On Sunday July 9th, Center for Education Reform board member David Hardy, who just retired as President of Boys’ Latin Charter of Philadelphia was on Sunday Night with Megyn Kelly. Watch the appearance here.
CER’s Salute to Charter Schools Reception: a Recap
June 30, 2017 By
On a beautiful Monday evening in June, 2017, the Center for Education Reform convened the leaders of the charter school movement from across the country and every state, with VIPs from Washington and American business in a unique salute to the innovation and opportunity that so many charter schools afford kids and families. The reception carried with it a breathtaking view of the Capitol, from the roof of 101 Constitution Avenue, NW.
The event not only helped to kick off the National Charter School Conference which comes to Washington, DC every 4 years, but introduced the new Charter School Roundtable, a project of CER and its trusted allies around the country.
More than 200 guests were treated to a visit by the Honorable Betsy DeVos, US Secretary of Education, and they showed her appreciation for her hard work as they sought to grab a picture or share a story. DeVos encouraged the audience to use her administration as a resource and took the time to meet with reformers while cameras captured the inspiring moments.
The group also heard from CER’s Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen, Congressman Paul Mitchell (R-MI), Jack Kemp Foundation president Jimmy Kemp and Italian Ministry of Education leader Catherine Flumiari, others.
Congressman Mitchell gave an emotional account about the value school choice has in the form of vouchers and online schools which transformed his son’s life after he was adopted by Mitchell and his wife. The Congressman noted that the individualized care that choice provided for his family emboldened him to become a leading advocate in Congress.
Jimmy Kemp highlighted the importance of empowerment and opportunity for all Americans, and ensuring that we make education excellent and accessible to support all those who seek to achieve the American Dream. The Center for Education Reform enjoys a special relationship with The Jack Kemp Foundation. Last year, Kemp and Allen moderated The Kemp Forum on Expanding Opportunity which has guided the education policy debate throughout the year. Finally, Flumiari spoke of the importance of language, it’s role in history and it’s importance in education. She works to expand the use of the Italian language and its culture throughout schools in the US.
Though the spectacular views of the Capitol and Washington Monument were captivating from a distance, the strength shown by the charter school movement with a bold vision for the future made the event that much better. Special thanks go to our sponsors, including BB&T Bank, BMO Capital, and Carnegie Learning. CER is grateful to all those who participated and who share our enthusiasm for the work ahead.
BEYOND THE FIRST 100 DAYS; CER REVIEWS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S ACTIONS
June 29, 2017 By
On eve of July 4th holiday, it’s time to “Let Freedom Ring”
WASHINGTON, DC (June 29, 2017) — The release today by CER of Beyond the First 100 Days: Transforming government’s role in education is a review of progress to date, a reiteration of its January, 2017 recommendations to the Trump Administration, and an extension for completion of the work that must be performed.
Said CER Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen, “As we say in the introduction, we prefer a model that achieves competency over just measuring time on task, so we’re giving the Administration an extension. It takes time to transform education to impact greater educational opportunity and personalization for all students.”
The report urges the Administration to be bold and consider what’s possible when taking control of a $70 billion agency – and the other several agencies that touch education – and encourages a more sweeping approach to its action. “It’s not just about a school choice program, or increased charter school funding, or small innovation grants,” Allen said. “It’s about dismantling the top-down mandates and arcane characterizations of schools that created the need for the micro schools, innovative charters, competency-based programs and innovative higher education offerings in the first place.”
“We said at the outset that this is an historic opportunity for change and that remains true,” Allen said. “And there’s plenty of time to accomplish great things, but it will take focus and commitment, which is what Beyond the First 100 Days is all about: providing recommendations that add substance, energy and direction to the Administration’s efforts to overhaul the federal role in education and bring real change.”
CER first issued its agenda, titled The First 100 Days: The path to going bold on education innovation and opportunity, in January just as President Trump was taking office. Since then some recommendations on the agenda have been taken up, but many have not yet fully been reached or pursued. (Beyond the First 100 Days’ introduction includes a scorecard that rates the Administration’s action on issues so far.)
The agenda remains an important guide, Allen explained, offering ideas for action that will result in making personalized learning a reality for millions, ensuring quality teaching, access to innovative and relevant higher education opportunities, and new choices throughout the nation.
“As we look toward the historic 4th of July holiday, we need to remember that the freedoms our Founders fought for are just as critical in education as they are in our day-to-day lives,” said Allen. “We all hope this effort will serve as a call to ‘Let Freedom Ring’ for all learners, at all levels.”
Contact: Tim Sullivan, Chief Communications Officer
202-750-0016 | [email protected]
Beyond the First 100 Days: Transforming government’s role in education
June 29, 2017 By
Beyond the First 100 Days: Transforming government’s role in education
A reiteration of its January, 2017 recommendations to the Trump Administration, and an extension for completion of the work that must be performed.
Supreme Court Decision in Trinity Lutheran v. Comer is a Significant Victory for School Choice
June 26, 2017 By
(Washington, D.C.)—In a 7-2 decision today, “the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a victory for the First Amendment’s guarantee of religious freedom for religious schools,” said Jeanne Allen, Founder and CEO of Center for Education Reform.
Trinity Lutheran had been denied state funding for a playground surface solely because its school is a religious one. The court’s 7-2 decision in Trinity Lutheran v. Comer finds that “the exclusion of Trinity Lutheran from a public benefit for which it is otherwise qualified, solely because it is a church, is odious to our Constitution all the same, and cannot stand.”
