I am in the eleventh grade at the Cesar Chavez Public Charter School – Parkside Campus and interning at CER for three weeks as a part of my fellowship to obtain job experience and to prepare me for life after high school.

While reviewing different articles, statistics, and facts at my internship, I wondered what influences help parents decide what school is right for their child? I came up with two factors parents consider to see if it is a good school for their child. Does an extra-curricular activity influence their decision? Or is the school widely known in the area or recognized worldwide?

In reviewing articles, the idea of extra-curricular activities made me think if this is why parents choose a certain school for their child. Are parents sending their children to schools because they will receive scholarships in sports? Is this because they are focused on creating the next big sports icon instead of the next person to win the Nobel peace prize? Or is this school mentioned in mainstream media? Is it well-talked about or well-known in their community? Are the good or bad stories in the media influencing a parent’s decision?

I know some people want to know why I chose a charter school and I want to say it is not because of sports, or being recognized nationally. My family and I chose this school because of the mission and vision that they wanted to achieve. In the process of researching schools, we found that Cesar Chavez had a 100 percent college acceptance rate, a 90.2 percent graduation rate, and was going to give me the opportunity to work with public policy issues, to gain job experience through my Fellowship, and take a year long thesis class to prep me for writing essays in college. This made my decision very easy. If I asked my mother today why Cesar Chavez was her choice for me she would say, “It was a good school for education”.

The demographics of the school also made my choice an easy decision. I wanted to attend a school where I would be exposed to different races. In my research I found that 93.3 percent of students were African Americans, 6.4 percent were Hispanics, and 0.3 percent were Caucasian. Chavez was created to educate, empower, and prepare scholars to both succeed in college and serve as informed advocates for public policy issues. Cesar Chavez is known for changing students’ community, family, and life so my advice to you is to choose the school that wants to make a difference.

My experience being in a charter school rather than a public school is very different. In public school, I felt that I wasn’t learning what I should have been and was not doing what I was capable of because in public schools their main concern was not to make sure I went to college or guarantee me a successful career. In a public school what I was guaranteed was an easy pass out of school and a job, not a career but a job. Since enrolling in a charter school I can actually see the difference. Cesar Chavez Charter School will make sure that I am accepted into the college of my choice, that I will graduate with high SAT scores, that I will have a successful career, and that I can make a difference if I focus on what is important.

Sincerely, Briana McManus

“It remains the case that the single most effective way to evaluate whether a charter school is succeeding is to measure value-added growth over time, including how that growth, retention, and, yes, parent satisfaction compare to the same factors in the schools those students would otherwise be attending,” Allen wrote in the Center for Education Reform’s 2011 analysis of what works and doesn’t work in the realm of charter school performance accountability.

There’s judging schools, and there’s judging school laws, and the editorial unfortunately mashes the two together in its argument against changing Maine’s charter school law. Yes, “performance based accountability is the hallmark of the charter school concept”, but giving charter schools a chance to thrive depends on the quality and implementation of charter school law. Having a limit on the number of schools allowed is not an indicator of a strong charter school law. Limits stifle the chances for innovation and growth, thus stifling the potential for great schools (that can be held accountable and judged based on all the factors mentioned in the quote above!).

Photo credit: Center for School Change

Not many people would say getting suspended was their best day in school, but 2nd grader Vincent Smith Jr. of Urban Academy in Minnesota appreciated that day for the valuable life lesson it taught him:
“Getting suspended got me thinking. My Dad is in prison but he often calls me. He is good but he did something bad. I figured I was the same. I am good but I do bad things. Being bad is not cool.

This thoughtful reflection won the second grader first place in the 9th annual Minnesota Charter Public Schools Essay Contest, which garnered over 2,200 student entries. The contest winners get to take a trip to the state capitol and present their essays inside the Capitol Rotunda.

The contest is important because it not only awards outstanding student writers, but also helps legislators get a first-hand look at the accomplishments of charter school students. Check out pictures from the event and read more winning essays on the Center for School Change website.

Teacher of the year awards, among others, will be given out during the celebration.  CER’s very own VP of External Affairs, Kara Kerwin, was honored to help select the Teacher of the Year finalists. Read all about the finalists on the TCSA blog, and be sure to check back to see who won!

Congratulations, and THANK YOU to all those teachers out there working hard to improve educational outcomes for kids!

The Texas House approved on Thursday an amended version of a bill to introduce sweeping changes to the state’s charter school system.

Senate Bill 2 passed on a 105-34 vote on second reading. It now faces a third reading before it can be reconciled with a similar version the Senate passed last month.

“I think the bill supports quality charters, helping them to expand and grow but at the same time helping to shut down the poor performers,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Jimmie Don Aycock, R-Killeen.

Its author, Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, has called SB2 the most comprehensive charter school legislation since the state introduced the publicly funded and privately run schools in the 1990s. Previous efforts to change the system made it through the Senate but failed to gain traction in the House.

The bill would update rules on the renewal, expansion and revocation of charters, raising the current cap of 215 charters that can be authorized at any one time by allowing an additional 10 per year up to a total of 275 by 2019. Charter holders may operate multiple schools under a single charter.

It would also tighten nepotism rules – an amendment exempts current employees – and give operators the right of first refusal on the lease or purchase of unused facilities in traditional public school districts.

Patrick initially sought to provide charters with state funding for facilities, create a separate board to authorize new charters and to eliminate the state cap altogether.

He and other supporters have argued that Texas needs more charters to provide choices to families, including the more than 100,000 Texas school children on charter school waiting lists.

