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Education is hot today in Washington. 17 CEOs are at the White House, scheduled to talk about issues ranging from education & infrastructure (note: we think they go together). The Atlantic’s 3rd annual ideas summit is up and running and we’re happy to see the presence of Derrell Bradford to balance that of Randi Weingarten. Education choice is, like the pollen count, spreading into the ether, and more…

 A TALKING POINT FOR THE WHITE HOUSE & THE CEOS. Imagine combining needed improvements in rural infrastructure in those red states that so handily won the race for Trump with expanded and improved educational options, and private sector development of teacher villages to attract talent. That should be what is on the national agenda today. “Until educational, social and economic policies are implemented with rural communities in mind, rural citizens should continue to work to break down barriers for more socially just rural schools and communities in the same way that urban citizens have.” That’s the argument from a Penn State Professor for one piece of the puzzle improving rural communities – “The Unique case for rural charter schools,” . Together with providing much needed flexibility for school districts to innovate and incentives for public private partnerships, a commitment to rural America could make today’s meeting truly pathbreaking.

 MEANWHILE OVER AT THE NEWSEUM… The Atlantic is hosting its education summit, conducting interviews of newsmakers in education as a look into what’s next for edreform. AFT head Randi Weingarten was on the same stage (sadly, not together) with long time ed reformer Derrell Bradford. Watch here.

OH, WHAT? Asked for comment following a discussion on charters, Weingarten lamented, “Oh god…,” and went on to claim the schools were the AFT’s idea. Not so! The real origin?

#BLACKDEGREESMATTER. If you want to know what parents and students really think about school choice, check out this piece from the Philadelphia Citizen.

CHOICE SPREADS. It’s been imbedded deeper and deeper in the environment, and in a society that is all about advancement, after 26 years you’d expect to reach a tipping point. By now it should be clear: education must evolve at the pace of its nation.

The latest spread is in pioneering Arizona, where a universally available new choice program will allow 5,500 additional students this year and 30,000 by 2022 to sign up for Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, giving them access to programs that biggest meet their children’s needs.