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SENATOR CORY BOOKER’S LIFE SHOWS SCHOOL CHOICE A KEY CIVIL RIGHTS ISSUE. When he was Newark’s mayor from 2006 to 2013, he managed to triple the number of students attending charter schools in his city. He even served on the board of one of the city’s first charter schools.

NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED.  Senator Booker’s support of maximum opportunity for New Jersey students has not earned him any friends in the education establishment and its unions who are happy with the status quo.  The empire has plans to strike back, as explained in this L.A. Times piece. We pray the Senator will stick to his guns.

DOES CHOICE WORK? ASK BLACK COLLEGE GRADUATES. Last add on the “educational choice is a civil rights issue” topic is this proof that giving minority parents real options to pursue the best education for their kids – regardless of zip codes or financial circumstances – improves outcomes.

STORM WARNING FROM CHICAGO.  When the national teachers union showed up to fan the flames of discontent among teachers that work at four of the fourteen schools that make up the Chicago International Charter School , its CEO and long time educator and school leader had had enough. The internal attacks and vitriole were shocking to Elizabeth Shaw, a progressive who cares deeply about social justice. “Our organizational leadership experienced a barrage of identity-based and truth-absent personal attacks. CTU’s rhetoric was racist, anti-semitic and gendered. Union agitators shouted at students (some food and housing insecure) and parents trying to get to school during the strike.”  And as many have seen with these strikes, the CTU ended up with the same that was offered in the beginning but nevertheless declared victory.

“The untold part of this story is that the same contract that CTU claims it “won” was on the table before the strike even began. Leadership offered it. CTU leaders rejected it. Then, after nine days of public demonstrations, they triumphantly accepted it. This was a big win for educators, but a strike and nine days of lost learning time wasn’t necessary to get it.

“I wish I could say I was surprised, but it was clear that this strike was never really about the terms of the contract. It was a show of political force in a town where CTU often controls elections and at a time when the very existence of unions is being threatened, locally and nationally.”

Source: Chicago Sun-Times 

With 7 more strikes being threatened, she has boldly penned the real story. Elizabeth’s full report is a must read for anyone concerned about education and children.

WE TOLD YOU SO.  As CER Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen pointed out recently in the Wall Street Journal, the current wave of union strikes against schools kids, including in West Virginia, is not about money and it’s not about class size, it’s about stifling competition from charter schools. We’re grateful to the West Virginia AFT affiliate for proving Jeanne’s point.  Governor Jim Justice has called for a special Legislative session to deliver on a promised pay raise for teachers.  The AFT is opposed – you read that right – opposed – to the special session, saying “While the pay increase is much needed, the legislative leadership should be reminded that education employees did not strike over a pay raise,” he said. “Teachers and service personnel remain opposed to defunding schemes like charter schools and ESAs and will approach this special session with a suspicious eye.”  And there you have it,  straight from the horse’s mouth, or some body part.

IF AT FIRST YOU DON’T SUCCEED – CHANGE THE RULES.  From North Carolina comes this disturbing report that rather than fix failing schools that deliver sub-par education to students, the legislature is going to solve the problem by – are you sitting down – changing the rules and making what were once failing grades into passing grades! In football this would be called “moving the goalposts”.  In education it is called by its old fashioned named – cheating.

OPPORTUNITY COMES IN MANY FORMS – it’s that great school that makes the difference in a child’s life. Jimmy Kemp, president of the Jack Kemp Foundation, joins us on the latest episode of Reality Check with Jeanne Allen.  He covered a  range of issues, from his late father, former congressman, cabinet secretary, and vice presidential candidate Jack Kemp, and his  career as a professional football player and how it informed his life in public service and his passionate advocacy to end poverty and racism in America. He also discussed the potential that ‘Opportunity Zones’, a feature of the 2017 tax bill strongly supported by the Jack Kemp Foundation, have to improve educational choices in low income communities across America. Jack Kemp was one of the brightest, forward looking thinkers in America.  Like father, like son.
 

That wraps up this edition of Newswire. We hope you enjoyed it.  And frankly weather you did or not we’d love to hear from you. Do feel free to send comments, suggestions and questions.

OUR HEARTS ARE WITH ALABAMA.  Another tragic storm, lives lost, years of work to repair. And like everything, our minds go to “school.” Like thousands of other small communities hit by natural disasters along our southern flank especially, education is often a casualty of storms, too. Schools in Lee County, AL are getting ready to provide grief counseling and that’s great. But who is getting ready to step up their education game so that students graduate more prepared, and able to excel? This rural community is like many where options and opportunity to learn outside of traditional ed are limited. According to the state’s report card, the County itself has a C for education, with absenteeism of 20%, a college or career ready score of 68%, and proficiency in core subjects less than 50% (with only 35% meeting growth targets). One elementary school has 50% of its kids proficient in reading but because of other elements it scores a high B on the state’s report card. It shouldn’t take a storm as we learned in New Orleans to turn education around. As our nation devotes time and money to repairing the community, let’s also remember the most precious assets need our attention too.

