Sign up for our newsletter
Contact

Newswire: April 25, 2017

April 25, 2017 By

DANGER IN DC? The competitive education sector in Washington, DC is once again in danger from opponents in Congress who want to prevent the SOAR Act from being reauthorized, again. Despite support from House Speaker Paul Ryan and the leadership, the modest $45 million program which is a lifeline to students to attend the school (link to Serving our children) of their choice and supports traditional and public charter schools alike is opposed by the teachers unions and thus their supporters in Congress. Time to take action. Learn more and write your congressional representatives now.

EACH TIME EDUCATION FAILS, THE AMERICAN DREAM DIES A LITTLE BIT. In an excerpt of his new book, Charter Schools Work: America’s Failing Urban School Districts Can Be Transformed, Bush Helzberg observes that the traditional public-school systems in America’s urban cores have failed students for decades. Put simply, millions of kids from low-income families lack access to a high-quality K-12 education. Helzberg argues that this state of affairs is “not only a tremendous social injustice, but is in direct conflict with the American dream ethos inspired by the Constitution.” Read the rest of his insightful work, exclusively on EdReform.com.

 

THE POWER OF THE PEN. Jeanne Allen thinks that Arizonans should be thanking local parents, political leaders and pundits, not Washington, DC, for the recent expansion of the Grand Canyon state’s ESAs—and says so in her letter to the editor of The New York Times.

KATE O’BEIRNE, R I P. The tributes keep coming. Whether CNN, NationalReview or this perfect homage by April Ponnuru, they barely scratch the surface of the witty, wise and beautiful commentator, principled thought leader, friend, wife and mother the world lost this weekend. Kate also served as a founding CER board member, and her informal advice throughout the years was always invaluable. Jeanne Allen talks about her own experiences with Kate here. The CER extended family is but a fraction of those who feel the loss of such a great American. Our hearts and prayers go out to her friends and family.

May the road rise to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face.
And rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,
May God hold you in
the hollow of His hand.

Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

Newswire: April 18, 2017

April 18, 2017 By
Children

EVERYTHING’S UP TO DATE IN KANSAS CITY? Well, not exactly, but it’s a work in progress. We offer a hearty welcome to the Ed Reform arena to the new SchoolSmart KC, an education organization dedicated to closing the achievement gap in the Kansas City public school system in the next ten years. One big lesson that we hope will drive your work: remember that the ingredients for successful parent empowerment are Innovation – with real flexibility for schools to be innovative and personalize learning; and Opportunity – the opportunity to control your child’s school choice, and for teachers and school leaders to control how they allocate and spend dollars. For more on why, get to know the University of Arkansas’ Department of Education Reform.

THIS IS PROGRESS? The District of Columbia State Education Agency submitted an ESSA plan that commits both traditional public and charter schools to a “common accountability system,” with the blessing of the charter leadership in the city. It’s extraordinary that there was so much support to capture charter schools under the SEA state plan umbrella, when no such requirement exists in federal law and the charters themselves are LEAs, accountable for federal law through their authorizer, not the district/state. It’s as if they believed that pulling all charters under one accountability umbrella is consistent with their mandate to offer diverse options across all D.C. students attending public schools and charter schools. Does anyone know that ESSA plans become the foundation for federal intervention (no matter what administration comes and goes)? Guess not.

ACTUALLY ­THIS IS PROGRESS. Show me a state that is moving the needle for kids and I’ll show you a state where opportunity and innovation have been deeply seeded into the educational terrain. In this case, the state is Florida where an annual Department of Education study reveals that in 2015-2016 the state’s charter school students made greater learning gains than their peers in traditional public schools and outperformed them on state exams in 65 out of 77 comparisons. It also found that racial achievement gaps were smaller in charter schools, and that charter students learned more from one year to the next in 82 of 96 comparisons that focused on learning gains. Also, in 20 out of 22 comparisons, charters had smaller achievement gaps in math, English and social studies between white students and their black and Hispanic peers.

A quick glance at Florida’s education department website also earns the state a big thumbs up. Not only is it user friendly, it also offers a state-supported array of information and options that empowers educators and parents.

