New Orleans, Louisiana’s (NOLA), ed establishment has mounted a fight they hope carries hurricane force winds to the Big Easy, knocking out the careful and successful repair work of the state’s -- and perhaps -- the south’s -- worst school system. That system lost everything in the tragic hurricane of 2005, but from the ashes emerged a fresh start for schools, including no interference by a power-hungry school board and unions, as well as from tenure and seniority issues that protect jobs often at the expense of kids. Next month’s elections will decide the fate of 11 positions on the state board of education. Unlike most states, their job is not only to pick a state superintendent who can advocate for or against reforms like the charter schools that gave NOLA a fresh start or the pathbreaking voucher program that now helps thousands with private education. This board and the state super also have authority over the Recovery District, and that is why this is such a hot race. Teacher unions have banded together with the Coalition for Louisiana Public Education to try to return NOLA to a pre-Katrina structure. It’s a pity they still don’t get it. Get involved and publicize the importance of reform-minded candidates to your friends or colleagues in the Bayou. For more information on New Orleans schools, visit: http://educatenow.net/ or http://newschoolsforneworleans.org/index.php Read more »

That more regular public schools replicate success, like the one covered in today's NY Times by veteran education reporter Sam Dillon. YOWSA! "We can't sit idly by and let parents think that only the quality charter schools can educate poor kids well," said Terry Grier, Houston's hard-charging superintendent. "If you see something good, why not try to replicate it?" KIPP's Mike Feinberg, whose work forms the basis for some of the reforms Grier is trying told Dillon: "They've been trying to fix Lee High School for 20 years," he said. "But up until now, there's been no competitive pressure for them to really get crazy and do transformational things." See for yourself - Need we say more? Read more »

MORE BLENDED LEARNING. You know an innovation is on the rise when they write a white paper about it. And, so it is with blended learning, a mixture of on-line and brick-and-mortar education. "The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning: Profiles of Emerging Models," the white paper, was published by Innosight Institute, a research firm, and the Charter School Growth Fund, which invests in charter school management organizations. Report authors call blended learning a "disruptive innovation," a term coined by Harvard's Clayton M. Christensen that describes those innovations that "fundamentally transform a sector by replacing expensive, complicated and inaccessible products or services with much less expensive, simpler and more convenient alternatives." Blended learning, which is beginning to bubble up around the country, may be the spark that totally transforms the delivery of American education. In 2000, only 45,000 K-12 kids took an online course. By 2010, 4 million students participated in some type of on-line learning, according to "The Rise of K-12 Blended Learning." The paper tells us that it started with a small group of students – homeschoolers, gifted kids needing classes their schools didn't offer, rural students, kids needing remedial support and others. But, now it is weaving its way into a broader population, sometimes embraced because it is seen as soft on the budget and sometimes because it simply supports student and family flexibility. Read more »

Vol. 13, No. 33 BACK2SCHOOL.It’s that time again, when kids start packing their bags and getting back on a routine that makes families happy and, hopefully, makes student life productive for the future. This week all over the South schools are back in session. But despite an increase in charter school seats (estimated to be [...] Read more »

CER Newswire Vol. 13, No. 32 August 16, 2011 CHOICE CHESS. Legal ploys to stop democratically created choice programs seem to be in vogue this year, with union bosses’ taking their cases to court. Score a win in Indiana (now considered the Reformiest State– see story below) where Judge Michael Keele refused to stop the state’s voucher program [...] Read more »