The Center for Education Reform, a national non-profit tasked with improving public education, has released an encompassing report that grades parental empowerment, solid educational choices, teacher quality and access to digital learning, among other factors. That Pennsylvania ranks in the top ten of all states can be viewed as proof educational reforms in the commonwealth are beginning to take hold.

According to the annual findings released in the Parent Power Index, Pennsylvania trails Indiana, which ranks first; Florida; Ohio; Arizona; Washington, D.C.; Louisiana and Minnesota. Wisconsin and Utah round out the top ten.

The PPI is an interactive, accessible online tool that collects and itemizes data critical to judging the gains and deficiencies in a parent’s control of their child’s education. The index is designed to provide in-depth information to not only parents, but to stakeholders, politicians and education policymakers as well.

“All across America, parents are demanding more power over their children’s education, but the task of sorting through all the information out there is daunting,” said Center for Education Reform President Jeanne Allen. “There are a variety of resources available to evaluate how students are achieving, but there is widespread disagreement about what constitutes sound education reform policy.

As the mother of college students, I liken the PPI to a cumulative GPA, which is a composite of grades from varying professors,” Allen continued. “In this case, these professors are among the nation’s leading authorities and critical evaluators of education policy.”

Each state is graded on five broad categories: school choice, charter schools, online learning, teacher quality and transparency, and the findings related to Pennsylvania are interesting.

For example, the state received points for having a pro-education reform governor in Tom Corbett, but suffered due to limitations in the so-called parent-trigger law, which allows parents to force a change of district leadership if said district doesn’t meet the parents’ standards. The state also received credit for the number and quality of charter schools, for providing school choice and supporting a performance-based pay structure.

Pennsylvania’s overall PPI grade is 74.5 percent.

“A high number of digital learning options prevail alongside charter schools that serve a significant number of students throughout the state. The state affords parents many good information sources and allows them to vote for their elected school boards in traditionally-timed elections,” read PPI’s Pennsylvania summary. “The state’s teacher quality measures are weak, however, and more and better options across all schooling structures are needed and much in demand.”

Pennsylvania was shown to be slightly deficient is several areas, however. On the matter of school choice, the index found that Pennsylvania has two private school choice programs, and that the commonwealth does have a charter school law. Pennsylvania enables public virtual schooling, but needs to address its limited open enrollment policies.

In terms of transparency, the index singled out the School District of Philadelphia and the School Reform Commission for their openness; however, improvements must be made in terms of educating parents about other, less traditional modes of education.

“Pennsylvania’s department of education website is parent-friendly and school report cards are accessible. It is next to impossible, however, to find information on charter or cyber school options. Generally, elections for the 501 local school boards in Pennsylvania are held in November of odd-numbered years,” read the index. “Philadelphia’s School Reform Commission is governed by an appointed panel. Harrisburg and Chester Upland are governed by state appointed boards of control, although their local boards still operate with limited authority.”

The index also shows that Pennsylvania graduates 80.5 percent of its high school students, while the average SAT score is 1473 and the average ACT score is 22.3; of import, Pennsylvania spends an average of $12,418 on per-pupil funding.

“The index’s ‘Top Ten’ prove that when parents have access to options and good information, all children can succeed,” Allen said. “Lawmakers need to look to these exemplars and the policies that have afforded parents greater power elsewhere and act as fast to bring real education reform to their respective states.

“Parents and voters have declared that mediocrity is no longer acceptable,” Allen added, “and our elected officials have a mandate to fix out educational and economic problems for good.”

Clark County school officials want to change several rules regarding charter schools and online classes, according to a pair of bill draft requests the district is backing for the Nevada Legislature’s 2013 session.

The first bill would help charter schools, which operate through a contract with the State Public Charter School Authority or a school district. These schools are autonomous and privately run but must still meet student performance standards. If not, the district or state authority could revoke their charter, shutting them down.

A common complaint from charter school operators is that they’re “funded to fail.” That is because they receive the same per pupil funding as the district they are in, but they do not have help with the cost of providing a facility and cannot seek a bond or tax increase, like districts, to pay for it.

And school districts are not allowed to let charter schools use their public facilities.

