The Center For Education Reform

Fox Business: John Stossel's Take: Stupid in America

admin — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 14:00:17 +0000

By John Stossel Fox Business September 15, 2011 School spending has gone through the roof and test scores are flat. While most every other service in life has gotten faster, better, and cheaper, one of the most important things we buy -- education -- has remained completely stagnant, unchanged since we started measuring it in 1970. Why no improvement? Because K-12 education is a government monopoly and monopolies don't improve. The government-school monopoly claims: Education is too important to leave to the free market. At a teachers' union rally, even actor Matt Damon showed up to deride market competition as "MBA style thinking." "Competition may be okay for selling movies and cell phones, but education is different," says the establishment. Learning is complex. Parents aren't real "customers" because they don't have the expertise to know which school is best. They don't know enough about curricula, teachers' credentials, etc. That's why public education must be centrally planned by government "experts". Those experts have been in charge for years. They are what school reformers call the "Blob." Jeanne Allen from the Center for Education Reform says for years attempts at reform have run, "smack into federations, alliances, departments, councils, boards, commissions, panels, herds, flocks and convoys, that make up the education industrial complex, or the Blob. Taken individually they were frustrating enough, each with its own bureaucracy, but taken as a whole they were (and are) maddening in their resistance to change. Not really a wall -- they always talk about change -- but more like quicksand, or a tar pit where ideas slowly sink. And the most powerful part of the Blob is the teachers' union. This Saturday, I interview Nathan Saunders, the President of the Washington DC Teachers' Union, and Joseph Del Grosso, President of the Newark Teachers' Union. They say things like, "the unions have a pretty strong history of advocating for high-quality public education... We have progress as a result of unions." Their predecessors were more candid. When the Washington Post asked George Parker, when he headed the Washington, DC teachers union, why he fought a voucher program that let some kids escape failing government schools, he said, "As kids continue leaving the system, we will lose teachers. Our very survival depends on having kids in DC schools so we'll have teachers to represent." Albert Shanker, the teachers' union president who, years ago, first turned teachers unions into a national political force, was even more honest. Shanker callously said, "When school children start paying union dues, that's when I'll start representing the interests of school children." Union leaders first. Teachers second. Kids third. Or maybe fourth or fifth, after the school board, the principal's union, or some other part of the Blob.

