Charter schools‚ which are public schools authorized by state laws‚ differ from traditional public schools‚ primarily because they enjoy exemptions from most of the state’s educational bureaucracy and regulations in exchange for accountability to parents and authorizers. The authorizers negotiate the charter contract‚ under which the school promises to operate in certain ways‚ and those authorizers can withdraw the contract under certain circumstances. Authorizers also can help charter schools innovate and learn from one another. But what if the national association of authorizers‚ as it develops “best practices‚” encourages members to replace one bureaucracy with another? Or issues ideological pressure? Or uses its assessment of the regulatory regime as its test of quality‚ rather than innovation or the number of charter schools in a state or actual student outcomes? That’s the situation we are in today under the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA). Authorizers need a new association‚ one focused on innovation and student outcomes. As Heritage Foundation research fellow Jason Bedrick has demonstrated‚ NACSA has pushed “diversity‚ equity and inclusion‚” substituting its own ideological judgment for that of state and local authorizers and parents themselves. (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.) Meanwhile‚ NACSA’s push for a laundry list of authorization requirements has‚ perversely‚ made it harder for minority identity groups to succeed. Bedrick notes academic research supporting that conclusion: NACSA’s policy recommendations disproportionately prevent black aspiring school leaders from receiving authorization to operate charter schools. The recommendations also disproportionately result in the closure of charter schools that serve a higher proportion of black students. Furthermore‚ NACSA ranks states’ regulatory regimes more in terms of bureaucratic hurdles than in terms of quality or quantity of outcomes. As another Heritage Foundation research fellow‚ Jay P. Greene‚  noted in 2021: NACSA rankings seem to prefer approaches that lead to few or no charter schools actually opening. And those NACSA rankings bear no relationship to test-score measures of school performance or later life outcomes. This approach to ranking simply does not make sense. Rankings can inspire states to compete and do better‚ so some good news is that the Education Freedom Institute has offered an outcomes-oriented approach to replace NACSA’s. But that still leaves NACSA as an authorizer association focused on the wrong things. Instead‚ this being National School Choice Week 2024‚ we propose a new association of charter school authorizers that focuses on best practices for innovation and student-centered outcomes. Here are some principles and ideas that the new association would promote: An authorizer should interpret ambiguities in state law liberally—on the side of permission and innovation. The role of an authorizer is to be ideologically neutral. An authorizer should not pressure schools‚ their governing boards‚ or itself to create identity-group “diversity.” At the same time‚ an authorizer should not pressure schools or governing boards that choose liberal policies (or any other ideology) to change its values or policies. An authorizer should strive to enforce no more and no less than the state law describes. An authorizer should stay in its lane and leave rulemaking up to the legislature. An authorizer should work to protect charter schools from state agencies that seek to interfere with the schools’ autonomy. For example‚ in West Virginia‚ a charter school was told by one agency that its after-school programs had to be regulated like a day care site. In response‚ the state authorizer successfully advocated for a change in state law to make it clear that a charter school is not subject to the dozens (if not hundreds) of pages of rules that this agency was saying were required. Parents tend to be the best source of accountability for charter schools (while‚ of course‚ an authorizer also considers financial audits and other technicalities that parents often cannot access). Parents often see a charter school as the best option compared with the alternatives‚ so they enroll their children there and decide whether to keep them there. Parents who like or dislike standardized tests can use test scores or ignore them as they make their choices. Parents who prefer workforce or college-going outcomes or a variety of other values also make their own choices. Ultimately‚ while a school should adhere to any outcome metrics it has promised in its contract‚ enrollment and retention are excellent proxies for the relative quality of a school. The new association also should provide guidance on evaluating applications; on how to help struggling schools; on which policies and provisions of law can increase innovation and student service‚ and on which provisions unduly interfere; on where to find government funding; on how to help schools find and engage private donors; on how to promote funding equity between charter schools and non-charter public schools; and on how to assess whether it’s time to withdraw a charter. NACSA’s analysis shows there are about 20 states with independent authorizing boards‚ whether governmental or nonprofit. These are the authorizers most likely to want to join the new association. (Where a state department of education is the authorizer‚ we are not optimistic that most departments can see the value of a minimalist regulatory approach.) Stay tuned as this idea gets closer to reality. Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the url or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state. The post Charter School Authorizers Need a New Association Focused More on Students‚ Innovation appeared first on The Daily Signal.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. During the Covid-19 pandemic‚ data protection and privacy concerns took center stage as governments and organizations worldwide implemented various overreaching measures to control the spread of the virus. One of the most significant and controversial of these measures was the introduction of vaccine passports and health passes. These digital certificates indicated an individual’s vaccination status and‚ in many cases‚ were required for access to public spaces‚ travel‚ and certain services. This move marked a drastic shift in the way personal health information was used and shared‚ raising serious concerns about data privacy and surveillance. But aside from that‚ constant mandatory testing opened up new ways that people’s data could be collected and shared. CoronaLab‚ one of the largest Dutch COVID-19 test providers‚ seemingly exposed a password-less database to the internet. A total of 1.3 million sets of coronavirus testing records were potentially compromised‚ but thus far‚ no party has claimed responsibility for the oversight. This database contained an alarming variety of vital personal information including patient names‚ passport numbers‚ email addresses‚ and other data. According to The Register‚ the disappointing discovery of the data leak was made by Jeremiah Fowler‚ a credible source known for detecting breaches. Fowler found 118‚441 test certificates‚ 660‚173 testing samples‚ 506‚663 appointment logs‚ and several internal files on the open internet‚ which‚ if sourced by a nefarious actor‚ could lead to significant privacy infringement. “Criminal[s] could potentially reference test dates‚ locations‚ or other insider information that only the patient and the laboratory would know‚” Fowler commented. Believed to be linked to CoronaLab‚ a subsidiary of the Amsterdam-based Microbe &; Lab‚ the exposed database paints a troubling picture of negligence. CoronaLab is listed by the US Embassy in the Netherlands as a recommended commercial COVID-19 test provider. The post COVID-19 Testing Firm Exposed 1.3 Million Records Including Patient Names‚ Email Addresses‚ Dates of Birth‚ and Passport Numbers appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

