Voice Your Choice

Why Stop a Good Thing?

2009-05-05T13:01:00.000-07:00

Though Eric mentioned it below, I thought it expedient to post the entire Wall Street Journal op-ed, here. Please give it a quick read; it provides a clear example of how political ideology can, at times, interfere with progressive and effective policies.

"Washington, D.C.'s school voucher program for low-income kids isn't dead yet. But the Obama Administration seems awfully eager to expedite its demise.

About 1,700 kids currently receive $7,500 vouchers to attend private schools under the Opportunity Scholarship Program, and 99% of them are black or Hispanic. The program is a huge hit with parents -- there are four applicants for every available scholarship -- and the latest Department of Education evaluation showed significant academic gains.

Nevertheless, Congress voted in March to phase out the program after the 2009-10 school year unless it is reauthorized by Congress and the D.C. City Council. The Senate is scheduled to hold hearings on the program this month, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has promised proponents floor time to make their case. So why is Education Secretary Arne Duncan proceeding as if the program's demise is a fait accompli?

Mr. Duncan is not only preventing new scholarships from being awarded but also rescinding scholarship offers that were made to children admitted for next year. In effect, he wants to end a successful program before Congress has an opportunity to consider reauthorizing it. This is not what you'd expect from an education reformer, and several Democrats in Congress have written him to protest.

We know that Barack and Michelle Obama have opted out of public schools in D.C. -- as they also did in Chicago -- and chosen a private school for their own girls. So have 44% of Senators and 36% of Representatives, according to a new Heritage Foundation report. Less well known is that Mr. Duncan has exercised another, far more common kind of school choice for his family.

Science magazine recently asked Mr. Duncan where his daughter attends school and "how important was the school district in your decision about where to live?" He responded: "She goes to Arlington [Virginia] public schools. That was why we chose where we live, it was the determining factor . . . I didn't want to try to save the country's children and our educational system and jeopardize my own children's education." It certainly is easier to champion public schools when you have your pick of the better ones (like the Duncans) or the means to send your children to a private school (like the Obamas).

The Education Department released its annual evaluation of the D.C. program last month -- tellingly, without a press release or media briefing -- and it showed that voucher recipients are reading nearly a half-grade ahead of their peers who didn't receive a scholarship. These academic benefits are compounding over time. The study revealed that the program's earliest participants are 19 months ahead of public school peers in reading after three years. Nationwide, black 12th graders as a group score lower on reading tests than white 8th graders. The D.C. voucher program is closing this achievement gap.

See if you can follow this political syllogism. President Obama and his Education Secretary have repeatedly promised to support "what works," regardless of ideology. The teachers unions adamantly oppose school vouchers, whether or not they work. Ergo, Messrs. Obama and Duncan decide to end a D.C. school voucher program that works and force poor kids back into schools where Messrs. Obama and Duncan would never send their own children. What a disgrace."

Fears Versus Facts About School Choice

2009-05-05T09:06:00.000-07:00

As the debate on whether or not to continue the School Choice program in Washington D.C. continues, new information about the positive benefits of choice continue to emerge from across the country.

A new study by Dr. John Garen explains myths and data about School Choice, and explores the potential benefits the options would bring to the state. He points out that:

Spending increased 30 percent between the 1989-1990 and 1995-1996 school years, the highest increase in the nation, student to teacher ratios fell by 4.5 percent, and teacher payrolls rose by 3.86 percent
Despite the spending increase and increased teacher pay, the test scores of students did not increase and in certain areas actually got worse
Kentucky student test scores below average, according to the 2007 NAEP report

Increased spending does not mean improved results, which is why parents deserve the right to explore school options in their area to make the best decisions for their children. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan understood the importance of education, as he responded it was important factor for his daughter when choosing the district he would live in a recent Wall Street Journal:

"She goes to Arlington [Virginia] public schools. That was why we chose where we live, it was the determining factor . . . I didn't want to try to save the country's children and our educational system and jeopardize my own children's education.

Members of 111th Congress Practice Private School Choice

2009-04-28T09:42:00.000-07:00

As legislatures across the country discuss School Choice, the Heritage Foundation decided to find out if the Members of Congress exercise their right to choose private education either for themselves, or for their children. In their survey, a few of their interesting findings included:

44% of Senators and 36% of Representatives have at one time sent their children to a public school
20% of the Members themselves had been to a private school
11% of Americans currently attend private school

This shows that the current Members of Congress both attended as well as send their children to private schools at a higher rate than the rest of the American public. Perhaps its time to give everyone that same opportunity.

Flunked Movie Screening

2009-02-26T11:46:00.000-08:00

We have a problem.

Results of national and international tests show that our students are falling further and further behind. The average American student is no longer able to compete with foreign students, and in many cases, they're failing to meet even basic academic standards. Success rates are plummeting, and remediation and dropout rates are skyrocketing. Students entering the current American education system are in for a grim ride.

On March 1, School Choice Illinois is providing the only Illinois screening of the film Flunked, which is narrated by actor Joe Mantegna. The film explores the "story of failure" and provides "a formula for hope."

Following the film, School Choice Illinois will moderate an education panel discussion with some of the state's leading education thinkers.

Not only will you have the opportunity to view an explorative and insightful film, but you will also have the opportunity to support a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding the options Illinois parents have when it comes to educating their children.

