Chalk Talk - Education Reform Action Hereos: Results

January, 2007

A recent story in Education Week covering a “study” to determine who are the “influence leaders in education policy” piqued our interest. As it turned out, as is the case with most popularity contests, influence, like beauty, is in the eyes of the beholder. Nominees for the short list, solicited from a relative, and anonymous, handful of “influence leaders,” included some obscure and even defunct groups, the usual inside-the-beltway bureaucrats and policy wonks, and, or course, a US president or two. Winners, also tapped by this mystery influence committee, were headed up by Bill Gates (when does the world’s richest man not come out in the top ten?). In the end, it all seemed just a little bit self-congratulatory, just a little bit inside baseball, and ultimately focused more on sizzle than substance. But after all, influence is not the same thing as improvement.

We believe that the real movers and shakers, changing things one law, one school, one textbook at a time, are YOU. So in early January 2007, (link to previous chalk talk titled “Who Are the Real Action Heroes of Education?”) The Center for Education Reform (CER) invited parents, educators, community members and education reform advocates to let us know who has been a significant influence in helping achieve education improvements at the local level, where the real battles rage. Rather than conducting a popularity contest wrapped in a commissioned study, we wanted an opportunity to learn – and share – the stories of people who are truly making a difference for schools and students.

The response was tremendous, and CER thanks all those who sent us their stories. We salute all those folks beyond the Beltway who have written laws on the back of a napkin, worked tirelessly to persuade lawmakers to pass those laws, created schools, written standards, and generally challenged the conventional wisdom in the interest of making schools work better for all children.

The stories of the individuals and organizations below (presented in alphabetically order) chronicle the inspiring and noteworthy achievements of some real action heroes.

Robert B. Aguirre
Carole Andrews
Simon Campbell
Fred Crawford
Regine P. Ebner, M. Ed.
Liz Evans
Dr. Randy Everett
Tony Gerlicz
Matthew and Katherine Ginnetty
Michael Goldstein
Scott Gordon
Charlotte Greenbarg
Craig Henderson
Wayne Jennings
Ronald E. Johnson, Ph.D.
Peter Kast
Kumon North America
Liberty Common Founders and Board of Directors
Thomas Lubben, Ed.D.
Mike Maxwell
Dan McKinley
Julie Merendino
Linda Moore
Mueller Charter School Teachers
Jim Murphy
Cindy Omlin
Ron Packard
Rick Piercy
Jack Podsiadlo, S.J.
Laura B. Prado
Joseph H. G. Proietta
Dan Quisenberry
Ridgeview Classical Schools Founders and Board of Directors
Kevin W. Riley, Ed.D.
Michaeline Schaffer
Brother Ed Siderewicz
Raymond L. Smart
Debbie Smith
Diane Tavenner
Washington Core Founders

Robert B. Aguirre

Mr. Aguirre is a San Antonio businessman who has been involved in the fight for parents’ rights through educational equity and school choice since 1989. Today he invests a great deal of his time and resources into developing the Hispanic Council for Reform and Education Options (CREO) and advocating for the Texas legislature in Austin to expand education choice programs for children.

Carole Andrews

She is a voice for children in need. She served on the school board in Broward County until she was too sick to continue with her efforts to improve education. Ms. Andrews was part of many committees that were 100 percent dedicated to improve the life of children and students with behavioral problems.

Simon Campbell

In response to a horrible teachers’ strike (they’re all horrible) last year, Simon Campbell initiated www.stopteacherstrikes.org to influence legislation in Pennsylvania to end teacher strikes. His effectiveness is absolutely phenomenal and a real example of civic duty. And, he’s not even yet an American citizen. Mr. Campbell is a true inspiration.

Fred Crawford

Fred Crawford is the principal of Greenville Technical Charter High School and has worked hard to hire the best teachers and staff to work with students. As a result, his team has turned the school into one of the best in South Carolina and in the nation. GTCHS has some of the highest test scores in the state and has been named one of the 15 Best Charter Schools by the U.S. Department of Education. Additionally, Mr. Crawford is working with community leaders, educators and parents to plan new charter schools to be located on community college campuses in the Greenville Area.

Regine P. Ebner, M. Ed.

In 1974, Regine founded a Montessori preschool-kindergarten, The Montessori Schoolhouse, in Tucson, Arizona. Ten years ago she and her husband, Michael, converted it to a charter school with four classrooms, serving 115 students in preschool through 6th grade. Regine has helped over 1,200 students begin their lifelong journey on the road to learning, trained over 25 Montessori teachers and counseled hundreds of parents. She is definitely one of our quiet heroes of education and the raising of children.