GAO STUDYING CHOICE? That’s like asking the teachers unions to study teacher performance. Originally called the Government Accounting Office, and set up as the “Investigative arm of Congress charged with the auditing and evaluation of Government programs and activities,” they are now used as the personal play thing for some lawmakers who want to challenge policy proposals with which they don’t agree. Concerned about the potential progress of a new federally supported school choice program, Democratic Senators Patty Murray, Sheldon Whitehouse and Ron Wyden want the GAO to investigate the “schemes” that are currently helping millions of students with scholarships to attend schools that meet their needs (and who, unlike most members of congress, can’t afford to pay on their own!). For years the GAO has been asked to conduct misleading and politically charged studies without qualification or a legitimate role.
Maybe the Trump administration should defund this agency, too.

TRUMP ED STAFF. But first he should engage one of his head honchos to uncork the bottleneck that seems to be preventing critical and qualified high-level hires at the US Department of Education. It’s not possible to drive innovation, flexibility and change in the status quo without a leadership team fighting for it every day. Hundreds of qualified leaders from the Ed Reform front lines are battle worn and tested and ready to aid and abet serious federal policy efforts. What’s the hold up? Inquiring minds want to know.

Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

Newswire: April 11, 2017

April 11, 2017 By

Education is hot today in Washington. 17 CEOs are at the White House, scheduled to talk about issues ranging from education & infrastructure (note: we think they go together). The Atlantic’s 3rd annual ideas summit is up and running and we’re happy to see the presence of Derrell Bradford to balance that of Randi Weingarten. Education choice is, like the pollen count, spreading into the ether, and more…

 A TALKING POINT FOR THE WHITE HOUSE & THE CEOS. Imagine combining needed improvements in rural infrastructure in those red states that so handily won the race for Trump with expanded and improved educational options, and private sector development of teacher villages to attract talent. That should be what is on the national agenda today. “Until educational, social and economic policies are implemented with rural communities in mind, rural citizens should continue to work to break down barriers for more socially just rural schools and communities in the same way that urban citizens have.” That’s the argument from a Penn State Professor for one piece of the puzzle improving rural communities – “The Unique case for rural charter schools,” . Together with providing much needed flexibility for school districts to innovate and incentives for public private partnerships, a commitment to rural America could make today’s meeting truly pathbreaking.

 MEANWHILE OVER AT THE NEWSEUM… The Atlantic is hosting its education summit, conducting interviews of newsmakers in education as a look into what’s next for edreform. AFT head Randi Weingarten was on the same stage (sadly, not together) with long time ed reformer Derrell Bradford. Watch here.

OH, WHAT? Asked for comment following a discussion on charters, Weingarten lamented, “Oh god…,” and went on to claim the schools were the AFT’s idea. Not so! The real origin?

#BLACKDEGREESMATTER. If you want to know what parents and students really think about school choice, check out this piece from the Philadelphia Citizen.

CHOICE SPREADS. It’s been imbedded deeper and deeper in the environment, and in a society that is all about advancement, after 26 years you’d expect to reach a tipping point. By now it should be clear: education must evolve at the pace of its nation.

The latest spread is in pioneering Arizona, where a universally available new choice program will allow 5,500 additional students this year and 30,000 by 2022 to sign up for Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, giving them access to programs that biggest meet their children’s needs.

Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

Newswire: April 4, 2017

April 4, 2017 By

INNOVATORS: START YOUR ENGINES…

 

… The Trump campaign made it clear they’d give states and localities unprecedented flexibility. He also said he’d ensure that disadvantaged families would have unprecedented access to school choice. Once in charge, he passed the baton to his new EdSec Betsy DeVos, who has said that not only will the ESSA state review process be fluid but that she will look for ways to encourage innovation as well as open up the conversation for how school choice might be encouraged. This is consistent with the vision of the bill’s main steward, HELP Committee Chair Lamar Alexander. So innovators, start your engines…

SOME ARE WARY. Pray tell, why? Some Members of Congress just can’t live without micromanaging education policy. According to Politico Education, several Democratic Senators want the ESSA plans to consult with “stakeholders” (AKA the Education Blob). But that rule was removed by the new EdSec to allow states to decide how best to develop their plans. The notion that Washington should be telling states who to talk to is, well, it’s nuts. Here’s why we think so.