These rules often lead to “unsatisfactory” designations by national charter school organizations, said Joyce Haldeman, the district’s associate superintendent of community and government relations.

Clark County School District, which sponsors seven of Nevada’s 32 charter schools, would like charter schools to be allowed in public facilities, she said.

The second bill would make several changes to rules for online classes.

Currently, a student must go through an extensive process to attend an online course offered by a district other than their own.

Haldeman said many rural students are interested in Clark County’s online courses, which aren’t offered in their district, but must get approval of both the Clark County and their school board.

The district would like that requirement removed.

The other change would allow an unlicensed teacher to supervise a class taught online by a licensed teacher.

State law requires a licensed teacher in the room though they serve as a supervisor and do not instruct.

The new amendment would reduce the cost of online courses, Haldeman said.

Georgia’s students scored big on Tuesday with a 58% to 42% victory for Amendment One. The Peach State’s ballot initiative on charter schools allows local communities to create more of these important options by amending the state’s constitution to allow other state and local agencies, in addition to local school boards, approve charter schools.

Washington state’s ballot initiative on charter schools is still looking favorable for reformers with a slight lead of 51% for passage. While still not declared a victory, it looks like Initiative 1240 will open up new educational opportunities for families with the creation of 40 new charter schools over the next 5 years. A modest proposal, but it would make Washington the 42nd state to adopt a charter school law and finally bring them into the 21st century of education delivery.

Idaho’s ballot left the fate of three laws, known as the Students Come First laws, up to voters. Unfortunately, the $1.2 million in NEA funding to squash these measures paid off. Voters turned down that reforms that would have paid teachers based on performance, phased out tenure, limited collective-bargaining, and expanded online learning opportunities.

When she taught in public schools, Jill Rogier always worried about the kids who slipped through the cracks — those who were bored because they were advanced or who struggled because they felt like they were left behind.

Now in her fifth year with Florida Virtual School, Rogier said she doesn’t have to worry about that anymore.

“If you don’t understand fractions, you don’t move on to equations with fractions,” she said. “You decide when you are ready. Your pace is your pace.”

More students apparently are learning the value of the way of life in the school without walls. The virtual school that offers more than 120 free online classes had about 25,000 more students at the end of the last school year than it did the year before.

That annual jump seems to be consistent the last several years — quite a leap from the modest 77 students enrolled in its debut 15 years ago. The school had about 148,000 students statewide at the end of the last school year, with more than 13,000 of those coming from Hillsborough County, the third highest total in Florida.

The numbers in Florida are part of a growing trend nationwide, as states try to do more with fewer education dollars.

The state saves nearly $2,200 per student who is enrolled in virtual school as opposed to the brick-and-mortar type, said Tania Clow, spokeswoman for the Florida Virtual School. A student attending a district school in Florida costs the state an average of $7,000, while one taking classes online costs the state $4,800.

To be sure, virtual schools are not without critics, who complain they deprive traditional school districts of valuable tax dollars and insulate students from socialization with their peers.

Those concerns are misplaced, supporters say.

“I can tell you I see monumental growth as parents are finding out they can tailor their child’s education to meet their needs,” said Celeste Sanchez, who works as a virtual school liaison with schools in Hillsborough, Pinellas and Pasco counties. “Parents love that they can pick and choose how their education is going to turn out.”

Sanchez speaks with firsthand knowledge from a parent’s perspective as well.

“I’ve seen what it can do,” she said. “I’ve lived what it can do.”

Two of her daughters took virtual school classes, which allowed them to graduate from Riverview High School early and begin college ahead of classmates.

The Florida Virtual School operates like its own public school district, only without school buildings. A board of directors is appointed by the governor to oversee the school.

Each teacher is responsible for as many as 25 students per class. With six class periods per day, that means teachers may have as many as 150 students they are teaching.

Seven days a week, 12 hours a day, teachers talk to students on the phone and exchange texts and instant messages with them in subjects ranging from art history to Chinese to driver’s education. They also Skype with them and do classroom lessons on camera from their home.

Just because they are learning from home doesn’t mean they are exempt from the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test or other state-mandated exams. Full-time virtual students must take the FCAT and other end-of-course assessments for classes such as algebra, biology and geometry.

