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IN MESA, AZ, the Tiffany Jennings Microschool begins its morning routine with exploratory free-play, moves through calendar games, counting exercises, days of the week practice and the Pledge of Allegiance. Jenkins, a former public school Kindergarten teacher, was eager for more flexibility and autonomy in her teaching. Kingdom Impact Global Worship Microschool, one of the three microschools supported by Prenda that CER visited, gives traditionally underserved families a personalized, safe and motivating learning environment for kids to thrive. Similarly, the Academy of Hope Microschool – also started by the Black Mother’s Forum –  offers a broad project-based approach that gives students access to, for example, painting on canvas while also doing science experiments and reading. The students’ level of comfort in these lively small groups was palpable and they were eager to learn and explore. Said one learning guide, “it was always a passion of mine to empower kids at a different level and having the opportunity to do so has been exciting and amazing.” Two other guides – a retired school principal and one whose students affectionately refer to her as Grandma Mimi – said everyday the kids want to stay. Overjoyed with their kids’ love of learning, parents feel empowered, willing to go above and beyond to make sure their child gets there because they are so happy being there.

POLICY, PODS AND LIFELONG LEARNING. The other part of the puzzle that is making pods there all the rage is that it offers space where non-traditional students are getting college credits, as well as a preschool, and more opportunities for wrap-around support, services and collaboration.  Black Mother’s Forum leader Janelle Wood who we’ve reported has attracted the attention of the Governor, was invited to the state capitol to share the micoschool concept with the state’s Child Safety and Family Empowerment committee and her purpose to “promote healthy mindsets and relationships to end the school to prison pipeline.” As she told the committee, “we needed to start at the school level because this is where it begins…somewhere [kids] lost their desire to learn, somewhere there was a failure, a breakdown, a breach and we determined that was in the school”. Community partners were inspired by Janelle’s passion and discussed different ways they can collaborate to spread the positive effect of microschools. Thanks to strong gubernatorial support and funding made possible by federal funds and innovatively distributed by Governor Doug Ducey, education opportunity from K through Career is spreading across the Grand Canyon state.

HARRISBURG IS DOING IT. Not to be outdone by our Arizona friends, children in the Keystone State’s capitol are also now attending a new micropod, thanks to leadership from the Rock Church and support from KaiPod Learning, a company that provides support for community learning pods. The Church has established the Rock City Learning Centerin the Allison Hill community, which, while just a mile from the view of lawmakers and their pristine capital, is one of the most challenged communities in the state.  The Rock Church’s Pastor Josh Robertson says, “The Learning Center is a safe place in this neighborhood for children to come and learn in a smaller, more personal educational environment.  I believe they will excel and thrive in this new environment and that will set them up for success in the future.” The team working on this microschool aspires to be open to as many families as need it. Write CER for more information.

MICROSCHOOLS ARE JUST A START. Left tiny, they are nice, but scaled, their impact is likely to do for parents what charters did in the 90’s – ignite a grassroots revolt.

THE OTHER BACK-TO-SCHOOL STORY… Great article from Bruno Manno, a former CER board member and advisor to the Walton Family Foundation, about the Covid education story that is not being told… “how parents sought new options for their children…[T]his story suggests a promising path forward for K-12 education – parent-directed, student-centered, and pluralistic, offering more educational and support options to families.”

STOP A MILLION DOLLARS BURNING A HOLE IN OUR POCKET. Our STOP Award – to support and advance work that educates students that is Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless –  is now open for applications and the interest is enormous!  Spread the word – we are on the hunt for the provider that most exemplifies innovation and opportunity and went to great pains to make sure it was available during Covid. For more information contact the STOP Award team – [email protected] or phone us at 202-750-0016.

STRUCTURAL RACISM, he says, is a school system that winks at 27 U.S. urban school districts, of which according to 2019 NAEP scores, not a single one can say more than 25% of the black eighth-graders in their care are proficient in either math or reading, despite funding as high as $28,000 in districts like NYC. So the question is….