Tickets are limited, so the sooner you act the better.

Here are the details:
Sunday, March 1st, Sunday, 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
Gene Siskel Film Center
Light refreshments will be served.

For more details or to register, you can contact us at
312-268-6880 or through our website at
https://www.schoolchoiceillinois.org/flunked.php.

We hope to see you there!

Sincerely,
Phylicia Lyons
Founder, President and CEO

School Choice Illinois
1030 W. Chicago Ave, Suite 300
Chicago, IL 60642
312-268-6880 phone
312-268-6864 fax
http://www.schoolchoiceillinois.org/

Studies cast doubt on CPS strategy

2009-02-18T12:02:00.000-08:00

"Students at two elementary campuses in the controversial Chicago Public Schools turnaround program aren’t performing appreciably better than kids in nearby neighborhood schools.
That’s a key finding in one of two new reports released yesterday by the Collaborative for Equity and Justice in Education at the University of Illinois-Chicago..."

Will More Money Fix Our Schools?

2009-02-17T13:01:00.000-08:00

CER Newswire Vol. 11, No. 7 February 17, 2009: POLITICS
Published by The Center for Education Reform (CER) Making Schools Work Better for All Children

"JOBS vs EDUCATION. The economic stimulus has sparked serious discussion in newsrooms and at policy think tanks everywhere about whether the new federal spending bill is likely to have any impact on making schools work. Nicholas Kristof's weekend New York Times article praises the spending, but reminds us that "The implication is that throwing money at a broken system won't fix it, but that resources are necessary as part of a package that involves scrapping certification, measuring better through testing which teachers are effective, and then paying them significantly more - with special bonuses to those who teach in 'bad' schools."

Others remind us of the bureaucratic paths that all money takes before actually (ever?) having an impact. Checker Finn and Mike Petrilli call attention to this, saying "Especially challenging will be your innovation fund. Details are sketchy.... Doing this quickly - and without the appearance of cronyism - will be a whopping challenge. The rest of the education stimulus package will be tricky, too. If the short-run economic goal is to save 600,000 teacher jobs, as you have stated, then districts need to be able to use this flood of federal funds to 'supplant' state and local dollars that are otherwise on the chopping block. At minimum, that's going to take much written guidance to the field, for it overturns decades of ESEA practice. It might take new regulations, too. And how can you make sure that, in the rush to get money to communities to save jobs, some of that money doesn't get skimmed off or used inappropriately? (Someone will inevitably try to use the funds to buy football uniforms; what are you going to do about it? If you don't do anything, what will the GAO and Inspector General say later?)"

But what is the point unless the money stimulates reform at the same time it stimulates jobs? After all, even Arne Duncan admits that bad schools make him sick:

"Without getting into too many details, I am extraordinarily concerned about the poor quality of education, quite frankly, the children of Detroit are receiving. I lose sleep over that one. And I think the dropout rate there is devastating."

ARTIFICIAL DISTINCTIONS. Though private school students will continue to be eligible for non-secular, publicly supported programs for disadvantaged students, they lose out on any school facilities funds. Likewise, charter schools - though much anticipating precious "innovation" funds from the new Secretary's new $5 billion play fund - do not quality for any construction funds. If jobs and education are the point of the stimulus, why distinguish by school type? If the federal government can make an unprecedented expansion in federal support for schools, where is the rationale behind limiting it to just traditional district-based education?

ANSWERS. The answers to how best to spend funds are apparent. Award-winning veteran journalist Jay Mathews offers 7 cheap-as-free suggestions on how best to improve the nation's schools. Number 2? Unleash charter schools. Jay argues that "...they often attract creative principals and teachers who do more with less. School finance experts don't all agree, but I am convinced that charters are a bargain. So let's have more." Great minds think alike. Check out Mandate for Change for more along these lines. "

To see the rest of CER's Newswire, please click on link above.

"For Education Chief, Stimulus Means Power, Money and Risk"

2009-02-17T12:19:00.000-08:00

By SAM DILLON
Published: February 16, 2009: The New York Times

"WASHINGTON — The $100 billion in emergency aid for public schools and colleges in the economic stimulus bill could transform Arne Duncan into an exceptional figure in the history of federal education policy: a secretary of education loaded with money and the power to spend large chunks of it as he sees fit.

But the money also poses challenges and risks for Mr. Duncan, the 44-year-old former Chicago schools chief who now heads the Department of Education.

Mr. Duncan must develop procedures on the fly for disbursing a budget that has, overnight, more than doubled, and communicate the rules quickly to all 50 states and the nation’s 14,000 school districts. And he faces thousands of tricky decisions about how much money to give to whom and for what....."

To read the rest of the article, please click on the link above.

School Choice Illinois Presents:

2009-02-09T11:32:00.000-08:00

Please join School Choice Illinois for the only screening of the documentary flunked in Illinois!

Held at the famous Gene Siskel Film Center in downtown Chicago, the screening will be followed by an enlightened education discussion from a distinguished group of panelists. Light refreshments will be served.

Date: March 1, 2009
Time: 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Location: Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State Street, Chicago, IL 60601

Flunked highlights the common threads of successful education: strong leadership, high standards, excellent teachers, and solid curricula. By focusing on schools that are successfully applying these principles, Flunked sends a message loud and clear: Parents, students, principals, and teachers do not have to settle for mediocrity in their own schools.

