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Newswire – April 20, 2021

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on April 20, 2021 - 2:42 pm

A St Patty’s Day Special Edition…Finding Rainbows...Driving out Snakes and a much needed Irish Blessing.

EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTIONS.

Sir Issac Newton’s third law of motion states that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Parents and others are adding a twist – to roadblocks to open schools and innovation, there are better and opposite reactions.

FAR ABOVE EQUAL BUT OPPOSITE REACTIONS NATIONWIDE. Perhaps the dam is beginning to break, as there are many hopeful signs around the country. Jeanne Allen enumerates the good news “reactions” of states pushing back against school closures in Kentucky, West Virginia and South Dakota. Whether called “Education Opportunity Accounts”, “New Hope Scholarships”, or “Education Tax Credits”, these states’ programs all have one thing in common. They empower parents to decide what path is best for their kids. These “flyover country” states may be of no interest to folks living in their bubbles on either coast, but as Jeanne points out in Forbes, “they are harbingers of things to come”.

MORE PARENT POWER COMES OUT OF THE PEACH STATE. Not waiting to react to opponents of choice for parents, first-term Democrat legislator Mesha Mainor is working hard to establish “education scholarship accounts” in Georgia that parents could use anywhere, including private schools. She was moved to action after her daughter remarked, “I think I go to the worst school in America”. Pointing out that some of the schools in her Atlanta district are among Georgia’s worst, she says; “I’m voting yes on this for my district.” A profile in courage. Find out how your state rates in parent power with our Parent Power Index.

PENNSYLVANIA PUSHBACK. The Keystone State is a prime example of where weak-kneed state and district leaders allowed unions to control reopening and remote education was a failure for most. Happily, the heroic efforts of many to fight back and educate the kids in spite of the odds stemmed catastrophic learning loss for many. We explored the rescue efforts in CER’s latest “Action Series”, “Countering COVID with education innovation”. Tune in to hear first-hand war stories – and success stories – from leaders of the Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia, Commonwealth Foundation, Philadelphia Youth Basketball, Richard Allen Preparatory Charter School, and African American Charter School Coalition. True warriors – and heroes.

BLAINE BIGOTRY’S DAYS ARE NUMBERED. It’s been nearly a year since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in “Espinoza v. Montana Dept. of Revenue” that denying public funds to schools just because they are religious was not allowed under any circumstances. South Carolina is only a few hundred miles from the Supreme Court, but the news apparently hasn’t reached lawmakers in the Palmetto State. Both the Catholic Church and the South Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities have had to sue the state to get its “Blaine Amendment” removed from its constitution.

GREAT HEARTS BEAT STRONGLY IN ARIZONA. Great things blooming in the desert with the news that Great Hearts Academy, a network of public charter schools, is expanding with new campuses in both Buckeye and Anthem as well as expanding its existing facility in Goodyear. These actions will make it possible for more than one thousand new students to get the quality education that Great Hearts provides.

ACTION AND REACTION IN CHICAGO. Fed-up parents in Chicago have taken to the streets to push back against continued union foot-dragging on school reopening. The union and district agreed weeks ago to reopen schools this week, but the usual subjects are throwing up roadblocks. As this insightful parent writes:

“I’m frustrated and sad to watch kids go more than a year without real contact with friends and classmates or significant relationships with their teachers. Chicago Public School high schoolers, like my daughter, are being left behind in comparison to their private and parochial school counterparts. Why? Three words: Chicago Teachers Union.”

Truly heartbreaking.

COURAGE IN CLEVELAND. While the current education debates have many Eeyore’s – Winnie the Pooh’s perpetually pessimistic friend – there are also innovative, courageous leaders all across the country who take bold action instead of just sitting back. Such leaders run schools in two of Cleveland’s poorest neighborhoods. They stayed open throughout the pandemic with few COVID cases but more learning opportunities. By doing so the schools gave their students’ futures an incredible boost. Do yourself a favor and read how common sense, not rocket science, did the trick.

We close this issue with a musical wish that you and your kids will always be brave, strong and true, and your world filled with love. Expressing that most tunefully are Petula Clark and the students in “Goodbye Mr. Chips”. Get ready to smile.

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 conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education. We’re always delighted to hear from our readers…suggestions, questions and even the occasional complaint!

Newswire – April 13, 2021

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on April 13, 2021 - 5:10 pm

Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

A St Patty’s Day Special Edition…Finding Rainbows...Driving out Snakes and a much needed Irish Blessing.

FORGET ABOUT NECESSITY - COVID HAS BEEN THE “MOTHER OF INVENTION” FOR SCHOOL INNOVATORS.

Never underestimate the human spirit, especially among folks who did not let COVID stop them from doing remarkable things in education innovation.

