Vol. 4, No. 15
April 16, 2002

CHARTERS: With National Charter Schools Week fast approaching (April 29-May 3), many celebrations and events are being planned to salute the10-year old reform that has galvanized people across the political spectrum and attracted parents and teachers in droves. Despite having much to celebrate, however, some legislatures seem to be running in the wrong direction. See, for example, last week's release of recommendations for weakening Michigan's charter school law. Read CER's analysis on the recommendations right here.

This week there is more uneven news to report:

IOWA: It looks like Iowa may be about to enact the nation's 39th charter law, but before you cheer, consider the contents of the bill that passed both houses of the legislature: Ten charter schools would be permitted to be started by school districts; there would be a very limited waiver from most regulations and no waiver from existing union contracts. Funds would be sparse, and approval laborious. Not really a charter law, in our book.

GEORGIA: This law - which currently earns a "C" in CER's national rankings of charter school laws - took a bit of a hit last week when the legislature passed a bill that will result in additional bureaucracy in charters, and will allow the politically-appointed state board of education to dictate charter school changes without legislative intervention. There is minor good news: The new law makes it more difficult for school boards to say no to applicants, and to negotiate lower funding. But obviously, if charters have to jump through traditional regulatory hoops, they might as well not be charters. (Which of course, was likely the intent of the bill's authors!)

(Get the real scoop on charter schools, review the research, learn about who's interfering with the idea and who's behind it! CER's website at has the most comprehensive information about charter schools anywhere in the country, with links to all of the sources that depict the real picture of charters. Click here to find out more About Charter Schools.)

NORTH CAROLINA: brings a bit of good news. The Sallie B. Howard Charter School in Wilson, North Carolina inaugurated its brand new building over the weekend. The new school will accommodate the 450-student, K-7 integrated arts charter. The building is fully equipped, featuring science labs, virtual labs, media and dance studios, and a 200-computer technology center. The school has come a long way since it opened five years ago with children attending classes in trailers. Pictures of the dedication festivities can be found at http://www.charterleague.org/.

MATH WARS: Battles continue to rage, and this time it's in South Carolina, where the state textbook adoption committee rejected the use of a program that has yielded high test score gains in virtually every school where it is employed. But because the program - Saxon math - does not use the preferred pedagogy embraced by many leaders in the education establishment, it will no longer be permitted in schools. The state review of textbooks ignored the results of the program outright, and based their recommendations on "expert" analysis. So much for local control and a quest for high achievement. Click here for the latest on the Math Wars.

TEACHERS: News Flash! The April 3, 2002 Education Week, in a report about teacher certification, casually makes an admission that deserves to be proclaimed far and wide: Teachers' performances on basic skills tests are a better predictor of their ability to teach than any other factor. Says the report: "Perhaps the least contested studies on teacher quality point to the importance of teachers' basic skills. . . .In Texas, for example . . . teachers' scores on the skills exams had the strongest link to student achievement of four different variables he examined. The other variables, in descending order of effects, were teacher experience, class size, and whether teachers held master's degrees." http://www.edweek.org/ew/newstory.cfm?slug=29teachquality.h21.

PARENTS! The latest Parent Power! is now here, with a story about doing "good enough," and features on parent-teacher conferences, reading, and working with school principals. Log onto to read all about it here on the website, or sign up for your own electronic link each month.

CHARTER SCHOOLS WEEK: This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the opening of the nation's first charter school in Minnesota, and since then more than 2,400 charter schools around the country have opened, serving nearly 580,000 children. To recognize and honor the success of charter schools in educating our nation's children, the third annual National Charter Schools Week will be celebrated April 29-May 3, 2002. Click here for a list of activities, planning ideas and additional information.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES:

Alaska Charter School Conference, Anchorage, AK DATES: April 19-20, 2002, CONTACT: Call 907-746-2358

Connecticut Charter School Conference DATE: April 28, 2002, CONTACT: 203-624-4552

Texas Charter School Conference DATES: April 29-30 For more info: http://www.charterstexas.org/.

Pennsylvania Charter School Conference, Philadelphia, PA DATES: May 1-2, 2002, CONTACT: (203) 624-4552

The fourth annual National Charter School Conference, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education will be held June 19-22, 2002 in Milwaukee, WI. For registration and other information, go to: www.edreform.com/info/events.htm.

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