February 6, 2013
February 6, 2013 “It is hard to believe that year-after-year, smart, well-intentioned researchers believe they can make national conclusions about charter school performance using uneven data, flawed definitions of poverty and ignoring variations in state charter school laws,” said Jeanne Allen president of The Center for Education Reform (CER). Yes, CREDO is at it again, […]
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February 5, 2013
Michelle Rhee’s new book has us thinking about the term “radical.” (Especially after learning the book was originally titled “DARE TO DREAM: My Fight for Better Schools and a Brighter Future” ) Kudos to Michelle for her bold work in DC and in her thought leadership around the country. We need her voice and her […]
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January 31, 2013
Bill Gates was in my spam. He shouldn’t have been. His letter is powerful, his message is powerful, and unlike way too many funders, he actually knows that we are all in this for the long haul! The Gates Foundation was forward thinking enough to fund the Center’s bold media outreach work, and the Media […]
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January 28, 2013
January 28, 2013 Who knew Edith Wharton might lose her place in history because of the Common Core? In yet another article about how state standards are being negatively affected by the new wave of national standards, this pioneering piece from the Pioneer Institute makes clear that there’s more at stake than meets the eye. […]
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January 17, 2013
January 17, 2013 We’ve got a treat for you this Thursday afternoon with this blast from the past letter we found in our archives and couldn’t help but share, especially with National School Choice Week only 10 days away and an Arkansas Senator just yesterday proposing new school choice legislation : (click on the image to […]
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January 16, 2013
January 16, 2013 Huh? There are lots of ridiculously inaccurate things said about charters but this one takes the cake. “…charters are often not designed with the focus of being responsive to parents…” That’s funny. I’m not sure how one attracts parents if they are not responsive, but apparently an academic at NYU — and […]
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January 10, 2013
January 10, 2013 This year’s report from an education news publisher ranks Maryland as number one yet again , and yet again we feel like screaming at the top of our lungs “Wake Up, Maryland! Your schools aren’t No.1!” In the “Wake Up!” piece, CER President Jeanne Allen points out how the ratings that put […]
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January 9, 2013
January 9, 2013 No, we don’t have the ability to tell the future, we just know what solid chartering practices look like, and Maine does not have them. Yesterday’s Newswire noted the Governor’s attempts to improve Maine’s charter school law, but we suggested he go further and consider real multiple authorizers not tied to the […]
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January 2, 2013
January 2, 2013 Charters still suffer inequity despite great success, a point reinforced in a recent piece by Peter Roff. Chester, Pennsylvania, has more than 3,000 students in charter schools, with a better success rate than local public schools. As Roff puts it: Creating what it calls a “Private, Public School” culture, the Chester charter […]
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December 18, 2012
A commentary in the Wall Street Journal today, “The Irrational Fear of For-Profits in Education” , could not have come at a better time, as the hearing on the Brockton charter school, run by for-profit provider SABIS, is today in Massachusetts. The Wall Street Journal piece notes that Americans are fine with privatization in many […]
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