CATHOLIC SCHOOLS GOT THE JOB DONE, and continue to do so for their students. At the start of the pandemic last spring, most Catholic schools reopened in person as soon as they could with multiple safety protocols in place, or they operated under a hybrid model with some students attending classes in person and other students in class virtually. Sadly these schools won’t get more than a pittance out of the billions being doled out by Congress. That’s an injustice in itself, no matter what your faith. But using innovative approaches and technology, teachers were able to reach students both in-person and at home and they were “completely involved.” Teachers explain how it was done, an important lesson when so many other kids were left high and dry by adult intransigence.

MITIGATING COVID’S IMPACT. A Bay State diocese is changing it all up to innovate for kids. Arlington Catholic High School will welcome a group of students who will leave their public middle school and head to Arlington Catholic for the first time. They’re not considered freshmen. But they’re also not in eighth grade anymore. They’re “in-between”, so the school has created a special “bridge program” for them. “The parents are worried because [students] missed out so much on the academics,” said John Graceffa, principal at the school. “So we’re tailoring a program for them. As they have technically completed their eighth-grade year, we aren’t trying to reteach them math or reading they already know but fill in the gaps they missed. In fact, most of their learning isn’t actually about the typical subjects.” Repeat after us – choice leads to innovation which leads to better outcomes for kids.

PODS GOT THE JOB DONE, TOO…A new twist on a concept that’s been around for years, parents and schools took to podding and microschooling, “buying” the expertise of organizations like Prenda, ACTON, Big Picture Learning, and dozens more. So it’s not surprising that one of the newest innovators, SchoolHouse has raised $8 million to bring their microschools into the mainstream. With 250 students enrolled across 50 locations in 10 states and an average class size between six and 10 students, the new funds raised will help them create one school in every state by the end of the year. CEO Brian Tobal says “we want to make a great education available to everyone, not just people who can afford it.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT PODS AT EDTECH WEEK. We are hosting a special EdTech Week Master Class Podding and Tech – A Marriage Made in Heaven? Some say together they have the potential to transform learning in a post-COVID environment. Will this new normal lead to greater opportunity for all families at every level? Ask those who’ve been in the thick of it. Ask Edmentum’s Jamie Candee, MYSA Micro School founder Siri Fiske and, Prenda’s Treece Bowman moderated by our very own Jeanne Allen, April 20th, 2:00 PM EDT.

TOMORROW…APRIL 14th at NOON… NEXT IN THE CER ACTION SERIES. You’ll hear first-hand war stories – and success stories – from leaders of the Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia, Commonwealth Foundation, Philadelphia Youth Basketball, Richard Allen Preparatory Charter School, African American Charter School Coalition, and more! Register for free here.

YOU GO GIRL. “American Girl” co-founder and CEO Pleasant Rowland is making schooling brighter for girls AND boys. She recently donated $14 million to One City Schools in Madison, Wisconsin, appropriately enough as the Badger state is one of the early pioneers of charter schools, circa 1993. Fast-growing One City predominantly educates disadvantaged kids, like many charters, and will use Rowland’s generosity to buy a 157,000-square-foot office building and transform it into a school. By 2024 the school plans to teach at least 950 students.

We realize there are still serious challenges ahead with both COVID and ensuring real education opportunity and innovation happens. That said, we can see rays of light and hope, as beautifully sung by a certain British quartet. Enjoy – and as always please let us know if there is any way we can be of assistance to you, your students, or your school.

Newswire – April 7, 2021

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on April 7, 2021 - 3:06 pm

Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

A St Patty’s Day Special Edition…Finding Rainbows...Driving out Snakes and a much needed Irish Blessing.

A LOOK AT THE HEROES OF COVID... AND MOVING FORWARD WITH PERMANENT SOLUTIONS... JOIN US APRIL 14

Here we are – the first week of Spring! Mother Nature shows her glory and hope is in the air. Of course there are clouds, as we report, but also lots of silver linings.

COUNTERING COVID’s IMPACT ON EDUCATION. Well Randi Weingarten can say she’s “not convinced” the CDC guidance is good enough all day long…and she can continue to fly around the country claiming – FALSELY – that she and her union have tried oh-so-very-hard to open schools since last year (that link right there is a must read), but thankfully some people haven’t waited for more complaints, delays or problems, or are waiting on new fresh billions of dollars to start flowing to do the right, the moral, the just thing.

LAST YEAR AT THIS TIME. We had pivoted virtually and began to share the extraordinary work of so many schools, systems and innovators who were able to turn on a dime to provide continual learning. The extraordinary efforts of these organizations and individuals proved the art of the possible — especially when you’re willing to put kids first:

SETON EDUCATION PARTNERS – The New York based network that partners with charter and catholic schools in underserved communities nationwide immediately created an Emergency Task Force and sent students home with learning materials before governors announced school closures. When they transitioned to remote learning, clear expectations were set that teachers must call every student for daily 30-minute deep learning sessions and wellbeing checks; and any child that didn’t login for class received a phone call home that same day. To ensure continued learning, Seton secured internet access for 1/3 of their families, issued devices to students, and created a tech help line. On day one, 85% of students were logged on.