RURAL DISTRICTS STRUGGLE, TOO.  It isn’t just a city problem.  Unimaginable as it is, the New York Times points out that many rural districts are giving a  substandard education – even compared to urban districts – to their students of all colors and economic backgrounds. Answers are not rocket science but require new thinking, about expanding education innovation and opportunity in rural America. 

WHAT WILL YOU DO ABOUT IT? “When we focus on students first, everything else has a way of falling into place,” says the Honorable Kevin Chavous, author, former D.C. City Councilmember and president of Stride K12 in his salient piece, “The case for student first curricula” on how student learning succeeds when it is highly personalized.  But how does one do that when systems and policymakers protect the system? Easy – #FUNDFAMILIES, not failure, #STUDENTS, not systems. That’s how you start innovating. 

SOME ARE CHEERING at schools getting back to “normal,” even though many reports indicate that most districts don’t have quality options for students who will inevitably face shutdowns. Why isn’t Massachusetts encouraging alternatives to traditional in-person school? Well, one reason could be that the unions last year took full advantage of the pandemic, remaining closed long after their own private schools had gone back, not to mention public schools across the country. So if you can’t trust those who are in power, it’s hard to give a green light to virtual options. Still, the well-respected Governor Charlie Baker could make the case that now is the time for more school choice in the Bay state. He is a fan. If he just didn’t have to contend with a dominant union and compliant legislature…

A LOOMING CRISIS, is what Lauren Camera of U.S News and World Report calls it.  She says, “More than 1,400 schools across 278 districts in 35 states that began the academic year in person have closed, according to Burbio, an organization that’s tracking how schools respond to the ongoing pandemic. The figures are up from 698 schools across 158 districts in 25 states….In more than half of the closures, the schools pivoted to virtual instruction, but roughly 40% of schools that closed for a period of time did so without any remote learning plan in place…”  After billions of dollars and months to prepare, there’s only one word for it. Pathetic.

STOP. Thousands of educators overcame the challenges, the losses and unprecedented health threats to educate students each and every day. They stopped the nonsense, they stopped the noise, and they stopped listening to the status quo. Where are they? What’s their story? And do you want to help ensure their success is recognized? The STOP Award for Education, for Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless education is a big deal – a $1 million prize to the best that performed for underserved communities during Covid. So take a minute and send this along to any educator or provider you know and tell them to apply. They only have a month to do so!

S.T.O.P. – AND START – WITH A COOL MILLION BUCKS. What if we told you that organizations and individuals who went above and beyond for kids during Covid qualify for a $1 million prize? If you hadn’t heard, CER is administering the new S.T.O.P. Award for Education – to reward one best-in-class provider who delivered outstanding education when it was most needed. STOP embodies the mission of a new fund CER is administering that seeks to scale K-12 education opportunities that are Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding, and Permissionless. “We are proud to highlight the type of innovative work that will chart the future for sustainable and transformational opportunities for students — in permissionless settings,” said CER’s Jeanne Allen.

INNOVATION vs BUREAUCRACY. If you have any doubt about why S.T.O.P. and other incentives for innovative thinking are more vital today than ever, consider that the beneficiary of some $122 billion to date seems to be the Bureaucracy (capital B, or the Blob, for short). It had all summer to ensure a smooth first day of school for our kids. But it just couldn’t do it. Many districts, including behemoths like San Francisco, Miami and Dallas, still don’t have quarantine policies. Parents, therefore, are kept in the dark, and confusion abounds. “Last year, we were new at this game,” says Wall Street Journal’s Jason Riley, “and the people in charge arguably deserved some slack. Not anymore.” Time to put a S.T.O.P. to this.

MASK DROP. The head of the United Teachers of Los Angeles (UTLA) has shocked the public, media and pundits with this bombshell of a mask drop, where she argued that students haven’t had any learning loss, and on the contrary, “it’s okay our babies (whose, we wonder?) may not have learned all their times tables…” because she says… “they’ve learned “the difference between a riot and a protest. They know the words insurrection and coup.”revealing what is important to her union. The sheer ignorance from this so-called union leader, Cecily Myart-Cruz is astounding. Not only is math a gateway course that by 3rd grade can predict a student’s graduation rates and college or career attainment, but fewer than 20 percent of the students in the schools their unions control aren’t even proficient in math by 4th grade. Los Angeles students were lower than 20 other urban districts and higher than only 5. Only 43 percent are AT basic knowledge of math and 37 percent below. Ms. Myyart-Cruz, we guarantee you that not only do they not know math, their knowledge of what a protest is or could be is ankle-deep.

