Vol. 17, No. 26 UNCONSTITUTIONAL. As battles for civil rights are going on all across the country, a group that should be leading the charge for civil rights is actually playing a role in blocking civil rights for parents and families in Colorado. In 2011, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) together with other organizations,…

Vol. 17, No. 25 Special Charter Schools Conference Edition Team @edreform is on the ground at the National Charter Schools Conference in New Orleans, where school leaders, educators, parents, and activists are discussing how charter schools can provide a “Chance For Every Child,” the theme of this year’s gathering. A fitting one too, given the fact…

Vol. 17, No. 24 VIRTUAL POWER. And no, we’re not talking in hypotheticals here, but about the real power of online learning to close the achievement gap. One of the nation’s largest providers of online education, K12 Inc., released data revealing three of its biggest managed online virtual charter academies, Arizona Virtual Academy, Georgia Cyber…

Vol. 17, No. 23 DIPLOMAS COUNT. Education Week released its annual Diplomas Count special report earlier this week on high school graduation rates nationwide. Next Steps: Life After Special Education lays out high school graduation data disaggregated by ethnic group, as well as by English learner, socioeconomic, and disability status. Although the report lauds the…

Vol. 17, No. 22 UNIVERSAL CHOICE. Late last week, the Nevada legislature sent a universal education savings account (ESA) bill to Governor Brian Sandoval’s desk. The bill would put Nevada parents of children currently enrolled in public school in charge of either 90 or 100 percent of the statewide per-pupil expenditures for their children, depending…

Vol. 17, No. 21 #POWEROFCHOICE. Last week, News10NBC WHEC in Rochester, NY, aired an in-depth, multi-part series on the Power of Choice that explored why parents in Rochester aren’t afforded the same opportunities as parents in Washington, D.C. when it comes to finding the best educational fit for their children. The Center for Education Reform…

Vol. 17, No. 20 POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE. More students across the country are donning their caps and gowns this spring with U.S. graduation rates at an all-time high. However, the numbers aren’t telling the whole story. The Associated Press reported last week that “the record high graduation rate masks large gaps among low-income students and…

Vol. 17, No. 19 DOWNGRADED. This morning, Maryland became the first state to roll back its charter school law. While Governor Hogan’s original changes to Maryland’s charter school law would’ve made modest improvements to the state’s ‘F’ graded law, the State Senate gutted his vision, sending a bill to his desk that prohibits online charter…

Vol. 17, No. 18 Lots to celebrate this week with National Charter Schools Week and Teacher Appreciation Week! THANK YOU to schools and educators working hard for our kids! #THANKATEACHER. It is no secret teachers are the “gold stars” in a child’s education. Every single one of us can think back to a teacher that’s…

Vol. 17, No. 17 CHOICE IS POWER. This editor of Newswire had the pleasure to sit down with a mom yesterday to talk about her son’s education and the impact making a choice has had on his life. Barbara left D.C. in the mid-90s to escape the violence and chose to move to suburban Virginia to…