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The Buzz in the Bay State

December 14, 2012 By

December 14, 2012

Earlier this week, Edspresso shared how Brockton, MA’s school super is “Trashing Charters on Company Time.” Now Matt Malone is poised to become Massachusetts’ next Ed Chief. Will his opposition to charters continue in his new role, or will he come to see the light as the former Brockton superintendent, Basan “Buzz” Nembirkow did – the man who led the charge against a strong charter application back in 2008? Check out Buzz’s change of heart on SABIS and for-profit EMOs from a recent Pioneer Institute panel:

“I think it’s [SABIS] an excellent model for all instruction. We use the word differentiated instruction today, but how can you differentiate instruction if you don’t know where the kids are?”

“Class size is a myth; an absolute myth.”

“When I looked at the SABIS model, the instructional model is sound.”

“It’s a whole lot easier [for districts] to what has always been done and blame somebody else.”

“SABIS has done a good job of taking what works best and putting it together, dealing with training teachers and administrators so there is a unified system.”

“From my perspective on schools, SABIS is a good model.”

Question from Jim Peyser, former Massachusetts Commissioner of Education: “Given the SABIS school in Springfield was a strong school, why wasn’t that good enough for you [Buzz] to support them coming to Brockton [in 2008]”?

Answer from Buzz: “My title was Superintendent of Brockton Public Schools, so right off the bat there’s an enlightened self-interest involved in that…. Basically, the issue was finance and politics. It had nothing to do, or very little to do with the quality of the [SABIS] program.”

“When SABIS came [to Brockton] we saw it as a financial threat. Simply as a financial threat. It took money away from us, which was about $4-5 million. Based upon that, our progress in BPS would have been substantially affected.”

“So my job defending the Brockton Public Schools, as the Superintendent, was to do whatever I could to stop that particular threat at that time, so we mounted a very good political campaign.”

“Almost 90% finances” was the reason Buzz cited for opposing the SABIS school application.

Peyser asked panelist: “So, for profit charter management: who cares or deal-breaker”? Buzz responded: “I have no issues with that.”

Filed Under: Commentary, Edspresso Tagged With:

Daily Headlines for December 14, 2012

December 14, 2012 By

Supporters, Critics Debate Merits Of Proposed Argosy Charter School
Fall River Herald News, MA, December 13, 2012
Advocates of the proposed Argosy Collegiate Charter School told members of the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education that the city’s school district is not preparing students for success after graduation, which is creating the need for educational alternatives.

Weighing Options for Expanding School Choice
New York Times, NY, December 14, 2012
In debates over school choice, like the one brewing as the 83rd legislative session draws closer, traditional public school districts are often cast as stubborn defenders of the status quo.

Looking at Charter Schools
WNYC, NY, December 13, 2012
Beth Fertig, WNYC’s education reporter and contributor to SchoolBook, talks about her series on the issues surrounding charter schools, including attrition rates and locations.

‘School-To-Prison Pipeline’ Hearing Puts Spotlight On Student Discipline
Washington Post, DC, December 13, 2012
It was a defining moment for the issue, which advocates call the school-to-prison-pipeline. It refers to get-tough disciplinary practices that steer students out of schools — through suspension, expulsion or police involvement — and into the criminal justice system.

Right-To-Work: Does It Improve Teacher Quality?
Forbes, December 13, 2012
Based on results from the 2011 NAEP (the “nation’s report card”), 7% of Detroit public-school 8th-graders are proficient in reading. Even more staggering, 4% of Detroit public-school 8th graders are proficient in math.

U.S. Standard For Certifying Teachers Worth Pursuing
Everett Daily Herald, WA, December 14, 2012
You can just hear the sighs in public schools across the land. Ugh … another test … just what we needed.

FROM THE STATES

ARKANSAS

Study: Charter School Students Are Vaccinated Less
KTAR, AR, December 13, 2012
Arizona charter school kindergartners are being vaccinated at lower rates than those in public schools, a University of Arizona study said.

CALIFORNIA

Division Among Parent Trigger Group
Victorville Daily Press, CA, December 13, 2012
Two of the original five filers of the “Parent Trigger” lawsuit against Adelanto School District were voted out of the Desert Trails Parent Union’s steering committee, according to the group’s lead organizer, Joe Morales.

A Good Step Forward
Livermore Independent, CA, December 14, 2012
The Livermore School District and Livermore Valley Charter School efforts to reconcile their differences represents a good sign for education in Livermore.

Fears Arise Over More Possible Horizon Charter School Locations Shutting Down
CBS13, CA, December 13, 2012
A chain of charter schools is in turmoil, and now parents fear their kids may be left with no place to learn.

COLORADO

Re-1 Board: Timing Is Off For TRES Charter
Post Independent, CO, December 14, 2012
The Roaring Fork District Re-1 school board voted 4-1 Wednesday to deny a charter application for the Two Rivers Expeditionary School (TRES), saying more work needs to be done to refine the proposal.

Quality Teaching Vs. Tenure Rights
Denver Post, CO, December 14, 2012
For years, tenured teachers who lost their positions within Denver Public Schools and could not find another were forcibly assigned to what inevitably were the poorest schools and most challenging situations.

FLORIDA

Holding Voucher Schools To Account Is Overdue
Tampa Bay Tribune, FL, December 14, 2012
Gov. Rick Scott campaigned two years ago as an outsider who would bring a fresh perspective to Tallahassee. He did that this week when it came to private school vouchers, acknowledging the need for Florida to shed its hypocrisy on education accountability.

IDAHO

Prop 1, 2, 3 Opponents Worry Idaho Legislature Will Revive Repealed Education Laws
Boise State Public Radio, ID, December 14, 2012
The leaders of the campaign that defeated Idaho’s Propositions 1, 2 and 3 in last month’s election are concerned that the laws could come back. They’re speaking out against efforts to resurrect the education overhaul rejected by voters.

Some High-ranking Idaho Schools Don’t Get Merit Pay
Magic Valley Times-News, ID, December 14, 2012
Some south-central Idaho schools received high marks under the state’s new five-star ranking system, but didn’t qualify for merit pay. Melissa McGrath, spokeswoman for the Idaho State Department of Education, said there are some cases statewide, but it’s not a widespread occurrence.

