CHOICE
THE TRUSTEES. We are frankly tired of hearing that the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program has no local support and has no Democratic support. Not only are Democrats in DC helping to lead the fight to save the OSP, the highest-profile schools that participate in the OSP are run by some of the national Democratic Party's top powerbrokers and donors. Trustees at DC's top 10 elite private schools donated nearly $1 million to Democratic presidential candidates and the Democratic Party while setting school policies supporting the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program, which Democratic leaders in Congress have halted. In a new report, The Trustees, CER helps debunk the frequently-propagated myth that Republicans support the program while Democrats oppose it. It's well worth the read...
CHANGE. Though many pundits have focused on the economy as the reason major changes occurred at the polls in New Jersey last week, it can't be denied that Governor-elect Chris Christie has shown his commitment to education reform in the Garden State is a top priority in his upcoming agenda. Choosing a charter school as the location for his first post-election press conference, Christie outlined his support for stronger and more plentiful school choice opportunities. He also warned the teachers unions - merely a paper tiger at the polls - that "they need to get realistic about the fact that change is coming." Now that's change we can believe in.
CHARTERS
DAVID v. GOLIATH. After more than four years of legal battles, ten Charlotte, NC area charters which had been improperly denied local funding from the school district will be given their due. The state's Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal by the district that had been ordered by a lower court to distribute almost $6 million in back funding to the schools. District budget games originally reduced the charters' fair share allotment, forcing the charters to educate their students with more than a quarter less than law requires. "For the little charter schools, it's a huge victory...," said attorney Richard Vinroot, former Charlotte Mayor. And a victory - and precedent for lawmakers - all around.
THE RACE DEBUNKED? President Obama took a little time last week to chat about his education reform agenda at a charter school in Wisconsin. Both he and the Education Secretary are quick to point out the many charter school "successes" already on the books due to their Race to the Top. The problem? Many of these states have seen little to no forward movement with respect to their charter school laws. Now even the New York Times is calling out states for gaming the system (glad they noticed what we've been saying). Praising states for averting budgetary disaster - as Obama has when it comes to Rhode Island and Connecticut - or removing some barriers while adding others isn't the right spin if the White House truly does want to promote what works.
WANT THE REAL SCOOP? Check out November's Monthly Letter to Friends, CER's flagship, occasional report on what's happening around the country - and what you should think about it.
PARENT POWER!
TRUE STORY. Every day, new parents fighting to beat the odds enter our world, in hopes of gaining new ideas of how to get their children a great education. What they do with the information we give them is often nothing short of extraordinary. Take Mona Davids, an NYC mom who once spoke out fiercely in opposition to a proposed charter school in her area, and now is a bug in the ear of NYC legislators and status quo interests. "A lot of parents are just opposed to charter schools in general, and that's because most parents don't know exactly what a charter school is," said Mona about her own turnaround. Mona has made bringing parents into the NYC public schools equation in a big way her priority. One of her tools: our own series of Parent Power! guides. (Check them out.)
