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Newswire: May 24, 2016

Vol. 18, No. 19

FIX TENURE. Rather than wait for another ruling in the Vergara v. California case, Democratic Assembly member Susan Bonilla has introduced legislation to curb tenure laws. “To wait is to lose another year in a child’s life,” said Bonilla. While Vergara must still be re-fought and won to improve educational quality, it’s clear it has had a ripple effect on the public psyche.

THE MEDIA & CHARTER SCHOOLS. The role of charter school students, educators and advocates has never been more important when it comes to educating the media. “The media can only report what they hear and see, and when opponents outnumber proponents and have a habit of spreading misinformation, it’s no wonder the media leans negative” when it comes to charter schools.

WHEN THEY FALL… Just set the record straight. That’s what we do, as evidenced by this piece in the Deseret News, when a reporter incorrectly portrayed the success and outcomes of innovative public charter schools.

…GIVE THE FULL STORY. Has school choice been able to interrupt the strong link between home environments and academic success? The answer to that question is a resounding yes, despite a recent Washington Post headline.

STOP THE MADNESS. Arne Duncan once scoffed at Bill Bennett’s accusation in 1987 that Chicago had the worst schools in the nation. That seems to remain true when it comes to continued bad policies. The district told school leaders they should prepare for cuts of as much as 39 percent, which will most negatively impact charter schools. This mess is largely a result of inequitable state funding and a mandate from the state that CPS pay full teacher pension costs, despite CPS pensions being 10 percent more funded than the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System at 42 percent. Stop the madness by writing now.

LOUISIANA LOWS. Anti-choice Governor John Bel Edwards has signed legislation that restores the some of the same kind of power to New Orleans that left it an educational disaster pre-Katrina. All the while Louisiana voucher families are left in limbo thanks to a state budget that cuts the school choice program.

In other news…

The GlobalMindED conference on Access, Equity and Opportunity is June 9 and 10 in Denver, CO. Attendees will have the opportunity to network and learn from the greatest educational leaders in the U.S and the world while contributing their own best practices to support a diverse, capable pipeline. Additionally, 100 first-generation college students will participate in design-thinking, rapid prototyping, networking and pathways to entrepreneurship thanks to sponsors who support minority and women-owned start-ups. Check out the all-star lineup of speakers so far and a short trailer about the 2015 conference.