Liz Evans

Liz Evans was the driving force behind Elmwood Village Charter School in Buffalo, New York. Essentially, the school was conceived in her kitchen. Liz sought to find a school for her daughter, Ruby, who was a struggling reader and not meeting with success in a traditional public school. Liz envisioned a small community school that would be able to address the individual learning needs of its students. Liz assembled a group of educational experts that included veteran teachers, university professors, behavioral experts, and school administrators. Together, they designed the Elmwood Village Charter School.

Liz and the other founders fronted money to begin the process of applying for a charter, and her father and stepmother mortgaged their home for the startup money. Today, Elmwood Village Charter School is a vibrant school community serving the needs of 125 urban students in the city of Buffalo. The school emphasizes social responsibility, arts integration, multi-culturalism, and community alliances. For the first time students like Liz’s daughter, Ruby, are experiencing academic success in an intimate school community that values the different learning styles of children. To the parents, students, and staff of Elmwood Village Charter School, Liz Evans is a true action hero.

Dr. Randy Everett

… In 1992, before the Colorado legislature considered a charter school bill, Dr. Everett drafted a proposal for the Poudre School District (PSD) Board of Education to establish an elementary “school of choice” organized around the Hirsch Core Knowledge Sequence. Dr. Everett met personally with each school board member, sometimes for hours, to communicate his vision and answer questions.

Dissatisfied with the nebulous curricula offered at neighborhood schools in the early 1990s, Dr. Randy Everett, a urologist, began to read, research, and meet with small groups of parents in Fort Collins, CO in search of better options. After months of research, Dr. Randy Everett and his wife, Ruth Ann, identified several fundamental elements they believed most parents desired in their children’s schooling:

• Parental choice in education

• A core curriculum of specific content knowledge

• Solid, content-driven skill instruction

• Teaching the values of a democratic society

• School-based management

Randy and Ruth Ann took their message on the road, placing advertisements in the local paper at their own expense, and speaking in living rooms and meeting halls throughout the county. Soon, hundreds of parents had joined the cause. In 1992, before the Colorado legislature considered a charter school bill, Dr. Everett drafted a proposal for the Poudre School District (PSD) Board of Education to establish an elementary “school of choice” organized around the Hirsch Core Knowledge Sequence. Dr. Everett met personally with each school board member, sometimes for hours, to communicate his vision and answer questions.

The educational community fought Dr. Everett’s proposal with gusto. District teachers testified before the school board, pronouncing the Core Knowledge Sequence too difficult to teach or learn. In spite of this strong opposition, the school board approved the request, and Colorado’s first Core Knowledge school, Washington Core Knowledge, opened with 125 students in the fall of 1993.

Led by Dr. Everett, parents painted a run-down school building, gathered curriculum resources, and interviewed potential teachers. Even though Dr. Everett’s “school of choice” idea had been approved, he recognize the critical need to codify parent choice mechanisms in law, and simultaneously led parents to lobby the Colorado legislature for the passage of the Charter Schools Act of 1993.

Students at the Washington Core Knowledge School immediately began to outperform their peers at neighborhood schools. In two years, enrollment had nearly doubled, and the waiting list numbered in the hundreds. The huge demand for the educational program offered at Washington Core Knowledge School prompted Dr. Everett to begin drafting an application for a Core Knowledge charter school. By the summer of 1995, unresolved issues with PSD regarding the permanence of the Washington school and the authority of the school’s parent board over its academic program spurred Dr. Everett to launch a full-scale charter effort.

Meeting after work and on weekends, Dr. Everett’s vision inspired and led a small group of parents to define and document the charter school’s mission, goals, curriculum, governance, budget, facility plan and more. On October 31, 1995 the Core Knowledge Charter School (CKCS) Partnership, led by Dr. Everett, submitted its application to the PSD Board of Education. Rather than proceed with negotiations, the PSD board requested more and more information, explanation, and detail. The parents of the CKCS Partnership responded to each request, but to no avail. On December 11, the PSD board voted to deny the charter application without ever having met to negotiate with the parents.

Undaunted, Dr. Everett and his group of charter parents appealed the decision to the Colorado State Board of Education. In February, the state board sided with the parents and instructed PSD to negotiate an agreement in good faith with the charter group. Weeks of meetings ensued. It appeared the two sides were slowly coming together. However in an 11th hour surprise, the PSD board suddenly voted to “approve” the charter with several major restrictions, not previously discussed. PSD further directed the charter parents to find space in a non-district building and execute the charter contract with PSD no later than June 1.

