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Newswire: December 21, 2016 — Highlights from NY EdTech Week — Urban Prep in Chicago Continues to Send 100% of Seniors To College — CER’s 12-ish Days of Christmas

December 21, 2016 By

NY EDTECH WEEK.  CER’s mission and work is to expand parent power and innovation so that all may achieve the American Dream. EdTech — and the promise it holds to transform the way we think about teaching and learning — is a vital component to this equation. After day one of NY EdTech Week, we’re energized by the brilliant educators, innovators, entrepreneurs, business leaders, investors, policymakers and more gathered at this global festival. The festival kicked off with CER’s own Jeanne Allen leading a discussion with “rowdy K-12 innovators and thought leaders.” Stay tuned for the video up on staging.edreform.com soon, and in the meantime check out this twitter moment of highlights we put together!

COLLEGE BOUND.  One hundred percent of Urban Prep seniors are headed to college. This is the seventh consecutive year this has happened for this independent inner-city Chicago school serving all African-American males, mostly from low-income families. THIS is the kind of impact choice can have on communities if we have policies that let ed opportunity thrive.

TIS THE SEASON. CER’s 12-ish days of Christmas is underway, intended to spread edreform cheer and bring gifts to all!  We’ll be surprising your inbox with these gifts through January. Stay tuned, and don’t forget to share the edreform holiday cheer on social media!

GIFT & GIVE!  Don’t forget you can use Amazon Smile for those last-minute gift purchases to advance parent power & innovation! You can also support the Center directly by donating via staging.edreform.com. Will you help us raise $25,000 by the end of 2016 to lay the foundation for true innovation and opportunity in 2017? We thank you for dedication to expanding educational opportunity!

Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

On the Fifth Day of Christmas CER gave to me…

December 21, 2016 By

State Policy Changing

(4th) Reformie Ladies Lunching
(3rd) A Global Hub for Technology
(2nd) Model Legislation
And a Nominee for Opportunity!

 

The fifth in our 12-ish days of Christmas series, intended to bring gifts to education reformers everywhere!

Election 2016 brought about promising opportunities for changes in state policy. Voters cast their votes so that 2017 will see 72 percent of Governors (including the mayor of Washington DC) with passing grades on parent power and innovation. And while we hope that governors can enact real change in their states, we still have a lot of work to do!

So as we look forward to the potential for change in 2017, here’s a brief look back at states we’ve worked in to start moving the needle on expanding opportunity and innovation:

Kentucky: Laying the Groundwork for a New Opportunity Agenda
In 2007, the Center was the first national organization to answer the call from Kentucky lawmakers to help them forge a path for charter schools and greater opportunity for students across the commonwealth. We have again joined forces – with a new governor, his cabinet and legislative leaders – to map out a strategy for broad success that would ensure opportunities for students young and old, in all of Kentucky’s communities. Our comprehensive approach combined with visits to D.C. charter schools laid a foundation for success. (On election day the Kentucky House became choice-friendly. We continue to provide guidance and assistance in helping them use that momentum to create a new day for students and families.) 

A Disappointing Loss in Massachusetts
Although the ballot initiative to increase the number of charter school in Massachusetts failed, it wasn’t for a lack of effort. CER drove media coverage of the initiative, brought national attention to the issue, and augmented grassroots advocacy efforts of local leadership. The good news is the issue isn’t going away and we continue to work in the state to map strategies for the future!

Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: , , , ,

On the Fourth Day of Christmas CER Gave to Me…

December 20, 2016 By

Reformie Ladies Lunching
A GLOBAL HUB FOR TECHNOLOGY
MODEL LEGISLATION
AND A NOMINEE FOR OPPORTUNITY!

 

The fourth in our 12-ish days of Christmas series, intended to bring gifts to education reformers everywhere!

“Innovation is the key lever for change.”

That’s what Deborah Quazzo told a room full of female movers and shakers in education gathered by CER and CityBridge in early November to discuss how to increase opportunity for our nation’s children.

Deborah is Founder and Managing Partner of GSV Acceleration Fund, a venture capital fund investing in the most dynamic entrepreneurs and companies leveraging technology in the global $4.9 trillion education and talent technology sectors. Her experience and accomplishments in and outside of education are numerous. She’s exactly the kind of woman whose presence and involvement is critically important to the future of our students and schools.

