2013 - Page 32 of 65 - The Center for Education Reform

This study of charter school scores is flawed

July 3, 2013 By Ted Allen

by Jeanne Allen
Letter to the Editor
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
July 2, 2013

It’s disheartening to read the June 26 headline “Study: Pa. in Bottom Three for Charter School Scores,” especially when the study is so flawed. The study, from a group called Center for Research on Education Outcomes, or CREDO, is anything but charter school performance gospel.

The reality is we cannot make conclusions about Pennsylvania charter schools or charters anywhere else without randomized control trials — the gold standard for research — that use actual student-by-student data over time.

The CREDO report, which produced some unfavorable figures for Pennsylvania charters, fails to use such methods. The report instead employs statistical gymnastics to make spurious comparisons of charter student achievement across state lines while altering data to ensure all students “start” at the same level.

Highly criticized by leading researchers and economists for failing the test of good research, CREDO results don’t accurately convey results of charter and traditional public schools. State-by-state and community-by-community analyses are the only real measures that offer validity for parents and policymakers.

We believe all schools, including charter schools, must be held accountable. The path to accountability must start with strong charter school laws, multiple and independent charter school authorizers, in addition to the highest academic and operational standards.

Filed Under: CER in the News

Daily Headlines for July 2, 2013

July 2, 2013 By Ted Allen

NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

NATIONAL COVERAGE

Pitbull, rapper and charter-school advocate, gets the party started at education conference
Washington Post Blog, July 1, 2013
But he has signed on as a major backer of a new charter school in his old inner-city neighborhood — and if his unlikely keynote at the Washington Convention Center Monday was light on policy, it had a get-this-party-started appeal for his audience of a thousand-plus educators and wonks from across the country.

Parents revolt against failing schools
USA Today, July 1, 2013
In reality, trigger laws, which allow parents to intervene in a struggling school, are a lot more complicated and controversial.

Nation’s charter school waiting lists growing, report says
Baltimore Sun Blog, July 1, 2013
The number of families waiting acceptance into charter schools is nearing 1 million, according to a survey of charter schools across the nation, which showed a near 50 percent increase in the number of names on waitlists this year compared to the 2011-2011 school year.

Charter Schools: What Really Makes Them So Appealing?
Take Part, July 1, 2013
Parents across the U.S. are clamoring to get their kids into charter schools, but is this the way American education should be going?

Arne Duncan urged to intervene in Philadelphia school funding crisis
Washington Post Blog, July 2, 2013
Here is a letter that American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and historian/education activist Diane Ravitch just sent to Education Secretary Arne Duncan asking him to intervene in the crisis.

STATE COVERAGE

ALABAMA

New education standards factor in student race, economic status
Tuscaloosa News, June 30, 2013
Beginning this fall, Alabama public schools will be under a new state-created academic accountability system that sets different goals for students in math and reading based on their race, economic status, ability to speak English and disabilities.

CONNECTICUT

Supporters turn out for Vallas
Connecticut Post, July 2, 2013
Having lived in the Park City for a few years already, Florisca Carter did not enroll her children for public education when the time came because she wanted “better for them.”

FLORIDA

School turnaround under way for Daughtrey and Rogers Garden
Bradenton Herald, July 2, 2013
Turnaround plans for Blanche H. Daughtrey and G.D. Rogers Garden elementary schools have been approved by the state, and the schools are making improvements to avoid possible closure in the future.

Panel considers options for school grading changes
Tallahassee Democrat, July 2, 2013
School officials around the state have warned that raising the passing threshold for writing, coupled with a raft of other recent changes to the grading formula, could fuel a widespread drop in school grades — even in places where test scores improved.

The War of Common Core
Sunshine State News, July 2, 2013
While the state government keeps pushing the Common Core State Standards for Florida’s students, it’s causing both sides to weigh in on the positives and negatives of the education initiative, which is set to be fully implemented in all grades in the 2014-2015 academic year.

Charter reforms prompted by NorthStar High School failure signed into law
Orlando Sentinel Blog, July 1, 2013
Charter school reforms proposed in the wake of a more than $500,000 payout to the principal of the failed NorthStar High School are now law.

ILLINOIS

Chicago Public Schools Sound More Like Private Schools Commentary
Chicago Magazine, July 1, 2013
But something about the windup to the 2013-14 school year feels different: hints of a two-tier system, that will mean that public school students whose parents who can’t pay will get less.

INDIANA

Don’t put much credence in CREDO study results
Letter by Jeanne Allen
NW Times, July 2, 2013
While it’s gratifying to read the June 25 headline, “Nationwide charter school study finds overall performance improvement,” it’s also disconcerting. The study, from a group called CREDO, is anything but charter school performance gospel.

Pence names choice proponent to be education aide
Journal Gazette, July 2, 2013
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence says an education veteran “dedicated to bringing choice and opportunity to Indiana families” will be responsible for implementing his policies for K-12 and higher education.

KC STEMM Academy closes
Palladium-Item, July 1, 2013
The Kenneth A. Christmon STEMM Academy of Richmond closed its doors Monday after a last-ditch attempt to keep the charter school open appears to have failed.

Operators of takeover schools worry about funding
Chesterton Tribune, July 1, 2013
Private companies that were hired to run five Indiana schools taken over by the state for poor performance say they might not be able to continue because of funding concerns.

LOUISIANA

Teachers union sues state for $200 million; second $65 million suit possible
Times-Picayune, July 1, 2013
The Louisiana Association of Educators and several local teachers associations have filed a class-action suit charging that the state owes local school boards $199 million as a result of the Louisiana Supreme Court decision striking down part of the state’s voucher law.

MAINE

Maine bill would free school aid without approval by voters
Portland Press Herald, July 2, 2013
Democratic lawmakers are trying to rally support for a bill that would let Maine school districts spend $29 million that was included unexpectedly in the state budget without opening the polls to get voters’ approval.

MICHIGAN

School district crises outpace remedies under Mich. emergency manager law
Detroit News, July 2, 2013
The state’s controversial emergency manager law is proving too slow to deal with some school financial crises, a situation that has forced the Legislature to take increasingly drastic measures that it may expand in the future.