Hillsborough County School District officials occasionally will refer students to the state’s virtual school if class-size limitations keep a student from enrolling in a class, officials say.

Once there, virtual teachers scattered across the state are willing to work as long as it takes with their students.

“If they struggle, that’s OK,” said Rogier, who also works as a mentor to some of the school’s 1,500 other virtual teachers. “Now there is no judgment. We can do it over and over.”

Sanchez likes that kids don’t have to be hesitant to raise their hand in a crowded classroom and ask a question they fear others will think is stupid.

“They begin to lose that fear of school,” she said. “It’s just amazing.”

The school is popular with students who want to get ahead in their classes, such as Sanchez’s daughters.

It also comes in handy for students who are trying to become professional singers, actors or athletes and have to dedicate several hours a day to those pursuits.

It could be a home-schooled student, or someone who has medical reasons and can’t be in a regular classroom.

Whatever the reason, the numbers continue to grow.

“I think it’s increased awareness that the choice is there and the offering is there,” said Clow, the spokeswoman for the virtual school.

Because of the growth, the school is constantly looking for more teachers to hire.

There currently is a need for about 60 new teachers, with the greatest need coming in foreign language and business courses.

“We are growing and we have students who want to enroll in classes,” Clow said. “We don’t want to inundate our teachers and change that ratio we strive for.”

We will all be faced with a deciding vote on the first steps of education reform in November and it is important that everyone understand what is proposed and what is at stake. Idahoans will vote on three referenda aimed at repealing what may be one of the most sweeping education reforms in the country.

First, understand the problem. A report released a few months ago by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for a Competitive Workforce ranked Idaho as one of the four worst states in terms of the percentage of students who enroll and complete a four-year degree. Jeanne Allen, president of the D.C.-based Center for Education Reform, lays out the case like this:

“In states like this, the assumption is all is well. The reality is they’ve simply been going through the motions for years, and the result is a kind of Third World education status.”

Here is a summary of what education reform under “Students Come First” does:

* Aims to change our culture by getting control over costs and elevating achievement. Thus the so-called Luna laws now restrict collective bargaining to salary and benefits, phases out tenure and force teacher contract negotiations out in the open. They also eliminate a practice that across America operates largely to protect bad teachers and keep good ones out of the classroom: the last hired, first fired system of seniority.

* The other two prongs of Students Come First deal mostly with quality. New merit pay provisions mean that teachers can earn up to $8,000 a year extra for serving in hard to fill positions or helping their schools boost student achievement. The technology part has to do with ensuring that students and teachers in any part of Idaho have access to the best instruction available.

The teachers’ union is fighting all of this but rather than trying to answer the provisions of quality in the classroom they are focusing on the fact that Idaho will provide secondary students with a laptop computer and offer a variety of online classes. Listen to what Juan Williams (a popular Democratic pundit) has to say in a recent Wall Street Journal editorial about technology in the classroom.

Mr. Williams describes Mooresville, North Carolina this way: “The district ranked 100 out of 115 school districts in North Carolina on per pupil spending. But in the last 10 years, its test scores have pushed it from a middling rank among North Carolina’s school districts to a tie for second place. Three years ago, 73 percent of Mooresville’s students tested as proficient in math, reading and science. Today 89 percent are proficient in those subjects.

“The big change in Mooresville is that their textbooks, notes, learning materials and assignments are computerized, allowing teachers and parents to track their progress in real time. If a student is struggling, their computer-learning program can be adjusted to meet their needs and get them up to speed. And the best students no longer wait on slow students to catch up. Top students are constantly pushed to their limits by new curricular material on their laptops.”

Superintendent Mark Edwards says, “Our teachers are better informed, our parents are better informed, and our students are understanding what they’re doing and why they’re doing it.” He notes, by the way, that digital learning hasn’t increased the costs.

A recent article co-authored by Arne Duncan, President Obama’s Secretary of Education, and Reed Hastings, CEO of Netflix, targeted this issue in a very clear challenge. They stated in part, “In the past two decades technology has revolutionized the way Americans communicate, get news, socialize and conduct business. But technology has yet to transform our classrooms. At its full potential, technology could personalize and accelerate instruction for students at all educational levels. And it could provide equitable access to a world class education for millions of students stuck attending substandard schools in cities, remote rural regions, and tribal reservations. Other countries are far ahead of us in creating 21st century classrooms.”