 

MILITARY CHOICES. We’ve said it before – we should stop at nothing when it comes to serving Military families. And we’ve written about it. So we are thrilled to see that military options are the subject of much talk in Washington and around the country. Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) introduced a bill this year which would provide scholarships to students in military families on base of up to $8,000 for elementary school students and $12,000 for high school students. On the charter front, bases such as Washington, DC’s Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling have invited proposals for a new charter school to serve families.  We would take it all step further – how about a full voucher for every child of an active or veteran military family to attend the public, private or public charter of their choice, no matter where they are located? That would be the least we could do.

DEEP IN THE HEART OF TEXAS.  Good news, bad news this week in Texas where the Senate passed a bill which would create a tax credit scholarship program for low income students as well as Education Savings Accounts for low income students who want to attend private schools. If it clears the Texas House the Lone Star State would join 25 other states and DC in advancing parent power and choice. The bad news: chair of the Texas House Committee on Public Education, Rep. Dan Huberty says he sees the bill is dead.  Want to help? Contact Texans for Parent Power.

MEANWHILE IN THE SHOW ME STATE.  Recently the Missouri House passed Rep. Rebecca Roeber’s bill which would fix a major flaw in the state’s charter school law: that charter schools are only allowed in Kansas City and St. Louis. But the bill, now in the Senate, is in jeopardy of being tabled because of an exceptionally heavy legislative case load. If you live in Missouri, contact your senator and let him or her know that ensuring opportunity for students is one of the most important things that they can do, and to vote for the darn bill! Contact MissouriCharterSchools.org to get involved in bringing more opportunities to Missouri!

IN OTHER NEWS. Congratulations to West Michigan Academy of Environmental Sciences principal Kerri Barrett, who is one of the top finalists for the state’s administrator of the year.  Her school also happens to be one of the highest ranking in the state among all public schools. Oh, and its run by a local management company. (Thanks go to the state’s charter advocacy group, MAPSA, for the heads up.)

Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

Newswire Special Edition! The National Charter School Laws Rankings: March 28, 2017

March 28, 2017 By

CER’S NATIONAL CHARTER SCHOOL LAW RANKINGS AND SCORECARD. Last week the Center for Education Reform (CER) released its annual ranking of charter school laws for the states and the District of Columbia, giving fewer than a quarter of state charter school laws in the U.S. above-average grades.

CER'S NATIONAL CHARTER SCHOOL LAW RANKINGS AND SCORECARD.

 

1. MULTIPLE AUTHORIZERS MATTER. States that permit a number of entities in addition to local school boards to authorize charter schools, and that provide applicants with a binding appeals process, encourage more activity. In states with strong charter school laws like Indiana, Michigan and New York, universities have proven to be incredibly sophisticated and successful charter school authorizers. Universities combine expertise and operational capabilities of a robust educational institution with the independence to embrace cutting edge teaching methods that move the needle for students.

2. IMPLEMENTATION OFTEN DIFFERS FROM WHAT’S ON PAPER. States that follow what’s written in law tend to have healthier charter school environments. For example, some states say they’re going to fund schools equitably but fail to do so.

3. ON THE UPS. The two states that improved their rankings the most from 2015 to 2016 were Massachusetts, which jumped from 27th place to 10th and North Carolina which moved from 23rd place to 13th. Three states experienced double digit drops in their rankings: Washington fell from 28th to 40th, Delaware dropped from 21st to 31st, and Ohio went from 14th to 24th.

4. GOING DOWN. Compared to our 2015 rankings, we lowered the grades of 13 states: Minnesota and Michigan from A to B; Utah, Missouri and Idaho from B to C; Delaware, Oregon, Washington, Hawaii, Maine and Illinois form C to D; and Alaska and Iowa from D to F. Only the District of Columbia, Arizona and Indiana received A’s, while Michigan, Minnesota, Colorado, California, Florida, New York, Massachusetts and South Carolina earned B’s.