MISSISSIPPI

Naming charter school board leader, members a thorny issue
Opinion
Clarion Ledger, July 2, 2013
And now the wait begins. With the July 1 effective date for Mississippi’s expanded charter school law, the next step is to nominate seven members of the Charter School Authorizing Board.

NEW YORK

Candidates Called to Task on Schools
Wall Street Journal, July 2, 2013
Former New York City schools chancellor Joel Klein plans to insert himself into the mayoral race Tuesday in a speech that fiercely defends the Bloomberg administration’s school policies while accusing most candidates of a “complete lack of courage” on education.

NORTH CAROLINA

Class action suit filed against New Hanover school board
Star News, July 1, 2013
A new lawsuit alleges that the New Hanover County Board of Education and school boards across the state have violated charter school students’ constitutional rights.

OHIO

On the road to reform
Editorial
Columbus Dispatch, July 2, 2013
With the passage last week of House Bill 167, Ohio lawmakers have given voters in the Columbus City Schools the opportunity to bring historic reform to a district in dire need of it.

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma to drop testing consortium, develop own tests, Barresi says
Tulsa World, July 2, 2013
State Superintendent Janet Barresi announced Monday that she is withdrawing Oklahoma from testing through a consortium of 20 or so other states to coincide with the new Common Core curriculum standards.

PENNSYLVANIA

This study of charter school scores is flawed
Letter by Jeanne Allen
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 2, 2013
It’s disheartening to read the June 26 headline “Study: Pa. in Bottom Three for Charter School Scores,” especially when the study is so flawed. The study, from a group called Center for Research on Education Outcomes, or CREDO, is anything but charter school performance gospel.

CUSD looking to enroll new students
Delaware County Times, July 2, 2013
The Chester Upland School District is slated to close Main Street Elementary School and the Chester Upland School of the Arts unless the district increases its student enrollment by about 300 students.

Propel’s success
Letter
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 2, 2013
The Post-Gazette’s recent coverage of a report on charter school performance (“Study: Pa. in Bottom Three for Charter School Scores,” June 26) left out a significant local angle.

TENNESSEE

School board struggles to find footing in post-Great Hearts reality
Nashville City Paper, June 30, 2013
Baptized in political controversy that spanned the better part of a year, members of the Metro Nashville school board are trying to reset the conversation.

UTAH

George Washington Academy named top school
St. George Daily Spectrum, July 1, 2013
Based on its students’ high academic achievement, quality education and strong mission statement, George Washington Academy in St. George has been named the school of the year by the Utah Association of Public Charter Schools.

VIRGINIA

Suffolk math teacher bonuses could add up
The Virginian-Pilot, July 2, 2013
Math teachers in the city’s three public high schools could earn as much as $5,000 in extra pay under a proposal the division plans to submit to the state.

McDonnell sketches next steps on school takeover law
Daily Progress, July 1, 2013
As legislation creating a statewide school division to take over failing schools hit the books in Virginia Monday, Gov. Bob McDonnell said the state would begin recruiting a director.

WISCONSIN

Finally, merit pay gets going
Editorial
Beloit Daily News, July 1, 2013
For years we have supported the notion of merit pay for educators as a way to improve the public school system. The concept generally ran into opposition across the country from teachers unions, which instead negotiated one-size-fits-all pay plans based on longevity and training. Those were leveling plans, in which the best teachers were paid the same as the worst teachers.

Walker says he’ll demand results from private school vouchers
Green Bay Press-Gazette, July 1, 2013
Gov. Scott Walker said Monday he will use test scores, graduation rates and other measuring sticks to gauge the success of an expanded private school voucher program in Green Bay and elsewhere.

ONLINE LEARNING

Schools focus on extended learning
Portsmouth Herald, July 2, 2013
The Exeter High School Summer Institute is an example of a growing trend in education; an Extended Learning Opportunity, or ELO.

Business interests influencing education laws in Virginia, report says
Washington Post, July 1, 2013
Education policies approved in Virginia over the past four years to establish virtual schools and give businesses tax credits for needy students to attend private schools are among many laws that have been promoted by a conservative advocacy group that represents business interests, according to a study released last week.

Planning for new education technology will be a challenge
Editorial
Jackson Sun, July 2, 2013
Jackson-Madison County school Superintendent Dr. Verna Ruffin moves into her new role as the head of our school system this week. We join with others in the community in welcoming her and offering support as she guides our school system and our students into the future. One of the biggest challenges she faces is to plan for our school system’s technological future.

Plans finalized for iCademy in Zeeland
Holland Sentinel, July 2, 2013
More plans have been finalized for iCademy Global, a nonprofit, cyber charter school set to open this fall.

Cambridge Lakes group withdraws virtual charter school plan
Northwest Herald, July 1, 2013
Northern Kane Educational Corp. has scrapped its plans to create a virtual charter school and avoided a debate with District 300 over the merits of a state prohibition on virtual charters.

3D virtual charter school trying to come to South Carolina
WPDE, July 1, 2013
A group called Noble Virtual School wants to bring a new, online, three dimensional charter school to South Carolina.

School technology program scheduled to get under way
Idaho State Journal, July 2, 2013
Officials representing 11 Gem State schools will begin the process of placing more technology into the classroom as part of the Idaho Technology Pilot Program of which the Idaho Legislature established earlier this year.

Filed Under: Daily Headlines

Charter students improve less at math

July 2, 2013 By Ted Allen

by Hailey Heinz
Albuquerque Journal
July 1, 2013

The math scores of New Mexico charter school students improved significantly less than the scores of their traditional school counterparts, according to a new national study that tracked average year-over-year gains from 2007 to 2011.

The study found no difference in the reading gains of charter vs. traditional public school students.

The findings were released Tuesday by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes, commonly called CREDO.

The study aims to control for demographic differences between charter and traditional school students. Specifically, researchers assigned each charter student a “virtual twin” student in a nearby traditional school, who is meant to be similar in every way except the choice to attend a charter. The “twin” is similar in ways like initial test scores, ethnicity and whether the student is low-income.

The progress of each charter student is then compared to the progress of his or her “twin.”

Researchers found New Mexico students’ reading progress was unaffected by charter schools. But in math, they found traditional school students gained the equivalent of 29 more days of learning than their charter school peers. According to the report, the days of learning are estimates based on statistical findings.