For more information call (312) 268-6880 or email us at contactus@SchoolChoiceIllinois.org

Tickets are limited. Student discounts are available.

Our Future, Bleak or Optimistic?

2009-02-05T12:08:00.000-08:00

Acquiring education is necessary for any society to move forward, especially K-12 education. A society is at its basic level a combination of people with different skill sets coming together and contributing to its wealth. From this it would follow that every child should be educated. But, one question remains, a fundamental one, does every child deserve a good education? If we answered yes, then we agree that education is important and vital to the success of our nation. So changes need to be made to our current education system, especially those schools that are failing or need to be improved.

Many people across party lines, race, religions, etc. feel this way; so what are we waiting for? Should we wait as long as needed for everyone to reach the same conclusion(s), even at the cost of giving our current students sub-par education in the meantime? How do we expect our future to be better than our past and present if we continue to do nothing about the status quo? Will we be able to enjoy the fruits of a strong economy in the future? What are your thoughts??

To find research on this, you may start by looking at Education Next: A Journal of Opinion and Research (Hoover Institution) and read the article "RESEARCH: Education and Economic Growth".

Spring 2008(vol. 8, no. 2) Table of Contents
By Eric Hanushek, Dean T. Jamison, Eliot A. Jamison and Ludger Woessmann
"It's not just going to school but learning that matters"

The Center for Education Reform Newswire

2009-01-29T10:47:00.000-08:00

CER Newswire Special CHANGE Edition Vol. 11, No. 4 January 27, 2009

Newswire - January 27, 2009
"Special Change Edition: Juan Williams on Federal Accountability ... John Engler on Transparency ... Kevin Chavous on Charter Schools ... Jeanne Allen on School Choice ... Richard Whitmire on Teacher Quality"

"The Center for Education Reform / edreform.com" button links to http://www.edreform.com/, your interactive source of data, analysis and resources on education reforms that create better educational opportunities for all children. The Center for Education Reform website helps turn parents into activists, policymakers into advocates, and educators into reform leaders."

Would you like some education with that Latte?

2009-01-28T12:08:00.000-08:00

This just in: The Chicago Public Schools wasted money. What? My tax dollars?? This can't be! Surely, then, it must be for a good cause like the professional development of teachers, additional enrichment courses, or new high-end computers??? An article from the Chicago Sun-Times this month details the startling (but not surprising) news: CPS spent $67,000 on Cappuccino machines. Yeah, coffee. Our money went to machines that turn little beans into a drink (granted a delightful, frothy, invigorating drink!)

The best, however, was still to come. When asked about the purchase, Inspector General James Sullivan was quoted as saying: "'We also look at it as a waste of money because the schools didn't even know they were getting the equipment, schools didn't know how to use the machines and weren't prepared to implement them into the curriculum.'" WAIT. Hang on one second. Is he saying that if the schools (twenty-one of them) were informed of the machines that it would be okay? Is he saying that if the schools knew how to use the machines, everything would be alright? Is he suggesting that if CPS could find a way to implement cappuccinos into the curriculum that somehow the purchases would be forgivable or vindicated?

Well, let's give it a try. How does this course sound: "Cappuccino 101: How to drink a cappuccino, appear scholarly, and gain nothing out of your education."

No, Mr. Sullivan, these purchases are not forgivable. Period. The correct line would have been: "These purchases are a waste"; the fact that he "also" viewed them that way implies that the real shame was the schools' inability to figure out the instructions and enjoy a nice cup of European joe.

Oye. If this continues, we'll be able to add point number 16 to the "Top 15 Effects That Coffee Has on Your Health"--it could literary throw a wrench in your child's education. Anybody feeling stressed?

The "Obama Effect" in test-taking??

2009-01-26T09:28:00.000-08:00

It is a preliminary study, but an interesting one at that. The idea that confidence, social anxiety and quite simply- hope, can influence competency.

I saw it in the faces of every kid I passed in Grant Park the day Obama got elected. The cynicism seemed to be lifted out of the air. The idea that their voices mattered and that they might have a say in their own futures was prevalent and something I will never forget.

New Schools Expo

2009-01-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

Learn about Chicago's new public schools at:

The 2nd Annual New Schools EXPO:
Presented by: Parents for School Choice & the Chicago Public Schools

For more details, please go to the website for Parents for School Choice by clicking on "New Schools Expo".

Parents Want More Choices in Education

2009-01-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

And it seems choice can now save $$$.

Article written by Eric Johnson, posted on Sunday, January 18, 2009 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"... it’s time to start thinking about parents such as Skollar and stop offering a one-size-fits-all education model to Georgia students. It’s time to offer a school voucher program for parents who want it for their children who need it."

"The economic recession and the state’s $2.3 billion budget shortfall will be tossed around as an excuse not to help children. But vouchers actually save money for taxpayers and help local educators."

President Obama on Education

2009-01-20T17:44:00.000-08:00

To view President Obama's vision on education, please click on the title "President Obama on Education".