Critics of the bill questioned whether the state could maintain proper oversight of rapid charter school expansion. Later versions of the bill, including the one the House passed Thursday, took a more gradual approach and left authorization decisions in the hands of the State Board of Education.

On Thursday, Rep. Sylvester Turner, D-Houston, tried to amend the bill to delay raising the cap for one year while quality controls are put in place.

“I’m not opposed to charter schools,” he said. “The only point I’m making is that before we open the door for more charter schools, let’s place quality into the system.”

It failed 52 to 86.

The House adopted other amendments, including one requiring teachers at charter schools to hold bachelor’s degrees and another requiring the majority of a charter’s board members to be “qualified voters.”

Rep. Bill Zedler, R-Arlington, introduced the latter amendment, saying it was not aimed at any particular charter operator. Critics of the Harmony Public Schools charter network have complained to lawmakers in the past about the presence of Turkish citizens among Harmony leadership.

During the debate, Rep. Yvonne Davis, D-Dallas, called three points of order – technicalities that can be used to stall or derail a bill – but all three were overruled.

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.

Education reform measures signed into law by Gov. Phil Bryant constitute real progress, business leader and education advocate Jim Barksdale said.

“Follow-through in future years — which will require funding — and faithful implementation are critical,” Barksdale said.

On Wednesday, in front of hundreds at Northwest Rankin High School, once attended by his two children, Bryant signed into law most of his education reform package including charter schools. He touted it as the most significant education package in the history of Mississippi.

“It is transformative. … It will begin a new era for education in Mississippi,” Bryant said. “The changes enacted by this legislation will help the state create and retain the best teachers, create public charter schools of excellence that will give our students in failing schools access to higher education, and create reading practices that will stop the exercise of social promotion.”

Kevin Gilbert, president of the Mississippi Association of Educators, said he’s generally taking a wait-and-see approach — that is, will the provisions do what supporters say they will do and will adequate resources be provided for implementation.

Bryant lauded Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, House Speaker Philip Gunn and other legislative leaders instrumental in getting the legislation passed.

“The goal we all share is that every child will have an opportunity for success,” Reeves said.

The legislation passed allows up to 15 charter schools a year to start in low-performing, D- and F-rated districts, without local school board approval. Local districts would have veto power over them in A, B and C districts. Reeves and others wanted only A and B districts to have veto power and other more expansive measures, but the House, with only a slim Republican majority and some GOP opposition, couldn’t pass the more expansive legislation.

Reeves believes, once charter schools prove themselves, there will be a push for their presence beyond failing districts.

The Legislature also passed the Literacy Based Promotion Act, designed to prevent the social promotion of children from third to fourth grade if they can’t read proficiently. They would receive “intensive intervention” to help with their reading.

Lawmakers approved $9.5 million to start the program, which was part of Bryant’s “Education Works” agenda, modeled after Florida’s education reforms.

Lawmakers also passed a pilot merit pay system for teachers, a pilot state pre-kindergarten program supporters hope can be expanded and regulations that would require districts with graduation rates lower than 80 percent to institute improvement plans. Education Works also included creating 200 scholarships for students with a 3.5 grade point average and 28 ACT score who commit to teaching in a Mississippi public school for five years.

A strong early education program will be critical to increasing reading scores and for children to be better thinkers, said Cathy Grace, a veteran early childhood educator.

“It has been 30 years since the state last took the next step in needed education reform,” Grace said, and “let’s hope it doesn’t take that long next time.”

But some public education advocates and lawmakers say one thing the Legislature didn’t do with education this year was “fully fund” it. Although K-12’s $2.3 billion budget includes an increase of nearly $50 million, more than half of that was for retirement system cost increases, and it leaves the Mississippi Adequate Education Program funding formula nearly $300 million short.

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)

Say this much about the Center for Education Reform: It’s not a fan of the quality of public education in Alabama.

The only proof you need is this passage from a recent CER report: “The only other thing this state has going for it is that its teacher quality index isn’t a complete failure. Parents also have access to a decent school report card to better understand their schools, but school board elections are held in October, a busy time for parents to get engaged.”

Ouch.

A recent CER effort ranked all 50 states in what it calls the “Parent Power Index.” Alabama ranked 46th — poorly, in other words, which is so customary in national reviews of states’ public education systems. At the heart of the poor ranking was the state’s lack of charter schools, which, as most Alabamians know, has been a hot legislative topic in Montgomery for some time.

From here, it’s interesting to view the two sides of the broader issue: In Alabama, proponents of our public education — such as the Alabama Education Association, local and state school boards, the governor’s office and the state Legislature — constantly talk of how proud they are of our schools and how convinced they are of their quality.

Yet, out-of-state agencies who study such things consistently point to real and obvious deficiencies. Rarely do the two sides agree.

Arizona ranked sixth on The Center for Education Reform’s Parent Power Index, which means parents have access to quality education options and are provided with good information to make smart decisions about their children’s education.

The states were ranked on prevalence of charter schools, school choice, teacher quality, transparency and access to data, online learning, pro-reform governors and parent trigger laws, where parents have an opportunity to turn around failing schools.

The rankings pointed to Arizona’s scholarship program for students with disabilities and a tax credit that has helped more than 30,000 students opt into new schools. In addition, Arizona’s charter school law has provided more than 200,000 children with choices about their schooling.

Click here to see the top 10 states in The Center for Education Reform’s Parent Power Index.

Here are more specifics on Arizona from the index:

72%: Arizona’s graduation rate
1539: Average SAT test score
19.7: Average ACT score
33%: 4th grade National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) math score
31%: 8th grade NAEP math score
26%: 4th grade NAEP reading score
$8,006: Per pupil funding
1,077,831: Public school enrollment