“Governor Paterson chose to veto the education bill and jeopardize the educational future of millions of school children in this state. The economic investment that quality education provides ultimately stabilizes the future of our communities and our state. It is very telling that a former champion for the Campaign for Fiscal Equity court case and its parity is now a loser in the race to ensure a better life for the future of the youngest New Yorkers.”

Click here for more.

Sen. Tom Harkin presents the award to Gerry and Lilo Leeds

We join many other civil and social justice organizations in recognizing the service and leadership of Gerry and Lilo Leeds.  They have been honored by the Urban League of Long Island, the New York state chapter of the NAACP, the New York State United Teachers union, and the American Jewish Committee.  They were cited by Newsday in its report on “100 Who Shaped a Century,” and were among the ten honorees selected by WCBS-TV for recognition in its annual “Fulfilling the Dream” celebration of the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Click here to see more photos from this event.

As many as 26 Ohio charter schools could face mandatory closure next year, according to a “watch list” released today by the Forum for Education and Democracy and Education Voters of Ohio.

The “watch list” identifies charter schools that, depending on ratings this school year, may meet the state criteria for mandatory closure. The schools would be forced to shut down after the 2010-2011 school year. Performance data on the current school year is expected to be released in August.

Ohio’s robust charter school sector has had its share of problems. While there are examples of high quality schools, over 60 charters have closed due to financial mismanagement, under-enrollment, compliance or other problems over the past five years. In the last several years has the Ohio legislature has addressed the chronically low academic results in many charter schools. Through legislation in 2006 and 2009, strict academic performance criteria were set. Schools that do not meet these criteria must be permanently closed. The first two schools to close under these regulations were the Toledo Academy of Learning and the Summit Academy Community School for Alternative Learners. Both schools closed their doors in May of 2009. Last fall, the Ohio Department of Education announced 10 additional schools for mandatory closure. Those schools are being shut down this summer.

While the closure rules for academic failure appear rigid, the organizations that released today’s “watch list” note that over 50% of the charter schools in the state are not subject to the regulations this year, no matter how poor their performance.

“Though the increased oversight of charter performance is well-intentioned, there still seem to be a number of loopholes in the regulations. They need to be addressed,” said researcher Leigh Dingerson, who developed the “watch list” for the two organizations that released it today. Dingerson is the author of a study of Ohio’s charter school history. “Reclaiming the Education Charter: Ohio’s Experiment with Charter Schools” was released in February of last year by the Forum for Education and Democracy and Education Voters of Ohio.

Under state law, charter elementary and high schools must be closed if they are designated in “Academic Emergency” in three out of four consecutive years. Charter middle schools are judged both by their state academic performance designation, and by the academic growth shown by Ohio’s new “Value-Added” measurement for students in grades 4 through 8.

There are exceptions, however. Schools that serve a majority of students with special needs are exempt from mandatory closure under state law. In addition, schools that serve as “dropout recovery” schools may seek waivers from the state that exempt them from closure.

In addition, a school’s performance during its first two years of operation may not be used towards mandatory closure. Hypothetically, a charter elementary or high school would remain open—despite annual ratings of “Academic Emergency”—for seven years before meeting the criteria for closure, noted Dingerson.

“The continued problems with underperforming charter schools, schools that were to be freed from state regulation so they could lead the way on reform, is disappointing,” said George Wood, Executive Director of The Forum. “Too many of our children attend charter schools that manage to fly under the radar screen for academic performance. We have not yet found the balance between freedom, and accountability.”

The Ohio Department of Education’s Annual Report on Community Schools (as charters are called in the state) indicates that the state’s traditional public schools are performing marginally better than charter schools, on average, and within Ohio’s “big eight” urban school districts. Traditional public schools are not exempt from accountability: persistently low-performing schools face closure or dramatic interventions under both state and federal law.

Today’s “watch list” includes charter schools from across the state. Together, the schools enrolled 7,803 students, according to 2008-09 enrollment data published by the Ohio Department of Education. Ohio’s legislature first permitted charter schools—which are publicly funded but privately operated schools—in 1997. Over 300 schools are currently in operation in the state, and enroll over 89,000 students.

The organizations releasing the “watch list” expressed concern for students in the schools, as well as for the public school districts that will be expected to absorb them, should the charters be forced to close.

In “Reclaiming the Education Charter,” the organizations reported that instability in Ohio’s still-growing charter sector makes it difficult for traditional public school districts to adequately plan for facilities, staffing and resource needs for their students. These closures, as they continue, will no doubt make planning more difficult.

“Around the state and here in Cleveland, school districts have been forced to permanently close school buildings and lay-off teachers due to declining enrollments, in part due to students enrolling in charter schools. If every Cuyahoga County charter school on today’s “watch list” were closed in June of 2011, an additional 2,180 students may be knocking on the district’s doors. Will Cleveland have the space and the teachers to serve these children?” said Julian Rogers of Education Voters of Ohio.

Additional information:

• Click here for the list of schools in danger of closure, along with school statistics [Excel Document]
• Click here for more details on charter schools and the “watch list” [Word Document]

This morning, several leaders in education were asked to join Chairman George Miller in a discussion of where we are with federal education policy.  The President of the Alliance for Excellent Education, Governor Bob Wise, started the conversation with a discussion of the urgency of making changes now, so that we do not leave behind yet another class of kids dropping out of high school.  He urged us to support rewriting the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) immediately.  Chairman Miller then discussed the lessons learned from No Child Left Behind and the elements of the new ESEA he sees as most important.

