CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
May 14, 2013

The Center for Education Reform (CER) announced today a preliminary list of confirmed participants for its 20th Anniversary Celebration – Conference, Gala and Rat Pack EdReformies on October 9, 2013 in Washington, DC. Honorees, speakers and participants in the full day’s events also include:

• Media personality Michelle Bernard
• Honorable Kevin Chavous
• Connections Education President Barbara Dreyer
• Activist reformers Howard Fuller and Lisa Graham Keegan
• Ted Kolderie, founder of the charter school movement
• The Gleason Family Foundation: Tracy, Jim and Janis
• NJ education committee director Melanie Schulz
• Georgia Representative Alisha Thomas-Morgan
• Accelerated School founder Johnathan Williams

These and additional thought leaders will participate in engaging discussions during the day about the course of education reform and lead a major celebration of reform at night.

“Our guests and speakers embody the pioneering and energetic leadership of the education excellence movement,” Jeanne Allen, Center for Education Reform President, said in a statement. “The examples they have set and the milestones they’ve accomplished are extraordinary. There is no better way to celebrate The Center’s 20th Anniversary than to do so in the company and with the wisdom of those who have set the standard for education reform.”

For more information on CER’s 20th Anniversary Celebration including honorees, other featured presentations, and registration information please visit the 20th Anniversary area of edreform.com.

CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
May 7, 2013

In a clear violation of the civil rights of parents and children, the Louisiana Supreme Court issued an opinion today in a 6-1 decision that the funding method employed in the Louisiana Scholarship Program is unconstitutional.

In the majority opinion, Justice John Weimer wrote in part, “The state funds approved through the unique Minimum Foundation Program process cannot be diverted to nonpublic schools or other nonpublic course providers according to the clear, specific and unambiguous language of the constitution.”

In the majority opinion of the 2002 Supreme Court case Zelman v. Simmons Harris, regarding a similar program in Ohio, the late Chief Justice William Rehnquist wrote, “…the Ohio program is neutral in all respects toward religion. It is part of a general and multifaceted undertaking by the State of Ohio to provide educational opportunities to the children of a failed school district.”

Rehnquist continued, “It confers educational assistance directly to a broad class of individuals defined without reference to religion, i.e., any parent of a school-age child who resides in the Cleveland City School District. The program permits the participation of all schools within the district, religious or nonreligious. Adjacent public schools also may participate and have a financial incentive to do so. Program benefits are available to participating families on neutral terms, with no reference to religion. The only preference stated anywhere in the program is a preference for low-income families, who receive greater assistance and are given priority for admission at participating schools.”

The Court determined that when choices were available and parents acted on their ability to privately choose, the Establishment Clause was not implicated.

“If indeed the Louisiana constitution, as suggested by the majority court opinion, prohibits parents from directing the course of the funds allocated to educate their child, then the Louisiana constitution needs to be reviewed by the nation’s highest court,” said Center for Education Reform President Jeanne Allen.

Allen added: “I urge Governor Jindal to file an appeal to the US Supreme Court, and ask for the justices’ immediate review of the decision. The Louisiana justices actions today violate the civil rights of parents and children who above all are entitled to an education that our Founders repeated time and time again is the key to a free, productive democracy.”

Louisiana State Superintendent John White briefly commented today that while he had not yet read the opinion (he was on Capitol Hill today testifying on federal programs), he understands the ruling to say, “it’s not that the program itself is unconstitutional, but that the funding needs to come from somewhere else.”

White added that, “we will find funding and keep fighting this.”

For more information on this and related school choice programs visit the CER school choice FAQs page, as well as the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) and the Institute for Justice.

CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
May 6, 2013

Thanks to partnerships with thousands of local and state organizations supporting or managing charter schools, The Center for Education Reform (CER) has, for 15 years, provided citizens and parents with access to a comprehensive directory of charter schools.