THE UTLA SHOULD VISIT PHOENIX, and the Black Mothers Forum in particular founded by dynamo Janelle Wood, who the Governor just awarded $3 million to, for developing 50 micro-schools to be centered around the needs of minority children – like mastering the educational core. We’re especially proud of Ms. Woods and the other black mothers who jumped into the fray on the heels of the disastrous consequences of Covid on their babies, and on their partnership with Prenda one of our favorite providers of personalized learning.

YET MORE JUSTICE for kids is happening through the Center for Black Educator Development, another of CER’s innovative grantees, whose leader Sharif El-Mekki is dedicated to ensuring that not only will children of color learn all they need to be successful, but will do so by ensuring that more teachers of color are trained, recruited and retained. Sharif’s Freedom Schools Literacy Academy offers teaching apprenticeship opportunities while tutoring students – no doubt in math. The UTLA’s Myart-Cruz should be required to write their motto 100 times on the blackboard: “There’s no social justice without educational justice.”

IN PIAZZA. We may not be face-to-face, but bring your thoughts, wine optional,  and join CER’s Jeanne Allen and GSV’s Michael Moe in Piazza, and delve into what matters in innovation, education and culture. . Where else can you hear Paul Ryan talk about economic freedom for the poor, as well as banter about football in the same show? Or Netflix’s Reed Hastings on all manner of issues, with education of course front and center. Media pundit Carlos Watson passionately tells why he does what he does, as does NC’s Catherine Truitt, born to be an educator and now running a system. So catch up on your listening before the next season brings you everyone from authors Todd Rose and JD Vance to Rick Hess, British Robinson, and others!

NO TO VIRTUAL EDUCATION. It’s hard to believe that in a day and age where technology drives our world, school districts would actually tell parents who want a virtual education for their children, simply, ‘no.’  Never mind there’s a Covid rebound and parents are worried. Never mind it’s their kids and they should have the option. Who are these districts and why are they so hell-bent against providing options?

FORT BEND, TX parents plead for virtual education, but the district says it’s not funded. Meanwhile, of the $190 billion allocated for Covid education plans, only a fraction has been spent to date on what it was intended for, according to the experts. Some forward-thinking district leaders understand that there are great providers who can help them serve parents both on-ground and online. A big favorite of educators, investors and ed techies is Edmentum, “America’s first online learning company, serving over seven million students globally.” Call them today, Fort Bend, and find out for yourself.

HAWAII also seems to have a shortage of “distance learning seats.” We’re still scratching our heads over how people not in physical schools don’t have seats, but we’ll assume the best of intentions and suggest they consider either the above recommendation or partnering in real-time with an education company like K12, part of Stride Learning, who have every manner of virtual education available to students, at every level.

DATA IS ESSENTIAL. Above are just two of hundreds of organizations, non-profit, for-profit and in between, that provide and offer everything from full school curriculum, to microschool programs to curriculum supplements to proven apps that CER assembled into its Essential Database last year and has continued to build,  so that no school, educator or parent has an excuse not to help students have access to every opportunity no matter what.

SPEAKING OF OPPORTUNITY. For almost 3 decades CER has nurtured and advocated for policymakers to adopt one simple platform that would guarantee great education for learners at all levels – INNOVATION + OPPORTUNITY = RESULTS. That simple IO formula… consider it Edreform 10.0 – is happily making its way through states with Governors willing to buck the convention and do what it takes to serve students. From AZ’s Doug Ducey who is giving parents funds to make choices, to paying to support microschools and pods as NH’s John Sununu did, some states are demonstrating their ability to innovate. Others, not so much. ​

COVID REDUX. A variant, government leader squabbles, masks and more are making the headlines, but it’s the innovations that abound from pre-K to gray as #ASU+GSV Summiteers say that should be guiding what and how we do school now and in the future.

