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Thoughts from the National Charter Schools Conference

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

I attended a session this morning at the National Charter Schools Conference on whether the charter movement can follow through on its accountability promise of closing low-performing charter schools. It's a critical topic for reasons too obvious to lay out here.

Fact is that too many states (though generally not New York) haven't been closing low-performing charter schools, and it isn't because we are wringing our hands about interfering with parent choice.

John King, Reformer

Monday, April 11, 2011

New York needs vigilant eyes on its school reform efforts, not just when they’re announced but over time when Albany interests can resist and co-opt. The New York Post editorial board fills this watchdog role with relish (and we've had occasion to be thankful for it), but today it bit too hard.

Tell NY How to Define High School Graduation (Survey TODAY ONLY)

Friday, February 18, 2011

What should be required to graduate from high school in New York? Should we move toward higher graduation standards, a more flexible system, or some combination of both?

The State Education Department wants your opinion to share with the Regents. Take the online survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LJTTZ6R

Estimated completion time is 20 - 30 minutes, and the deadline is midnight Friday. That's tonight.

A Sea Change at the State Education Department

Monday, August 2, 2010

The State Education Department has always had the power to authorize charter schoolsÖ but for the past decade, the role of “quality authorizer” has been played mostly by SUNY and here in the City, by the Chancellor’s office. But in issuing its Request for Proposals (RFP) todayóa process mandated under the new Charter School lawóI’m happy to see the State Ed Department is finally acting like an authorizer and wants to be a part of building up NY’s reputation as a model charter sector.

Charters, Unions, and "Big Dollars"

Tuesday, July 20, 2010
In today's WSJ, Jacob Gershman reports on how charter school supporters are catching up to the state’s teachers unions when it comes to campaign donations.

"What we're clearly seeing from so-called reformers is that they're putting money out there early and clearly threatening to use big dollars against people who don't toe the line," [NYSUT president Richard] Iannuzzi said.

A Milestone

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

New York State's Race to the Top application was delivered to USDOE officials in Washington today, fresh off the Legislature’s passage of a cap lift bill that makes a host of amendments to the state Charter Schools Law.†With a few days of holiday rest and reflection between Friday’s frenzy and today, I still think it’s a pretty good deal.

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