Obama on Education

2009-01-20T12:22:00.000-08:00

Donate to the Vision

2009-01-19T12:04:00.000-08:00

On August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered one of the most revered speeches in our nation’s history. His I Have a Dream speech marked a defining moment in the quest for racial equality and freedom. Though the sinews of racism have not been fully extinguished, King’s dream has never felt more alive than at the present moment. On January 20, 2009—forty-six years after King’s speech; one-hundred and forty six years after the Emancipation Proclamation; and three-hundred and ninety years after the introduction of slavery into Jamestown—the culmination of the civil rights movement will, it seems, take place. Barack Obama’s inauguration as President of the United States—the first African American ever elected to this position—will forever live in the annals of our nation’s history.

Due to the enormity of President Obama’s inauguration, in conjunction with the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, School Choice Illinois is asking for your support to make our dream—providing every child with an excellent education—a reality.

Where will the money go? Your donations are vital to the livelihood of School Choice Illinois. Every dollar helps our organization grow by providing much needed resources for our grassroots campaigns. A Challenge Grant has been made to School Choice Illinois by two anonymous donors that will match each individual donation made up to $100,000. As a result, the value of your gift will immediately double!

Please also view Martin Luther King, Jr's famous speech, here. It is vital for us to reflect on his legacy.

Rockford's Chance at Choice

2009-01-19T11:36:00.000-08:00

Richard Lorenc of the Illinois Policy Institute continues to track the city of Rockford's progress (and tentative success) towards educational choice. On January 13th, 2009 the Rockford School Board unanimously approved the Legacy Charter School's application. This means that Rockford, IL will have its first charter school by 2010. For the full blog, click here. For more in-depth coverage, see Richard's original article in the Rockford Register-Star from December 20, 2008.

Education and the New Stimulus Package

2009-01-16T12:48:00.000-08:00

We finally get some color on how much education will get out of the new stimulus package. Approximately 14% of the Obama’s $825 billion stimulus package or $117 billion is being allocated to Education. Of this total, $41 billion will go to local school districts to students of low-income or where large student populations of special needs are. Another $39 billion will go to other school districts and public universities. An additional $15 billion will be made available to states for meeting important performance measures. The rest of the money will go towards public universities, construction projects, and higher education including the increase of Pell Grants. The potential issue in this respect that comes to my mind has to do with the appropriate handling and allocation of the money.

A Second-Rate Secondary Education

2009-01-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

High schools need to start treating their students with the same respect colleges do.

By Leon Botstein NEWSWEEK
Published Aug 9, 2008
Aug. 18-25, 2008 issue

The weakest and most vulnerable element in education, particularly in the developed world, is the education of adolescents in our secondary-school systems. Relative economic prosperity and the extension of leisure time have spawned an inconsistent but prevalent postponement of adulthood. On the one hand, as consumers and future citizens, young people between the ages of 13 and 18 are afforded considerable status and independence. Yet they remain infantilized in terms of their education, despite the earlier onset of maturation. Standards and expectations are too low. Modern democracies are increasingly inclined to ensure rates of close to 100 percent completion of a secondary school that can lead to university education. This has intensified an unresolved struggle between the demands of equity and the requirements of excellence. If we do not address these problems, the quality of university education will be at risk.....

To read more, please click on the title, "A Second-Rate Secondary Education".

Flunked The Movie

2009-01-16T10:47:00.000-08:00

Guidance for Choice in Public Schools

2009-01-15T11:38:00.000-08:00

Department of Education Press Release

Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced the release of new, non-regulatory guidelines regarding the public school choice provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. It explains the role that educating authorities play in transportation, funding, school selection, and other choice-related issues. The publication stresses the importance of keeping parents informed of the performance of their local schools and giving them enough time to decide which one is best for their children. The Secretary stated the value of keeping parents educated in her press release:

“Families want choices in education because they know their children benefit from them. By offering a range of educational options for parents and injecting competition into the system, we support innovations that help students do better."

To read the full guidelines, click here

School Choice Illinois eVoices Newsletter

2009-01-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

Arne On the Fence

2009-01-14T17:11:00.000-08:00

An article by Sam Dillon of the New York Times discusses Arne Duncan's ambiguous education agenda. Obama's pick for Education Secretary has given the public little insight into how the administration plans to procure tangible educational change.

Opening Doors: How Low-Income Parents Search for the Right School

2009-01-13T13:57:00.000-08:00

Center on Reinventing Public Education

January 2007
Paul Teske, Jody Fitzpatrick, Gabriel Kaplan

Download Full Report (PDF: 1167 K)

Researchers working for CRPE's Doing School Choice Right initiative zero in on school-choice decisions made by 800 low- to moderate-income families in three cities. The parents surveyed rely on multiple sources of information but trust word-of-mouth more than documentation; seek quality schools but limit the number they examine; and feel well-informed and appear satisfied with the school-choice decisions they make. The parents have specific ideas about what their individual children need in a school and try to find the right match.

The study also reveals that when children are involved in the decisionmaking, parents report a higher level of satisfaction with the school selected than when children are left out of the choice process. The parents studied had already made at least one school-choice decision. Low-income parents who have never before had the opportunity to choose among schools might not be as efficient as those in the survey. But the study shows that parents who know they have options take choice seriously and quickly develop sources of information.