A glimpse of this data makes clear the breadth and depth of the purpose of National Charter Schools Week, the 6,200 schools which together are creating more and better learning opportunities for students and families. The directory provides an important point of access and objective information to the public. When viewed along side the Center’s Parent Power Index (PPI), a state by state ranking of how well the states perform in ensuring parents have the resources necessary to best educate their children, the directory can be a powerful tool to guide parents seeking to have or improve the educational landscape for their community.

“We’ve based our 20 years of experience on the simple notion that Information is Power. The more and better educated we all are about what is currently available to citizens, the more we can do to grow expanded equity and access for kids,” said Center for Education Reform President Jeanne Allen.

In addition to the Center’s charter school directory, CER has partnered with Noodle.org, the nation’s largest search engine of schools, services and support for families seeking education solutions from birth through adulthood.

The annual National Charter Schools Week runs this year from May 5-11. Nationwide and in states, organizations are providing an unprecedented number of tools and services to help increase understanding and awareness and challenge many myths and false assumptions that often characterize many state and local debates.

Additional local and state organizations also celebrating National Charter Schools Week can be found on the Parent Power Index.

For access to additional resources or help in navigating the charter school landscape, contact CER Media Relations at 301-986-8088 or email Patrick Burke at Patrick@edreform.com.

CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
May 1, 2013

A new report from The Center for Education Reform (CER) analyzes the numerous shortcomings of state charter commissions at authorizing quality charter schools.

The report, Charter School Authorizers: The Truth About State Commissions, criticizes commissions, calling them “the new education establishment of tomorrow.”

“The evidence is clear that quality charter schools are directly correlated to quality authorizers,” the analysis said. “States with multiple, independent authorizers — independent legally and managerially from existing local and state education agencies — produce more and better opportunities for students.”

“Without these critical steps, the lawmakers today will be creating the new education establishment of tomorrow, with one set of people in power, the interest of parents and educators secondary, and the future of education behind.”

CER experts praised independent authorizers in states such as Michigan and New York, in addition to the District of Columbia.

Alison Consoletti, CER Vice President of Research and the lead author of the report said, “What we’ve seen repeatedly is the inability of state commissions to approve the same amount of quality charter schools than independent authorizers who are free from excessive oversight,” Consoletti said. “More state commissions means less opportunities to expand educational choice for parents and children.”

Since 1996 the Center has studied and evaluated charter school laws based on their construction and implementation.

On Wednesday Apr. 24, Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform, issued a multi-page manifesto in which she declared the US still faces “educational malaise” 30 years after the release of A Nation at Risk that paved the way for educational reform.

Allen also recalled the “pioneers” who after A Nation at Risk enacted the first voucher programs and charter laws to overcome the unionized and bureaucratic “blob” that for so long has favored the status quo.

A Nation at Risk information and resources can be found here.

Allen is available for comment on this issue. Please call 301-986-8088 or email patrick@edreform.com.

Jeanne Allen is the Founder and President of The Center for Eduction Reform, the nation’s leading advocate for substantive and structural education reforms.

“After 15 years the problems were still prevalent. Today, after 30 years, we still face educational malaise that constitutes a national security threat,” Allen said in a manifesto entitled “A Nation at Risk No More — By Any Means Necessary.”

“One would expect that the way to solve that would be to muster the smartest people in one room, even if the room overflowed to a town, even if the town needed to overflow to a community, even if the community had to overflow over state lines. But sadly, many organizations find it more profitable to boast selectively than recognize the contributions of those who came before, or those who do the work quietly on the sidelines still.”

“Indeed this week — the 30th anniversary of A Nation at Risk– should have produced a revolution of innovation and refocus on what has worked, an internal assessment of what it will take to go from 20 to 300 million people with real, actionable reform, and who’s standing in the way — on all sides. Instead, we have a few forums, and blogs, and most will go about their business as if everything is moving along swimmingly.”

CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
April 23, 2013

Students attending public charter schools in the nation’s capital are funded at almost 44 percent less than students in the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) according to a recent report by the University of Arkansas.

The study, “Education’s Fiscal Cliff, Real or Perceived?” by leading researcher Larry Maloney, compares funding at traditional public schools to charter schools between 2007-2011. The data reveal a significant and persistent gap in per pupil funding for charter schools from federal, state and local sources.

The Center for Education Reform’s Annual Survey of America’s Charter Schools has found the same results since the 1998-1999 Academic Year. Most recent data prove that on average nationally, charter schools are funded at 68 percent of their traditional district public school counterparts. This figure does not include the capital funds for facilities that charters do not receive either.

“With 43 percent of DC’s students in these innovative public schools, demonstrating overwhelmingly better academic achievement, you’d think the nation’s leaders would demand equity,” said Jeanne Allen, president of the Center for Education Reform. “Instead these students, whose families chose to find a better alternative, are being penalized for seeking the American dream for their children.”

University of Arkansas looked at four other of the nation’s largest school districts -Newark, Milwaukee, Denver and Los Angeles – and found widespread inequity across the board. Their final report is expected to be released in the spring of 2014.

CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
April 10, 2013

The Center for Education Reform (CER) is pleased to announce the launch of its second state-based Media Bullpen. The Florida Charter Schools Alliance (FCSA), the leading charter school advocacy organization in the state, is the second partnership in CER’s new initiative to provide organizations, which fully embrace the idea that engaging the media can advance education reform, a state-based Media Bullpen.

“During this very exciting time for the Florida charter school movement, The Media Bullpen will be a valuable source of information keeping charter stakeholders informed as they navigate the education reform waters,” said Lori Butler, Vice President of School Services.

The Media Bullpen, created in 2011 by the Center, is a 24/7 virtual newsroom and is the largest aggregator of education news in the country. Each day, the Bullpen’s unique technology downloads all the education reform related media from throughout the nation. Bullpen editors monitor the dozens of stories and commentaries on education that appear day-in and day-out across the country and analyze them for accuracy, fairness, objectivity, context, and use of credible data – separating fact from fiction and opinion from analysis. They also identify omissions or other gaps in reporting.

In 2012, the Bullpen was enhanced to provide public commenting and a feature for subscribers to contact the reporters directly. Today, state partners now have access to nearly 1,000 news pieces a day fed through our unique, specialized news feed.

“We stand by our commitment to ensuring clearer and more comprehensive reporting on reform and the people engaged daily on making these improvements possible,” said CER Vice President Kara Kerwin. “We’re pleased to be partnering with the Florida Charter School Alliance because education deserves and demands far better coverage in the Sunshine state.”

The Florida Charter School Alliance, formed in May 2011, serves as the unified voice of the public charter school movement in the state. FCSA was formed to ensure that every family in the state has access to a high-quality public school of their choice.

To view the Florida Media Bullpen, please visit the Florida Charter School Alliance website.

CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
April 10, 2013

Indiana’s Parent Power Index (PPI) remains the best in the country, while a new ranking of top ten states emerges, according to the latest report card by The Center for Education Reform (CER). The nation’s “Top Ten” have policies or programs that afford parents the most opportunities to engage directly in the education of their children. The latest rankings on the Parent Power Index© are a result of changing conditions in states, including grades released for digital learning.

The Parent Power Index© shows that states where parents have options to choose tend to yield higher growth rates in student achievement, and states where systems and policies in place limit choice, parental engagement is hindered.

While many states have a new index, among the states that experienced significant shifts:

• Louisiana has moved up to third from sixth in the latest PPI as their state has adopted leading parent empowerment measures.

• Georgia moved up to seventh as it has increased its offering of online learning. And, in November 2012, parents in the state took their charter law to the ballot box so that it could survive a court’s adverse decision, and they won.

• Pennsylvania fell from its eighth seat in the top ten to twelfth, with lower than average digital learning scores and other states moving up.

