LOOKING BACK TO MOVE FORWARD. CER President Jeanne Allen is in Boston, MA today for a look at authorizing in The Bay State, sponsored by the Pioneer Institute. Cara Stillings Candal just authored a fantastic paper for Pioneer on the history of the charter movement in Massachusetts and how the authorizing process has gone from broad to narrow over its course, despite great student achievement. While the state has been a strong authorizer over the years, proven by the high-quality schools they’ve authorized, there are concerns that they are constraining the independence and innovation of charters by focusing on replication, inputs not outputs, and adding unnecessary regulations. In addition to removing the cap, the paper recommends what CER has been advocating for years: multiple authorizers to allow for increased innovation in Massachusetts and “maintain(ing) the rigor and integrity of the charter authorization process.”

SPEAKING OF MULTIPLE AUTHORIZERS. It’s becoming all too clear that Massachusetts isn’t the only state whose charter movement is experiencing problems with a single authorizer model. While local NC boards can authorize with state board approval, and the state board alone can approve Dept. of Ed managed charter applications, there is still much work to be done. A proposal pending in the state senate and passed by the NC house creating the NC Public Charter School Board isn’t the answer though, and thankfully, it’s unlikely the senate will act on this. The reality is that the potential for improving authorizing in the Tarheel State already exists because current law permits the establishment of university authorizers, if approved by the state board. The university as authorizer model is a clear winner in NY, MI and elsewhere, and states looking to improve should follow.

WELCOMED NEWS. Tennessee’s failed proposal to establish a “statewide authorizer” that would have created a charter commission tied to the State Department of Education is welcomed news for the very reasons mentioned in this Newswire. The proposed commission would be no less bureaucratic than authorizers that already exist, local districts and the Achievement School District (ASD), which was created to help areas of the state with persistently failing schools. Barriers to charter school growth would continue to be an issue and overtime, the Dept. of Ed would begin to look at this new division as a burden and drain on their system.

DON’T FIX WHAT AIN’T BROKE. Washington, DC’s Public Charter School Board has been a model of excellence. The independent DCPCSB has been the sole authorizer in the District since the school board initially gave up its very deficient oversight in 2007, and because the DC charter board is truly independent, it has been able to focus relentlessly on chartering well and strong stewardship. Some have come to question whether this is changing. Staff and board attitudes toward new innovations and new actors in DC have been negative, and the DCPCSB is reportedly becoming more bureaucratic in its ways. The fact that DC Mayor Vincent Gray and Chancellor Kaya Henderson now want DCPS to get back into the authorizing business again might be a good competitive kick to the DC Public Charter School Board. Chancellor Henderson wants to be able to “create schools free of bureaucratic rules and regulations that she said hamper traditional schools.” She actually already has that authority, and it is important to note that nationwide, school districts are responsible for most of the 15% of closed charters. But if the council really wants to extend the Chancellor additional authority, it should also extend authority to approve charter schools to reputable universities with experience and knowledge of the community. The School Reform Act empowers the city council to approve the inclusion of other entities. The University of the District of Columbia and Howard University are two natural fits that could follow in the successful footsteps of New York and Michigan higher education institutions, to name just two.

A BAD CHOICE. A pending proposal in New Jersey is also a bad idea because it calls for local voter approval of charters, imposes more bureaucracy in the name of increased standards, and creates a new nine-member charter school review board. It is the antithesis of sound charter school policy, and is another attempt by opponents to squash the modest charter movement that New Jersey has developed over the past 18 years. Introduced by Assemblyman Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex), who unapologetically has never been a fan of charter schools, the bill caters to the cries of the Garden State’s establishment who believe any choice not made by centralized districts is a bad choice.

DOOMED TO FAIL. Why so many bad proposals out there that are doomed to fail? Clearly, policymakers didn’t get the memo and haven’t seen CER’s The Essential Guide to Charter School Lawmaking: Model Legislation for States Grounded in Experience and Practice.

As legislatures begin to wind down for a summer break, it is time to look at what real experience can provide. States with truly independent and multiple authorizers have demonstrated that both high quality and a high quantity of charter schools are possible. In most cases, universities have proven to be the best authorizers, combining existing higher education entities with an infrastructure that is accustomed to public and legislative scrutiny while creating new innovations in K-12 education. They stand as a blueprint for all states to follow.

OPPORTUNITY FORWARD. Just this morning, the North Carolina House Education Committee moved legislation forward that would bring vouchers to the Tarheel State. Following a heated debate, The Opportunity Scholarship Act, HB 944, passed 27 to 21. As one lawmaker said in favor of the bill, “Some think we were elected to represent public schools, but we were elected to represent the people of North Carolina… Parents have a God-given right [to choose.]”

