Ted Allen, Author at The Center for Education Reform

Dirty tricks, dubious claims and racial divisions: the battle over charter schools goes to the ballot box

October 25, 2016 By Ted Allen

by: Jon Marcus
TES

25 October 2016

November 8 will not only herald the vote for the new president – it will also help decide the fate of charter school expansion

Dubious claims, boorish behavior, multimillion-dollar advertising battles, political and racial division, claims of dirty tricks, even billionaires.

It’s not only the stuff of the American presidential election, but of the pitched battle for and against the spread of charter schools on ballots across the United States.

On the same day they cast their votes for president—November 8—residents of one U.S. state will decide whether or not to remove a cap on the number of such schools, which are given public funding but operate free of the usual restrictions placed on conventional public schools. In other states, candidates for seats at every level, from school board to mayor to governor, are also scrapping over charter schools, often with the involvement of, and large sums of money from, determined pro- and anti-charter forces.

Just as in the presidential race, claims by both sides include vast generalizations, sometimes relying on questionable facts, propelled by millions of dollars in advertising.

This speaks to the high stakes for public schools, which fear a further loss of funding, and for teachers’ unions, observers say—and for for-profit education providers, which covet the contracts under which they may be brought in to operate some charter schools. It’s another vestige of the widening ideological divide in the United States. And it threatens one of the original ideas of the charter movement, which was to serve as laboratories for educational innovations public schools could then adopt.

[…]

Charters battle enters presidential race

The intensity of this battle has spilled into the contentious presidential campaign. Teachers’ unions were among the first to endorse Democrat Hillary Clinton, even before she was chosen as her party’s nominee, but teachers at the National Education Association summer convention booed her for saying that, when schools get good results—whether public or charter—“let’s figure out what’s working and share it.”

Clinton went on to say: “We’ve got no time for all of these education wars.”

But war there is, with an increasing racial tone. Supporters of expanding charter schools contend that they are a particular help to nonwhite students stuck in poor-performing public schools, but teachers say they strip those public schools of funding, shifting money from them to pay for students who decide to go to charters.

The civil-rights group the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People has endorsed a moratorium on privately managed charters. Jeanne Allen, head of the pro-charter Center for Education Reform, shot back that the NAACP was “intimidated by unions” and “misinformed about how opportunities for poor children, in particular, and minorities” are more available at charter than at public schools.

Filed Under: CER in the News

L.A. Unified takes a harder look at its charter schools. Critics blame politics

October 24, 2016 By Ted Allen

by Howard Blume
Los Angeles Times
October 24th, 2016

Some years back, when administrators at a group of Los Angeles charter schools ordered the entire instructional staff to cheat on state standardized tests, the charter division at the Los Angeles Unified School District was at first willing to forgive what had happened and move on.

But last week, the L.A. Board of Education followed the recommendation of the charter division and voted to shut down three charters, ostensibly because their parent organization had been sluggish in providing requested paperwork that was important but not crucial to the schooling of students.

Although district officials insist they’ve been consistent and diligent, some pro- and anti-charter forces perceive a charter division that demands more from — and favors fewer — charters.

Within its boundaries, L.A. Unified authorizes these independently managed schools and then evaluates whether to renew them every five years. At the same time, the district is competing intensely with these charters over student enrollment and the education dollars that come with it.

“Renewals have become a public trial before the school board,” with rules and arguments over what evidence can be reviewed and impassioned testimony from charter supporters, said Charles Kerchner, senior research fellow at Claremont Graduate University. “The structure of this process is unworkable for both the district and charter operators.”

Last week the school board voted to not grant renewals to schools that it had approved twice before: three campuses operated by Magnolia Public Schools and two others run by Celerity Educational Group. Academically, all are performing acceptably or better, according to L.A. Unified’s criteria.

The interaction between charters and L.A. Unified is complex and often strained. For much of the last two decades, the district grudgingly approved charters; it had to under state law, provided that a prospective charter properly completed a lengthy application process.

With support from private philanthropy, the number of charters in L.A. Unified has exploded to 225, the most in any American school system, attracting about 16% of enrollment. Powerful pro-charter reformers, including local philanthropist Eli Broad, want rapid growth to continue, even in the face of declining overall enrollment.

Many educators in traditional schools worry that this expansion could force L.A. Unified into bankruptcy, hurting public school students.

In this climate, charter advocates accuse the district of accelerating efforts to stymie charters through obstructionism and an avalanche of paperwork.