I asked the Chairman about what Education Voters considers to be the most underdeveloped element of the administration’s blueprint for ESEA reform: the section on turnaround schools.  After noting that in his opinion I was correct in my concerns and that he agreed that this is a crucial thing to address, Chairman Miller said that he was recommending some changes to that section.  His changes would specifically focus on:

• increasing community engagement in helping struggling schools succeed
• encouraging more time for students by lengthening the school day and/or year as needed
• providing the teachers in those struggling schools with more support and real professional development.

We know from our membership survey earlier this year that Education Voters’ members have a lot of knowledge, questions, and concerns about the way our country deals with our struggling schools, so it was very encouraging to hear that Chairman Miller shares our concerns and is working to bring a new focus to the issue.

In 2010, our elected leaders must hear from each of us that we are not going to sit back and let our children fail. We hope you will join us as we continue to build momentum throughout 2010.

The time to engage is now.  Send a message to our leaders that cuts to education turn the clock back on New York children’s future.

The amazing group of people who gathered last night was proof that young professionals are key to progressive reforms to education in New York.   We left the event motivated to work as hard as we can to improve our system’s educational outcomes, and we hope you did too.

Last night, YPN member Erinn Smart challenged all of us to help support this movement by donating our last round of drinks to education.  If you were not able to contribute last night please consider making an online donation today of $20, $10 or even $5.

Your support will help us organize, empower and mobilize thousands of fellow New Yorkers to change the debate on public education reform, and force our elected leaders to focus on helping New York’s children succeed in the classroom and beyond.

We look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas on expanding the YPN to reach more young professionals throughout New York.  The stronger we are, the bigger a difference we can make.

Your responses were thoughtful, well-informed, innovative, and are exactly what Congress needs to hear.  As I’ve been talking to the people who work on our education laws, they all say the same thing: they want to hear from you.

Click here to send a message to Congress.  Remind them that our communities have a lot to offer when it comes to fixing our public education system.

In our survey, we asked you what worked in No Child Left Behind, what didn’t, and what you’d like to see in the next version of the law.  Here’s some of what education voters across the country had to say:

Parents, teachers, students, community leaders, and dedicated activists like you have spent years on the front lines of education reform, learning first-hand what parts of the federal laws work, what don’t, and what needs to happen next.  You have a big stake in this fight, and you bring a lot to the table.

We’re going to keep talking to the people who work on our education laws, and so should you.  Please share your experiences with Congress, and ask them to listen to the real experts when they write the next bill.

As we’ve been talking to the people who work on our education laws, they all say the same thing: they want to hear from you.

Click here to share your experiences with Congress, and ask them to listen to the real experts when they write the next education bill.

Right now our leaders in Albany are making critical decisions on how to close a $9 billion budget deficit.  The proposed budget cuts threaten to eliminate the resources our schools, classrooms and teachers need to effectively prepare students for success. New York schools will be forced to cut programs, increase class size and lay off teachers.  Our kids’ futures are being put in jeopardy if we fail to educate them well.

We need to remind our state leigslators that taking resource out of our classrooms is not an option, and that a $1.4 billion dollar cut proposed by the governor and Senate or even an $800 million dollar cut proposed by the Assembly hurts our communities, schools and children.

Click here to ask your state legislators to meet their obligation to New York’s students.  A forward-looking budget that includes fair funding of schools is the best way to ensure a quality education for our kids. ]]> http://www.edvotersofny.org/tell-albany-no-cuts-to-education-funding/feed/ 0 http://www.edvotersofny.org/be-counted-so-new-yorks-schools-get-their-fair-share/ http://www.edvotersofny.org/be-counted-so-new-yorks-schools-get-their-fair-share/#comments Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:59:39 +0000 Editor http://www.edvotersofny.org/?p=341 Every ten years, as required by the Constitution, the federal government counts the population, and uses that information to determine which areas of the country should get the most federal funding.

Among other things, census data is used to draw legislative districts, allocate money to hospitals, and figure out how to best arrange emergency services and public-works projects.

And just as importantly, census data helps make sure that our schools get the resources and funding they need.

If you haven’t already, please take a moment to fill out your census form.  It’s short, easy, and will play a huge part in determining how our schools are funded for the next ten years!

You can click here for more information about the census, but you’ll need to fill out the form that was sent to your mailing address in the last few weeks.

We all have a part to play in ensuring that all New York’s children get the best education possible.  This is just one small part of the fight, but it’s an important one.  Please make sure to complete and return your census form!

Here are some highlights of these reforms:

• Funding for Pell Grants will keep pace with rising college costs, so more families can afford to send their kids to college.
• Annual student-loan repayment amounts will be capped, so lower-income students won’t have to worry that their education will end up costing more than they can afford.
• Tax credits for families putting their kids through college will be tripled.
• The reforms also save the taxpayers millions every year by cutting government subsidies to banks.

In short, more American kids will be able to afford to go to college than ever before.  Thanks to you.

For years, you’ve been asking Congress to help America’s college-bound kids.  In December, education voters from across the country wrote their senators to let them know that we can’t allow rising college costs to prevent our kids from getting the education they need.  And just last week, hundreds more sent the same message to Congress before the big vote.

Even in the midst of the health-care debate, one thing was clear: education is still a priority for Americans, and we’re glad to see that Congress and the president made it a priority as well.

Thank you.  Your voices helped persuade Congress to make college more affordable.