BLENDED AND PERSONALIZED. Take DaVinci Schools, one of a few public charter school networks which has mastered the concept of blended learning and maximized opportunities for students–kindergarten or post-secondary. Their Connect High School allows students to earn a two- or four-year college degree, for free. Da Vinci RISE High utilizes flex-scheduling and credit recovery to support youth specifically navigating foster care, housing instability, probation and other academically disruptive circumstances. DaVinci isn’t alone but it’s clear that their harnessing of innovation and delivery of virtual learning opportunities is setting the standard high.

HIGHER ED HAS BEEN A MODEL as we have learned, for blended and virtual learning for years before a pandemic foisted it more fully upon K-12.  ASU, the co-founder of the summit, surpasses itself year after year. A new partnership with CEO Walter Parkes will provide a one-of-a-kind VR immersion education experience, Dreamscape Learn, to students. High school partner ASU Prep Digital, long a leader in virtual education, has partnered with Encantos to “help reimagine elementary education for kids.” Then there are the partnerships between companies like 2U and famed HBCU Morehouse College, along with Boston-based Simmons University, making education available to people beyond the college campus. Coursera is helping US business upskill the workforce, EdX is doing micro-bachelors programs and more… and the reality is, that innovation is available to anyone who has the appetite.

MICROSCHOOLS ‘A PLENTY. The focus of creating and growing new learning communities for students is all the rage and Getting Smart’s Tom VanderArk walked his session through precisely how to do it. Micro schools can be used as short term pilots to try out an idea and gauge its efficacy, implement targeted new learning models for specific students, or as innovation hubs to then scale to successful schools. “Microschools make learning personal through unique themes and community connected experiences while providing a path to innovation for districts,” said VanderArk. Just take a look at Edge, a student-driven, competency-based microschool within the Liberty, MO public school system.

SOME MICROSCHOOLS ARE PERMISSIONLESS. They don’t need approval from states, districts or traditional education structures. They demonstrate that learning can indeed happen anywhere, if fueled by great technology, content, and pedagogy. Check out Prenda, or Kaipod, as just two examples of pod-providers working hand in hand with parents.

THE IMPORTANCE OF INNOVATIVE OPTIONS. While online learning might not be the best option for everyone, for those that it is best for, it is everything. That sentiment, courtesy of Mickey Revenaugh, head of Pearson’s global virtual education efforts and a co-founder of Connections Education, is one we all share. She talked about the need for programs to be high quality and accessible, that school is more than curriculum. Superintendents, Executive Directors and CEOs gave their different perspectives on the dynamic world of virtual learning, but all agreed that families deserve options when returning to school this fall, that it’s important to get creative and not go back to “comfortable,” by executing on revolutionary ways to create robust hybrid and virtual learning environments for students.

GO FORWARD WITH STOP.  What if we told you that organizations and individuals who went above and beyond for kids during Covid qualify for a $1 million prize? If you hadn’t heard about the big announcement at the ASU+GSV Summit, you’ll be thrilled to know that due to a partnership with a wonderful ally and philanthropist, CER is administering the new S.T.O.P. Award for Education – to reward one best-in-class provider who delivered outstanding education when it was most needed. STOP embodies the mission of a new fund CER is administering that seeks to scale K-12 education opportunities that are Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding, and Permissionless. “We are proud to highlight the type of innovative work that will chart the future for sustainable and transformational opportunities for students — in permissionless settings,” said CER’s Jeanne Allen.

Details about the $1 million prize, including how to apply, will be available on STOPAward.com on September 8, 2021.  For information, write [email protected]

GOING BACK TO SCHOOL? What kind? Under what circumstances? It’s all in the air, again. If this past year has shown us anything, it’s that there is no one definition for what school should be for every student, with or without a pandemic.  As we said right after COVID first devastated our world, it’s about students, not systems. “Where you live is no longer relevant right now, and may not be relevant consistently over the next two years as the nation jigsaws its way through possible repeat outbreaks of Covid-19. What is relevant is the ability to deliver education seamlessly, via low- and high-tech tools, with substantive programming, expectations and American ingenuity.”  Read – or re-read CER’s Future of School paper as you prepare for what is coming next.