The constraints made it virtually impossible to open the school. Disappointed, the charter parents filed a second appeal with the State Board of Education. In an apparent attempt to quash the charter school, PSD unleashed its attorney. A paper war erupted as the lawyer threw legal obstacles in the path of the charter school. Dr. Everett’s charter group managed to fend off the legal challenges and was finally granted a hearing before the state board. At the April 23 hearing, the final punch was landed when PSD announced it had filed suit against the State Board of Education and the five parents serving on the CKCS board – which included Dr. Everett.

Concerned that the lawsuit could result in an injunction preventing the charter school from opening, the state board recommended the charter group try to open a school with PSD’s restrictions. Dr. Everett tirelessly worked with a commercial realtor, to conduct yet another survey of potential properties to accommodate the PSD-imposed school configuration. A near match was identified. However, two minor adjustments to PSD’s restrictions would be necessary.

Dr. Everett and the charter group entreated PSD to consider adjusting the restrictions. The PSD board refused to consider the request. “The Board of Education will not take any further action,” came the response in a May 3rd letter. The June 1 contract deadline expired, and CKCS Partnership announced to the press there would be no charter school in 1996. The next day PSD dropped its lawsuit against the parents. Dr. Everett wasted no time mobilizing his next charter effort.

Facing a $5,000 debt for legal filings and newsletters to charter supporters, he “passed the hat” yet again, this time requesting additional donations to hire a lawyer for the charter group. On October 1, 1996, the charter application for Liberty Common School was submitted to PSD, along with a file drawer of supporting documents, reports, and studies – most identified or compiled by Dr. Everett.

Negotiations dragged on for months. Dr. Everett reduced his patient load to accommodate the PSD board’s schedule. Finally PSD approved the charter, and a 5-year contract was signed on February 24, 1997. By now, Dr. Everett had invested literally thousands of hours of personal time in the charter effort. To open the school, teams of parents conducted interviews at Dr. Everett’s Urology Center. Dr. Everett trained the entire staff in the school’s mission and philosophy. He led the teachers, along with parents, to identify curriculum resources and skills programs to augment the Core Knowledge Sequence.

At the same time, Dr. Everett worked with a commercial realtor to find a suitable building and financing for the new school. Pursuing multiple deals simultaneously, they never gave up as each financing option ultimately collapsed. Left with no other options, Dr. Everett and his wife, along with four other couples, purchased a toothpaste factory to be renovated and leased to the charter school.

In addition, the Everetts and 12 other Liberty families put up personal assets as collateral for the $1 million construction loan to renovate the factory. In September 1997, Dr. Everett’s dream became a reality as Liberty Common School opened its doors to more than 400 eager young students in kindergarten through 7th grade.

Over the past 15 years Dr. Everett has donated thousands of personal hours educating others throughout the state about the need for education reform and how such reform could be accomplished. He read scores of books on education, education reform, and school management. He personally bought multiple copies of many of these books and shared his private library with any parent or teacher who showed interest. Dr. Everett continues to educate community leaders through a local book group.

Tony Gerlicz

… Tony Gerlicz founded the Monte del Sol Charter school in Santa Fe, New Mexico seven years ago and in order to do so, worked tirelessly and most often thanklessly with the state legislature, with state and local school officials, others throughout the state and launched a school that today is recognized as one of the most successful public, charter schools in the state.

In so many ways, Tony – Head Learner, Monte del Sol Charter School, Santa Fe, NM – has modeled education reform in our community. Previous head of private schools, he wanted to provide high quality education for public school youth so started a 7-12 charter school. To insure diversity in race and class, he went door to door in the trailer parks to get Hispanic kids to register for the lottery. Each student has a mentor in the community; all are now going on to college or trade schools. Arts in all the curriculum!

This year when the School had 60 openings, we had 500 applicants! And he led the way to getting us a loan for building our school. The diversity is about 48% non-Anglo. Language study is required (Japanese, French, Spanish) and students raise money to visit other lands. Another amazing fact is that we have the highest turnout in the State for parent-teacher conferences (about 94%). His influence is contagious; he advised many others in the State and has brought together the other charter schools in New Mexico.

Another submitter wrote:

Tony Gerlicz founded the Monte del Sol Charter school in Santa Fe, New Mexico seven years ago and in order to do so, worked tirelessly and most often thanklessly with the state legislature, with state and local school officials, others throughout the state and launched a school that today is recognized as one of the most successful public, charter schools in the state. He continues today as “head learner” and inspires countless teachers, students and others to reach for higher goals and the achievements of the school and its constituents are noteworthy. Has he challenged conventional wisdom in the interest of “making schools work better for all children?” Without a shadow of a doubt, Tony Gerlicz has succeeded beyond anyone’s expectations and made what only seemed like a dream into a reality. Come see!