ILLINOIS

CPS Pushes Ahead With Plans For More Charter Schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, December 14, 2012
Chicago Public Schools officials moved ahead Thursday with plans to open more charter schools next year, a sore point for critics who are fighting the Emanuel administration’s plans to close scores of neighborhood schools in 2013.

Lack Of Detail On School Closings Frustrates Some Parents
Chicago Tribune, IL, December 14, 2012
When Mayor Rahm Emanuel won a delay last month in announcing planned school closings, he promised to use the time to let concerned Chicagoans attend hearings and be involved in the conversation about any changes to the district.

INDIANA

Deputy Mayor of Education Speaks on Charter School Expansion
WIBC, IN, December 14, 2012
Jason Kloth says the Ballard administration strongly believes every child and every family should have access to high quality education options. He says the administration is committed to providing that not only through the mayor’s office but also through private and traditional public schools.

IOWA

Sioux City Officials Closely Following Charter School Talks
Sioux City Journal, IA, December 14, 2012
Sioux City school district officials are asking lawmakers for the same ability to develop new education programs as charter schools.

KENTUCKY

Breathitt Schools Cheating Our Children
Lexington Herald-Leader, KY, December 14, 2012
Corruption. Cronyism. Mismanagement. Strong words, but mild for the abuse of trust perpetrated on the young people of Breathitt County by the adults who were responsible for educating them.

LOUISIANA

School Board Pays Into Voucher Suit Kitty
The Advocate, LA, December 14, 2012
The Livingston Parish School Board on Thursday approved a payment into a legal defense fund for costs associated with the state court challenge to the constitutionality of the funding mechanism supporting the state’s voucher program.

MAINE

Standards Take Shape For Grading Maine Teachers
Press Herald, ME, December 14, 2012
Maine is taking its first concrete steps to establishing statewide standards for evaluating teachers’ performance, something that has historically been left to local districts.

MASSACHUSETTS

Reville A Hard Act To Follow In School Post
Boston Globe, MA, December 14, 2012
STATE EDUCATION secretary Paul Reville, who is stepping down from his cabinet post in the Patrick administration, deftly managed to enlist the state’s largest teachers’ union in pursuit of aggressive education reform, with special attention on upgrading urban schools.

MICHIGAN

DPS Board, Roberts Ordered Back To Court
Detroit News, MI, December 14, 2012
The Detroit school board and Emergency Financial Manager Roy Roberts have been ordered to return to court next week with a list of issues to be settled in the battle for control of day-to-day academics and finances at Detroit Public Schools.

Lansing OKs EM, Detroit Lighting Bills
Detroit News, MI, December 14, 2012
The Republican-controlled Legislature sent to the governor Thursday two contentious bills aimed at fixing some of Detroit’s most vexing problems.

MINNESOTA

Teacher Evaluation System To Be Tested In Some Minnesota Schools
Minnesota Public Radio, MN, December 13, 2012
A new proposed teacher evaluation system is headed to a testing phase in some Minnesota schools.

MISSISSIPPI

Reform Nonsense: More Style Than Substance
Clarion Ledger, MS, December 13, 2012
In a few weeks, our elected statewide political representatives will be engaged in protracted debates and lively discussions about reforming education in Mississippi.

MONTANA

Conrad Senator Outlines Sweeping Education Reform, Funding Bill He’ll Present In 2013
Billings Gazette, MT, December 14, 2012
A Republican state senator on Thursday outlined a sweeping proposal to reform Montana’s public schools and their funding, including an overhaul of academic standards and a $50 million a year cut in local school property taxes.

NEW JERSEY

Grant to N.J. Ed Dept. Contingent on Gov. Christie’s Tenure
Washington Post Blog, DC, December 14, 2012
The private Broad Foundation gave a grant of up to to $430,000 to the New Jersey Department of Education that includes this contingency: It can be withdrawn if Chris Christie (R) is no longer governor of the state.

NEW MEXICO

Why Education Reform Must Continue Forward
Albuquerque Journal, NM, December 14, 2012
Less than half of fourth-graders nationwide know what the words “flourish” and “prestigious” mean, according to the latest results from the country’s only national standardized test.

NEW YORK

City Plans To Move New Charter School Run By Eva Moskowitz Into Crown Heights Building That Officials Said Has No Room
New York Daily News, NY, December 13, 2012
A Crown Heights public school could be forced to make room for a charter school two years after city officials said there wasn’t enough room in the building.

OKLAHOMA

Teachers Union Leader: Poor Leadership Crippling OKC School District
The Oklahoman, OK, December 14, 2012
Working for or with Oklahoma City Public Schools can be an unbelievable experience. Unbelievable as in “beyond belief.” Substantial problems face our district and the least-discussed problem is poor leadership — leadership that is beyond belief.

PENNSYLVANIA

Philadelphia Superintendent Identifies Schools He Intends To Close
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, December 14, 2012
Proposing the largest contraction in the history of the Philadelphia School District, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said that come June, he wants to shut one out of six city schools and relocate, close programs, or reshuffle grades at many more.

Group Presents School For Immigrant Students
Erie Times News, PA, December 14, 2012
Horton and a group of supporters presented plans to the Erie School Board on Thursday night for the Erie New Americans Friendship Academy Charter School. The proposed school would focus on providing language skills and comprehension for English as a second language students.

Judge Approves State Receivership For Chester-Upland Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, December 14, 2012
The troubled Chester Upland School District now is in the hands of a state-appointed receiver.

Pennsylvania Charter Appeals Board Fails
York Dispatch, PA, December 14, 2012
The merits of York City-based New Hope Charter School have yet to be debated. But the grade is in on Pennsylvania’s charter school law: It flunks.

TENNESSEE

Choice Breeds Success
Commercial Appeal, TN, December 14, 2012
Municipal school systems are only attractive in comparison to Memphis city schools of the past. The children of parents who live in the municipalities deserve better. They deserve school choice options that Republicans have used to transform education in the city, but with expanded and enhanced parental choice including stricter requirements for local control.

UTAH

State Board Demands Better Enrollment Accountability From Charter Schools
The Salt Lake Tribune, UT, December 14, 2012
City Academy was one of the state’s first public charter schools to start operating in 2000. But more than a decade later, the Salt Lake City school, which serves students in grades seven through 12, has yet to meet its projected enrollment.