The charter cheating scandal occurred in 2010, when a whistleblowing teacher told L.A. Unified that Crescendo charters chief executive John Allen had ordered principals and teachers to look at the state tests in advance and drill students accordingly. Many witnesses stepped forward to corroborate the allegations, which Allen denied.

Allen was the choir director at the church of then-school board member Marguerite Poindexter LaMotte, and this relationship nearly saved the Crescendo schools and his job — until the matter was exposed by The Times.

Charter advocates see the fate of Magnolia as an example of the other extreme, in which “side issues” or politics appear to trump merit.

Officially, the transgressions that sank the three Magnolia schools included incorrect wording in their renewal petitions. The charter division also highlighted problems between Magnolia and the Fiscal Crisis and Management Assistance Team, a quasi-governmental organization, which the school district pushed Magnolia to hire to remedy poor financial management.

The fiscal team, which helps educational organizations meet financial and management responsibilities, complained that Magnolia was slow to hand over documents. Magnolia blamed the transition to an improved financial system. When the fiscal team threatened to walk out, Magnolia negotiated a new contract with it and pledged to collaborate better.

Board members cited the problems with the fiscal team as a major reason to close the schools at the end of this school year.

Unofficially, some district officials were at least as concerned about Magnolia’s past practice of importing nearly 100 Turkish workers — mainly teachers — and their families and using taxpayer funds to pay their immigration fees. Because the visas were legal, however, bringing in the teachers didn’t constitute grounds for closing the schools.

Board members also could have been concerned about possible future revelations, given that the Turkish government has singled out charters with heavily Turkish boards, accusing them of playing a part in fomenting last summer’s attempted coup.

L.A. Unified’s charter division defends its oversight by noting that the rate of charter renewals is consistently high. Last year, the division recommended approving 34 of 35 renewal petitions, and the board voted in favor of all 35.

However, the number of denials last week was greater than in the last four years combined, according to figures reviewed by The Times. And the rate of approval for new charters has dropped steeply.

Last year, 10 of 17 — or 59%— of petitions were approved. In previous years, the rate went as high as 96%. An additional seven applicants last year, possibly fearing rejection, withdrew petitions before they went before the board.

“High-performing organizations have been asked not to submit a new petition or…to expand and to instead focus on their existing schools,” said Jason Mandell, a spokesman for California Charter Schools Assn. “It seems even the slightest discrepancy or administrative misstep is used to allow the district to bring the hammer down.”

Jeanne Allen, head of the pro-charter Center for Education Reform, based in Washington, D.C., said school districts should not be forced to oversee charters — and that charters should not be forced to submit to local districts. If universities, for example, also could authorize charters, she said, then local districts could no longer target charters unfairly.

Charter critics, meanwhile, cite research suggesting that unscrupulous charter operators are getting away with too much already — profiting through self-dealing, turning away some students and requiring voluntary labor from parents.

UCLA education professor John Rogers wants state law to require more transparency from charters. And he’d give districts more latitude in evaluation. School boards, he said, should be able to consider whether a charter is having a negative effect on the students of the district as a whole. Or whether it has encouraged parents, community members and possibly students to take part in leading the school.

In responding to criticism of the denials, José Cole-Gutiérrez, head of L.A. Unified’s charter division, said a charter group’s past success is just one factor the district considers. Schools are not static, he said. Their situations and performance evolve.

Charters have much freedom, he said, but “there is an exchange. Autonomy for accountability.”

Filed Under: CER in the News

Education Secretary John King Opposes NAACP Call for Charter Caps

October 20, 2016 By Ted Allen

Says charter caps like those in Massachusetts are “arbitrary” and “a mistake”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2016

Today Secretary of Education John King, in remarks at the National Press Club, joined the chorus of education leaders, elected officials and respected members of the African-American community in criticizing by the NAACP‘s decision to demand moratoriums on charter schools.

He commented that caps on charter schools only serve to limit the amount of high-quality classroom seats available. King explained that “any arbitrary cap on the growth of high-performing charters is a mistake in terms of our goal of trying to improve opportunity for all kids”.

King’s comments on charter schools come right on the heels of comments made by Sephira Shuttlesworth, wife of the late civil rights leader Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, who in the Lowell Sun called on Massachusetts voters to approve more charter schools and bring her late husband’s vision to life, “… educational opportunity for all …the battle for which he and others repeatedly put their lives on the line rages on.” Rev. Shuttlesworth founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and was one of the key leaders in the civil rights movement.