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Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) successfully soft-landed on the Moon on Friday‚ January 19‚ and was able to deploy two small rovers to explore the lunar surface. But from the get-go researchers suspected that there was something odd – the solar panels were not catching sunlight and charging the lander. Images from one of the rovers have solved the mystery. The lander is on its nose‚ and that’s why it’s not harvesting sunlight.The lander has been placed in sleep mode for now while the two little robots rove around. The communication between them is strong and they can communicate directly with Earth. The team hopes that as the Moon goes around the Earth‚ the change in inclination of sunlight will reach the solar panels even in this position‚ and start charging the batteries again. The solar panels are currently facing west.Estimation of the landing site and the preliminary data from the obstacle detection camera.Image credit: Chandrayaan-2:ISRO/SLIM:JAXAWhile the configuration was not the ideal scenario for this mission‚ the main goal for SLIM was achieved. The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) set out to demonstrate that a space mission can land on another world with incredible precision. The goal was to soft-land within just 100 meters (330 feet) of a specific target area. Based on the current dataset‚ it appears to have landed just 55 meters (180 feet) from the target area.This is an incredible feat. Just for comparison‚ the expected landing site for Apollo 11 was an ellipse 20 kilometers by 5 kilometers (12 by 3.1 miles). The landing ellipse for Perseverance on Mars was 7.7 kilometers by 6.6 kilometers (4.8 miles by 4.1 miles). Achieving such precision is a major leap forward. Initial data suggested that it might have been just meters away but follow-up analysis doesn’t seem to confirm that. More work is needed to establish the exact distance.While the rovers will continue to work‚ SLIM was supposed to operate for a few days on the surface. The way forward is currently unclear‚ and it is very much dependent on how much power SLIM can get before the long lunar night.On the Moon‚ the night lasts a little over 14 days followed by an equal amount of daylight. At night the temperature plummets well below freezing‚ which is often deadly for landers and rovers alike. JAXA will continue to monitor the situation and update the world in the coming days.

