by Jeanne Allen
October 11, 2012

Last week’s Presidential debate was a pleasant surprise from the perspective of this veteran education reformer accustomed to sitting through years of debates, listening to candidates talk about important issues like the economy, jobs, and national security with a barely a mention of the building block for the solution to all of those problems – EDUCATION.

President Obama and Governor Romney proactively peppered comments on education throughout their discussions, giving the American people a pretty good idea of their different positions on the topic.   As we look forward to tonight’s Vice Presidential debate, I hope that Vice President Biden and Congressman Ryan follow the lead and make education a major topic in the debate.  I want to hear more about the two tickets’ vision for education in this country.

What do they believe is the role of the federal government in education?  How will they address the skills gap and the still very present achievement gap in this country?  How should we pay, train, and retain teachers?  And of most importance to me: will the Obama/Biden ticket take the opportunity they missed last week to embrace school choice?

Once upon a time, Joe Biden voted to authorize a program of school choice for DC students. Under President Clinton, Biden was one of a few democrats who parted company with their party to authorize school choice, but the approval of the program was vetoed.

In an interesting twist of fate, Paul Ryan was the staffer for the committee overseeing DC operations chaired by then Senator Sam Brownback, and school choice and charter schools, not yet realized in the district or in most states was something the Senator explored. Many of us were called to testify and offer information and research from around the country.  The reform plan Congress first

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by Richard O Jones
Hamilton Journal News
September 18, 2012

One of the most prominent K-12 education reform movements in recent decades has been the idea of “educational choice,” allowing parents to use their child’s portion of state-allocated funds to send students to private and charter schools.

Much of the focus in this area of education reform has been on charter schools, K-12 schools that receive public money, usually supplemented by private endowments and grants, and do not charge additional tuition.

Some education experts expect charter schools and for-profit facilities will continue to grow and will transform education in the next decade. Others say if profits continue to drive these schools, the education aspect will suffer.

“Under the current system, if a school isn’t doing a good job, the only way to get a better school – purchase private schooling or move to a new neighborhood – are expensive and cumbersome,” said a 2011 report by the Friedman Foundation for Educational Choice.

The nation’s first charter schools laws were passed by Minnesota in 1991. Within four years, 18 additional states passed charter school laws. Currently, 42 states and the District of Columbia have charter school laws in place, and the Center for Education Reform notes that nearly 2 million American children were enrolled in 5,196 charter schools for the 2011-12 school year.

The Richard Allen Academy in Hamilton, a satellite of the Dayton-based charter school, began operating in 2003 when Hamilton City Schools were ranked low. Although the public school has since improved, the Allen Academy has been able to keep its charter and now serves around 200 students with a staff of 18 teachers on Hamilton’s East Side, according to Principal Aleta Benson.

One of the primary reasons families choose the charter school, Benson said, is because of the low class size.

“My largest class size is

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Last Wednesday, annual ACT scores were released and the results were dismal. Only 25% of 2012 ACT test takers met college readiness benchmarks in all four areas tested- English, Reading, Math, and Science.

The ACT defines college and career readiness as “the acquisition of the knowledge and skills a student needs to enroll and succeed in credit-bearing first-year courses at a post-secondary institution (such as a 2- or 4-year college, trade school, or technical school) without the need for remediation.” Breaking down college readiness by subject yields better numbers. For instance, 67% of students tested met English college readiness benchmarks. However, that means 33% of students taking the ACT have not been sufficiently prepared by their schools for learning at the next level.

Bear in mind also, that these statistics only include the students taking the ACT, preparing to enter college. The number of test takers under-prepared for college and careers is even worse when looking at the other three subjects- 48% failed to meet Reading benchmarks, 54% failed to meet Math benchmarks, and a whopping 69% failed to meet Science benchmarks. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan recently released data indicating that America continues to lose ground internationally when it comes to producing college graduates. Well, it’s not hard to see from these ACT statistics why this is the case. Ensuring students can graduate college means ensuring that students are first adequately prepared.

As I await the release of the 2012 SAT scores later this month, I can’t help but prepare myself for more disheartening news.  How many more years of stagnant test scores are we willing to accept? It is obvious that the status quo is not adequately preparing our children for college and careers. It’s time that we each take a step back, admit it’s not working and then work to

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Only 25% of 2012 ACT test takers met college readiness benchmarks in all four subjects tested. The ACT is a college-entrance exam that tests high schoolers in English, Reading, Math, and Science. The ACT defines college and career readiness as “the acquisition of the knowledge and skills a student needs
to enroll and succeed in credit-bearing first-year courses at a postsecondary institution (such as a 2- or 4-year college, trade school, or technical school) without the need for remediation.”

Breaking down college readiness by subject yields better numbers. For instance, 67% of students tested met English college readiness benchmarks. However, that means 33% of students taking the ACT have not been sufficiently prepared by their schools for learning at the next level. And that’s just students taking the ACT.

The number of 2012 ACT test takers underprepared for colleges and careers gets worse by subject — 48% failed to meet Reading benchmarks, 54% failed to meet Math benchmarks, and a whopping 69% failed to meet Science benchmarks.

U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan recently released data indicating that America continues to lose ground internationally when it comes to producing college graduates. Well, it’s not hard to see from these ACT statistics why this is the case. Ensuring students can graduate college means ensuring that students are first adequately prepared.

So just how do we get U.S. high schools to do a better job preparing students for post-secondary success? Try choice.

School choice research indicates that options are helping educational attainment, and our nation’s economic security depends on giving students a quality education that ensures they are prepared for life after high school.

