has accumulated a small fortune as parents took the guilt upon themselves to solve.

Then, an interesting thing happened.

Just 15 years ago, technology and the Internet made it possible and easier to share stories, and parents around the country began learning that their problems were not theirs alone, and that their own reading and math woes, their own sense of resignation over their child’s behavior, may have more to do with the standards set by the school and its staff (often low and fuzzy) the poor quality of instruction, the lack of accountability, and for children of color what was once called the “soft bigotry of low expectations.”

Such was the birth of the parental empowerment movement, and that movement today is flourishing as a result of parent-led reforms that have grown from organized dining room table conversations to full fledged school networks leading and demonstrating that every part of the learning process matters and that content and instruction can drive a child to succeed or fail.

Just as technology is transforming every element of our day, it is transforming parents’ ability to drive their child’s education. The progress made in just 20 short years since organizations like the Center for Education Reform were born is nothing short of extraordinary. Parents became activists and turned their community’s schools around.

Educators bonded with other educators and started whole schools devoted to themes and ideas they always knew would work for kids. Some of these individuals went on to become policymakers, and more and more high quality talent flowed into the education system, creating a generation of parents and educators who’d long felt there was something more they could do and expect.

Parents with power, teachers with power and schools with accountability can now be found in nearly every state, and most communities. Such assets are improving student learning, accelerating growth and captivating a nation.

But progress is still not ubiquitous or evenly distributed. And the forces that fought these initial reform efforts still loom large in the public eye and in state halls across the country.

To truly ensure that all schools work best for all children, those we have now and those to come, we must take 20 years of lessons learned and move those lessons into every community, and put them within reach of every parent.

Every parent knows that history is the best teacher, which is why before any parent engages in working to ensure their child gets the best education possible, they need to be armed with enough information — and lessons learned — to succeed.

History is just unfolding, but there’s good news for anyone wanting to help make it. Lessons learned and stories of ordinary people like you are available and easy to find. Many of these compelling stories can be found in “Education Reform: Before It Was Cool,” an indispensable new anthology for those who want to read first-hand about the greatest contributors to the movement to make our nation’s schools work better for all children.

Read about the pioneers, and join the new revolution to make parent power a reality in all children’s lives.

Jeanne Allen founded the Center for Education Reform (CER) in 1993 and serves as the organization’s senior fellow and president-emeritus. Allen is the editor of “Education Reform: Before It Was Cool,” available on Amazon.com.

Filed Under: Opinions

With high stakes testing, Philly cheating scandal is just one of many

May 15, 2014 By

Maura Pennington, PA Independent

PHILADELPHIA — As the stakes get higher for testing performance with federal and state mandates, a systemic culture of cheating is growing, both in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

Pennsylvania Attorney General Kathleen Kane filed criminal charges against four teachers and the principal of Cayuga Elementary School in Philadelphia last week for forcing children and other educators to cheat on state standardized tests.

It’s hardly an isolated incident. Between 2010 and 2012, 33 states confirmed at least one instance of cheating.

Atlanta was embroiled in a cheating scandal involving hundreds of teachers and administrators in 2009. After independent probes by two governors, the former superintendent and 34 educators were indicted.

Washington, D.C., is under investigation now for cheating during Michelle Rhee’s tenure as chancellor of the school system there.

In the latter case, test scores were linked to teacher compensation.

“It’s a much more widespread problem than Atlanta or Philadelphia,” said Kara Kerwin, president of the Center for Education Reform in Washington, D.C.

And it’s not just irregular erasures or unauthorized handling of testing material that makes cheating on standardized assessments such a problem. How the scores are reported can be misleading as well.

“There are people playing with numbers from every angle when we look at testing data,” said Kerwin.

The current scandal in Philadelphia pertains to the the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. These tests are administered to elementary and high school students to track the achievement of schools.

According to the findings of a grand jury investigation, “Significant pressures existed for the various schools to increase PSSA performance. When PSSA scores went up, school principals received promotions and accolades. Others avoided demotions or terminations.”