Additional Information
See press release

School Choice in Illinois

2009-01-13T13:30:00.000-08:00

Report Roundup

By Mary C. Breaden Vol. 27, Issue 21, Page 5

Illinois’ Opinion on K-12 Education and School Choice

Half of likely voters in Illinois expressed moderate to strong support for the use of school vouchers, according to a survey by the Indianapolis-based Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation, a nonprofit organization that advocates school choice.

When asked if they viewed vouchers favorably, 39 percent of the respondents said they were “somewhat favorable,” and 12 percent said they were “strongly favorable.”

The survey also asked other questions related to school choice. For instance, when questioned on what the ideal school for their child’s education would be, 39 percent of respondents preferred private schools, 23 percent preferred charter schools, and 19 percent preferred regular public schools, the study found.

The 1,500 likely voters surveyed through phone interviews were defined as those who voted in 2006 and said that they were likely to vote in 2008. The poll, conducted by Atlanta-based Strategic Vision LLC in November 2007, has a margin of error of 2.5 percentage points.

Published Online: January 29, 2008
Published in Print: January 30, 2008

Bush Calls for Resolve on NCLB Renewal

2009-01-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

At a Philadelphia school, the president seeks to cement the federal education law as part of his domestic-policy legacy.

By Alyson Klein

Philadelphia

"In a speech aimed at bolstering his legacy on education as he prepares to leave office, President George W. Bush today touted the success of the No Child Left Behind Act in raising student achievement and called on Congress to renew the law, without weakening its core principles of accountability and testing.

“As president of the United States, this is the last policy address I will give,” Mr. Bush said Thursday morning at General Philip Kearny Elementary School, a K-8 school in the Philadelphia district, on the seventh anniversary of his signing of the federal education law. “What makes it interesting is that it’s the same subject of my first policy address as president of the United States, which is education and education reform. I hope you can tell that education is dear to my heart. I care a lot about whether or not our children can learn to read, write, and add and subtract.”

The president acknowledged that critics have charged that the NCLB law focuses too heavily on standardized tests and sets unrealistic goals, but he called on lawmakers to reject those claims and continue to hold schools accountable for students’ progress.

“For the sake of our children’s future, this good law needs to be strengthened and reauthorized by the United States Congress,” Mr. Bush said. “Now is not the time to water down standards or to roll back accountability.”

Mr. Bush also addressed the oft-repeated criticism that the law focuses too heavily on test results.

“I’ve heard every excuse in the book why we should not test—‘Oh, there’s too many tests; you teach the test; testing is intrusive; testing is not the role of government,’” the president said. “How can you possibly determine whether a child can read at grade level if you don’t test? And for those who claim we’re teaching the test, uh-uh. We’re teaching a child to read so he or she can pass the test.”

Mr. Bush recalled the NCLB law’s bipartisan support in Congress and credited it with expanding access to school choice, particularly for disadvantaged families, giving struggling students access to free tutoring, and boosting minority students’ scores on some indicators measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress, the nation’s report card.

“No Child Left Behind is working for all kinds of students in all kinds of schools in every part of the country. That is a fact,” the president said. “There’s still a long way to go, however.”

Mr. Bush thanked his “buddy,” Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, who accompanied the president here today, and he praised her work at the helm of the Department of Education. He also had warm words for President-elect Barack Obama’s choice as education secretary, Chicago schools chief executive Arne Duncan.

“I have seen the resolve for reform and the belief in high standards in Chicago, where reading and math scores are soaring, and where every child still has time to study a foreign language and the fine arts,” Mr. Bush said. “The school in Chicago we went to, like other schools across the city, have benefited from the vision and leadership of a person named Arne Duncan. And he is going to be the next secretary of education. And we are fortunate he has agreed to take on this position. And we wish him all the very best.”

An Eye to the Future

The No Child Left Behind law calls for students to be tested in reading and mathematics every year in grades 3-8, and once in high school. Schools that fail to make adequately yearly progress for specified subgroups of students, or for the student population as a whole, are subject to a range of increasingly serious sanctions.

The law passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support in late 2001, but has since come under attack from teachers’ unions and some school superintendents, school board members, and state lawmakers who say the Bush administration didn’t seek adequate funding for the law, and that the law unfairly punishes schools that are making progress, among other criticisms.
Conservative members of the president’s own Republican party have also lambasted the law as an overreach of federal authority. The law, the latest version of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965, was scheduled for renewal in 2007, but lawmakers haven’t been able to reach agreement on a reauthorization bill.

“I call upon those who can determine the fate of No Child Left Behind in the future to stay strong in the face of criticism, to not weaken the law—because in weakening the law, you weaken the chance for a child to succeed in America—but to strengthen the law for the sake of every child,” the president said in closing.

Before the president’s speech in the school’s auditorium, Mr. Bush, first lady Laura Bush, and Secretary Spellings toured the school, which is in a socioeconomically and racially diverse neighborhood near Philadelphia’s center city. The school has met the goals of the No Child Left Behind law every year since 2003.

The president and Ms. Spellings also participated in a roundtable discussion on education with U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa.; Arlene Ackerman, the superintendent of the 167,000-student Philadelphia school system; Eileen Spagnola, the principal of Kearny Elementary; as well as state lawmakers and other participants from the state and school district.

