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Newswire: December 21, 2016 — Highlights from NY EdTech Week — Urban Prep in Chicago Continues to Send 100% of Seniors To College — CER’s 12-ish Days of Christmas

December 21, 2016 By

NY EDTECH WEEK.  CER’s mission and work is to expand parent power and innovation so that all may achieve the American Dream. EdTech — and the promise it holds to transform the way we think about teaching and learning — is a vital component to this equation. After day one of NY EdTech Week, we’re energized by the brilliant educators, innovators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, policymakers and more gathered at this global festival. The festival kicked off with CER’s own Jeanne Allen leading a discussion with “rowdy K-12 innovators and thought leaders.” Stay tuned for the video up on 2024.edreform.com soon, and in the meantime check out this twitter moment of highlights we put together!

COLLEGE BOUND.  One hundred percent of Urban Prep seniors are headed to college. This is the seventh consecutive year this has happened for this independent inner-city Chicago school serving all African-American males, mostly from low-income families. THIS is the kind of impact choice can have on communities if we have policies that let ed opportunity thrive.

TIS THE SEASON. CER’s 12-ish days of Christmas is underway, intended to spread edreform cheer and bring gifts to all!  We’ll be surprising your inbox with these gifts through January. Stay tuned, and don’t forget to share the edreform holiday cheer on social media!

GIFT & GIVE!  Don’t forget you can use Amazon Smile for those last-minute gift purchases to advance parent power & innovation! You can also support the Center directly by donating via 2024.edreform.com. Will you help us raise $25,000 by the end of 2016 to lay the foundation for true innovation and opportunity in 2017? We thank you for dedication to expanding educational opportunity!

Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

Newswire: December 13, 2016 — All We Want for Christmas… Is Expansion of the DCOSP! – Education Opportunity in Kentucky – Strong Charter School Laws Matter – 5 Days Until NY Ed Tech Week

December 13, 2016 By

 

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS… Funds for DC’s life-saving opportunity scholarship program were released by Congress late Friday night, but Opportunity DC — a project of CER and Democracy Builders to build a movement of parents who are dedicated to expanding educational opportunity for all students in the District of Columbia — continues to push on Capitol Hill for expansion of this important program. “Congress should consider expanding the program next session, if not now,” writes Washington Examiner’s Jason Russell.  All we want for Christmas is expansion of the DCOSP….

CHARTER LAWS MATTER. The association of charter school authorizers is claiming that a weak law is actually among the nation’s best. Washington State’s embattled charter law, which rests control in the state bureaucracy and underfunds and limits the number of schools available, is considered a model, while DC’s leading law is in the middle of the pack. Policy differences can undermine real opportunities for families. Does your state have a great charter law? Help NACSA understand how real laws should work. Write them at [email protected].

OPPORTUNITY IN KY. Speaking of strong laws to advance opportunity, kudos to KY for its commitment to advancing meaningful opportunities for students, and particularly Governor Bevin and his Secretary of Education, Hal Heiner, with whom CER has worked extensively to build and nurture support for comprehensive education reforms in the Bluegrass State. Momentum is building for new opportunities for students in the Bluegrass State with a new governor, a choice-friendly House, and KY lawmakers visiting DC charter schools earlier this year.

5 DAYS UNTIL NY EDTECH WEEK! Where can you find the biggest names in education and edtech, rising stars, and musical surprises all in one place? NY EdTech Week of course! Join us as CER CEO Jeanne Allen moderates a star-studded panel including Larry Berger (Amplify), Deborah Kenny (Harlem Village Academies), Gerard Robinson (AEI), and Jim Shelton (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative). Get your tickets for this event being held Dec. 19-21 before it’s too late!

‘TIS BETTER TO GIVE… Did you know you can help bring greater parent power to kids when you shop for holiday gifts? Here’s how. You can also contribute to expanding educational opportunity by supporting the Center directly by going to 2024.edreform.com.

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Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

New Ranking of Charter School Laws Fails Principles of Sound Policy Research

December 8, 2016 By

NACSA Says Washington State Is The Best

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — A group claiming to represent the interests of charter school authorizers released a report yesterday rating Washington State among the top three charter school laws for authorizing, despite serious deficiencies in that state’s law. The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) also gave low marks to Washington DC’s vibrant charter policy.

