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Newswire – June 2, 2020

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on June 2, 2020 - 12:09 pm
Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

NO POMP – LOTS OF CIRCUMSTANCES

COVID 19 MEANT GRADUATIONS WITH NO POMP BUT LOTS OF CIRCUMSTANCES.  This is a very different Newswire, but these are very different times. Anyone worried about the ingenuity of the upcoming generation need look no further than the joyous graduation celebrations that are taking place — looking nothing like what we’ve seen in the past. Most of the “pomp” associated with graduations could not take place, but schools and graduates made sure that the “circumstances” were memorable nonetheless. Get ready to smile as we run down — in no particular order — just a few for you.

SENIORS AT SOMERSET ISLAND PREP, in Florida, graduated in style—on jet skis! Thanks to a local business that allowed the students to use their jet skis to help celebrate this milestone, the students received lessons prior to their big day and then jet skied in front of Key West’s Southernmost House wearing their gowns and masks—where the principal stood on the dock to hand out their diplomas.

STUDENTS AT CAROLINA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL in North Carolina participated in a drive-thru graduation ceremony. Staying close to tradition, the students listened to speeches from the valedictorian, salutatorian, and keynote speaker—while also following social distancing guidelines. The high school seniors then hopped out of vehicles and joined a line one at a time to receive their diplomas. Each graduate received a handmade mask to celebrate this moment.

THE LARGEST CLASS TO EVER GRADUATE FROM Southwest Leadership Academy in Phoenix will always remember their “drive-through” graduation ceremony as the craziest but probably the most fun. Thanks to the creativity and hard work of the school staff, teachers and administrators students still celebrated their achievement with a parade of cars, food, pictures and lots of whooping and hollering. The school still intends to have a prom this fall and formal graduation in August.

THE SECOND CLASS OF SENIORS WILL GRADUATE FROM Oregon Trail Academy, but unlike their predecessors they will not get a ceremony at the iconic Timberline Lodge.  Students will participate in a drive-thru ceremony in the afternoon and watch the pre-recorded portion in the evening. The virtual celebration will include speeches from the valedictorian, salutatorian, and commencement speaker. It will also include words of wisdom from the graduates and photos. Kudos to the school and seniors for their creativity and determination to celebrate a new chapter!

NEWARK CHARTER SCHOOL in Delaware held a drive-thru graduation for their high school seniors. Parents and students drove through the parking lot to celebrate this milestone. Each senior had the opportunity to exit the car one at a time to receive their diploma. Families later received a recording of the school’s commencement speeches.

THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT is blessed with incredible physical beauty and the Mission Achievement and Success charter schools, one of only 13% of schools in the state to consistently receive an A rating.  Faculty, parents, and of course students were sad that they could not have graduation ceremonies on the regular scheduled date, but the schools have big plans to make it up to them with a celebration that the grads will not forget. 100% of the graduating class has been accepted to college or the armed forces. You can get a glimpse of the grads in this video.

RENAISSANCE ACADEMY IN PENNSYLVANIA is helping their high school seniors show off their accomplishments! The school gave their students yard signs to keep spirits high and celebrate graduation. Members of the school’s board of trustees went door-to-door delivering the signs. Many students are showing their appreciation and enthusiasm on social media—using the hashtag #RASeniorsStrong.

SUCCESS IS MORE THAN A MOTTO AT THE SUCCESS ACADEMY. We’re not sure of the graduation plans for the Success Academy of Liberal Arts in Manhattan, but we are sure of the cracker jack job the school does educating its students. Every senior at Success –  one of the city’s largest charter school networks serving 17,000 students in 45 schools —  has been accepted to a college this year. Eagle-eyed readers will note that this achievement is not a stranger to charter schools. And by the way,  the senior class notched an average SAT score of 1268 en route to their college acceptances — nearly 200 points higher than the national average.  Someone please tell us again why charter schools are bad for kids.

DID WE MISS YOUR UNIQUE GRADUATION? We know we’ve barely scratched the surface with the items above.   The country needs good news now more than ever — and you can help us spread it. Send us information and photos to [email protected] ( or [email protected] )  so we can include it in next week’s Newswire. In the meantime, stay safe, take comfort from your family, and as our British cousins say, keep calm and carry on!

YOU CAN LEARN HOW VIRTUAL AND REMOTE LEARNING WORKS FOR THOUSANDS

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 – May 26, 2020

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on May 26, 2020 - 3:26 pm
Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

FREEDOM’S LEGACY – AND FUTURE.

BEFORE MEMORIAL DAY SLIPS OUT OF MEMORY, let’s be sure to remember what it is all about — the cost paid by our fellow Americans to insure that we all had a precious commodity, one they thought worth dying for — freedom.

