Shapiro Consulting, Author at The Center for Education Reform

Newswire: December 6, 2016 — 2015 PISA Indicates A Nation Still At Risk — Michigan Charter Schools Succeed — WNYC’s “On The Media” Show Lets False Claims Go Unchallenged — NY EdTech Week

December 6, 2016 By Shapiro Consulting

A NATION STILL AT RISK. Yet another sobering report addressing the crisis in US education was issued today. American 15 year olds did worse in math, and remained stagnant at astonishingly low rates of proficiency on the 2015 worldwide PISA assessment. The US ranks 35th in math, 14th in reading, and 18th in Science. Administered by the Organization for Economic Development (OECD), the PISA is given every three years to 15-year-olds across the globe. Without a doubt, these results are a “rallying cry” for innovation and opportunity to be infused into all education policy initiatives.

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MI CHARTERS SUCCEED. Far too many news outlets are using the occasion of Education Secretary Designate Betsy DeVos’ appointment to discredit Michigan charter schools and the state’s record of success. CER’s Jeanne Allen sets the record straight in the Washington Examiner.

Washington Examiner

“ON THE MEDIA” OFF-KILTER. “The NPR reporter simply reported what they were told without mentioning that most charter schools are failing,” said George Lakoff during a guest appearance on WNYC’s “On The Media.”It’s hard to believe such blatantly false statement would go unchallenged, particularly on a show whose sole objective is to investigate how the media shapes our worldview. This NPR-affiliated show allowed a guest to spout off hearsay without any challenge. Like others in the media (John Oliver are you listening?), making claims that have no foundation is irresponsible.

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COOPER CLAIMS NC. Incumbent Pat McCrory conceded to challenger Roy Cooper yesterday after a drawn-out battle for North Carolina governor. What this could mean for education in the Tar Heel State here.

NY EDTECH WEEK. The who’s who of ed tech, education, foundation and investors will gather for NY Ed Tech Week, the global education festival that brings together people throughout the nation and globe for three days Dec. 19-21. Day 1 alone will see people from the Chancellor of the NY Department of Education to the Founding CLO of jetBlue. CER’s own Jeanne Allen will be moderating a stellar panel including Larry Berger (Amplify), Deborah Kenny (Harlem Village Academies), Gerard Robinson (AEI), and Jim Shelton (ChanZuckerberg). Tickets available – with discounts for students and educators! – here.

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Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

United States Lags on 2015 PISA

December 6, 2016 By Shapiro Consulting

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 6, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — The US ranks 35th in math, 15th in reading, and 18th in science according to the 2015 PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) released today. Scores indicate a decline for the first time in several years in math, while reading and science remain stagnant.

The PISA assessment, administered every three years to 15-year-olds across the globe by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), is widely considered the most valid worldwide assessment of student performance across almost 70 countries. Its results should guide how countries address potentially needed improvements.

In 2012, for example, only nine percent of US “15-year-old students scored at proficiency level 5 or above, which was lower than the OECD average of 13 percent.” In Science and Reading the proficiency is not dramatically different. The US typically ranks similar to the average of all OECD’s 27 participating countries. Keep in mind that includes countries like Estonia and Ireland, both of which score better than the world’s most advanced country, the United States of America. On the 2015 results, Singapore ranked top, with countries like Estonia, Ireland, and Canada again ranking ahead of the US.

“This is a rallying cry for anyone concerned about this country, and evidence once again that we must put Opportunity and Innovation on the front end of all education policy initiatives,” said CER Founder and CEO Jeanne Allen. “The lagging indicators of US education will be a critical challenge for the new Administration.”

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

School Choice: Will Trump Help or Hurt The Cause?

November 30, 2016 By Shapiro Consulting

by Arianna Prothero
Education Week
November 30, 2016

School choice advocates are waffling between excitement for potentially unprecedented new opportunities under a Donald Trump administration, and concern that the president-elect could also dramatically undermine the school choice movement.