Times of Trenton: Charter schools caught in the middle of ideological fight

admin — Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:16:35 +0000

By Carmen Cusido The Times of Trenton September 19, 2011 After 14 years in operation, Trenton Community Charter School somehow lost its footing. The state Department of Education noted low student test scores, inadequate lesson plans and sloppy record keeping before putting the school on probation and finally ordering it to close this summer. Meanwhile, a group that wants to establish a Chinese-English immersion school in South Brunswick — Princeton International Academy Charter School — has encountered stiff opposition from the three school districts that would have to support it with a share of their tax revenues. As charter schools come under increasing fire from a community skeptical that they are fulfilling their promise as fresh-thinking public schools, several pieces of legislation have been floated to either promote charter school formation or grant more power to restrict their proliferation. “We are not geared up to provide the proper oversight once these charters are granted,” said Sen. Shirley Turner (D-Lawrence). Turner is co-sponsoring a bill that would require voter approval of new charter schools. “That’s why we see an inordinate number of them failing.” Although she thinks parents in failing districts should be given a choice where to send their children, Turner said legislation to allow taxpayers to vote for the approval of charter schools is essential. But Ronald Brady, the head of school and co-founder of Trenton’s Foundation Academy Charter School, argued that allowing public referendums on charter school openings could hurt educational diversity. “It subjects individual charter schools — an interest to, say, 30 percent of the population — to the opinion of the entire population,” Brady said. “It’s antithetical to what charters are about.” MOVING TOWARD REFORM In Turner’s district, Trenton Community Charter School was one of two charters that shut down this summer. Capital Preparatory High School was pressured to voluntarily give up its charter after it was investigated for financial mismanagement. Hundreds of students from the two schools flooded back into the Trenton public school system this month, and harried school administrators have been fighting to obtain books, furniture and other supplies while hiring more teachers to handle the overload. Last year Gov. Chris Christie began touting new charter school formation as key to his education reform program. Despite the headwinds caused by charter school failures and local opposition, fresh legislation has emerged to broaden the program. One bill would allow hundreds of private and parochial schools across the state to convert to charters, provided they remove religious teachings and symbolism from the curricula and school facilities. The state would then oversee the converted schools. The bill has passed the Assembly. Another bill promises to share oversight of charters rather than leaving near full responsibility in the hands of the Department of Education. While the state has a seven-person office in charge of monitoring more than 70 charters in New Jersey, new “authorizers,” which would include colleges and universities, would monitor charter schools on a more regular basis, allowing problems to be caught before they develop into full-blown disasters. The authorizer bill is sponsored by Assemblywoman Mila Jasey (D-Essex), who said a school’s progress could be determined not just by looking at test scores, but also admission practices, teacher certification, attendance, curriculum, parental involvement, and other factors that help make a successful school. “Where they see problems developing and occurring, they would alert the charter school, (but) they don’t tell them how to do it or tell them what to do,” Jasey said. UNRELIABLE OVERSIGHT The problem with the current system is that schools get a thorough review only when their charters come up for renewal, Jasey said. That’s also a burden for the charter school administration, she said. “One school leader described it as, ‘I have to produce five years’ worth of paperwork for the state’s review’,” she said. Jeanne Allen, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Education Reform, echoed Jasey’s concerns. “The oversight hasn’t always been as strong as it could be,” Allen said. The state Department of Education is “not equipped for the kind of work that it needs to do to be singularly focused,” she said. “It has way too many things to do.” Allen said the DOE’s core strength is not creating and approving schools, but rather regulating educational programs and plans across the state. According to the Center for Education Reform’s 2009 Accountability Report, of 19 charters that closed in New Jersey, 42 percent were shuttered for mismanagement, 37 percent for financial, 16 percent for academic and 5 percent for facility problems. Most of New Jersey’s closed charter schools suffered from either being underfunded or managed poorly, according to the report. Amid efforts to fix problems with the oversight of charter schools, enthusiasm for creating charters appears to be growing. The state received 58 applications for new charters this year, a record for a single application cycle. No new charters will open this year in Trenton, which already has five of the schools.  Julia Sass Rubin is a parent from Princeton Township whose daughter attends a charter school, but she is in favor of reforming what she calls “a broken charter law.” “Our concern is that rather than closing down schools afterwards, the state should be focused on opening schools that are going to succeed,” said Rubin, who belongs to the group Save Our Schools N.J. Rubin noted that in a traditional public school district, residents vote on proposals such as bond issues for new buildings. By contrast, the charter school process leaves the local community out of the decision-making process on new schools, she said. “There’s community opposition and anger,” Rubin said. “It’s their tax dollars, but not their decision.”

U.S. Students Continue to Stall on SATs

admin — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:52:11 +0000

Latest review shows no improvement, widening of achievement gap CER Press Release Washington, DC September 14, 2011 Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform, released the following statement regarding today's SAT score analysis for college-bound seniors: "Student achievement remains stagnant, and we continue to let failure fester in our education system jeopardizing the future of our children and our country. Over the past five years, our kids have failed to show improvement in critical reading, mathematics and writing. And the story is even worse for Hispanic and African-American students who continue to face wide achievement gaps when compared to white students. The College Board highlights that more students than ever are taking the SAT for college admissions. But, the dramatic drop in scores over the past five years and the failure to improve shines a spotlight on the truth - more of our students continue to be underserved by their schools. To make matters worse, recent ACT scores revealed that only 25 percent of the 2011 class could meet the benchmarks for college readiness in all four core subjects. It should comes as no surprise that the United States has slipped to 16th globally in college education attainment, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development We must redouble our efforts to reform our education system and emphasize student achievement growth. Our kids need an education system that works for them and breaks free from the failing trends of the past." For your reference, CER is providing a breakdown of SAT scores by GPA, ethnicity and class rank. Get the SAT 2011 Breakdown here.