While it’s no secret that teaching is still a predominantly female career, it may be less obvious that there are powerful women behind the drive to change the way we think about teaching and learning in America. That was the drive behind this meeting of business executives, philanthropists, and community activists in the EdReform space – a celebration of powerful females moving the needle for students paired with critical conversations on how we can work together to break barriers.

We’ve all heard the expression that there’s nothing more powerful than a woman’s intuition, and that’s something America could certainly use more of to help push the envelope on change in education!

Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With:

On the Third Day of Christmas CER Gave to Me…

December 19, 2016 By

A Global Hub for Technology
Model Legislation
And a Nominee for Opportunity!

 

The third in our 12-ish days of Christmas series, intended to bring gifts to education reformers everywhere!

by Jonathan Harber — Founder, StartED Accelerator

screen-shot-2016-12-19-at-9-53-18-amMove over, Menlo Park — there’s another tech boom coming, and not necessarily where you’d expect it. This boom is being driven by the edtech sector, and it has found its new home in New York City!

Consider that New York is home to over two million active students and has the largest hub of education institutions, publishing giants, corporate training departments, cutting edge researchers and investors in the industry. We also have the largest school district, community college network, expansive and hugely successful charter schools, and corporate training budgets. The potential is enormous.

New York City has both the biggest potential edtech consumer base and the most places to pilot innovative ideas. No other city in the country has as many university students – not even Boston.

NYC Is a Tech, Deal Hub

It is true that the largest share of the world’s technology innovation is still happening in California, in and around San Francisco and Silicon Valley, but Gotham is number two.

And where there is tech innovation, there’s usually investment. In a 2014 ranking of cities with the most tech start-up funding, California, unsurprisingly, led the way. New York was third, and only because San Francisco and Silicon Valley were listed separately.

It’s undeniable that education systems continue to face pressure to change. With more investment and rapid innovation, we’re nearing a tipping point where the digital transformation in education will develop its own inertia. The community that can cultivate and harvest the benefits of the coming edtech explosion will enjoy one of largest wealth creation events we’ve seen in the past century. We’ll see lives, fortunes, jobs and entire economies changed and created. It’s going to happen somewhere. That somewhere is New York City.

That’s why in addition to founding StartED, my fellow directors and I have teamed up with NYU to produce NY EDTECH WEEK, a global education innovation festival at NYU taking place this week, December 19 – 21. The festival will highlight problems and opportunities on the horizon as new technologies transform the global education industry.

To help spark the transformation, over forty of the hottest startups from six countries will get prime opportunities to pitch over 150 investors. More than 800 investors, entrepreneurs, policy leaders, educators, and journalists are expected to attend NY EDTECH WEEK, hoping their companies and others take root in NYC.

We are confident that we can continue to develop and build a vibrant eco-system of education innovation that leverages our intellectual, financial, and network capital to improve the world.

Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: ,

On the Second Day of Christmas CER Gave to Me…

December 16, 2016 By

Model Legislation
And a Nominee for Opportunity!

 

The second in our 12-ish days of Christmas series, intended to bring gifts to education reformers everywhere!

 

screen-shot-2016-12-15-at-6-18-13-pmby Ted Rebarber*

Charter schools have become the single most effective public school reform to date. They provide opportunities to families and the freedom for schools to innovate, improve and address pressing needs without delays from bureaucracy or political pressure.

But laws make all the difference in the degree of opportunities afforded to families and freedom afforded to schools.

Of the 13 strongest charter laws, 12 were passed between 1991 and 1999, and it is these 12 states alone that account for over 56 percent of existing charter schools.  Only nine states passed a charter law between 2000 and 2015 and they opened a combined total of 233 schools, serving so few students that their impact on a national scale is almost negligible.

Strong laws provide for:

  • operational autonomy for charters, allowing a wide range of providers to innovate and meet the needs of their particular students;
  • multiple charter authorizers in order to guard against regulatory creep, including at least one independent entity focused on authorizing charters;
  • a high or no cap on schools and few obstacles to growth, allowing charters to scale up and offer parents multiple options in convenient locations;
  • accountability to parents through choice, while authorizers maintain public trust by eliminating fraudulent or obviously incompetent operators;
  • equitable funding for students and families in charter schools, including capital (facility) funds as well as operational funds.

We know from 23 years of research and practice that strong laws result in strong schools. That’s why we’re relentless in our pursuit for strong charter school laws that allow charter schools the freedom and flexibility. We hope 2017 brings the gift of stronger laws across the states. CER’s 17th annual Charter School Laws Ranking & Scorecard, to be released soon, will be your definitive guide to whether your law stacks up to the best policies and practices.

