School Choice and the Montana Paradox

Montanans proudly describe themselves as an independent bunch, marching to their own beat and placing the highest value on individual freedom. It seems incongruous, then, that the geographically massive, sparsely populated state is one of only five in the nation without public charter schools, the leading vehicle in most states for parental choice in education. That could be about to change, if a new law creating “Community Choice Schools” survives a state court challenge. The state legislature passed a bill earlier this year, signed by Governor Greg Gianforte, establishing the choice schools, identical in every respect save the name with charter schools in other states.

Gem Innovation Public Charter Schools Named A Semi-Finalist For National Prize That “Honors Educators Who Achieve Excellence”

Idaho-based public charter school network, Gem Innovation Schools is in the running for a substantial $1 million dollar award for excellence. The Yass Prize is dedicated to recognizing and championing the best-in-class educational organizations from across the United States. Rooted in four main principles (Sustainable, Transformational, Outstanding, Permissionless), the Yass Prize is committed to guiding policy changes and driving positive outcomes for all children.

How Idaho earned a $24.9 million grant to expand school choice opportunities

So much of what happens in the world of public education occurs in the trenches of anonymity where teachers work day-in and day-out to help their students learn, and where administrators labor to make the environment their teachers teach and their students learn as healthy and vibrant as they can, and where parents drop their children off at schools in the hope that their babies will learn what they need to excel in life and as educated citizens of the greatest country in the world. As an educator – or really as a friend and advocate for education and parent choice in learning – it feels good when the work you do is acknowledged and appreciated.

22-23 Special Education Leadership Fellowship: Jared Bissen

I am the Director of Special Education for Gem Prep Schools. I chose to participate in the SELF Leadership Program to continue to improve my knowledge to help continue our growth in supporting scholars with IEPs and ensuring they get the education they are entitled to. I was also looking forward to getting some new insights from people outside our organization to help us not only highlight strong practices but also highlight areas of growth.

School Choice Effort To Continue With $24 Million Federal Grant

Bluum was notified Thursday it was awarded a new $24.8 million federal grant that will help grow and strengthen Idaho’s charter school network. “We are a state that really values parent choice for students. My colleagues in other states are impressed that we can still pass charter school legislation in Idaho that has bipartisan support,” said Bluum CEO Terry Ryan.

Empowering Special Education: Bridging Opportunities

The commencement of the 2023-2024 school year has marked an eventful, exciting, and productive journey for the Special Education Support Team at Bluum. We are persistently dedicated to initiatives that cultivate relationships and create opportunities on local, statewide, and national levels, all while maintaining a strong focus on enhancing and advancing special education practices within the Idaho Public Charter Schools. As Bluums Special Education Development Director, I’ll join colleagues from across the nation as a presenter at the 2023 CASE (Council for Special Education Administrators) Conference in Pittsburgh this November, themed “Building Bridges”.

The Science of Reading Comes Home to Idaho

Andy Johnson began working as an administrator at the Sage International Network of Schools (with a campus in Boise and another in Middleton) in July of 2020, and immediately noticed that too many students weren’t learning how to read fluently.

Something clearly was wrong.

He examined the reading curriculum being used and concluded that was a major part of the problem. Students too often weren’t being taught to sound out words, but rather to infer meaning from pictures or hypothesize what word might work in a sentence. The curriculum employed a common practice called three-cueing used in schools across the country for the past several decades.

New Federal Charter School Grant Would Target Quality as Growth Slows

BOISE — By the end of September, Bluum will learn if its charter school support will be backed by a new $24.8 million U.S. Department of Education grant.

The Communities of Excellence Federal Charter Schools Program grant is awarded in a five-year cycle. In 2018, Bluum, a nonprofit charter support organization, used its $22 million grant to kick off a rapid expansion of schools, funding 28 schools over five years. Charter schools now educate almost 10% of the state’s public school students.

Bluum

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