PHOENIX UNION HIGH SCHOOL DISTRICT – The umbrella high school district for the city of Phoenix switched 30,000 students and 4,000 staff almost overnight to a virtual school setting by providing instant and comprehensive virtual teaching training for all employees, and deploying devices and hotspots to all students without laptops and connectivity. The district realized that digital integration is one of the most important assets of a school system and made an immediate decision to create a Digital Content and Integration Department. Phoenix Union High School District is now a 1:1 school district to ensure high quality learning for all students.

ACADEMICA – The global network of charter schools built upon their virtual model to pivot 100,000 students to remote live instruction in three-days by distributing thousands of devices and training teachers prior to school closures on March 13. Their platform Colēgia provided secure authentication to ensure video conferencing had proper security protocols in place. By April 2020, attendance was better than pre-COVID; with most schools having 90%+ attendance, and some at 100%.

FRIENDSHIP PUBLIC CHARTER SCHOOLS – in Washington DC deployed all of their teammates to locate and check in with students. Within one week they had made contact with all but 23 of 4,500 students, and ensured they all had devices to mitigate learning interruptions.

ONE YEAR LATER… It’s clear that nothing short of policy change is needed to ensure that never again do we allow so much loss and neglect to occur simply because we are tied to one way of doing things. Where are the lessons? We look to Pennsylvania next week, where while state and district leaders allowed unions to control reopening and remote education was largely a failure for most, many heroic efforts to educate despite the odds stemmed learning loss for thousands.

JOIN US on APRIL 14th at NOON for the latest in CER’s COVID Action Series, featuring leaders from the Commonwealth Foundation, Children’s Scholarship Fund Philadelphia, Philadelphia Youth Basketball and more!

Register to get more details.

Newswire – March 30, 2021

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on March 30, 2021 - 6:33 pm

Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

A St Patty’s Day Special Edition…Finding Rainbows...Driving out Snakes and a much needed Irish Blessing.

BLAINE AMENDMENTS JOIN THE WALKING DEAD... UNIONS PLAY LUCY WITH CHARLIE BROWN’S FOOTBALL...PARENTS CONTINUE TO PUSHBACK.

Here we are – the first week of Spring! Mother Nature shows her glory and hope is in the air. Of course there are clouds, as we report, but also lots of silver linings.

KENTUCKY DERBY FOR KIDS. The winners in the most important race in Kentucky lawmaking are the kids and families who will now have access to a new state tax credit program that will increase access to educational options. After some horsing around in the executive mansion, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear’s veto of the lifesaving program was overridden in both KY chambers. Advocates on the ground and national groups, like EdChoice and AFC, have worked long and hard to give parents and kids a voice in whether and how they are educated. It was a Secretariat level win.

TAKE UP YOUR SWORD. Rather than congratulate the victors, Beshear immediately proclaimed – wrongly – that the program is unconstitutional. Never have we been so happy to hear a governor say something so stupid – and so wrong, because the jurisprudence is now unequivocally on our side – and the fight will be short lived.

Last June, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Montana’s Blaine Amendment, a decision which condemned similar Blaine Amendments in 36 other state constitutions, and removed the only perceived legal impediment to greater freedom for many families. In a paper authored for CER, Former Solicitor General Paul Clement argued that “Proponents of school choice should not just welcome but capitalize upon the Court’s increasingly skeptical view of efforts to stymie evenhanded state funding measures by invoking outdated state provisions irreconcilable with federal law.” Get it here

MORE STATES FOLLOWING SUIT. Did the unions really think that state legislators were going to sit back and let them monopolize school decisions for another year, another decade? Did the Biden Administration, failing to hear the cries of children and families in this tumultuous year really think that trillions of dollars and union favoritism would kill off the hope and need of millions?

As this Wall Street Journal piece makes clear, the floodgates are open. In the last few months alone CER has seen a flurry of school choice legislative activity in the following states:

ARIZONA has moved a massive expansion of its voucher program, GEORGIA is working on expanding its special needs scholarship program. NEBRASKA House Education Committee members advanced a bill benefiting low income families and SOUTH DAKOTA Governor Kristi Noem signed into law a Freedom Scholarship Bill that creates a $200 million endowment for needs-based scholarships.

And don’t forget the lesson of the MOUNTAINEERS, which as the state’s motto proclaims ARE ALWAYS FREE, and their path breaking reforms just signed into law last week. WEST VIRGINIA kids will never be confined again to schools by their zip code.