5. WATCH FOR REGULATORY RELOAD. Don’t take our word for it, just ask Ben Lindquist’s whose piece says overregulation undermines the ability of charter schools “to offer distinctive, high-quality options to students and families with differing needs and preferences.” (A not-so-fun fact from his article: “In 2014-15, Arkansas charters were each expected to submit 374 separate reports” through nine reporting systems.)

Huerta and Zuckerman studied the inception of this regulatory fervor in 2009—called it Management Recentralization (2009)—which many of today’s most influential charter leaders believe is the necessary extension of replacing the “frontier era” of charter schooling with more centralized “planning and coordination.”  Not on our watch.

Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

Newswire: March 15, 2017

March 15, 2017 By
A weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else — spiced with a dash of irreverence — from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

 

 

CHARTERS GO TO WASHINGTON. Wouldn’t you know that on the day CER was taking a diverse bi-partisan group of charter leaders to meet with Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, a major snowstorm threatened the nation’s capital?  It turned out to be more of a whimper than a roar. And most made it here, using trains, planes and automobiles from as far as California. They shared the challenges that all schools face with the imposition of more and more regulations, funding inequity and lack of air and ground cover. But no matter what the problems caused by friend and foe, these leaders are providing great opportunities for students and will not be deterred. This meeting is just the beginning.

Among those CER was proud to accompany on our trek through the snow (slush, actually) were: 7 Degrees of Change Foundation’s Paul Norcross (NC); Friendship Public Charter School’s Patricia Brantley (DC), State University of New York (SUNY) Charter Schools Institute’s Susie Miller Carello; Dawn Evenson and Amber Raskin, iLEAD Schools California; Charter Schools USA’sJonathan Hage;David Hardy,Boy’s Latin Charter School of Philadelphia; Rob Kremer, Connections Education; and K12’s Stuart Udell. Involved but unable to make it through the storm were GEO’s Kevin Teasley, Constellation Schools’ Rick Lukich (OH), Sabis Schools’ Jose Afonso and Indiana’s Tony Bennett.

 

 

 

TODAY: The Fight for Choice in Kentucky continues, and they are aided again by the experience of other states. From iLead Spring Meadows near Toledo, Ohio came LaTanya Wilson and her 5th grade son, Ellis, to tell their story about why this new school, opened only because of the presence of the state’s first university authorizer, has changed their lives. Governor Matt Bevin, who knows that without parent power there can be no economic opportunity, has been personally campaigning for a bill to open up the state for the first time to choices. CER has been fighting along side him, and against those who would prefer to maintain the tight grip of school districts on all education, despite their spotty success throughout the state and nation.  As all of us know, that’s like giving the competition the keys to your safe.

We are proud to be fighting on the side of educational opportunity in the Bluegrass state. If you’re in Kentucky or know others who are, use this tool to tell the legislators that you want a charter school bill that promotes real opportunity please click here.

 

 

 

WOW? Little noted yesterday was something called the Presidential Executive Order on Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch, which includes this provision: “In developing the proposed plan described in subsection (c) of this section, the Director shall consider, in addition to any other relevant factors: (i) whether some or all of the functions of an agency, a component, or a program are appropriate for the Federal Government or would be better left to State or local governments or to the private sector through free enterprise.”

For us nonlawyers, what does this mean? It may mean, “Wow!” It may also mean that the Department of Education (and a lot of other federal departments and agencies) could look very different by the end of the year. More to come on this, too.

 

 

SOARING INTO EDUCATIONAL EQUITY. Last Friday, the House Oversight Committee held a hearing about on the reauthorization of the Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Act. SOAR, as it’s known, provides 1,100 poor students the opportunity to attend schools of their choice. You’d think that a successful program that grants opportunity to low- income kids and closes the achievement gap would be popular across party lines. Unfortunately, you’d be wrong; for opponents of choice and opportunity have done their best to stonewall SOAR. Fortunately, the bill passed the committee and now awaits a vote by the full House.

TWITTER. Every day, CER advocates for educational opportunity through the wonderful world of Twitter. As a testament to our success, we just passed 37,000 followers. Help us get to 40,000 by following us — then tell your friends.