Trump’s promise on the campaign trail to spend $20 billion on school vouchers for low-income students could herald a massive expansion of school choice—especially with his selection of an ardent school choice activist as his new education secretary. But the election’s polarizing outcome and Trump’s comments on race could also prove corrosive to the school choice movement’s increasingly tenuous claim to bipartisan support—in particular for charter schools.

[…]

‘Unprecedented’ Support

In addition to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who oversaw aggressive expansion of Indiana’s school voucher program during his tenure as governor there, Trump has also tapped experts from right-leaning think tanks to advise his transition team on education policy.

“It’s kind of unprecedented to have this many people from the top on down who not only embrace school choice, but understand it,” said Jeanne Allen, the founder and chief executive officer of the Center for Education Reform, a longtime proponent of school choice.

Read the full article at Education Week.

Filed Under: CER in the News

Newswire: November 29, 2016 — TIMSS Test Shows US Students Lag Internationally — An Amazing Charter School Example in New Mexico — Innovation in Career Education

November 29, 2016 By Shapiro Consulting

HOW THE US STACKS UP INTERNATIONALLY. The Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) results are out today, and fourth and eighth graders in the US remain dramatically behind other countries. For high school seniors taking advanced math and science courses, achievement remains stagnant, and a 30 point gap exists between males and females. These results are a call for greater Innovation and Opportunity in US education.

A MODEL TO EMULATE. Everyone is always asking about great models to emulate, and this independent New Mexico charter school came into our view. Albuquerque’s Mission Achievement and Success (MAS) Charter School, a rigorous college prep school, consistently gets “A” grades and has a 4 star rating on Great Schools. But because it’s not part of a larger network, it’s not the kind of school we hear about often. Speaking of independent schools, don’t forget to check out our video library of amazing charter schools.

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INNOVATION AT WORK. Organizations like GiftedHire —one of CER’s newest partners in innovation — are making a difference in US education by guiding students during their school years to make decisions that will help them secure better jobs sooner. This unique career education tool has amazing potential to help kids now, particularly in charter school environments which are less burdened by bureaucracy and more focused on results for kids, meaning they can implement tools and methods more quickly than a traditional school might be able to.

GIVE THE GIFT OF OPPORTUNITY. If you’ve looked at social media or your inbox today, I’m sure you’re fully aware that today is #GivingTuesday — a day dedicated to giving back after the days of holiday sales and deals. We’ve strategically designed a 100-day campaign that will lay the groundwork for how we mobilize our network in 2017 — but we need your help to pull this off! Will you help us raise $25,000 by the end of 2016 to lay the foundation for true innovation and opportunity in 2017?

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MAJOR EVENTS. It’s a busy week in DC, with the Foundation for Excellence in Education’s national summit happening simultaneously with ALEC’s policy summit. The Next Generation Charter Schools Act — a collaboration with CER to inform state legislators and leaders working in education — is an important topic of discussion as new leaders prepare to take office. We will be on the ground at both, so make sure you say hello!

And in less than a month is New York EdTech Week, the must-attend event in December for the EdTech community. This global education innovation festival focused on how edtech can drive and advance learning is produced by StartED (of which CER’s Jeanne Allen is a managing director), and provides access to the industry’s largest and most influential network of leaders in education and technology.

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Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

This New Mexico Charter School is a Model to Emulate

November 29, 2016 By Shapiro Consulting

In places throughout New Mexico, and across the nation, there is a desperate need for new opportunities for children to receive a quality education – opportunities that are not offered within the confines of the existing education establishment.

Albuquerque’s Mission Achievement and Success (MAS) Charter School stands as an incredible example of the opportunities for quality education and personal growth that charter schools can create for students and for the greater good of our communities.

MAS ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS

A on School Grading 2015-2016 School Year
- One of only 14% of schools in the entire State of New Mexico to earn this grade
- One of the ONLY schools in the entire State of New Mexico to serve our demographic to earn this grade

A on School Grading 2014-2015 School Year
- One of only 14% of schools in the state to earn this grade
- One of the ONLY schools in the state to serve our demographic to earn this grade

Comparative Demographics Chart (see below) indicates a higher percentage of minority students, English language learners, and economically disadvantaged students. This is compared to the local public school district in the city in which we are located AND the state averages for the State of New Mexico.

