New Schools for Baton Rouge partners with BASIS, a charter school network that operates two Baton Rouge campuses. Both campuses are focused on recovering learning loss caused by the pandemic.

As a new academic year begins, school leaders nationwide continue to grapple with crucial decisions about how best to educate children amid continued risks posed by a worldwide pandemic. In a recent article for The 74, Chris Meyer, the chief executive officer of New Schools for Baton Rouge, describes the challenges for his state, which has one of the lowest vaccination rates in the country.

One bright ray of hope: His organization, founded by community leaders in 2012 to ensure that every child in Baton Rouge has access to an excellent education at the school of his or her choice, has launched more than two-dozen schools this fall that will enroll approximately 10,000 students. Meyer reports that based on the last round of state assessment results, these schools boast the fastest academic growth for students in the state compared to any other subgroup of schools, including district-run magnet schools.

Here is an excerpt from the story:

New Schools for Baton Rouge partners with schools that reflect our city’s revolution in making our school system one that prioritizes all students equitably. Baton Rouge is proof that parents from every walk of life will enroll their children in high-quality schools when given the opportunity. Three in particular illustrate the new, diverse options available to Baton Rouge families and how those partnerships support students and families through normal and difficult times alike.

BASIS, an internationally ranked charter school network dedicated to providing a rigorous, world-class education, operates two Baton Rouge campuses. To recover learning loss caused by the pandemic, BASIS schools utilize academic data to shape learning plans based on individual student needs, has hired reading and other academic specialists in order to offer more support to the students who need it most and is utilizing federal emergency dollars to create a math and literacy lab.

The Emerge School for Autism is designed specifically to meet the needs of students with autism, enabling them to overcome challenges and lead fulfilling lives. As students with autism are particularly sensitive to disruptions to established routines, the pandemic created more acute distress for this particular student population. In response, Emerge developed a summer program for students and parents focused on recovery and stability for students who already face substantial barriers. Its unique partnership with a local hospital also allowed it to remain a constant source of support for families throughout the pandemic.

GEO Academies launched its first Baton Rouge school in 2015. The school network now runs three campuses, each a beacon of support for underserved students in the community through a small-group instruction model. GEO high school students take free college courses, and many earn an associate’s degree before graduating high school, empowering them with credentials and a financial leg up on college and career pathways.

Baton Rouge families have more options than ever before, but the work is far from over. At New Schools for Baton Rouge, we remain stalwart in our mission to partner with the community and local district to provide families with great school options for their children.

As more families pursue schools that meet their needs — especially when, because of the pandemic, these needs are more complex than ever — Baton Rouge comes closer to eliminating its two-tiered system of limited opportunity, transforming education in the community so all students can fulfill their potential and contribute to a thriving city and prosperous state.

You can read the full story here.

Washington: The new Charter School Commission is attracting candidates from across the state and beyond, including Liz Finne, a lawyer and director of the Center for Education Reform at the Washington Policy Center. The governor and other leaders expect to choose nine volunteers by March 6 (Associated Press). A coalition of educators and community groups filed a legal challenge that questions the constitutionality of Washington's new charter schools law (Associated Press). More from Education Week.

Colorado: With more than 80,000 students enrolled in 190 charter schools, charter leaders try to clear up misconceptions about the school choice option (Reporter-Herald). Douglas County's Choice Scholarship Program does not violate the  state Constitution, rules an appeals court. The outcome could have wide-ranging implications for whether vouchers  can be used statewide (Associated Press).

Alabama: Legislators approve tax credit scholarships for students attending failing public schools (Associated Press). More about the "legislative bombshell''  that Republicans called historic and Democrats said was a sleazy "bait and switch,'' at AL.com. And the site offers a primer on the Alabama Accountability Act.

Idaho: Khan Academy will provide math, physics and history classes in 47 public, private and charter schools this fall, making Idaho the nation's first proving ground for statewide implementation of the free online educational content and teaching model (Associated Press).

Michigan: A report measuring charter school performance statewide calls the Eastern Michigan University-authorized schools the second worst system in the state. EMU says the report doesn't take into account that the schools serve some of the state's toughest communities (Ann Arbor.com)

New York: More than 1,000 charter school parents rally in Albany to convince the state to let charter schools compete for state funding for pre-K (Fox23 News).

Montana: Lawmakers hear from parents and other child advocates who want their state to open charter schools and support giving families more choices, such as tax credits (Great Falls Tribune). Bills to create a tax credit scholarship program pass out of committees on mostly party line votes (Helena Independent Record). More from the Billings Gazette.

Ohio: Half the students in the state would be eligible for private school vouchers under an expansion proposed by Gov. John Kasich to include all low-income children (ClevelandLeader.com).