GOT PARENT POWER? When traditional education works for families, everyone wins. But when it fails parents, as it has miserably this year, they take action. If you’re not in-the-know on what level of education opportunity and innovation is provided by your state, and you are ready to act, now is the time to check back in with CER’s Parent Power! Index (PPI), the most comprehensive analysis of states’ structural and behavioral policies that inform parents and allow them to make decisions regarding the education of their children, within or outside any crisis. Discover the best tool for parents looking to make the best choice for their children’s education.

THE ESSENTIAL DATABASE. And if you’re like most parents who are doing it yourself now, or teachers who are having to create their own programs to help students, you’ll want to check out this unparalleled database for learning tools on anything your students need for virtual and online learning – or even to create your own microschools.

This time of rebirth, in the midst of Passover, days from Easter, is a great time to recommit to helping families build a better future for their children. Just like the high Holy Days teach us, nothing good comes without struggle. Wishing you and yours a Blessed Week.

Newswire – March 23, 2021

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on March 23, 2021 - 12:46 pm

Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

A St Patty’s Day Special Edition…Finding Rainbows...Driving out Snakes and a much needed Irish Blessing.

BLAINE AMENDMENTS JOIN THE WALKING DEAD... UNIONS PLAY LUCY WITH CHARLIE BROWN’S FOOTBALL...PARENTS CONTINUE TO PUSHBACK.

Here we are – the first week of Spring! Mother Nature shows her glory and hope is in the air. Of course there are clouds, as we report, but also lots of silver linings.

BLAINE BIGOTRY LIVES. The news item seems like it belonged in an episode of “The Walking Dead”. A “Strong Students Scholarship Program” which would have given 90% of the state money spent per-student to parents to use on non-public education for their children was shelved – largely because a couple of retired judges said it violated the “Blaine Amendment” still in the Idaho constitution! Color us flabbergasted, as the United States Supreme Court ruled almost a year ago that Blaine Amendments are unconstitutional. Let’s rectify this injustice in Idaho.

NEW HOPE IN WEST VIRGINIA. The Mountaineer State just went from one of the few with no charter schools in it to one that gives new hope and opportunity to all the state’s students. An expanded charter law, allowing for an independent authorizer ala CERs’ National Model, along with more diverse charters allowed, tell us that WVA lawmakers know how to put families first. On top of that, just yesterday Governor Jim Justice signed into law the Hope Scholarship Fund providing for educational savings accounts that allow families to access up to $4,600 of state funds to educate their child at home, in a private school, learning pods or however they think best. This ensures the state will escape it’s “F” grade in our Parent Power Index.Bravo to one and all.

LITTLE HOPE IN CALIFORNIA, and little following “the science”. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) just reduced it’s classroom desk spacing recommendation from 6 ft, to 3 ft, making it dramatically easier to get kids back in schools. Not good enough for the Los Angeles School District or the California Teachers Association, both of whom…wait for it…oppose the plan, because it would “stuff more kids into classrooms” and be “cramming young adults into classrooms”. Apparently not all science has to be followed.

FAILING OUR CHILDRENhttps://t.co/ZnEf8WSkwJ
pic.twitter.com/pwDIENdSrp
— Michael Ramirez (@Ramireztoons) February 1, 2021

ALSO IN THE ONCE-GOLDEN state comes a report from Reopen California Schools that local districts and unions are planning to use new COVID relief money on cash bonuses for staff instead of on student needs. The bonuses would go to all, whether or not they have worked or stepped foot on a campus the past year. It’s already happening in the Sweetwater (San Diego) School District, which has used over $6 million of COVID-19 relief funds to pay their employees and alleviate the deficit in their payroll.

CAUSE AND EFFECT. History has shown that among the unions least concerned about educating kids is the Chicago Teachers Union. Last week they dug in their heels – again – telling district parents that “We have no agreement on returning to in-person learning in high schools on any date”, moving the goalposts to an amorphous “safely re-opening buildings” criteria. Across the country parents and a judge in New Jersey knew how to deal with similar tactics. A judge ordered teachers back to school after students and parents held a sit-in demanding open classrooms. Parent power at its finest.

IT’S THE KIDS WHO SUFFER, and not just lost learning and future earnings. Recent studies have all shown serious mental health problems caused by the shutdown. Reuters surveyed school districts nationwide in February to assess the mental health impacts of full or partial school shutdowns. Of the 74 districts that responded, 74% reported multiple indicators of increased mental health stresses among students. More than half reported rises in mental health referrals and counseling.

“It was the hardest and most sad time of my life.” 9-year-old Mackenzie Johnson, a third grader in Camby, Oregon

“I think they should have a rule: If you want to go to school, you can go to school.” Bryson Smith, a 12-year-old seventh grader at Chandler Unified School District

PROMISING SPRING BLOOMS. There is much promising news across the country. Proving they think big in Texas, legislation would expand educational options through special needs micro-grants, learning pod protections, expanding and improving virtual school programs, public charter schools, and creating education savings accounts and tax credits. From New Hampshire comes a report showing that educational savings accounts would save taxpayers millions of dollars a year. Adding to the spring bouquet – four new charter schools will open in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, focusing on aviation, the legal profession and college prep. And closing with a big smile, a well documented report on how private & parochial schools kept kids in class across the country while most public schools were locking them out.