WE’LL TRY?? Yep, that’s what she said, that representative of the unresponsive, power-wielding education bureaucracy, Randi Weingarten.  With most of the funds allocated by Congress in the past three stimulus bills totaling $279 billion still unspent and teachers and districts complaining they don’t have a plan for COVID’s rebound, it’s time for parents to take charge.  As Jeanne Allen said on Fox Business yesterday, “Let’s not trust the traditional public school system that royally messed up in the last year, that did not know how to turn on a dime, that did not know how to put kids in exceptional virtual education, and let’s give that money, billions that are still out there, to parents to make that decision.”

NOTE TO LAWMAKERS – FUND FAMILIES! The education establishment has thrown good money after bad for decades. Responses to COVID have sometimes disrupted business as usual but haven’t yet changed how education dollars are spent.  WATCH and listen to those who know best – the families and those who work with them on the ground – about why dollars must Fund Families (Not Failure). 

VIRTUAL LEARNING SAVED THE DAY. We’re not talking about crisis education, as Future of School organization head, Amy Valentine describes it.  The volume of great models we have are evident to those who want the answers. Learn about how many teachers prevailed online with great virtual education, how charter schools stayed open, and how cutting-edge technology is empowering the boom in micro-schools and pods, for starters.

HOW ‘BOUT THOSE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS? The news is good for the over two million kids who attend America’s Catholic schools – most and likely all will be open again, no matter what, just like before. Two of the largest systems, those in Los Angeles and Chicago will be providing full-time education again. Boston Catholic school superintendent Tom Carroll has this advice for parents: “If your school is hesitating about opening in the fall, seriously consider a Catholic school that offers live in-person instruction, a sense of community, and teachers who will love your children like their own — all in a safe, healthy environment with faith and respect.”

ESSENTIAL TOOLS FOR FAMILIES. We put together this “Essential Database” and guide to all the resources – many free- available to learners at all levels when schools and districts weren’t delivering. Get ready for what you might need for the fall, and providers, if we are missing yours send it our way by writing to [email protected], and please share this important resource with friends and family.

THE WAR ON CHARTERS. The current US House of Reps, spurred on by teachers unions, is using the budget process to assault one of the only opportunities disadvantaged children have to receive a great free public education. The attack is aimed at the dozens of education services providers (ESPs) who help parents and educators be able to focus on supporting students, e.g. companies like National Heritage Academies, Academica and CSUSA to name just a few. Imagine telling a school district they could no longer buy computers from for-profit companies or textbooks, let alone food and supplies.

That wouldn’t happen because the House is most concerned with the system controlling education funds, not parents and teachers. Shame on you Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro and your colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee.

PUNITIVE, COUNTER PRODUCTIVE AND DUMB are some of the milder and apt descriptions of this effort. As the WS Journal notes about other cuts in federal support for public charter schools, this “funding raid on charters is an act of sabotage that will deny many children, especially poor and minority children, the quality education they deserve.” Charters and advocates across the country are rising up regardless of political affiliation to pressure the House to back down. Join them

THE REASON. The Blob’s attacks stem from the credible growth of education opportunities this year alone in the wake of their disastrous handling of education during Covid. Thank God, teachers were there to hold the fort down wherever they were allowed to. Consider over 15 states have added or improved school choice laws just this year, and charter schools are chief among the improvements. Want to know what is giving opponents agita? Just look at the National Charter School Law Ranking & Scorecard and the increasing Parent Power our kids first teachers have now.

INNOVATORS WHO LED THE WAY. Refresh your memory about how “choice” schools and innovators provided education – many times nonstop – during the past year.   We remain in awe of the leaders, teachers and parents who continued to deliver quality education this past year, several of whom we profiled in monthly meetings online. Watch the fabulous COVID Action Series and the many lessons here that are just as important today as when the evil virus first appeared.

