Morning Shots

Founder and President of the Center for Education Reform reflects on the Boston tragedy in a Huffington Post piece:

The events of recent months tell us we must all do that, no matter how incorrect the social scientists believe such behavior to be. Every mother must ask herself — do I really know my child? Do I understand how he spends his time, what he needs, whether he is masking some hidden hurt? Do I know what the cause of his joy or sorrow is? Can I impact him now at 16, 18, or even 25? Am I willing to intervene to protect the other people around me, regardless of whether he’s my son or not? Mothers must take charge of the chaos our boys are creating around us.

Read the whole story here.

April 22, 2013

Postcards from the Past 
A new, occasional blog post by CER President Jeanne Allen in commemoration of CER’s 20th Anniversary in business and the historical events that have taken place during our history.

Ohio, 1994

So many people start a sentence with “it seems like yesterday,” but you know, that phrase has never tired me. When history is so critical to who we are individually or collectively, what has happened before is almost always interesting. I think that’s particularly so today for education reformers, who just a short time ago launched a movement that has shattered myths, broken down conventional barriers to real education for children, and upset an establishment that continues to plague our schools.

“It seems like yesterday…” that I got this letter, and went to work to help State Senator Cooper Snyder eventually succeed with his legislation authorizing a pilot school choice program for poor children in Cleveland, eg, vouchers. It was a bill which eventually got through the entire legislature, was litigated all the way to the US Supreme Court and affirmed the constitutionality of vouchers and most important, the parents’ right to direct the flow of dollars allocated to educate their child.

The outcry from The Blob was, as expected, fierce and negative.

Today, more opportunities are opened up to children thanks to a few people like Senator Snyder, who is now retired and keeps up with us on the day’s trends. We owe this pioneer of school choice a great deal of gratitude — and the critical recognition that too many of us forget to give — for fighting the early battles so we could all benefit.

I hope you’ve enjoyed this first Postcard from the Past!

April 17, 2013

Just hours ago, Governor Phil Bryant signed the Mississippi Charter Schools Act of 2013 into law.  When this legislation was first headed to the governor’s desk, the Center for Education Reform acknowledged this as a step forward for Mississippi, but emphasized that this legislation is not as bold or aggressive as the parents and students of Mississippi deserve:

“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, CER’s VP of External Affairs.

“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.”

Click here to read the full press release

(Photo courtesy of Twitter)