Spring brings hope, beauty, and joy. We hope this brings some of each, and more, to your kids and you. And as always – don’t hesitate to let us know if we can be of assistance in any way.

Newswire – March 16, 2021

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on March 16, 2021 - 7:10 pm

Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

A St Patty’s Day Special Edition…Finding Rainbows...Driving out Snakes and a much needed Irish Blessing.

A St Patty’s Day Special Edition…Finding Rainbows…Driving out Snakes and a much needed Irish Blessing.

FAITH AND BEGORRAH. ST. PATRICK WAS SAID TO HAVE DRIVEN THE SNAKES OUT OF IRELAND. LET’S ASK HIM TO HELP US DRIVE DRIVE THEM OUT OF EDUCATION, TOO.

Okay maybe that’s a wee-bit much, but it is widely conceded that our kids are getting snake-bit. And parents aren’t believin’ the blarney any longer.

AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW? It was always there. No, not the pot of gold, but the Science, of which virtually 100% of the data supports opening classrooms full time with measures achievable with changes that don’t require billions to be spent, even before we vaccinate all school personnel.

As prize winning New York Times columnist Nick Kristof put it last month

“Yes, it’s hard to open schools during a pandemic. But private schools mostly managed to, and that’s true not only of rich boarding schools but also of strapped Catholic schools. As a nation, we fought to keep restaurants and malls open — but we didn’t make schools a similar priority, so needy children were left behind.”

His article also quotes Brown University economist Emily Oster who has studied this issue more than anyone else: “I think we’ve deprioritized children in a way that will do long-term damage.” An AEI report examining the results of over 130 studies concludes that, “Attending school does not increase risk to children.” Oh, and the data says only 3 feet distance is needed now, not 6 feet.

SLITHERING AROUND THE SCIENCE however has become an art form for the unions. In North Carolina teachers refuse to support reopening in spite of unanimous votes in both houses of the legislature approving a bi-partisan opening plan. And in Los Angeles the teachers’ “reopening” plan is staying virtual only. Middle and high school students will be in a homeroom 2 days per week with headphones on, learning virtually, while the teacher Zooms her own separate class. Teachers would not have to return to work until achieving “maximum immunity” after vaccinations, “a period of up to six weeks.”

We all could use blessings these days and one of the best among them is this famous Irish blessing, with a new twist, apropos for the time and the coming day, sung Covid-style by the World Youth Choir…

“Until We Meet Again,
May God Hold You in the Palm of His Hand…”

STIMULUS SHAMROCKS FOR STUDENTS? But innovative ideas are starting to cut through the blizzard of one-message (that schools aren’t open yet) media reporting. Post contributor Hugh Hewitt says that “If you are getting a check, here’s the smart thing to do: Enroll your child in a private school. The government is going to pay for it.” Laying bare the reality so many parents face, he adds: “The brand damage to the NEA and the AFT will not be forgotten. Parents with kids in every school will remember, when the going got tough, the teachers unions fled.

SCHUMER MUST HAVE KISSED THE BLARNEY STONE, because his eloquent defense of a new $2.75 billion for private schools in the recently passed $1.9 trillion “pandemic relief bill” was a magical moment. Schumer said, “There are also many private schools which serve large percentages of low-income and disadvantaged students who also need relief from the Covid crisis.” Reports are the deal came after Schumer was heavily lobbied by the Orthodox Jewish community in New York City, but sources confirm that it was actually stellar cross-religion cooperation in the Empire state. Mazel Tov and Amen!

US DEPT OF ED NEEDS A LEPRECHAUN NOT A LABOR CZAR. The Biden Admin is placing an advisor for Labor Relations there, causing ranking members of the House and Senate Education Committees to simply ask why? This reeks of a political payoff. Our kids need good fortune and luck, not labor.

POTS OF GOLD. Discovery Charter School in Newark, N.J. bested 6 schools from Newark, Pittsburgh and New York City to earn a top-place finish in an “innovative design” contest. And just up I-95 in Springfield, Massachusetts, Sabis International Charter School saw a team of its students advance to the National Academic Decathlon.

Newswire – March 9, 2021

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on March 9, 2021 - 1:42 pm

Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

THEY ARE WOMEN, HEAR THEM ROAR

Cancel Math...and Shakespeare... CDC Insanity… No wonder parents trust parents to make decisions more than anyone else about where their kids should be educated, and how. It’s a long one this week, but if you’re concerned, read every word.

