INDIANA

The Indiana Virtual Families is proud to announce the appointment of two new board members:  Mr. Carlos R. Morales of Fowler, Indiana and Mrs. Karen St. Rain of Hiltonville, Indiana.  WELCOME! 

If you missed the 2009 Indiana Virtual Families Scrapbook click here to review it. 

Mark your calendar for upcoming summer picnics.  If you live in these areas and can help coordinate the event please contact us at info@indianavirtualfamilies.org. .

• July 31^st - Potawatomi Park, Mishawaka Indiana
• July 31^st - Noblesville Park, Noblesville, Indiana
• August 7^th - Lincoln State Park (the picnic location near Holiday World) , Santa Claus, Indiana
• August 28^th - Turkey Run is booked at the Big Log shelter , Lafayette/Evansville, Indiana

If you plan on going to the Indiana Charter Association Conference in Indianapolis on June 18th (information here) to be sure to notice our board president, Monique Christensen speaking on the value of parent advocacy!

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH. A new film called The Lottery provides a powerful glimpse into the high stakes, high stress process of charter school lotteries in Harlem. Four families pin their hopes and dreams on getting their kids out of troubled local schools and into one of the city's most successful charter programs as director Madeleine Sackler lays bare the education revolution that has lit Harlem on fire. The Lottery will be released in the near future for individual purchase so check their web site for more information if you are interest.

NATIONAL

The Annie E. Casey Foundation: Make Reading by the End of Third Grade a National Priority.  Two out of every three fourth graders overall are not proficient in reading according to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress. Worse, four of five fourth graders from low-income families are also not proficient in reading. The failure to help children from low-income families reach this milestone cements educational failure and poverty into the next generation. The Annie E. Casey Foundation is focusing attention on the critical importance of achieving grade-level reading proficiency for all children by the end of third grade. The ability to read is central to a child's success in school, life-long earning potential, and the ability to contribute to the nation's economy and its security. Click here to read the full article.

eSchool News, reports that a new guide offers parents a roadmap in their quest to find the right online-learning program for their child. "A Parent's Guide to Choosing the Right Online Program," written by John Watson and Butch Gemin of the Evergreen Education Group and Marla Coffey, a distance education consultant at the University of Maryland University College, is part of the Promising Practices in Online Learning series from the International Association for K-12 Online Learning (iNACOL).

OTHER PEOPLE'S MONEY. It's not an understatement to say that federal lawmakers have become so accustomed to spending other people's money lately that they've apparently become numb at doing so and think nothing about the impact - or lack thereof - that some of their spending has. The Administration and Congress are set to dole out yet another teacher bailout, funding a bloated system to the tune of an additional $23 billion. Education is not a jobs program, rather a serious matter that is in serious need of reform. As the Washington Post points out, "should the federal government spend money it doesn't have to let school systems operate beyond their means?"

INTERNATIONAL:

Indian Private Schools Fill Void From Government Education Failure

Parents and students in urban India have perhaps the greatest array of school choice in the world. Nearly half of all students in the major Indian cities like Bangalore, Delhi and Mumbai attend private for-pay schools in preparation for college and careers. By contrast, average American students have almost no choice of their schools. Out of 100,000 schools in the U.S. less than 3% are non-government schools. The local public school and one or two private schools generally are the extent of "School Choice" for middle class families. For the poor - there is no choice, even if they are frugal and want to put education above other expenses.

The expansive school opportunities Indian's enjoy comes from a free-market system of education in India. The Government knows its schools are generally horrendous and so they permit private schools (profit and not-for-profit) to open and attract students and flourish or fail in the open market. Getting into these private schools is a challenge - acceptance, for the most part, is based on academic merit. The reason: schools attract students and set tuition based upon the academic performance of their students. Scores on National Exams are published for the public and so parents can more easily assess which schools deliver the education top colleges desire.

In most Indian middle class families, education is the second largest budget item after housing. Sacrifice, effort and choice add up to tens of millions of Indian children getting a world class education. To compete, Americans need these same attributes - and we must add our own cultural advantages for a competitive edge. But with a unionized, mediocre, monopoly school system U.S. children already start life behind their global peers. And in the 21st Century we'll see very few "come from behind" victories.  Learn more about the Indian education system from Associated Press reporter Ravi Nessman HERE.