*Ted Rebarber is the founder of Washington, DC’s highly rated charter school law, CEO & founder of AccountabilityWorks, and CER’s resident research associate.

Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: ,

On the First Day of Christmas CER Gave to Me…

December 15, 2016 By

A Nominee for Opportunity!

 

This is the first in a series of blog posts — CER’s 12(ish) Days of Christmas. 

by George Mitchell*doe_part_1_2_web_ta_12-14-16

I can speak from direct experience when explaining why the nomination of Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education is such a stunning and positive development.  

In the late 1990s the story of school choice was largely a Milwaukee story. The movement was in limbo awaiting a (favorable) 1998 Wisconsin court ruling that upheld religious school choice. A subsequent US Supreme Court decision, drawing heavily on the Wisconsin ruling, set the stage for potential expansion.  

A small group of selfless philanthropists emerged to up to help make it happen. The late John Walton’s untimely death created a void. Up stepped Betsy DeVos, along with her successor as head of the American Federation for Children, Bill Oberndorf.

Meetings and strategies developed under Betsy’s direction were all about focus, focus, focus. If you weren’t zeroed in on the single goal of expanding parental education options you were in the wrong place. She intuitively — almost instinctively — gets the basic point:  all things being equal, more choice is better than less. Giving parents more power and control and responsibility will be her guiding principles. She is indifferent to perks, power, and the embellishments that come with her job. She will be all about results.

What a fantastic Christmas present!

*George Mitchell’s interest in, and commitment to, school choice dates to the 1980s, when he met Howard Fuller and chaired a gubernatorial commission that studied education in Milwaukee. His wife Susan formed a coalition that strengthened the Milwaukee choice program and helped take the issue national.

Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: ,

Quick Advice on How to Survive Holiday Gatherings

December 14, 2016 By

There’s nothing like gathering with family, friends, and colleagues over the holidays – whether it’s at the school play, a work party, or a neighborhood get-together.

Screen Shot 2015-12-21 at 3.13.28 PMThat is, until your crazy Aunt Sally launches into a political discussion.

Be ready this year. Here are a few conversation starters (and stoppers!) to have ready at your disposal to get you out of sticky situations, or give you something to talk a
bout with your relatives!

 

“Our public schools are just fine. I got a great education,” your grandfather says. That may be true, but we’re an increasingly global society, and with the U.S. ranking 35th in math,15th in reading and 18th in science in student performance across almost 70 countries, even our best-performing kids need better learning opportunities.

“But not all parents care”, your neighbor says.
What some perceive as a lack of caring could actually be the result of frustration. As a parent, it’s frustrating feeling like there is no other option for your child outside of the school that is failing them. Only 5% of U.S. children are able to take advantage of school choice opportunities.

“It’s not an education problem, it’s a poverty problem,” says your colleague.
Poverty is a challenge, but not an excuse. Our nation’s charter schools have proven this. A majority of the nearly 2.5 million children in the nation’s more than 6,500 charter schools are poor and minority, and yet they are performing better than comparable kids who have to attend their local public schools.

Let’s give the ultimate gift to parents and students this year by committing to remaining vocal about the importance of parent power for all.

 

 

Filed Under: Commentary

Newswire: December 13, 2016 — All We Want for Christmas… Is Expansion of the DCOSP! – Education Opportunity in Kentucky – Strong Charter School Laws Matter – 5 Days Until NY Ed Tech Week

December 13, 2016 By

 

ALL I WANT FOR CHRISTMAS… Funds for DC’s life-saving opportunity scholarship program were released by Congress late Friday night, but Opportunity DC — a project of CER and Democracy Builders to build a movement of parents who are dedicated to expanding educational opportunity for all students in the District of Columbia — continues to push on Capitol Hill for expansion of this important program. “Congress should consider expanding the program next session, if not now,” writes Washington Examiner’s Jason Russell.  All we want for Christmas is expansion of the DCOSP….

CHARTER LAWS MATTER. The association of charter school authorizers is claiming that a weak law is actually among the nation’s best. Washington State’s embattled charter law, which rests control in the state bureaucracy and underfunds and limits the number of schools available, is considered a model, while DC’s leading law is in the middle of the pack. Policy differences can undermine real opportunities for families. Does your state have a great charter law? Help NACSA understand how real laws should work. Write them at nacsa@qualitycharters.org.