VIRGINIA

McDonnell Proposes 2 Percent Raise For Teachers
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, December 14, 2012
Virginia’s public school teachers would see a 2 percent pay raise under Gov. Bob McDonnell’s proposed budget amendments, but any boost is contingent on lawmakers approving several changes, including extending probation periods for new teachers.

Teachers’ Raises Tied To Policy For Culling Those Who Under Perform
Roanoke Times, VA, December 14, 2012
Gov. Bob McDonnell will ask state lawmakers to fund a 2percent salary increase for public school teachers next year, but the raises would be paid only if the General Assembly also passes legislation that sets terms for terminating under-performing teachers.

WEST VIRGINIA

Long On Pensions, Short On Teacher Pay
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, December 14, 2012
In 1994, West Virginia’s Teachers Retirement System had enough assets to cover only about 11 percent of its long-term obligations. It had an unfunded liability of $3.3 billion.

ONLINE LEARNING

Hit The Delete Button On Cyber Charter Funding
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, December 14, 2012
If Auditor General Jack Wagner’s plea for reform in how Pennsylvania allows cyber charter schools to operate sounds familiar, it should.

Virtual School Students To See History Come Alive At Albany’s Historic Carousel And Museum
Albany Tribune, OR, December 13, 2012
Students from Oregon Connections Academy and their families will see history come alive when they attend a special field trip to the Historic Carousel and Museum in Albany on Thursday, Dec. 20. The event starts at 10 a.m. at the Carousel and Museum located at 503 1st Avenue West in Albany.

Filed Under: Daily Headlines

Sioux City officials closely following charter school talks

December 14, 2012 By

by Nate Robson
Sioux City Journal
December 14, 2012

Sioux City school district officials are asking lawmakers for the same ability to develop new education programs as charter schools.

“If charter schools are doing something that’s considered to be better or improving student achievement, why wouldn’t the rest of us want to look at that?” said school board President Mike Krysl.

Charter schools are public schools created by local and state school boards that are typically given more freedom to experiment with alternative teaching programs, like classroom lessons and length of school days.

A traditional public school system — which Sioux City has — is not usually given the same flexibility.

Krysl said charters have failed to take root in Sioux City and Iowa is one of a few states that does not grant charters additional flexibility.

Gov. Terry Branstad last session proposed legislation that would have granted charter schools that leeway, raising concerns that traditional schools could be left at a disadvantage if they also couldn’t implement new programs that improve education.

The legislation failed to make it out of either the House or Senate education committees. The General Assembly reconvenes in Des Moines on Jan. 14.

Alison Consoletti, vice president of research for The Center for Education Reform, a Washington, D.C., advocacy group, said the lack of autonomy is part of why Iowa has lost three charter schools in the past two years. Three are still operating.

“I think schools started these (charters) thinking they could experiment with new things and realized they really can’t,” Consoletti said.

If the state were to approve legislation granting more autonomy to traditional and public schools, it could put Iowa at the forefront of a growing trend, Consoletti said. Traditional schools in Kentucky and Houston are among the first to started experimenting with charter curriculums.

Superintendent Paul Gausman said Sioux City could implement some of those programs if allowed by the state. That could give the district the ability to experiment with the length of the school day, how content is taught in classrooms and how teachers are hired or fired regardless of contracts.

“If the legislation believes flexibility and autonomy are important to making better schools, we are asking for that same flexibility and autonomy,” Gausman said.

Iowa House Education Committee Chairman Rep. Ron Jorgensen, of Sioux City, said that while it does not appear the governor will address charter schools in the upcoming session, that does not mean another representative or senator won’t.

Jorgensen said allowing charter and traditional schools to experiment with their curriculum should be a key component to the state’s education reform.

“We need to do things differently if we want to lead the nation again,” Jorgensen said. “We need to trust that schools know what works and what doesn’t.”

Krysl said the district is not looking to take a stand against charter schools as a source of competition, or to get involved in the debate on the merits of charter education.

“All we’re asking for is a level playing field,” Krysl said. “If charters are not held to the same provisions as public schools, it would give them an unfair advantage.”

Filed Under: CER in the News Tagged With:

Daily Headlines for December 13, 2012

December 13, 2012 By

NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

States Faulted Over Teacher Pension Shortfall
Wall Street Journal, December 13, 2012
U.S. states carry a total of about $325 billion in unfunded teacher pension liabilities, according to a report that says efforts by lawmakers to tinker with vesting periods or shave benefits are falling far short of the overhaul that is needed.

Should Potential Teachers Be Tested as Lawyers Are?
Wall Street Journal, December 12, 2012
I wholeheartedly agree with Randi Weingarten’s “How About a Bar Exam for Teachers?” (op-ed, Dec. 10), with one caveat: that with the additional instruction, educational reviews and qualifications also come better teacher salaries.

Stephanie Lowden: Don’t Blame Teachers For Achievement Gap
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, December 13, 2012
With all due respect to John Legend and Geoff Canada, firing teachers is not the solution to the achievement gap in Madison schools. The two spoke in Madison last week, prompting Friday’s article “Reformers: City schools need institutional change.”

A Lesson In Teacher Quality From My Twin Girls
New York Daily News, NY, December 13, 2012
Yet under the system we have for evaluating teachers, the two get treated the same. They’re paid the same, based only on the number of years they’ve worked and the number of advanced degrees they have. The quality of the work they do every day is irrelevant.

FROM THE STATES

FLORIDA

State Board Selects Bush Policies Backer As Florida Education Commissioner
Florida Times-Union, FL, December 12, 2012
State Board of Education members voted unanimously Wednesday to select Indiana’s recently ousted school superintendent as Florida’s new education commissioner.

New Education Chief Needs To Listen, Learn
Tampa Bay Times, FL, December 13, 2012
First the Florida Board of Education complained that the backlash against high-stakes testing and a new teacher evaluation system is the result of poor communication rather than flawed public policy.

Florida’s New Formula For Rating Teachers Makes Einstein Look Simple
Sun Sentinel, FL, December 12, 2012
How can teacher greatness be measured? In Florida, by a formula that makes Einstein’s Theory of Relativity look like child’s play.

Gov. Rick Scott: All Schools Should Face the Same Standards
Sunshine State News, FL, December 13, 2012
Gov. Rick Scott signaled that he supports holding all schools that receive taxpayer funding to similar standards — a stance that could open the door to administering state tests to some private school students.

