Everyone seems to be aware that the crisis in public education is getting worse. Despite a record level of spending in America, students from 16 countries are outperforming their American counterparts. To top it all off, 50% of teachers in the classroom today will be retiring in the next ten years. This is not the recipe for a well-educated public—and stakeholders are taking notice.   Continue Reading...

As recently reported on the AAE blog, teacher union public approval and membership are hitting record lows. Following a decline of 150,000 members in the past two years and a projection of an additional 200,000 member loss by 2014, the National Education Association and its state affiliates are in extreme financial distress. According to a report by union-watchdog Mike Antonucci and the Education Intelligence Agency (EIA), as the NEA national budgets are being slashed, aid to state affiliates has risen to keep certain state affiliate operations afloat.   Continue Reading...

Obviously chronic absence from school can greatly affect a student's performance levels; however, student truancy may have broader implications beyond the individual student. According to recent studies on American student absenteeism, teachers and the overall performance of schools can also be adversely affected.   Continue Reading...

With the rise of technology, the internet, and social media, the constant stream of information has created a new global culture of information sharing. An educator in Wisconsin, for example, can easily access art resources from a museum website in Paris, or print a worksheet and textbook passage from a professional development blog hosted in California. The possibilities are endless and teachers are taking advantage of this accessibility. However, as authors and publishers come to terms with this new reality and its impact on profits, education stakeholders are sounding off on how to best share information and protect intellectual property.   Continue Reading...

The goal of a high school education is to prepare a student for future success as an adult. Whether that means going on to college or immediately joining the workforce, students must be prepared to tackle an ever-changing economy. With success meaning something different for every student, experts assert that, in order to provide realistic options for all students, schools must focus on offering innovative vocational education programs combined with a strong focus on academics.   Continue Reading...

This week's recall election has thrust union special interests and teacher freedoms back into the national dialogue like never before. After a bitter campaign and an estimated $60 million spent on election efforts, the commanding win for Governor Walker illustrates an overwhelming shift in public opinion against teachers unions. As the dust settles on this historic election, it's no coincidence that according to a new public opinion poll, teacher unions nationally are reaching all-time low approval levels.   Continue Reading...

Single-sex education (teaching males and females in separate classrooms or schools) is an old approach to instruction that has been gaining new momentum in the education reform era. Although the practice has long existed in many private schools, it's a relatively new option for traditional public schools and charter schools. Now that over 500 public schools offer some form of single-sex education, experts are renewing the debate over the value of separating boys and girls in the classroom.   Continue Reading...

Education reform news service, Choice Media, today posted a cartoon lampooning the teacher union special interests and their aversion to all things school choice. "Running out of Ideas" parodies a union board meeting where the characters are desperately clinging to their monopoly interests using the same old arguments against school reform and innovation.   Continue Reading...

In light of the rise of public charter schools and the growing popularity of parent-trigger laws and tuition tax credits across the country, the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a congressional hearing yesterday to examine state and local efforts to increase parental engagement and school choice options.   Continue Reading...

Last week, the Alabama House Ways and Means Education committee declined to vote on a less-than-ideal public charter school bill that would have allowed low-performing public schools in Birmingham, Huntsville, Montgomery, and Mobile to be converted to public charter schools. The decision is considered a blow to the Alabama education reform movement and will leave charter proponents at least a year away from another chance at comprehensive public charter school legislation in the state.   Continue Reading...

As we highlighted Monday on the AAE blog: May 7-11, 2012, is National Charter Schools Week. This is a time to celebrate the important role charter schools have in improving our education system. This year is particularly noteworthy as public charter schools in the U.S. are celebrating twenty years of success.   Continue Reading...

This week, May 7-11, 2012, is both National Teacher Appreciation Week and National Charter Schools Week. AAE is pleased to recognize hard-working educators and celebrate the growing national public charter school movement this week and every week.   Continue Reading...

AAE is pleased to announce the launch of our charter-focused website: www.AAECharters.org just in time for National Charter Schools Week. The new site is geared toward charter school administrators, leaders, teachers, and associations searching for timely updates and research on issues affecting the public charter school community.   Continue Reading...

House Approves Student Loan Rate Cut Last Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives approved legislation authored by Congresswoman Judy Biggert (R-IL) that would prevent a scheduled July 1st interest rate hike on certain federal student loans.  Under a 2007 statute, the interest rate on subsidized Stafford loans to undergraduate students was cut from 6.8% to 3.4%, but interest rates are scheduled to return to previous levels unless Congress acts.  Biggert's legislation, H.R. 4628, the Interest Rate Reduction Act, would extend lower rates for an additional year.  The bill was approved by a vote of 215 to 195, and it now heads to the Senate for consideration.   Continue Reading...

When you think of the name Kenneth Cole, most American women think of great handbags and accessories. However, in a world where politics and fashion often intersect, Mr. Cole's billboard on Manhattan's West Side Highway is grabbing headlines for its dig at New York's teacher unions. The enormous Kenneth Cole advertisement reads "Shouldn't Everyone Be Well Red?" and in smaller lettering, the billboard states, "Teachers' Rights vs. Students' Rights." The billboard has caused quite the stir, and is just the latest commentary in putting students first in New York's education reform debate.   Continue Reading...

As reported recently on the AAE blog, despite record-breaking growth among non-union teacher organizations, local AAE recruiters and state partners have experienced tremendous hurdles in establishing equal treatment among competing associations in states across the country. Whether it is the inability to attend a new teacher orientation or access to payroll deduction services, non-union associations are constantly passed over in favor of powerful teacher union interests. Despite this climate, there is renewed hope for teachers seeking options in Colorado, as House Bill 1333 was recently introduced to promote fairness among teacher associations and union and non-union teachers alike.   Continue Reading...

Governor Bobby Jindal has taken center stage in the education world this spring via a new education overhaul plan aimed at expanding choice, removing barriers to entry for charter schools, and reforming tenure in the state of Louisiana. In a plan being hailed as the "new standard" for education reform, Governor Jindal is expected sign both reform bills into law later this week.   Continue Reading...

Funds for Early Learning Earmarked in Competitive Grant Program The Department of Education and Department of Health and Human Services

announced last week that $133 million from the 2012 Race to the Top program will be available so that additional states can make investments in comprehensive early learning education reform.   Continue Reading...

In 2011, Wisconsin's fight over collective bargaining was the number one domestic story. From protests at the capitol to high-profile lawsuits, the battle to close budget shortfalls and curb union power is still gaining headlines in the state. In the latest development, WEA Trust, the health care insurer that has covered as many as two-thirds of Wisconsin school districts under strict collective bargaining agreements, has seen its revenue decline almost $70 million after a new law gave school districts the freedom to switch health care insurers to save funds.   Continue Reading...

For the first time in the state's history, New Jersey is set to welcome their first online public charter school this fall. The New Jersey Virtual Academy Charter School (NJVACS), operating in partnership with the online education company, K12 Inc., has already begun to spread the word about their offerings statewide and currently boasts 300 enrolled students for the fall term. The opening of the school marks New Jersey's first big step into full-time online instruction, part of a new trend that has become commonplace in states across the country.   Continue Reading...