Earlier this fall, chief of staff and advisor to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Wyatt T. Walker said if Dr. King were alive he would have supported charter schools “without a doubt.” The interview appeared in Real Clear Life in September.

“Charter schools have proven to be some of the most effective means to educating students most in need of diverse learning opportunities. They have the changed lives of countless individuals in the communities they serve,” said CER Board of Directors member Donald Hense. Hense, himself a civil rights activist, founded Friendship Public Charter Schools in Washington, DC and served under Marion Wright Edelman at Children’s Defense Fund. “Limiting charter schools is like limiting education,” added Hense.

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

Chicago Teacher Strike Avoided, But Union Control Remains An Issue

October 19, 2016 By Ted Allen

Statement from CER Founder and CEO on contract deal reached at Chicago’s largest charter school network.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 19, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — The following statement was issued today by Jeanne Allen, Founder and CEO of the Center for Education Reform, regarding a contract deal reached this morning at 3am that averted a strike from the United Educators of Uno Charter School Network (UCSN). The charter school network is Chicago’s largest, with 16 schools and more than 500 teachers and staff:

“There is one — and only one — issue at play here and that is ensuring that the 8,000 students at the UNO Charter School Network are given the best educations possible. A strike would have done nothing but steal valuable days of education from students at the UNO network.

“While we are glad the UCSN came to the table to negotiate in good faith in order to ensure that their students do not lose any days of school, the underlying issue here is the desire for unions to control charter schools, their operational and personnel decisions, precisely two key aspects of traditional public education that charter schools were created to innovate away from.

“The UNO Charter School network is an exemplary charter school network posting higher graduation rates, student attendance rates, and ACT scores than their non-selective CPS peer schools. The unions actions are setting this successful school on a course of mediocrity toward failure. While we respect the legal option for teachers to bargain, doing so more often than not puts adult jobs ahead of student needs.

“CER is proud to stand with the leadership of the Uno Network, who implored the union not to strike, and will continue to fight along side them and all schools across the nation to ensure schools have the ability to provide an excellent education for their students.”

About the Center for Education Reform

Filed Under: Press Releases

NAACP Caves To Union Pressure, Passing Moratorium on Charter Schools

October 15, 2016 By Ted Allen

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 15, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — The following statement was issued today by Jeanne Allen, Founder and CEO of the Center for Education Reform, on the ratification of a charter school moratorium by the NAACP today at their annual meeting in Cincinnati, Ohio:

“We are disappointed in the NAACP for ratifying the call for a moratorium on public charter schools. This is yet another case of a group being intimidated by unions, and being misinformed about how opportunities for poor children, in particular, and minorities, are best served by the kinds of choices that charter schools offer.

“The traditional public school system for more than 30 years has relegated poor and minority children living in failing school zones to bad education, consequently compromising lives, with children more likely to end up in jail than in a job. The NAACP clearly doesn’t represent their interests. The NAACP has ignored the demand for education options from the very people they’re supposed to be representing.”

Filed Under: Press Releases

Massachusetts Question 2: Voters consider expanding charter schools

October 15, 2016 By Ted Allen

SouthCoast Today
by Jennette Barnes
October 15th, 2016

Everyone believes in giving kids a great education. But how best to do it? Question 2 juxtaposes two claims to defend the best interests of young people and public schooling. And because Massachusetts is a national leader in education, what’s at stake is nothing less than the direction of American public schools.

Sponsors of the ballot question, which would allow more public charter schools to open, say it’s about equal access to a quality education for families desperate to escape poorly performing schools. They say charter schools have the flexibility to offer a longer school day and other changes that help disadvantaged kids.

To read the full article visit southcoasttoday.com.

Filed Under: CER in the News, Uncategorized

In D.C. charters, can school boards make quality schools?

October 12, 2016 By Ted Allen

by Emily Leayman
Education Watchdog
October 12, 2016

The nation’s capital is home to some of the most influential minds of education, but they’re not only working on federal affairs — they also serve on school boards in the city’s large charter sector.

Based on a Thomas B. Fordham Institute survey of 325 members of 58 D.C. charter school boards, most have not served long terms, but they reciprocate with relevant work and training.