BEANTOWN CHAMPS. Charter schools in Massachusetts turn 20 this year and they are only getting better with age. A new report by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) finds that high school students attending Boston’s charter schools are outperforming their traditional public school peers and are more likely to go on to attend four-year colleges. Although, this finding is not surprising since a majority of charter schools in Boston have a college preparatory emphasis and have created a competitive culture that encourages students to succeed. The report also finds that Boston’s charter students are more likely to take AP courses and pass the state graduation exam. It’s clear that Boston’s charter schools continue to be “Champions of School Achievement.”

THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A ‘GOOD’ CAP. Last week, Maine lawmakers killed a bill that would have significantly improved the Pine Tree State’s charter school law. The legislation, introduced by Gov. LePage, would have removed the cap of only ten schools within ten years and allowed for truly multiple and independent charter school authorizers. Outraged by the lack of progress to open and approve schools since charters became legal in Maine in 2011, Governor LePage railed against the commission back in January, stating that Maine needed “people with backbones.” Well, clearly there weren’t enough people with backbones at Thursday’s joint education committee hearing. Let’s hope Maine’s slow approach to charters doesn’t drag on as long as Texas’ 18-year battle over caps, which finally gained some ground over Memorial Day weekend. While the cap on the number of charter schools in Texas was not eliminated for good, the legislature increased the limit on the number of schools from 215 to 305 by 2019. A victory indeed for Texas students, but still not enough in a state where there are over 100,000 students on waiting lists. Sadly, this cap issue will rear its ugly head again in just a few short years in The Lone Star State. A lesson Maine lawmakers and others should be mindful of when debating “Good Cap, Bad Cap.”

DIGITAL DIVIDE. With a single signature, Gov. Pat Quinn of Illinois once again put on display his unwillingness to embrace any legislative measure expanding educational choice. In the same state that received an ‘F’ for digital learning on the Parent Power Index©, Quinn and his supporters in the legislature imposed a one year moratorium on new charter schools with virtual learning programs in communities with less than 500,000 residents. In the meantime, a report will be conducted on the effectiveness of virtual learning, which won’t be submitted to the General Assembly until March 2014. This moratorium makes clear Illinois lawmakers don’t want to adapt, choosing establishment interests over innovative ways of educating students.

Digital learning is also slated to be scaled back in Louisiana thanks to the same state Supreme Court ruling that found the funding mechanism for vouchers to be unconstitutional. State Superintendent White vowed to find department funds to ensure access, but widespread offerings of online coursework in the “course choice” program will be affected.

PARENT POWER AT WORK. When a local school district was unable to provide a quality education to her children, mother and military wife Calyn Holdaway decided to take action. When Holdaway moved her family to a new school district in hopes of getting a better education for her oldest son with autism, her two youngest children ended up facing challenges. In what we would call a true act of parent power, Holdaway started a non-profit in her home state of Washington with the goal of opening a charter school in 2014. Thanks to a recently passed law allowing for non-profits to start up to 40 charter schools over five years, Holdaway’s plan for a charter that targets ‘non-traditional learners’ has a chance of becoming a reality. She realizes there will be a lot of opposition to a charter school in the community, but luckily for students in Tacoma in desperate need of an alternative, Holdaway says she isn’t afraid.

OPPORTUNITY AHEAD. North Carolina lawmakers deliberated on a proposal earlier today that would bring much needed change to the Tarheel State. Thanks to the bi-partisan work of NC House Members Rob Bryan (R-Mecklenburg), Marcus Brandon (D-Guilford), Brian Brown, (R-Pitt) and Ed Hanes (D-Forsyth), the Opportunity Scholarship Act (HB 944) is moving forward to provide scholarships up to $4,200 so low-income and middle class families can choose the best school to fit the needs of their children. While the opposition dusted off the same tired arguments that are proven myths, proponents came out in full force. In response to claims that vouchers would only help wealthy families, Rep. Brandon made it clear the proposal does just the opposite, giving low-income families opportunities. CER president Jeanne Allen said in her testimony before the NC House Education Committee today, “I am struck by the amount of opposition by people that have never actually seen vouchers working…The proof is in the pudding…Go talk to students and parents who have benefitted from school choice.” Clearly there’s much more work to be done, but with strong leadership and a continued bi-partisan commitment, there will surely be more opportunity ahead for NC’s children.

OPENING DOORS. A major victory occurred yesterday when DC Mayor Gray announced that 16 former DC Public Schools facilities will be made available for charter schools and other community organizations. With 43% of DC public school students attending charter schools, it’s about time! For years parents and charter leaders have been calling on DCPS to allow charters access to these public facilities. In fact, the lack of facilities support has been one of the biggest challenges for charters in the nation’s capital. While it’s too early to tell whether the process will actually open the doors of these empty buildings to charters, parents and leaders are optimistic.

