The Annenberg Institute for School Reform has published an informative review of the controversy over the so-called parent trigger law.
It explains the genesis of the idea, how it evolved, who is behind it, where it has been adopted, and why it offers meager prospects for either parent empowerment or school improvement. The brief includes a good summary of how parents can help improve their schools.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Isn’t this the organization Obama was associated with back in his Chicago days?
LikeLike
Go to ReThinking Schools website and look at their archives. You might find your answers on Chicago neatly located there.
LikeLike
Bush says parent choice is great, as long as parents make the choice he wants them too!
LikeLike
I thought Annenberg was a conservative think thank??
LikeLike
I believe that there are many that are interested in true educational reform. Many true reform groups are not happy with the “rheeform” that is taking place and are speaking out. Annenberg Institute for School Reform is starting to speak out and refers to the current reform efforts as “The standards-based, market-driven reforms” and how basically this is not doing the job that needs to be done.
http://annenberginstitute.org/commentary/2013/01/next-four-years-federal-education-policy-what%E2%80%99s-working-what%E2%80%99s-missing
We also saw recently how the Center for Education Reform criticized the CREDO report.
http://www.edreform.com/2013/02/national-charter-research-misfires-on-charter-schools/
LikeLike
The Center for Education reform is one of the most aggressive anti-public school organizations. Don’t expect them to change.
LikeLike
Just visited the CER website and I see what Diane’s talking about. Given the intensity of their rhetoric on that website, they’ll not be making any changes soon. They have their story to tell and we should be listening, if only to better understand the opposition.
LikeLike
So, what troubles you, schoolgal? That a conservative group could write an analysis with which you agree?
Going to print this out and share it throughout my legislative network.
LikeLike
These school “reform” issues aren’t usually party-oriented. It’s one of the only fiascos they seem to support together.
LikeLike
The Parent Trigger is important to give the parents the power to shock the districts which do not respond to parents and failing schools. Desert Trails in Adalanto is not the failing school in that district. The failing schools are the two charter schools there with low 500 API scores. Desert Trails is about 710 API. Is Parent Revolution so messed up that they did not know this. These numbers come from the California Dept. of Ed. (CDE) website. The former superintendent of Adalanto is now superintendent of Compton just so you know the rest of the story. The Parent Revolution attempt in Compton had to be purposely made a mess at Austin is well experienced in obtaining signatures and the legal rules. Let’s face it if Connecticut just passed better laws to deflect the Parent Trigger laws I say “Go for it.” It certainly has got peoples attention. If there was not a need it would not have traction. School districts are out of control. What is in this blog everyday in almost every instance if it is not school administrators and districts failures to respond in any way. For instance, at LAUSD in 2001 when they had 156,000 more enrollment only 14,500 did not come to school everyday. In 2010-11 with 156,000 less enrollment it became over 102,000. I just saw CDE numbers that show that another 2% more in 2011-12 did not come than in 2010-11. Students not coming to school everyday has gone in 10 years from 2% of the students to 17% and this under the so called “Reform Board” and where big money is coming in to support those who will make it worse yet. This is why parents are desiring the “Parent Trigger.” Districts give them no choice and crooks will fill the vacuum to suck up that energy for their use.
LikeLike
Don’t think Parent Revolution was screwed up at all. They had a chance to take over a good school and they went for it.
LikeLike
It is totally bizarre that people can convince parents to hand their school over to a private corporation. Unbelievable. It’s like handing your house over to McDonald’s to own because they might be able to tell you they can provide you with great hamburgers. Who would want that?
LikeLike
How quickly we forget. Parent trigger laws are not what you think. In Adelanto, parents wanted to remove their names from the petition because they felt mislead by the signature process strategy of signing two petitions. I was the board president when Parent Revolution – a lobbyist group – successfully bullied our small district in California with lawsuits to implement the Parent Trigger Law. The judge ruled that the district could not allow parents to change their minds- even if they felt mislead. Parent Revolution is my biggest concern with the Parent Trigger Law. The Parent Empowerment Act of 2010 in California sounds great, but it is not a grassroots movement. Parent Trigger Laws are not coming from grassroots or a parent movement – they are coming from deep pocket lobbyists. These laws create division in the community to allow take over of schools. Parent Revolution has big backers and uses that might to prop up Parent Trigger. Without Parent Revolution – there would be no Parent Trigger. Privatizing public schools with taxpayer money is not the solution to what ails our school systems. With over twenty years experience as an educator, I have come to the conclusion that the free market private sector, without government funding, is where the solution will come from. I am promoting a radical 21st century change in education. What about you? http://coachlerningacademies.me/ https://twitter.com/Coach_Lerning
LikeLike