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Newswire: January 31, 2017 — National obsession with what should’ve been a simple appointment for Education Secretary has pushed other ed issues out of the spotlight

The past few weeks of national obsession with what should have been a simple appointment has distracted too many from the business of educating kids. While the Senate HELP committee today voted to send Betsy DeVos’ nomination for U.S. Secretary of Education to the Senate floor, there are plenty of other educational challenges it’s time for the media and advocates to turn their attention to:

NYC CHARTER CAPS. NYC is close to hitting its limit on charter schools, and Gov. Cuomo wants to lift the cap to expand opportunities for more students. Of course, anti-charter Mayor DeBlasio is fighting back. Know the facts about charter schools as we watch this battle play out. 

LACK OF CERTIFIED TEACHERS IN DETROIT… Where’s the buzz on that? While the New York Times was working overtime to convince Americans that Detroit charter schools are bad (and that DeVos has something to do with that), they missed this story.

MISGUIDED PREFERENCE IN DC. In DC, a misguided mayor has proposed a ‘walkability’ preference for charter schools – meaning preference would be given to elementary school children living half a mile from the school starting in 2018. Unfortunately, this undermines the concept of choice. 

…And don’t forget, more clips can always be found at CER’s Media Bullpen! 

EDITOR’S NOTE
From Michelle Tigani, Communications Director: This is my final gig as Newswire editor, as I will be taking on a new professional challenge starting Feb. 6. If you know of some communications professionals dedicated to parent power, be sure to send them CER’s way!