D.C. Rally Seeks to Save Our Status Quo

admin — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 15:50:40 +0000

Participating groups fight to end school reform and parental choice July 29,2011 This Saturday's Save Our Schools rally is holding itself out to be an effort to restore parent and student influence in education, but a rundown of the participating groups raises questions about the authenticity of this goal. Many of the participating groups are strong, vocal opponents of testing, accountability and school choice. The National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers and their allies have long advocated for more money, less accountability, no high-stakes testing, and against anything the gives parents more control over their child's education, such as charter schools and vouchers. "This coalition is the same coalition of the past 35 years," said Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform. "It advocates for the status quo and reform to them is about money, control, and no high stakes tests or accountability." The rally participants have a long track record of opposing public charters schools, opposing school vouchers, opposing merit pay, opposing the closure of failing schools, opposing the freedom of parents to choose where their child goes to school - including home school - and opposing student testing performance as a means to evaluate teachers. "S.O.S is about deforming education, not reforming it," said Allen. "They put up the guise that this is for the families and students, but in truth, these groups want to restrict and remove any power parents have in their child's education."

Leaders to Receive National Education Honor

admin — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 15:49:21 +0000

CER Press Release Washington, DC August 3, 2011 John Boehner, Katherine Bradley, Kevin Chavous, John Fisher, Steve Klinsky, John Legend, Eva Moskowitz and Brian Williams will be honored with the distinguished EdReformie award, announced today by The Center for Education Reform (CER). These honorees will be celebrated on Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011 at the W Washington D.C. Hotel as part of CER's 18th anniversary gala, The EdReformies – Rockin' Reform Revue. "This group of accomplished honorees are as diverse as they are influential in bringing about much-needed change to America's schools," said Jeanne Allen, president of CER. "Collectively their unwavering support of expanding educational opportunities, accountability, teacher programs that work and parental choice is commendable. Individually their contributions to improving education reform through philanthropy, advocacy, media, entertainment and education are remarkable." Every few years the Center for Education Reform celebrates distinguished leaders for their break through contributions to creating and expanding quality educational opportunities for children. The collective accomplishments of these six individuals span almost all states and represent several million new opportunities for children. The EdReformies will be awarded to: Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, John Boehner, a politician who has never let political pressure get in the way of ensuring children access to a better education. As the nation's most well-respected and influential journalist, Brian Williams has thrust the need for education reform into the homes and minds of millions of Americans. Despite being one of the world's most talented and popular musicians, John Legend is publically engaged in school reform, which he says is the "civil rights issue of our time." For over two decades, Katherine Brittain Bradley has driven reform by strategically launching efforts that focus on community engagement and volunteerism. She has created and recruited top-flight organizations to the nation's capital and opened her home and heart to bolster education reform nationally. As a policymaker, parent, author and attorney, Kevin P. Chavous has spent his career securing the adoption of school reforms that serve America's children, through a passion and commitment and new alliances that prove that anything is possible when you put children first. Business leader John Fisher is committed to ensuring quality educational opportunities for children most in need. As chairman of KIPP and through his board leadership in numerous other national organizations that create new supplies of schools and human capital, John's passion has ignited thousands more to be intensively involved. Steve Klinsky, founder and CEO of New Mountain Capital, started highly successful organizations to provide safe, nurturing and academically excellent opportunities for low-income children in some of the Big Apple's most depressed neighborhoods and beyond. As New York City Councilwoman Eva Moskowitz challenged the status quo to show results, or move out of the way. She went on to lead one of the nation's most successful charter networks, Success Charter Network, and in so doing, has continued to challenge the establishment and raised the public's awareness about the problems facing public education.

