DFER News Roundup
By Devin Boyle, Director of Communications, and Stephanie Doctrow, Communications Coordinator and Web Editor
Featured:
- Read more about our May Reformers of the Month: state Rep. Alisha Morgan (GA) and Partnership for L.A. Schools CEO Marshall Tuck (CA), running for state superintendent in their respective states.
- Got a minute? Take our survey and tell us more about you!
DFER Seen & Heard:
- The New Yorker’s John Cassidy quoted DFER Policy Director Charles Barone in “Bill de Blasio’s Middle Ground,” a piece on the NYC mayor’s education policies.
- DFER got a shout out in Andy Rotherham and Ashley Mitchel’s new paper for Bellwether Education Partners, “Genuine Progress, Greater Challenges: A Decade of Teacher Effectiveness Reforms.”
Advocacy, Policy Briefs & Such:
- Statement | DFER-WA commends Representatives DelBene, Larsen, Kilmer, Smith and Heck for voting to support public charter schools.
- Advocacy | DFER asks House of Reps. to vote yes on “Success and Opportunity Through Quality Charter Schools Act.”
DFER Blog:
- “With passage of H.R. 10, our work is paying off,” writes DFER Policy Director Charles Barone.
- DFER-IL’s Rebeca Nieves Huffman: “With the safety and education of thousands of Chicago children on the line, a strike should be the last possible resort – not a political tactic.”
In Related News:
- “In an unsurprisingly partisan vote, the Senate education committee gave its stamp of approval to legislation that would make President Barack Obama’s vision for expanding preschool to more low- and moderate income 4-year-olds a reality,” reports EdWeek’s Alyson Klein.
- Senators Edward Markey and Orrin Hatch will release a proposal to update FERPA, the federal law dealing with the privacy of education information, to better safeguard student data in the age of Big Data. (New York Times)
- The Newark Star-Ledger endorsed Shavar Jeffries for Newark mayor, calling him a real reformer and the candidate most able to get things done.
- The U.S. Department of Education told state chiefs last week that it will grant some states extensions on their NCLB waivers as long as they are making progress on implementing strong teacher-evaluation systems. (EdWeek)
Fun With Infographics & More:
- Graphic | Washington state Democrats vote to support public charter schools.
- Infographic | H.R. 10: More Democrats stand up in support of charter schools.