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On Wednesday, President Obama spoke to an audience of 110 superintendents from across the nation to address closing the technology gap. In “ConnectED to the Future,” Obama reiterated the five-year plan to have 99% of students connected to high-speed Internet. In the President’s remarks, he called upon the teachers and administrators to get on board with the focus on the future. Students are already more technology savvy than most adults, so it is time to reach them at a level that ensures that they are learning in circumstances in which they are comfortable and excel the most.

The President addressed many different ways to approach achieving the initiative of technology heavy education. For one, the FCC has doubled its investment in broadband for schools in an effort to connect more than 15,000 schools and 20 million students to high-speed Internet. The government is also releasing an infrastructure guide to help districts make the best decisions, according to resources, and a checklist to encourage turning tools into practice for students. This initiative is exciting because it transcends the idea of government-oriented education and instead requires cross programming across the board to get the job done. It requires more than just policymakers in Washington; technology companies are chipping in to ensure that classroom software is up to date, parents are signing up to learn to use the technology that their students will have access to, and superintendents are signing pledges to move their districts towards this time of change.

Another inspiring prospect of education reform that the President addressed was that of free advanced placements assessments. Obama noted that the districts that offered those classes for free saw improving results and better college-readiness. As someone who has benefited from this notion first-hand, I could not agree more. My high school was unique in

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In a free country where the American dream revolves around dictating the direction of your own life, parents and students are still unable to detach from failing schools. With an overwhelming amount of support for school choice flooding the country, where is the implementation of programs to match desires? What can families do to free themselves of a system that constantly seems to be working against them? Which system could provide economic assistance that supports school choice? Vouchers.

With the recent release of The Friedman Foundation’s 2014 report on school vouchers, the fiscal impact of school choice is undoubtedly making its way into education reform conversation. “The School Voucher Audit,” which concludes that school choice methods save money, takes readers on a field trip back to math class with easy-to-digest equations that break down fiscal impact. “Net savings per student x number of voucher recipients = total net savings”, “Per-student cost burden – public school > cost of voucher = net savings per student”, etc. For those of us less mathematically inclined, what does all of it mean?

As evidenced in “School Choice Today: Voucher Laws Across the States Ranking & Scorecard”, a report by the Center for Education Reform (CER), it is clear to see that vouchers are directly helping students. But there is an urgent need for more; more vouchers, more options, more accessibility, more school choice. When analyzing individual states, the report found that voucher programs available to all students, instead of just for specific circumstances (low-income or special needs for example), were able to reach more people and were therefore more beneficial. The CER report shows that out of 14 states and the District of Columbia, only six states earned an “A” or “B” ranking, evidence that voucher programs can work, there just needs to

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“Pump, pump, pump it up! Pump, pump, pump it up!” As I walked through the doors of Benning Elementary School on Friday morning, I could feel the hallways echoing with energy as the “DC Preppies” chanted their morning spirit songs. The school elicits a vibrant energy that transcends lesson plans and instead demonstrates a structured enthusiasm for learning. Located in Ward 7, where over half of the public school students attend charters, DC Prep is the highest-performing network of charters in DC.

In order to fuse together developing character and becoming academic scholars, the schools operate under a “warm-strict” model that ensures stringent rules and enthusiastic learning. With their hands folded and their eyes on the instructor, students were very aware of what was expected of them and were mindful of the proper way to sit, speak, and react to both peers and instructors. Despite seemingly choreographed moves and positions, learning in these rooms seemed genuinely fun and exciting as well. Classrooms had songs and dances that related to the curriculum, and there was a very clear focus on team involvement and peer motivation. At the end of a middle school class that I sat in on, students had the opportunity to nominate other hard-working peers for a “hard work and grit” award to recognize their efforts. One student shot her hand up and complimented her partner on catching up with the material even after missing a day of school, when she could have easily fallen behind. These little acts of enthusiasm demonstrate the focus on high standards of student appreciation and unparalleled teamwork.

Not only are the students held to high standards, the school leaders are also very aware of their own expectations. One of the aspects I found the most unique about DC Prep was the implementation of “LEAD”: a

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With the newly released State-by-State analysis, the panel room was buzzing with people eager to hear just how rankings were assigned. Todd Ziebarth, Senior Vice President of National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS), began the panel by posing the question, “How do you even start to rate the charter school movement?” The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools ranked schools in the United States by addressing 11 indicators ranging from new charters, closed charters, geographic distribution, innovative practices, and quality. In ranking schools, they preferred charters that focused on underserved students and utilized sources of innovation. While NAPCS plans to add more information to provide a fuller picture, especially regarding innovation efforts, the overarching issue was very clear: data collection for this report was far too difficult. If information isn’t accessible to a group conducting an intricate study, how are people who just need information for life choices able to access this data? There needs to be a priority on data accessibility so that people can accurately gage charter health.