Just hours later, the DC Public Charter School Board voted to approve only two of nine charter school applications. The actions of the DC Charter School Board to deny seven schools, including what would have been the first blended learning model of its kind in the city – Nexus Academy – came as a surprise to many leaders and parents. The two awarded approval, Lee Montessori and Academy of Hope, had previously been denied by the board but reapplied this year addressing questions and concerns the board cited in their initial denials. Many of those denied last night, vowed to do the same. Observers of the deliberations raised concerns that the applications weren’t debated very long, five to 10 minutes by board members, before votes were cast.

It came as no surprise that Community Academy Public Charter School and Friendship Public Charter Schools both received 15-year renewals last night. Both charter organizations have been pioneers changing educational delivery and outcomes for DC’s most at-risk and low-income students. In his remarks to the board, Donald Hense, founder and chair of Friendship and a CER board member, pointed out that Friendship is one of the only charter schools in DC that accepts any child at any age, in any grade, at any time of year. With a truly “open door policy,” Friendship still has a 90% on-time graduation rate, 100% college acceptance and an over 80% college attendance rate.

CLOSING DOORS. Last week, Buena Vista School District in Michigan let all of its teachers go and closed school in early May because they ran out of money. Problems started when enrollment started declining, as parents found better educational options in charter schools. Instead of trying to figure out what charters were doing better, the district schools stayed the course, gave teachers raises using money they didn’t have, and came up short. Unsurprisingly, this did not go over well with parents who have been frantically trying to figure out how to get their students in other schools with only a few weeks left. After some “political grandstanding” the state is giving extra money to the district so they can stay open throughout the school year. But to what benefit of the students? If the school district is so poorly managed, will they really learn anything in the next few weeks or remain pawns in the district’s game? More proof that new and independent entities are needed to create great schools. Michigan does not have to look beyond its borders.

CER at 20. Register NOW for CER’s 20th Anniversary Celebration on October 9, 2013 in Washington, DC! The Conference, Gala and EdReformies will salute the “Classics of Education Reform” Rat Pack style. Details about this not-to-be-missed event can be found here.

GOOD at ENCOURAGING DROPOUTS (GED). As states across the nation are called to increase high school graduation rates, there’s a growing concern about the value of the GED and state policies that encourage dropouts. As the Washington Post points out, educators and economists alike are calling for stricter access to the GED. Historically, the test was designed to give struggling students and dropouts a new lease on life and get them back on track to pursue higher education or secure a decent job. But in reality the test is encouraging dropouts, according to James Heckman, Nobel Prize winning economist at the University of Chicago, and very few GED test-takers are seeking out higher education. What’s more, employers have found no difference in workplace success between dropouts and those that have completed the GED. So why the increase in students pursuing the GED when there’s little evidence of future success? In some states, like in Maryland, students that complete the GED are granted a high school diploma and are encouraged to do so at age 16! So instead of creating better educational opportunities to keep students engaged in pursuit of success, they are pushing them out the door younger and inflating academic attainment. Lawmakers across the country need to wake up. Maryland may rank #1 according to some, but the reality is most states, including Maryland, are barely making the grade.

MOTHER KNOWS BEST. Vincent Peña is one high school senior that shows us the sky is the limit when given access to better educational opportunities. Over the weekend Vincent became the first person in his family to earn a college degree – an associate degree from Ivy Tech. He’ll receive his high school diploma later in June before going on to Perdue University in the fall. He was especially thankful for his mom this Mother’s Day. Vincent told the Gary Post Tribune, “Mother knows best,” for seeking out the 21st Century Charter School in eighth grade when she increasingly became dissatisfied with the traditional public schools. Kevin Teasley, founder and CEO of the GEO Foundation which operates 21st Century said, “We get our kids exposed to college, and if they put their minds to it they can earn their associate degree on our dime.” Teasley continued, “This kid is getting an honors diploma and an associate degree on the same amount we’d spend on others who are just getting a diploma. But the issue is much more than just stretching the taxpayer dollar, it’s breaking the cycle of poverty.” Not only does 21st Century have the top graduation rate in Gary at 95.2%, it beat the statewide average graduation rate of 88.38% in 2012. Moms really do know best and when lawmakers afford them true Parent Power, all students do better.

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. The freedom and flexibility that led to the success of Vincent noted above might be at-risk. Over the weekend, Governor Pence signed legislation that has good intentions but will most likely result in unintended consequences. The new law empowers Indiana’s state department of education to become more involved in the day-to-day operations of charter schools. As we’ve pointed out time and time again, quality charter schools are directly correlated to quality authorizers. States with multiple, independent authorizers – independent legally and managerially from existing local and state education agencies – produce more and better opportunities for students. Be sure to check out our new paper on model charter authorizers and why some models, while well-intentioned, have unintended consequences.