Similar schools data from our school report card indicates that we are Number 1 in the State of New Mexico when looking at “similar schools” as established by the State of New Mexico. The information provided below is taken directly from the State of New Mexico’s School Report Card for MAS Charter School for the 2015-2016 school year, the second chart was taken from the 2014-2015 school year. Full versions of the report card are attached to the email for reference purposes.

2015-2016 Similar Schools Report from NMPED Report Card

MAS “OTHER” HIGHLIGHTS

2016-2017 School Year

New Mexico Coalition of Charter Schools Teacher of the Year Award, Alison Garcia. See home page link here.
Currently working directly with Scarlett Lewis to implement the Choose Love Curriculum to support Social and Emotional Learning. Among the first schools in the nation to pilot this curriculum.
Increased enrollment from our opening year in 2012-2013 from approximately 100 students to nearly 800 students in our fifth year of operation.

2015-2016 School Year

Houghlin Mifflin Harcourt Read 180 Student of the Year Award – Awarded to Carlos Gallegos.
New Mexico Coalition of Charter Schools School of the Year Award.
MAS Charter School Founder/Principal entered the Tedx Community by presenting her first Ted Talk on Bridging the Gap from High School to College.
MAS Charter School contributed in our fourth annual community service event, sending every secondary school student at MAS to a local community organization to perform community service throughout the community. This involved placement for nearly 500 students at over a dozen community service locations within our local community.
All MAS students visited at least ONE college including our kindergarten and first grade students!
Major contributors to the Roadrunner Food Bank, the largest food bank in the State of New Mexico. MAS Charter school is one of the largest contributors in the State of Mexico. Below are our contribution totals to date. Over the four years we have been in operation, we have collected 47,571 pounds of food…this does not include our contributions for 2016-2017 as we are in the process of completing our fall food drive.

School Year Totals:

School Year	Fall	Spring	Total
2012-2013	456	3684	4,140
2013-2014	8,081	1,813	9,894
2014-2015	8,237	3,437	11,674
2015-2016	12,338	9,525	21,863

2014-2015 School Year

New Mexico Coalition of Charter Schools Governing Board of the Year Award.
MAS Charter School contributed in our third annual community service event, sending every secondary school student at MAS to a local community organization to perform community service throughout the community. This involved placement for nearly 350 students at various sites throughout Albuquerque.
All MAS students visited at least two colleges. This included in state college trips, out of state college trips.
Major contributors to the Roadrunner Food Bank, the largest food bank in the State of New Mexico. MAS Charter school is one of the largest contributors in the State of Mexico. Totals are listed above.
MAS was approved to amend our charter school and open elementary school starting with grades K-1 for the 2015-2016 school year.

2013-2014 School Year

New Mexico Coalition of Charter Schools Principal of the Year Award.
MAS Charter School contributed in our second annual community service event, sending every secondary school student at MAS to a local community organization to perform community service throughout the community. This involved placement for nearly 250 students at various sites throughout Albuquerque.
All MAS students visited at least two colleges. This included in state college trips, out of state college trips.
Major contributors to the Roadrunner Food Bank, the largest food bank in the State of New Mexico. MAS Charter school is one of the largest contributors in the State of Mexico. Totals are listed above.
Tripled student enrollment from our inaugural year of operation…increased from approximately 100 students to 300 students.

2012-2013 School Year

MAS Charter School contributed in our first annual community service event, sending every secondary school student at MAS to a local community organization to perform community service throughout the community. This involved placement for just over 100 students at various sites throughout Albuquerque.
All MAS students visited at least two colleges. This included in state college trips, out of state college trips.
Major contributors to the Roadrunner Food Bank, the largest food bank in the State of New Mexico. MAS Charter school is one of the largest contributors in the State of Mexico. Totals are listed above.

Filed Under: Choice & Charter Schools

Give the Gift of Opportunity

November 29, 2016 By Shapiro Consulting

I am sure by now you have seen that #GivingTuesday is upon us.