Also on hand were Roy Romer, the chairman of Strong American Schools, an advocacy organization based in Washington, and the Rev. Al Sharpton, an activist and a co-chairman of the Education Equality Project, an education reform organization.

After the speech, Ms. Ackerman, Mr. Romer, Ms. Spagnola, and others addressed reporters.
Ms. Ackerman acknowledged that she “wasn’t always supportive of every aspect of the law,” but said she supports “the concept” of the measure, and praised the Education Department’s decision to allow some states to restructure their accountability plans to better measure student growth over time. Mr. Romer called on the states to adopt more rigorous and uniform standards.
Ms. Spagnola said the law has helped her school better compare itself to others in the state because it requires all to take the same standardized exams.

But Margaret Bush, who has taught at Kearny Elementary for eight years, said the “law has not changed the school,” which she said was focused on student achievement before the NCLB measure was enacted.

“There are some parts of the law that are strong and are good,” said Ms. Bush, who is no relation to the president. “But the federal government doesn’t fund it completely.”

And she said the law’s deadline of bringing all students to proficiency on state tests by the 2013-14 school year may not be workable for some students in special education.

“That’s not realistic,” she said."

Vol. 28, Issue 18

The Shadow Behind CPS

2009-01-08T10:57:00.000-08:00

In recent weeks we have been blasted by a whirlwind of Arne Duncan. President-Elect Obama's pick for Secretary of Education has gotten, overall, fairly positive feedback from media and pundits, alike. Duncan, the CEO of Chicago Public Schools (CPS), certainly deserves many accolades. His involvement with Renaissance 2010, firmness with school closures, and ability to please a vast, variegated group of constituents, has given him great credentials for a national role that will require innovative ideas, boldness, and the ability to assuage and cajole.

And even though Chicago's public schools have vastly improved over the past decade, recent findings continue to reinforce a sense of urgency and direness.

One such finding is from the Consortium on Chicago School Research, an educational research institute at the University of Chicago. Released this past Spring, the document, titled "Making the Transition: How CICS-West Belden Eigth grade Graduates are Doing in CPS High Schools," by Nicholas Montgomery, is a longitudinal analysis of students from West-Belden, a Chicago International Charter School that provides K-8 education. In essence, the study tracks the West-Belden alumni as they immerse themselves within Chicago's public high schools.

Most pertinent to our conversation, however, are the numbers relating to CPS as a whole.

They are startling.

Of the 28,449 students tracked between 2002 and 2006, only 12,505 graduated within the four-year span, an abysmal rate of 43.95 percent. In contradistinction to this are the number of students that either dropped out or left CPS altogether (for another public school district, private school, home-school, or correctional facility), with percentages of 21.25 and 22.99, respectively, and for a combined total of 44.24--a percentage that exceeds the graduation rate.

Well, perhaps, then, the students simply needed an extra year? When including data from a fifth year, the 2006-2007 school year, the graduation rate increased by only 3 percent! Certainly, having nearly another 900 CPS students graduate high school is inherently good--for the students, schools, and city--but the nasty reality remains: less than half of all CPS students graduate in five years.

So what does this all mean? Unfortunately, not anything good. Though Mr. Duncan has fulfilled his role as CEO of Chicago Public Schools with vigor and passion, there is a shadow lurking behind the improvements CPS has made. If now, after years of reform and additional dollars injected, CPS still cannot graduate more than half of its students in five years, something else needs to occur.

George Santayana's famous and regurgitated phrase--"those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it"-- comes to mind and takes an interesting twist in relation to Chicago's education system: Chicagoans remember the past, have studied the past, and understand the past thoroughly, yet continue to allow educational mediocrity. It seems like Chicago is condemning itself.

Perhaps, then, we should try something new.

Perhaps each student should have the means to decide which school is best for his/her needs.

Perhaps we need more school choice.

Boston's Charter & Pilot Schools Show Significant Increases in Achievment

2009-01-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

Results from a new study from the Boston Foundation Forum compared Boston's Charter, Pilot and traditional Public schools in student achievement on standardized tests. The results show promising increases in charter schools when compared to public, as well as Boston's "pilot schools".

"Whether using the randomized lotteries or statistical controls for measured background characteristics, the authors generally find large positive effects for Charter Schools, at both the middle school and high school levels. Among key findings of the report: the impact of charter schools was particularly dramatic in middle school math. The effect of a single year spent in a charter school was equivalent to half of the black-white achievement gap. Performance in English Language Arts also significantly increased for charter middle school students, though less dramatically. Charter students also showed stronger
performance scores in high school, in English Language Arts, math, writing topic development, and writing composition. Students in pilot high schools also made measurable progress."
We need to support research that gives us insight into the tangible outcomes of children attending nontraditional public schools versus traditional public schools. Unfortunately the study was conducted only to see if student achievement increased, not to understand how and why. The Boston Foundation Forum is recommending to the state to do a study as to why Charter and Pilot schools increased student achievement, which definitely is a step in the right direction. It is not enough to show the improvement; in order to emulate what is working we must understand what these schools are doing in the building and in the community to support higher learning.