The principal at Cayuga Elementary, Evelyn Cortez, allegedly encouraged cheating for several years, even going so far, witnesses say, as to change student answers herself.

When two teachers provided letters of complaint to the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers about what was going on at Cayuga, they were told Cortez would not be informed, but that the complaint would be forwarded to school district authorities. However, the teachers, Angelee Rivera and Katty Fernandez, soon found the principal began treating them negatively, despite the union’s assurances. They left the school after only one year.

“It’s important that we set high expectations. The problem is with low quality educators or administrators who aren’t up to par. There are these tenure policies that keep poor performers in the classroom for a long time,” Kerwin said.

Pennsylvania uses the “last in, first out” rule when it comes to hiring, firing and reassigning teachers.

The School Reform Commission in Philadelphia recently used its unique authority to suspend seniority provisions for staffing decisions.

“Making teacher performance a priority is what is necessary especially in a state like Pennsylvania,” Kerwin said.

Filed Under: CER in the News

NEWSWIRE: May 13, 2014

May 13, 2014 By

Vol. 16, No. 19

IT’S CRIMINAL. This past school year, 1,289 students, approximately 240 of whom with special needs, received an education centered around social justice, development and growth at the Walter D. Palmer Leadership Learning Partners Charter School in Philadelphia, PA. As the school has been busy rebuffing district efforts to unlawfully cap the charter’s enrollment and working to resolve financial issues, it was completely blindsided when Philly’s School Reform Commission (SRC) decided to illegally (see a pattern here?) suspend the school’s charter. Meanwhile, parents overwhelmingly support the school, saying things like “the school is a godsend,” and “I think it’s an excellent school,” and “I recommend this school over any other public school in the district.” Walter D. Palmer epitomizes a charter school built with the mission to serve as many underserved students as possible, and it’s criminal to try and stop them from this mission. Read the petition and support the WDP—LLPCS’s struggle to stay open.

READING TOO LITTLE INTO IT. A troubling new report finds less children are reading for pleasure, in addition to a nationally low reading proficiency rate. Nine year-olds certainly might be reading anything and everything by Judy Blume, and teenagers still might learn about the 1930s according to Steinbeck, but more likely because of school assignments rather than self-drive. Reading proficiency levels paint an even bleaker picture, and are unsurprisingly consistent with stagnant NAEP scores posted by students year after year. The perception that kids aren’t pursuing books outside of the classroom is part of a systemic failure to nurture a love of learning, something innovative schools of choice are trying to reverse.

CHARTER STUDENTS GET AHEAD. Among the sea of proud graduates at the Ivy Tech Community College Commencement in Indiana was a group of three girls who had one slight distinction from the rest of the class – they were still in high school. Thanks to the dual credit agreement program between Ivy Tech and 21st Century Charter School, the Gary, IN teens obtained their associate’s degree while completing high school. And they’re not the only 21st Century students making early accomplishments. Sixteen year-old Johntrell Bowles will be working in a two-month program with medical students and professionals from all over the world, at the Indiana University School of Medicine-Northwest. If this doesn’t make the case for the need for strong charter school laws so that more opportunities like this exist for students, then we aren’t sure what is.

A STUDENT GROWS IN HARLEM. Ten year-old Alise Alexander loves to read, and is described as a learning “sponge” by her mother. That love for learning and going to school can be attributed to Success Academy Harlem Central in New York, where Alise has been going for five years. “This school had me at hello,” said Alise’s mother Monica. Success Academy has undoubtedly been described in many ways, but it seems unlikely it’s ever been named the “Jerry Maguire of charter schools.” Needless to say, both Alise and her mother were heartbroken upon hearing the initial mayoral decision to block location plans of their school of choice, potentially leading to the school’s closure. City Hall has since reversed course, but systemic funding inequities for charter schools still exist at the state level, leading to situations in which choice and charter hostility get chances to prevail. This is why structural changes in state laws are essential for reversing the nationwide trend of charter students like Alise receiving less per-pupil revenue.