SOUTH BY SOUTHWEST. SXSW is happening now in Austin and the streets are filled with education innovation rabble rousers touting such controversial notions such as personalized learning, ed choice, equity and opportunity, college readiness and more.  This one session on fixing the college-to-career handofflooked especially meaty. A shout out and thanks to the more than 1 thousand people gathered to  challenge conventional assumptions and reset education across the board, which is a noble goal anyday. Follow on Twitter with #SXSWEDU or check out the schedule.

TEACHER UNION SPENDING.  The AFT just launched a national PR campaign to increase funding for education. Multi millions of dollars on ads and travel and PR begs the question, where is the money coming from? Answer: Teacher union dues, pension investments and the like. Is it any wonder they are mobilizing in states? To wit:

PAY & CLASS SIZE ARE SMOKESCREENS FOR ATTACKS.  The recent spate of teachers’ union strikes against their students that began in Los Angeles were ostensibly about pay and class size. “Horse hockey” as Colonel Potter used to say on M*A*S*H.  It has become clear that the real goal of the strikes is to eliminate competition for the unions and choice for students and parents. Charter enrollment in the LAUSD has soared 35% since 2012–2013. Parents and students are voting with their feet. Additionally, the District has $13.6 billion in unfunded pension and health liabilities, so the union may be looking at the equivalent of monopoly money in the not too distant future.

NEW FEDERAL TAX CREDIT UNVEILED.  We were delighted to see the fruits of our labor embedded in a new tax credit scholarship proposal unveiled last week by Senator Ted Cruz, Congressman Bradley Byrne and Ed Secretary Betsy DeVos.  The national media paid close attention to this effort to incentivize states to expand private funding of scholarships for low-income and working-class families, as well as including our views.

WE DIG IN to the new federal tax credit with our 3rd Season Opener of Reality Check with Jeanne Allen.  In it, Secretary DeVos outlines the plan, addresses what she thinks it can do (help kids and teachers) and what she thinks of the difficult environment in Washington DC. Tune in!

CHARACTER COUNTS. One of the distinguishing traits of good schools is their insistence on discipline, character, and just plain old fashioned good manners. And one of the things schools of choice have always been recognized for is their ability to focus on character and civics in a way that too many traditional public schools just don’t anymore You don’t have to take our word for it, though. Thanks to a just released study of the nation’s oldest school choice program in Milwaukee, “Students who participated in the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program in the mid-2000s committed 53% fewer drug and 86% fewer property crimes as young adults, compared to similar students who attended Milwaukee public schools.” The Godfather of this program, former Governor Tommy Thompson, talks about education and prison reforms in this Reality Check podcast last year.  Give a listen

NEW YORK, NEW YORK, IT’S A WONDERFUL TOWN. Or at least it’s charter schools are. They are performing wonders for the neediest kids. As this cogent editorial in the New York Post points out, it is urgent to lift “the cap on the number of New York charter schools, which have proved far more effective at making big academic gains with low-income students of color.” Emma Lazurus’s iconic inscription at the Statue of Liberty might be amended to read “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning for a good education and send them to charter schools”.

STRIKING TEACHERS POUND THE TABLE. A much used quote often  attributed to Carl Sandburg is “If the law is on your side, pound the law. If the facts are on your side, pound the facts. If neither is on your side, pound the table and yell like Hell.” The objective of table pounding and yelling is to intimidate your opposition into silence. It is a common tactic of bullies and sadly often effective. See for yourself in this chilling tale of intimidation and fear among parents and teachers in West Virginia who support options and alternatives in education.

MISS AMERICA & MISS D.C. TO D.C. STUDENTS – “NEVER GIVE UP!” We couldn’t close without sharing our pride that these two amazing young ladies – Nia Franklin, Miss America 2019 and Allison Farris, Miss D.C. 2019 took time to visit with over 500 DC charter school students who enjoyed a break at the historic Shakespeare Theatre all about “The Father Of Our Country And The Women Who Helped Him Preserve It”. One of the highlights were the messages from both Franklin and Farris – Never give up!  We are so proud of both of them and thankful to them for sharing their inspirational stories with our charter school students. Thank you Nia and Allison!