Good day, CharterFolk.
I open with a sobering one that I didn’t pick up on until just a couple days ago. Peggy Carr, the former leader of the National Center for Education Statistics, broke a period of silence to share her concerns about academic performance data being lost across the country.
The trend of K-12 using testing data less accelerates, just as higher ed prepares to use it more.
Call it “The K-12/Higher Ed Data Disconnect.”
It results for now, as the NYT reported this week, in the top 1% having extreme application advantages.
Mike Petrilli and David Griffith at Fordham go at it with Ben Austin about Dems and ed reform.
It looks like Dems in many places are as entrenched in their opposition to charter schools as ever.
Fortunately, in places like Tennessee, improved authorizing options are now available to charter school operators having to contend with this nonsense.
Applicants that were given better options last year are beginning to open their schools now.
It reflects what Chris Barbic shared last week during our CharterFolk Chat. Taking the longer term view, we’re getting stronger in places like Tennessee. If you haven’t listened yet, check it out.
We’re also getting stronger in Missouri, growing into a part of the state that had previously been off limits to charter schools.
Just how far charter schools will spread is on a lot of people’s minds these days.
Charter school prospects in rural communities is a particular focus.
Indiana is already on the move approving smaller programs better prepared to thrive in rural settings.
Attention is turning to whether blue state governors will opt into new free federal money for school choice included within the OBBB.
Brookings offered its starting-point thoughts about the program …
… deeming it a worthwhile mess.
It’s implications could prove seismic. Andy and I have a great guest next week to help us sift through it all. Hope to see you there.