A great example of some non-traditional thinking and educating  that focuses on real skills for real jobs comes from the Birdville Center of Technology and Advanced Learning - @BISDBCTAL - in North Richland Hills, Texas. As the Wall Street Journal explains, students there draw blood to practice phlebotomy, serve as tellers at the campus-based credit […] Read more »

 June 2019: The Path to Charter SchoolsWhat they are, how they got here, and the real reason behind this innovation in public educationA brief but critical history of the charter school idea. “The Path To Charter Schools” is a first-hand account that corrects the myths and misinformation concerning charters circulating in the public eye.“Charter schools […] Read more »

FOX & FRIENDS 6.27.2019SENATOR ELIZABETH WARREN INTRODUCES A PLAN FOR GOVERNMENT-RUN AND REGULATED CHILD CARE…HERE’S WHY IT WON’T WORK Jeanne Allen, Founder and CEO of CER, appeared on Fox & Friends, June 27, 2019 to discuss Senator Elizabeth Warren’s Universal Child Care and Early Learning Act, which would establish a network of federally subsidized and regulated […] Read more »

Wall Street JournalJune 25, 2019Wall Street Journal has words for the Mayor and advice for Congress The Washington, D.C. City Council on Wednesday is meeting to discuss charter schools. Let’s hope someone asks Mayor Muriel Bowser why her administration is denying space to charters—at the same time it plans to spend millions to refurbish under-utilized traditional schools.The […] Read more »

It’s been a very busy week for CER, and with a hat tip to Clint Eastwood we send along examples of the good, the bad and the ugly from this week's news.Jeanne Allen’s latest piece in Forbes highlights the good – in fact the very good.   Alpha Academy in Fayetteville, North Carolina is innovating education oppurtunity and […] Read more »

 Innovation spurred by charter schools has improved student outcomes, created more personalized and customized learning environments for students, and driven innovation in traditional schools that would have otherwise not occurred. Read more in this essay featuring  Jeanne Allen, Founder and CEO of CER and Nina Rees, the President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools  Read more »

Dear Charter School Friends,What a crazy thing - the Friday of National Charter Schools Week, presidential candidate Bernie Sanders says that as president he will put an end to charter schools.As my mother would have said, “the nerve!”Sanders’ comments - yelling about transparency (which of course exists) or regulation (which charters have plenty of!) and […] Read more »

by Jeanne AllenFoundation for Florida's FutureMay 13, 2019 Nearly 25 years ago, I had the opportunity to witness the beginnings of historic education reform in Florida. In 1995, Jeb Bush, who would be governor a few years later, was laying the groundwork for an educational renaissance in Florida and for the nation.On the morning of a […] Read more »

by Jeanne AllenForbesMay 8, 2019America is the land of innovation, leading the world in technology, art and industry — yet we still have a 20th-century educational system. Our schools are stifled by regulatory overload, making it difficult to bring needed change to outdated ways of doing things. Fortunately for our nation’s children, enterprising individuals at […] Read more »

by Jeanne AllenThe Post and CourierMay 6, 2019 Last week, teachers called out of school to protest at the South Carolina Statehouse — a fitting final act to a school year already defined by teacher strikes across the nation.Earlier in the year, teachers went on strike in Los Angeles, Denver, West Virginia and other areas. The […] Read more »