There’s been a lot of buzz lately in the education world about high-stakes testing. Students don’t like it because they have to sit quietly for 4 hours at a time. Teachers know it takes up valuable instructional time. Parents aren’t convinced that one number can accurately describe their child’s academic performance. A recent survey commissioned…
By: Colleen Cook Let’s face it, creating real and meaningful change is hard. It requires disciplined effort and significant time. I was blessed to spend part of the third week of November with inspiring creators of change at the South Carolina Charter Schools Conference. It brought together many smart, thoughtful leaders who are fighting to…
By: Tillie Elvrum My family has always been a family “on the move” due to my husband’s Air Force and corporate careers. We have never lived in any state longer than 5 years, so we’ve called many places home, and as President of PublicSchoolOptions.org I’ve had the privilege to return to many of the places…
By: Diana C. Santos Like many parents, I am so proud of my son. Our little guy is on a mission that we are proud to be a part of. Brenden, who was featured in a late-October blog post, has taken his campaign to end bullying one step further. He has recently created a business…
By: Amy Threewitt I love hanging out with friends, especially ones that share my name! Amy Nelson and I had the privilege of attending a networking dinner sponsored by the Wyoming Business Alliance and hosted by Governor Matt Mead. It was very refreshing to meet so many community leaders invested in education and receptive to…
In a 62 – 38 “no” vote, Massachusetts’ Question 2 – the one to lift the cap on the number of charter schools allowed in the state – failed. Residents in Massachusetts remain faced with an arbitrary maximum of 120 charter schools statewide. What’s more is that the performance of students enrolled in the state’s…
Last week, WKZO Kalamazoo interviewed PublicSchoolOptions.org President Tillie Elvrum regarding the results of a new statewide Michigan poll, which indicated overwhelming support for parent involvement in school turnaround and closure efforts. Specifically: 82% of voters believe that school performance evaluations cannot be based only on M-STEP scores (Michigan’s statewide standardized test). 82% of voters feel…
By: Brenden Santos They always say the best things come in small packages. Even though I’m only 11, I want to make a difference in this world. That’s why I started “Against the Bullying.” It’s a website designed to stop bullying one wristband at a time. There are too many kids my age taking their lives because…
By: Tillie Elvrum Earlier this month, I had the privilege of speaking on a panel at the 2016 State Policy Network alongside seasoned policy, teacher, and legal stakeholders. Our discussion focused on the 2016 Education Next Poll, but really dug into ways to bridge the divide between advocacy organizations and policy groups. I mentioned how…
44,000. That’s the number of students waiting to enroll in New York City charter schools right now. At PublicSchoolOptions.org, we know that students shouldn’t have to wait for a great education that meets their needs. We cannot afford to push off today’s education problems on future generations. The 25,000 parents that attended the “Path to…