“It’s an attractive concept to be able to shape how schools function in a watchful eye of Congress and the president,” Jeanne Allen, founder and CEO of the Center for Education Reform, told Watchdog.org. Allen, a long-time figure of the national education reform movement, joined the board this fall at the newly opened Washington Leadership Academy Public Charter School. She also serves on a foundation board at Challenge Charter School in Arizona.

Unlike traditional school board members, D.C. charter board members are appointed, not elected. The manageable workload can appeal to those with busy schedules. While district board members spend at least seven hours a month on board affairs, D.C. charter board members meet for six hours on average.

Half of the respondents served on the non-elected boards for two years or less, which Squire said can speak to the abundance of newer charter schools and terms being lower than traditional school boards.

“In some cases new eyes can be a benefit, but there’s something to be said for institutional history,” report co-author Juliet Squire told Watchdog.org.

Other indicators of engagement, like board members’ knowledge of their schools, also tie into school quality. Most of the board members of high-performing Tier 1 schools could correctly identify their tier school performance rating, while that percentage was lower for members of middle-performing (Tier 2) and low-performing (Tier 3) schools.

“I think it makes a lot of sense that boards that are more engaged are more likely to be high-quality schools,” said Squire.

Board member training is one form of engagement that can reflect school performance. Schools with high re-enrollment, one of the main criteria the charter-authorizing D.C. Public Charter School Board uses to grade schools, have more board members indicating they completed budget and strategic planning training. Allen agreed that having at least one board member with a financial background is ideal, and other members should learn as they go.

But Allen said that while engagement is important, measurements can be subjective. “The notion that somehow some schools have more engaged board members and others don’t is actually a big flaw of their report,” she said.

The survey shows that board members are already in tune with the community’s political views. A 2016 EducationNext poll shows Republican support for charter schools surpasses Democrats’ nationwide, but the latter makes up the majority of charter school board members in blue D.C.

“That’s probably a reason the charter school idea is no longer strictly a conservative notion,” said Squire.

But in terms of racial demographics, the 33 percent of black board members does not match the 76 percent black charter school population. Allen insists having board members that can help foster a quality school takes priority over creating a racial balance.

“There’s just no way you’d want to strive for a racial balance at the expense of the school,” she said.

Allen also argued that board members do not need to live in the same community as a school or come from the same background, especially since D.C. students enroll in charters from all over the city. More than three quarters of charter school students are economically disadvantaged, while over half of the board members taking the survey earn at least $200,000. Allen noted that disadvantaged D.C. families may not have the option of taking a volunteer position.

“We should get the best for kids, and having the best teachers and the best board members is really what we should be talking about,” she said.

Based on the survey responses, 30 percent of board members work in education, and 23 percent at some point have been educators.

Filed Under: CER in the News

Newswire: October 11, 2016 — Special Anniversary Issue — Edreform turns 23 — Charter schools receive positive attention — Massachusetts charter school grad speaks up about opportunity

October 11, 2016 By Ted Allen

Special Anniversary Issue

23. The Center for Education Reform’s founding in 1993 marked a turning point for the then-nascent effort to bring about educational excellence for all kids. Back then, while the nation had regained its competitive edge, and its schools were still struggling, charter schools, school choice (yes vouchers!), state standards and teacher quality were the focus of bi-partisan groups of lawmakers. During this time, CER brought about many of the laws that still stand as the strongest today in each of those areas. Thanks to continued effort, advocacy and involvement by hundreds more groups today that were not around at that time, enormous progress has been made. On the advent of the beginning of our 24th year, we offer a toast to all engaged in the cause of educational excellence, freedom and advancement. More to come, on our birthday, this Thursday October 13.

23-birthday

24. Much has changed since our launching of a movement in 1993, with just about everything. What we know about how kids learn, how adults function, what traditional systems have done – good and bad – and how technology and innovation can transform the way we operate, calls on us to rethink how we work, what we do, and whether or not we are doing good enough. The short answer is no, a message we sent loud and clear when we released A Manifesto: A Movement at Risk, this June, and a New Opportunity Agenda for the future. Along with that policy document comes a refreshed organization, one that puts innovation and opportunity first, for children, students and families from birth through adult. Innovation is the pathway to Opportunity, and Opportunity is the key to helping all people achieve the American dream. That’s our unique mission, on which we will relentlessly focus until it is achieved.