GEORGIA

Schools To Get Flexibility Based On Grades
Newnan Times-Herald, GA, December 13, 2012
Educators will get the freedom from state rules they’ve long desired if their schools earn top grades, the chairman of the House Education Committee told Georgia legislators Tuesday.

ILLINOIS

Rein in Charter Schools
Chicago Sun Times, IL, December 12, 2012
At the same time the Chicago Public Schools is moving forward with plans to close schools in a district that has 100,000 extra seats, it wants to open 13 new public charter schools.

INDIANA

City-County Council Committee Signs Off On 3 New Charter Schools
Indianapolis Star, IN, December 12, 2012
A City-County Council committee approved a charter school operator’s proposal for three new schools Wednesday night while delaying action on proposals for four other charters sponsored by Mayor Greg Ballard.

MARYLAND

Virginia’s Soft Bigotry
Free Lance Star, MD, December 13, 2012
VIRGINIA’s new educational standards vary according to students’ race. You heard that right. Is this a shocking example of latter-day bigotry? A necessary accommodation? Or what? Let’s consider.

MASSACHUSETTS

Brockton School Leaders Debate Pros And Cons Of Charter School’s Effect On Funding
Brockton Enterprise, MA, December 13, 2012
Local educators disagree with charter school supporters on the impact a proposed charter school in Brockton would have on public school students.

Charter Should Show City School Leaders The Need For Change
Gloucester Daily Times, MA, December 12, 2012
The word that state Commissioner of Education Mitchell D. Chester will call for revoking Gloucester Community Arts Charter School’s charter at a state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education meeting next week may signal the end for the public, independent school — a school that just completed its K-8 grade profile with the start of its third year in September.

MICHIGAN

Bill To Expand State’s Reform School District Is Up Against The Clock
Detroit Free Press, MI, December 13, 2012
Lawmakers and interest groups were still revising a bill Wednesday to formalize and expand the Education Achievement Authority for poorly performing schools as the Legislature approached the end of its lame duck session.

Don’t Bully the EAA
Detroit News, MI, December 13, 2012
We get it. Members of the Michigan public school establishment are up in arms over various education reforms rolling through the Legislature. But that’s no excuse for the petty politics they are playing with the state’s newest reform school district.

MISSISSIPPI

Gov. Bryant Tackles Charter Schools
Desoto Times Tribune, MS, December 13, 2012
Gov. Phil Bryant tackled the thorny charter school issue in the very county that led opposition to last year’s charter school effort due to concerns charter schools in high-performing counties like DeSoto might siphon away funds from public schools.

Mississippi Lawmakers Brush Up On Education Proposals
Sun Herald, MS, December 12, 2012
Mississippi lawmakers were doing homework Wednesday before the 2013 session.
The House and Senate education committees met together at the Capitol to discuss elementary-school reading skills, teacher evaluations and charter schools.

NEVADA

Zappos Charter School Planning Builds ‘Excitement Around Education’
Las Vegas Sun, NV, December 13, 2012
This is how you make a school. At least, it’s how you make a school when Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh and the Downtown Project are involved.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Charter Administrator Joins School Board
New Haven Independent, NH, December 13, 2012
Mayor John DeStefano has tapped Che Dawson, a longtime youth worker now serving as an assistant principal at Amistad Academy Elementary School, to fill the latest vacancy on the city’s Board of Education.

NEW JERSEY

Report: Nearly All Of Newark’s Most Disadvantaged Students Attend Failing Schools
Star-Ledger, NJ, December 12, 2012
Nearly all of Newark’s most disadvantaged elementary and middle school students attend failing district and charter schools, a report released today has found.

NEW MEXICO

Computer Outlays Must Have Students at Core
Albuquerque Journal, NM, December 13, 2012
Who knew that adopting Common Core academic standards for public schools would, at the core, cost so darn much?

NEW YORK

Buffalo’s Plan For Eight Low-Performing Schools Calls For Transfers
Buffalo News, NY, December 12, 2012
At least four principals will have to be moved out of low-performing schools next year as a result of the school reform model the School Board approved Wednesday night for several schools.

NORTH CAROLINA

Local Leaders Contribute To Talk Of Statewide Education Reform
Stanford Herald, NC, December 13, 2012
While the battle over education reform is set to start up once more in Raleigh next month, several Lee County leaders have been engaging in behind-the-scenes talk with legislative leaders.

OHIO

State Officials Auditing Troubled Charter School
Columbus Dispatch, OH, December 13, 2012
A Columbus charter school already strained because of poor fiscal management now is under state scrutiny for its work with special-needs children.

Newfound Urgency
Columbus Dispatch, OH, December 13, 2012
Ohio’s new “third-grade reading guarantee” is causing big headaches, especially in big-city school districts. While they aren’t anything to celebrate, those headaches are necessary and overdue.

High-Performing Charter Schools Get Wooed Hardcore
NPR StateImpact, OH, December 12, 2012
Like the prettiest girl in a room full of ugly ducklings, charter schools that get a reputation for being high-performing get wooed hardcore. Districts and states looking for schools that have solved the puzzle of educating low-income, non-white students want these high-performing charter schools bad.

Ohio Senate OKs New School Evaluation System
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, December 12, 2012
The Ohio Senate on Wednesday passed a Republican-backed education bill that calls for a more demanding evaluation system for schools, along with other significant changes.

PENNSYLVANIA

Hite To Announce Plans To Close 37 School Buildings
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, December 13, 2012
On Thursday, Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. will announce the proposed closures of 37 school buildings, plus multiple other changes coming to the cash-poor Philadelphia School District.

TEXAS

Community-Backed Charter in Travis Heights Goes to the Board
Austin Chronicle, TX, December 13, 2012
As the Austin Independent School Dis¬trict considers showing one Eastside in-district charter school the door, trustees are considering opening a new charter in South Austin. But unlike IDEA Allan, which many feel was forced on the Allan neighborhood, the plan for a new charter at Travis Heights Elementary has been formulated and presented by the local community.

Schools Spell Out Money Plans
San Antonio Express-News, TX, December 12, 2012
Two Texas charter school networks with campuses in San Antonio outlined their plans Wednesday for spending nearly $60 million in federal grant funds.

WASHINGTON

School Officials Discuss Student Transfer Policy
Spokesman Review, WA, December 13, 2012
Spokane Public Schools’ administration and board members have spent weeks trying to make changes to its intradistrict transfer policy to make sure neighborhood kids can go to their neighborhood school and students transferring into a school outside their neighborhood won’t have to leave.

