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Latest Efforts

Exploring City’s Power to Authorize Charters

February 24, 2012

Mayor Vincent C. Gray and Chancellor Kaya Henderson are discussing a plan to restore the District’s power to create public charter schools as part of an effort to raise the quality of education in low-income communities.

The measure, if adopted, could accelerate the robust growth of publicly funded, independently operated schools that serve 41 percent of the city’s 77,000 students across 98 campuses. Read More…

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Charter Cap Lift Bill Faces Tough Senate Floor Vote

March 6, 2012

For the past few years, Idaho senators have stood in the way of removing a statewide cap on the number of charter schools created each year.

It looks like that barrier has been partially broken, but one more test remains to eliminate the cap. Read More…

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Districts Start Testing Performance Pay

March 2, 2012

Randolph Central Schools will be among the first districts in the state to develop a new performance-based pay structure for its teachers.

The Indiana Department of Education (IDOE) has partnered with two school corporations — Randolph Central and Milan Community Schools — to explore ways to deliver on the new state-mandated teacher evaluations.

“The old system dictated that teacher pay was based on experience and degrees,” Randolph Central Superintendent Gregory Hinshaw said. “Under this new legislation, that will be restricted to no more than 33 percent of an increase.”

The majority will be based on performance. The idea behind the new system is to create a way for the highest performing teachers to be rewarded, Hinshaw said. Read More…

Latest Efforts

Kentucky

November 1, 2011

Kentucky is one of the nine states left without a charter school law. Even if the legislation could get out of the initial introduction phase, incumbent governor Steven Beshear wouldn’t support it. Beshear has been called the greatest education governor by the NEA, and based on his record of sticking with the status quo, it’s not hard to see why. Republican candidate David Williams has vocalized support for charter schools and performance pay, but it’s hard to get a read on Independent Gatewood Galbraith’s views on education.

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Louisiana

November 1, 2011

Louisiana voters continue to support Governor Bobby Jindal, who won last week’s re-election with 65.8% of the vote against an assortment of little-known candidates. Under Jindal, Louisiana has focused on creating a strong charter school system in New Orleans, introducing voucher programs for low-income and special education families, and improving teacher quality.

Latest Efforts

Charter Deadline Limits Potential Openings for Fall 2012

March 6, 2012

The Maine Charter School Commission has given itself a July 1 deadline to decide whether to approve proposals for charter schools.

That deadline leaves any group that plans to a start a school this September with only 60 days to recruit students, hire teachers and prepare classrooms.

As a result, only one or two schools will be able to open in Maine in 2012, said Commissioner Donald Mordecai, speaking before about 50 people at Deering High School on Monday. Read More…

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Michigan applies for No Child Left Behind Waiver in 2nd Round

March 2, 2012

State educators say they’ve formally asked the U.S. Education Department to waive the rule that calls for having 100 percent of students deemed “proficient.”

Schools would have to accept new reforms in exchange for the waiver, and state Superintendent Mike Flanagan said that includes a new report card to hold schools accountable for student performance – including the achievement gaps between various student groups. Read More…

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Mississippi

November 1, 2011

With current Governor Haley Barbour unable to run, the race is between Republican Phil Bryant and Democrat Johnny DuPree. Polls show that Bryant should win the election pretty handedly, and while he has vocalized some support for charters, it’s unclear where he stands on vouchers or teacher quality. Mississippi has the worst charter law in the country, and doesn’t even have any charter schools, so we hope that the new governor wants to bring actual charter schools to the state and not continue to support the in-name only law.

Latest Efforts

Portsmouth School Board: Change Rules On School Choice

October 12, 2011

By Joey Cresta
October 12, 2011
Portsmouth Herald

PORTSMOUTH — The School Board has drafted a letter to N.H. Commissioner of Education Virginia Barry urging her to change the state’s policy on school choice, a controversial provision of the No Child Left Behind law that disrupted city elementary schools this year.

The law allows parents of students at Title 1 schools designated as “in need of improvement” to transfer to a non-Title 1 school in the same district. In Portsmouth, Dondero and New Franklin elementary schools are Title 1 and Little Harbour is not; over the summer, 35 students transferred to Little Harbour, including some children of parents affiliated with the Dondero Parent-Teacher Association, Dondero Principal Kate Callahan revealed at Tuesday night’s School Board meeting.