Education Reform on the Big Screen

2009-01-05T20:49:00.001-08:00

Check out the trailer for this new movie! The film takes a look at the crisis of our public education system and also offers some inspiring solutions. Here is a little about the movie from the flunked webpage:

"America, we have a problem.
Results of national and international tests show that our students are falling further and further behind. The average American student is no longer able to compete with foreign students, and in many cases, they’re failing to meet even basic academic standards.
Success rates are plummeting, and remediation and dropout rates are skyrocketing. Students entering the current American education system are in for a grim ride. It truly is a national scandal.
One size does not fit all...
Complaining about the problem is easy, but it produces few productive results — especially when many schools nationwide are truly “getting it right.” Flunked is the story of these schools—their founders, leaders, and students—who are breaking the mediocre mold by attaining great results in terms of college preparation, high test scores, and graduating competent workers for tomorrow’s economy. Discovering that one size truly does not fit all, they are finding different ways to make it work in theirtheir students. area, with
The main characters of Flunked are our “heroes,” men and women from all walks of life—parents, teachers, principals, business professionals—who are making a difference to our students. These individuals have defied the odds, pressed the system, and succeeded in seemingly impossible situations. Through it all, they have proven that solutions in education are available here and now, if we will only follow their examples…"

Year of bad reports, worse budgets for K-12 schools

2009-01-02T10:32:00.000-08:00

Budgets shrinking amidst poor results...hmmm.

In Illinois there is a $500 cap on what parents can recieve per child if they need to transfer their student from their failing or closed school. $500 dollars is supposed to cover a year of transportation costs as well any fees for books or extra curricular activities? And this number might be decreasing?

Chicago-Style School Reform a National Model?

2008-12-31T13:55:00.000-08:00

There are indeed radically different opinions as to how Arne Duncan has succeeded in creating lasting school reform in Chicago. Some say we should use his and Mayor Daley's Renaissance 2010 reform as a national model, while others have poited out the dissapoitments and contradictions apparent from the intiative. Here are two examples of professional opinions each highlighting their understanding of Chicago-style reform. I think the disagreements highlight why it is crucial to try a different type of reform that is saving money and giving parents the freedom to choose.

An article from the Washington Post today explains (kind of) why Chicago could be used as a National model and describes Duncan's reform tactics and his personal ambition:

"What sets Duncan apart, education experts said, is his willingness to embrace a range of reforms and his ability to work with people who hold diverging, often conflicting views on how to fix schools. He has straddled the reform divide: On one side are advocates of dramatic shake-ups and tough accountability, and on the other are teachers unions and some educators who want more flexibility, support and money." -Maria Glod Washington Post Staff Writer

On the other hand, here is a commentary in today's Chicago Sun-Times by Julie Woestehoff, Executive Director of P.U.R.E. (Parents United for Responsible Education) calling for the end of Renaissance 2010's school closings, policy under Arne Duncan. She proposes that these closings have done much more harm then good for students and that unfortunately, test scores that may have improved at several Renaissance 2010 schools are merely results of a change in student population.

"A close look at Sherman (Elementary) shows less than exciting results, which also are compromised by a significant alteration in the student population as evidenced by the enrollment drop and the drop in the school's low-income rate, from 99 percent in 2006, the year before the takeover, to 84.2 percent in 2008."

What is significant about both the Washington Post article as well as the commentary from a well respected parent and public advocate, is that there simply are mixed results as well as mixed feelings across the board as how well the initiative is working. Many newspapers are touting the Chicago-Style Reform as a clear path, while plenty are also speaking out against such a move, or that it simply won't happen.

Although Duncan an Daley have done a great deal in exercising more innovative approaches to education reform by creating some exciting new Charter schools, this has not opened up enough options for parents. Unfortunately most of the Charter schools that have opened have limited space, and students (even if they live in the neighborhood), are regularly put on a waiting list. Why not focus on reform initiatives that have proven to work? If the local charter does not have enough space, or if the local neighborhood public school is not performing up to high-quality standards, we should be giving parents the options to send their child to a high-performing charter, private or public school outside of their neighborhood. By using a corporate tax-credit scholarship program such as in Florida, parents could potentially send their child to private schools with a tuition, or charter and public schools that require more resources (i.e.; transportation) then their neighborhood school would.

20 of city's public schools slated to close or merge CPS | 8-12 face 'turnaround' for poor performance

2008-12-30T11:17:00.000-08:00

"Some schools will be reopened as part of Mayor Daley's Renaissance 2010 initiative to create 100 new schools by 2010, Pickens said. But other schools that close at the end of the school year "will remain dormant for years...''

This is what a National Model looks like? Parent's are not only left without choices, but now with less and less schools to choose from.

In Need of Improvement: Revising NCLB's School Choice Provision

2008-12-29T22:33:00.000-08:00

This report by Erin Dillon of Education Sector, is an interesting analysis of how the Choice provision in NCLB is missing the mark when it comes to giving students the options to transfer schools. The report goes into depth of what can be done in order to reach the lowest-achieving students, giving the most disadvanataged the options first.

"By targeting choice to the lowest-performing schools and students, offering incentives to encourage higher-performing schools to accept transferring students, and providing additional supports to students in their first years at a new school, we may begin to see more robust results from school choice under NCLB."

