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2. A Meta-Analysis of the Literature on the Effect of Charter Schools on Student Achievement, Julian Betts, et al.
3. This report uses statistics to show that a lot of charter schools are actually better or on the same level as public schools. It gives the facts without using inflammatory language.
4. The report looks at the effect of agency on charter schools. It uses logos by reviewing lots of data from charter schools and public schools.
5. Despite lots of people and articles saying that charter schools are dangerous and wrong, the statistics show otherwise. Interesting to look into what the motive is for keeping public schools.
6. Julian Betts, et al. "A Meta-Analysis of the Literature on the Effect of Charter Schools on Student Achievement." Center for Reinventing Public Education, Aug. 2014, https://crpe.org/a-meta-analysis-of-the-literature-on-the-effect-of-charter-schools-on-student-achievement/.

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Are Charter Schools Working? A Review of the Evidence – Center on Reinventing Public Education

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This brief summarizes a new review of the available evidence on charter schools and student achievement

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2. Education Reform: The New Orleans School Experiment, Sprouts.
3. The video outlines the way that New Orleans reformed education after hurricane Katrina. The public school system was corrupt, so charter schools were set up to be disconnected from the corruption. It worked.
4. When schools were given agency, they began performing much better. The video uses pathos by showing kids underperforming and drawing cute pictures of people and places.
5. Charter schools have worked in the past and they could be a big part of the answer.
6. Sprouts. "Education Reform: The New Orleans School Experiment." Youtube, 14 March, 2020, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW0y7Dj1_0Y.

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Education Reform: The New Orleans School Experiment

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2. Public Education Reform, Donald Nielsen.
3. Nielsen has a lot of things we could be doing to improve education, including empowering parents and teachers and modifying funding laws. It's a lot of what I've seen before, but never so concisely.
4. Nielsen wants to make teachers a commodity and have them paid as such: teachers with a higher demand like math and science will get paid more. He uses ethos by using professional-sounding words to sound like he knows what he's talking about.
5. The problem is more complicated than he makes it out to be, but this solution could be a start.
6. Nielsen, Donald. "Public Education Reform." Discovery Institute. https://www.discovery.org/education/public-education/.

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American Center for Transforming Education

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The Problem

Though the rest of the developed world has continually improved their schools and student learning in response to modern day demands, America's public education system has changed little since the 1970s. Once the standard of the world, U.S. schools now rank 20th out of 30 countries in high school graduation rates, 24th in college graduation rates, and 27th in college graduation rates of scientists and engineers. It is clear that our nation has failed to adapt our education system to meet the needs of today's students - resulting in educational stagnation. Today, 70% of our children do not receive the education required to prosper in the 21st Century economy.

The Solution

The American Center for Transforming Education (ACTE) advocates for fundamental changes to our education system that better prepares students for today's globally competitive marketplace. We work at the state level to improve the quality of teaching, leadership. and governance of our public schools. Through state level reforms, we aim to advance the talent - and boost the performance - of the people who power our education system. These new educators will then lead to the transformation of our schools - with students as the ultimate beneficiaries.

The Strategy

The fundamental transformation of our schools will not happen overnight. In order to achieve lasting change - and positive results for our students - we propose a multi-year strategy in two phases.

Phase One:

Identify Reform-Minded States. Our early research efforts are focused on identifying states that are positioned for change and equipped with courageous state leaders who are willing to buck the education establishment in favor of meaningful reforms.

Promote Choice Legislation. The formal education of the child, which is probably one of the most important aspect of raising a child, is not currently a parental choice. We promote and support school choice legislation in all its forms - vouchers, tax-credit scholarships, education savings accounts, and charter schools.

Pass Innovation Districts Legislation. We support passing legislation that will grant greater flexibility for administrators to enact change within their schools. By allowing public school districts to apply for waivers that grant flexibility for school administrators, we empower school administrators to implement innovative solutions to problems that they witness in their classrooms.

Pass Leadership Institute Legislation. We propose the creation of leadership institutes that train educational entrepreneurs to be agents of change within their schools, and to oversee innovation districts.

Phase Two:

Appointed School Board Legislation. Change is a difficult, long-term process that is continually impeded by school board elections. Appointed school boards will provide the stability of governance that is critical to implementing lasting, far-sighted reforms.

Modifying Certification Laws. The education profession should be open to our brightest and most talented citizens. By removing barriers that prevent issue experts from becoming teachers, we can hire teachers based on qualifications - not just their certification.

School Funding Legislation. The current funding system greatly constrains innovation by heavily restricting how school districts can spend their money. We believe that education funding should follow the child, and be based on the cost to educate that child - making school funding a function of both the number and the needs of children who are being educated.

Teacher Compensation Legislation. By eliminating the salary schedule, schools will be able to hire and pay teachers based on school needs, market conditions, and budget allowances - ultimately attracting higher quality teachers. This allows high-demand teachers, like math and science teachers, to be paid more.

Graduation Requirements Legislation. Currently, high school credit hours measure how much time a student spends in a seat. Instead, states should redefine graduation standards and requirements to reflect material learned and college readiness.

