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BLACK LEADERS CHANNEL TWISTED SISTER.   A powerful piece calling out black leaders for their lack of support of charter schools comes this week from Gwen Samuels, founder and President of the Connecticut Parents Union.  As she puts it, “they have a moral obligation to break their silence and stand up for black parents, families and students caught in the crosshairs of this status quo education war.”  Go Gwen! She is among a growing number of vocal leaders from the African-American community who are standing up and screaming from the rooftops, “we’re not going to take it anymore.” They include thoughtful and well-known leaders from cities nationwide,  David Hardy, Steve Perry, Chris Stewart.  A good segue from our piece last week pointing out that black students in charter schools are more likely to have black teachers than their peers in traditional public schools.

MANY OTHERS ARE DOING THE HARD WORK DAILY.  In a double hitter that will help even the least knowledgeable understand the critical importance of parent power in achieving educational excellence, the story of revolutionary innovations in a community that has lost its education occupies Jeanne’s Forbe’s Column this week as well as this week’s Reality Check podcast. Eugene Slocum, Founder and Superintendent of the Alpha Academy in Fayetteville, North Carolina, is incorporating the work of famed Hidden Figure scientist Katherine Johnson in Alpha’s STEM Institute, and expanding by leaps and bounds, no thanks to the traditional system.  Listen in to how this rural charter leader succeeds in educating students and preparing them for a lifetime of success.

A SUMMER THEY WON’T FORGET. We welcomed 5 interns last week to learn about choice and innovation in education and how to win the battle against the educational zeitgeist. They had a busy first week, starting with a trip to the Pentagon to help with our final Why America? experience for DC middle school students, and then visited last week with the erudite Bill Bennett, Ronald Reagan’s Education Secretary and one of the Godfathers and guiding lights of the battle for education excellence.

SERGEANTS MAJOR CAN MAJOR IN A DEGREE.  Showing that schooling doesn't end when you put on your country’s uniform, soldiers attending the U.S. Army Sergeants Major Academy  can now put their Army coursework hours towards earning a bachelor degree. After completing the 10 month course the 92 students in the current class will graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Leadership and Workforce Development.   A good example of what we mean when we say K-career education, and we bet classroom disruption is at a minimum.

WHEN EDUCATION REIMAGINED GOES VIRAL. Literally. Watch for yourself, the inimitable Gisele Huff explain why we must reimagine it - and change it!

MORE UNREST. The union attacks on school choice of all kinds have been fierce, mean spirited and ugly, but what the bullies didn’t count on was the “common folks” who benefit from quality education fighting back.  Parents, grandparents, students and just friends are making their voices heard in support of true education opportunity across the country, in San Jose, Philadelphia, and Massachusetts among others. Those who experience the benefits of school innovation on a daily basis know the truth, and the truth has set them free to fight back for their kids.

REIMAGINING HIGHER ED, TOO. Florida State University (FSU), which is part of an increasingly innovative system and state, is requiring a new initiative in an experiential learning requirement for undergraduate students to ensure more relevance in the schooling experience, including having students engaged in  “internships, service learning, undergraduate research or creative activity, international study and significant leadership experiences.”  Such activities, according to research conducted by the Strada Education Network, are more likely to result in postsecondary completion for students.

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