The Supreme Court declared that Trinity Lutheran is a “clear infringement on free exercise,” and that Missouri’s denial of funding for the school was unconstitutional.
Like many states, Missouri added a “Blaine Amendment” to its constitution in the 19th Century. In its publication Mandate for Change, CER explained that “Blaine Amendments, adopted as a result of anti-Catholic fervor in the late 1800s, prohibit the use of state funds at ‘sectarian’ schools. The wording of many of the Blaine Amendments exceeds the language of the United States Constitution. The lingering impact of these amendments has been credited with stopping school choice from becoming a reality in many states.”
Although the Court did not take the opportunity to review the constitutionality of Missouri’s Blaine Amendment, it was firm and clear that “denying a generally available benefit solely on account of religious identity imposes a penalty on the free exercise of religion.”
Allen said that CER “will work to ensure that there will be other opportunities for the court to review the constitutionality of Blaine Amendments and pave the way for parents to decide the best educational opportunities for their children, be they private, religious or public in nature.”
Contact: Tim Sullivan, Chief Communications Officer
Monday, June 26, 2017 (202) 750-0016 | [email protected]
Gov. Scott Ushers in More Opportunity, More Equity for Kids Signing HB 7069
June 15, 2017 By
(ORLANDO, Fl. June 14, 2017) In an historic win for kids, Florida Governor Governor Rick Scott today signed HB 7069, providing more and better opportunities to thousands of children throughout the state, particularly the most vulnerable.
With schools unevenly funded and resources rarely flowing to the classroom directly as is normally intended by law, HB 7069 boldly directs more federal funds to where students choose to attend school. Prior to this, the spending of federal funds was largely at the discretion of school districts, even if students are attending other public schools, like charter schools, which are governed publicly but independently of districts in most cases.
Florida’s charter schools not only outperformed their traditional public school peers on state exams in 65 out of 77 comparisons but have narrowed the racial achievement gap. Charter school students learned more from one year to the next in 82 of 96 comparisons that focused on learning gains. In 20 out of 22 comparisons, charters had smaller achievement gaps in math, English and social studies between white students and their black and Hispanic peers. More than 60 percent of Florida charter school students are minority, which is higher than the state average of 53 percent.
“Florida has led the way for parent-centered opportunities for students,” said CER President Jeanne Allen. CER’s Parent Power Index ranks the Sunshine state #2. “Governors like Rick Scott and state leaders like Speaker Richard Corcoran are shining lights for greater educational opportunity for kids, flexibility for educators,” added Allen. “We hope others will follow their lead.”
Common Ground interview with Jeanne Allen
June 15, 2017 By
Bill Walton sits down with Jeanne Allen, Founder & CEO, The Center for Education Reform, to discuss options for improving the nation’s education system.
https://vimeo.com/223697623/6aee6e71b8
William Walton Interview with Jeanne Allen: Options for Improving the Nation’s Education System.
June 15, 2017 By
Why most teachers get a bad deal on pensions
June 14, 2017 By
State plans create more losers than winners, and many get nothing at all.
States and school districts spend more than $50 billion each year on teacher pensions, the keystone in teacher compensation packages. In theory, they provide a generous and secure pot of gold at the end of a teacher’s career, which serves as an incentive to stay on the job. But in reality, they fail to deliver on both of those promises. Read more at EducationNext…
Newswire: June 13, 2017
June 13, 2017 By
WE HAVE MET THE ENEMY AND HE IS US. As the school choice and charter school movements have evolved, or mutated, two camps have emerged: one that relies on bureaucracies and officialdom to decide what educational options are best for kids, and one that relies on innovators and parents. The former sounds A LOT like the status-quo-education-establishment arguments that have been reform’s bane from the beginning. The latter sounds like, well, one of the core principles on which reform was founded. That rift is laid bare in the latest work from CER — Charting a New Course: the Case for Freedom, Flexibility, and Opportunity Through Charter Schools. A collection of essays by eight education experts, the book compares the approaches of the two main groups in the charter-school world and is this summer’s must-read. Download your copy here.
A WELL-RECEIVED RECEPTION. Several hundred charter school leaders came together at CER’s Salute to Charter School VIP reception held in Washington, DC during National Charter Schools Week. In addition to a lot of meeting, mingling, and networking, (and marveling at the spectacular views from the roof-top venue) guests got to hear from and meet Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, Capitol Hill education leader Congressman Paul Mitchell, President of the Jack Kemp Foundation Jimmy Kemp, and, lending an international flair to the festivities, First Counselor for Consular and Social Affairs at the Italian Embassy, Catherine Flumiani .
WHERE HAVE WE HEARD THIS BEFORE? Every year the National Charter Schools Conference helps raise awareness of, and strengthen support for charter schools. It’s a conference tradition that the Secretary of Education offers remarks to the assembled and this year was no exception, although the message from Secretary DeVos was a little more pointed than some may have expected. “I suggest we focus less on what word comes before school…and focus instead on the individuals they are intended to serve,” DeVos told an audience of 4,500. “We need to get away from our orientation around buildings or systems or schools and shift our focus to individual students. Charters alone are not sufficient. Private schools alone are not sufficient. Neither are traditional schools. That’s OK. Let’s humbly admit this fact and realize no top down one-size-fits-all approach will give children a world-class education.” (See item one: “We have met the enemy and he is us.”)