The radical right’s playbook to destroy the American school system forms the basis of the rating system in the Education Freedom Report Card put out by the Heritage Foundation. States are rewarded for allowing uncertified teachers, unregulated school choice, minimal spending on public schools, and how easy it is for parents to engage in “indoctrination” witch-hunts of school boards and teachers.
That is why a new article by Kathryn Joyce in Salon is a must-read. You can read that article here.
Share this important article and let families know school choice is a ruse to completely defund and privatize education. If you are looking for a state-by-state report card that rates each state’s commitment to public schools, read our report card released earlier this year: Public Schooling in America: Measuring Each State’s Commitment to Democratically Governed Public Schools.
Rapid Growth in Low-Quality Virtual Charters Confirmed
Last October, I issued a warning that NPE’s examination of state 2020-21 enrollment data indicated that large numbers of students had moved to virtual charter schools, which are notorious for being the lowest performing schools in the charter sector.
The final numbers are now in and our worries are confirmed.
You can read my analysis of the explosive growth in enrollment in virtual charter schools here in the Washington Post’s Valerie Strauss Answer Sheet.
We will continue to fight for public schools. But we need your tax-deductible donations to carry on!
Make your donation here today!
New NPE Report Coming Soon
In March of 2020, we published a comprehensive guide on charter schools run by for-profits. That oft-cited report proved to be a trusted source of information for citizens, journalists, and policymakers.
This fall, we will publish part two of Chartered for Profit, providing updated numbers on the continued growth of the for-profit charter world during the pandemic as well as examples of how shady profiteers cash in on our kids and tax dollars.
Teachers Rock!
Take a moment to watch this heartwarming tribute by former Labor Secretary Robert Reich to a teacher who changed his life. It will make your day.
Thanks for all you do! Our best wishes for a great school year.
Carol Burris
Executive Director of the Network for Public Education