The report also examined the initial test scores of students who transfer to charter schools. Nationwide, the report found charter students had starting test scores below their statewide averages. But in New Mexico, the average charter school student starts with above-average test scores.

Nationally, the study found good news for charters, especially when compared to CREDO’s last study, released in 2009. That study found charter school students nationally underperformed traditional public school students. The latest study found charters nationally had improved to match traditional schools in math scores, and surpassed them in reading.

Bruce Hegwer, executive director of the New Mexico Coalition for Charter Schools, said New Mexico charters have also seen growth since the 2009 report. Specifically, the 2009 report showed New Mexico charters underperforming in both math and reading.

Hegwer, who had just received the 104-page report Tuesday, said it will probably give charters some good feedback.

“My initial thoughts are that I think there’s some valuable information in the report, and I think it kind of gives us some things to take a look at,” Hegwer said.

Hegwer also pointed out that some groups have disputed the report’s methodology and data collection practices. For example, the Washington D.C.-based Center for Education Reform, or CER, released a statement saying the report has “multiple shortcomings.”

“No matter how well-intentioned, the CREDO research is not charter school performance gospel,” said CER President Jeanne Allen. “Similar to its failed 2009 effort, this CREDO study is based on stacking mounds of state education department data into an analytical process that is decidedly lacking in rigor.”

Filed Under: CER in the News

Daily Headlines for July 1, 2013

July 1, 2013 By The Center for Education Reform

NATIONAL COVERAGE

At Retooled Summer Schools, Creativity, Not Just Catch-Up
New York Times, July 1, 2013
According to the National Summer Learning Association, a nonprofit group, 25 of the country’s largest school districts — including Charlotte, N.C.; Cincinnati; Oakland, Calif.; Pittsburgh; and Providence, R.I. — have developed summer school programs that move beyond the traditional remedial model.

City to appeal Vallas bombshell
CT Post, June 30, 2013
The city attorney’s office confirmed Saturday that there will be a swift appeal to Friday’s decision by state Superior Court Judge Barbara Bellis to remove School Superintendent Paul Vallas because he is not qualified for the job.

Wendy Lecker: The hidden costs of charter schools
Opinion
Stamford Advocate, June 28, 3013
The verdict is in, and it is the same as four years ago. In updating its 2009 national study on charter schools, Stanford’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO) reaches the same conclusion it did in its previous study: The vast majority of charter schools in the United States are no better than public schools.

Parents Revolt Against Failing Schools
Stateline, July 1, 2013
Versions of parent trigger laws have been proposed in at least 25 states and adopted by seven, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In real life, parent triggers have been attempted only a handful of times.

Stop the rush to the Common Core
Opinion
New York Daily News, July 1, 2013
The Common Core — effectively national math and English curriculum standards coming soon to a school near you — is supposed to be a new, higher bar that will take the United States from the academic doldrums to international dominance.

Future of Catholic Schools
Letter
New York Times, June 30, 2013
“Concern for Minorities as Catholic Schools Close” (news article, June 21) misses the mark in one important regard. Many of us who work in Catholic schools have more hope than despair, and we have reason to believe that the future of Catholic schools in urban communities looks less like hospice or retrenchment and more like transformation and urban renewal.

STATE COVERAGE

ARIZONA

Districts convert schools to charters for more money
Arizona Republic, June 30, 2013
Amid run-of-the-mill agenda items recognizing volunteers and approving playground renovations, the Paradise Valley Unified School District governing board last month quietly made a significant change: It converted one-third of its elementary schools to charter schools.

CALIFORNIA

At Crenshaw High, those left behind are skeptical of changes
Los Angeles Times, July 1, 2013
An overhaul meant to address poor achievement required teachers to reapply for their jobs. Opponents say officials wanted to create a more compliant faculty.

Charter schools, district failing at communications
Daily Democrat, June 30, 2013
An improved need for communication between Yolo County’s charter schools and those school boards that authorize them is needed, according to a study by the grand jury.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. to overhaul ninth grade, separating out students who failed
Washington Post, June 30, 2013
D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson plans to overhaul the city’s approach to ninth-grade education, separating out students who have already failed the first year of high school from impressionable incoming freshmen.

D.C. charter school leader wins national recognition
Washington Post, July 1, 2013
Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School opened in 1998 with 35 students in a D.C. church basement. Fifteen years later, it has become one of the city’s most sought-after and diverse charter schools, offering French- and Spanish-language immersion programs to 350 students in preschool through sixth grade.

Prince George’s approves charter school contract
Washington Post, June 28, 2013
The Prince George’s County Board of Education approved a contract Thursday night with a new charter school in Hyattsville after several members raised concerns about how students were selected for the program.

FLORIDA

New standards don’t make the grade
Editorial
Miami Herald, June 30, 2013
Too many students are being set up to think they are failures by the very people who say they are pushing students to excel. Their teachers will see their hard work in front of the class undercut. And parents will think, wrongly, that their children are attending substandard schools.

Lakeland’s Achievement Academy Expansion Could Double Enrollment
The Ledger, June 30, 2013
The Lakeland-based charter school serves youngsters ages 6 and younger who have a variety of learning and developmental disabilities, and it came close to expansion with the purchase in 2007 of 16 acres adjoining County Road 540A in the vicinity of George Jenkins High School.

GEORGIA

Cheating Case is Set to Proceed in Atlanta
Wall Street Journal, July 1, 2013
The conspiracy case stemming from one of the largest school-cheating scandals in U.S. history can go forward, a Georgia judge has ruled, dismissing defense efforts to get charges against 35 former educators thrown out or reduced.

INDIANA

Ball State defends spending on charter school oversight
NW Times, June 29, 2013
A state legislator from Gary questions whether Ball State University has fully used the money it receives to support charter schools for the funds’ intended purpose.

School voucher supporters praise program expansion that starts Monday
Evansville Courier & Press, June 29, 2013
Indiana’s school voucher program has taken a turn in the right direction, according to Lindsey Brown, executive director of School Choice Indiana.

LOUISIANA

Problems could have been caught
Editorial
Monroe News Star, July 1, 2013
When the state established the school voucher program that pays for students in failing schools to transfer to schools their parents choose, the state agreed to pay the same tuition at the new schools that nonvoucher students pay.