Statement by Jeanne Allen, CER President: New Jersey Charter School Approval Process Undermines Families

admin — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:12:41 +0000

CER Press Release Washington, DC October 4, 2011 The president of The Center for Education Reform, released the following statement expressing disappointment in the New Jersey Department of Education’s decision to approve only four charter schools out of 60 submitted applications:

“Tens of thousands of New Jersey students are stuck in failing schools across not just the 31 so-called Abbott districts, but through the state, no matter whether families find themselves rich or poor. Thousands more anxiously wait on lists to get into a charter school.

“The state created the charter school law to ensure the creation of much needed educational opportunities for children. While the Christie Administration has approved many schools before, it has come under criticism for its processes and approach. This time around, the process was different, but equally as flawed, as state education personnel were joined by non-state technical reviewers who together managed a process that recommended only four charter schools for acceptance and denied 54 others.

“Community activists, business leaders, parents and educators whose lives have been touched in myriad ways by the state’s schools sought to bring new ideas, proven practices and more accountability to education. And yet their attempts were met by unenthusiastic reviewers and decision makers who focused on process more than product, and failed to get to know the applicants or their background enough to discern their true ability to serve their communities.

“New Jersey’s students deserve their chance at success and that requires giving them the freedom to explore educational options tailored to their specific needs.

“Gov. Chris Christie has gained much-deserved star status on the education reform circuit for his push to expand quality choices for children, improve the state’s charter law, increase charter schools and to bring scholarship vouchers to the state. Sadly the charter approvals this month do not reflect the passion and commitment of the state’s chief executive.

“The need is great. This missed opportunity to create more charter schools for its students is further proof that New Jersey needs to adopt best practice chartering, by creating multiple authorizers to allow other bodies besides the state to approve charters. As important is the passage and implementation of the Opportunity Scholarship Act.

Times Observer: Charter Performance: Conflicting Reports

erickaf — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:22:57 +0000

Article discusses Stanford University studies that have met extensive opposition from individuals and institutions throughout the educational community. CER notes that charter schools are not comparable to similar public schools for many reasons, but studies show positive achievement and that charter schools do work. By Josh Cotton The Times Observer October 7, 2011 The bottom line in education is student achievement. In that area, does it matter whether a child goes to a charter school or a public school? Research that has been done in the area of charter schools has focused on the issue of performance, particularly in comparison to public schools, and yields a mixed result. The first national study on this issue was conducted by Stanford University. The final determination of the study was that "more than half of the charters have less growth in learning than what their students would have realized if they had remained in traditional public schools in their community." However, the study also indicates that "students do much better in charter schools over time. First-year charter students on average experience a decline in learning, which may reflect a combination of effects and the experience of a charter school in its early years. Second- and third-year charter schools see a significant reversal to positive gains" of academic achievement. The study also indicates that "charter students in elementary and middle school grades have significantly higher rates of learning than their peers in traditional public schools, but students in charter high school and charter multi-level schools have significantly worse results." While the outcomes are mixed, the study also notes that "tremendous variation in academic quality is the norm, not the exception. The problem of quality is the most pressing issues that charter schools and their supporters face." Stanford has conducted a study that looks specifically at Pennsylvania charter schools and determined that "overall, charter schools in Pennsylvania on average perform worse than traditional public schools, and charter school students grow at lower rates compared to their traditional public school peers in their first three years in charters schools, although the gap shrinks considerably in math and disappears entirely in reading by the third year of attendance," a trend suggested in the national study as well. These Stanford University studies have met extensive opposition from individuals and institutions throughout the educational community. The Center for Education Reform noted that "many charter schools are not comparable to similar public schools because of the time in which children have spent there and the benchmarks are not always the same among all schools...research is building in states that administer objective tests based on proficiency in key standards (like the PSSA)" and "studies show positive achievement and gains among charter schools which, while preliminary and not comprehensive, in fact does show that there is evidence that many (charter schools) work." Further research by the Pennsylvania School Board Association: Education, Research & Policy Center indicated that there are "minimal statistical differences between the distribution of charter school performance overall to that of traditional public school performance overall" but also said that "individual student performance by grade level of charter school students is significantly below that of traditional public school students." The study does mention that "reading and math proficiency have improved" since 2003 for charter school students. Overall, while the research indicates that students in charter schools do not, on average, make the educational progress of students in public schools, the National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education at Columbia University noted that the body of research on this subject "suggests that charter schools are neither the unqualified failure that detractors claim, nor that there is something inherent in the independent structure of charter school organization that promotes greater student achievement, as choice enthusiasts would have us believe."