The inadequacy of NACSA’s charter school policy is best seen through a comparison of the two Washingtons. Among the key differences:

  • Schools:  In comparison to other states with charter laws, Washington state currently has among the fewest charter schools. The new charter law ensures it will continue to remain near the bottom in this regard, limiting the number of new charter schools to 40 across the entire state for the next five years, with no more than eight per year. The DC charter law permits more charter schools per year in a single district and has resulted in close to half of its public school students
    being educated in charter schools, including many in high quality charter schools.
  • Serving the poor:  Washington state charter law discourages charter schools focused on serving disadvantaged students and other special populations by requiring default non-renewal for charters in the bottom quartile of the state’s achievement index (other than in “exceptional circumstances”). The DC charter law allows contains no such provision, enabling the charter authorizer to consider a broader range of factors.
  • Authorizers:  The only non-district charter authorizer permitted by the Washington state charter law is a state commission that, while technically independent, is administered within the office of the state superintendent. The DC charter law established a separate charter board that is administered separately from the existing education bureaucracy.

(See: Charter School Authorizers: The Truth About State Commissions)  

  • Autonomy:  The Washington state charter law directs the state charter authorizing commission to administer charter schools “in the same manner” as local districts manage regular public schools, encouraging similarly high levels of regulation and control. The DC charter law includes no such requirement and encourages operational autonomy for charter schools.
  • Flexibility: The Washington state charter law requires that charter authorizers implement “nationally recognized” standards (i.e., those by NACSA), perhaps one reason why NACSA regards this law so positively. The DC charter law allows charter authorizers flexibility in managing their procedures.

“If only this were an ‘oops’ moment for NACSA and they had mixed up Washington State and Washington DC,” said CER Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen.

NACSA’s report also undervalues other strong laws, such as New York and Arizona, both of which show the importance of freedom and flexibility from government intrusion when providing new opportunities for students.

To learn more about CER’s charter school law rankings and recommendations for what constitutes a strong charter school law, please visit 2024.edreform.com. 

About the Center for Education Reform

Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that the conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education.

Filed Under: Press Releases

Fox40 Sacramento: CER Awards Natomas Charter School $100K

December 7, 2016 By

Fox40 covers CER’s announcing Sacramento California’s Natomas Charter School the winner of the “Hey John Oliver Back Off My Charter School” video contest.

The contest was launched in August in response to a misleading and poorly contrived segment of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, hosted by comedian John Oliver, which had the potential to cause serious damage to the most promising public education reform since public schools were created in the 1850s. “Oliver’s show cast charter schools in simplistic terms, and parodied the hard work of millions to create meaningful, personalized opportunities for students,” said CER Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen. “Charter schools uniquely serve students often not well-served by traditional public schools — which most students would have no choice but to attend were it not for the choices charters offer.”

More than 250 video submission from across the country were received by the Center. Watch them all here:

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Filed Under: CER in the News

Newswire: December 6, 2016 — 2015 PISA Indicates A Nation Still At Risk — Michigan Charter Schools Succeed — WNYC’s “On The Media” Show Lets False Claims Go Unchallenged — NY EdTech Week

December 6, 2016 By

A NATION STILL AT RISK. Yet another sobering report addressing the crisis in US education was issued today. American 15 year olds did worse in math, and remained stagnant at astonishingly low rates of proficiency on the 2015 worldwide PISA assessment. The US ranks 35th in math, 14th in reading, and 18th in Science. Administered by the Organization for Economic Development (OECD), the PISA is given every three years to 15-year-olds across the globe. Without a doubt, these results are a “rallying cry” for innovation and opportunity to be infused into all education policy initiatives. 

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MI CHARTERS SUCCEED. Far too many news outlets are using the occasion of Education Secretary Designate Betsy DeVos’ appointment to discredit Michigan charter schools and the state’s record of success. CER’s Jeanne Allen sets the record straight in the Washington Examiner.

Washington Examiner

“ON THE MEDIA” OFF-KILTER. “The NPR reporter simply reported what they were told without mentioning that most charter schools are failing,” said George Lakoff during a guest appearance on WNYC’s “On The Media.”It’s hard to believe such blatantly false statement would go unchallenged, particularly on a show whose sole objective is to investigate how the media shapes our worldview. This NPR-affiliated show allowed a guest to spout off hearsay without any challenge. Like others in the media (John Oliver are you listening?), making claims that have no foundation is irresponsible.