Texas: House Speaker Joe Straus warns the Senate that it might not want to go "full bore'' on a school voucher bill, calling it an "exercise in futility'' (Dallas Morning News). Four groups aiming to open charter schools next year turn in applications that have material copied from other applications (Dallas Morning News).

Florida: The Florida House approved a bill that makes it easier for charter schools to grow, but calls for increased accountability (redefinED). The bill also gives charters greater access to district facilities, something one school official said would be a "logistical nightmare" (Palm Beach Post). More from Tallahassee Democrat. Private schools can apply to administer the FCAT, but, so far, only two have (Orlando Sentinel). (more…)

California: A parents group in Los Angeles is using the state's landmark parent trigger law to force the school district to reform a low-performing school. (Los Angeles Times). More from the Associated Press and Education Week. A national report finds the state continues to lead the nation in charter school growth, despite funding disparities and access to facilities (Huffington Post). Oakland district officials say the American Indian Model Schools, a charter network touted for its academic successes, suffers from "corrupt fiscal practices" and should be shut down (Oakland Tribune).

Michigan: A new report finds the typical Michigan charter school student school gained more learning in  a year than a district school peer, amounting to about an additional two  months of reading and math learning (The Detroit News).

Texas: Key state lawmakers are looking at the franchise tax on businesses as a vehicle to fund private-school scholarships for low-income students (Austin Business Journal). Critics of a proposed voucher program say all it will strip the public school system of funding and state leaders should instead restore $5.4 billion cut from education in 2011 (KUT News). Similar arguments in stories from KX11.com and the Associated Press.

Florida: Magnet schools continue to grow on the school choice landscape (redefinED). A new bill would require emergency response agencies to notify private schools just like they do public schools (redefinED). In response to the Newtown tragedy, private schools and charter schools are considering additional security measures too (redefinED).

Georgia: Tax credit scholarships are used at private schools that bar gay students (New York Times). (more…)

Texas: State lawmakers propose an ambitious school choice expansion plan that includes a tax credit scholarship for low-income students and the lifting of a cap on charter schools (Dallas Morning News). More from the Austin American Statesman and San Antonio Express-News.

Tennessee: A key state lawmaker, House Speaker Beth Harwell, says the legislature will consider a statewide charter school authorizer (The Tennessean). Area businesses help push growth of charters in the Nashville area (The Tennessean). Gov. Bill Haslam gives mixed signals on the possibility of voucher legislation next year (Knoxville News-Sentinel). More from the Memphis Commercial Appeal.

Louisiana: The Recovery School District in New Orleans is moving towards an all-charter system (New Orleans Times Picayune). The latest enrollment counts show families who accepted vouchers are sticking with their schools (Alexandria Town Talk).

North Carolina: Charlotte-Mecklenburg schools superintendent Heath Morrison calls private, charter and traditional public school leaders together to discuss the possibility of partnerships (Charlotte Observer).

Indiana: A new study finds the state's charter schools are among the best in the nation when compared to their traditional public school counterparts (Indianapolis Star). But the poor performance of many charters under one authorizer, Ball State University, drags down the overall results (Indianapolis Star).

Illinois: Members of the Chicago teachers union march to protest a wealthy charter school supporter and ally of Mayor Rahm Emanuel (Chicago Sun Times).

Ohio: Federal education officials are investigating whether charter schools in Ohio and three other states - Texas, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin - are discriminating against students with disabilities (StateImpact Ohio).

Wisconsin: Possible expansion of vouchers, extra pay for low-performing schools with improvement plans, and more education funding are all on tap for the next legislative session, Gov. Scott Walker says (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).

Georgia: A judge rules that the Atlanta school district must stop withholding money from the city's charter schools to help pay for the district's pension program (Atlanta Journal Constitution).

Louisiana: A district judge deems the state's voucher program unconstitutional because of the funding mechanism it uses to send public dollars to private schools (coverage roundup at redefinED). A federal judge rules the recent expansion of vouchers and charter schools in Lousiana conflicts with one school district's desegregation order (New Orleans Times Picayune).

Gov. Bryant

Mississippi: Gov. Phil Bryant is looking to expand school choice next year, announcing proposals last week for tax credit scholarships and more charter schools (Associated Press).

New Jersey: Students in New Jersey charter schools are outperforming their peers in traditional public schools, concludes a new Stanford study (Associated Press).

Tennessee: Key questions remain unanswered in a task force's voucher proposal, including the per-voucher value (The Tennessean). More from timesfreepress.com.

Florida: A failing Orange County charter school that paid its principal more than $500,000 as it was shutting down also paid her husband more than $460,000 during a five-year period (Orlando Sentinel). (more…)