Race To The Top Grant In King County Is A Win For Innovation In Education
Seattle Times, WA, December 12, 2012
Seven South King County school districts garnered a whopping $40 million federal grant with a holistic educational approach: “Start Strong,” be “STEM Strong” and “Stay Strong.”

WISCONSIN

Achievement Gap In Madison School District Under Scrutiny
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, December 13, 2012
Closing the achievement gap in the Madison School District will require a strong core curriculum in school and more support from outside of school, leaders of the district, city and county said Wednesday.

WYOMING

Panel Recommends Stripping Ed Dept. Of Some Duties
Laramie Boomerang, WY, December 13, 2012
State public schools Superintendent Cindy Hill said her agency has done its job and is fully behind education reform efforts, but members of a legislative committee weren’t convinced as they recommended stripping the Wyoming Department of Education of a host of education accountability duties on Wednesday.

ONLINE LEARNING

‘The School Of Tomorrow’ Arrives In Henderson County
Times-News, NC, December 13, 2012
Since the Henderson County school district went wireless this year, teachers and students are settling into using the newfound technology.

Jail Graduates Detention Officers Through Online Academy
Eastern Arizona Courier, AZ, December 12, 2012
After three weeks of online instruction and three weeks of classroom and practical instruction, 11 new detention officers from the Arizona Detention Association Basic Detention Class 85 were sworn in at the General Services Building on Friday.

Filed Under: Daily Headlines

Education Reform Conversation Starters (and Stoppers)

December 13, 2012 By

Dear Friend,

Last week, I wrote to you about gathering with family and friends over the holidays and how to start (and stop) education reform conversations.

Picture this: Your sister corners you by the cookie table. It starts out with, “How did you feel about the election?” and quickly spins out of control. Be ready this year. Whether it’s at a neighborhood party, after the school pageant or at home, you are always a messenger for education reform.

And, that’s why we need your help. Will you make a modest $12, $24 or $36 donation today to help CER keep the education reform message alive and active?

And, in case you missed them last week, here are a few conversation starters (and stoppers) to pull out when you need them. It’s our gift to you for a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah or whatever brings you together during this season of joyous celebration:

Education Reform Conversation Starters (and stoppers)

• Work is great, Cousin Pat, except there are still 13 million children trapped in failing schools with nowhere to go. Everyone should have the same chance to be as well-educated, don’t you think?

• Poverty and hunger you say? You’re right, Uncle Ed; those are root causes of poor education. But next to the family, a quality education is the most important factor in ensuring a child’s future. A majority of the nearly 2 million children in the nation’s more than 6,000 charter schools are poor and minority and yet they are performing better than comparable kids who have to attend their local public schools.

• Did you know that the U.S. ranks 25th in math and 21st in science out of 30 industrialized nations? Even our best performing kids – like yours, Aunt Betsy — are failing to keep pace.

• Parental Involvement? Yes that’s important, but no, it’s not that choice parents are smarter or more involved. It is choice that brings power and motivation to those who do not otherwise have it. A parent who can vote with her feet is a parent a school works hard to keep.

No child should be forced to attend a school that is failing. You know that all students can succeed when schools are not bound by onerous contracts and rules, when principals have control and when staff are held accountable for student success. Real reform gives schools freedom to meet student needs, sends equal money to follow students and gives parents a choice as to where dollars flow.

You can help us give the ultimate gift to families all over this country by committing to enact real reforms this coming year, no matter what pain it may cause the status quo. Will you join us and make a modest $12, $24 or $36 today?

Best Regards,

Jeanne Allen
President

Filed Under: You Can Make a Difference

The New Letter to Friends of The Center for Education Reform No. 104

December 12, 2012 By

NEW Letter to Friends of The Center for Education Reform
No. 104
December 2012

Dear Friend:

As I sat training to New York City this month to tape a segment of the John Stossel show on the unintended consequences (which aired December 6th on Fox Business), I began to take stock of the state of the movement. I had reached out to Stossel about an idea — one that frankly gives me a heavy heart — and he immediately invited me to come talk about it. I told him on the show that, “Even the charter movement is so afraid to make a mistake. It fears risk because they are so afraid that if they don’t show themselves to be the very, very best, then they will go out of business. But the reality is, risk is in every great innovative business. It’s what makes America tick. And so when you want high quality, you want to take a risk on someone who wants to start a school.”

This risk-adverse behavior what now has created the “Charter Blob.” Remember the Blob? This was the term first coined by former Education Secretary William J. Bennett, author and media host, that we borrowed and put to more public use, who described the education establishment as a scene from the movie with Steve McQueen. The Blob — it grows itself, shows up everywhere. We described it years later to clarify the term, to teach more people about it…

“The term ‘Blob’ cropped up years ago when reformers began trying to work with the education establishment and ran smack into the more than 200 groups, associations, federations, alliances, departments, offices, administrations, councils, boards, commissions, panels, organizations, herds, flocks and coveys, that make up the education industrial complex.

“Taken individually they were frustrating enough, with their own agendas, bureaucracies, and power over education. But taken as a whole they were (and are) maddening in their resistance to change. Not really a wall — they always talk about change — but rather more like quicksand, or a tar pit where ideas slowly sink out of sight leaving everything just as it had been.”
And education reform activists, then, were the farthest thing from the Blob.

When conservative activists began creating unique alliances with inner city, African-American leaders over empowerment back in the early 1980s — on tenant management and housing and school vouchers — no one ever envisioned that someday, we’d have a movement that is nearly choking itself to death. It was readily acknowledged and understood then that rules and regulations that aimed to hold people accountable really just stood in the way of real empowerment and freedom for people to live lives full of integrity. Public housing tenants wanted the authority to make their housing like a home, to be able to service their own needs, to develop a sense of ownership and pride. Public education parents wanted the authority to shop for the kinds of schools one often (allegedly) found in the suburbs, or where more advantaged folks lived.
The empowerment crusade of the 80s influenced the school choice movement of the 90s, and gave birth to the Ed Reform movement we have now, but with much less clarity and much more confusion than ever before.

HAVE BUREAUCRATS CORRUPTED THE ED REFORM MOVEMENT?