MAINE

Portland Adult Ed merits permanent home
Editorial
Portland Press Herald, July 1, 2013
This important link in our public education system should have the central facility it needs.

MASSACHUSETTS

20 years later — Charter public schools closing the achievement gap and effecting reform at district level
Opinion
South Coast Today, July 1, 2013
When Massachusetts’ landmark Education Reform Act was signed into law 20 years ago, attention was mainly focused on the massive commitment of state resources and the tough new accountability measures. The creation of charter public schools might have seemed almost an afterthought.

High school student decline a strain for Boston
Boston Globe, July 1, 2013
Boston public high school enrollment is on the slide, leaving nearly 3,000 seats empty and raising questions about possible school closures.

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi leaders must name charter board members
Sun Herald, June 29, 2013
With the Monday effective date for Mississippi’s expanded charter school law, the next step is to nominate seven members of the Charter School Authorizing Board.

MISSOURI

In St. Louis, teachers union plays role in getting rid of bad teachers
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 30, 2013
Critics of tenure say it creates an untouchable class of teachers who can become an impediment to improving public schools.

NEW JERSEY

Amended Urban Hope Act Likely to Clear Way for Renaissance Schools in Camden
New Jersey Spotlight, July 1, 2013
Trimmed down to win needed votes, the bill to amend the controversial Urban Hope Act and open the way for a new breed of charter schools ended up passing with little drama in the state Legislature last week.

NEW MEXICO

PS misses chance to lead on teacher evals
Editorial
Albuquerque Journal, July 1, 2013
Albuquerque Public Schools is not only the largest district in the state; it is one of the largest districts in the nation. As such, it should be a leader in education reform, setting a standard for others to follow.

NEW YORK

New Charter High School Will Be Closed to Transfer Students
City Limits, July 1, 2013
The DOE is planting seeds for charters to expand in city schools even after Mayor Bloomberg leaves office. But some of the new resources will only be open to those who won charter lotteries in the early grades.

Waiting Lists for NYC Charter Schools Largest in Nation
Epoch Times, June 30, 2013
New York City has the longest wait list for charter schools in the nation, according to a new survey. In their annual assessment of wait lists for charter schools in the United States, the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools (NAPCS) found that there are far more kids trying to get access to a specialized school in New York City than any other city.

Only fraction of city schools producing bulk of students ready for college: report
New York Daily News, June 30, 2013
A report by the United Federation of Teachers shows that only 10% of city schools produce nearly half of the graduates considered ready for college.

NORTH CAROLINA

One charter board
Opinion
News & Observer, July 1, 2013
Sure, it’s hard to believe. In this no-holds-barred session of the General Assembly, with Republicans laying waste to Democratic programs and barreling on with curbs to regulation and cuts in education, compromise has seemed to be a word wiped from the GOP dictionary.

OHIO

Urban students flourish in Closing the Achievement Gap program
Akron Beacon Journal, June 28, 2013
Just inside the eastern edge of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, a group of Akron students study the biotic integrity of Haskell Run, which flows west into the Cuyahoga River.

Ohio budget rewards low-performing charter schools
Akron Beacon Journal, June 29, 2013
The trend in Ohio has been to change school funding and teacher work rules to reward improved academic performance. That’s not the case for privately run charter schools in the $62 billion, two-year state budget passed last week.

Criticism abounds in Ohio charter school funding
Cincinnati Enquirer, June 29, 2013
Ohio’s charter schools are, in many ways, big winners in Ohio’s proposed biennial budget: The state’s charter schools will receive more money per-student than most traditional schools – in many cases, thousands of dollars more.

PENNSYLVANIA

Rescue plan for Phila. schools: Many ifs, but…
Philadelphia Inquirer, July 1, 2013
The $140 million package Gov. Corbett presented Sunday to rescue Philadelphia’s cash-strapped public schools has tentative written all over it.

KIPP school suppporters wonder about charter proposal
Philadelphia Daily News, June 30, 2013
With the school year over and Alexander Wilson Elementary officially closed, the question now is how long the building will sit empty.

RHODE ISLAND

4 new R.I. charter schools proposed for fall 2014
Providence Journal, July 1, 2013
Four new charter schools are in the pipeline, including two schools proposed by Providence school leaders, a Chinese immersion program, and a science and engineering-themed school in Newport.

TENNESSEE

Creating a world-class school system still is possible if the will is there
Editorial
Commercial Appeal, June 30, 2013
The face of public education in Memphis and Shelby County officially changes Monday when Memphis City Schools goes out of business and the new Shelby County unified school district takes over.

VIRGINIA

Plan for Norfolk charter schools at full throttle
The Virginian-Pilot, June 30, 2013
The School Board in two weeks is planning to vote on an ambitious plan to convert more than a fifth of its schools into charter schools.

WASHINGTON

Districts split over charter schools
Seattle Times, June 30, 2013
The three largest school districts in the state are taking different approaches on whether or not to authorize charter schools, approved by state voters in November.

ONLINE LEARNING

Decision to halt state’s first online charter schools draws criticism from parents, praise from polls
Star-Ledger, June 30, 2013
Lorna Bryant hoped to lead one of the only public schools in the state where elite young athletes, students with severe medical disabilities and victims of bullying could learn together in a nontraditional classroom — one where all the instruction takes place online.

Virtual school board treading lightly with K12
The Recorder, June 29, 2013
With Greenfield’s virtual school under new leadership come Monday, a five-member board of trustees will call the shots instead of the Greenfield School Committee. So, what does that mean for its future with for-profit education provider K12?

District to launch new virtual course options
Cherokee Tribune, June 28, 2013
Middle and high school students in Cherokee County schools will soon have more online credit options.

Filed Under: Daily Headlines

Education Reform University Launches with Hundreds of Seminal Documents from Founding of Charter School Movement

July 1, 2013 By Ted Allen

Initiative of Center for Education Reform Coincides with Annual Charter School Conference

CER Press Release
Washington, DC
July 1, 2013

As thousands of school leaders, educators, civic and policy representatives descend on Washington for this week’s annual charter school conference, The Center for Education Reform today released hundreds of documents relating to the movement’s founding. From meeting notes and minutes to legislative strategy papers and even e-mail communications with various education players over the years, the first and only repository of such history is now available at Education Reform University, a new initiative of the Center.