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COOPER CLAIMS NC. Incumbent Pat McCrory conceded to challenger Roy Cooper yesterday after a drawn-out battle for North Carolina governor. What this could mean for education in the Tar Heel State here.

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NY EDTECH WEEK. The who’s who of ed tech, education, foundation and investors will gather for NY Ed Tech Week, the global education festival that brings together people throughout the nation and globe for three days Dec. 19-21. Day 1 alone will see people from the Chancellor of the NY Department of Education to the Founding CLO of jetBlue. CER’s own Jeanne Allen will be moderating a stellar panel including Larry Berger (Amplify), Deborah Kenny (Harlem Village Academies), Gerard Robinson (AEI), and Jim Shelton (ChanZuckerberg). Tickets available – with discounts for students and educators! – here.

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Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

United States Lags on 2015 PISA

December 6, 2016 By

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 6, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — The US ranks 35th in math, 15th in reading, and 18th in science according to the 2015 PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) released today. Scores indicate a decline for the first time in several years in math, while reading and science remain stagnant.

The PISA assessment, administered every three years to 15-year-olds across the globe by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), is widely considered the most valid worldwide assessment of student performance across almost 70 countries. Its results should guide how countries address potentially needed improvements.

In 2012, for example, only nine percent of US “15-year-old students scored at proficiency level 5 or above, which was lower than the OECD average of 13 percent.” In Science and Reading the proficiency is not dramatically different. The US typically ranks similar to the average of all OECD’s 27 participating countries. Keep in mind that includes countries like Estonia and Ireland, both of which score better than the world’s most advanced country, the United States of America. On the 2015 results, Singapore ranked top, with countries like Estonia, Ireland, and Canada again ranking ahead of the US.

“This is a rallying cry for anyone concerned about this country, and evidence once again that we must put Opportunity and Innovation on the front end of all education policy initiatives,” said CER Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen. “The lagging indicators of US education will be a critical challenge for the new Administration.”

About the Center for Education Reform

Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that the conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education.

Filed Under: Press Releases

School Choice: Will Trump Help or Hurt The Cause?

November 30, 2016 By

by Arianna Prothero
Education Week
November 30, 2016

School choice advocates are waffling between excitement for potentially unprecedented new opportunities under a Donald Trump administration, and concern that the president-elect could also dramatically undermine the school choice movement.

Trump’s promise on the campaign trail to spend $20 billion on school vouchers for low-income students could herald a massive expansion of school choice—especially with his selection of an ardent school choice activist as his new education secretary. But the election’s polarizing outcome and Trump’s comments on race could also prove corrosive to the school choice movement’s increasingly tenuous claim to bipartisan support—in particular for charter schools.

[…]

‘Unprecedented’ Support

In addition to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who oversaw aggressive expansion of Indiana’s school voucher program during his tenure as governor there, Trump has also tapped experts from right-leaning think tanks to advise his transition team on education policy.

“It’s kind of unprecedented to have this many people from the top on down who not only embrace school choice, but understand it,” said Jeanne Allen, the founder and chief executive officer of the Center for Education Reform, a longtime proponent of school choice.

 

Read the full article at Education Week. 

Filed Under: CER in the News

Newswire: November 29, 2016 — TIMSS Test Shows US Students Lag Internationally — An Amazing Charter School Example in New Mexico — Innovation in Career Education

November 29, 2016 By

HOW THE US STACKS UP INTERNATIONALLY. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) results are out today, and fourth and eighth graders in the US remain dramatically behind other countries. For high school seniors taking advanced math and science courses, achievement remains stagnant, and a 30 point gap exists between males and females. These results are a call for greater Innovation and Opportunity in US education.screen-shot-2016-11-29-at-11-55-32-am

A MODEL TO EMULATE. Everyone is always asking about great models to emulate, and this independent New Mexico charter school came into our view. Albuquerque’s Mission Achievement and Success (MAS) Charter School, a rigorous college prep school, consistently gets “A” grades and has a 4 star rating on Great Schools. But because it’s not part of a larger network, it’s not the kind of school we hear about often. Speaking of independent schools, don’t forget to check out our video library of amazing charter schools.