Matthew and Katherine Ginnetty

They helped to found a charter school in Franklin, Massachusetts that has four pillars that seem to be the bottom line to all parents: recognizing parents as the primary educators of their own children; teaching character education through the classical virtues; using a solid, content-based curriculum called the Core Knowledge Sequence; and having children build authentic self-esteem through community service endeavors.

Michael Goldstein

Mike Goldstein, of Boston, founded the MATCH School, which was recently named one of the eight best charter high schools in the country in a study performed by the federal government. Not one to rest on his laurels, Goldstein is also constantly seeking to innovate. MATCH has changed dramatically since its founding in 2000, and continues to improve with initiatives like AP for All.

Scott Gordon

Scott Gordon served as the founding principal of Mastery Charter School in Philadelphia. Founded in 2001, Mastery now operates three schools in inner-city Philadelphia. In his role now as CEO of Mastery, Scott and the organization seek to expand the Mastery model to show that success for inner-city students is possible with a creative school model and lots of hard work. Mastery now has over 100 employees at the three schools serving approximately 1,000 students. Ninety-seven percent of the first two graduating classes are currently enrolled in college.

Charlotte Greenbarg

As president of IVBE (Independent Voices for Better Education), she brings to light the deficiencies of a system that refuses to change. She has being/is an outspoken leader about the exceptional students program lack of accountability and about minorities’ poor graduation rates and /or graduation without being prepared for college. Charlotte Greenbarg is an outstanding hero for Broward and Dade counties in Florida as well as nationwide.

Craig Henderson

He is a founding board member, past president, tireless defender and amazing fundraiser for Chicago International Charter School. Without Craig, Chicago International wouldn’t exist let alone be the largest charter in the state!!

Wayne Jennings

Wayne was one of the first pioneers in the Charter school movement. His school designs were very unique and always had the best interest of the students in mind. He has been an inspiration to me and countless others over the years!

Ronald E. Johnson, Ph.D.

He designed individualized, accelerated, virtue-based textbooks with a staff training system for recovering at-risk teenagers, especially those from homes without resident dads. He has testified before the Texas State Board of Education and legislature to promote educational choice, especially the concept of none-punitive alternative schools. He conducts seminars for juvenile probation and correctional personnel who work with delinquent, fatherless boys. He has published books and articles to enhance educational choice, especially among minorities. His textbooks and individualized learning concepts are being used in more than 50 schools in eight states. He served on the state textbook selection panel and on the state academic assessment transition team.

Peter Kast

Dr. Randy Everett’s vision (see story) was so compelling that he was able to bring on board professionals whose skills were necessary for the charter school effort to succeed. Commercial realtor, Peter Kast, embraced the charter movement enrolling his children and donating hundreds of hours searching for facility options, negotiating financing, and overseeing the LCS Building Corporation. Under Mr. Kast’s leadership, Liberty Common School became the first charter school in Colorado to finance a school building by issuing bonds through Colorado Educational and Cultural Facilities Authority in November 1998. Other charter schools have relied on Mr. Kast’s expertise and experience to find and finance facilities, including Ridgeview Classical Schools and Pioneer Experiential Learning Charter School in Fort Collins.

Kumon North America

…Kumon North America is working with several cities to allow it to receive NCLB funds and distribute its method to impoverished, inner-city children. This is a brilliant method, well executed, and aimed at the fundamental deficiency of American schools, namely, the absence of basic skills.

An after-school supplementary program in reading and math, Kumon has 1200 centers across North America and over 200,000 students. Toru Kumon, a Japanese math instructor whose son was having trouble with math, designed the curriculum initially. Now taught in the United States, the Kumon method focuses on the two basic building blocks of school. Kumon students have gained an average of 22 percentiles on four different California outcome studies. It is the only program to be tested against the TIMSS results and found to have students comparable to international outcomes (and, obviously, above American outcomes).

Kumon North America is working with several cities to allow it to receive NCLB funds and distribute its method to impoverished, inner-city children. This is a brilliant method, well executed, and aimed at the fundamental deficiency of American schools, namely, the absence of basic skills. (I am a recently certified Kumon Instructor. In the past, I opened a charter school, participated in two others. I am also a Board-certified clinical psychologist.)

Liberty Common Founders and Board of Directors

The founders, many the same group as from Washington Core, fought many obstacles to get Liberty Common opened. These obstacles included the founders being personally sued by the school district, having the funding pulled out from under them through the district’s power at the level of the local banks, the district’s hostility and negativity regarding the school to include untruths. This group of individuals continued to persevere and have a National Blue Ribbon School that is in its 10th year of operation. The local school district opened other Core Knowledge Schools within the district due to the demand for this type of quality education. Many other students can now be exposed to high expectations and rigorous academics due to the existence of this charter school.