“The need for a real history lesson has been made clear time and time again in our work,” said Center President Jeanne Allen. “In fact, we’ve come to realize that the single largest impediment to lasting, substantive, structural educational improvement is the lack of common knowledge of what has come before. Making this library available to all begins to address this issue.”

Allen added: “As the old adage goes, those who don’t know history are doomed to repeat it. We believe education cannot succeed for every child until everyone involved truly understands how policies that exist today actually happened and leverages such knowledge to accelerate the pace of reform. Progress has been made to be sure, but not nearly enough.”

According to the Center, while 4th and 8th grade scores on the nation’s report card are up, student proficiency in the US among all SES groups remains unacceptably low. Turnaround efforts are often stymied in the face of iron clad teacher union contracts. Even modest performance pay measures pale in comparison to the real notion of merit pay first piloted in the 1990s. And while charter schools are making great progress in solving some problems, the Center estimates the nation could fill another 5,000 charter schools with students on waiting lists, and laments that far too many state laws are compromised by political bargains often made by supporters.

“Our work with legislatures nationwide reinforces the need for a comprehensive understanding of the history of education efforts that have tried and failed, and those that have the staying power to effect student achievement,” said the Center’s Executive Vice President Kara Kerwin. “That’s why Education Reform University is an exciting development for the entire education community, and why the launch of this library is so timely.”

In addition to the new library that will place new publications and media “on the shelf” daily, Education Reform University this fall will begin to provide online courses delivered by experts. In addition, new programs in conventional institutions of higher education will be available to students on a public policy or education track.

Tomorrow at 2:15pm, the Center’s leadership will provide a glimpse of what Education Reform University will teach through a panel featuring former lawmakers from Florida and Ohio, at the National Charter Schools Conference, Room 209 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, DC. More information is available here.

Filed Under: Press Releases

Achievement Gap Narrows on Long-Term NAEP

June 28, 2013 By Ted Allen

by Erik W. Robelen
Education Week
June 27, 2013

Achievement gaps for black and Hispanic youths have declined by substantial margins in reading and math since the early 1970s, according to new federal data issued Thursday. The gaps with their white peers, while still in evidence, have narrowed across all three age levels tested as part of a national assessment of long-term trends that offers a look at test data spanning some 40 years.

Overall, the nation’s 9-year-olds and 13-year-olds are better off academically today than they were in 1971 in reading, and in 1973 in math, the years when the long-term assessment was first administered, the results suggest. But for 17-year-olds, the average achievement levels are about the same when comparing 2012 data with results for the early 1970s in both subjects.

Read the rest of the Education Week article.

Filed Under: Standards & Testing

Ohio Continues Legacy of Real Education Reform

June 28, 2013 By Ted Allen

CER Press Release
Washington, DC
June 28, 2013

In a state that has been a leader in creating more and better opportunities for students and parents, Gov. Kasich is now expected to approve a budget that builds on Ohio’s legacy of meaningful education reform.

Currently ranked number 4 on the Parent Power Index©, these changes are likely to put Ohio in the top three of states providing more control for parents over the education of their children.

The budget, to be signed by Kasich in the coming days, allows for the parent trigger pilot program in Columbus to be expanded statewide, a clear victory for parents seeking to improve their local school.

The state voucher program will expand during the first year to include up to 2,000 kindergartners whose family income does not exceed 200 percent of the federal poverty level, in the hopes of widening the program to include all K-12 income eligible students.

“These budgetary provisions add to Ohio’s proportionately high number of quality schooling opportunities in comparison to other states,” Jeanne Allen, President of The Center for Education Reform, said in a statement. “In a time when parents in Ohio and nationwide are clamoring for more choices, there is no shortage of reforms that can be implemented.”

The state budget passed the House and Senate on Thursday, and now goes to the governor’s desk, where Kasich is expected to sign it into law.

Filed Under: Press Releases

Daily Headlines for June 28, 2013

June 28, 2013 By The Center for Education Reform

NATIONAL COVERAGE

On standardized tests, 17-year-old students are doing no better than they did decades ago
Washington Post, June 27, 2013
Students preparing to leave high school are faring no better in reading or math than their peers four decades ago, the government said Thursday. Officials attributed the bleak finding on more lower-performing students staying in school rather than dropping out.

U.S. education gap narrows between whites and minorities: report
Reuters, June 27, 2013
The achievement gap between white and minority children has narrowed considerably in recent decades, as black and Hispanic students have posted strong gains on math and reading tests, according to a new report out Thursday.

Inequality and Education and the Need for Community
Opinion
Huffington Post, June 27, 2013
As we Race to the Top and offer states “flexibility” on NCLB, evidence continues to mount that our efforts to improve educational outcomes are focused on the wrong problem.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Popularity of charter schools keeps waitlists long
Long Beach Press-Telegram, June 27, 2013
There are 6,000 charter schools nationwide, more than 1,000 in California and upwards of 250 in Los Angeles. It turns out, that’s not enough.

Antonio Villaraigosa leaves his mark on L.A. schools
Los Angeles Times, June 27, 2013
The mayor vowed to turn the district into an incubator of education reform. In his two terms, during which his nonprofit took over more than a dozen campuses, he’s had mixed results.

COLORADO

Teacher turnover down from 2012
Our Colorado News, June 27, 2013
A total of 380 teachers, or about 11.7 percent, of Douglas County teachers are leaving the school district this year. That figure is down from the 2012 turnover rate of 13.26 percent recorded by the Colorado Department of Education.

CONNECTICUT

State Board of Education votes to increase available charter seats by 567
Connecticut Ed News, June 27, 2013
Almost 600 more seats in Connecticut charter schools have been made available for the next school year, after the State Board of Education granted charter operators requests during a Wednesday special meeting.

DELAWARE

Delaware’s low-income private school students get chance at scholarships
News Journal, June 28, 2013
A former charter school leader is raising money for scholarships to pay private school tuition for low-income students.

FLORIDA

Scott to teachers: Pressure is going to get worse
Florida Current, June 28, 2013
Gov. Rick Scott and Education Commissioner Tony Bennett engaged Florida’s teachers of the year Thursday in a roundtable discussion of education philosophies. Most of the talk focused on the transition to Common Core standards and the assessments that will be used to measure student and teacher performance.