We’re in the midst of Women’s History Month, and apropos of that, moms, grandmas, sisters and women from all walks of life, colors and economic status are leading the fight to open classroom doors and get kids back in school.

MOMS KNOW BEST. Whether for mumps, measles, polio or any other health scourge, it is usually a mom or grandma who takes the kids for their vaccinations. They instinctively understand “the science”. A new article in The Atlantic puts it bluntly: that COVID vaccines are removing any doubt about reopening schools. Women understand this. Every teachers union member in America needs to read it.

MOMS SPEAK UP. What happens when parents challenge the teachers unions’ refusals to return to school? They get attacked, of course — and profiled! Remember the San Francisco tape where board members were mocking parents? Well whatever California unions are drinking it’s clear it has destroyed all reason. The Los Angeles union is racially profiling parents who oppose them, arguing that they are all “white and Middle Eastern parents.” This mom of Afghan descent received a racial profiling email from the United Teachers of Los Angeles after being quoted in the L.A. Times urging that schools reopen. “I felt very targeted…anyone who spends 30 seconds reading that email would see it is very clear, pointed racism” the mom said — but happily she has no intention of backing down.

FREEDOM IS CONTAGIOUS. Moms — and dads — are realizing the advantages of remote, or distance, learning for some of their kids. That choice should be theirs alone to make. A new poll by National Public Radio, reveals the depth of this feeling, as nearly one third of parents say they may stick to remote learning even after schools are fully reopened.

FREEDOM BEGETS EQUALITY. Reason and evidence in support of our quest to #FundFamilies, not failure.

GIVE WOMEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE? Go back in time with CER’s Why America? Initiative to explore the courage and persistence it took — with those who were there! Hear from heroines Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul about their historic achievement in winning the 19th Amendment – even during a pandemic. Educators and students, in particular, are encouraged.

URGENT ACTION ALERT. San Diego Schools superintendent Cindy Marten has been nominated to be the Deputy Secretary of Education. She tried to deny public charter schools funding, due process and appeal rights. She blocked the growth and replication of public charters. Opposition to her is being led by San Diego’s Black and Latino families who want an alternative to their underperforming neighborhood schools. Urge your senators to vote “NO” because of her poor record on choice, charters and parent support. We make it easy for you to do so by going here.

Celebrate Women’s History Month by hitting play on this anthem of women empowerment from Helen Reddy’s 1971 mega-hit I am woman, hear me roar! Could be the anthem of the current drive to reopen schools by women of all stripes who are not afraid to roar when they see injustice happening in their kids’ lives.

Newswire – March 2, 2021

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on March 2, 2021 - 2:20 pm

Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

PARENT POWER….VOX POPULI… A tidal wave of “parent power” is demanding education for their kids, proving again that father…and mother… and grandmother and grandfather, and loving guardians… know best! And you know we’ve been talking about parent power since (eek) the 90s!

THERE’S A NATIONAL PARENTS UNION! And its work reinforces that parents are not happy with the state of play in education today. In addition to helping parents build advocacy and legal defenses to fight for their rights, NPU has released a new survey of 1,002 parents of K-12 public school students which finds that only 5% think unions should heavily weigh on reopening plans and most do not want teachers to wait to be vaccinated to feel safe enough to send their kids back. NPU President Keri Rodriques summed up respondents’ feelings nicely; “parents want high-quality consistency and are growing increasingly frustrated with the dismal outlook that their child is falling further and further behind.”

STORM WARNINGS IN SAN FRANCISCO. Even in the always windy San Francisco Bay area, the gales of parents’ revolting are being noticed. A bi-partisan, multi-racial group of fed-up parents is working to recall all members of the city school board. Union-captive board members mis-managed the COVID crisis so badly that the very liberal San Francisco City Council sued the school district — also very liberal — calling its reopening plans “woefully inadequate.”

PARENTS IN WINE COUNTRY are also demanding open classrooms. Creative folks in the North San Francisco Bay Sonoma County used an electronic billboard to get their message “Missing: all California students, last seen March 13, 2020. Reward-their future. #OpenSonomaCountySchoolsNow” to thousands of commuters every day. (NOTE: We are available to come help you find them!🍷)

GARAGE PODS? A short drive across the San Francisco Bay Bridge in Benicia are frustrated parents who couldn’t wait any longer. They created learning pods in their garages, where classes are taught by teachers of the local school district (clearly they don’t have a school problem!). Why do a pod? One parent explained that, “We (California) are the only state where our kids can’t go to [any] school. Can’t play sports. The social element for them is detrimental. Getting up in the morning to look at a computer screen? That sucks.”

A SNOWSTORM DIDN’T STOP Parents and students in New Jersey from rallying for a return to in person learning. And for the “out of the mouths of babes” file is this remark by a perspicacious 5th grader at the rally, “We’ve got to keep on going, because if we don’t now we’re going to lose…we can’t accept the defeat from the district, who are just bullying us the whole way, and that’s just not right.”