National Charter School Leader to Hoosier Parents: Keep Pressure On

erickaf — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 14:30:22 +0000

Chavous says parental pressure, and reforms that offer them choices, must be at the heart of the reform movement. He warned charter-school leaders to beware of what he labels "drive-by reformers," who endorse small steps toward change while stressing a need to preserve the whole system. Read more.

Governor Unveils Comprehensive Education Plan

admin — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 15:25:56 +0000

CER Press Release October 11, 2011 Harrisburg, PA. -- Acting on his commitment when he was elected Governor of the state of Pennsylvania, Tom Corbett today announced a major education package that promises greater flexibility for parents and teachers in the education of the state's children, and accountability at all levels for substantially greater results. "It's a homerun package," said Jeanne Allen, President of the Center for Education Reform. "The Corbett agenda reflects national best practices in reform, and once enacted, will ensure that all kids have dramatically better chances at real achievement." The proposal builds on work begun earlier this year in the legislature, where development of charter and scholarship bills were intensely deliberated in both houses as heavy union opposition deterred some in the legislature from making bigger inroads earlier. Today's announcement signifies unprecedented unity among the Governor, the House and the Senate in embracing the core, interdependent tenets that are necessary for any state to improve its schools: Expanded and meaningful school choices for children, particularly lower and middle-income families.

• Under the proposed initiatives, students in the lowest five percent of failing schools and their immediate districts would be able to choose the private school of their choice with the funds the state normally sends to their failing schools following the child.

• An expansion of the popular Educational Improvement Tax Credit, which permits tax paying businesses to contribute to scholarship granting organizations in exchange for tax credits. The scholarship organizations support parents with varying scholarship amounts to ensure their choices are possible, but currently, only about 39,000 students participate. More accountable public education institutions

• A best practices charter school law that would enable new, publicly accountable authorizers to manage, open and monitor charter schools. Such laws in other states are responsible for the highest number of high quality charter schools. Specifically, the proposal would create a statewide commission and potential for public institutions of higher education to become authorizers and thus partners in public K-12 education

• Creation of a new teacher evaluation system that would place a greater emphasis on student achievement. "Today in the US, a growing numbers of policymakers are seeing increased student achievement in states that have adopted similar, bold initiatives in one package,” said Allen. “Last decade, Florida led the pack. This decade, it's Indiana. Pennsylvania’s entry into the A-Game of Education Reform means its more than 2 million students will have a better future, today."

Grand Rapids Press: State Senate committee approves plan for 'parent trigger' to convert failing schools to charters

