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

OK PINOCCHIO. Last week, Newswire sparked a mini-debate on what the sequester really means for education. But as CER president Jeanne Allen points out in today’s National Journal, “… that among all of these thousands of entities that spend and receive federal money, no one seems to know or to be even talking about how the almighty federal dollar flows.” The reality that CER continues to point out, is that most of the money has already been collected by states and districts. Thankfully we’re not alone in holding the Administration accountable for irresponsible rhetoric about a frenzy of “pink slips.” In fact, the US Department of Education has yet to produce any district-level evidence of lay-offs, according to the Wall Street Journal.

COVER UP. The Worcester County Teachers Association in Maryland has been making headlines as news broke of their botched attempt to cover-up the fact that Denise Inez Owens, the union’s former treasurer embezzled over $430,000 of teacher dues to fund her gambling addiction. In 2009 when the MSEA (state affiliate of the NEA) learned of the crime, they merely forced Owens to resign. We know these union contracts are ironclad, but come on, they sent a known-criminal back to teaching in a middle school classroom! Finally justice has been served, but where’s the accountability and “common good” that the union leadership supposedly values?

EXPANDING CHOICE. In a press conference last week Alabama Governor Robert Bentley applauded the legislature for sending an individual and corporate tax credit bill to his desk, “I truly believe this is historic education reform and it will benefit students and families across Alabama regardless of their income and regardless of where they live. I’m so proud we have done this for the children of this state and especially the children who are in failing school systems and had no way out. Now, they have a way out.” We couldn’t agree more Governor Bentley; now get back to the drawing board to finally bring charters to your state. There must be something in the water because in his 2013 Budget Address last week, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie proposed a $2 million pilot opportunity scholarship program for low-income students in failing schools. A small plan, but at least it’s a start.

ON CHARTERS. Charter schools will be all the buzz in Tennessee and Mississippi state houses today. The Volunteer state’s House Education Committee will take up HB 702, a very modest proposal that would allow the state board of education to authorize charter schools on an appeal. Currently only local school boards and the Achievement School District can authorize charter schools. Charter school leaders and parents are rallying in Nashville in support of the proposal.

Today, Mississippi lawmakers are poised to act on legislation expanding charter schools in the state, trying to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions of bills. Some issues include: whether school boards in districts with “C’’ ratings will be able to veto charter schools, whether students will be able to cross district lines to attend charter schools elsewhere, whether schools will be able to join the state pension system, and whether for-profit companies will be allowed to run charter schools.

VIRTUAL VINDICATION. Yesterday, the lead plaintiff in a class action securities lawsuit against K12 Inc. voluntarily and permanently dismissed their claims made about K12-managed schools, helping to drown out the often-unsubstantiated charges similarly made by critics and echoed repeatedly by the media. With a bit of luck, the dismissal of these claims will help put to rest these charges and serve as a sort of virtual vindication.

WORLD SCHOOL. Avenues: The World School, is opening its doors this fall in New York City, the flagship in a planned global network of schools with a unique mission to promote and nurture global preparedness. Pledging to “set an example as an effective, diverse, and accountable school,” Avenues’ rigorous curriculum and forward thinking operational philosophy is designed to prepare kids to be successful, responsible, well rounded, and ethical citizens of the global community, who will have access to any international campus in the Avenues family. The faculty and administrative leaders are virtually a who’s who in rigorous education programs – including founder and entrepreneur Chris Whittle. Avenues shows what big thinking, entrepreneurship and hard work can accomplish.

EMPOWERED ONLINE. Speaking of entrepreneurship and forward thinking philosophies…Silicon Valley technology guru Steve Poizner has partnered with UCLA Extension to create Empowered Careers– an online continuing education certificate program taken entirely via a groundbreaking iPad app. Adult learners can take professional development courses from the comfort and convenience of their iPad, completing a certificate program to enhance or redirect their careers. The College Admissions Counseling course, for instance, might help a teacher who wants to transition from the classroom to the counselor’s office in order to focus on helping students make the jump from high school to college. To see some of the program’s high profile cheerleaders including Pierce Bronsan, James Franco, Sally Field and more, check out the video on their homepage. Looks like online learning is not only good for the gander (K-12 kids), but the goose (adult learners), too.

