NEWS & ANALYSIS
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Being Suspended = Best Day?
05.22.2013
“The day I got suspended was my best day because it helped me change. Now I stay away from trouble…It feels great to be a leader and not a follower.” Not many people would say getting suspended was their best day in school, but 2nd grader Vincent Smith Jr. of Urban Academy in Minnesota appreciated…
Celebrating Volunteer State Charter Schools
05.17.2013
This Saturday, Tennessee charter school leaders, teachers, and advocates will be honored at the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville during the Tennessee Charter School Association’s 2nd annual gala. Teacher of the year awards, among others, will be given out during the celebration. CER’s very own VP of External Affairs, Kara Kerwin, was honored…
True Colors: Celebrating Teachers, Students, and Reform
05.10.2013
May 10, 2013 Our PALs in CA, in a lovely email about how much of a difference a great teacher can make in a child’s life, shared John Legend’s rendition of an 80s anthem celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week, calling on our students to celebrate their “true colors.” Legend is among dozens of past CER EdReformie…
I should be curled up in the Fetal position…
05.09.2013
May 9, 2013 I should be curled up in the Fetal position… Diane Ravitch’s blog is full of comments about me and my family… apparently in an attempt to discredit my integrity. Weird. Apparently, I do not understand the constitution or the concept of federalism and need a civics lesson, too. Ugh. My head is…
Postcards from the Past — No. 2
05.08.2013
May 8, 2013 Postcards from the Past A new, occasional blog post by CER President Jeanne Allen in commemoration of CER’s 20th Anniversary in business and the historical events that have taken place during our history. It was January, 1997. It was Pennsylvania. The letter began: “I recently read with considerable interest your account of…
It Could Have Been My Boy
04.24.2013
Founder and President of the Center for Education Reform reflects on the Boston tragedy in a Huffington Post piece: The events of recent months tell us we must all do that, no matter how incorrect the social scientists believe such behavior to be. Every mother must ask herself — do I really know my child?…
Newswire – October 23, 2018
10.23.2018
FAILING AMERICA’S STUDENTS. As Mark Anthony once said, “if you have tears, prepare to shed them now.” The latest American College Testing (ACT) scores are out, assessing readiness of high school seniors to succeed in college, and it’s not good. Only 60% of high schoolers met collegiate success benchmarks in English, 46% in reading, 40% in math…
Newswire – October 16, 2018
10.16.2018
IRRESPONSIBLE. The amount of time some people spend trying to defend the indefensible – lagging education achievement – is truly irresponsible. The Washington Post once again features a piece, thanks to anti-education opportunity and innovation blogger Valerie Strauss, that claims education isn’t really all that bad, (despite using a chart that shows most students don’t even make…
Newswire – October 2, 2018
10.02.2018
SURVEY NONSENSE. Don’t we all just love surveys that give zero sum options to respondents? A group called GenForward partnered with the prestigious University of Chicago to ask Millennials their views on the issues that will drive their votes, including education. These 18-24-year-olds think more progress was made under Obama in education than during Trump,…
Newswire – September 25, 2018
09.25.2018
Caution: This week’s edition is not for the faint of heart, or easily offended. Yes, it is that kind of week – not just in Washington, DC but all over the country as cameras roll on Capitol Hill. But… WHAT IF THE WORLD paid as much attention to what’s happening to children and families in…
Newswire – September 18, 2018
09.18.2018
NERO FIDDLING. All the national pundits and people who suck the air out of the room are focused on the she-said/he-said Supreme Court nominee drama in Washington. Meanwhile, the educational ‘Rome’ is burning. Consider the facts and the truth about the pitiful state of so many of our institutions – who are largely responsible for…
Newswire – September 11, 2018
09.11.2018
IN MEMORIAM. The reminders and remembrances of 9/11 have mostly finished, and the words and sorrows of so many affected unite us in our shared conviction that this the greatest nation on earth, borne of independence and our God given inalienable rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness will not and must…