erickaf — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:18:11 +0000

By Dave Murray Grand Rapids Press October 12, 2011 Families with children in failing schools would be “empowered” to convert their traditional public school into a charter school under a bill that cleared a state Senate committee Wednesday, though critics say the conversion doesn't promise academic improvement. Under the “parent trigger” bill, schools would be offered to charter school authorizers if at least 60 percent of parents agree to the move, or if 60 percent of teachers want the change and 51 percent of parents agree. Schools would have to be in the lowest-performing 5 percent of Michigan schools to be eligible.  Senate Education Committee chairman Phil Pavlov, R-St. Clair Township, said the plan offers more choices to involved parents who might be frustrated by the pace of improvement in an under-performing school. Similar bills are under consideration in more than 20 states, according to national school choice advocates. But opponents said the move would break teacher contracts and opens the door to charter advocates organizing in neighborhoods, nudging parents toward demanding the change. “The parent trigger bill operates under a false premise that you can flip a switch and schools will improve overnight just because they'd be a charter school,” said Doug Pratt, public affairs director for the Michigan Education Association. “None of these so-called education reforms will do anything to help kids. All they'll do is line the pockets of charter school operators.” The bill was approved in a 3-2 party line vote in the Republican-controlled Education Committee on Wednesday, and heads to the full state Senate. It's the latest in a series of GOP-led changes intended to ramp up the number of charter schools and increase the competition for local districts. Senate Republicans pushed through other charter school bills last week, including lifting the cap on university authorized schools and provisions intended the lure successful out-of-state management companies into working in Michigan. The reform bills have opposition from unions and other school groups, including some state Board of Education members. The Democrat-controlled board on Tuesday debated whether to send an "open letter" to lawmakers suggesting changes, but couldn't get enough support because some members are opposed to adding charters and others didn't like the proposed changes. Board member Marianne Yared McGuire, D-Detroit, said the reform package would “open the floodgates” for charters and would “be the death knell for public education, which is something to revere in this country." Board member Cassandra Ulbrich, D-Rochester Hills, opposed the trigger bill, saying puts too much power in the hands of parents when other people in the neighborhoods have a stake in a school's success. The state Education Department in August released a list of 98 persistently low-performing schools based on standardized test scores; most were in Detroit and other urban areas. Under the bill, parents or teachers collecting the needed number of petitions would request the district to convert the school to a charter school, allowing it to operate outside of union contracts. If the school board refuses, the parents and teachers could approach a university to authorize the charter. Union contracts would be nullified, though lawmakers said there “is still work to do” on aspects of the bill including what would happen to teachers in a converted school. The bill calls for the home district to lease the building to the new group for $1 a year, a provision that concerned school board advocates. “I don't see how you can have a mandatory $1 a year lease on a public building that taxpayers paid for,” said Don Wotruba, deputy director of the Michigan Association of School Board, which opposed the bill. “It seems to me that the threshold is too low for a school to be converted. You don't want parents being able to do this on a whim, because they're mad at the board or the football coach or because of a contract situation.” But Jeanne Allen, president of the Washington, D.C- based Center for Education Reform, called the trigger “the ultimate example of parental empowerment.” California was the first with a law on the books, and Texas parents can intervene after two or more years of an “unacceptable” performance rating. Ohio's pilot program applies to only the bottom 5 percent of Columbus schools, and Connecticut allows failing schools three years to change course before going into effect, Allen said California school boards and unions have fought the changes in the courts, including challenging the signatures on petitions. “It's tough for parents to wrestle control from the school boards, unions and educational establishment,” she said, “This is a different approach to change. It puts the parents back in the drivers seat.”

Distinguished Education Reformers Honored at National Education Reform Celebration

erickaf — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:40:56 +0000

CER Press Release Washington, DC October 21, 2011 The Center for Education Reform (CER) celebrated and recognized the extraordinary achievements by eight renowned education leaders by honoring them with the prestigious EdReformies Award at CER’s 18th anniversary gala event, EdReformies – Rockin' Reform Revue Gala. The 2011 EdReformies were awarded to The Honorable John Boehner, Katherine Bradley, Kevin Chavous, John Fisher, Steve Klinsky, John Legend, Eva Moskowitz and Brian Williams of NBC News. This select group of leaders was chosen for their accomplishments in education reform that collectively span almost all the states. This group has helped spur several million education opportunities for children throughout the U.S. Among their accomplishments, the award recipients have been pioneers in the rapid growth of the charter school movement, have advanced and protected private school choice programs in Congress, and have increased and enhanced dialogue on major education reform issues over network television. “Tonight’s special honorees exemplify true leadership in education reform. Millions of education opportunities have become available to hundreds of thousands of children that may have not had those opportunities before. Change is never easy and it takes time, but with a little help from our friends, we can provide better education for our children,” said Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform. Every few years CER celebrates with a night dedicated to honoring distinguished leaders who have been integral in creating and expanding quality educational opportunities for children. This year, CER created its own musical ensemble, The Reformers (education reformers with talent), the only rock group solely committed to celebrating education reform. The Reformers paid tribute to EdReformies recipients through classic rock musical selections. Members of The Reformers include: Bob Bowdon, Director, “The Cartel” and Founder, Choice Media Kenneth Campbell, President, Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) Jonas Chartock, CEO, Leading Educators Paul Powell, Founding Principal, Uncommon Schools-Troy Prep Mickey Revenaugh, Executive Vice President, Connections Learning Joe Williams, Executive Director, Democrats for Education Reform (DFER) Caprice Young, CEO & President, EnCorps, Inc. Dawn Chavous, Executive Director, Students First PA “These Reformers put themselves in the spotlight so that many more kids with the greatest needs can be recognized by a wider group of people,” continued Allen. “This was an amazing night of education reform, musical talent and excitement.” For more information about the EdReformies – Rockin’ Reform Revue visit www.edreform.com/18th.