VIRTUAL VILLAGES…New Jersey just gave the thumbs up to two blended learning charter schools, set to open their doors in Newark, while closing the door to others. The Merit Preparatory Charter School and the Newark Preparatory School are just two of a growing cadre of hundreds of schools nationally demonstrating how new models can transform the learning process and accelerate progress among multi-needs communities. As Ben Rayer, CEO of Touchstone Education (operating Merit Prep) says, “it’s [still] very much a school, just one working with modern tools and not teaching like we did 100 years ago.” Let’s hope policymakers in New Jersey and beyond recognize that rather than limiting new opportunities throughout the state to new kinds of learning, they should be limiting bad education from being peddled to millions of children day after day.

…Online learning goes for the gold in South Dakota. Virtual School, which offers both part-time and full-time online learning, got a golden review at the state’s Board of Education meeting. “Especially in many of the smaller districts in the state, schools may not be able to pay a full-time teacher in advanced or highly specialized subjects,” curriculum specialist Erin Larsen told the Press & Dakotan. “The South Dakota Virtual School gives students those same opportunities, increasing the rigor and relevance of their high school education.”

…South Dakota MYLife is another online resource for students, in this case providing an online career development tool. And, who uses online learning? Students seeking credit recovery, AP and other classes not available at their school, as well as those pursing the arts and Olympians. That’s right. As we tune in this week to the London Olympics, keep in mind that some athletes vying for prestigious competitions, like thirteen-year old diver Jordan Windle, who participated in the Olympic Trials, use online options (in his case, Indiana Connections Academy).

MODELS FOR DIGITAL LEARNING. If you still aren’t sure what it is or how it works, check out Digital Learning Now where you can review how your state measures up in digital learning and find out about the most important elements for getting our kids into the 21st century and how technology can transform education.

The prospect of New Jersey’s first online charter schools continues to stir up debate, even as the Christie administration moves closer to announcing its decision on the virtual schools.

A group of a half-dozen of the state’s most prominent education organizations delivered a letter to acting education commissioner Chris Cerf this week, asking him not to approve final charters for two all-online schools until a number of legal and policy issues could be resolved.

The letter was signed by the New Jersey Education Association, the Education Law Center, and the New Jersey School Boards Association, as well as state associations representing principals, superintendents, and other administrators. Also signing were the state NAACP and the Latino Institute.

The main arguments were legal ones, with the letter making numerous citations of specific statute and regulation. It took up the now-familiar argument that the state’s 15-year-old charter school law does not accommodate for online schools, nor grant the state the power to approve them.

“We have significant concerns that the Department of Education lacks legislative authority to authorize virtual or online charter schools under the Charter School Program Act of 1995,” read the letter.

“There is no mention of virtual charter schools in the Act or its legislative history, which makes it clear that this new form of charter school was never contemplated, and has never been authorized, by the Legislature,” it read.

The letter went on to maintain that there also remained “numerous broad public policy questions that the Legislature must address,” from how the schools would be funded to rudimentary questions as to how attendance would be monitored.

Among them was a key point for critics: the role of for-profit companies in operating the schools. It is particularly germane, since K12 Inc., the nation’s largest online education company, is managing one of the schools and providing the curriculum for the other.

“The proper resolution of these major policy issues is a matter of great public interest. Such issues are reserved by the New Jersey Constitution and statutes to the Legislature to address, not an administrative agency,” read the letter.

Cerf would not comment specifically on the letter this week, other than confirming he received it. A department spokeswoman yesterday said the final plans for the two schools — one a statewide K-12 school out of Newark and the other out of Monmouth County serving at-risk high school students in four targeted areas — continued to be reviewed, with announcement on the final charters to come in the next week.

“The applications for these schools are currently under review as part of our preparedness process,” said Barbara Morgan, the department’s press secretary, in an email. “The final approval on their charters, just like all other schools undergoing this process, will be made by July 15.”

But the move did step up the heat on the closely watched decisions, with the sudden prospect that one or both of the schools could be challenged in court if granted approval.