Arizona. So it is that charter schools in Arizona must do data input into a system created by the often-scorned WestEd. ALEAT is used by all schools in Arizona must use to apply for Race to the Top or any other federal funds. The Superintendent of Public Instruction in Arizona sits on the WestEd Board. That same superintendent, elected, served in the state legislature before and was a champion of charter schools.

Ironically, ALEAT was supposed to “streamline” things. Only in a Kafka novel would this be called streamlining. The system requires schools to use the predetermined formats, though many fields are nonsensical, and/or don’t apply. There is never an option to say “not applicable.” You have to enter SOMETHING, even if it is totally irrelevant to your application. There is not one place where schools can add text for clarity. And many fields must be entered multiple times. To give an idea of the madness, a charter operator in a remote, rural area of Arizona had a broken scanner. She could not scan a document that needed to be uploaded to the ALEAT system. Could she mail it? No! They wouldn’t allow that. In the middle of a hectic school day, she had to drive 45 minutes to the closest Kinko’s to have it scanned.

Oh well, that was the end of it, right? Nope; she had scanned multiple pages at the same time in one large PDF. They wouldn’t accept that either. She had to drive BACK to Kinko’s and scan them each separately. How is this helping Arizona children get a great education?

Regulatory Creep. A Colorado activist and pioneer wrote me back in 2009 ….

Subscribe now to keep reading Jeanne Allen’s musings and stories of obstacles created by supposed “reform” structures, or even just plain old reformers, and what we need to do to keep pushing reform forward.

Filed Under: Opinions

The State of the Education Reform Movement

December 12, 2012 By

ChoiceMedia.tv
December 11, 2012

CER President Jeanne Allen reflects on the state of education reform while attending the national Excellence in Action summit, noting “you can’t have parent power and have teacher union power.”

Filed Under: CER in the News

Daily Headlines for December 12, 2012

December 12, 2012 By

NEW NEWSWIRE TODAY! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

Schools In 11 States Win Nearly $400M In Grants
Associated Press, December 11, 2012
Schools from 55 districts in 11 states plus the District of Columbia have won nearly $400 million in federal grants to promote school reform.

Virginia Teachers: Cuts Would Hurt Poor, Disabled
Washington Times, DC, December 12, 2012
Virginia teachers are joining a chorus of national educators who are imploring Congress to address the looming “fiscal cliff” and are warning that state school systems stand to lose big if nothing is done.

Jindal: Teachers Unions Have Mounted ‘Herculean’ Effort To Stop School Reform
Washington Times, DC, December 11, 2012
As a central piece of his controversial education-reform agenda heads to the state Supreme Court for review, rising Republican star and Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal on Tuesday unloaded on teachers unions and cast them as the biggest reason American schools continue to wallow in mediocrity.

Rethink School Choice
Huffington Post, December 11, 2012
But in truth, favoring school choice means about the same thing as favoring computers — the statement means very little unless and until the ideas take on a specific form. After all, a choice plan intended to mitigate neighborhood segregation would be designed with very different rules than a choice plan envisioned as a way to increase competition.

My View: I Would Trade Tenure For Better Teaching
CNN Blog, December 12, 2012
I’ve been in the classroom for 11 years – that makes me a minority in the teaching profession, as more than half of all teachers have taught for a decade or less. But I’m still striving to be a better teacher.

FROM THE STATES

ARKANSAS

Partial Credit
Arkansas Times, AR, December 12, 2012
The thrust of the education-reform movement in Arkansas over the last decade has been to equalize opportunity for all students.

CALIFORNIA

Novato School District Staffers Criticize Charter Proposal
Marin Independent Journal, CA, December 11, 2012
A proposal for a new charter school in Novato is flawed in numerous areas including curriculum, budgeting and the likely makeup of the student body, school district staffers said Tuesday.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

KIPP DC Wins $10 Million In Race To The Top Education-Grant Competition
Washington Post, DC, December 11, 2012
Charter school operator KIPP DC is among 16 winners of the federal government’s Race to the Top District grant competition, U.S. Department of Education officials announced Tuesday.

FLORIDA

Pinellas School Board Plans To Shut Imagine Charter School In St. Petersburg
Tampa Bay Times, FL, December 12, 2012
In a unanimous vote, the Pinellas School Board on Tuesday said it intends to shut Imagine Charter School, a once-promising school in downtown St. Petersburg that has faltered academically since it opened.

Opening of Step Up Academy Charter Schools May Be Delayed
The Ledger, FL, December 11, 2012
Although school district staff says all is in order for a January opening of Step Up Academy charter schools for at-risk students on six high school campuses, some school board members and John Stewart, the new interim superintendent, aren’t ready to proceed.

Teachers Take Issue With Evaluation System At Lawmakers Forum
News Herald, FL, December 11, 2012
A few centuries earlier Bay County teachers would have grabbed their torches and pitchforks.

Finalists Interviewed, New Education Commissioner Likely Picked Today
Tallahassee Democrat, FL, December 12, 2012
Three finalists for the top position in Florida’s state education system faced questions about how they would sway critics and defend the credibility of state education polices in public job interviews held Tuesday.

Evaluations Earn An ‘F’
News Herald, FL, December 12, 2012
The children of fictional Lake Wobegon from Garrison Keillor’s “Prairie Home Companion” were said to be “above average.” The same can be said of Florida’s public school teachers — if the state’s new evaluation system is to be believed.

Gov. Scott Wants State Standardized Testing for Students Who Get Vouchers
News Chief, FL, December 11, 2012
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, parting ways with his fellow Republicans, asserted Tuesday that students who get financial help from the state to attend private schools should take the same standardized tests as public school students.

GEORGIA

City School Board Approves Joining Charter Foundation
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, December 12, 2012
The Marietta City School Board only approved a few things during their work session Tuesday night, including a recommendation from Marietta Superintendent Emily Lembeck to join the soon-to-be-formed Charter System Foundation.

Ga. Schools To Get Flexibility Based On Grades
Athens Banner-Herald, GA, December 12, 2012
Educators will get the freedom from state rules they’ve long desired if their schools earn top grades, the chairman of the House Education Committee told Georgia lawmakers Tuesday.

HAWAII

Hawaii Teacher Evaluation Concerns Keep State, Union From Agreement
Honolulu Civil Beat, HI, December 12, 2012
A new performance-based teacher evaluation system and reduced sick leave are the key issues preventing the Hawaii State Teachers Association from agreeing to a new contract with the state, union leaders and educators said.