Delving into the NAPCS’ ranking comparisons, Todd noted there is some correlation between states with high-strength laws and higher rankings and states with weaker laws and lower rankings. There are, however, exceptions to the rule. New Jersey, for example, has a low ranked charter law, but it has strong, independent charter schools in a relatively smaller sector that outperform restraints that come along with its weaker law. Nevada, picking up the #26 last place ranking (this report didn’t look at all states with charter school laws), has no law that caps charter school growth or an independent state authorizer. Instead, the multiple entities and lack of charter school funding keeps the schools in shambles and is probably a reason that no communities had more than 10% of their public school

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Everyday we are inundated with technology. We wake up in the morning and watch television, we listen to the radio on the commute to school; but when we arrive to a traditional school, technology becomes a banned distraction entirely. As technology is enhanced, education has the opportunity to improve simultaneously. Blended learning is a unique method of teaching that combines in-person instruction with online learning. Instead of just throwing some iPads into a classroom, blended learning relies on the effective use of technology in which both students and teachers benefit. Websites like “Edmodo,” a teacher/student interaction page that resembles Facebook, and computers with required books already loaded onto them are small examples of technologies that make a real impact. Center School District Superintendent George Welsh said, “I foresee a time when technology will take the place of textbooks.” In the classroom and in the checkbook, the blending of online and site-based learning has the potential to completely change the way we approach education.

The Clayton Christensen Institute for Disruptive Innovation uses four primary blended learning models: rotation, flex, self-blend, and enriched virtual. Rotation model ensures that students switch between online instruction and in-class lessons. This method seems familiar to the structure of elementary classes in which there are always different stations for separate activities. An example of a rotation model-based setting is a “flipped classroom” where students learn lessons virtually and then apply them in class. Self-blend model involves students taking traditional courses at school and additional courses at home.

When I attended traditional high school a few years ago, many online classes were offered in addition to the required courses. This seems to be the most natural high school level implementation option for blended learning because it is not a major adjustment. Enriched Virtual model is simply when students take

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Just like anything you choose to pursue in life, you are only as strong as your team of supporters. While programs with school choice programs are non-discriminatory, the inequity of the system goes deeper than simply sorting through options. The varying income levels that students come from make for a diverse but fragmented group of decision makers. In the process of choosing schools, there is a direct relationship between amount of directional support and income level. While advanced middle-class students are leaning on family and peer support, where are the school advisors to help those who lack foundational support at home?

Carolyn Sattin-Bajaj, author of Unaccompanied Minors, compiled interviews of 46 eighth grade students from IS 725 and demonstrates a fresh perspective on equity struggles and debates. The book paints a very realistic picture of the education system as a whole by honing in on personal narratives that establish what life is like for certain students and their families. Chapter four is an assessment of navigating the school choice system and essentially addresses the inequity in NYC high school choice as a rocky foundation of misconceptions and inaccurate assumptions. While school choice is designed to be a personal decision that allows students to pick a school based on their individual needs, family members and peers influence students the most.

The chapter begins by noting that generally, low-income Latino students at IS 725 seemed to be unclear about school choice direction, while middle-class Asian-origin students at IS 725 were reportedly adamant about the school selection search. Students on the advanced track conveyed extensive knowledge of different school choices and were very much aware of details, policies, and performances. Middle-class parents or guardians may be more inclined to send their children to college and therefore more willing to give substantive input about education

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It’s currently my first day here at CER and I have already attended a book launch event/panel discussion that honed in on the current struggles with education and markets, and peeked into the future of a more productive system. Upon arriving at the panel at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), we were given copies of Research Fellow Michael McShane’s Education and Opportunity mini-book (emphasis on the mini), which serves as a basic introduction of the education system to a new college audience joining the education conversation. The book addresses reforms such as smaller class sizes, indirect choice, accountability, increase in staff, and universal preschool, which all put concepts into practice.

