DC REFORM FAST FACTS: The effort to expand educational opportunities for children in The District of Columbia is fast moving through the Congress. What does this child-centered plan do, and how would it work? CER answers all... Get all the background and development on DC Choice right here.

BEST BETS: The call for higher standards and better curricular offerings has received national attention and state-by-state support, but filtering through the scores of programs that have emerged can be confusing. CER offers basic guidelines for separating the wheat from the chaff, as well as a run-down of the current “Best Bets” in rigorous K-12 education programs.

PRESIDENT BUSH ADVOCATES FOR SCHOOL CHOICE FUND: The President announced that he will request from Congress support for a $75 million choice incentive fund to fuel private school choice and help determine if it will make a difference. "If parents don't have options besides public schools, there is no accountability," he said. More details...

PHILADELPHIA STORY:  Last year, the Philadelphia School District contracted with several education management groups to revitalize Philadelphia's poorest performing schools. Now the new Schools Chief wants to change the terms of the deal less than a year into the program -- threatening to scuttle reforms and further destabilize the schools. CER President Jeanne Allen weighs in.

CERTIFIABLE NONSENSE: There is a long-standing tendency to equate teacher certification with teacher quality. Unfortunately, it simply doesn't hold up under scrutiny. Here's a look at some of the research and analysis that tell the tale.

THE WRITE STUFF: The Center for Education Reform now offers a new service, the Grassroots Action Center, to connect you to your elected representatives. The Grassroots Action Center links you to a draft letter which you can modify, or lets you write a letter that is entirely your own. You can then email your letter automatically to the officials of your choosing, or print it out to send in the mail. Check out this great new way to make your voice heard.

WEAK INDEED: "It appears as if in Maryland the governor was looking for a political victory and was willing to settle for a weak law," CER's Jeanne Allen told the Washington Times.  Legislators have vowed to work to improve the law, but "that only happens if you start with something better than this law to begin with," Allen said." Link to full article and all the background on the Maryland charter efforts.

COLORADO's CHOICE: New Law Allows Poor Students in 11 Districts To Take Up To 85 Percent Of Their Education Funds To Choose a Better School. Get the details...

ONE YEAR LATER: "A year ago landmark education legislation was signed making it possible for students in chronically failing schools to attend schools that work…. For the first time in the history of federal education support, the issues of quality and accountability overcame Washington's previous fixation on resources only." Link here to the full statement by CER President Jeanne Allen on the one-year anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act.

CER Grades the States: CER has released its latest ranking scorecard of the country's 40 charter school laws. Find out how your state rates.

U.S. SPENDS A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY TO BE JUST AVERAGE: If ever there is doubt about how troubled our education system is, international comparisons bring us back to reality. Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators 2002, a new report from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) comparing educational systems in 32 industrialized nations, shows the U.S. spends more money per-pupil than almost any other nation, yet only produces “average” overall academic achievement. This sad fact, as well as a bevy of other educational comparisons between America and our international peers, are available at the OECD website. For more background on US student performance, check out The American Education Diet: Can U.S. Students Survive on Junk Food?

HISTORIC VICTORY FOR SCHOOL CHOICE AND CHILDREN: There is no longer any Constitutional cloud over whether or not policymakers can establish educational programs that allow parents to choose the school that best fits their child's needs, be it public or private. On June 27 the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that the state of Ohio was within its constitutional power to enact a program to help Cleveland's children gain access to schools that parents believe will serve them better than the schools that for more than twenty-five years have failed by every measure. This landmark decision will shore up nationwide reform efforts to transform U.S. education into a system of schools that responds first and foremost to families and children. Get all the details and weblinks.

NOW AVAILABLE FROM CER:
Public-Private Partnerships: A Consumer’s Guide: Public-private partnerships are at an all time high but parents and others often have difficulty making decisions without concrete information to guide them. This CER guide is here to help, with history and individual company information on public-private education partnerships.

QUESTION AUTHORITY: CER offers tough questions to help concerned citizens find out where some of the Biggest Learning Organization Bureaucracies (aka the BLOB) stand -- in policy and practice -- on critical education reform issues:

• Ask the Teachers Unions
• Ask the PTA...
• Ask the School Board...
• Ask the Candidate

ISSUES LIBRARIES

• About Charter Schools
• About School Choice
• Academic Standards and Curriculum

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• Hotline

• News Alerts

• Editorial and Analysis

• Monthly Letter

• The Education Forum

• CER Publications

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And check out CER's Education Reform Calendar of Events to find out about education reform events in your area, as well as CER's Job Watch  and Grant Alert for employment and funds available in various areas of education and education reform.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS ON EDUCATION REFORM