MNEA to Meet with Charter Schools

According to the St. Louis Post, the Grade, one of the largest teachers union in Missouri is planning to meet with the Missouri Charter school leaders to see what they have to say.

The MNEA asked to meet with the state department’s director of charter schools, Jocelyn Strand, and with the director of the Missouri Charter Public School Association, Aaron North.

“We really felt it was important for us to hear what their beliefs are, and what exactly they’re advocating,” Guinther said.

Is this an extension of an olive branch? Guess we will wait and see. Charter schools offer parents with choices they may not otherwise have. With many failing schools and schools that are not the right fit, parents need choices within their means. Many families cannot afford the lavish private schools, but that should not mean their children will suffer through a sub par education.
I am interested to see how this story continues...

Missouri Has One Year to Get Act Together

Arne Duncan is a supporter of certain education reform ideas, such as charter schools and merit pay. The US Department of Education has now laid out very specific rules to get education stimulus dollars. There are two rounds in this process, trying to give states a second chance at applying for stimulus money if they didn't make the cut the first time. Missouri could have a chance if they would lighten up on some of the charter school laws!
According to Education Week:

Applications will be due in December and June. So states that have charter school caps, for instance, have a year (as Duncan might say) to get their act together and lift those caps!

It looks like these deadlines will apply only to the $4 billion in state grants, not to the $350 million that's been set aside for new assessments, nor for the $650 million in innovation grants available to school districts and nonprofit groups.

The deadlines are:

Late July: The Department will publish a notice of proposed rule making in the Federal Register, inviting public comment for 30 days on the proposed grant application and the criteria for evaluating the states' applications.

October: Notice inviting applications will be published in the Federal Register.

December: Phase 1 applications will be due.

March 2010: Phase 1 grants awarded, winners announced.

June 2010: Phase 2 applications will be due.

September 2010: Phase 2 grants awarded, winners announced.

Arne Duncan Shows Support for Good Education Reforms Ideas

Duncan comes out praising merit pay for teachers and the expansion of charter schools. Duncan believes teachers should embrace merit pay, and it "He says he wants it done with teachers, not to teachers."

Charter schools offer children options they may not have in their current public schools and Duncan is trying to promote charter schools: (From the Teacher Magazine)

Charter schools are publicly funded but operate independently of local school boards, often free from the constraints of union contracts in traditional public schools. As a result, they are hotly opposed by teachers and other critics who say they drain money and talent from other public schools.

Duncan has criticized states where lawmakers have resisted efforts to allow more charters to open, such as Illinois, or more children to enroll in them, such as Tennessee. He has said states will hurt their chance to compete for stimulus dollars if they fail to embrace innovations like charter schools.