Blocking out the block grant?
Discussion of the Trump Administration’s education budget proposals continue. Fordham Institute president Mike Petrilli offers five reasons of his own why—despite his traditional love for a block grant—the Charter School Program should not be rolled into one.
A deeper malaise?
Bellwether Education Partners founder Andrew Rotherham makes the downbeat case in The Hill that the latest budget move is a manifestation of a deeper and longer-gestating problem: politicos on the left are rallying solidly around traditional district schools while those on the right are increasingly supporting vouchers as the preferred alternative. Charter schools, and especially the low-income families who are benefiting most from them, are losing their champions on both sides.
Some hope?
Conor Williams, a fellow at the Century Foundation, is less pessimistic than Rotherham, seeing the already-sizeable charter sector—and the families it serves across the country—as a plus for progressive politicians. The ubiquity, popularity, racial equity, and demonstrated success of charters should be cheered by the left, he argues, and supported.
Good stuff close to home
Prudential Insurance’s Community Spirit Awards recognizes middle and high school students from across the country who not only succeed academically but who also contribute to their communities by volunteering. Nine students from Ohio Connections Academy were honored this year. Here is a look at two of those students: one from Meigs County who diligently supports her village council and one from Pataskala whose “Blessing Boxes” aid community members who are struggling. Congratulations to all of the amazing awardees.
