BACK-TO-SCHOOL NO. 101 AUGUST 2012

CER President Jeanne Allen explains why CER is Taking America Back to School on Education Reform.

It was encouraging to see ed reform being talked about in this campaign season. We agree that school choice is where Mitt Romney and President Obama’s education plans differ the most and believe that it could be a defining issue in the campaign.

"Public Money Finds Back Door to Private Schools” (front page, May 22) doesn’t mention facts and data showing that more choices in education lead to increased student achievement without doing harm to traditional public schools.

College done well need not be a luxury item. But as long as the colleges feel the have to compete for students on the non-academic differentiators, they will continue to spend aimlessly, and raise their prices, knowing that sympathetic ears in Washington will support them in the name of education for all.

Many people know the old adage, often attributed to Churchill, that the two things one best not see being made are law and sausage. Indeed when it comes to education policy there is no better truism.

We strongly urge the mayor to remember what is important. It is not where a child is educated, it is about ensuring that every child has equal access to a high-quality education. That’s the power of parental choice and the reason that the District has been a model for providing these options to parents.

The Center for Education Reform president Jeanne Allen on which states support and hinder the expansion of charter schools.

It has become increasingly clear over the last 20 to 30 years that college is a necessary component of a middle class lifestyle in America. Should it be that way?

If you are in one of the ten Super Tuesday states, make it clear that education is not some "other" thing -- a luxury issue that we can only afford to consider when times are flush. Education reform is fundamental to our nation's economic success.