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Education Policy Center Newsletter

From The Independence Institute
August 18, 2010
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In this issue
-- Education Policy Center Launches New Website
-- Center Releases Video on Union Abuse of Non-Union School Employee
Paychecks
-- Benigno Addresses Grassroots Leaders, DeGrow Briefs Legislative Candidates
-- DeGrow Tackles Education Jobs Bailout in Denver Post Column
-- iVoices: Federal Encroachment vs. Local Control of Schools
-- Ed Is Watching Roundup: From “Master’s Bumps” to Phony Reforms

Dear Friends,

We hope you enjoy our latest update from the Education Policy Center.

Pamela Benigno, Director

Ben DeGrow, Policy Analyst
Marya DeGrow, Research Associate
Raaki Garcia-Ulam, School Choice Website Outreach Coordinator

Education Policy Center Launches New Website

If you like our new logo, you’ll love our new website! This week the Education
Policy Center officially launched its fresh online digs: http://education.i2i.org.
Besides the improved, attractive layout, you now should have much easier
access to our wide variety of content—website tools, blogs, op-eds, papers,
podcasts, TV broadcasts and more. Please bookmark your browser and return
often!

Center Releases Video on Union Abuse of Non-Union School Employee

Paychecks
The Education Policy Center released a video this week that should open a few
eyes. The 4-minute YouTube video tells the story of Pueblo non-union school
employee Becky Robertson, who due to family medical emergencies missed her
district’s annual deadline to opt out of paying union fees. Seven Colorado school
districts have one or moe opt-out policies for non-union members. The video
asks: Why do our laws allow this to happen?
On a related note, Ben DeGrow spent an hour recently on the Mike Rosen Show
with guest host Jon Caldara discussing opt-out procedures and deadlines for both
union members and non-members, most of which occur in August or September.

See also:
Independent Teachers, Video: Unions Abuse Non-Union Teacher Paychecks

Benigno Addresses Grassroots Leaders, DeGrow Briefs Legislative

Candidates
On July 19 Education Policy Center director Pam Benigno spoke to a group of
state grassroots education leaders at a National Coalition for Public School
Options in Washington, D.C., on the importance of parent power. On August 3
policy analyst Ben DeGrow addressed a room full of state legislative hopefuls on
K-12 funding and reform issues at the Independence Institute’s candidates
briefing. Also during the past month, DeGrow spoke to the Jefferson County
Republican Men’s Club on education reform.

DeGrow Tackles Education Jobs Bailout in Denver Post Column

On Monday the Denver Post published Ben DeGrow’s opinion-editorial titled
“Education Jobs Bailout Can’t Be Justified.” The piece brings attention to new
federal legislation with a high price tag that wastefully props up the status quo.
A few weeks earlier Ben wrote an op-ed for the Colorado Daily that made some
of the same arguments about the fallacy of fixating on class sizes rather than
improving teacher quality.

iVoices: Federal Encroachment vs. Local Control of Schools

On August 2 the Colorado State Board of Education agreed to adopt the
Common Core Standards in math and language arts by a narrow 4-3 margin. The
debate was influenced by the federal Race to the Top (RTTT) grant competition.
Adopting Common Core greatly strengthens Colorado’s chance to win $175
million in RTTT funds and enact a reform plan.

In the weeks leading up to the important vote, the Education Policy Center
highlighted some different perspectives, including an iVoices podcast with Kit
Carson School District superintendent Gerald Keefe about his efforts to fight
against federal and state encroachments. Keefe also recorded a separate iVoices
podcast interview about his rural district’s pioneering Innovation School
proposal.

See also:
Ed Is Watching, NCTQ’s Green Light Indicates Colorado is a Likely Race to the
Top Winner
Ed Is Watching, Sen. Keith King Chimes In on Colorado Adopting Common Core
Standards

Ed Is Watching Roundup: From “Master’s Bumps” to Phony Reforms

In addition to many of the above topics, our 5-year-old blogging prodigy Eddie
brought readers’ attention to some important education stories with his own
unique perspective, including the following:
Colorado Takes on Tenure and Evaluation Reform… Are “Master’s Bumps” Next?
Mathematica Study: KIPP Charter Middle Schools Show “Impressive” Results
Michelle Rhee Inspires Me Again: Special Ed Vouchers, Teacher Dismissals
Glimpsing a K-12 Future: Pension Transparency and Education Entrepreneurs
Michigan: Just Another Phony Case of Alternative Teacher Certification “Reform”

Contact Information
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email: pam@i2i.org
phone: 303-279-6536
web:http://www.independenceinstitute.org
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