Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN November 8, 2013 Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam and state Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman took a victory lap Thursday, dropping into John P. Freeman Optional School mid-afternoon to celebrate a glory day: Tennessee made the largest gains in the nation in fourth- and eight-grade reading and math, according to National Assessment of…

Dear Friends: Only a few times in my life have I had writer’s block, or been speechless, but lately it’s happening every day! Maybe it’s because my time as president of the Center for Education Reform is now coming to an end, and it is indeed bittersweet. I’m so proud of all that we’ve accomplished together. As…

Surprising split in school reformer monolith By Jay Mathews Critics of current trends in education reform, such as historian Diane Ravitch, often complain that they are up against a phalanx of business executives and rich investors more interested in making money than improving schools. These people, the critics say, march in lock step to replace…

The Center for Education Reform 20th Anniversary Gala by Mark Lerner Examiner.com October 11, 2013 My wife Michele and I had the distinct pleasure of attending the Center for Education Reform’s 20th anniversary Gala and Awards Show Wednesday evening. The Washington Hilton ballroom was filled with a who’s who of education reformers on both the local…

School Choice Does Work, is Constitutional By Richard Komer DNJ.com October 18, 2013 Zelman v. Simmons-Harris in 2002 was of one of the most important U.S. Supreme Court decisions since Brown vs. Board of Education. In Zelman v. Simmons-Harris, the court upheld the constitutionality of a school choice program in Cleveland for low-income children long…

Sept. 3, 2013 Download or print your PDF copy of the Parent Power Index Scoring Rubric [pdf issuu_pdf_id="130912144212-533085a3a0e04effaab0c4de7697358c" layout="2" width="640" height="480" bgcolor="FFFFFF" allow_full_screen_="1" flip_timelaps="6000" ]

Proficiency tops 51% in math and reading by Meredith Somers Washington Times July 30, 2013 Standardized test scores for D.C. public and charter schools are the highest they have been in six years, an accomplishment officials on Tuesday said should be applauded but also serve as motivation to continue to raise the bar. The D.C.…

"Launching charter school in Miss. a grueling process" by Ruth Ingram Courier-Post July 6, 2013 The first public charter school in Mississippi could open in less than two years. But those who want to found one face a grueling process to put together a serious application that must win approval from a seven-member state board…

New Mexico Connections Academy, the state’s second virtual-learning charter school, is opening next month and already about 300 students from around the state have enrolled.

A Policy Perspective: Defining the Needs of Substantive Education Reform in Federal Program