“WHY AMERICA”? Teaching love of country isn’t just for patriotic holidays.  Now’s a good time to share new resources with the kids in your home or who you are teaching remotely. Easy to use course outlines and material that make teaching American history a snap can be found here on Why America? at 2024.edreform.com.

SCHOOL DAZE. The biggest ed story out there daily it seems is reopening schools. As Wall Street Journal’s Tawnell Hobbs reports, “Students wearing masks, eating lunch in classrooms and attending school in person only two days a week are among the scenarios being looked at in school districts throughout the U.S. planning to reopen in the fall…Children who are academically behind or without internet access would get preference for in-person learning under some proposals. Other plans prohibit sharing school supplies and desks closer than six feet apart, and limit parents and other visitors on campuses.”Whatever your own community or schools’ solutions, it’s clear that options are essential.And when schools do reopen, who will be there? “About 20% of teachers say they don’t intend to return in the fall. And about 30% of parents say they’re very likely to continue at-home learning,” according to a new poll from USA Today.

TUESDAY, JUNE 2
YOU CAN LEARN HOW VIRTUAL AND REMOTE LEARNING WORKS FOR THOUSANDS

SILVER EDUCATION LININGS. Yes, the virus has been a tragedy for the country. But behind the Covid cloud, the everyday, real life experiences of millions of Americans during the “lockdown” have opened eyes and shown the many possibilities that come with new education responsibilities…  Reporting for the New York Times, Elizabeth Harris says “one unexpected silver lining of the shutdown has been an improved learning experience for certain students, including some who struggle to pay attention in class and even some high-achieving self-starters.” Where ‘remote learning’ was a foreign concept to most parents it is now catching on. 

YET SOME ARE ATTACKING REMOTE ED…. And also likening it to homeschooling, where parents drive when and what their children are taught. A Harvard prof said home schooling maximizes potential for child abuse. But he and others like him were summarily rebuked and many are now becoming convinced of the value. According to John Stossel, “‘Home-schoolers score 30% higher on SAT tests.’ They also do better in college, and they are less likely to drink or do drugs.”

LEARNING CAN HAPPEN ANYWHERE. Love this idea from an educators technology group (h/t to Real Clear Education) to take a tour of the world using google maps!

BLACK & BROWN v BIDEN?  “The votes of black and brown charter school parents matter. Ignore us at your own peril.” The bold and unwavering Dr. Howard Fuller cautions Vice President Joe Biden about the loss of votes he’ll encounter if he continues to toe the union line rather than what’s good for children.  As we all agree, giving parents power and ensuring all have access to education excellence for America’s kids are way too important to become just another political piñata. 

In May 1868, General John A. Logan, the commander-in-chief of the Union veterans’ group known as the Grand Army of the Republic, issued a decree that May 30 should become a nationwide day of commemoration or “Decoration Day” for the more than 620,000 soldiers killed in the recently ended Civil War. It is to be designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country…” 

Throughout the years a number of changes have been enacted to this federal holiday, a shift from May 30 to the last Monday of the month to allow for a three day weekend, the name Memorial Day being officially adopted, and since 2000, the U.S. Congress passed legislation that all Americans are encouraged to pause for a National Moment of Remembrance at 3 p.m. local time.

No matter the official name or date, it’s of paramount importance we celebrate Memorial Day.  Millions have given their lives on the fields of battle to make it possible for us to enjoy the “blessings of liberty.”

It is those individuals who gave what President Lincoln called, “the last full measure of devotion…to ensure that government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”

Pause with us to remember and reflect on the sacrifice made by these brave individuals and understand that even in the midst of today’s challenges, it pales in comparison to offering one’s life for something greater.

Enjoy your Memorial Day week.

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 – May 19, 2020

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on May 19, 2020 - 10:22 am
Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

EDUCATION’S BERLIN WALL. When the Berlin Wall fell and East Germans experienced freedom for the first time — there was no going back.  With an assist from COVID19, and despite the overwhelming tragedies and seeming irreversible impact it has created, the walls confining students to education based on zip code has also fallen. Millions of parents and kids are learning for the first time the capacity of their schools’ administrators to respond to crises. As we’ve written in the pathbreaking report, “The Future of School” released last month, this experience is an opportunity to determine how best to educate every child, no matter where, or what their circumstances. Whether the approach taking place is called distance, digital, remote or whatever, it doesn’t matter.  The smell of innovation and creativity unbridled by bureaucracy is in the air. The anecdotal stories of parents, school leaders and citizens city by city shows that 40 percent of Americans now more likely to homeschool and enroll kids in virtual school, when given the choice. Ah, but there’s the rub.