The unions are not giving up. They are trying to scare parents and voters with warnings about wasted money on technology, larger class size, school safety, whatever they think will work on the emotions. We’ve seen this script before. As with other public sector unions, the Idaho Education Association offers no real alternative. At a time when Idaho’s education budgets are being cut for lack of revenues, the union answer is always the same: more money for more of the same.

Mr. Luna and the Legislature have answered. Idaho cannot afford more of the same. In November vote YES on the three propositions. Let’s turn failure in our schools into more local control and success.

Bob Shillingstad is a Hayden resident who taught for 13 years in public schools.

President of The Center for Education Reform Jeanne Allen testifies before the Joint Committee on the Public Schools in New Jersey about Online Learning. Her testimony shares facts about the schools that deploy digital learning, the parents who utilize online learning opportunities, and the teachers who lead and instruct in the digital learning world.

Read her full testimony here. You can also access the entire hearing from the New Jersey Legislature’s website.

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 State Board of Education got an update on these two programs, finding out that 2,900 students in grades 6-12 logged 3,822 class registrations for the South Dakota Virtual School. The number of school districts and school systems using the virtual school for students to take full-time or part-time classes is up from three years ago. Use of the South Dakota MyLife program, created 4 years ago to help students map out their academic goals and prepare for life after high school, has also steadily increased.

Perhaps the rural nature of some of the school districts in South Dakota has played a role in the boost of digital options. Using technology to expand options helps students in smaller districts because it allows for access to highly specialized subject matter that might not be offered otherwise.

The South Dakota Board of Education received updates Monday during its regularly scheduled meeting on two online programs that create rigor and relevance for high school students.

The South Dakota Virtual School provides expanded course offering to students through online studies. It gives students the opportunity to take more Advanced Placement courses, study highly specialized subjects, or receive tailored remedial instruction.

In 2011-2012, 133 public school districts and school systems participated in South Dakota Virtual School. That’s up from 88 just three years ago. More than 2,900 full- or part-time students in grades 6-12 use the system, for a total of 3,822 semester registrations.

“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,” said curriculum specialist Erin Larsen. “The South Dakota Virtual School gives students those same opportunities, increasing the rigor and relevance of their high school education.”

Currently, there are 364 semester course offerings through South Dakota Virtual School, with 24 AP courses and 82 credit recovery courses. In the future, the virtual school will expand to offer more courses at the middle-school level.

Another program, South Dakota MyLife, is an online career development tool that encourages students to explore careers through interest inventories and skills assessments. Students can then research careers they are matched with and save that data to their online portfolios. With that knowledge, they can use their profiles to plan their academic programs and track their goals.

“SDMyLife usage is really high right now,” said Tiffany Sanderson, career and technical education administrator in the Department of Education. “Overall usage has been steadily climbing since we introduced the site four years ago. It’s a good indication that students have access to the resources they need for success in high school and preparation for life after 12th grade.”

Completion of the online interest inventories has allowed the state’s education analysts to compare student interest data with workforce needs so teachers and counselors can educate students regarding relevant opportunities in South Dakota. In a related study, it was discovered that students completing career and technical education programs graduated and continued to the postsecondary level at a higher rate than the average student population.

Once again we have good reporters getting snookered by “research” based on un-comparable data and lacking any value-added measurement of performance progress over time.

By any reasonable standard, reputable research needs to be based on an apples to apples comparison of subjects. The NEPC methodology makes no effort to compensate for the fact that the basic nature of virtual schools like K12 makes it difficult to compare their students to those in traditional public schools. Consequently, it ends up comparing apples to watermelons.

The NEPC report also cites a 2009 CREDO study that is one of the most egregious examples of bad research out there. CER has successfully debunked it time after time and yet the media continues to trot out that Trojan horse for some reason.

Where does madness end? When is the media going to learn to recognize good research from bad?

–Jeanne Allen, Founder and President of the Center for Education Reform

For K12 Inc.’s perspective, check out the Spotlight section on their website.