charter schools

By Sephira Shuttlesworth (This op-ed originally appeared in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette on Nov. 7, 2014) To many, it’s become a cliché to describe education reform as the civil rights issue of our time. But for some of us it’s deeply...

K-12 education policy too often is the province of powerful special interests. It is important for candidates for public office to speak directly to citizens and parents about what they will do for the next generation of schoolchildren if elected. That’s why...

Report to be discussed in forum on district and charter early education featuring D.C. Deputy Mayor for Education Abigail Smith BOSTON – States should replicate high-quality early education charter schools in which student outcomes are clearly delineated and transparent, and the schools...

Study: Urban Charter School Waitlists Could Be Nearly Eliminated Through 5 Percent Increase in Spending in Low-Performing Districts State reimbursements would cover 28 percent of the spending increase over a decade; change would allow over 10,000 students to leave low-performing schools for...

This past week, at the urging of state K-12 education commissioner Mitch Chester, Deval Patrick’s Massachusetts Board of Education took a vote against Massachusetts’ nation-leading and achievement gap-closing charter schools. The vote reminds us once again how intellectually warped so much of...

By Nina Rees and Gerard Robinson As former federal and state government education officials, we continue to be impressed by the performance of Massachusetts charter public schools. But we can’t help but wonder how a state that has opened some of the...

On July 31, 2012, Pioneer held a public forum, “The Lawrence Reforms and School Choice,” featuring Lawrence Superintendent Jeffrey Riley and a panel of distinguished education experts, including SABIS Education System’s Jose Afonso, Phoenix Academy’s Beth Anderson, Boston University Professor Charles Glenn,...

http://boston.com/community/blogs/rock_the_schoolhouse/2012/05/the_wrong_lesson_on_national_s.html Dear David, Congratulations on becoming the new head of the College Board.  I know, as a Founding Father of the national standards effort, you may have read certain things I have written that you do not agree with.  While I haven’t...

http://boston.com/community/blogs/rock_the_schoolhouse/2012/05/not_grateful_for_charter_schoo.html The 2010 Achievement Gap bill that was passed by both the House and the Senate and signed into law by Governor Patrick lifted the limits on charter schools and the number of students in them in districts that were failing to...

http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2012/03/07/mass-groups-land-walton-foundation.html Arkansas-based Walton Family Foundation on Wednesday will announce nearly $3 million in grants in Massachusetts related to education reform, the money going to eight organizations – a combination of charter schools, public policy organizations, and education-related nonprofits, according to a press...