RED TAPE? Overwhelmingly bipartisan charter school legislation passed the House of Representatives last week. While warnings about overregulation have surfaced (and are valid concerns as the federal government’s involvement with school policies can be more regulatory creep than helpful at times), after digging deeper, CER found out that there is some good to H.R. 10.  The admirable aspect about the Success and Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Act is that it encourages innovation at the local level. Because this legislation protects innovation at the school and classroom levels and incentivizes states to enact charter laws that protect from overregulation, H.R. 10 truly is a step in the right direction.

Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

Charter Schools Are All the Rage

May 13, 2014 By

Jeanne Allen, National Journal

Charter schools are all the rage, but are hardly a fad. The most important takeaway of the past twenty-two plus years now is that doing education differently and better is possible, when we put freedom and accountability at the center of the education process.

Scores of data have been collected, more so than with any other single education effort in modern history. It’s hard to believe we’re still debating the efficacy of a movement that has demonstrably transformed the public education system. Where once no choice existed and no innovations took place, today millions more students are in schools that are impacted and improved by charter schools, and live in policy environments with higher standards, accountability with teeth, improved performance measures and much more, because a once radical idea challenged the system to evolve or shutdown. Had this much happened to our nation as a result of any other conventionally-embraced education idea that reinforced our oldest thoughts about schooling, this nation would have unleashed armies to push it and defend it. Instead, charters today are forced to not only fight for existence and once thriving, must engage in political and policy gymnastics to prove that their statistics and measurements are validly demonstrating student achievement, when measurements are clear and apparent.

But that’s what the status quo does. It puts one on the defensive (if you let it) and makes you question the very reality that you see working. It makes David’s victory over Goliath seem like chance, when it’s nothing of the sort.

Meanwhile, such defensive posture causes charter leaders themselves to beat their breast with platitudes about accountability that drives more government and less freedom into the schools that were founded to do the opposite. As Rick Hess’ weekend opinion piece points out, “creeping bureaucratization and regulation are endangering the entire charter school movement.”

Hess describes the litany of successes that stand in stark contrast to this creeping wave of oversight that is often the result of ill-conceived but well-intentioned policies. The best charters in the country that started at this movement’s inception did so without a heavy hand (or start up funds) from the federal government and very little involvement from state departments of education. Rather than wring their hands for more money from the feds, supporters should be pushing for equity in spending at the state and local level. Federal funds bring with them federal intrusion of an irrational sort. Rules for rules’ sake, lots of people needing to be hired to manage and interpret the rules, and in the end, a system that looks very much like the one charters were designed to spurn will emerge. It’s happening now, and it’s a critical time to repair the damage being done and avoid the temptation to ask for more, which will inevitably be received, with strings.

As we consider how charters work for the masses, these empirical factoids are also important to have in hand.

1. The data clearly show that charter schools increase student achievement: https://edreform.com/issues…

2. Increased achievement is recognized by parents, business leaders and the general public, and is met by demand: https://edreform.com/2013/1…

3. States that ensure successful charter schools and accountability have strong laws that meet growing demand: https://edreform.com/2014/0…

4. Problems with charter laws are a result not of the concept but the weak policy environments.

5. Charter schools have professionalized the classroom, boosted confidence in public schools, spawned a bi-partisan consensus around choice and accountability and infused rigor into once entirely failing schools.

 

Purchase a copy of Jeanne Allen’s book, Education Reform: Before It Was Cool: The Real Story and Pioneers Who Made It Happen, here.

Filed Under: Opinions

Pennsylvania earns “C” grade on national education report card PA must strengthen policies to meet growing demand

May 12, 2014 By

Carbondale News

Fewer than half of state charter school laws in the United States earn above-average grades according to The Center for Education Reform’s (CER) 15th Edition of Charter School Laws Across the Staes: Rankings & Scorecard released recently, and Pennsylvania’s law was revealed to be mediocre, ranking 18th out of the nation’s 43 charter school laws, earning a grade of “C.”