Charter School Bill Would Remove Replication Roadblocks, Expand Choices for Michigan Families

erickaf — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:37:36 +0000

CER Press Release Washington, DC October 25, 2011 A recently passed Senate bill now being debated in the House provides Michigan with the opportunity to strengthen its charter school law and provide new choices for even more of the state’s students. Two of the primary measures in the bill include removing the cap on the number of charter schools university authorizers may approve and elimination of the “single site” requirement allowing school replication. This removes many of the roadblocks successful charter schools in the state face in creating additional schools. “Michigan’s students deserve their chance at success and that requires giving them the freedom to explore educational options tailored to their specific needs,” said Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform. “Students who want to be in charter schools are stuck on waiting lists with even more trapped in failing schools, which the US Secretary of Education predicts will dramatically increase this year.” In addition to numerous other important improvements regarding accountability and operations, the proposal before the House would ensure increased digital learning opportunities among all students “Michigan’s law has fallen behind those it used to outpace by failing to improve on important charter policies that increase quality opportunities for students. The current, bi-partisan effort, once passed, will further the state’s standing as a state making strides in reforming education,” said Allen. “Removing roadblocks to replicating successful charter schools is necessary to strengthen the state’s educational system.” CER last ranked Michigan’s charter school law as the nation’s 5th strongest in its report “Charter School Laws Across the State,” a report that will is annually updated each winter.

PA Senate Says Yes to School Choice

erickaf — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 00:43:18 +0000

CER Press Release Washington, DC October 27, 2011 One of the nation’s most populated and important political states today moved closer to adopting a full school choice program for its neediest children when its state Senate just passed SB 1, which moves to the House, as early as this week. “Kudos to the state’s courageous leadership, who put education for children first in their actions today, despite enormous pressure by unions and the status quo,” said Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform. “This bill is the lifeline children need to ensure a true path to success – in learning and life.” Championed by Sen. Jeffrey Piccola (R) and Sen. Anthony Williams (D), the enacted bill with passage in the House would: • Give families with children in the lowest performing school districts the opportunity to choose a better school for their child, with the money allocated for their education following them to the school their parents best feel meets their needs. • Provide additional tax incentives for businesses to contribute their profits to scholarship organizations (the Educational Improvement Tax Credit), which provide middle and low income parents with support to pay for alternative educational opportunities. • Make additional improvements to the state’s charter school law paving the way for further action in the House that would enable new, publicly accountable authorizers to manage, open and monitor charter schools. Such laws in other states are responsible for the highest number of high quality charter schools. "Today in the U.S., growing numbers of policy makers are seeing increased student achievement in states that have adopted similar, bold initiatives,” said Allen. “Pennsylvania is on the cusp of meaningful education improvement with this exciting development."