His overarching theme throughout the piece revolves around the idea that decentralizing a system that leverages society leads to a more holistic understanding of education. He breaks down parent power at a basic level in an attempt to reach a younger age group. He starts off with generalities: Education is important. Academic success is crucial because it leads to monetary prosperity. McShane addresses the gap between the salaries of college graduates and those of high school graduates. The Brookings Institute released a study noting that while 45% of those in the bottom tier of the income bracket without a college degree remained in poverty, those who were born into poverty but pursued college education actually have a higher probability of ending up in the wealthiest tier, as opposed to ending up in the lowest. Another one of his points revolves around the troubling statistic that only 26% of students who took the ACT scored “college ready” in all four subjects. As a student who took the ACT’s only a few years ago, the concept of an education system not properly setting students up for economic prosperity comes as

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During my orientation at CER, Outreach Coordinator Tyler Losey informed me that I would be doing real work that mattered for the organization. Of course, I did end up taking on some of the administrative tasks such as stuffing envelopes, labeling, and scanning documents; however, I hardly ever felt like such work was meaningless. CER’s mission is to bridge the gap between policy and practice, and everything that I have done, including intense research and effective event planning, speaks to that very mission.

I am astonished at how much I have learned from my internship—so much more than I ever expected to. I will leave this organization with the ability to research so efficiently that I could find my next employer the names of all charter schools in the New England area that have received approval to open up for the coming school year in the span of just one hour. I know where to look for certain information, what sources to trust, and how to organize my information in a presentable way.

I was taught how to write briefly and matter-of-factly, but also informatively. Using the Media Bullpen as my medium for practice, I have written summaries and critiques for articles in just about three sentences total. Getting a message across in a manner like this makes it much easier for my audience to not only remember tidbits from my analysis, but to also gain my perspective regarding a certain topic much quicker than going through a long article trying to find what may be the most important point.

I have stepped out of my comfort zone and have even dabbled a little bit in designing an info-graphic for CER’s Instagram. Through this experience, I learned that it is okay to try new things and make mistakes while experimenting. All I

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I can’t believe how much I have gained from this experience as an intern at The Center for Education Reform (CER). I originally came into the internship with the expectation of getting informed about the charter school movement, among other things, and I had no idea that this internship would go way beyond that expectation. Not only do I fully understand the discussion surrounding charter schools, but also I can speak of experiences hearing from CEO’s and founders of charter school networks,and I can recognize the names of charter school authorizers across the country. Beyond charter schools, I have learned about, tax-credits, school choice, STEM education, the “summer slide”, online learning, and teacher evaluation.

One of my favorite aspects about this internship was that I had the opportunity to read about the current issues surrounding education reform, and then hear from and speak with the leaders in the movement. After reading about the changes in education policy, I had the opportunity, along with my fellow interns, to actually meet with Katherine Haley, the policy advisor to the Speaker of the House. She spoke with us about her experiences on Capitol Hill, and the successes she has had over the years.

Interning at The Center for Education Reform got me talking to everyone about education. Throughout the summer I have found myself mentioning studies about education, or sharing links to articles that I read. After my internship, I have even been successful in signing-up my friends and family for CER’s weekly Newswire.

I am excited about how much I have learned over the past ten weeks and seeing where it will bring me in the future. I have enjoyed the support from each staff member and working alongside the other interns. I am very thankful

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“For about a minute, I focus on things that have me worried or sad. You might call it a prayer or a moment of meditation. But whatever you call it, I take a few moments to pause and just think…I think of everything possible that could get me down. And I remind myself to leave those problems in the car. They have no place in Room 56. There are kids there with problems far greater than mine, and without the adult sensibilities to handle them.” Rafe Esquith, Real Talk for Real Teachers.

The Center for Education Reform (CER) is a leading advocate for issues related to charter schools, teacher quality, online learning, standardized testing, and federal policy. CER aims to make sure that parents are aware of school choice, that teachers make use of their resources, and that all students receive the education that they deserve. Rafe Esquith, a fifth grade teacher at Hobart Elementary School in Los Angeles, shines as an educator. CER, in regards to the issue of teacher quality, believes that teachers carry a heavy influence over their students. Therefore, it is imperative that children are taught by the best, and that the best should be rewarded for their hard work.

In Real Talk for Real Teachers, Esquith offers advice to the 22-year-old with a baccalaureate starting out his or her career as a teacher and to the master of the classroom who began perfecting the art of education…well, years ago. Nonetheless, Esquith suggests for both the young folks and those more experienced in the profession to not only believe in Churchill’s concept of never ever giving up, but to also put their students first.

As Esquith tells his students on a daily basis, a task cannot be accomplished some of the time; nor can it be accomplished most of

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