Thomas Lubben, Ed.D.

Dr. Lubben worked tirelessly for seven full years searching for a site and developing a regional charter for a performing arts school. He was an active proponent for establishing the Pennsylvania Charter law in 1997. He did this without salary. He formed a board of directors and a large group of advisors to help convince school districts to support the charter in Pennsylvania. The School, the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Performing Arts, located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, has now been established for four full years and has received awards and accreditation from Middle States. The school draws students from 50 different schools, 30 school districts in 10 Pennsylvania counties. They are currently at full enrollment with 420 students. Ninety percent of the students go on to higher education. Lives are being dramatically changed at the school. The school services over 25 percent minority students, 14 percent low-income, and 10 percent special needs, which reflects the national averages.

Mike Maxwell

Attorney Mike Maxwell had no connection to the charter school movement when he was first contacted by Dr. Randy Everett. Mr. Maxwell was immediately captivated by Dr. Everett’s passion and the critical nature of the school choice movement. Maxwell donated hundreds of hours of his professional services and expertise to assist in the writing and negotiating of Liberty’s charter. His legal advice was invaluable during Dr. Everett’s second attempt to obtain charter approval from PSD and essential to the successful execution of the charter contract.

Dan McKinley

Dan has quietly gone about changing the face of Milwaukee schools for 15 years. As the executive director of PAVE, he played an instrumental role in passing the Milwaukee voucher program and continues to fight to protect that program. He works diligently to create strategic partnerships that benefit schools in Milwaukee.

Julie Merendino

Four years ago, Julie and I decided to send our children to the newly forming Kennesaw Charter School. Willing to do whatever we could to improve the education of our children, we both enrolled our children and volunteered to do whatever work that we could to start the school off successfully. I took on the community outreach chair for the scarcely formed PTSA and my friend Julie took on The President of the Kennesaw Charter School for the first year.

Since then, she has served another term as PTSA president and co-president. Because of her love for the children, her genuine interest in making sure that the children at KCS have the best education available and her continued involvement and creative ideas, she was offered and now works at the school as an employee. Although Kennesaw Charter School in Kennesaw, Georgia is full of parents who truly care about their children’s educational success, Julie Merendino stands out above us all with her positive attitude and willingness to work hard to make our school top quality and competitive in the educational arena.

She does not just talk the talk, she walks the walk…and for that I greatly respect her! God Bless Julie Merendino for her wonderful contribution to education.

Linda Moore

Established by Linda Moore in 1996, the Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School prepares 250 culturally diverse elementary school students in the District of Columbia to be leaders, scholars, and responsible citizens. Children are taught to speak, read, write, and think in two languages: English and French or English and Spanish. With a dual focus on academic excellence and community service, the Stokes School accomplishes its mission by creating an environment of achievement, respect, and non-violence.

Established in 1996, the Elsie Whitlow Stokes Community Freedom Public Charter School prepares 250 culturally diverse elementary school students in the District of Columbia to be leaders, scholars, and responsible citizens. Children are taught to speak, read, write, and think in two languages: English and French or English and Spanish. With a dual focus on academic excellence and community service, the Stokes School accomplishes its mission by creating an environment of achievement, respect, and non-violence.

It might be enough just to educate 250 elementary schools students a day, but Linda knows that it is important to be a good community partner and neighbor. So the school offers a number of programs aimed at bettering the whole community, not just the student population including:

• English as a Second Language training for parents of students and other community members. ESOL training is offered in the evenings at the school. Classes are given in partnership with The Family Place and Carlos Rosario.

• Interpretation services for parents – above and beyond translation services for parent-teacher conferences, the Stokes School offers simultaneous translation services for parents at in-school workshops and conferences. Translation is available in Arabic and Spanish.

• Workshops and support groups for parents. The Stokes School maintains relationships with community support services programs to make referrals and counsel parents. The school psychologist has a parent caseload and helps parents with everyday issues.

Linda and the professionals at Elsie Whitlow Stokes have gone above and beyond to bring education into the homes of their students and to the community it serves.

Mueller Charter School Teachers

The Teachers of Mueller Charter School choose to teach at Mueller Charter School knowing that the Mission is to get 90% of students to grade level when there was never more than 50% at grade level. They continue to individually and collectively pursue instructional strategies that are effective with a student population that features high numbers of low income, second language learners. In spite of family dysfunction, student transience, and historically low academic gains, the children of Chula Vista, California have benefited from a staff of 40 teachers who have truly become experts in serving an otherwise high risk population.

• Teachers conduct home visits at the beginning of the year with every child in their classroom.

• Teachers serve on the governance team, literally setting policy, creating programs and services, monitoring all needs of 950 children, and managing a $6.5 million dollar budget.