U.S. Gets an “F” in Nation’s Report Card

erickaf — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 19:31:42 +0000

CER Press Release Washington, DC November 1, 2011 Barely 40 percent of the nation's 4th- and 8th-grade students are proficient in math and reading, an alarming statistic that would be considered failure in any grade, any school or on any state report card. The results of the 2011 National Assessment of Education Progress (Commonly called "The Nations' Report Card") showed a statistically insignificant gain of 1 percentage point over 2009 scores. Nationwide only 13 states showed any significant progress at all. The District of Columbia is one of the only states to increase in both 4th- and 8th-grade math and reading scores, but it still lags behind most other states and its students achieve only 21 percent on reading in 4th-grade and 17 percent on 8th-grade math. “Our nation’s students can’t afford for us to sit idly by while another year passes with relatively no improvements. The Nation’s Report Card demonstrates the status quo does not work,” said Jeanne Allen, president of The Center for Education Reform. “We must overhaul our educational system. We need revolutionary change, if we want to break free from the failing trends of the past and truly celebrate student achievement.” Allen continued, “As a nation, we are well behind our educational goals and student achievement continues to flatline. In two years, since the last release Report Card, math and reading scores have shown little to no improvement.” Forty-two states have shown no significant improvement on either test since 2009. Closing the achievement gap also seems to be impossible, with the gap between white and black students decreasing by only one point to a 25-point gap. The gap between white and Hispanic students was also 20 points or higher across all assessments. In reading, 4th-grade students stayed the same since 2009 and 8th graders only marginally improved. “While we remain stuck in mediocrity, other nations are gaining on, if not surpassing, the U.S. in the global economy. How can we compete when our complacent education system is satisfied with nearly a third of our children failing to achieve even basic knowledge in math and reading? The longer we wait – the longer we let achievement flatline – the further we’ll find ourselves at the bottom of the list of powerful, even worth mentioning, economies,” said Allen. See the NAEP 2011 math scores and reading scores.

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CER, since 1993, is the leading voice and advocate for lasting, substantive and structural education reform in the U.S. Additional information about the Center and its activities can be found at www.edreform.com.

New Report Questions New Jersey Charter School Review Process

erickaf — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 20:38:55 +0000

WASHINGTON, DC (December 1, 2011) -- The report, The Garden State’s Missed Opportunity, released today by The Center for Education Reform (CER) reveals new evidence of New Jersey’s flawed charter school authorization process. The findings make a strong case in support of the bi-partisan effort to reform the state’s charter school law to adopt best practice chartering through the creation of multiple authorizers, which allows other bodies besides the state to approve charters. “For years we’ve heard from charter applicants in New Jersey that the system is flawed,” said Jeanne Allen, CER president. “But, this last round of reviews was extremely troubling, prodding us to dig deeper.” Only four of the 58 charter school applications submitted this fall were approved. CER acquired and analyzed hundreds of pages of rejected applications, the corresponding denial letters and reviewer comments. The report details the lack of transparency in the application review process while uncovering severe bias and subjectivity applied by external reviewers and the New Jersey Department of Education’s Office of Charter Schools. “Uncovering the truth was almost as arduous as applying for a charter in New Jersey,” said Alison Consoletti, vice president for research at CER and the report’s lead author. “Given the heightened media scrutiny and the hostile charter environment, denied applicants were reticent to share their rejected applications. We went to great lengths to honor their anonymity, so as not to compromise future applications.” New Jersey’s charter school law earned a ‘C’ grade and ranks 19th out of the nation’s 41 laws. Only three percent of New Jersey’s public schools are charters and more than 20,000 students are currently on waiting lists for these innovative public schools. Allen noted, “There is tremendous demand for more quality educational options in the Garden State. We’re hopeful that state lawmakers in Trenton will not lose sight of important legislation on the table this session that could significantly improve the state’s law. Creating multiple authorizers for charter schools is a sure fix to meet the increasing demand by families for better schools, provides a more objective process for vetting and holding charters accountable and, over time, will ultimately save taxpayers significant dollars.” Download the full report The Garden State’s Missed Opportunity

2011 Jeanne Allen Memo: PDK/Gallup Poll Call for Facts

admin — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:35:04 +0000

Download or print your PDF copy of The PDK/Gallup Poll: A Call for Facts

For The Media

mtigani — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 21:30:38 +0000

A page exclusively for the media to get quick information about the Center for Education Reform