And speaking of Twitter, an op-ed on this very subject by our CEO, Jeanne Allen, was tweeted this morning by none other than Kellyanne Conway.

The mission of the Center for Education Reform (CER) is 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.
Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

KENTUCKY HOUSE PASSES CHARTER SCHOOL BILL

March 7, 2017 By
Paul Clement

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                CONTACT
March 3, 2017                                                                                                  Patrick Korten
pkorten@edreform.com | 202-750-0016

Hope for a better charter school law now lies with State Senate

The lower house of the Kentucky legislature passed HB520 this afternoon, a bill which in all but isolated cases strengthens the hands of school districts to limit charter schooling in Kentucky.

Applicants wanting to open a charter school in the state will first have to get permission from the district, which experience shows is rarely given in the absence of a swift and binding appeal to the state board of education or multiple chartering authorizers.

While an amendment offered by Representative Phil Moffett adding the Mayors of Louisville and Lexington as authorizers improved the bill, other changes, including a provision barring charters from contracting with businesses to support and manage their schools, and barring online education, made it much worse.

The Kentucky Education Association president opposed even the dramatically scaled back version of the measure. As has been typical elsewhere, Kentucky school boards and superintendents have been lobbying hard against charter schools, and creating fear among rural legislators that charter schools would drain their school funding.

“This isn’t about money or preserving power, and the end of the day it’s where are we are getting bank for the buck and are we helping kids succeed, said Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin, who personally asked the House Education Committee to pass the bill.

Promoted as a program primarily designed to help minority children trapped in failing schools, left unchanged the bill would result in a dramatically different environment than states with strong charter school sectors. Read More…

“CER has been working for months with leaders in the state to create a better understanding of the conditions necessary for a strong charter school law, said the Center’s CEO, Jeanne Allen. But we respectfully disagree with our colleagues who joined the fight later that simply passing a bill is progress.

“It’s very disappointing to see such hard work give way to the determined defenders of the status quo. We’re hopeful that the State Senate can do better next week,” said Allen.

Read More on Charter Schools in Kentucky.

Filed Under: CER in the News, Press Releases, Breaking News

The Top 9 Moments You Missed When We Debated Charter Schools

March 7, 2017 By

Are charter schools overrated? This was the topic at hand for Wednesday night’s Intelligence Squared debate. Jeanne Allen and Gerard Robinson advocated for charter schools as they took on Gary Miron and Julian Vasquez Heilig. The discussion was impassioned, intelligent, and civil (mostly). If you didn’t get the chance to tune in, here are the highlights:

  • Jeanne Allen responds to the fear of for-profit companies’ involvement in charter school:
    • “Who cares what the tax status of a company is if our kids are learning?”
  • Jeanne Allen counters Heilig’s accusation that charter schools “are anti-democratic”:
    • “There is nothing more democratic than parents actually participating directly in the education of their children.”
  • Gerard Robinson calls out traditional public schools for their lack of accountability:
    • “In 2016-2017, 35 charter schools in that state closed and identified exactly why they closed. In this fiscal year, right now, there are nearly seven that have closed. You go to a Department of Education and they say we are going to close a school, either driven by the authorizer or number of factors … How many public schools have you seen close because students didn’t do as well?”
  • The audience chimes in on Twitter:

  • Jeanne Allen underlines the real issue at hand:
    • “You’re a parent. You open your door and you are zoned to your traditional public school because of your zip code!”
  • Which won the applause of the room and some folks on twitter:

Jeanne Allen’s closing remarks:
“I thank Gary and Julian. I vehemently disagree with your position but I respect your passion, your integrity, and your commitment. I will work every day of my life to change your minds.”
While Gerard and Jeanne didn’t land the New York vote, they had plenty of support from people watching at home.

Filed Under: Commentary

Newswire: February 21, 2017

February 21, 2017 By

OK-LA-HO-MA. Choice in the Sooner State may soon have more meaning if a bill that passed the Senate Education Committee becomes law. The measure, SB 560, would allow public money to follow students to private schools. That’s the good news. The bad news: the bill was amended to limit it to counties with 150,000 residents or more, so it would only apply to Oklahoma, Tulsa and Cleveland counties. The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Rob Standridge, said the measure is about opportunity and school choice for inner-city students—which leaves the question, “What about the rest of the state?” Still, it’s a step in the right direction, although some, like Deborah Gist, Tulsa Schools Superintendent (also former Rhode Island Commissioner of Education, and a founding member of Chiefs for Change) were having none of it.