‘Devastating’ dual enrollment change could cost $60M
Bradenton Herald, June 28, 2013
While the Manatee County school district struggles to reorganize its finances, new state legislation could cost the district as much as $500,000 to keep its popular dual enrollment program afloat.

IDAHO

Rely on insta-teachers? Idahoans say no thanks
Opinion
Coeur d’Alene Press, June 28, 2013
The Idaho State Board of Education continues to make decisions toward privatizing Idaho’s public schools. In a move by the board on June 20, the Teach For America (TFA) program was, according to their Facebook post, “approved as a state sanctioned vehicle for the preparation of teachers in Idaho.”

MASSACHUSETTS

Charters on edge of ed reform
Opinion
News Telegram, June 28, 2013
When Massachusetts’ landmark Education Reform Act was signed into law 20 years ago, attention was mainly focused on the massive commitment of state resources and the tough new accountability measures. The creation of charter public schools might have seemed almost an afterthought.

Boston’s education mayor?
Opinion
Boston Globe, June 28, 2013
Education may emerge as the central issue in the Boston mayor’s race, and not simply because the school system is one of a handful of big-city districts across the country under mayoral control.

MICHIGAN

More public-private partnerships are needed in Michigan schools
Opinion
Detroit News, June 27, 2013
The use of public-private partnerships for the cost-effective delivery of public goods and services is not new in Michigan. Michigan uses private entities to provide services for prisons, food service, road maintenance, health care and education. As government seeks to deliver services in a more efficient and cost-effective manner, we will see a growing use of private management with a public payer system.

MISSOURI

Missouri charter schools outperform national average
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 28, 2013
A national study of charter school performance shows that reading growth at Missouri’s charter schools has slid since 2009, but the schools’ academic performance overall is outpacing the national average.

NEVADA

Delta Academy’s charter school status renewed
Las Vegas Review- Journal, June 28, 2013
Delta Academy, a Las Vegas charter school for students with behavioral, emotional and social challenges, will remain open for at least six more years despite posting poor student performance.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

NCLB waived Now about that innovation
Editorial
Union Leader, June 27, 2013
New Hampshire finally has a federal waiver that allows the state to wriggle out from under the regulations of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). Now that state officials have seen how constricting and counter-productive inflexible, bureaucratic dictates can be, New Hampshire’s approach to education reform should be clear.

Board of Education debates salaries for school leaders
Nashua Telegraph, June 28, 2013
What started with a group of motions to hire new school administrators turned into a long debate among Board of Education members Wednesday over the rate of pay the district offers its school leaders.

NEW YORK

Pro-Charter Group Gets New Chief
Wall Street Journal, June 28, 2013
StudentsFirstNY, a pro-charter school organization that launched with a bang a year ago and then stalled, has signaled it is ready to jump back into New York City politics, hiring the top lieutenant of a polarizing charter chain.

Hyde Leadership Charter School
MYFOXNY, June 27, 2013
On Saturday, the school will graduate its first class and 94 percent of the seniors here will be getting their diplomas.

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma Board of Education identifies bottom schools
The Oklahoman, June 28, 2013
Oklahoma education officials announced the worst schools in the state during a state Board of Education meeting Thursday. The schools are identified for a long-term partnership with the state Education Department to help turn things around.

PENNSYLVANIA

SRC prepares for new school year amid uncertainty
Philadelphia Inquirer, June 28, 2013
Still facing uncertainty about whether Harrisburg will help the Philadelphia School District fill a $304 million shortfall by July 1, the School Reform Commission took steps Thursday morning to get ready for the new fiscal year.

Pocono Mountain Charter School is coming around, says custodian
Pocono Record, June 28, 2013
Pocono Mountain Charter School students and teachers are thriving despite controversies, according to former East Stroudsburg Area School District Superintendent Kenneth Koberlein.

SOUTH CAROLINA

SC governor’s veto pen has hit education hardest
The State, June 28, 2013
Of the nearly 200 budget vetoes Gov. Nikki Haley has issued during her three years as governor, no government service has been struck more than public education.

TENNESSEE

TCAP scores rise once again, with poor students closing the gap
The Tennessean, June 28, 2013
More than half of Tennessee’s third- through eighth-grade students are performing on grade level for the first time since 2010, state officials said Thursday, and low-income students are closing the gap with their more affluent peers.

UTAH

Utah’s teachers do have a choice
Deseret News, June 28, 2013
This week has been dubbed National Employee Freedom Week, a critical national effort to inform employees of the freedom they have regarding opting out of union membership and making the decision about whether union membership is right for them.

VIRGINIA

Another charter
Editorial
Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 28, 2013
As the Patrick Henry School for Science and the Arts moves beyond its initial growing pains to its adolescence, another charter school has moved from conception to gestation. A group called the Richmond Urban Collective has proposed a college-prep academy, preferably for the city’s East End.

WISCONSIN

Veto hiding voucher school records
Opinion
Superior Telegram, June 28, 2013
So much bad was packed into the 2013-15 budget headed to Gov. Scott Walker’s desk that we should start over. From under-funding public schools to expanding the use of taxpayer dollars to fund unaccountable and underperforming private schools, the budget is just full of ideologically driven legislation that is, fiscally irresponsible and educationally unproven.

ONLINE LEARNING

Catching on at last
The Economist
June 28, 2013
The director of North Kenwood-Oakland school says this sort of teaching, blending software with human intervention, helps her pupils learn faster.

Cyber charter school expands into Schuylkill County
Republican Herald, June 28, 2013
A cyber charter school is expanding into eastern Schuylkill County with the purchase of a $1 million facility in West Penn Township.

Scott signs digital learning bill
Florida Current, June 27, 2013
Gov. Rick Scott Thursday signed into a law a bill opening the Florida market of on-line classes to out-of-state digital learning companies. Supporters brushed aside arguments in debate that HB 7029 would cost Florida teaching jobs and focused on the increased accountability provisions in the proposal.

Former Creswell returns as virtual high school in fall
The Advocate, June 27, 2013
Continual low test scores led to the closure of Creswell Elementary last month; however, the school will reopen in August as the site of a virtual high school and a second-chance program for over-aged fifth-graders.