Welcome to the thrilling world of dog agility sports‚ where Woody-Wolf‚ a lively Pomeranian‚ recently stole the show at the 145th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. Woody-Wolf‚ handled by Renee Marley from Blue Springs‚ Missouri‚ turned heads in the 8-inch class with a performance that was more than just athletic—it was a heartwarming display of... The post Tiny Pomeranian gives the big dogs a run for their money in ‘memorable’ agility course run appeared first on Animal Channel.

Imagine you’re a scooter commuter in the Netherlands‚ where the most exciting part of your day is usually navigating through bike lanes. But for one scooter driver‚ an ordinary day transformed into an extraordinary adventure. Picture this: you’re cruising along‚ and suddenly‚ you spot a pedestrian sprinting on the sidewalk. But wait‚ she’s not in... The post Man on scooter spots scared horse running on road and immediately jumps into action appeared first on Animal Channel.

The post 35 Hilariously cute animal pics we can’t stop smiling at appeared first on Animal Channel.

Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) recently released a bill that would ban sticky traps for rats. While Lieu has made concerted efforts to protect rats from “inhumane” sticky traps‚ he hasn’t blinked an eye about the inhumane practice of abortion and has been given a 100 percent rating from pro-abort groups‚ LifeSite News reported. Talk about twisted priorities. “Glue traps are among the cruelest ways to eliminate rodents. They're inhumane and can be dangerous to humans and their pets. Pleased to introduce a bill today to place a national ban on glue traps‚” Lieu shared on social media January 17. The “Glue Trap Prohibition Act of 2024” would criminalize the use of sticky traps that do the following according to the bill:  These traps‚ used by homeowners‚ food processors‚ and pest management companies to control rodent populations‚ ensnaring rodents or other small animals as they cross the device by having their feet and bodies stick to the adhesive. Unable to free themselves‚ especially as more parts of their bodies become stuck to the trap‚ the victims typically die from starvation‚ dehydration‚ or suffocation after several days. The process is extremely cruel and painful‚ and it subjects animals‚ whether the intended target or not‚ to a slow and inhumane death. Funnily enough‚ that process sounds a heck of a lot like the process of abortion‚ only abortions deal with human lives and sticky traps deal with rodents. Nonetheless‚ Lieu seems to care more about rats than human beings.  NARAL Pro-Choice America‚ which recently changed its name to Reproductive Freedom for All‚ scores notable figures on how supportive of abortion they are. Lieu received a 100 percent support rating from the group‚ meaning he is unequivocally in support of abortion. While Lieu gained the 100 percent rating from the pro-abort group‚ he was graded an “F” on Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America’s score sheet. Here’s what SBA said about Lieu’s pro-abort tactics: Rep. Lieu has consistently voted to eliminate or prevent protections for the unborn and for children born alive after failed abortions. Rep. Lieu has voted to eliminate prohibitions on taxpayer funding for abortion‚ domestically or internationally‚ including by redefining longstanding safeguards against abortion funding to allow taxpayer funding for abortion travel expenses. Rep. Lieu has worked to allow radical abortion ideology to be inserted into every facet of the United States Government.  When a baby is aborted though an abortion pill‚ he or she is starved to death‚ just like the rat that Lieu seems to care so much about. The baby is then delivered by his or her mother. When a baby is aborted with a dilation and evacuation abortion‚ he or she is dismembered in the womb with instruments and then pulled and sucked out limb by limb. That’s a human being we’re talking about‚ not a rat. While I don’t think it’s necessary to make animals suffer‚ I sure as heck don’t think it's morally just to allow innocent babies to suffer. But‚ Lieu doesn’t seem to care one bit about the latter. What a disgrace.