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INNOVATION AT WORK. Organizations like GiftedHire —one of CER’s newest partners in innovation — are making a difference in US education by guiding students during their school years to make decisions that will help them secure better jobs sooner. This unique career education tool has amazing potential to help kids now, particularly in charter school environments which are less burdened by bureaucracy and more focused on results for kids, meaning they can implement tools and methods more quickly than a traditional school might be able to.

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GIVE THE GIFT OF OPPORTUNITY. If you’ve looked at social media or your inbox today, I’m sure you’re fully aware that today is #GivingTuesday — a day dedicated to giving back after the days of holiday sales and deals. We’ve strategically designed a 100-day campaign that will lay the groundwork for how we mobilize our network in 2017 — but we need your help to pull this off! Will you help us raise $25,000 by the end of 2016 to lay the foundation for true innovation and opportunity in 2017?

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MAJOR EVENTS. It’s a busy week in DC, with the Foundation for Excellence in Education’s national summit happening simultaneously with ALEC’s policy summit. The Next Generation Charter Schools Act — a collaboration with CER to inform state legislators and leaders working in education — is an important topic of discussion as new leaders prepare to take office. We will be on the ground at both, so make sure you say hello!

And in less than a month is New York EdTech Week, the must-attend event in December for the EdTech community. This global education innovation festival focused on how edtech can drive and advance learning is produced by StartED (of which CER’s Jeanne Allen is a managing director), and provides access to the industry’s largest and most influential network of leaders in education and technology.

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Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

This New Mexico Charter School is a Model to Emulate

November 29, 2016 By

In places throughout New Mexico, and across the nation, there is a desperate need for new opportunities for children to receive a quality education – opportunities that are not offered within the confines of the existing education establishment.

Albuquerque’s Mission Achievement and Success (MAS) Charter School stands as an incredible example of the opportunities for quality education and personal growth that charter schools can create for students and for the greater good of our communities.

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MAS ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS

  • A on School Grading 2015-2016 School Year
    • One of only 14% of schools in the entire State of New Mexico to earn this grade
    • One of the ONLY schools in the entire State of New Mexico to serve our demographic to earn this grade 
  • A on School Grading 2014-2015 School Year
    • One of only 14% of schools in the state to earn this grade
    • One of the ONLY schools in the state to serve our demographic to earn this grade
  • Comparative Demographics Chart (see below) indicates a higher percentage of minority students, English language learners, and economically disadvantaged students. This is compared to the local public school district in the city in which we are located AND the state averages for the State of New Mexico.

 

comparative-student-demographics-mas-charter 

  • Similar schools data from our school report card indicates that we are Number 1 in the State of New Mexico when looking at “similar schools” as established by the State of New Mexico. The information provided below is taken directly from the State of New Mexico’s School Report Card for MAS Charter School for the 2015-2016 school year, the second chart was taken from the 2014-2015 school year. Full versions of the report card are attached to the email for reference purposes.

2015-2016 Similar Schools Report from NMPED Report Card

 supplemental-information-mas-charter

2015-2016 Similar Schools Report from NMPED Report Card

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MAS “OTHER” HIGHLIGHTS

2016-2017 School Year

  • New Mexico Coalition of Charter Schools Teacher of the Year Award, Alison Garcia. See home page link here.
  • Currently working directly with Scarlett Lewis to implement the Choose Love Curriculum to support Social and Emotional Learning. Among the first schools in the nation to pilot this curriculum.
  • Increased enrollment from our opening year in 2012-2013 from approximately 100 students to nearly 800 students in our fifth year of operation.

2015-2016 School Year

  • Houghlin Mifflin Harcourt Read 180 Student of the Year Award – Awarded to Carlos Gallegos.
  • New Mexico Coalition of Charter Schools School of the Year Award.
  • MAS Charter School Founder/Principal entered the Tedx Community by presenting her first Ted Talk on Bridging the Gap from High School to College.
  • MAS Charter School contributed in our fourth annual community service event, sending every secondary school student at MAS to a local community organization to perform community service throughout the community. This involved placement for nearly 500 students at over a dozen community service locations within our local community.
  • All MAS students visited at least ONE college including our kindergarten and first grade students!
  • Major contributors to the Roadrunner Food Bank, the largest food bank in the State of New Mexico. MAS Charter school is one of the largest contributors in the State of Mexico.  Below are our contribution totals to date.  Over the four years we have been in operation, we have collected 47,571 pounds of food…this does not include our contributions for 2016-2017 as we are in the process of completing our fall food drive.