• Teachers participate in weekly professional development in many forums.

• Though the average years of experience is less than five years, 4 are now Nationally Board Certified, and 5 are in doctoral programs.

• Teachers are developing expertise in the use of formative data to engender higher levels of achievement.

This year, 100% utilize the assessment system developed by The Northwest Education Association (NWEA) to monitor students’ progress and make on-going adjustments to children’s individual learning programs. Teachers consistently collaborate in professional teams, committees and ad hoc study groups to identify and share promising practices. As a result of their collective dedication:

• Mueller has never failed to meet an AYP target goal (while 15 schools in the immediate vicinity are Program Improvement Schools).

• Mueller has seen a 215-point net increase on the Academic Performance Index.

• Mueller had the highest rate of attendance of 43 schools in the 4th quarter of last year, and the second highest at the end of the first quarter this year.

• Mueller has seen the student mobility rate drop from a high of 65% in 1998-99 to less than 20% in 2006-07

• Mueller’s overall attendance has ballooned to its all time high of 950 children, and now serves a 7-8 middle school population.

Jim Murphy

He is founder of both the Chicago International Charter School Foundation and The Daniel Murphy Scholarship Foundation, which scholarships inner city 8th graders into private high schools around the city and around the country. He believes that self-initiative and determination deserve a leg up!

Cindy Omlin

She should be honored for her efforts to relieve the teachers of Washington state of the necessity of joining unions or of having to pay dues to them, which are spent on political activity. It seems to me that the teachers who can take advantage of this type of program would be more likely to stay in the profession and younger women and men would probably then become teachers using their higher intelligence to bring better skills to their jobs. Without the union interference, people would be more apt to fulfill a desire to help the young to become really great Americans of one kind or another.

Ron Packard

Ron is the founder of K12 Inc., which has resulted in over 25,000 students across the country and growing with an online curriculum. This curriculum is fully aligned and provides great opportunities for educational choice for families. It is Ron’s vision, spirit and drive that have helped this fledgling company produce the highest quality curriculum that is endorsed by many of the best in education and educational research such as Charles Zogby, Chester Finn, and William Bennett.

Rick Piercy

According to a December 29, 2006 article published in the Victorville, CA Daily Press, naming him Person of the Year, “Piercy has led nothing less than a radical revolution in public education as founder and CEO of the Lewis Center for Educational Research and the Academy for Academic Excellence in Apple Valley.” He throws out traditional ideas about how students learn, creates innovation through public/private partnerships, slices through government bureaucracy and raises expectations for both students and parents alike.

Jack Podsiadlo, S.J.

Jack Podsiadlo served as the founder of Nativity Mission School, a middle school located for at-risk boys on the lower East Side of New York City in the early 1970s. Jack created a school model that is now replicated in a national network at over 45 schools throughout the United States. Nativity schools have a longer day and longer year – often up to 245 school days per year. Jack has served as an inspiration for thousands of students, teachers, and administrators for over 35 years. And all the while, he is one of the most dedicated, sincere and humble educators I have ever had the pleasure of working with and learning from.

Laura B. Prado

Laura Prado has been an outstanding spokesperson for children with disabilities and their families. Her advocacy skills have made enormous contributions and continue to do so thru her LIFE organization to help students and families with developmental disabilities.

Joseph H. G. Proietta

It can easily be said that Joseph H. G. Proietta designed a charter school prototype back in 1980 when he opened an alternative school dedicated to combining the best aspects of public and parochial education while incorporating the supports of a social service agency. He successfully fought for 17 years on annual basis with local government leaders for the preservation of his school despite budget cuts.

In 1997, his educational vision won him one of the original four charters granted in the City of Philadelphia. Today, over 26 years later, the original enrollment of 12 high school students has grown into the 1200+ students who attend Community Academy of Philadelphia, C.S., a Pre-K to 12th grade Middle States Accredited Institution serving the city’s at-risk youth.

In addition, under the umbrage of IECI/One Bright Ray, Incorporated, Proietta has expanded his educational endeavors to also include Fairhill Community High School (2003-Present), an alternative, accelerated high school credit program which, like Community Academy, focuses on students who are at-risk and those unlikely to achieve outside of a school whose programmatic composition accommodates their instructional, behavioral, and social needs.

Dan Quisenberry

Dan is president of the Michigan Association of Public School Academies (charter schools). He works tirelessly with the legislature in not only getting charter school legislation on the agenda but also in protecting them from adverse legislation. He travels throughout the state and appears at all sorts of events. I believe Michigan now has one of the largest state conventions for charter schools, which is sponsored by MAPSA. He is a well-deserving candidate to be recognized by your organization.