IDAHO

Idaho Ed Campaign Tops Previous Record
Idaho Statesman, ID, December 12, 2012
Opponents of Propositions 1, 2 and 3 raised $3.6 million in their successful effort to repeal education reforms in the Nov. 6 election. Opponents raised $2.8 million. The great bulk of the money was spent on advertising.

KANSAS

Teacher Success
Lawrence Journal World, KS, December 12, 2012
Lawrence school officials seem to be taking a creative and productive approach to revamping the district’s teacher evaluation system.

LOUISIANA

Jindal Touts Vouchers As RSD Schools Get High Marks
The Advocate, LA, December 12, 2012
Gov. Bobby Jindal touted his embattled school voucher program Tuesday with a Washington, D.C.-based, pro-school choice think tank that had named the Louisiana Recovery School District as the nation’s best for educational “choice and competition.”

MASSACHUSETTS

Consider What Argosy Charter School Could Accomplish
Fall River Herald News, MA, December 11, 2012
Hundreds of families seeking a better education each year try to leave the Fall River district school system, but are denied their only option because of a state-mandated limit on public charter schools, including the popular Atlantis Charter School.

Making The Case For Another Charter School
Salem News, MA, December 12, 2012
Editor’s note: Pioneer Charter School of Science has requested state permission to open another charter school in Saugus that would accept students from Salem, Peabody, Danvers, Lynn and Saugus. If approved, the school would open in September 2013.

MICHIGAN

All DPS Employees To Get One-Time Bonus Thanks To Budget Surplus
Detroit News, MI, December 12, 2012
Employees of Detroit Public Schools will receive a bonus in their paycheck on Dec. 21 as part of the district’s budget surplus from last year.

Teacher Shortages Close 3 Districts
The Detroit News, MI, December 12, 2012
At least three school districts in Metro Detroit closed Tuesday after hundreds of teachers called in sick to join union rallies in Lansing against right-to-work legislation passed by lawmakers.

NEW YORK

Teachers Trump Kids
New York Daily News, NY, December 12, 2012
The grades are in, and they are being kept secret: 10,500 city teachers have found out how well they raised student achievement as measured by state math and English tests, but parents have no right to the information.

NY Approves Charter School For Newburgh
Times-Herald Record, NY, December 12, 2012
As expected, the Newburgh Preparatory Charter High School sailed through the process, since it won the approval of the State Education Department’s Charter School Office as well as Commissioner John King weeks earlier.

DOE Flubs In Race For Feds’ $40M
New York Post, NY, December 12, 2012
The city should have showed them the money. The Department of Education lost points on its application for $40 million in federal funds by refusing to make school-worker salaries public — and wound up with zilch.

NORTH CAROLINA

Wake School Board Approves 2013-14 Assignment Plan
Charlotte Observer, NC, December 12, 2012
CARY Wake County’s choice-based student assignment plan effectively died Tuesday with the school board’s 5-4 vote to adopt an approach that again ties each address to a specific school.

OHIO

Mayor Frank Jackson Names Members Of Schools’ Advice Panel, A 1st Step In Districtwide Overhaul
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, December 11, 2012
The new Cleveland schools’ Transformation Alliance will review charter school applications and make recommendations to the Ohio Department of Education about which sponsors should be able to open new schools in the city.

School-Grading System Incomplete
Columbus Dispatch, OH, December 12, 2012
Ohio lawmakers are expected to approve a new grading system today for determining how well schools and school districts are performing.

PENNSYLVANIA

York City School Board Loses In Bid To Block New Hope Charter Appeal
The York Dispatch, PA, December 12, 2012
The York City School District Tuesday lost its attempt to quash a charter appeal hearing for New Hope Charter School.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Local Educators Oppose State Superintendent’s Teacher Evaluation Plan
Anderson Independent Mail, SC, December 11, 2012
State Superintendent Mick Zais is having a hard sell on his proposal to change teacher evaluations.

TENNESSEE

Nashville School Board Backs Off Suing State Over Lost Funds
The Tennessean, TN, December 12, 2012
Despite one board member’s push to dig in and fight, the Metro school board on Tuesday backed off its threat to sue the state for withholding $3.4 million in funds to punish the district for rejecting a charter school application.

Franklin Special School District Opposes Vouchers
The Tennessean, TN, December 11, 2012
There seems to be more questions than answers when it comes to the use of vouchers and the authorization of charter schools in the Franklin Special School District.

Is Teacher Merit Pay On The Way In Tennessee?
The Chattanoogan, TN, December 11, 2012
In the immediate future, teacher compensation systems will likely be redirected from an input-driven system to an outcome-based system. Unlike the general labor force, where output is a key salary determinant, the field of education rewards experience and advanced degrees. That is not always bad.

TEXAS

Two Texas Charter Schools Named Race To The Top Winners
San Antonio Express, TX, December 12, 2012
A pair of Texas charter school networks with San Antonio campuses will get nearly $30 million apiece in federal Race to the Top grants, the U.S Department of Education announced Tuesday.

School Board Could Halt IDEA Allan Plan
KXAN, TX, December 11, 2012
The Austin school board could put the brakes on expansion plans for the first in-district charter school that opened this year in East Austin.

VIRGINIA

Proposed Loudoun Charter School Loses Supervisor’s Support
Washington Post Blog, DC, December 12, 2012
A member of the Loudoun County Board of Supervisors has withdrawn his support from a proposed charter school — which would be the first in Loudoun if allowed to open — because of “controversy” and concerns over a number of key operational issues.

WASHINGTON

How To Get Washington’s Charter Schools Right
Seattle Times, WA, December 11, 2012
Two education professors who oppose charter-school Initiative 1240 make some suggestions for how to get Washington’s charter schools right.

Seattle, South End Schools Win Race For $40 Million
Seattle Times, WA, December 11, 2012
Seven school districts in King County, which banded together three years ago to raise the number of students who graduate from college, have won a four-year, $40 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help them achieve that goal.

Remove Education Duty From State Constitution
The Olympian, WA, December 12, 2012
While debating education funding after the Supreme Court ruled the state isn’t fulfilling it’s obligation, no politician has proposed the obvious: amend the constitution to eliminate the “paramount duty” language.