Donald Nielsen

Don Nielsen is a Senior Fellow of the Discovery Institute and author of Every Schoo l. After a successful business career, culminating with being CEO of a NYSE company, he has concentrated his time and effort in the field of Public Education. In 1993, he was elected to the Seattle School Board where he served for eight years and now serves on the Dean's Advisory Board of the University of Washington School of Education.

The Team

ACTE has an extraordinary team of experts in pursuit of these objectives. Together, they have many decades of experience at all levels: as teachers, administrators, school board members and elected officials. All are wholeheartedly committed to realizing the full vision of educational transformation outlined herein.

Advisory Board

Further Readings

The Customers in Public Education are the Parents, Seattle Times op-ed
Donald Nielsen

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Though the rest of the developed world has continually improved their schools and student learning in response to modern day demands, America's public education system has changed little since the 1970s. Once the standard of the world, U.S.

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2. Joe Rogan & Larry Sharpe Discuss Education Reform, Joe Rogan, Larry Sharpe.
3. Sharpe believes that by getting rid of 11th and 12th grade, and replacing it with prep schools/trade schools/work that kids can make mistakes in their careers early on and still get to where they want to be in life, as opposed to making those mistakes at 26. He also believes that getting rid of federal involvement will fix a lot of problems, including funding. Federal government contributes relatively little funding, and a significant percentage of the funding goes to administrators "checking boxes" for the federal government. He believes that self-governing and local schools will be the solution to the problem.
4. Sharpe talks a lot about funding, and the commodities that are needed to keep schools running. He uses logos by talking about statistics and information he has gotten from lots of teachers.
5. Small government, as in many things, seems to be a good step for public education.
6. JRE Clips. "Joe Rogan & Larry Sharpe Discuss Education Reform." Youtube, 5 Sep. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C-rpwumX7U.

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Joe Rogan & Larry Sharpe Discuss Education Reform

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2. If America’s education system is outdated, how can we evolve?, Derrell Bradford.
3. Bradford calls for change in our education, as it struggles to keep up with technology and culture, but specifically states that though different people have wildly differing reasons for wanting reform, they are all working toward the same goal.
4. Bradford's ideas include social cohesion among different groups, working  together to achieve the same goal despite their differences. He uses logos by going through the timeline of education reform.
5. I agree with Bradford, everyone wants kids to be educated and enriched during school, so everyone has a lot in common when it comes to education reform.
6. Big Think. "If America's education system is outdated, how can we evolve?" Youtube, 11 Sep. 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3btnmg30eks.

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If America’s education system is outdated, how can we evolve? | Derrell Bradford | Big Think

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2. Johnson County teachers push back against avalanche of K-12 education reform bills, Tim Carpenter
3. A collection of quotes and context about teachers fighting against more strict bills in consideration in Kansas. If teachers were supported properly, they say, they would be able to give kids what they need. More laws and stricter policies will only cripple education.
4. The teachers discuss their identity as educators and how they want to affect students. They use pathos by discussing their frustrations with the trajectory of reforms.
5. Teachers themselves must be considered in reforms. They are the path to students, and while not every teacher is going to be incredible, we can support them to be good.
6. Carpenter, Tim. "Johnson County teachers push back against avalanche of K-12 education reform bills." Kansas Reflector, 27 Feb. 2022, https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/27/johnson-county-teachers-push-back-against-avalanche-of-k-12-education-reform-bills/.

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OLATHE - Prairie Trail Middle School teacher Kelly Ruiz despairs about the bundle of bills under consideration by the Kansas Legislature based on the premise of educational malfeasance in K-12 public schools.

Republican House and Senate members have demonstrated interest in shifting more public tax dollars to private schools, highlighting struggles of public school students during the COVID-19 pandemic, denouncing teachers for allegedly advancing critical race theory, raising the possibility to labeling as offensive or removing library materials, weakening student vaccination programs, imposing broad mandates on publication of curriculum materials to an online database and imposing a parental bill of rights.

"We have to stop the legislation," Ruiz said during a forum Saturday in Olathe. "It undermines what we do in the classroom. It disrespects and disregards us as professionals. Trust us. We know what saves kids. We know what inspires kids."

Rep. Kristey Williams, a Republican who chairs the House K-12 Education Budget Committee, and Sen. Molly Baumgardner, the Republican chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee, have been working on the bulk of bills some educators find objectionable. Much of that legislative agenda is expected to be considered by lawmakers during the second half of the annual session that starts Tuesday.

"There is one central question that I try to circle back to when considering importing policy as chair of the House's K-12 Education Budget Committee: What is best for kids?" Williams said. "With that central theme of kids first, or kids before systems, our committee has heard four bills providing more school choice, both public and private choices."

In the November school board elections in Johnson County, issues of critical race theory, mask mandates during the pandemic and transparency of school district officials were prominent themes raised by candidates and disgruntled parents.

Annie Goodson, a Blue Valley West High School teacher, said during the forum she was concerned about willingness of young teachers to stick with education careers given challenges posed by COVID-19 and eagerness of politicians to leave a heavy footprint on an education system in Kansas serving about 500,000 students.

