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California Students Post Top Test-Score Gains

11.18.2013

California students posted the biggest gains on a national standardized test last year, placing the state in the unfamiliar position of being the best rather than among the worst when it comes to anything related to education. Students here topped those in the 49 other states with a seven-point gain in eighth-grade reading, according to results…

N.J., Va. Governors May Face Legislative Hurdles

11.12.2013

By Andrew Ujifusa Education Week November 11, 2013 The two gubernatorial contests this year produced the re-election of a staunch foe of teachers’ unions in New Jersey and the election of a solid friend of public school funding in Virginia. Both winners, though, must deal with legislatures controlled by the opposite party as they consider…

2013 Nation's Report Card: Tennessee shows nation's best education gains

11.08.2013

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…

Ci Vediamo! A final note from CER president Jeanne Allen

10.31.2013

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…

Online Learning Remains Crucial Asset to Education Reform

10.28.2013

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

10.22.2013

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…

Jeanne Allen's take on the LA teacher strike deal

01.25.2019

CER Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen was interviewed this week in light of the deal struck in Los Angeles that ended the teacher strike in the nation’s second largest school district. Jeanne discussed the politics of the strike as well as the implications of the deal. CER also spoke to journalists at  the Washington Post,…

Jeanne Allen weighs in on possible LA teacher strike

01.11.2019

CER Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen was featured in several publications this week regarding the upcoming teacher strike in Los Angeles, which is home to the second largest school district in the nation. The strike would affect nearly half a million students, their families and 63,000 district employees and would be the first in nearly…

Year-End Report | 2018

12.13.2018

The Center for Education Reform | 2018 Year-End Report Dear Friends: I know you’re right in the thick of the holiday season, but I need just a final minute or two before year’s end to thank you for your fantastic contributions to the work of education opportunity this year! Without it, our children, students, and…

Another Look at NBC's Big Charter Mistake

06.19.2018

Indeed, Hechinger claims to have used NCES data to calculate racial balance in charter schools across the country that justify erroneous claims that increasingly charter schools do not reflect the racial balance of surrounding schools. However, as we pointed out, no researcher can make such statements based on NCES data. One needs at least 4…

Real Clear Policy

06.12.2018

They don’t call it “Real Clear Policy” for nothin’. Friend, colleague, fellow edreform pioneer (and honorary co-chair of CER’s Silver Anniversary Summit) Gov. Jeb Bush, and Steve Klinsky, Founder and CEO of Modern States Education Alliance, offer a compelling plan that would lower the cost of tuition (by up to 25 percent) and create an…

Tick, Tock – The Clock Winds Down on Janus v. AFSCME Decision

06.05.2018

The clock’s winding down, and decisions are being handed down, as the end of this session of the Supreme Court draws to a close.

The UNIONS, and their impact on Teachers

05.11.2018

National Charter Schools Week 2018 Day 3 Recognizing charter schools as well as those who enable their progress on this #TeachersDay 2018 must include a recognition of those that stand in the way of yet more progress- the National Education Association and the exceptionally hostile American Federation of Teachers (AFT). It’s no secret these two…

Keys to Success for Charter Schools Include Strong Legislators & Strong Laws

05.11.2018

National Charter Schools Week 2018 Day 2 Each year National Charter Schools Week gives charter advocates an opportunity not only to bring further attention to chartering and the myriad benefits it offers our children but to the elements critical for success. Let’s start the week with one major one – legislators. Having the dedicated support of legislators…

Opportunities Under Siege – National Charter Schools Week 2018: An Open Letter from Jeanne Allen


05.11.2018

National Charter Schools Week 2018 In the 27+ years since the founding of the charter school movement, tremendous progress has been made in the number of schools established, and in the wealth of innovative opportunities they offer to children, families, teachers and communities. In the 25 years CER has been leading the fight for innovation…

STAGNANT NAEP RESULTS POINT TO A NATION STILL AT RISK

04.10.2018

Recalling Reagan’s words: “When they graduate high school, they are prepared neither for work nor higher education.” (Washington, DC) — Precisely 35 years after A Nation at Risk was released this month in 1983, student achievement is either flat or dropping for many US students, according to the results of the latest National Assessment of Education…

Ineffective laws and overregulation are strangling education opportunity, CER charter school law research finds

03.22.2018

Despite increasing demand for charter schools throughout the United States, an increased supply of new education opportunities for students has been compromised. This is owing to poorly written charter school laws and overregulation in many states, according to a new report from the Center for Education Reform. The 2018 National Charter School Law and Rankings…

Monday: US Supreme Court hears arguments on worker freedom

02.23.2018

On Monday the U.S. Supreme Court hears oral arguments in Janus v. AFSCME. The significance of this case cannot be overstated; the decision could potentially restore the freedom of public employees to choose how they want their hard-earned paychecks spent, and might put decisions about voluntary union membership back into the hands of the employees…

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