“With the length of the average charter school waiting list increasing to nearly 300 students, there absolutely needs to be a sense of urgency around creating strong charter school laws that will accelerate the pace of growth to meet demand,” said Kara Kerwin, president of The Center for Education Reform.

“Not only are there hundreds of thousands of students on charter school wait lists, but the U.S. Census predicts the largest influx of school-aged children over the next 20 years at over 11 million. State lawmakers must be thinking outside the box to create a portfolio of new educational opportunities to meet this demographic reality.”

“While it is true the charter school sector in the United States has grown at a steady, linear pace since the first charter school law was passed in 1991, we know the highest charter school and enrollment growth is in jurisdictions with strong charter school laws,” said Alison Consoletti Zgainer, executive vice president of The Center for Education Reform and lead author of the rankings.

Strong charter laws feature independent, multiple authorizers, few limits on expansion, equitable funding, and high levels of school autonomy.

“These critical flexibilities and equitable resources must be codified in law, otherwise they fall prey to the whims of politicians. We are seeing this play out right now in New York City under Mayor Bill de Blasio, and have seen it before in Washington, D.C. and in Oakland, California,” said Kerwin.

Among the nation’s 43 charter school laws, there are 5 As, 9 Bs, and 18 Cs, with the remaining 11 states earning Ds and Fs.

Three states improved letter grades, with Mississippi jumping from an “F” last year to a “C” in 2014, Arizona going up from a “B” to an “A,” and Wisconsin going up from a “C” to a “B.”

Mississippi had the largest advance in score because of new legislation that increases schools’ autonomy.

“But even the highest-achieving states in CER’s annual rankings still have a long way to go in meeting parental demand and allowing highly accountable charter school options to flourish, as they are ten or more points away from a perfect score,” said Zgainer.

“As the nation celebrates twenty-plus years of charter schools, history suggests state laws need to be modeled after success, not theory,” Kerwin added. “There should be no excuses from elected officials in Pennsylvania now that we have powerful evidence of what works.”

Since 1996, the Center has studied and evaluated charter school laws based on their construction and implementation, and whether or not they yield the intended result of the charter school policy, which is to ensure the creation of numerous quality learning opportunities for children.

Filed Under: CER in the News

Great Hearts Academies

May 10, 2014 By

This is Part VII in a series dedicated to National Charter Schools Week.

People often say that small business owners on Main Street are the backbone of the economy, and provide real sources of inspiration for the rest of us. The same is true of the mom-and-pop charter school operators in American education reform.

Armed with fortitude, a desire to serve students, and a whole lot of elbow grease, these courageous activists set up schools that at the outset may appear to have a small presence, but end up making a big contribution to their community.

The founding of Arizona-based Great Hearts Academies is emblematic of this approach in delivering better schools, and speaks directly to the can-do attitude of any student or educator.

The passage rate for Great Hearts high schoolers on state testing for reading, writing, math science is far above state averages as of 2013, ranging from a 13 percent higher passage rate in reading to a 35 percent boost in math.

Between 85 and 96 percent of Great Hearts graduating classes go on to four-year colleges.

“Our goal here is to bring a classical, liberal arts curriculum that will close the achievement gap,” says Natalie Young Williams, Headmaster of Great Hearts’ Teleos Preparatory Academy.

Due to successes and an unwavering commitment to setting high expectations for graduation rates and subject proficiency, Great Hearts has since been able to expand into multiple campuses across Arizona for hard-working students in other communities, with plans to open new campuses across state lines in 2015.

Based on the Great Hearts ‘philosophical pillars,’ students also think twice about using sarcasm or derision with their colleagues, and opt instead for personal and intellectual collaboration and growth.

“Each of our graduates is characterized by a life-long commitment to the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty,” says Dr. Daniel Scoggin, Great Hearts CEO.

Filed Under: Commentary, Edspresso Tagged With: ,
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