Organizing tele-townhalls, and pro-status quo virtual marches, the NEA is spending all of its time and money advocating for more stimulus funds to plug the gaping hole of the empty school buildings

Read More …

Newswire – May 5, 2020

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on May 13, 2020 - 5:42 pm
Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

IT’S CHARTER SCHOOLS WEEK.
THE FUTURE IS HERE – AND NOW.  

The year 2000. That’s when National Charter Schools Week started (though some suggest it was 1999). The first Congressional resolution was introduced in the House by Democratic Representative Tim Roemer of Indiana and by Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut. The resolution acknowledged and commended “the charter school movement for its contribution to improving our Nation’s public school system Expresses the sense of Congress that: (1) a National Charter Schools Week should be established; and (2) the President should issue a proclamation calling on the people of the United States to conduct appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities to demonstrate support for charter schools in communities throughout the Nation.”

And indeed President Clinton did so.He also called for and went on to sign a bi-partisan bill to help expand charters. (see clip) That program has expanded over time and under bi-partisan leadership in Washington, DC and the states.

WHAT CHARTERS UNDER COVID SHOW US TODAY. Today, while there is much more to the charter movement which CER helped to start than a simple week, it’s fitting that during this time of COVID we should celebrate the one and only public school reform in history to give teachers freedom, parents choice, and kids the opportunity out of an education determined by zip code.

So much more to learn and to say about charter schools but here are a few takeaways to share with your friends

Read More …

Newswire – May 5, 2020

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on May 5, 2020 - 6:04 pm
Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

Week 8 of Quarantine?

For some it’s 6, 7 or 8 but it’s been a long time. Everything has changed, including when we publish our content and what we are doing. In fact, some suggest that this pandemic has forced us to all do things differently, that have been a long time coming. Change is hard, so while CER won’t change its focus, its DNA or its approach (apologies, foes and fair-weather friends!), we do adapt when the necessity arises. Here’s what you need to know on this 5th day of May 2020–

THIS IS WHY WE CALL IT THE BLOB. Dozens of education groups are mobilizing to get more money moving to education, which you might think is a good thing, if not for the fact that the traditional system has failed a majority of students — for decades. Asking for $200 billion, on top of the $13 billion in new monies already delivered for education (see related story below) to fund federal programs in anticipation of state budget cuts is the epitome of throwing good money after bad. Never mind that the rest of the nation has to try to figure out how to tighten belts, which includes the taxpayers who pay for federal funding. Never mind that students are being educated in many diverse ways, and not just through Districts. Never mind that not one mention of the fact that the system they seek to fund has been doing a stunningly poor job.

Rather than

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Newswire – April 22, 2020

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on April 22, 2020 - 4:27 pm
Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

THE FUTURE OF SCHOOL?  If you’re interested in that, you’ll want to be joining the CER ACTION Series (That’s ACTION — meaning Accelerating Change through Innovation and Opportunity NOW)! Part III on the Future of School covered the experiences of two Change Makers who combined, serve almost 80,000 students remotely and digitally with much individual attention — despite the challenges presented by COVID. Learn more about the work of Jon Hage and his team at Charter Schools USA and Julie Young, CEO at ASU Prep Digital. You can watch the entire session. But just to wet your whistle:

“We don’t need to have a gap in our learning because we have a virus in our country…Hopefully after COVID, we will look at boundaries and geographic barriers very differently.” – Jon Hage

“We believe school is a verb; it can take place anywhere, and anytime — no boundaries, no barriers,”  – Julie Young.

PLAN TO JOIN US FOR MORE… Next week, Tuesday, April 28th, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm with Patricia A. Brantley, CEO, Friendship Public Charter School, a founding partner of the nearly two decade-old Friendship with 12 campuses in Washington, DC and schools in many other cities, and Antonio Roca, Managing Director at Academica Virtual Education, overseeing 200 public charter schools and

Read More …

Newswire – April 15, 2020

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on April 15, 2020 - 11:10 am
Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

 

SCHOOLS ARE OPEN…It’s just the facilities that are closed. That’s what you’ll learn and see from today’s Ed Innovation Webinar, that despite the challenges and crisis, there are educators, leaders, visionaries and companies who are delivering for the students — our nation’s future.

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE OF SCHOOL LOOK LIKE? You won’t want to miss the opportunity to truly “see” the redesigned schools out there… REGISTER NOW for APRIL 21 at 11 AM EST.

PARENTS YOU CAN DO THIS. This week in Forbes, Jeanne Allen explains that parents have been teaching their children since day one. Perhaps not typical “classroom” lessons, but vital life lessons, and they are their child’s first — and best — teacher.