MY CHILD MY CHOICE. From coast to coast there’s been a flurry of activity among parents – especially moms – demanding school choice. Families in the Big Apple stormed city hall this morning to announce 50,400 NYC students (enough to fill Yankee Stadium) are on charter school waiting lists. Parents and school leaders also gathered in Harrisburg, PA today to rally in support of more charter and cyber charter school options. Over 100,000 students across Texas were reported to have been on charter school waiting lists last year. So it comes as no surprise that a recent poll by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice found overwhelming support for school choice among moms of school-aged children. This recent study adds to two decades of data proving that the majority of Americans support better educational options for all our children.

CER AT 20. In case you missed it, today we announced a preliminary list of confirmed participants for CER’s 20th Anniversary Celebration – Conference, Gala and Rat Pack EdReformies – on October 9, 2013 in Washington, DC. Honorees, speakers, participants and the full day’s events can be found here.

“People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy after.”
–Oliver Goldsmith

This quote seems particularly apt today, the second day of National Charter Schools Week, a time to reflect on as well as celebrate the milestones made when this simple concept was created by thoughtful people in the late 1980s.

The birth of the first charter law in Minnesota in 1991 ushered in a major, bi-partisan movement. The first school, City Academy High School in St. Paul was what it was all about – teacher driven, with parents highly empowered and curriculum tailored to the interests and needs of students. TIME Magazine would, a few years later, call it a “Grassroots Revolt.” And so it was. Organic, interesting innovations in teaching and learning began to be developed in application after application, school after school. Innovations in authorizing were similarly adopted, with laws suddenly empowering universities, mayors, and city councils to step up to the plate and engage in creating the “new public school.”

Some 22 years, 6,200 schools, 2.5 million students and 6 million adults involved later, there are many more policies and laws than ever dreamed, and a rigorous push for more and better schools daily, demanded largely by the people who led the battle to start – frustrated teachers and parents who know that they and their children can do better if given a choice.

Yet too often, those involved lose sight of that original goal and spend time advancing bad ideas that have no connection to the original concept. So it was that Tuesday’s Thought from Oliver Goldsmith which struck me as particularly apt today. “People seldom improve when they have no other model but themselves to copy after.” It happens to the best of us, the best movements. In the charter school world today, it’s happening, period:

• With an authorizer group that believes its model for authorizing is the only one, despite evidence to the contrary and examples of disconnect with the very people authorizers are intended to support and serve;
• With charter school networks, which believe that their way of educating is the best and only way, to the detriment of the small, independent groups who know their communities and families best and work hard to serve them outside of the public eye, yet fail to garner the public attention that the more well-funded among us get;
• With policymakers who believe in charter schools but keep putting their names on bills that empower more government involvement, and disempower the people running the schools;
• With organizations, who limit their visions and often focus on turf over substance;
• With funders who fail to question – have I become blinded by one model, one group, one approach?
• With all of us who assume that it’s someone else’s job to fight these fights and challenge their friends to do better.

And yet, despite all of these internal deficiencies the reform eco-system has, thousands of great stories of student and educator success are evident. These three stand out, today:

At Archimedean Upper Conservatory Charter School, FL, the first two graduating classes (Class of 2012 & 2013) have had tremendous success with college placement. Of a combined total of 65 students of the first two graduating classes, 97% have been admitted to 4-year colleges and universities, roughly 60% have been admitted to Top-100 colleges and universities and about 15-20% have been admitted to Top-20 colleges and universities including Harvard, Princeton, Columbia, Williams, Amherst, Stanford, MIT, Pomona, Brown, Duke, West Point, Vanderbilt, Emory, and more. Although Archimedean Upper Conservatory has been in existence only since 2008, it boasts several successes in academic competitions including: National VEX Robotics Silver Medals (2011 & 2012), National Science Olympiad (2012), National History Bowl & Bee (2011, 2012, 2013), National Ocean Sciences Bowl (2013), National Academic Championship (2013), State Science Olympiad Silver Medalist (2011 & 2012), State Science Olympiad Bronze Medalist (2013), Miami-Dade District Geography Bee Champions (2011 & 2012), and more.

At Boys Latin Charter School, Philadelphia – the only public school in town to take the National Latin Exam – students have increased their medal count each year and actually doubled last years total. They compete in Certamen, a “college bowl” competition for HS Latin students, competed at Yale and most recently at Holy Cross, where the Boys Latin young men placed third (against competitors from toney New England private schools). College enrollment percentages beat any ethnic or gender rates in the district, including Asian girls. The first two graduating classes had college enrollment rates of 74% and 81% respectively, mostly in 4-year institutions. There does not appear to be another public HS in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania graduating more than 25% African-American males who can beat that performance. Because it is an all-boys school it thrives on competitive outlets.