NewOpportunityAgenda

250. That’s the number of qualified videos queued up for review by our celebrity panel of judges, in the “Back Off My Charter School, John Oliver!” Video Contest! Thousands more charter school representatives – teachers, students and parents – took to social media and engaged their communities and advocates in telling their stories and rebuffing an unfair and inaccurate picture of what these opportunities do for the vast majority they serve. While judges begin their review of who will win the $100,000 prize, we are grateful for those who participated. “Not to sound cliché, but they’re all winners,” said CER CEO Jeanne Allen. Stay tuned for winner announcement by month’s end.

purposeprep

75. The positive attention charter schools received as a result of the video contest increased dramatically across the country, as people looked up from their focused, hard work of serving students and realized they had to speak out to address why they made choices to attend or work at charter schools rather than settle for their assigned, zoned school or the traditional district that was once the only option for anyone who didn’t have money or resources to move. CER’s website traffic increased 75 percent during this period of time, while positive media about charter schools increased by 10 percent in the same period. Out of challenges come opportunities, a great supporter once told us. He was right. To our detractors we say, “bring ‘em on!”

increase-website-traffic

2. Remember that number. That’s #YESon2MA which would allow residents of the most disadvantaged communities in Massachusetts to have access to more of the amazingly exceptional charter schools that exist in cities like Boston and Lawrence, to name just two. Yet instead of being willing to forgo the status quo to serve the needs of the more than 32,000 students and families demanding access to charter schools on waiting lists, “Opponents of Question 2 are attempting to pit the opportunities of thousands of kids like me – overwhelmingly students of color, like me – against a status quo that is broken and not serving anyone.” Those are the words charter school graduate Donovan Birch Jr. penned in the Boston Globe last week. He’s concerned voices from students like him are being left out of the conversation about expanding opportunity in MA. It’s up to all of us to make sure we keep educating everyone – both in and out of MA – about the many benefits charter schools provide to students in the Bay State and beyond.

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Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

Center for Education Reform Receives More than 250 Entries For Its $100K “Hey John Oliver, Back Off My Charter School!” Video Contest

October 11, 2016 By Ted Allen

Students’ compelling stories tell John Oliver – and the world – the value of charter schools

WASHINGTON, DC — The Center for Education Reform (CER) announced today that it has received entries from more than 250 charter schools telling John Oliver via video “to back off my charter school.”

“The response has been fantastic,” said CER’s founder and CEO Jeanne Allen. “The videos are wonderful in conveying just how valuable charter schools are to communities and how they are helping students perform better than they would in a traditional school.”

CER launched the “Hey John Oliver! Back Off My Charter School!” Video Contest in direct response to an episode of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, in which Oliver presented a highly critical, and hugely unbalanced, critique of America’s charter schools and charter school movement.

“We could have written a letter of complaint signed by a few hundred people and told John Oliver why his ‘report’ was unfair. But then we thought ‘Why not let him hear directly from the schools themselves – in their own words, voices and images?’ It’s a high-tech ‘out of the mouths of babes’ approach to correcting the public record,” Allen said.

CER will be impaneling a group of independent judges who are passionate about bringing opportunity to students to determine the competition’s winner and recipient of its $100,000 prize. Videos will be evaluated on their messaging, creativity, video quality, and how well they convey distinguishing features of the charter school experience. A winner will be selected by the end of October, and all videos will be posted to CER’s web site.

“Not to sound cliché, but they’re all winners,” Allen said. “All the videos are great and everyone who participated – parents, educators, students, school leaders – all did a marvelous job in letting the public know just how important charter schools are.”

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

Ted Strickland’s Vile Comments on Charter Schools

October 7, 2016 By Ted Allen

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 7, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC – The following statement was issued today by Jeanne Allen, Founder and CEO of The Center for Education Reform, regarding comments made by former Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland. Strickland, a Democrat who is trailing Republican Rob Portman in the state’s Senate race, made comments Wednesday that for-profit entities associated with charter schools have “raped” taxpayers:

“Strickland’s comment about education service providers in Ohio has about as much integrity as his vile comment that Justice Scalia’s death happened at a ‘good time.’

“The tax-status of an organization is irrelevant to quality. Scores of traditional public schools in this country have failed to educate children for generations regardless of their financial foundation.

“What is relevant is that charter schools not only work to improve student achievement and strengthen families and communities, but they actually save taxpayers money in the long run.

“Those who lead our nation and care about education must conduct themselves with civility. We call on Ohio’s Democratic party to publicly denounce Ted Strickland’s comments.”

About the Center for Education Reform

Filed Under: Press Releases

Charters battle enters presidential race

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