ABOUT AS REMOTE AS YOU CAN GET.  Florida is the state furthest removed from Alaska, yet thanks to some innovative thinking in both states, the Florida Virtual School will now provide classes and trainingto students and teachers in Alaska.  As Alaska’s Education Commissioner Michael Johnson commented, “School is more than a location — education can happen anywhere”. Officials of teachers’ unions everywhere should be required to write that sentence 100 times on a blackboard!

JOB MATCHING. Our economy has taken an enormous hit and jobs are changing. “There is no natural mechanism today to match the people being laid off to the available job openings,”

Read More …

Newswire – April 7, 2020

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on April 7, 2020 - 6:09 pm
Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

Perhaps the most famous literary first line in history (if you were fortunate to be exposed to English literature, which, for all too many people is not the case) is “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” from Dickens’ “A Tale of Two Cities.” COVID is creating for many the worst of times. Yet the overwhelming response from Americans of all stripes and the outpouring of help, including for education, indicates that in some ways these may be the best of times for Americans’ generosity and public spiritedness.

HOW DO YOU GET THE ANSWERS? If you want to know anything about where we are and what to do to avoid COVID-19, you watch or read the words of the amazing Dr. Anthony Fauci. But if you want to know anything about where we are in education or how to teach remotely or manage your kids distance learning, you kind of have to figure it out yourself, unless someone is….

BRINGING ORDER OUT OF CHAOS. One of the few downsides to the enormous outpouring of ideas and solutions for the millions of students, parents and educators suddenly thrust into unfamiliar digital learning roles has been the sheer volume of information — one colleague compared it to “drinking out of a fire hose.”Put down that fire hose and avail yourself of the first searchable database of curated resources from around the country which CER will launch on Wednesday, April 8.  Follow us on Twitter or check into Read More …

Newswire – April 1, 2020

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on April 1, 2020 - 9:54 am
Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

YOUR NO FOOLIN’ GUIDE TO EDUCATION IN THE TIME OF COVID

Yes — Today is April Fools’ Day – but there is no fooling around in this Newswire. Just information we know you can use whether you’re a parent, teacher, student, administrator or just a foot soldier in the one answer to COVID that we can control — quality schooling from home.

A NEW RESOURCE PLATFORM is your one-stop shopping for the best and latest efforts in accessing substantive, innovative education options, here and across the globe. We designed this specifically for families, students, educators and anyone who wants to know what 5-star programs can be yours — for free. This will be the most worthwhile 10 minutes you spend today.  And come back often as we continuously update the offerings.

THE LATEST ON THE FEDERAL RESPONSE TO HELP SCHOOLING FROM HOME.  Details are contained in the comprehensive remarks of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos from Friday’s press briefing where you will learn about the full range of help available from D.C., including making sure students impacted by school closures still have access to the school meals, the delay of a year in federally mandated standardized tests, plans to insure that students with disabilities have full access to distance learning and a rundown of initiatives taken by various states.  This and more available to you at the Department’s COVID information page.

DISABILITIES MUST NOT BE A DISABILITY TO ACCESS DISTANCE

Read More …

Newswire – March 25, 2020

Commentary by: The Center For Education Reform on March 25, 2020 - 5:16 pm
Tags: CER, Newswire, edreform, news

THE FUTURE IS NOW 

Our resolve is more firm than ever before. We are not blinking — never have and never will. We are redoubling our commitment and efforts to help education advance through and despite this crisis.

Whenever this COVID19 crisis ends, and it WILL end, one thing is certain — things will never be the same. The crisis has brought to the forefront the innovators and entrepreneurs who will make education — in America and abroad — agile, adaptive and successful in the 21st century.  

DON’T LET EDUCATION FALL IN THE CURVE.Tens of thousands of amazing people, programs, organizations and content have been produced, updated and made free online. We’re doing our part to make sure our kids don’t fall into the curve, with a one-stop shopping platform for all who need access to how and what to learn in this new digital age.

MOVING FROM BC to AD APRIL 1.  This new digital age requires new thinking. Our partners at ASU+GSV are taking a portion of their annual summit online to help you think through what’s next across the globe.

MINI-VIRTUAL SUMMIT APRIL 2. After hearing scores of challenges with this new “normal,” CER will be connecting ed tech leaders with our most important customers — the parents and educators on the frontlines. Register Here

 

TAKE A BREAK FROM COVID-19 and..

SHARE IT…
Follow us on twitter, FB and instagram, and email [email protected] to tell us your stories/solutions. Whatever we get from you on social media — or directly via an email — will be shared, utilized in tele-townhalls, conferences and provided to the media. So please keep us informed by sending us what you know — so we can keep everyone informed.