Evergreen Community Charter School in Asheville, NC is recognized for its environmental mission as well as its academics. It’s been a Designated Honor School of Excellence for two consecutive years and received the U.S. Department of Education Green Ribbon Award for being a school that exercises a comprehensive approach to creating “green” environments through reducing environmental impact, promoting health, and ensuring a high-quality environmental and outdoor education to prepare students with the 21st century skills and sustainability concepts needed in the growing global economy (2012). The school’s Middle school science teacher, Stuart Miles, won North Carolina’s Charter School Teacher of the Year (2010-11). Evergreen received the Exceptional Environmental Education Center award from the Environmental Educators of North Carolina (2010) and was approved for charter renewal for 10 years and full SACS CASI accreditation through AdvancED, an organization that advances excellence in education worldwide (2009).

Great Valley Academy in Manteca, California demonstrates the power of the “Ripple Effect.” In its first year the API score was 800, without test prep. Its kids include high numbers of children with dyslexia, ADD and Autism, yet their students are able to function without academic deficiencies. Great Valley ensures that not only does every child succeed academically, but every class learns to run a business. And there’s still time to be a model for physical fitness and instill strong character in its students. In a short period of time they have been so successful that the traditional school district signed a contract with its leaders to implement the program in their schools and they are beginning to work with a county school to do the same.

These are but a few models that exist. Visit these charter schools — and others — TODAY by going to their websites at the Center’s Online Directory, and get involved, become outspoken and ALWAYS seek to improve (without asking government to impose additional restrictions and bureaucracy to get there!)

For more ways to improve what you do in the charter school eco-system, check out the ideas and tools listed in the full analysis.

SIN CITY. In 30 years, only two principals in Nevada’s Clark County School District have been fired. Could it be that the schools in Vegas are really so good that only two school leaders have ever been held accountable? Unfortunately, the answer is NO. Nevada ranks 24th on the Parent Power Index, with only 26 percent of its 4th and 8th graders reading at proficiency. And as the Nevada Public Policy Center points out, “During this same time period, CCSD has become one of the country’s worst districts.” Last week the CCSD school board announced a series of town meetings to get input from the public on selecting a new school superintendent. But before the search even started they stopped looking nationally because the education establishment has made it pretty clear they don’t want an “outsider” coming in to shake things up. But even if CCSD was able to attract a bold new reform-minded superintendent willing to take on the status quo, they most likely would not be successful in cleaning house. According to NPRI, “CCSD has a chicken-or-egg problem… The principals — management — have a union. And, therefore, dismissing a principal is a laborious process consisting of multiple hoops to jump through and a time- and paperwork-intensive appeals process.” Positively sinful.

PARENT POWER! Thank goodness we’ve got our PALs over in California working hard to combat similar issues. While a number of positive legislative efforts failed to pass earlier this year, these parents are hopeful one last modest proposal, SB 441, will secure the votes needed to bring slight changes to teacher evaluations in the Golden State. Teachers in California are evaluated every five years. Julie Collier, Executive Director and founder of PALs, points out, “If your child starts Kindergarten it is likely he/she may not have a teacher evaluated until 4th or 5th grade.” Even so, “Last year 98% of the teachers in California (that were evaluated) received the highest evaluation rating: Satisfactory.” TODAY is the deadline to weigh in, so help out our PALs and call members of the CA Senate Education Committee by 4:30pm PST.

RETREATING ON REFORM. Indiana is known as the “reformiest” state for good reason, but a measure awaiting Governor Pence’s signature is a major step back. Masked as a charter school accountability bill and supported by some of our Hoosier friends, HB 1338 threatens independence and accountability measures for Indiana’s charter school authorizers — measures that have earned the state’s charter law an A grade. The proposal, which has passed the Indiana legislature, empowers the Indiana Department of Education to have authority over the state’s authorizers that have been a model for the nation. Even if reformer Tony Bennett was still the ed chief, this is not a good precedent to set. The most reform-minded leaders can’t always control what happens under their watch when bureaucracy comes into play. Frankly, given the anti-charter and choice campaign she waged last fall, there’s no doubt that Glenda Ritz has her sights on dismantling the good reforms started by her predecessor. HB 1338 emboldens her administration to do just that.

KEEPING THE FAITH. With major efforts underway from New York to Louisiana and from North Carolina to Ohio, parents across the country are demanding the right to choose the best school for their children, including faith-based schools. On June 6, The American Center on School Choice is hosting, “Religious Schools in America: A Proud History and Perilous Future,” in Austin, TX. Click here for more information and to register for this important discussion.