 

 

Truth is; “We should be funding students, not schools; whichever school best meets their needs.”

 

 

 

“THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION IS CONSIDERING a first-of-its-kind federal tax credit scholarship program that would channel billions of dollars to working class families to enable their children to attend private schools, including religious schools,” so says Politico. The bottom line: “Details of how such a program might be structured are not known.” Still, it’s a nice synopsis of what might be in store in the weeks and months ahead.

WHOA, KENTUCKY! At the moment, Kentucky is galloping in the wrong direction in its quest for charter school legislation. Worried that a strong charter law might not be constitutional, the leadership has offered up an anemic, watered-down bill that will do more harm than good. But, legal scholars have determined that a strong bill IS constitutional so let’s back up and do this right. As CER founder Jeanne Allen said (along with a lot of other things) in her Courier-Journal op-ed today, “A quarter century of experience and the success of tens of thousands of charter school graduates points the way. There is no reason not to do this the right way, and enact a strong law in the Bluegrass state.”  (By the way, check out the new page devoted to Kentucky on edreform.com.)

VOUCHERS v CHARTERS: “THERE’S NOTHING LIKE A GOOD VOUCHER BATTLE TO REFOCUS REFORMERS’ ENERGIES!” Sometimes when states drift away from some of the core principles of charter schools (like Oklahoma, for example, where increased administrative burdens are being placed on charters—pushing schools farther away from their intended focus, i.e. on kids, and toward one the primary ailments they set out to avoid in the first place, i.e. stifling bureaucracy) a discussion of the value of vouchers helps re-strengthen waning charter efforts. That may not always the case but the near Pavlovian negative response to voucher-talk that occurs in most states does seem to help make charters a more welcome alternative. In any case, it’s worth noting these voucher rumblings in Tennessee.

 

 

 

AND, SINCE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT IT“It” being the aforementioned increased administrative burden being advocated for/placed on charters schools, you should read the February 8th EdWeek commentary “Untie Charter’s Bureaucratic Strings,” to learning how it is that “Charters are slowly morphing into bureaucratic, risk-averse organizations fixated on process over experimentation.”

Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

Action This Week in Kentucky House on Charter-School Legislation

February 21, 2017 By

This week, a charter-school measure sponsored by Rep. John Carney, HB520, will be taken up by the House Education Committee, probably on Thursday. HB520 is a very weak charter bill, apparently because of unjustified concerns about the constitutionality of a stronger bill.

The Center for Education Reform recently asked former Solicitor General of the United States, Paul Clement, who has argued 80 cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, to provide a legal analysis of the Kentucky Constitution’s provisions regarding the state’s educational system. He and a team of constitutional lawyers at the Washington, D.C. firm of Kirkland & Ellis found that the Constitution does “not limit the General Assembly’s broad authority under Section 183 to structure the common school system as the General Assembly sees fit.”

Some Kentucky policymakers say they’ve been told that the state constitution requires the operation of schools exclusively through existing elected school boards. But in his report, Clement finds that Section 183 of the constitution “clearly grants the General Assembly broad authority to decide what reforms will make the common school system most efficient.”

Jeanne Allen, the founder and CEO of the Center for Education Reform, said that the report was great news for the cause of parent power in Kentucky, and urged policymakers to change course. “To embrace a watered down, ineffective, measure on the erroneous notion that a strong bill is unconstitutional would be tragic,” Allen said. “There’s no reason that this weak legislation should go forward.”

HB520 would put Kentucky’s charter school law in the same category as states like Iowa, Virginia and Kansas, the weakest and least effective charter programs among the 43 states that have enacted charter laws over the past 25 years.

Read the Clements report here.

Filed Under: CER in the News, Press Releases, Breaking News
« Older Posts
Newer Posts »