"They're entering a pretty hostile atmosphere right now," Goodson said.

Olathe third-grade teacher Jeremie Tharp, who is in her 18th year as an educator, said assertions public school teachers were lazy, biased or in the profession to indoctrinate children were wrong.

She said she'd sacrificed parts of her own young family - a third-grade son and sixth-grade daughter - to place her in a better position to impact the lives of students at Pleasant Ridge Elementary. At times, she said, it's not clear she has the stamina to push through to the next year.

Tharp keeps a "smile file" of notes from parents and students that document how she made a difference even when things didn't go as planned.

"It is where Hudson told me I am his most favorite teacher of all, and Everly said that every day when she walks into class, the thing she likes most is me. It's where Maggie wrote that in my classroom is the only place she feels like she is home and can rest, and Avery told me I was her best friend."

Matthew Shulman, a social studies teacher at Blue Valley Northwest High School, said the quest of some politicians to be confrontational with public school educators would result in quality people turning away from the profession or prompting experienced teachers to resign.

"Instead of pushing people away," he said, "we need to somehow find a way to support our teachers."

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Johnson County teachers push back against avalanche of K-12 education reform bills - Kansas Reflector

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OLATHE - Prairie Trail Middle School teacher Kelly Ruiz despairs about the bundle of bills under consideration by the Kansas Legislature based on the premise of educational malfeasance in K-12 public schools.

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4. Why Charter Schools are NOT The Answer

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4. Why Charter Schools are NOT The Answer

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2. Getting Education Reform Right, Valerie Strauss
3. Strauss writes that charter schools take funding away from public schools that would be more effective if students hadn't left. She argues that often charter schools will have strict requirements for admittance, making some students just stuck with the lesser public school.
4. In this perspective, students are a commodity that determines how much funding, and therefore how effective a school is. Strauss uses pathos to try to steer people away from charter schools by making them angry at the supposed injustice.
5. It is entirely possible and easy to have a completely different opinion on charter schools specifically. If they are keeping people from entering, how is that affecting certain groups?
6.  Strauss, Valerie. "Getting Education Reform Right." Washington Post, 6 Jan. 2022, https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2022/01/06/getting-education-reform-right/.

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2. A new path to education reform: The next chapter on 21st century skills, Jan 13, 2021.
3. A panel discusses the pros and cons of "factory-style" education and of a theoretical new path that could lead to more engagement in schools. This style would include active, communicative, and community-focused learning for students. With a focus on problem-solving and enjoyment, the hope is for students to be actively engaged and invested in their learning.
4. The panel uses stereotypes to generalize the group of "students" for easier discussion. The focus on using COVID-19 as a springboard for wide reforms is an appeal through Kairos.
5. The politics of change will be difficult, but if focus can be placed in the right area, it could be change for the better.
6. Kraft, Matthew A., et al. “A New Path to Education Reform: The next Chapter on 21st Century Skills.” Brookings, The Brookings Institution, 22 Jan. 2021, https://www.brookings.edu/events/a-new-path-to-education-reform-the-next-chapter-on-21st-century-skills/.

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A new path to education reform: The next chapter on 21st century skills

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On January 13, the Center for Universal Education will host a webinar to discuss a path to educational reform through 21st century skills.

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2. Why Education Reform Keeps Failing Students, PBS October 17, 2017.
3. While advertising his book, Addicted to Reform, John Merrow discusses with Jeffrey Brown the reasons that American education reform has failed in the past. He believes that reforms have been focused on better test scores and graduation rates rather than actually giving kids knowledge that they will enjoy and use.
4. Merrow appeals through pathos by describing situations that most Americans have been in, including struggling through college and watching children fall in school. He uses agency by giving the audience the information they need to appeal to local or federal governments about the issue.
5. Until the focus of education is changed, nothing about the success of students will change. We need to focus on students, not the numbers those students produce.
6. PBS NewsHour. "Why education reform keeps failing students." Youtube, 17 Oct. 2017, youtube.com/watch?v=lOfioQR6WTI.

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Why education reform keeps failing students

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2. The Real Experts of Education Reform, Oliver Sicat.
3. Sicat describes the schools he has set up in Boston, Chicago, and LA which empower teachers to make decisions that best suit their students. In the school in LA students run their own curriculum and learn in the way that is best for them using outside resources and whatever they can find. This lack of standardization and focus on attention to each student allows students to perform significantly better and retain their passion for learning.
4. Sicat demonstrates social cohesion by proving that small groups of dedicated people make the best progress. The repeated graphs and data make a strong appeal through logos.
5. The standardization of learning is killing people's passion for the world and for discovery.
6. TEDx Talks. "The real experts of education reform | Oliver Sicat | TEDxOrangeCoast." Youtube, talk written and performed by Oliver Sicat, 23 Oct. 2014, youtube.com/watch?v=NqCGzmaMx70

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The real experts of education reform | Oliver Sicat | TEDxOrangeCoast

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My topic for this semester is K-12 education reform. Children that go through the public education system lose their spark for life and interest in the world. This is unacceptable if we want the human race to continue.