OPPORTUNITY IN KY. Speaking of strong laws to advance opportunity, kudos to KY for its commitment to advancing meaningful opportunities for students, and particularly Governor Bevin and his Secretary of Education, Hal Heiner, with whom CER has worked extensively to build and nurture support for comprehensive education reforms in the Bluegrass State. Momentum is building for new opportunities for students in the Bluegrass State with a new governor, a choice-friendly House, and KY lawmakers visiting DC charter schools earlier this year.

5 DAYS UNTIL NY EDTECH WEEK! Where can you find the biggest names in education and edtech, rising stars, and musical surprises all in one place? NY EdTech Week of course! Join us as CER CEO Jeanne Allen moderates a star-studded panel including Larry Berger (Amplify), Deborah Kenny (Harlem Village Academies), Gerard Robinson (AEI), and Jim Shelton (Chan Zuckerberg Initiative). Get your tickets for this event being held Dec. 19-21 before it’s too late!

‘TIS BETTER TO GIVE… Did you know you can help bring greater parent power to kids when you shop for holiday gifts? Here’s how. You can also contribute to expanding educational opportunity by supporting the Center directly by going to staging.edreform.com.

amazonsmilecer

Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

New Ranking of Charter School Laws Fails Principles of Sound Policy Research

December 8, 2016 By

NACSA Says Washington State Is The Best

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 7, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — A group claiming to represent the interests of charter school authorizers released a report yesterday rating Washington State among the top three charter school laws for authorizing, despite serious deficiencies in that state’s law. The National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA) also gave low marks to Washington DC’s vibrant charter policy.

The inadequacy of NACSA’s charter school policy is best seen through a comparison of the two Washingtons. Among the key differences:

  • Schools:  In comparison to other states with charter laws, Washington state currently has among the fewest charter schools. The new charter law ensures it will continue to remain near the bottom in this regard, limiting the number of new charter schools to 40 across the entire state for the next five years, with no more than eight per year. The DC charter law permits more charter schools per year in a single district and has resulted in close to half of its public school students
    being educated in charter schools, including many in high quality charter schools.
  • Serving the poor:  Washington state charter law discourages charter schools focused on serving disadvantaged students and other special populations by requiring default non-renewal for charters in the bottom quartile of the state’s achievement index (other than in “exceptional circumstances”). The DC charter law allows contains no such provision, enabling the charter authorizer to consider a broader range of factors.
  • Authorizers:  The only non-district charter authorizer permitted by the Washington state charter law is a state commission that, while technically independent, is administered within the office of the state superintendent. The DC charter law established a separate charter board that is administered separately from the existing education bureaucracy.

(See: Charter School Authorizers: The Truth About State Commissions)  

  • Autonomy:  The Washington state charter law directs the state charter authorizing commission to administer charter schools “in the same manner” as local districts manage regular public schools, encouraging similarly high levels of regulation and control. The DC charter law includes no such requirement and encourages operational autonomy for charter schools.
  • Flexibility: The Washington state charter law requires that charter authorizers implement “nationally recognized” standards (i.e., those by NACSA), perhaps one reason why NACSA regards this law so positively. The DC charter law allows charter authorizers flexibility in managing their procedures.

“If only this were an ‘oops’ moment for NACSA and they had mixed up Washington State and Washington DC,” said CER Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen.

NACSA’s report also undervalues other strong laws, such as New York and Arizona, both of which show the importance of freedom and flexibility from government intrusion when providing new opportunities for students.

To learn more about CER’s charter school law rankings and recommendations for what constitutes a strong charter school law, please visit staging.edreform.com. 

About the Center for Education Reform

Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that the conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education.

Filed Under: Press Releases

Fox40 Sacramento: CER Awards Natomas Charter School $100K

December 7, 2016 By

Fox40 covers CER’s announcing Sacramento California’s Natomas Charter School the winner of the “Hey John Oliver Back Off My Charter School” video contest.

The contest was launched in August in response to a misleading and poorly contrived segment of HBO’s Last Week Tonight, hosted by comedian John Oliver, which had the potential to cause serious damage to the most promising public education reform since public schools were created in the 1850s. “Oliver’s show cast charter schools in simplistic terms, and parodied the hard work of millions to create meaningful, personalized opportunities for students,” said CER Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen. “Charter schools uniquely serve students often not well-served by traditional public schools — which most students would have no choice but to attend were it not for the choices charters offer.”

More than 250 video submission from across the country were received by the Center. Watch them all here:

youtube-cover-photo

Filed Under: CER in the News
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