Vol. 14, No. 29

PARENTS WANT CHOICE. In times gone by, parents understood that the school their children attended was determined by their zip code and, in most cases, the quality of that school would be driven by family income. The 1960s civil rights movement brought to the nation’s conscious the inequity in educational opportunities for children of color, with their parents demanding better schools. Parents today, from all walks of life, are taking up that dream and pushing for choice in schooling. CER’s Jeanne Allen, at the National Coalition for Public School Options Family Reunion, points out that “everyday evidence grows that demand for school choice is high and that it extends across the racial, socioeconomic, and political spectrum.” Most critical to the success of choice, in all of its forms, is that it is “embraced by the largest and most diverse coalition in recent history” and, today, that coalition is represented by “parents who want – and deserve – the power to choose the best school for their own child,” adds Allen. Parent power at work!

NC AND FL ON BOARD FOR CHOICE. The choice landscape certainly is welcoming in North Carolina and Florida. CER just released survey results that show broad support for school options and new charter schools. Seventy percent of those surveyed in North Carolina support the creation of new charter schools and the opportunity to choose among a wide variety of schools, while 60 percent of those surveyed in Florida do. In North Carolina, the strongest support for charters came from African Americans (85 percent), women (82 percent), and those with school-aged children (81 percent). The Florida poll found that 61 percent of those surveyed agree that charter schools should be funded at least the same as all other public schools. Florida has one

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CER President Jeanne Allen Visits with Parents at NCPSO Family Reunion, Discusses High Demand For Expanding School Choice Options

CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
July 16, 2012

Despite constant assaults from teachers unions, policymakers, and even many popular politicians, the public – particularly parents – are clamoring for more school choice options. In remarks today to parents at the National Coalition for Public School Options (NCPSO) Family Reunion, CER President Jeanne Allen talked about the demand for more school choice options, the reasons behind it, and why further expanding educational opportunities is imperative. Highlights from Allen’s remarks include:

“Everyday evidence grows that demand for school choice is high and that it extends across the racial, socioeconomic, and political spectrum. School choice is embraced by the largest and most diverse coalition in recent history. A coalition that includes Republican and Democrat legislators, civil rights leaders, business leaders, local officials, and educators. Most importantly, it includes a tri-partisan representation of parents who want – and deserve – the power to choose the best school for their own child.”

“Recent CER polling in several key states shows that support is high for charter schools and for allowing parents to choose a school for their child over having them assigned based on their zip code. Support is strongest among African Americans and those with school-aged children.

“In North Carolina, for example, 70 percent support creating one type of school choice — charter schools. That number jumps to 85 percent among African Americans and 81 percent among those with school-aged children. In addition, 50 percent in the state support letting parents choose their child’s school, with African American support at 68 percent. (Visit www.edreform.com for full results of recent polling in North Carolina, Florida, and Tennessee).”

“Right here in Washington, D.C. where 41 percent of

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School Choice Mania
by Fawn Johnson
National Journal
May 29, 2012

Until last week, even some of Mitt Romney’s own advisers were scratching their heads about how a Romney White House would handle education. Is the former Massachusetts governor an “Abolish the Education Department” guy? Or is he a staunch education reform guy like President George W. Bush? The bold education plan hot off the press from the Romney campaign indicates that the Republican presidential contender is closer to the latter camp.

The most radical piece of Romney’s education plan would require states to give disadvantaged students open enrollment to all schools–public and private–throughout the state. Romney wants federal Title I funding, which is intended for low-income students, as well as funding for students with disabilities, to be tied to open enrollment policies. Those funds now are doled out by individual communities to schools with the highest percentage of disadvantaged students. Romney’s idea turns this localized funding mechanism on its head, setting up a host of logistical questions and a potential regulatory mess. What happens if a good school is overbooked already? What happens to the schools that everyone might ditch? Do the same choice opportunities apply to middle-income students at Title I schools?

Romney’s school choice plan is an excellent political tool because it taps into his deeply-seeded notion that competition is the answer to almost every problem. It also answers a clarion conservative call for more parental choice in schools and gives him a chance to trash President Obama for zeroing out the District of Columbia’s popular school voucher program.

Is Romney’s school choice plan workable? Is it politically smart? What hurdles would he encounter if he tried to enact it? Are there other ways to have federal funds “follow the child,” as Romney would do? If Romney’s school choice plan did not apply

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New York Times
May 29, 2012

To the Editor:

Summary of the Overview of the report from the Council on Foreign Relations

The Council on Foreign Relations sponsored an independent Task Force, which developed this report on how education plays a role in national security. Joel Klein, former chancellor of New York City’s school system; and former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, were the chairs of the task force. The report states that the United States spends more on K-12 education than any other developed country, though they determined that our students are still behind students in all the other countries. They looked at the results from the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), an international standardized test, and found that students in the U.S. ranked 14th in reading, 25th in math, and 17th in science compared to the other developed countries.

The Task Force found that with U.S. students lagging behind the rest of the developed countries there is in fact a national security threat. They mentioned five specific threatened areas in the report: economic growth and competitiveness, physical safety, intellectual property, U.S. global awareness, and U.S. unity and cohesion. Each of these areas currently is or will become a vulnerable spot if we do not improve our education system.

The report discusses three proposals to attempt to fix America’s lagging education system. The first is to implement educational expectations and assessments in subjects that are important to our national security. To do this they are encouraging all states to expand the common core standards and include them in every classroom nationwide.

The second proposal is to make some structural changes in order to provide students and families with school choice options. The final report tells states to “stop locking disadvantaged students into failing schools without any options. …”

The last proposal from the Task Force is to

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‘Do not Pass Go’, ‘Do Not Collect $200′, unless you’ve read “National Security Issue” from the Las Vegas Journal:

“It could hardly get more clear: The performance of the public schools has become so bad that even a bipartisan, middle-of-the road panel says the low educational attainment of our younger generations threatens American security.” READ MORE…