How Chartering Can Build a Better Future for Students, Educators, and Communities A Tribute to Ted Kolderie at 95 By Jim Goenner, Ph.D. Everything Becomes Obsolete Everything that stops growing and adapting eventually becomes obsolete. Not because it fails, but because the world keeps changing. The horse did not fail; the car made it unnecessary. Candles did […]
Legal and Legislative
Final Report to Connecticut: Senator Joseph I. Lieberman’s Reflections on Public Service and Civic Responsibility
Summary: The Joseph Lieberman Final Report is a reflective publication documenting his decades of public service to Connecticut and the nation. The document highlights his legislative priorities, including education reform, civil rights, environmental protection, and national security. Lieberman underscores the importance of bipartisan cooperation, ethical leadership, and the role of public service in strengthening democracy. […]
Interview of Buzz Thomas
Jim Goenner sits down with Senator Buzz Thomas to commemorate 30 years of Michigan’s charter school movement. Buzz shares his personal journey from Detroit Waldorf to the state Senate, the origins of the “hire me, fire me” campaign pledge, and his vision for empowering neighborhoods through quality public-school choice. Along the way, he reflects on […]
Oklahoma Charter School Board v. Drummond and St. Isidore of Seville School v. Drummond Oral Argument
Courtesy of CSPAN https://www.c-span.org/program/public-affairs-event/oklahoma-charter-school-board-v-drummond-and-st-isidore-of-seville-school-v-drummond-oral-arugment/658880 April 30, 2025 The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) heard oral argument in Oklahoma Charter School Board v. Drummond and St. Isidore of Seville School v. Drummond, a consolidated case about the constitutionality of states supporting religious charter schools with public funding. In 2023, St. Isidore, Inc., applied to Oklahoma’s charter school board to establish St. […]
House Education and Workforce Committee hearing 1998: Success of Charter Schools
Witnesses testified about how charter schools were succeeding, how federal charter school funds were assisting them, obstacles to operating charter schools, and how federal programs, in general, help or hurt charter schools. View on CSPAN https://www.c-span.org/program/house-committee/charter-schools/101355 On June 15, 2018, C-SPAN broadcast a House Education and Workforce Committee hearing on charter schools, exploring their advantages […]
Senate 1988: Increased Governmental Support for Charter Schools
The Senate Labor and Resources Committee conducted a hearing on charter schools. Witnesses testified about how to increase governmental support for charter schools, charter school operations, and the impact of charter schools on special needs students. View on CSPAN https://www.c-span.org/program/senate-committee/charter-schools/77445
Oklahoma SCOTUS Case: A Primer
Foundations of Chartering Policy “Charter schools” began as an idea about how to improve public education. Though its origins extend through the decades, the idea came together in the late 1980s as a response to the 1983 report, A Nation at Risk. In general, the original charter idea embraced three principles: 1) parental choice among […]
Interview of Gov. David Ige and Mike McCartney
Ember Reichgott Junge moderated a panel discussion with former Governor David Ige and former Senator Mike McCartney on the evolution of Hawaiian charter schools. As of 2025, 38 charter schools in Hawaii serve over 13,000 students, with 17 focusing on Hawaiian culture and five offering Hawaiian language immersion. The panelists discussed the historical context, including […]
Interview of Phil Pavlov
Phil Pavlov, former Michigan State Senator, discussed his journey in education policy, emphasizing the importance of parental choice and the role of charter schools. He highlighted the challenges and successes of the charter movement in Michigan, noting the significant increase in charter school enrollment to 150,000 students annually. Pavlov reflected on his 14-year tenure in […]