David Sciarra, director of the Education Law Center, the Newark-based group that has been at frequent odds with the Christie administration, said it would be premature to say a challenge was in the works until the charters have been approved.

Still, the letter itself did raise the possibility. “The grant of final approval to these virtual charter schools places their enrolled students and the districts of residence at risk of irreparable harm if the agency’s actions are later determined by the courts to be unlawful.”

For the school out of Monmouth, it may be a moot point, since its founders have asked for an extension until 2013, to recruit an adequate number of students. But the New Jersey Virtual Academy Charter (NJVAC) out of Newark has already signed 850 students and appears to be moving ahead.

Still, the potential of a legal challenge is not an unforeseen one, with NJVAC’s initial application two years ago including a four-page memo from lawyer Stephen Edelstein of Simon & Edelstein of Morristown, which maintained the school was within the law.

Edelstein took on two specific points in the law that could be in conflict with online schools: that 90 percent of the enrollment be from the home district, and that the proposal include a description of the “physical facility in which the charter school will be located.” He said the law included flexibility on both fronts and, as a whole, was meant to encourage innovation.

“On the contrary, permitting cybercharter schools is consistent with the broad legislative intent to ‘encourage the use of different and innovative learning methods’ to foster educational improvement,” Edelstein wrote.

Meanwhile, signaling some debate within advocacy groups as to the best way to approach the state, a few organizations that were asked to sign the letter either deferred or chose to send their own.

Among them was the Save Our Schools NJ, the grassroots group that has been arguably the most outspoken critic of virtual charters coming to New Jersey. One prominent organizer said it was more a matter of where its strength could best be utilized.

“The letter focused on the legal approach, which was not the area we felt we could best contribute,” said Deborah Cornavaca, an organizer with the group who was involved in the talks. “While we support that letter, we decided to complement rather than join those organizations and pursue our own grassroots efforts.”

Another group, the Garden State Coalition of Schools, held its executive board meeting and discussed the letter at length before deciding to send its own. The group is the state’s largest organization representing specifically suburban districts.

Lynne Strickland, the coalition’s director, said it also was a matter of different approach to the same ends.

“In practice, GSCS is not litigious but rather focuses on policy issues that can impact quality education for all children,” she said. “Given that our membership comes from the ranks of parents, school board members, and school administrators, GSCS reflects community concerns and speaks with an informed community voice on education issues.”

In order to engage today’s tech-savvy students and enhance their academic achievement, private schools must keep up with the latest digital content and tools for classroom integration.

The Mid-Atlantic Catholic Schools Consortium is holding a conference on digital learning designed for teachers, administrators, technology coordinators, and advocates for private and religious schools.

Attendees will learn from education technology experts and discover how other private schools are using technology to achieve success in blended learning, differentiated instruction, authentic assessment, professional development and other areas. Click here to view session descriptions.

The event will be held on April 20th from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at The Conference Center at the Maritime Institute in Linthicum Heights, MD.

You can visit the conference website for more details, like early bird registration, or simply click here to register.

The 10 Elements of High Quality Digital Learning were released on December 1, 2010 at the Excellence in Action National Summit on Education Reform in Washington DC. During the fall of 2010, the Digital Learning Council defined the elements and identified the actions that need to be taken by lawmakers and policymakers to foster a high quality, customized education for all students.  This includes technology-enhanced learning in traditional schools, online and virtual learning, and blended learning that combines digital and classroom learning. The Elements are grouped into three areas of focus; Students (#1-4), Providers (#5-8), and Government (#9-10).

1. Student Eligibility: All students are digital learners.

2. Student Access: All students have access to high quality digital content and online courses.

3. Personalized Learning: All students can customize their education using digital content through an approved provider.

4. Advancement: Students progress based on demonstrated competency.

5. Content: Digital content, instructional materials, and online and blended learning courses are high quality.

6. Instruction: Digital instruction and teachers are high quality.

7. Providers: All students have access to multiple high quality providers.

8. Assessment and Accountability: Student learning is the metric for evaluating the quality of content and instruction.

9. Funding: Funding creates incentives for performance, options and innovation.

10. Delivery: Infrastructure supports digital learning.

*Click on each element for more information.

View the full report here.