Arizona Virtual Academy: Tuition-free, online public school serving K through 12
ABC15, June 27, 2013
When Amy Rodabaugh’s youngest son, Evan, was in kindergarten and started having severe allergy problems at school, Amy knew something needed to be done. His allergies were so severe, in fact, Evan would often experience nose bleeds and difficulty breathing. After extensive testing, doctors found Evan was allergic to a bacterium prevalent in most brick and mortar schools.

Filed Under: Daily Headlines

SB 337 Imperils NC Charter Schools

June 27, 2013 By Ted Allen

Legislation is making its way through the NC General Assembly that would, despite good intentions, set North Carolina’s already battered charter school movement back significantly. The Senate-passed bill that is now in the House is SB 337 and while it is intended to address some of the problems charter schools face, it instead adds more layers of troublesome bureaucracy, threatening charter autonomy, the potential for additional authorizers and any real effort to ensure objective oversight and accountability.

Supporters do not understand the implications of this legislation. One only has to look to other states where such policies are in place to see the negative effects on growth and quality. We’ve outlined our concerns with SB 337 below and a more full discussion can be found on the NC page of our website.

We have issues with national organizations that wish to impose their ideas on states for the purposes of working in that state. The Center for Education Reform is focused on North Carolina for two simple reasons – the first is that we helped advocate for and ensured the adoption of the initial law, and thus got to know the first charter leaders. We saw the important role they played in changing the landscape for education for so many children. And we still communicate with many of them. The second is the basis for why CER exists – we know that good policies result in strong charter schools and more opportunities for parents, and we’ve studied them – for nearly two decades. We also have seen bad policies enacted that sounded good on paper to start and were quickly manipulated by people not supportive of education reforms that put decision making closest to children.

As one colleague in your state shared with his colleagues today, “I know that many of us are reluctant to heed the advice of those from ‘outside’ individuals and groups, fearing that their motivation is to take credit for our hard work or capitalize (literally) on our efforts. The Center for Education Reform is not that kind of group. Rather, they have been a dependable source of information, counsel, and encouragement for school reformers and lowly policy analysts across North Carolina.”

SB 337 is one of those bad policy cases that is written to ensure that charters are protected but actually instead ensures that charters will be more highly regulated from the state and its leadership. The most fundamental rule of good policy making is that the laws must work no matter who is in power. Laws that are based on a particularl party being in power never work.

We want to see the NC charter law be supportive of all charters and work to create new ones. We believe that changes are in order and that your leaders have some good ideas on ways to make the environment more robust. But until your lawmakers are well educated about the various impacts of policy as it exists in dozens of other states and understand how the current law functions or fails, mistakes will be made.

The best and most important addition right now to your state’s charter environment is the ability for universities to create charter authorizing agencies to which applicants can choose to apply AS AN ALTERNATIVE to the State Board, not as a replacement. The enormously successful charter environment that exists as a result of such policies is evident in Michigan, in New York, in Indiana, in Missouri and elsewhere.

Having multiple authorizers that include universities does not mean that another level of bureaucracy is needed to “authorize” the authorizers. The universities are already publicly accountable for funding to the legislature and to their constituents.

Providing for universities is currently an option in the original NC charter law. There is no reason to strike it from the law as SB 337 does. There is also no reason to turn the Advisory Committee for charters – an optional board made permissible by law – into a permanent body. Doing so ensures that for years to come, charter schools will be accountable first to the state education department that is governed by an elected superintendent who controls most of the money flow at the Department of Public Instruction.

Besides striking university potential from the law, SB 337:

• Requires charter applicants to “have the ability” to run a charter school, subjecting applicants to arbitrary measures of “proof” regarding their ability to run a school. Was KIPP Founder Mike Feinberg subjected to such “ability” requirements of law when he first started? Were you? This kind of language gives license to regulators to create new definitions of “ability”

• Defines who charters can enroll and who they can exclude, potentially threatening a charter’s ability to receive federal funds

• Clarifies local funding distribution while putting more control in education department to rectify funding disputes

We urge you to take a step back if you are pushing this proposal. If you are unaware of this proposal it’s time to weigh in with your school leadership, your association, and your legislature.

Please take time to read the detailed information we have created for you about charter school laws, their effectiveness, the purpose and practice of multiple authorizing and how NC fares when it comes to these important policies for children.

Filed Under: Opinions

Daily Headlines for June 27, 2013

June 27, 2013 By The Center for Education Reform

NATIONAL COVERAGE

Kids need alternatives
Editorial
Winona Daily News, June 27, 2013
A Stanford study released Wednesday on student achievement at charter schools found little to no difference between charters and public schools. As usual, scientists completely missed the point.

Why it’s time for a reset of education reform
Washington Post Blog, June 27, 2013
The end of another school year is leaving a bad taste in many people’s mouths. A steady diet of government austerity and top-down “accountability” mandates have left numerous communities across the country with a severe case of sour stomachs over how their schools are being governed.

U.S. teachers woefully unprepared after college
Opinion
Salt Lake Tribune, June 27, 2013
Here are the most alarming tidbits from NCTQ’s report, which makes clear why so many of our public schools are failing. According to its survey of 2,420 teacher preparation programs at the 1,130 institutions that prepare 99 percent of the nation’s traditionally trained new teachers, it is far too easy to get into a teacher preparation program.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

Future ‘failing-schools’ lists could exclude improving schools, state board member says
The Birmingham News, June 26, 2013
State school board member Mary Scott Hunter said today she regrets that the state’s new list of so-called “failing schools” identified under the Alabama Accountability Act includes those that have made significant improvement in recent years.

ARIZONA

Tucson K-2 charter to stress bilingual ed
Arizona Daily Star, June 27, 2013
A Nogales-based charter school focusing on bilingual education will make its debut in Tucson in August.

COLORADO

St. Vrain charter schools moving to three-year contracts
Longmont Times-Call, June 26, 2013
Most of the charter schools in the St. Vrain Valley School District now have three-year contracts instead of one-year agreements.

FLORIDA

Lake charter will still get money despite $986,378 attendance dispute
Orlando Sentinel, June 26, 2013
A state audit revealed the school couldn’t prove its 283 students attended classes during two head counts throughout the 2011-2012 school year – a mistake which could cost the district and charter up to $986,378 in student funding.