ONLINE LEARNING

Easton Area School District Cyber School to Launch in January
Lehigh Express Times, PA, December 12, 2012
Easton Area School District will join neighboring school districts by allowing students to take online courses next year.

Virtual School Enrollment Up
Fox News 4, FL, December 11, 2012
The Lee County School District is taking new steps to take its classrooms virtual.
The district says enrollment for its virtual school is reaching its highest level ever. Virtual school is used a lot by students who travel frequently for sports or other extracurricular activities.

Filed Under: Daily Headlines

Education Next PEPG Results 2012

December 12, 2012 By

The results of the 2012 Education Next-PEPG national poll are in, and they offer some insights into the state of public opinion on major education issues. Support for the reform agenda continues to grow. Reformers enjoy majority support on a variety of school choice initiatives, and trends across time continue to move in a positive direction.

Previous opinion research on education, such as the annual Phi Delta Kappan poll, has often asked questions about vouchers that were potentially misleading. Instead of describing vouchers being funded “at public expense” without context, this poll asks whether voters support a proposal that would “give low-income families with children in public schools a wider choice, by allowing them to enroll their children in private school instead, with government helping to pay the tuition.” When context is provided and questions are phrased in a neutral manner, voters support vouchers roughly 50-50.

On the other hand, 72% of voters support tuition tax credits despite their similarity in effect to vouchers. Sixty-two percent of voters support “the formation of charter schools”, but actual knowledge about charter schools remains very low, even among teachers. Fifty-three percent of voters support allowing high school students to take online classes, but teachers were more enthusiastic about the idea (63% approval). Voters were also more likely to support online learning being used for rural education and advanced coursework, instead of courses for credit recovery or homeschooling.

Teacher support for unions has dropped 15 percentage points in the past year (compared to a 7 percentage point drop in support among the general public), and the percentage of teachers with negative opinions of unions has doubled to 32%. Teachers are much less likely than the general public to support evaluations weighted towards the use of test scores or to support the public release of information about teacher performance. The poll also finds that voters tend to underestimate teacher salaries, potentially explaining the drop in support for increasing teacher salaries once voters are informed about current salaries. In general, voters unsurprisingly support increased school spending but are unwilling to raise taxes to support spending increases. Again, the support may be due to the underestimation of per-pupil spending. Americans, in this poll, guessed that the U.S. was spending $6,500 per pupil, when in reality, it’s around $12,500. Once voters realize how much the U.S. is spending, they support for increasing money drops by 20%.

Independent voters tend to support more “conservative” positions on school choice and the education establishment. They tend to be closer to Republican voters in their views of teachers unions and school spending. Independent voters are about as likely as Republican voters to support spending increases in their district and salary increases for teachers when informed about current spending levels and salaries. Independents are more likely than either party to support expanding private school choice for disadvantaged students and to support federally funded vouchers. A majority of independent voters also believe that unions have a generally negative effect on schools.

Compared to other voters, Hispanic voters are more likely to be interested in education issues. On many issues they do not differ significantly from whites or African Americans, but there are some exceptions. Hispanics tend to overestimate the quality and underestimate the cost of public schools compared to other racial groups. When informed about current spending levels and salaries, support for increased spending and higher salaries drops precipitously among whites and Hispanics. Black voters are generally more committed to higher spending and higher salaries, even after being informed about current policies.

Filed Under: Choice & Charter Schools

Newswire: December 11, 2012

December 11, 2012 By

Vol. 14, No. 34

“YOU DON’T SAY!” US Students Still Lag Globally, bellowed the New York Times this morning. While that may not be huge news, the real findings in the two new reports out today are that while we may not lag substantially (though we still lag folks!), others have far greater numbers of kids scoring in the top tiers. It’s not because we are so egalitarian, either. The data suggests that our most advanced students are still behind advanced students in other countries.

SEE FOR YOURSELF. The Global Report Card, a project of the George W. Bush Institute gives you a chance to compare your district to another district, to a state, our nation or other nations. Take the plunge. You’ll be surprised what you learn.

WHY SO MANY REJECTIONS THEN? It’s not like we’re winning the brain race, or even the fight for global competitiveness. Condoleezza Rice says it’s a national security issue; so does the president. So why in a state known for reform-minded leadership and in desperate need of good schooling options, does a board reject dozens of charter applications, many from proven providers? Yes, folks, that’s right. Down in the Bayou, the Louisiana reform community is cutting off its nose to spite its face. Out of 51 applications to open schools in the Bayou, only 11 will move ahead. A national group hired to do the reviews, NACSA, recommended adoption of just 7, the State Ed Dept (BESE) declined 1 of these 7, and thankfully added another 5 schools that hadn’t been recommended. At issue is how these schools are being reviewed and whether the evaluations actually hold water. That’s under investigation by many groups whose applications were rejected – in many different states – oftentimes after they’d been praised by the same evaluator in other applications. One would think with the unions having taken the voucher program to court, and legal action to find all state reform efforts at odds with district desegregation orders, there’d be an effort to create more learning opportunities for kids, at a faster pace. Hiding behind fear of not being able to guarantee quality, some advocates would prefer to control parent choice than give parents the power and learn to decide.

BROCKTON REDUX. Check out this priceless communication from the Superintendent, who peppers his board and community regularly with anti-charter missives, on company time, mind you!

LIBERALS v. CONSERVATIVES? Apparently you’re a liberal if you don’t think the Common Core’s quality will be robust enough to serve so many different needs, and you’re a conservative if you think it’s about local control. The ongoing debate, somewhat adequately given voice to in yet another New York Times piece today, is a bit deeper than that, of course. The real distinction should be GOVERNMENT CYNICS v. GOVERNMENT TRUSTERS. Those who believe that government can take any good idea and distort it, even at the state level, are trending anti-Common Core. They believe that standardization breeds, well, common, or under-whelming products, and that trying to maintain standards and assessments often falls to people who had nothing to do with their creation. The “Trusters” rarely look at the fall out until it’s too late. They assume that good programs will retain their health and quality, no doubt because they were or believe themselves or their elected officials to be vigilant in their governing. Time will tell.

NAUGHTY OR NICE. How will you spend your holidays? Looking for things to talk about? How about a great conversation starter or two to make sure your next gathering is fun AND substantive? Plant a seed for education reform this holiday season and spread the word about what’s critical to our future. CER’s Holiday Gift to you starts here.

Filed Under: Newswire Weekly
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