THE NEW COOL. As The Center for Education Reform turns 20 and looks back at the history it has had a bird’s eye view of seeing and carrying, we invite you to join us for an intensive conversation about the original stories of reform, their founders, the lessons of the past, the battle lines, the missteps, and the victories. All the while helping us plan the next generation of reform efforts. Be sure to save October 9, 2013 on your calendar and join us to celebrate CER At 20. Click here for a sneak peek of the conference agenda, “Education Reform: Before It Was Cool.”

BING. Two significant developments in the cause for equity and justice for kids happened over the past few days. First, a major report by the non-partisan University of Arkansas found that students in Washington, DC charter schools are treated to almost 44% less in funding than the traditional public school system receives. We’ve known this, of course, and have reported on it numerous times. Indeed the funding gap between charters and traditional public schools averages 30-40% nationwide, and that’s before you count the lack of facilities funds! With 43% of DC’s students in these innovative public schools, and overwhelmingly better academic achievement, you’d think the nation’s leaders would demand equity so that these students, whose families chose to find a better alternative to the traditional public schools, would not be penalized for seeking the American dream for their children.

BANG. Then comes the revelation (not to most of us toiling in the ed-reform vineyards for years) that African-American students benefit the most from school choice, as evidenced by their progress in college. The report by Harvard’s Paul Peterson says that African-American students in NYC who used the voucher to attend private schools are 24% more likely to go to college.

BOOM. Idaho Governor Butch Otter was not happy with the outcome of last fall’s ballot initiatives, which the union led to repeal his signature school improvement laws that would have paid teachers based on performance, phased out tenure, limited collective-bargaining, and expanded online learning opportunities. As a strong governor does, he worked with the legislature to revisit the issues and a new package was introduced and passed this week that requires a majority of teachers in support to open negotiations, limits teacher negotiations to one year and permits districts to address pay in emergency situations, two things not permitted under traditional collective bargaining contracts.

MUSIC TO OUR EARS. From the latest issue of Philanthropy Magazine comes tales of accomplishment from amidst the philanthropic community; a profile of the man who led Florida to bolster choices for tens of thousands of needy families; the story of where advocacy efforts first started (though some, like ours, were inadvertently left out of the narrative!); an introduction to a real users guide for Blended learning, insights into the thinking of major reform philanthropists and thoughts about what we are still missing from the funding spectrum. Engaging, thoughtful analysis, all of it, to be sure.

CORE-CONSPIRACY? A funny, tongue-in-cheek blog takes aim at those who believe that the Common Core State Standards are part of a vast government/corporate conspiracy to get into our children’s brains and dumb down America. Some of us have been doing this a long time and never ever seen an education conspiracy by left or right, other than the often unintentional but thoughtless conspiracy by the Education Blob to prevent school choice, accountability, and teacher quality measures to happen and bad schools to close. Those are conspiracies of long-seeded alliances, who think and act the same way because their power structure gave them the right to do so. One need not be a cynic to recognize how education has fallen apart under the “careful” hands of governments over the years. But that’s a side issue. The real important questions being raised in very intelligent and thoughtful circles are whether Common Core will have any effect on our schools, given that those who don’t like high standards to start — or consequences for failing to meet them — remain in charge of the very large education cartel that we have in this country. And if they result in everyone changing the materials they use but no one really rigorously following them, will we have wasted time and money that could have been spent on, let’s say, more flexibility for teachers in the classroom, teacher quality initiatives and school choice? Time will tell whether that — or infinitely low cut scores — will be the demise of the Common Core. It’s not a panacea, after all, and often the best-intentioned efforts are doomed in this system.

WE’RE HAVING A PARTY. Plan to join us for CER’s 20th Anniversary Conference and Gala Celebration in Washington, DC, October 9th. The conference theme, EDUCATION REFORM: BEFORE IT WAS COOL, will reintroduce to most and introduce to many the china-breakers and their efforts that paved the way for the cool kids of today. You won’t want to miss it. Details at http://www.edreform.com/about/20th-anniversary/.

TRAGEDY IN BOSTON. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and families of yesterday’s tragedy at the Boston Marathon. As our nation grapples with yet another act of terror, children no doubt have questions and concerns of their own. We’ve pulled together a few resources for parents and schools to provide reassurance and guidance to children when talking to them about tragedy.

WAFFLING ON CHOICE. Last week, TN Gov. Bill Haslam killed a very modest voucher plan at a time when senate republicans were poised to expand the plan beyond just those students trapped in what the state defines as “failing” schools. Why pull your own bill that had increasing support in the legislature? Evidently, as the Wall Street Journal uncovered, “to please the teachers unions.”