CER President Jeanne Allen said the Center’s Index is much needed and an accurate reflection of the connection between both education reform policy and achievement: “Parents are a child’s first teacher. Policymakers and educators nationwide are clamoring for more parental involvement, knowing that involvement positively impacts student learning. But without real power, parent involvement is meaningless. In the top ten states, not only is Parent Power more highly valued, but it is resulting in higher learning gains.”

While there is a growing body of data and information available about how states compare to one another, 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.

The Index methodology is based on several Elements of Power using data and analysis provided by numerous, credible research organizations. The Index website also includes valuable information about states, including media reliability on education issues and the education reform postures and grades for governors.

CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
April 4, 2013

Governor Phil Bryant is poised to sign a modest charter school bill into law on April 17, 2013 that would allow for the creation of charter schools. The Mississippi legislature sent the compromised bill to his desk yesterday after falling to pressure from school districts and special interest groups.

“We join our colleagues in acknowledging that this is a step forward for Mississippi, but after sixteen years of debate in a state where only 21% of 8th graders can read at proficiency, parents and students deserve better and more aggressive action from their elected officials,” said Kara Kerwin, Vice President of External Affairs at the Center for Education Reform (CER).

The legislation creates the quasi-independent Mississippi Charter School Authorizer Board (MCSAB) who will have the sole authority to approve charter schools in the state. The law caps the number of charters that can open per year at 15 and has restrictions on enrollment. Charters approved by the MCSAB can be shot down by local school boards if they reside in districts graded an A, B or C by the state with no means to appeal such decisions.

“Strong laws create strong schools. A conclusion we’ve made since 1996 evaluating the nation’s 43 charter school laws,” said Kerwin. “Mississippi lawmakers had two decades of proof to see what works and what doesn’t in charter policy. They missed the mark on most of the key components of strong policy. Incrementalism is not good for all children.”

We are pleased to announce a new initiative of the Center for Education Reform (CER), providing the creation of a state-based Media Bullpen for the organizations who fully embrace the idea that engaging the media can advance education reform. The Tennessee Charter Schools Association (TCSA), the leading charter school advocacy organization in the Volunteer state, will be our first, anchor partner for this exciting initiative. TCSA, founded in 1998, serves quality public charter schools by educating communities, empowering supporters, and promoting legislation to create an educational landscape of excellent options for all students.

“Great things are happening in Tennessee’s schools,” said Matt Throckmorton, executive director of the Tennessee Charter Schools Association. “The Media Bullpen can help to ensure that our state is not only a leader in education reform, but also the way education is discussed in the news media, and subsequently among citizens.”

The Media Bullpen, created in 2011 by the Center, is a 24/7 virtual newsroom and is the largest aggregator of education news in the country. Each day, the Bullpen’s unique technology downloads all the education reform related media from throughout the nation. Bullpen editors monitor the dozens of stories and commentaries on education that appear day-in and day-out across the country and analyze them for accuracy, fairness, objectivity, context, and use of credible data – separating fact from fiction and opinion from analysis. They also identify omissions or other gaps in reporting.

In 2012, the Bullpen was enhanced to provide public commenting and a feature for subscribers to contact the reporters directly. Today, state partners now have access to nearly 1,000 news pieces a day fed through our unique, specialized news feed.

“We are thrilled with this partnership. The Tennessee Charter Schools Association understands that media influences policy and they are bold advocates for the state,” said CER Vice President Kara Kerwin.

The State Media Bullpen will permit organizations to provide real-time summaries of news pieces to their staffs, members and public. “TCSA’s purpose is to be a resource for anyone involved, or simply interested, in charter schools and other education reform efforts across Tennessee,” says TCSA Communications Director, Emily Lilley. “We are thrilled that the Media Bullpen offers an opportunity to enrich the level of information we offer to those we serve.”

To view the Media Bullpen widget for Tennessee, please visit the Tennessee Charter Schools Association.