Subject: Nation's Top Ten in Education Reform Released
From: "Center for Education Reform" <[email-masked]>
To: "R. Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 22 Jan 2013 05:53:33 -0800

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2013
Contact: Virginia Hume
800-521-2118
[email-masked]
                                 
National Report Card for Parents Released  
Top Ten States on Parent Power Index© provide roadmap for
lawmakers
                                 
WASHINGTON, DC - The nation's "Top Ten" states that provide more
expansive opportunities for parents also tend to yield higher
growth rates in student achievement, according to the most recent
national rankings on the Parent Power Index© (PPI) released
today by The Center for Education Reform (CER). Indiana ranks No.
1, followed by Florida, Ohio, Arizona, D.C., Louisiana,
Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Utah, in enacting policies
that allow for more parental empowerment, expansive educational
choices, sound teacher quality measures, wider access to digital
learning and more transparent data. These states' policies
correlate highly with increased student growth, particularly
among lower socio-economic students, over time.
                                
The PPI is an interactive, web-based tool that ranks the United
States based on how much power a parent has over their children's
education. While there is a growing body of data and information
available to parents, policymakers, educators and the general
public, the PPI is the first and only comprehensive evaluation of
state education policy that is geared towards parents,
continuously updated in real-time, and now, provides an arsenal
of state and local resources.
                                
"All across America, parents are demanding more power over their
children's education, but the task of sorting through all the
information out there is daunting," said Jeanne Allen, president
of CER. "There are a variety of resources available to evaluate
how students are achieving, but there is widespread disagreement
about what constitutes sound education reform policy." Allen
continued: "As the mother of college students, I liken the PPI to
a cumulative GPA, which is a composite of grades from varying
professors. In this case, these professors are among the nation's
leading authorities and critical evaluators of education policy."
                                
The latest rankings on the Parent Power Index© are a result of
the release of  CER's 14th annual Charter School Laws Across the
States Ranking and Scorecard 2013. Washington became the 43rd
state to allow charter schools and only four other states made
improvements to their charter laws last year. 
                                
In addition to charter schools, the Index evaluates states on
school choice using data and analysis provided by The Friedman
Foundation for Educational Choice, The National Council on
Teacher Quality's detailed analysis in its annual State Teacher
Policy Yearbook, Digital Learning Now's evaluation of state
policies based on 72 metrics, transparency of data, school board
elections and Parent Revolution's analysis of parent trigger
laws. It also looks at local media reliability on education
issues and if state executives are reform-minded. Further
evaluation across all of these Elements of Power is ongoing and
continuously updated at
http://www.edreform.com/in-the-states/parent-power-index/.
                                
The Parent Power Index© also reveals that a majority of states
are barely making the grade when it comes to policies that allow
parents to exercise choices, engage with local school boards and
have a voice in the education systems that surround their
children.
                                
"The Index's 'Top Ten' prove that when parents have access to
options and good information all children can succeed," Allen
said. "Lawmakers need to look to these exemplars and the policies
that have afforded parents greater power elsewhere and act fast
to bring real education reform to their respective states.
Parents and voters have declared that mediocrity is no longer
acceptable, and our elected officials have a mandate to fix our
educational and economic problems for good."

                                ###

                            
CER, since 1993, is the leading voice and advocate for lasting,
substantive and structural education reform in the U.S.
Additional information about the Center and its activities can be
found at www.edreform.com.

The Center for Education Reform
 (tel) 800-521-2118; 301-986-8088; (fax) 301-986-1826
[email-masked]; www.edreform.com

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