Did you know that fewer than 40% of our nation’s students are proficient in core subjects? That number drops to below 20% for minority students and those from disadvantaged backgrounds. What if you could change that?

We boldly ask that you consider the gift of opportunity to children across the country by supporting the Center for Education Reform (CER). Although we have some strong school choice advocates in this new administration, and hope to ride that momentum- you and I both know that it doesn’t take long for us to get sucked back into the status quo.

We are the determined advocates that stand in the gap to rally for innovation and opportunity when school leaders, EdTech innovators, researchers and policy makers get diverted by the bureaucracy that plagues us all. The education landscape needs our relentless dedication and focus on innovation and opportunity.

Will you invest in true opportunity in the first 100 days?

CER has strategically designed a 100-day campaign that will lay the groundwork for how we mobilize our network in 2017—but we need your help to pull this off. As we prepare for the beginning of a new Presidential administration, we have school choice advocates like never before – at the local, state and federal levels. We will be working hard to come alongside these new leaders and leverage all of our relationships and resources to equip them to be catalysts for educational choice – and lasting change.

The job is not going to be easy, but the underpinning of the election results will give us a broader pipeline to underwrite opportunity at the state and local level in many areas we thought would have more red tape.

Will you help us raise $25,000 by the end of 2016 to lay the foundation for true innovation and opportunity in 2017?

Here are just a few of the things we will accomplish during the first hundred days:

We will transform the education technology market through our innovation programming by accelerating the growth of innovation technology companies which will change the face of American education.
We will build a strong community of like-minded educators and educational institutions in our Charter School Leaders Council that will push for innovation and opportunity in classrooms throughout the country.
We will create the foremost compendium of education reform related research and insight anywhere in the country.

Will you partner with us this #GivingTuesday, to give students the opportunity they deserve?

Thank you for your consideration of a lasting investment in education this Giving Tuesday.

Thank you,

Jeanne Allen
Founder and CEO

Filed Under: Commentary

Betsy DeVos Will Ensure Innovation And Opportunity Are Priority as Education Secretary

November 28, 2016 By Shapiro Consulting

STATEMENT BY CER FOUNDER & CEO JEANNE ALLEN ON SELECTION OF BETSY DEVOS AS US SECRETARY OF EDUCATION

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 28, 2016

WASHINGTON, DC — Jeanne Allen, Founder and CEO of the Center for Education Reform, issued the following statement regarding President-Elect Donald Trump’s selection last week of Betsy DeVos as his Secretary of Education:

“Educational choice and a passion for innovation have been the hallmark of Betsy DeVos’ many years at the forefront of the movement to transform elementary and secondary education in Michigan and the nation at large.

“Her selection is a bold statement by the President-elect that he intends to follow through on his campaign promise to make educational choice a centerpiece of his determination to ensure that the children of our nation – all of them – will achieve the American dream.

“The Center for Education Reform will enthusiastically support every effort by the new administration to expand innovation and real educational opportunity to benefit every child in America.

“Whether their futures are best served in traditional public schools, public charter schools, private schools, or a homeschool environment, our children deserve the very best education we can provide, and we will support Secretary DeVos in her efforts to ensure that innovation and opportunity are at the core of national policy under her leadership.”

About the Center for Education Reform

Filed Under: Press Releases

In Pence, Trump finds school choice advocate

November 26, 2016 By Shapiro Consulting

by Stephanie Wang and Chelsea Schneider
IndyStar
November 26, 2016

As governor, Mike Pence strongly advocated for education reforms, overseeing a vast expansion of the state’s private school voucher program and a boost in funding for charter schools.

Now as the incoming vice president, Pence has the chance to promote those same policies on the national stage.

And his boss is on board.

Consider this: Donald Trump has hinged his education plans on a $20 billion federal voucher program that would allow low-income families to send their children to the public or private school of their choosing. Details on how the program would work and how it would be funded are few. But Trump has pledged to be “the nation’s biggest cheerleader for school choice.”

With Pence as his No. 2 and Betsy DeVos, a Michigan philanthropist and staunch voucher advocate, set to head the U.S. Department of Education, school choice policies that have come to define Indiana’s educational landscape could gain an unprecedented prominence on the federal level.