Colorado Group Sets Out to Build Many New, Small, High-Quality Schools

2008-12-29T22:22:00.000-08:00

Written By: Jillian Melchior

Published In: School Reform News > December 2008

Publication date: 12/01/2008

Publisher: The Heartland Institute

Arizona Supreme Court to Decide Future Of Scholarships for Special Needs and Foster Children

2008-12-29T22:00:00.000-08:00

“These scholarships have provided educational opportunity and real hope for a better life for hundreds of Arizona schoolchildren—and they are completely consistent with our state Constitution and policy traditions,”

-Tim Keller, executive director of the Institute for Justice Arizona Chapter. Keller argued before the court in defense of the programs on behalf of scholarship families.

Watch a video from the Institute of Justice that explains the significance of the Tax Scholarship Program for Special Needs Children in Arizona.

More students get state to pay private tuition

2008-12-29T21:37:00.000-08:00

This article from the Orlando Sentinel outlines Florida's corporate tax-credit program.

Offer vouchers for special education: It would save money and improve quality

2008-12-29T21:24:00.000-08:00

A special education voucher program has the potential not only to help disabled students learn, but also to save scarce state and city dollars. A senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, Marcus Winters, explains how the voucher program in Florida accomplishes just this.

"...all disabled students are eligible for a voucher that is worth the lesser of the amount the public school would have spent on them or the tuition at a chosen private school. The value of the average voucher for disabled students there is $7,295. Not only is this far less than what the state spends to educate a disabled student in a public school, it is even below the state's much lower average per-pupil cost of educating all students, both disabled and regular enrollment. In other words, the public system actually saves money when it pays for students to attend private school, and even more money when those students are disabled."

Editorial: Choice Pays Off

2008-12-29T21:20:00.000-08:00

School Choice option working for kids in D.C.

Flordia tax-payers save $39 million from Corporate Tax Credit School Scholarships

2008-12-29T15:47:00.000-08:00

According to an editorial in the Panama City News Herald:

"Giving students and their parents more opportunities to attend the schools of their choice is first and foremost a fundamental issue of freedom. But a new government study suggests that policy also has fiscal benefits."

Florida's legislature watch dog agency, the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Governmental Accountability put out a report that the state's Corporate Tax-Credit Program has saved Flordia tax payers $38.9 million dollars, which is considerable, particularly when state's budget's are tightening so significantly. It seems that if the research shows that this does indeed save tax-payers money, and almost 20,000 students are benefiting at the same time, why shouldn't students and tax payers in Illinois be able to benefit as well?

To read the full report, visit: http://tinyurl.com/4t2slb

Flordia's Choice Program

2008-12-29T15:40:00.000-08:00

Here is some useful information that the Friedman Foundation has published regarding Florida's corporate tax credit. Data from 2006-2007 show that there were a total of 19,416 scholarships given out, (valued at $3,750 per student) with 906 private schools participating in the program.

Arne Duncan. Bridging the divide?

2008-12-19T11:06:00.000-08:00

This article from the Washington Post describes how the new Education Secretary, Arne Duncan has reached out to both sides of the spectrum when it comes to finding solutions to reform Chicago's schools.

So Obama sends his kids to private school...big deal?

2008-12-19T10:35:00.000-08:00

Rather then exposing the so-called 'hypocrisy' of our new President Elect, I think it is more interesting to perhaps expose the hypocrisy of the system we are living in. Our Constitution and our legal system, the backbone of upholding civil liberties and rights in this country, preach equality and opportunity for all. Unfortunately, outside of the legislature, there is a stark reality of systematically established, institutional hierarchies in almost all realms of the social. In the case of education, those that are less fortunate are stuck in under performing, under invested educational institutions, while those that are privileged have the option to choose from pristine college prep schools, with highly qualified teachers, the best resources available and an overall healthy learning environment.

Obama's choice highlights the very controversial issues surrounding education reform and the School Choice Movement. It is not that the President Elect doesn't support private schools and charter schools, but he also supports public education, and most importantly, what public education stands for in our society, and it's purpose in a democracy. Without free, K-12 public education we do indeed take the risk of controlling who has access to knowledge, therefore taking the risk of who has access to the democratic process.

Unfortunately, we are already living in a society that is creating this type of hierarchy based on privilege, and School Choice Illinois understands this. When our free public schools are not performing up to the standards of private institutions, and those institutions are only available if you have the means to attend, there becomes a two-tier educational system of haves and have-nots.

School Choice Illinois and other school choice advocacy groups across the nation are creating awareness about this crucial issue, as well as creating viable solutions as to how parents can have more control over their child's education. Unfortunately, as long as the issue of school choice is viewed as an issue between the right and the left or the "reformers" versus the "status quo," or even private versus public schools, people will remain uneducated about their rights and about what they can do to fight and advocate for more educational options across the state and the country. As far as we are concerned, as long as there remains a crisis in public education, and as long as solutions to the problems facing public education are solved, parents that might not have the financial options to send their children to different schools MUST have other options. Otherwise, we are leaving the most disadvantaged children behind, as well as creating an environment where the democratic process becomes irrelevant.

Bi-partisan Support

2008-12-19T09:12:00.001-08:00

Here are some articles relating to the growing bi-partisan support of School Choice. We believe strongly that it is necessary to gain support from a broad spectrum of political affiliates in order advance this issue in Illinois. For School Choice Illinois, the issue is not a right or left concept....it is about creating more opportunities for students and communities.

Hispanic Wire
Washington Post/Congress
Friedman Foundation