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A DAY LATE BUT STILL TIMELY.  If it’s Tuesday it must be CER Newswire day, except when Monday is a holiday. We hope you had a great Memorial Day and were able to pause to recognize those in uniform who have fought so valiantly to protect and defend freedom.  Freedom comes at a price, though. It includes not only vigilance, but recognition of our prized principles. Education is the key to understanding both. Which is why our continued failure to deliver exceptional schools for all kids, like this story in an unlikely upper income area, is so tragic...

LAX, VAGUE AND INCONSISTENT.  That’s the description of Montgomery County Maryland’s high school graduation policy in last Sunday’s Washington Post exposé.  And that’s the good news. The bad news is that the county education establishment is blatantly rigging the rates, allowing students to graduate while missing as many as 47 days of class. The worse news is that while making the educrats look good, the policy harms students.  A variety of experts observe that “chronic absenteeism can threaten student success and undermine efforts to reduce achievement gaps that leave black and Hispanic students lagging”…as well as make those students “more likely to drop out of high school or not finish college.” Have the administrators  no pride?

AN EQUAL AND OPPOSITE REACTION. The scandalous graduation rate policy of Montgomery County is an open secret, but just a few miles away, the D.C. Public Charter School Board approved five new charters (in spite of the usual objections from the usual suspects) making the total number of charter schools in the District 128.  The reason for these is precisely because the DC public school system was failing students, and these bright public lights of excellence would never get away with the kind of lax standards we see in MoCo, one of the nation’s wealthiest. Maryland’s charter school law ranks an F on CER’s National Charter School Rankings and Scorecard, for numerous reasons, including the fact that only school districts may approve them, so when savvy Montgomery county parents pointed out over the years that having a charter would help them better educate and raise standards for their children, they were rebuffed from the self-acclaimed “best” school district in the nation. Of course, one would also then have to wonder why more than 20% of families choose private schools for their children. Seems parents already know the deficiencies...but we digress…  

A SCHOOL PLAYLIST – NO SONGS, LOTS OF LEARNING.  If you are like most who are unaware of blended learning, playlists and other remarkable innovations helping students learn, do yourself a favor and read about Cisco Junior High School. Located in Cisco, Texas, the school gives teachers the autonomy to implement learning however they think would be best for their particular classroom, allows students to move at different speeds and have a choice of learning activities. Freedom and creativity that is student centered!  Big city districts have lots to learn from this small town’s school.

PUNISHING A GOOD DEED.  Senator Cory Booker seems to us the very model, if not of a modern major general most certainly of a modern liberal Democrat.  Having been the Mayor of Newark New Jersey however, he saw up close that many public schools were harming low income and minority students, leading him to become a strong advocate of charter schools.  It also led him to form a friendship with Betsy DeVos nearly 20 years ago, and that is an unforgivable sin among the “hate charters” crowd. In spite of being rated one of the five most liberal Senators  Booker was the subject of a scurrilous hit piece from the left because of his past bipartisan efforts with DeVos.  The smear is a good example of why good people of all persuasions shy away from politics.

SAY IT AIN’T SO, JOE! Why was AFT boss Randi Weingarten hanging out with big Joe as he rallied the troops  in Houston, announcing he’d pour more federal money into schools if he were president.  Yes, and we have some swamp land for you to buy….But seriously, Mr VP, Senator and just plain Joe. We knew you when you supported DC scholarships, and charter schools.  What happened? (see first line…)

SANDERS’  WAR ON CHARTERS PUNISHES AMERICA’S POOREST KIDS.  Socialist Bernie Sanders was out in front of them all last Friday before Memorial Day, digging into opportunity for kids. His comments have been trounced everywhere from teacher to parents to the Washington Post insightful piece -- all of which convincingly lays out the damage Sanders could do to some of our most at-risk communities.

PARENTS ON FRONT LINES OF EDUCATION FAILURE SUPPORT CHARTERS. Just down the road from Newark is the home of the Liberty Bell, the world’s best cheesesteak sandwiches and  2 – 1 support for charter schools among voters.  The City of Brotherly Love is one of America’s most Democrat cities, yet in a recent poll voters supported charter schools by a 42% - 20% margin, with the balance undecided. That’s why when Excellent Schools PA rallied recently, they found widespread support and grave disappointment that their leaders can’t support more necessary options.  The answer to America’s troubled schools is empowering clear-eyed parents like this, comparing results and supporting what is best for their kids. In the spirit of Ben Franklin we advise opponents to go fly a kite.

Source: David M Warren / Philly.com

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