PARENTS ARE MOVING FOR GOOD EDUCATION. A mom in Philly wants to move to Florida to educate her children, others are running for office, suing, relocating and looking to private schools. Parents shouldn’t have to move or sue in court to ensure quality education for their kids. But every parent understands what is motivating the parents in the City of Brotherly Love…

GREAT SCHOOLS are making it happen for kids. Summit Public Schools in California and Washington St., Purdue Polytechnic High School in Indianapolis, and the Leadership Academy Network in Fort Worth are among the schools who were able to pivot quickly to remote learning. The answer isn’t rocket science — it’s because their public school districts gave them significant autonomy. Autonomy = choice = quality education for kids. Simple as 1 – 2 – 3.

GOT A STORY TO TELL? We’re looking for your best tales of parent power, or schools innovating. Just drop us a line at [email protected] and we’ll get on it!

Just the tip of the iceberg of good things happening across the country as more and more powerful parents take control of their kids’ education. We’re not saying “Don’t worry, be happy” like Bobby McFerrin, but we are saying realize that you are not alone, that millions of parents are making your voice heard with their voices. That’s something to be happy about!

Newswire – February 23, 2021

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on February 23, 2021 - 5:25 pm

Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

Covid $ Diverted...Follow the money and #FundFamilies (not failure)

COVID ED FUNDS DIVERTED. This week, Biden press secretary Jen Psaki admitted that the Blob’s intention for stimulus funds is for staff, not kids, for hiring and salaries and not on ensuring schools are opened!

“A big part of the challenge here for a number of schools is that they need… to obligate funds according to spending plans, rather than exhausting all balances as soon as they’re received. So the challenge here is, how do they plan ahead? They can hire, if they need to hire additional teachers now for smaller class sizes or if they need to hire bus drivers or if they need to hire, they need to do improvements to their facilities, they want to be able to know, understandably, just like any business or company, that they will be able to employ teachers next year and the year ahead, so that’s why this funding is so essential is because they need to be able to plan ahead so that they can make the improvements now and do the hiring now.”

As reported by The Federalist, “Psaki’s comments come after nearly $1 trillion of Congress’ previous coronavirus spending funds are still sitting unused. One $100 million authorization in the CARES Act, which granted federally funded schools resources ‘for cleaning and disinfecting’ as well as ‘assistance in counseling and distance learning,’ was also left untouched as schools around the United States kept their doors closed in exchange for virtual learning.

FROM CALIFORNIA comes news that dollars intended to help low income, English learners and foster youth could be spent on… wait for it… pay raises for teachers. Democrat legislator Shirley Weber, a former college professor and San Diego school board member points out that “this is not what we (the legislature) intended.” State Superintendent Tom Torlakson was heavily financed by the teachers unions and apparently doesn’t care what the legislature intended. He is going full speed ahead on his plan to take the dollars away from kids and give it to the unions.

FOLLOW THE MONEY. As CATO’s Neal McClusky reports, despite two enormous COVID relief packages to schools already passed, combined with another larger $212 billion in funding appropriated for education to educate — almost one-third of what we spent on education nationally in the last regular year — classrooms remain closed across the country (except in private and some charter schools) while billions sit unused nearly a year after being dispensed.

RANDI STUTTERS THROUGH THE NUMBERS. Check out this summer’s Facebook interview with the AFT president, who gets tongue tied when asked about how she arrived at her prediction that 1.4 million education jobs could be lost without the above referenced stimulus bill. “How did you get to your number?” Weingarten is asked, as she ahs and ums while she tries to cobble together an insufficient and misleading explanation:

“So we uh both punted and then we actually, um, used some of the statistics we’ve already been seeing, um, from, um, some of the very well established budget experts, uh, in Washington, DC…If you just uh…count the jobs lost, uh, that come out every month… Because as people have been starting to go inside… you know remote… um, there have been support personnel…so you can do both remote and in person… there has been a need to get additional teachers…Without the stimulus that hiring is going to stop.” HUH?

REQUIRE REOPENING TO RECEIVE FUNDS. The answer is right in front of us and the chorus for this logical next step is growing. As proposed by Louisiana Congressman and minority whip Steve Scalise, “Let’s be clear: The extra $100+ billion for schools Democrats want to pass isn’t even tied to reopening. They REJECTED @RepAshleyHinson’s bill to require schools getting money to at least have a plan to reopen. Why should we send more money to schools not even planning to open?”

Why, indeed? The moral of the story is that if schools won’t reopen, we can give families the funds. They will get the education their kids need and deserve.

#FundFamilies (not failure)

SPEAK OUT AND LET THE SUNSHINE IN. The only antidote to ignorance is sunshine. If you’re concerned, write, call, speak out, share and let the Sunshine In. Take it away, Aquarius!