Ridgeview Classical Schools Founders and Board of Directors

This group of parents brought the first K-12 charter school to the community. The K-8 is also a Core Knowledge School, while the high school has a classical focus. The Socratic method is utilized in all courses. The high school provides a very rigorous academic program to all students. The high school ranked 2nd overall in the state of Colorado its first year of operation, and is currently ranked #1 High School in Colorado for its 2nd consecutive year. The rankings are based on the CSAP (Colorado Student Assessment Program) and ACT examinations scores. The ACT scores of the 05-06 junior class significantly exceeded those of the local district, state, and national averages. These scores included 15% of the student body that have IEP’s. The vision that all students can and will achieve if the school takes responsibility for its students education is being realized.

The school is in its six year of operation yet, believe it or not, had to appeal to the State Board of Education (Sept 2006) in order to obtain its subsequent charter contract. The school is currently in litigation with the local district over the funding structure the district has imposed in violation of Colorado State Statute. The battle continues but these parents will not give up. The school will go on as it was designed, despite the attempt of the local district to hinder its existence and growth. The initial enrollment in the school six years ago 384, current enrollment is just under 700.

Kevin W. Riley, Ed.D.

As the principal of Mueller Charter School, Dr. Riley has led his staff toward significant and powerful organizational change…. The result: in a school of 950 children, where 95% are children of color, 85% are Latino, 75% qualify for free or reduced lunch, 60% are learning English as a second language, Mueller Charter School has gone from an Academic Performance Index (API) of 520 to 733 – one of the highest gains in San Diego County. More…

As the principal of Mueller Charter School, Dr. Riley has led his staff toward significant and powerful organizational change. Among those changes:

• He re-wrote the school’s charter petition to reflect one, clear, child-centered mission: to get 90% of the students to grade level.

• He led through the turmoil of a staff that chose to eliminate the teachers’ union.

• He devised a governance process that involved stakeholders in truly authentic decision-making: including budget, salaries, working conditions, text selection, calendar, schedules, personnel, etc.

• He designed a student monitoring system that fosters resiliency in students and coordinates services to families.

• He led staff in a professional development program that has given all teachers a strong foundation in the elements of research-based powerful teaching, including the capacity for leveraging summative and formative data to engender significant academic gains for children.

• He has shared strategies with other schools through participation in workshops and conferences and by publishing Mueller’s promising practices in professional journal.

• He has recorded the successes and challenges of Mueller’s last 7 years in a recently completed book entitled The Lights of El Milagro: Lessons on Organizational Change from a Turn-Around Charter School.

The result: in a school of 950 children, where 95% are children of color, 85% are Latino, 75% qualify for free or reduced lunch, 60% are learning English as a second language, Mueller Charter School has gone from an Academic Performance Index (API) of 520 to 733 – one of the highest gains in San Diego County.

Michaeline Schaffer

Mrs. Michaeline Schaffer has been an unsung hero on the charter school front for the past 10 years. After watching the public school fail to teach all students and continue to increase class sizes, Mrs. Schaffer formed a group and began planning a school that reached all learners. Through hard work and determination, White Pine Academy was formed and opened in Leslie, Michigan in 1999. Over the past eight years, enrollment has increased to 205 students serving a 35-mile radius in rural Ingham County. To this day, Mrs. Schaffer is still actively involved in the day-to-day operations by serving as Athletic Director, Office Manager, and Building Facilitator.

After renting a former school building for six years, Mrs. Schaffer along with the school board sought out property to build a new building. Again, with hard work and dedication, this vision was achieved and White Pine Academy has been in the new building for two years, with four additional rooms being added this spring. With Mrs. Schaffer’s vision, hundreds of children have been able to receive an education that prepares them to become lifelong learners. This is only a fraction of the heroic things Mrs. Schaffer has done for students and education reform. I proudly nominate her as an Action Hero.

Brother Ed Siderewicz

Brother Ed Siderewicz is one of the co-founders of both the San Miguel Schools Chicago and the Catalyst Schools Chicago. His hope is to bring viable alternatives in education to inner-city families from grades K-16. Brother Ed has been working in Chicago since he helped open the first San Miguel School in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood 12 years ago. Since that time he has opened up a second San Miguel school in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood and a public charter school, called Catalyst Charter School, in Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood.

All three of these schools have extended school days (8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.), low student/teacher ratios (10:1), and year-round calendars. Also, these schools believe the best way to reach a child is through all the avenues available. Therefore, the schools provide a family and graduate support program. These programs have staff members that follow students through their high school years after they graduate from the middle schools. They also embrace the families and surrounding neighborhood by offering adult education classes and family workshops on topics such as parenting, health, and financial management. Brother Ed is currently working on a fourth school, another Catalyst public school, which will open in the fall of 2007. He is committed to bringing change, opportunities, and hope to inner-city students in Chicago.