School Year Totals:

School Year Fall Spring Total
2012-2013 456 3684 4,140
2013-2014 8,081 1,813 9,894
2014-2015 8,237 3,437 11,674
2015-2016 12,338 9,525 21,863

 

2014-2015 School Year

  • New Mexico Coalition of Charter Schools Governing Board of the Year Award.
  • MAS Charter School contributed in our third annual community service event, sending every secondary school student at MAS to a local community organization to perform community service throughout the community. This involved placement for nearly 350 students at various sites throughout Albuquerque.
  • All MAS students visited at least two colleges. This included in state college trips, out of state college trips.
  • Major contributors to the Roadrunner Food Bank, the largest food bank in the State of New Mexico. MAS Charter school is one of the largest contributors in the State of Mexico.  Totals are listed above.
  • MAS was approved to amend our charter school and open elementary school starting with grades K-1 for the 2015-2016 school year.

2013-2014 School Year

  • New Mexico Coalition of Charter Schools Principal of the Year Award.
  • MAS Charter School contributed in our second annual community service event, sending every secondary school student at MAS to a local community organization to perform community service throughout the community. This involved placement for nearly 250 students at various sites throughout Albuquerque.
  • All MAS students visited at least two colleges. This included in state college trips, out of state college trips.
  • Major contributors to the Roadrunner Food Bank, the largest food bank in the State of New Mexico. MAS Charter school is one of the largest contributors in the State of Mexico.  Totals are listed above.
  • Tripled student enrollment from our inaugural year of operation…increased from approximately 100 students to 300 students.

2012-2013 School Year

  • MAS Charter School contributed in our first annual community service event, sending every secondary school student at MAS to a local community organization to perform community service throughout the community. This involved placement for just over 100 students at various sites throughout Albuquerque.
  • All MAS students visited at least two colleges. This included in state college trips, out of state college trips.
  • Major contributors to the Roadrunner Food Bank, the largest food bank in the State of New Mexico. MAS Charter school is one of the largest contributors in the State of Mexico.  Totals are listed above.
Filed Under: Choice & Charter Schools

Give the Gift of Opportunity

November 29, 2016 By

I am sure by now you have seen that #GivingTuesday is upon us.

Did you know that fewer than 40% of our nation’s students are proficient in core subjects?  That number drops to below 20% for minority students and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. What if you could change that?

We boldly ask that you consider the gift of opportunity to children across the country by supporting the Center for Education Reform (CER). Although we have some strong school choice advocates in this new administration, and hope to ride that momentum- you and I both know that it doesn’t take long for us to get sucked back into the status quo.

We are the determined advocates that stand in the gap to rally for innovation and opportunity when school leaders, EdTech innovators, researchers and policy makers get diverted by the bureaucracy that plagues us all. The education landscape needs our relentless dedication and focus on innovation and opportunity.

Will you invest in true opportunity in the first 100 days?

CER has strategically designed a 100-day campaign that will lay the groundwork for how we mobilize our network in 2017—but we need your help to pull this off. As we prepare for the beginning of a new Presidential administration, we have school choice advocates like never before – at the local, state and federal levels. We will be working hard to come alongside these new leaders and leverage all of our relationships and resources to equip them to be catalysts for educational choice – and lasting change.

The job is not going to be easy, but the underpinning of the election results will give us a broader pipeline to underwrite opportunity at the state and local level in many areas we thought would have more red tape.

Will you help us raise $25,000 by the end of 2016 to lay the foundation for true innovation and opportunity in 2017?

Here are just a few of the things we will accomplish during the first hundred days:

  • We will transform the education technology market through our innovation programming by accelerating the growth of innovation technology companies which will change the face of American education.
  • We will build a strong community of like-minded educators and educational institutions in our Charter School Leaders Council that will push for innovation and opportunity in classrooms throughout the country.
  • We will create the foremost compendium of education reform related research and insight anywhere in the country.

Will you partner with us this #GivingTuesday, to give students the opportunity they deserve?

Thank you for your consideration of a lasting investment in education this Giving Tuesday.

 

Thank you,

Jeanne Allen
Founder and CEO

Filed Under: Commentary
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