Newswire – February 17, 2021

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on February 17, 2021 - 4:39 pm

Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

INSANITY: MATH IS RACIST. While the rest of the world continues to view 1 + 1 = 2, Oregon says objective math is racist, so they are now using a program that demands that educators “identify and challenge the ways that math is used to uphold capitalist, imperialist, and racist views.” It added that it is “unequivocally false” to assume math is an “objective” discipline. Excuse us but that is absolute, utter BS. And we won’t accept it.

SANITY: BLACK MINDS MATTER. Thank God for people who understand that parents of color continue to be victims of a system run amuck. It is their kids who suffer most with schools closed and when they fail to impart substantive education. A powerful new voice has emerged — Black Minds Matter — that will rectify both, celebrating black minds and supporting excellence. Its mission statement gets right to the point: “students should have free, high-quality, safe school options beyond the singular option the government assigns.” Started by dynamo Denisha Merriweather it also publishes the first ever online directory of schools started by African Americans.

REOPEN OR REDISTRIBUTE? Maybe rather than reopen we should redistribute — the funds that is — to parents. As we’ve said for months (and years), #FundFamilies. (Watch our video here) That, and only that, will result in the outcome we all need and want — that our children be given the most important social and civil rights foundation — education — which is currently being abused, politicized and mismanaged from all sides. To wit:

UNIONS SCREAM WHILE MONEY STILL NOT SPENT? “While the $68 billion authorized in December has been disbursed by the federal government, just $4.4 billion of that pot had been actually spent by school districts as of last month.” There’s only one reason for that — they want more.

INSANITY II: SHAKESPEARE CANCELED. The race to see who could cut Shakespeare out of English and literature curricula is on across the country. Teachers from Minnesota and New Jersey have once again turned their sights on William Shakespeare as the core target of their “cancel culture” efforts. Our view is why not blend in different voices, races and stories instead of denying children of all cultures Shakespeare’s work which has been the inspiration and foundation for much of the literature, verse and poetry that the world still enjoys today. Post editorialist Kathleen Parker agrees.

SANITY II: PANDEMIC PODS EXPLODING. More and more parents are stemming learning loss on their own by teaching children on their own in pods and homeschooling. In North Carolina, more than 18,800 families filed to operate a home-school from July 1 to Jan. 22. In Connecticut, the number of students who left public schools to be home-schooled jumped fivefold this school year, to 3,500. In Nebraska, the number of home-schooled students jumped 56%, to 13,426. That’s just a slice of what’s happening, and what needs to happen until the world is turned right side up again.

PARENT OUTRAGE CONTINUES. From the WSJ Today in response to Beaverton, OR staying closed as they continue to negotiate with unions:

“Is there a word beyond ‘frustrating’?” said Samantha Vembu, a Beaverton School District parent who may send her kindergartener struggling with isolation to an open private school across state lines in Vancouver, Wash. “It just makes you want to hit your head and cry.”

BIDEN: IT WAS A MISTAKE… Really? Or was it a miscalculation? From the CNN Town Hall last evening, when asked about school reopening… “I said open a majority of schools in K through eighth grade, because they’re the easiest to open, the most needed to be open in terms of the impact on children and families having to stay home.” And Biden said his press secretary made “a mistake in the communication” when she said they’d open one day a week…and just 50% of them.

“We’ve had a significant percentage of them being able to be open,” Biden added.

Yes, sir (we say)… but they opened way before you got involved. In fact, Florida’s 3 largest school districts, not to mention Texas, Arkansas, Iowa. Private and charter schools? Well, needless to say that those with no state keeping them closed, no union to deal with nor dependency on city transportation are mainly open.

“My guess is they’re going to be probably pushing to open all summer to continue like it’s a different semester,” he went on. So that’s the plan. Summer school. And the unions will no doubt extract a pretty penny for that, too.

INSANITY III: CDC GETS POLITICAL. The long awaited CDC guidance repeats what effective school organizations already know and are doing. Last week it reiterated that in order to open, schools must follow a whole host of safety measures — to wild applause from the unions. But no one fact checked the announcement, which mirrors the same safety measures that national leaders have been talking about — and effective schools have been implementing — since summer 2020!

SANITY III: WVA CHARTER PUSH. West Virginia lawmakers have had enough of the failing system — finally — and plan to improve their ailing and very weak charter school law. The proposed amendment would allow for charters to actually get opened rather than be controlled by the very bodies that want them to just go away. Read more.

Can’t say we’re not amused at this new ad campaign starting in Times Square:

SPEAK OUT AND LET THE SUNSHINE IN. The only antidote to ignorance is sunshine. If you’re concerned, write, call, speak out, share and let the Sunshine In. Take it away, Aquarius!

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