USDA Radio Newsline
Tuesday, June 18th Stories:
Statement by Jeanne Allen
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PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 19, 2019
CONTACT: Alexandra Phelps
aphelps@pinkstongroup.com
(703) 966-0831
West Virginia Charter School Proposal Falls Short
Washington, D.C. — Jeanne Allen, the founder and CEO of the Center for Education Reform (CER), issued the following statement:
"A proposal is under consideration in the West Virginia House of Delegates right now to approve an omnibus education bill that was intended to expand education opportunity in the Mountain State, where barely 31 percent of students can read or do math proficiently.
"But rather than consider a bold proposal that would have allowed thousands of students to attend brand-new, innovative schools of choice, the legislature has bent to both ignorance and special interest pressure in moving forward a proposal that would help no one student get the education they deserve. The pending proposal would create only three schools, which would be micromanaged by the same bureaucracy that oversees under-performing traditional public education in the state.
"For more than 25 years CER has crafted, analyzed and reported on educational choice programs, and its indispensable guide to charter school laws makes clear that any law claiming to give people the opportunity to create charter schools but denies them the freedom to do so is a law in name only.
"Charter schools are tri-partisan, diversely supported and have successfully transformed public education across the country. Charters in cities like Washington, D.C. and Boston to name just two have outperformed traditional public schools but positively impacted their achievement, too.
"The purpose of charter schools is to allow parents and families to access diverse, more responsive, more individualized learning opportunities, of which there is clearly a shortage of in West Virginia, a state which has consistently ranked below the national average since 1996.
"Rather than be bold, the legislature is succumbing to pressure by those organizations and individuals that have failed West Virginia’s kids and families.
If any courage still exists, lawmakers in the House of Delegates will immediately pull the proposal and work to learn from the 44 other states and the District of Columbia who have enacted and experienced charter schools first hand.
"We stand ready to assist.”
As a non-partisan, nonprofit organization, CER does not endorse candidates or take political positions but will always recognize and applaud those who advance sound education policies, no matter what their affiliation.
Founded in 1993, the Center for Education Reform aims to expand educational opportunities that lead to improved economic outcomes for all Americans — particularly our youth — ensuring that conditions are ripe for innovation, freedom and flexibility throughout U.S. education.
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I the Mighty
Release Live Acoustic Track
Currently On Tour with Anberlin
San Francisco, CA - June 19, 2019 - Alternative rock band I the Mighty have surprised fans with a brand new version of their hit song, "Pet Names." Filmed at the YouTube Space in Los Angeles, CA, the video features an intimate full-band acoustic performance as well as a "Behind The Song" explanation from the band. Fans can watch it now here, or stream the track online here.
I the Mighty is currently touring North America in support of rock legends Anberlin, and will be performing at the Vans Warped Tour in Mountain View later this summer. For a full list of all upcoming tour dates, please see below or visit: www.ithemighty.com.
Since the band's inception in 2008, I the Mighty have come to be recognized as one of the most progressive voices in alternative rock. Over the course of the past decade, the band has built a cult-like international following largely through their explosive live show - which has seen the band touring with such notable acts as Coheed & Cambria, Say Anything and Glassjaw, slots at England's Download Festival and Reading & Leeds festival, and a 2017 national headline run that culminated in back-to-back sold out shows in Los Angeles.
I the Mighty have released four full-lengths and an equal number of EPs to date. Their most recent effort was the critically-beloved
Where the Mind Wants to Go / Where You Let it Go full-length, which came out in October of 2017 on Equal Vision Records. Though the band has exhibited incredible growth with each release in the past, Where the Mind Wants to Go / Where You Let it Go represented a particularly bold step forward in the band's creative journey. Musically, the album is bolstered by the intricate layerings of guitar work from Walsh and Ian Pedigo, coupled with the fierce rhythms of Chris Hinkley on bass and Blake Dahlinger on drums. The diverse deliveries of vocals are further highlighted with exceptional framing of impressive multi-layered harmonies and dramatic yet balanced instrumentations.
The acclaimed album is a collection of eleven artistically mature, meticulously crafted rock anthems that sees Walsh, tackling the topics that have shaped his own personal growth since the release of their last album; both in terms of life experience and in regards to more abstract topics. The lead single, "Chaos In Motion," premiered world-wide on BBC1 Radio Rock and also featured the ultimate "unsatisfying" video that was picked up by Viral Thread where it amassed over a million plays in 24 hours. "Chaos In Motion" opened the band to a new demographic of fans that have eagerly sought out the rest of their catalog and seem to have joined the ranks of the band's already large and dedicated following.
"Cave In," I the Mighty's latest single, continues the band's standard of maintaining disarming honesty lyrically, coupled with expansive instrumentals that elevate the song from emotional to heartrending. It's a fluid movement from the sound of Where the Mind Wants to Go / Where You Let it Go that promises a future of even more growth and complexity from the band. For a group whose goal is to continuously evolve and leave their mark on the music scene by creating a sound and identity all their own, I the Mighty is unquestionably up to the task.
For More Information, please visit:
Website: www.ithemighty.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ithemighty
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ithemighty
Instagram: www.instagram.com/ithemighty
Upcoming Tour Dates w/Anberlin:
6/20 - Seattle, WA @ Neptune Theatre
6/21 - Boise, ID @ Revolution Concert House
6/22 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The Depot
6/24 - Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
6/27 - Kansas City, MO @ The Truman
6/28 - Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater
6/29-6/30 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
7/2 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew's Music Hall
7/3 - Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
7/6-7/7 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
7/9-7/10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
7/12 - Silver Spring, MD @ The Fillmore
7/13 - Raleigh, NC @ The Ritz
7/14 - Atlanta, GA @ Buckhead Theatre
7/20-7/21 - Mountain View, CA @ Vans Warped Tour 25 Years