While the administration of President Barack Obama has supported the expansion of charter schools nationwide, educators expect the Trump-Pence administration to provide a bully pulpit for national discussions on school choice.

They point to Pence’s record in which he pushed for laws to ease the ability for families to use taxpayer funds to pay for private schools and for charter schools to receive a $500 per student grant on top of their regular funding.

[…]

Jeanne Allen, founder of The Center for Education Reform, called Trump and Pence “unabashed school choice supporters.”

“Opportunity scholarships or vouchers, like those in D.C. and also in Indiana, will be more likely to thrive and grow with people in office who are willing to buck the status quo,” Allen said.

To read the full article visit IndyStar

Filed Under: CER in the News

DeVos selection ignites fight on how to help students

November 25, 2016 By Shapiro Consulting

by Chad Livengood, Jonathan Oosting and Michael Gerstein
The Detroit News
November 25, 2016

President-elect Donald Trump’s planned nomination of west Michigan philanthropist Betsy DeVos for education secretary has ignited a debate about how the country delivers a high-quality education for every child.

DeVos, 58, supports increasing school choices, which she has called an attempt to “empower” parents to find good schools for their children, whether they be traditional public schools, alternative public academies known as charters, virtual schools or private and religious institutions.

“Betsy DeVos is a brilliant and passionate education advocate,” Trump said Wednesday in a statement. “Under her leadership, we will reform the U.S. education system and break the bureaucracy that is holding our children back so that we can deliver world-class education and school choice to all families.”

[…]

Under Republican presidents, education secretaries have operated in the background or used the office as a bully pulpit, as Ronald Reagan’s second-term secretary Bill Bennett did. Truscott said indications are DeVos may be more in the spotlight.

“So much depends on what the president wants from an education secretary,” he said. “Donald Trump is looking to be a strong, visionary president — he lays out the agenda and expects people to implement it.”

But the incoming Trump administration may run into a road block within the Republican Party, even though Trump and DeVos are the most pro-choice advocates in recent memory, said Jeanne Allen, founder and CEO of the Washington-based Center for Education Reform.

“Trump is a much more committed, more vocal proponent of vouchers and charter schools than George W. Bush, as is his secretary designate a stronger supporter than those once in the same position,” Allen said Friday.

To read the full article visit The Detroit News.

Filed Under: CER in the News

Newswire: November 22, 2016 — In the Spirit of Thanksgiving, we’re thankful for a mandate for change from voters, charter schools speaking up, and more!

November 22, 2016 By Shapiro Consulting

In the spirit of Thanksgiving, this week’s Newswire highlights just a few things we’re thankful for here at The Center for Education Reform:

CHARTER SCHOOLS SPEAKING UP. John Oliver launched a misguided attack on our nation’s public charter schools, and they spoke up by responding with more than 250 videos showcasing the amazing ways they’re advancing opportunity for students.

MANDATE FOR CHANGE FROM VOTERS. Earlier this month, voters across the country sent a clear message by electing opportunity-minded leaders into office. We’re thankful – and hopeful – that these leaders – and others voted into public office – will pave the way for innovation and opportunity for our nation’s learners of every age. This evergreen advice for any government leader or policy maker is a terrific place to start.

THOSE WORKING ALONGSIDE US TO REVIVE EDREFORM. In June, we unveiled our New Opportunity Agenda to reframe the debate to educate the public and lawmakers on the necessity and best approaches to ensuring innovation and opportunity throughout education. Earlier this month, we formally launched this effort to collectively change the conversation with a one-day EdReform Revived event. We’re grateful for the brilliant and amazing minds who gathered to figure out how we can keep pushing and driving greater innovative opportunities for kids. While we work on a full comprehensive report, videos, and resources, here are 10 takeaways from the conversation.

We’ll be sharing what we’re #thankful for here at @edreform all week long on Twitter. We invite you to do the same! (Don’t forget to tag @edreform in your tweets so we can retweet!)

Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

MAS ACADEMIC HIGHLIGHTS

MAS “OTHER” HIGHLIGHTS

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