GEORGIA

300 accepted into choice programs next year
Rockdale Citizen, June 26, 2013
More than 300 students will be accepted into new school choice programs next year in Rockdale County Public Schools.

ILLINOIS

CPS cuts trigger heated debate
ABC7Chicago, June 26, 2013
Deep budget cuts triggered another heated debate at Wednesday’s Chicago Public School board meeting as parents and students from schools throughout the city expressed their frustration.

MAINE

Maine bill eases rule on school windfalls
Portland Press Herald, June 27, 2013
Schools might be allowed – just this once – to bypass voter approval to spend unexpected state funds.

MISSOURI

Gordon Parks school will graduate fifth-graders and continue its fight for survival
Olathe News, June 27, 2013
At least one truth can be agreed upon between the people who want to save Gordon Parks Elementary School and the Missouri officials who determined it should be closed:

Charter school brings back principal on interim basis
St, Louis Post-Dispatch, June 26, 2013
Lynne Glickert, the principal whose firing on May 31 created controversy at Grand Center Arts Academy, will come back as interim principal at the charter school.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

No Child Left Behind waiver gives schools flexibility
New Hampshire Union Leader, June 27, 2013
New Hampshire’s Department of Education can proceed with statewide education reforms geared to the specific learning, teaching and administrative needs of its schools since it got a waiver from many of the federal No Child Left Behind Act requirements Wednesday.

NEW JERSEY

Camden charter grads look ahead – and back
Courier-Post, June 27, 2013
At LEAP Academy University Charter School in Camden, planning for college begins in preschool.

Teachers Union Head Reaffirms Controversial Stance on Charter School Parents
Hoboken Patch, June 27, 2013
The real reason local parents opt for charter schools, according to the longtime high school music teacher and marching band director, is to avoid having their kids mix with kids from public housing.

NEW MEXICO

APS to submit new evaluation plan
Albuquerque Journal, June 27, 2013
The Albuquerque Public Schools board voted Wednesday night to submit a teacher evaluation plan to the state Public Education Department, which it does not expect will be approved. One such plan has already been denied.

NEW YORK

South Bronx prep school has a 95% graduation rate
New York Daily News, June 27, 2013
The only prep school in the South Bronx has graduated its first class of college-bound seniors — and it put rest of the city to shame.

Graduation rates show Buffalo remains in crisis
Opinion
Buffalo News, June 26, 2013
If it wasn’t apparent yet, the latest graduation rate report should drive home the point that Buffalo’s public schools are in a state of crisis. As the state reported, graduation rates in Buffalo plummeted, falling from 54 percent in 2011 to 47 percent in 2012. The crisis in Buffalo is real, and the district needs to act with urgency.

NORTH CAROLINA

For teacher pay, it’s a race to the bottom
Editorial
Fay Observer, June 27, 2013
We’re facing a teacher shortage. And the source of it is clear: North Carolina teacher pay stinks. We don’t have the lowest cost of living here, but teacher pay is near the bottom – 46th in the nation. A teacher could get a raise by moving to any one of our surrounding states.

Ruling may ease Wake’s path to income-based school assignments
News & Observer, June 27, 2013
Federal officials have opened the door for Wake County to reintroduce students’ family income as a basis for school assignments.

Bill loosens reins on charters
News & Observer, June 26, 2013
A state Senate committee approved a charter school bill that would free them from going to the State Board of Education for permission to add grades, and would allow the charters to give enrollment preference to siblings of school alumni.

OHIO

Hearing draws a few foes of Columbus levy shared by district, charters
Columbus Dispatch, June 27, 2013
Only six people took the time yesterday to speak at a public hearing about a proposed property-tax levy on the November ballot that would share Columbus City Schools dollars with charter schools.

More Ohio cash not enough for some school districts
Cincinnati Enquirer, June 27, 2013
In the next two years, Ohio may send $94 million more to Greater Cincinnati school districts than it currently sends in state aid.

OREGON

League of Oregon Charter Schools to hold convention at Portland Village School
The Oregonian, June 26, 2013
Charter school advocates will gather at the Portland Village School in August for their annual convention.

VIRGINIA

CHARTER PUBLIC SCHOOLS: Norfolk Schools Take Lead This Fall
New Journal and Guide, June 26, 2013
A proposal by Norfolk Public Schools’ Superintendent Dr. Samuel T. King to create public charter schools appears to be met with “cautious optimism” by some observers. King’s plan will convert 10 Norfolk underachieving schools to public charter schools this fall in an effort to improve the quality of education for the students who will attend them.

WISCONSIN

Governor should veto attempt to take cap off private voucher schools
Opinion
Capital Times, June 26, 2013
Senators had debated budget passage for nearly eight nonstop hours. In a little over six hours the two-year state budget would be headed to the governor.

ONLINE LEARNING

Pittsburgh Public Schools board approves new vendor for online academy
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 26, 2013
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board voted tonight to change vendors for its Pittsburgh Online Academy from Waterfront Learning, operated through the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, to VLN Partners, located on the South Side.

New Florida Charter School To Offer Blended Learning Program
The Journal, June 26, 2013
A new charter school, opening this fall for students in grades 6-12 living in Broward County, will feature a blended learning program. Pivot Charter School, a full-time public school in the Fort Lauderdale area, will offer a learning center — for on-site tutoring and instruction — as well as a complete online curriculum which complies with “Florida Sunshine standards and the Common Core standards,” according to a statement released Tuesday to the media.

Opponents of state virtual charter ban urge legislature not to limit digital learning
Beacon News, June 26, 2013
As the state’s charter school commission gears up to prepare a comprehensive report for the General Assembly on virtual schooling, those who opposed a one-year ban on new virtual charter schools are hoping the commission won’t recommend policies that restrict virtual schooling and charter growth.

A review of the iPad in the classroom
Editorial
Marysville Globe, June 26, 2013
Last September we took a look at Marysville’s 10th Street School’s plan to convert to iPads as the central learning device. Every student would have one. Most parents equipped their kids with the devices and school fundraisers covered costs for the rest. It was a local experiment being played out in a scatter of schools across the map.

Filed Under: Daily Headlines

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