Raymond L. Smart

As president of the Smart Family Foundation, Mr. Smart has worked tirelessly over many years to identify, support and fund worthwhile start-up charter schools and other educational organizations aimed at developing model institutions to serve America’s neediest students. He was the primary funder/person who made possible Amistad Academy and the Achievement First schools, and supports several other top-performing urban charter schools.

Unlike the heads of many foundations, Mr. Smart takes a hands-on approach at the local level, drawing others to the table and motivating individual school leaders and staffs, spending hours in school buildings observing and offering feedback, and networking with other like-minded individuals at the state level. Mr. Smart’s heart is truly in it, and I know of no other individual who has done more to help jump-start and support Connecticut’s charter school movement.

Debbie Smith

As the executive director of PATHS Through School Choice, Debbie works to improve the education of children within the public school system by contributing her time in a series of volunteer positions as well as advocating on behalf of our own children and others. We have two children currently attending high school: our daughter who has been in special education since preschool and our son who is an honor student who was also in gifted and talented programs in his elementary years. Having such diverse children has provided Debbie with a variety of experiences within the public education system. These experiences include working extensively with students, parents, teachers, and administrators in addressing education policies. Debbie has performed as an advocate, speaker, leader, and volunteer all in an effort to improve education standards for children. As an advocate, she worked with the Office of Civil Rights on behalf of our daughter and other students, and was ultimately successful in securing a two-year probation for the school district due to the number of violations committed by the district. As a speaker and leader, Debbie regularly addresses groups of parents, students, and teachers where she discusses student and parental rights and offers support and insight into the difficulties of raising a child with special needs. Debbie has always felt so passionately about education reform that she eventually created a non-profit organization for public education reform, PATHS Through School Choice.

Diane Tavenner

Diane leads Summit, a new public high school with superb and scalable breakthroughs in teaching, learning and governance — fulfilling three goals: prepare students for college, build a lasting culture and catalyze widespread improvement in secondary education. Her vision and results are why she is your Education Reform Action Hero. More…

In just two years, her new school climbed to rank in the top 30 in the entire state of California. Of those top schools, Summit is among the few with a greater than 35% Latino enrollment and running on the state revenue limit budget. She has demonstrated how students from many backgrounds can prepare effectively for college with teacher mentors. For teachers, changes have been equally dramatic: implementing differentiated education, performance-based pay, true professional development and site authority.

To illustrate more clearly how these concepts work together, Diane launched a performing arts immersion with local arts groups during the month of January for all students running for 4 weeks, 6 hours per day and culminating public performances. In a stroke, she transformed a culture into students supporting each other’s public performance and building critical college skills. At the same time, she used the late afternoons after arts practice for academic tutoring to ensure that any students behind in the first semester could hit the ground running for the next semester.

The true genius came in opening this same month for the teachers to collaborate for 4 weeks while students performed in the arts program: enabling teachers to review, assess and improve — including going to outside programs, seeing prospective teacher-hires in their classrooms and hosting other schools starting down their path to improve education. Other examples abound, such as designing a cohort model wherein teachers own a grade-level subject: allowing them to focus on differentiated instruction and to measure results directly afterwards.

Another is a teacher-mentor grouping, where a teacher works with 20 students over a four-year period to prepare for college: setting short-term and long-term goals, providing personal counseling and creating a spirited team. This move blew up the conventional, ineffective guidance office and mobilized those resources as frontline teachers.

A final example is a partnership with a university school of education to scale with widespread dissemination of best practices, to create a flow of new teachers steeped in the methodology and to provide objective assessment. These successes have been endorsed independently. Carnegie Corporation hailed Summit as a model for teacher preparation for the era ahead. The community has flocked to the school with a waiting list each year, affirming a first-time vote of confidence in public education.

As a true backing, other schools are now launching themselves on the Summit model. By building a culture for success for teachers and for a diverse student body via high expectations and high support on a standard budget, Diane has led the way for wide-scale national improvement backed by powerful results. When combined with her personal passion and around-the-clock commitment, Diane Tavenner has truly earned your “Education Reform Action Hero” title.

Washington Core Founders

A group of parents brought Core Knowledge to our community. This parent group was not allowed by the local hostile district to get a Charter so opened a “contract” school. Although this school significantly out performed every other elementary in the district, when the three-year contract was up, the district refused to renew the contract. The curriculum was watered down, the hiring practices, including retaining of teachers was hijacked. The school still outperforms most of the other district elementary schools, the exception being the subsequently formed charters that could not be hijacked by the district.