Some lawmakers in the Tarheel State may be waffling on this same issue as the Opportunity Scholarship Act that would provide approximately 360,000 low-income and middle-class families with a scholarship to attend a school of their choice was filed in the NC General Assembly yesterday. Some speculate Speaker Thom Tillis (R-Mecklenberg) isn’t going to be pushing so as not to lose the favor of the establishment as he makes his bid for a seat in the U.S. Senate. We’ve seen political aspirations get in the way of doing what’s right for kids play out before. Hopefully the 60,000+ parents, educators and students that have already vowed their support for this effort will be enough to sway the Speaker in their favor and remind him that he works for them, not special interests. Join the effort and sign up to attend Answering the Call for Our Children on April 23 in Greensboro, NC.

10,000 STRONG. Last Wednesday, 10,000 parents, students, educators and community leaders rallied in Buffalo in support of the NY Education Investment Tax Credit bill that would allow up to $300 million in individual and corporate tax credits. The bill enjoys bi-partisan support in the NY General Assembly, and as Buffalo Bills Hall of Famer Jim Kelly remarked, “How often is it that Albany could pass one bill and everybody wins.” This editor couldn’t agree more, as a Buffalo native who knows far to well how desperately parents in the Empire State need choice. If passed, the bill would allow low-income and middle-class families to choose from a number of public, private and parochial schools. Help spread the word and help to secure the thousands of voices still needed to see this through to Governor Cuomo’s desk.

THROWING GOOD MONEY AFTER BAD. West Virginia—‘Wild’? Yes. ‘Wonderful’? That remains to be seen: the state ranks 43rd in affording parents power. Only 24% of the state’s eighth graders can read at proficiency. Rather than push for systemic change, the State Board of Education has decided to throw more money at 32 failing schools, essentially rewarding them for poor performance. State Superintendent Jim Phares said, “When schools continue to perform in the bottom 5 percent of the state and aren’t showing signs of growth, they need help.” With all do respect Mr. Phares, the children trapped in these persistently failing schools need the help finding a way out!

EVERY CHILD READY. Last week, Education Week, the national newspaper of record for education, profiled the DC-based AppleTree Institute for its evidenced-based preschool instructional model. Developed with federal Investing In Innovation (i3) funds, Every Child Ready has become a model for preschool instruction whose method is learning through play. AppleTree President and CEO Jack McCarthy explains in the article how the model is particularly effective for children from under-resourced communities, whose backgrounds may not have prepared them for the rigors of elementary school. “We’re really focused on the children who are starting the furthest behind. They’re the ones who make the most gains through our program,” says the edreform pioneer. Be sure to check out the full article to see how AppleTree is starting early to change the trajectories of hundreds of children.

DEVELOPING OUR IRREPLACEABLE TEACHERS. The National Academy of Advanced Teacher Education (NAATE), an intensive two summer program (10 days in residence each summer) designed specifically for experienced high-performing teachers from across the nation, is accepting applications from qualified candidates for the July 2013 program taking place in Providence, RI. The program is designed for high-performing Grade 3 – 12 teachers in their 3rd – 8th year of teaching in core subject areas with the goals of 1) further improving their classroom practice, 2) enhancing their ability to lead their peers and other adults outside the classroom, and 3) recommitting them to the profession of teaching. To find out more about the curriculum, the case study’s method and cost, and to learn about nominating teachers for the program, please call 401-371-0001 or e-mail info@naate.org.

THE MADNESS CONTINUES. With all due respect to basketball fans out there, the Louisville win might be nirvana for some, but we’re wondering why we can’t channel some of the sports enthusiasm toward education reform and help this laggard state actually adopt some measures that are good for kids and families. Kentucky schools rank near the bottom on national assessments. In Jefferson County, where Louisville is located, for example, student proficiency when compared to the rest of the U.S. is under 50% for both math and reading, and that’s in a district more advantaged than many other pockets of the state. Kentucky has no charter school law, no additional school choices, no real online learning programs, and no major teacher quality effort in play. It ranks near the bottom on the Parent Power Index, too! So with its victory recent, and the state spread all over the newspaper headlines, isn’t it time to channel some of that energy to the state house where numerous bills lie in wait? Take action here.

POWER TO PARENTS. The state of more states will be unveiled tomorrow, when the Center for Education Reform (CER) releases its semi-annual, national ranking of state education reform laws, assessing each state on the relative power it affords to parents to make fundamental decisions guiding the education of their own kids. Parent Power Index© (PPI)‘s interactive, web-based interface lets you compare your state to others on key indices, from charters and choice to teacher quality and transparency issues. While there is a growing body of data and information available to parents, policymakers, educators and the general public, the PPI is the first and only comprehensive evaluation of state education policy that is geared towards parents, continuously updated in real-time, and now, provides an arsenal of state and local resources. Be sure to bookmark this page for your perusal this week.

