Read 10 Ideas for Education 2010
10 Ideas for Education
The Roosevelt Institute Campus Network is pleased to present the second volume of the 10ideas series. We are proud to nominate "Brown V Board of Education 55 Years Later: North Carolina's Charter Schools" by Grayson Cooper for Policy Idea of the Year.
Table of Contents
- Requiring New Jersey High Schools to Report Alternative Education Data
- Brown V Board of Education 55 Years Later: North Carolina's Charter Schools
- Creating Meaningful Teacher Evaluations in New York State
- A Path to Licensure for Special Education Assistants
- Increasing Access to Information Networks for Community College Students
- Closing the Reading Gap: Education Teachers in Student Home Dialects
- Funding Arts Programs in Low-Performing Districts through USPS Fundraising Stamps
- Expanding the Growth Model Testing Pilot Program
- Holistic School Assessment Through Comprehensive Evaluations
- Roosevelt Review Preview: Admitting Iraqi Refugees into the US
Policy of the Year Nominee
Today, the American education system is deteriorating and, all too often, failing. To compete in the global economy, the United States must discover ways to improve the performance of its schools. This year’s nominee from the Education Policy Center for Best Policy Idea proposes expanding the role of charter schools in the North Carolina education system as a way to spur innovation and competition.
The piece, written by Grayson Cooper of UNC Chapel Hill, contends that charter school innovation brings some elements of risk but has massive potential to improve education that should not be ignored. Though it minimizes the fiscal impacts of failure, current North Carolina legislation prevents charter schools from receiving capital funds, which caps their ability to succeed. The legislation also severely disadvantages North Carolina in theRace to the Top program, a competitive federal grant with a strong emphasis on charter schools and closing the achievement gap. If North Carolina lifts this ban, the idea posits, responsible charter school expansion will open new doors for federal funding and benefit the state’s schools overall.
Though designed for North Carolina in particular, the crux of this piece can be applied at a national level. Increasing federal funding for charter schools nationwide holds the potential to benefit the country as the author’s proposal promises to help North Carolina. For the future of education in America, the status quo will not be enough. New ideas are needed. Grayson Cooper has conceived an idea that we believe is strongest for education system reform crafted by Roosevelters nationwide.