The letter to Barry, signed on behalf of the board by Chairman Mitch Schuldman, states that school choice “has had a profoundly negative impact on our school community,” particularly at Little Harbour.

According to the letter, Little Harbour recently lost its Title 1 status and has been a “school in need of improvement” each of the past two years. It has also long been considered overcrowded and its class sizes now average 23 to 24 pupils in all grades but kindergarten, well above the district’s stated ideal class size.

School choice altered how district funds are spent in multiple ways, the letter said. The district diverted Title 1 funds set aside for tutoring to provide transportation for the 35 transfer students, hired six paraprofessionals and delayed capital improvements, like replacing a boiler at New Franklin.

With school choice expected to continue to affect Little Harbour in future years — enrollment is projected to still be above 500 students in 2012-13 — the board is requesting the state change its policy starting next school year.

Superintendent Ed McDonough has explained in the past that the U.S. Department of Education guidance on school choice makes clear that states may decide whether non-Title 1 schools that miss Adequate Yearly Progress for two or more years may be offered as transfer options. If the state changes its stance, then Little Harbour would not be a viable school choice option in future years.
“To permit choice to a school where there is already overcrowding, no Title 1 supports, ever-increasing class sizes and significant fiscal impacts makes little sense,” the letter states.

If school choice has negatively impacted the city’s schools, that was not evident in presentations made by the three elementary principals Tuesday night. All three reported strong starts to the year thanks to community support.

Little Harbour Principal Charlie Grossman said he had a “nervous August,” but things were “nailed down” for the most part from day one, thanks to his staff and nearly 200 parent volunteers.

“We have our challenges,” he said, but cited long lunchroom lines as the only explicit example.

At Dondero, school choice was a blessing in disguise, Callahan said, adding, “We have really come together as a team.”

Board members noted that both principals have answered some tough challenges and thanked them for their efforts.

Latest Efforts

Tenure Reform Bill Takes Heat

March 6, 2012

A few critical words at the top of page 14 of the proposed tenure reform bill caused quite a stir yesterday at a Senate hearing on the measure.

The new rules — which redefine how New Jersey teachers earn and keep tenure — will not apply to “those who acquired tenure prior to the effective date” of the bill.

In other words, the bill put forward by state Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Essex), the bill that has been given the best chance yet of overhauling New Jersey’s century-old tenure system, will be grandfathered in. Read More…

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Student Surveys Part of Effort to Gauge Effective Teaching

March 6, 2012

Hey, kids: How good is your teacher?

This spring, students in the Charlotte region will test-drive a survey that could eventually give them a voice in their teachers’ job evaluations.

Once results are in, state officials will consider whether and how to incorporate a student survey into teacher and principal evaluations. Read More…

Latest Efforts

February 7, 2012

Hats off to Philadelphia’s Boys’ Latin Charter school, which boasts impressive college-going rates for its inaugural class. This chart paints a clear picture of just how much this school is helping young males succeed.

Latest Efforts

May 15, 2012

In May 2012, the Center for Education Reform (CER) conducted a survey of registered Tennessee voters* to gauge their knowledge and perceptions of charter schools. Click here for key findings.

Latest Efforts

Virginia: Moving Forward or Backward in Education?

March 13, 2012

Entering 2012, the state of Virginia was coping with the effects of a faulty funding formula, which did not provide equity for all students statewide, that the existence of full-time virtual schools had exposed.

Senate Bill 598 was introduced in January to fix the problem by insuring fair funding for public school students who wanted access to full-time, statewide virtual schools that had been approved by during a rigorous review process by the Virginia Department of Education. The fixes—themselves worked through in a lengthy and rigorous process—insured fair funding not only for the students, but also in a way that could work for the districts.

In the last week of February, however, changes were introduced to the bill that struck out all of the well-balanced language in the bill designed to fix the faulty funding formula. Read More…

Latest Efforts

West Virginia

November 1, 2011

West Virginia held their gubernatorial election earlier this fall, and voters chose Earl Ray Tomblin, a Democrat intent to stick with what doesn’t work in education – no charter school law, no choice, and being supported by the unions. CER hopes that voters will take a look at the education policies and ideologies of these candidates and vote for who will do the most for their children.