ESCAPE THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY. It’s never humid in San Diego, and the average August temperature is 77 degrees with humidity in the high 50s. No, really – and even better it can be a working vacation.  Join us at the annual ASU – GSV Summit, August 9 – 11 where the best, the brightest, the innovators, the dynamos of the education choice movement will gather.  You might even see a couple of familiar faces, as our own Jeanne Allen and Ian Rowe, Chairman of Vertex Partnership Academies will take center stage to discuss  “Equality of Opportunity, Individual Dignity, Common Humanity and America. “ Jeanne would love to see you there!

In San Diego or wherever you are, we hope you get some “R & R”, recharge your batteries and get ready for the quickly approaching new school year. And as always, don’t hesitate to contact us if we can be of assistance to you, your kids or your school.

THE CURTAIN HAS BEEN PULLED BACK, as Forbes Contributor Nick Morrison points out in “There’s no going back now parents have seen behind the classroom curtain.” As one expert also told the author, “The greater use of technology in the classroom allows parents and teachers to communicate much more quickly and effectively.”  “Of all the shifts in education occasioned by the pandemic, perhaps the most significant and the one with the most far-reaching consequences is the greater involvement of parents in their children’s schooling.” It’s about time!

INNOVATIONS ABOUND.  “Parental ingenuity, combined with the creativity of our educators, businesses, and community leaders, led to new instructional settings like learning pods,” says LearnLaunch chief exec and former Massachusetts governor Jane Swift, but “our priority as leaders must be getting the innovations which have proven effective during the pandemic extended to all students and families.” She’s right that innovations are not equitably distributed.  Even more reason why funds must follow families, not failure.

WHAT MOST PARENTS SAW was not a vibrant effort to create home-based learning pods, or deploy the best of digital technologies. What they saw was districts delivering emergency education as best they knew how, entirely unprepared for what came before because they’ve been unable to change how they operate.  And that’s why so many students received an education like that reported from Baltimore just days ago, where a jaw-dropping, truly scandalous 40% of city schools students earned a grade of “D” or less. And from Chicago comes news that the union now demands over 4,000 new positions before they will teach again. No wonder many are reporting that increasing numbers of parents are hesitant to send their children back to the same system; their trust is shot.  New York Magazine pointed out just last week, “The Kids Were Safe From COVID the Whole Time.”

But the real story behind the tragic year that students lost is best described by this jaw-dropping opinion piece in the New York Post which argues cogently that  “If your child didn’t attend school regularly last year, Randi Weingarten is likely the reason why.”

CITY OF ANGELS VERSUS CATHOLIC SCHOOLS?  Like the wicked witch of the west, the Los Angeles school district denied millions in Title 1 funds to Catholic schools in 2019, despite both the law and what should be a moral obligation to ensure that schools that serve (and actually work for) the neediest of kids have what they need. Thankfully the courts ordered L.A. to pay what is owed to the Catholic Schools, but it shouldn’t have taken a lawsuit.

THE LATEST AT THE PIAZZA. If you’re not a subscriber yet you will be after listening to the talented and brilliant Ian Rowe, who shared his thoughts about how we might reclaim opportunity for all across the world. Let’s start with what kids are learning and what he calls ‘surmountable racism’ in America, and, well, you’ll want to hear the rest for yourself.  It’s just a preview of what is to come at the annual ASU+GSV Summit in San Diego on August 9-11, where Ian and CER’s Jeanne Allen will take center stage to discuss Equality of Opportunity, Individual Dignity, Common Humanity and America. And don’t forget to join us in Piazza for ongoing diverse discussions with CEOs and leaders in business, entertainment, education, religion and more, all dedicated to transforming public life.

