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CER ANNOUNCES SPECIAL GUEST OF HONOR SENATOR TONY WILLIAMS

State Senator Tony Williams of Pennsylvania Special Guest for Salute to Charter Reception

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Center for Education Reform (CER) announced today that State Senator Tony Williams of Pennsylvania’s 8th District will be the special guest for the Salute to Charter Schools Reception to be held on Monday, June 20 in Washington, DC.

“CER is pleased to welcome to Washington, Senator Tony Williams who for years has been the education choice champion for the families of Pennsylvania.  As the original architect of Pennsylvania’s charter school legislation he ushered in an era of expanded options which has enabled thousands of children to have a brighter future in the Keystone State,” said Jeanne Allen, Founder and CEO of CER.

Senator Williams was first elected in 1988 as a state representative for the 191st District followed by his move a decade later to the state senate for the 8th District representing the city of Philadelphia and surrounding areas.  In addition to his pioneering efforts in establishing charter schools, he also pushed to expand school choice and corporate citizenship through the Education Improvement Tax Credit and the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit programs.

CER’s Salute to Charter Schools brings together the pioneers and innovators who are transforming education for millions of students. CER is pleased to join the Yass Prizeorganization, which it proudly administers, to celebrate the movement.

The reception is part of the 2022 National Charter Schools Conference which is the largest national gathering of educators, advocates, and leaders in the charter community.

For more information, please follow us on Twitter @edreform, on Facebook, and sign up for our newsletter at staging.edreform.com

BREAKING: ARIZONA RECLAIMS FIRST PLACE ON NATIONAL CHARTER LAW RANKINGS
States continue to improve education opportunity for students despite special interest opposition 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As charter schools rally in Washington, DC this week, bringing hundreds of charter leaders to pressure the Biden Administration to cease its regulatory actions to slow these opportunities, a new report from the Center for Education Reform (CER) finds more states improving their charter school laws again in the ‘21-22 state sessions, following on a year where 14 states improved their charter laws during the Covid crisis.

While both states have aggressively responded to the needs of parents to provide a wide array of education opportunities, Arizona made a comeback to overtake Florida as the first place winner in the advancement of charter schools.  The Grand Canyon State increased funding and the proportion of students in charter schools, which have been innovatively creating new models of education – like microschools – which appeal to a broad array of parents.

“The active engagement by parents for great education – in every kind of community –  has never been stronger,” said CER’s Jeanne Allen. Charter schools provide the diversity of education, focus, size, scope and approach that parents desperately want, especially today.”

Approximately twenty-eight percent of public schools in Arizona are charter schools and roughly twenty percent of students are public charter school students.  In Florida, seventeen percent of public schools are charters and approximately twelve percent of students attend a charter school.

“We’ve seen first hand in the District of Columbia the power of charter school choices to transform entire communities. We salute all who are seeking equity for children and encourage more states to create better educational options for families,”  said Donald Hense, CER Chairman and Founder of Friendship Public Charter Schools. DC retains a high score in the rankings, and nearly fifty percent of students attend a charter school.

Other highlights of the 2022 National Rankings:

• New Jersey drops to a D. Over the past year, the Murphy Administration has been arbitrarily denying charter applications in high demand urban communities, as well as expansion plans by pioneering charter schools, despite their legal contracts permitting more students.
• New Mexico moves up a notch. After years of disregarding financial equity for charters, the state significantly boosted support for charter school facilities this year.
• Ohio jumped eight spots. While retaining its grade of C, Ohio’s positioning improved significantly, expanding chartering throughout the state beyond the original big 8 failing school districts, and increasing funding.

Since 1996, CER’s National Charter School Law Rankings and Scorecard has been the most reliable national measure for policymakers and education leaders of the extent to which charter school laws do what they were intended to do — foster the creation of diverse, independent public schools that provide a maximum number of families with options. To review the latest rankings visit the rankings homepage on staging.edreform.com. For a complete analysis of each charter school law, along with other state policy efforts, check out the interactive Parent Power! Index.

For interviews and questions, please call Michael Musante at 202-750-0016

Jeanne Allen congratulates Gov. Ducey on his state’s accomplishment.

$10 Million STOP Awards Competition Announced
Applications Opened Today For Grants That Will Award Transformational Education

NEW YORK – April 20, 2022 – During an exclusive event at Forbes on Fifth in New York City today, Forbes and the Center for Education Reform (CER) announced the STOP Awards for the second year in their partnership to support efforts to transform education. This year’s STOP Awards will offer more than $10 million in grants – including the prestigious $1 million Yass Prize – to education innovators, providers and entrepreneurs who are providing an education experience that is Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding and Permissionless to all students.

In 2021, the STOP Award was created to transform education and advance the work of 20 exceptional education providers that continued to perform for underserved families despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, providing educational experiences that are Sustainable, Transformational and Outstanding for students in Permissionless settings (in short, STOP).

Following the success of these awards in 2021, the STOP Awards have evolved into the establishment of the STOP Foundation 4 Education. Founded by Janine Yass and her husband Jeff, the STOP Foundation 4 Education not only rewards innovators in the education space but amplifies their work through numerous experiences and an extensive mentorship network.

“In the wake of COVID-19, educational declines and mental health challenges, the 2022 STOP Awards are dedicated to celebrating and expanding the education providers who are going above and beyond for their students,” said Forbes Chief Content Officer & Editor, Randall Lane. “We’re proud to continue our partnership with the Center for Education Reform and help launch the STOP Foundation 4 Education to honor education innovators who are creating new pathways for underserved students across the country.”

As part of this partnership, STOP Award representatives will be contributing content to Forbes.com centered around education innovation and transformational education.

“Overcoming the deficiencies in education for most students in the past two years is an enormous undertaking, and while COVID is not nearly the threat it once was, challenges remain,” said CER’s Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen. “In 2021, we uncovered hundreds of pioneering education providers who were defying the odds and serving as a beacon for what education can and should look like, and I can’t wait to promote the efforts of more outstanding leaders in 2022.”

Applications – limited to US-based individuals or groups who serve Pre-K-12 students – are open through July 15, 2022.  For more information about the STOP Award, how to apply, and the incredible education providers who made last year’s list of finalists, visit STOP Foundation 4 Education.

The 2021 Stop Award Grand Prize winner, The Discovery Center of Springfield, was announced during Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list launch party in New York City in December.

Media contact
Laura Brusca
lbrusca@forbes.com