STRONGSVILLE STRIKES. It’s the fifth week of a union-led teacher strike in Strongsville, Ohio, and since early March, nineteen students have withdrawn from the school district. As teacher union demands intensify, it’s likely that more families will pull their children out of Strongsville City schools as the strike drags on. Last week the school board met with the Strongsville Education Association (SEA), under the guise of a federal mediator, to work out a solution to their demands on salary, benefits and pensions. After nearly 30 hours of negotiating last week, no deal was struck between the teachers union and the school board. As the strike moves into its sixth week, students and parents, without access to choice, will continue to serve at the mercy of the union led temper tantrum.

JERSEY BRAWL. The nation’s eleventh most populous state is seeing education on its hot burner again, and reformers are hopeful that the Christie administration will push forward and engage all the opportunities at its disposal on all fronts. Both in and out of the Garden state, observers look for trends here to dictate what’s possible in their own state. This year, three dozen charter applications have been submitted, keeping up a trend that usually ends up with only a few pre-chosen schools approved. A tiny little voucher program is tucked into the Governor’s budget, a state takeover of Camden is underway, and the teacher evaluation system that got NJEA buy-in initially is being challenged, of course, for it’s 35% reliance on student performance to measure teachers (which is actually fuzzy as the districts get to decide how to measure that student performance). Affluent jersey parents protest any change while the rest of the state continues to demand resolution to thousands of failing schools. Strong union control of politicians, Ds fighting Rs —  it’s a pretty grim picture of education all over the U.S., and urgency can come none too soon.

CELEBRATING PRINCIPIAL LEADERSHIP. The Accelerate Institute, a four-week intensive training program at Kellogg School of Management that provides charter-school leadership training, mentoring and placement for high-performing educators from around the country, is accepting applications for its first class of honorees of the Ryan Awards. Four awards will be given to school principals who help to close the achievement gap, foster an environment of excellence, and are determined to work against impediments to accelerate the achievements and possibilities for their students. The deadline for nominations is April 22, 2013 at 12 a.m.

SUPREME VICTORY. Just a week ago, the Indiana Supreme Court unanimously upheld a lower court decision declaring the state’s school voucher program constitutional. Kevin Chavous, executive counsel for American Federation for Children and CER Board Member explains, “…the bottom line is people and parents are clamoring for change. And that’s why you see that these scholarship programs, these voucher programs, tax credits, they’re emerging all over the country, because people don’t want to be consigned to a bad school based on zip code.” Going head to head with NEA president Dennis Van Roekel on PBS’ News Hour yesterday, Chavous continued, “…this really isn’t about partisan politics. It really is about making sure that parents have as many quality options as possible available to educate their children.” Amen!

CAROLINA CONTROVERSY. Charter School legislation introduced in the North Carolina General Assembly has made its way to the state House and Senate, and has been causing some controversy from the hills of Asheville to the shores of Wilmington. SB 337 would create the North Carolina Public Charter Schools Board, replacing the charter school advisory board. Detractors say that the bill creates a dual system of education but that is actually a moot point because the board that would be created would not be independent; its authority would still rest with the NC Department of Public Instruction. The debate should really be about creating strong laws that result in strong schools, a conclusion CER has made in 14 evaluations of charter laws.

MISSISSIPPI COMPROMISES ON CHOICE. Fearing warnings that changes to a bill could jeopardize support, the Mississippi House passed the Charter Schools Act of 2013, agreeing today to House Bill 369, a bill to expand charter schools. The fate of the law seemed murky up until yesterday evening, when the Republican leaders of the Senate worked out a compromise. As Newswire has noted, the bill is riddled with restrictions. “The reality is that not all progress is good, and it’s unlikely that the legislature which has taken 16 years to even move charter schooling forward would improve upon this measure in enough years to save the 80 percent of children still not proficient in reading across the state,” said CER President Jeanne Allen in a recent statement.

BATTER UP. This week marks opening day at many ballparks across the country, and we are pleased to announce the Tennessee Charter Schools Association is in the game. TCSA became CER’s first anchor partner in our new initiative to provide a state-based Media Bullpen – the nation’s largest and only aggregator of education news. Get in the game yourself with personalized news alerts, and comment and share national, state, and local news from CER’s 24/7 virtual newsroom, the Media Bullpen.

SAVE THE DATE. We’re having a party! And this one will be big, celebrating CER at 20. On October 9, 2013 we will gather at The Washington Hilton to celebrate the tried and true classics of education reform. Mark your calendar for our 20th Anniversary Celebration, Conference, Gala and the EdReformies, CER’s unique honor bestowed upon leaders in the field of education reform. This year’s theme is the Classics of Education Reform, in Rat Pack style, featuring musical performances by The Reformers – the only musical group made of leading reform activists. Please join us as we look back on our last two decades, pay tribute to our founders, and honor those who have made education reform a “standard.” Visit our website for details on the 2013 EdReformies, ticket and sponsorship information, and for frequent updates. Email events@edreform.com for early registration. Mark your calendar. You will not want to miss it!