CHEER AND JEERS…(you can decide which is which!) Show Me State Governor Mike Parsons signed the law creating the first private school choice program in the state of Missouri. In Florida, a K-12 IDEA Charter School is partnering with Jacksonville University to soon welcome 1,500 students to a brand new campus.  Getting Smart tells why ‘Small is the Next Big Idea’ in education innovation. And kudos to Southern Nevada Urban Micro Academy (SNUMA) which operated in-person every school day this past year and ensured that 100% of SNUMA students made at least one full year’s academic growth in reading/English language arts, and 87% posted at least two years’ growth.  The Volunteer State just approved 27 new virtual schools so that Tennessee parents would have an option. Maybe the Garden State needs to take a visit down south. New Jersey officials have told parents who want a  virtual option this year to take a hike.

OPPORTUNITY ON CHOPPING BLOCK. The U.S. House of Representatives is planning to kill a program that has saved more than 11,000 low-income families since it began in the 2004-2005 school year. It was the seminal plot of the movie Miss Virginia with Uzo Aduba, featuring the story of Virginia Walden Ford who fought valiantly to have it available to the lowest income parents, including herself, struggling to find an education that meets their children’s needs. Since then, the OSP students uncharacteristically for DC traditional public schools have a better than 95 percent graduation rate and nearly 87 percent college enrollment rate.

THE WASHINGTON POST HITS A HOME RUN as it comes out swinging in favor of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program – and reiterating its long-standing support of the only federally authorized voucher program in the country, the District’s Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP). The OSP is a part of the three-sector approach to federal funding for the traditional, charter and voucher communities in our nation’s capital. It was created by Senator Dianne Feinstein, Senator Joe Lieberman, Speaker of the House John Boehner, Democratic Former Mayor Anthony Williams, and Democratic Former Councilmember Kevin Chavous.

HOLMES NORTON HYPOCRISY. The Post also called out long-time opponent and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton for fighting a program that supports low-income minority families with an average annual income of $23,668 while she exhaustively supports another federally funded program (for college access) in which families with an income of $515,000 can participate.

THE SAME HOUSE APPROPRIATIONS BILL would prevent tax-paying companies from contracting with charter schools to deliver education services, instruction or whatever, under the misplaced theory that when a company that is considered for-profit works with schools they are tainted. I guess the same Congress wouldn’t mind then firing all of its contractors, or requiring all public schools only contract with non-profit providers for their computers, food, supplies and transportation?

IS THIS A PROFIT, TOO?  News reports that AFT head Randi Weingarten makes over $560,000 per year has many cringing. But at least her union is non-profit, right? (Sarcasm intended).

CELEBRITIES CELEBRATE OPPORTUNITY.  It’s awesome when the stars come out to play with education. We’ve all known about – and some of us have seen Pitbull’s Sports Leadership Arts and Management Charter School, for example, that opened in Miami in 2012, and is expanding. “Rapper and activist Common, who has won an Emmy, a Grammy and an Oscar, helped launch the charter school Art in Motion on the city’s south shore in 2019,” as has NBA star Jalen Rose in his hometown of Detroit. Kudos as well to George Clooney, Dr. Dre and LeBron for contributing to education, but you guys might want to take a page from your colleagues above whose contribution also ensures parents, not systems, make the ultimate choice.

$6,000 MORE ISN’T ENOUGH?  School system leaders are reportedly already complaining that, even though they have received an additional $6,000 per student, on top of an average of $13,000 per student, it’s not enough. Today’s New York Times reports that while “Schools Get a Stimulus Windfall,” they “Find That It May Not Be Enough.” Not only are they worried about funding cliffs, such that if they spend money now they won’t be able to pay for the same things later, but they are complaining about an alleged lack of flexibility in the American Rescue Plan’s $122 billion. That plan, geared towards ensuring K-12 schools reopen with a strong plan to counter learning loss from COVID, mental health supports for children and families and any related facility upgrades needed, doesn’t permit construction projects, for example, nor should it.  As our CEO told the Times, “It’s aggravating, and is to a lot of rank-and-file citizens, that districts want to talk about capital when there are so many things we need to be doing for students.”

The latest report from the Census Bureau shows 5% higher per-pupil spending in the year before COVID. It’s about helping kids succeed, but apparently, they aren’t exactly sure how to do that. There are also reports of Florida field trips and other “journeys” to help mitigate learning loss. Really? Yet another reason to Fund Families, not failure.