4.6-magnitude earthquake shakes New England

By NBC News staff A 4.6-magnitude earthquake struck west of Portland, Maine, on Tuesday evening, the U.S. Geological Survey said, and the tremor reportedly was felt around New England. The USGS said the quake struck at 7:12 p.m. ET and was centered about three miles west of Hollis Center, Maine. That's about 20 miles west of Portland. It was a shallow quake at 3.1 miles deep. The quake was felt in Boston, about 100 miles southwest of Portland, and in Connecticut. "I was watching TV and I felt it and looked at a vase on the table and the flowers were moving," said Roger Nascimento, of West Hartford, in a Facebook comment to NBCConnecticut.com. The shaking was felt down to the Connecticut shoreline. "Felt it here in the Fair Haven section of New Haven," said Carl Forlano, Jr. on Facebook.  "Was sitting at the computer and the computer desk shook and the chair. Right away I knew it was an earthquake." There were no initial reports of damage or injuries. More content from NBCNews.com: Fastest US land animal, the pronghorn, gets help crossing highway Both female officers drop out of grueling Marine Corps infantry course Bronx teacher banned from district after racy photos of student found High Court refuses to weigh in on early voting in Ohio Video: Wrong-way chase caught on dashcam Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Big hurdle in town-hall format: Unpredictability

Remember George H.W. Bush checking his watch? Or Al Gore invading George W. Bush's personal space? The town hall format for presidential debates hasn't always been kind to candidates. Here are a few moments when things didn't go so well. During the 2008 presidential town hall debate, GOP candidate John McCain wandered around stage as Democratic nominee Barack Obama tackled questions. President George W. Bush had a hard time coming up with three wrong decisions that he'd made in response to a question from an audience member during the town hall debate in 2004 at Washington University in St. Louis. In 2000, Vice President Al Gore invaded GOP rival George W. Bush's personal space, which made for an uncomfortable moment. President George H.W. Bush looked at his watch during a question at a town hall debate in 1992. President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney struggle in settings that are less predictable Obama will have to squelch professorial tone. Romney will have to show he can relate to voters Previous presidential candidates have also tripped up in town halls Obama can use likability, Romney can use dignity to gain edge Watch Tuesday's presidential debate and CNN's exclusive expert analysis starting at 7 p.m. ET on on CNN TV, CNN.com and CNN's apps for iPhone , iPad and Android. Web users can become video editors with a new clip-and-share feature that allows them to share favorite debate moments on Facebook and Twitter. Visit the CNN debates page for comprehensive coverage. Washington (CNN) -- President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney step into a more free-wheeling town-hall style debate on Tuesday night, a setting that has given the two coolly intellectual candidates some trouble in the past. Both will have to recalibrate their approaches from their first encounter on Oct. 3, which was won by Romney. "I think Obama assumes he will do better in town hall debates because he has an advantage on empathy," said Emory University political science professor Andra Gillespie, adding that Obama is going to have to "show a little more passion and fire in his belly." Romney could be less aggressive, which earned him points in the first debate, and focus more on trying to narrow the likability gap. "Because Romney is gaffe-prone he is going to do everything he can to come across as warm and empathetic, Gillespie said. CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley will moderate the second debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. She is first woman to do so in two decades. The town hall format presents challenges and opportunities for the candidates, Crowley said. Both have held a number of town hall forums during the campaign season — exchanges that haven't exactly sizzled, political experts say. Crowley as moderator: 'Career highlight' Second presidential debate expectations Obama, Romney to debate in town hall Crowley on moderating town hall debate: 'It's harder to dodge' That's because Obama tends to become professorial and Romney stiff in such settings. "The danger of the town hall is that you're getting (questions) from the audience," said Melissa Wade, a debate professor at Emory University. "It's either because they're either not good or they are so rehearsed the responder has a hard time." Other candidates have struggled in town halls. Television cameras caught then-President George H.W. Bush when he looked at his watch during a town hall debate in 1992. In 2000, Vice President Al Gore got in GOP rival George W. Bush personal space which made for an awkward moment. The unpredictable nature of the questions also has perils, she said. In 2004, President George W. Bush struggled to answer a woman's question on three wrong decisions that he'd made. That debate was also full of testy back and forth — the types of exchanges that spell trouble for politicians, political experts say. In the last presidential town hall debate, GOP nominee John McCain wandered across stage while Obama, then a senator, answered a question. "I worry for Romney that this is where he gets excitable. I wish someone would tell him to count to three before he opens his mouth. Informal leads to more quips," Wade said. "Excitability is not likability." 10 debate moments that mattered Though according to polls Obama ranks higher in the likability department, he, too, struggles in town halls. "It's his worst format," Wade said. "It was not as pronounced as McCain wandering around. Obama in a town hall is more long winded. He just can't help himself." Obama came up against his long winded nature during a CNBC town hall event in 2010 when then-Obama supporter Velma Hart told the president she was "exhausted" from defending him. Instead of answering Hart's question directly, Obama talked around it for four minutes. The candidates also will have to work to connect with both the television viewing audience watching at home and the group of voters sitting in the room. "They are going to have roughly 80 people, as I understand it, looking at them in addition to me. You know and I know it is very easy for politicians to run over a reporter — they don't care," Crowley said. "There is no price to be paid for being rude to a reporter, not answering the question. But 80 undecided voters looking at you, and some of them getting up and going, "Well, what about this?" It's just harder to dodge." A CNN/ORC survey conducted just after the first debate suggests that it didn't change opinions of the president. Forty-nine percent of debate watchers said they had a favorable opinion of Obama before the event, and that number didn't change afterward. It was pretty much a similar story for Romney, whose favorable rating among debate watchers edged up two points, from 54% before to 56% after. Still, both could use the less predictable nature of the town hall setting to their advantage, political experts say. "This town hall forum offers President Obama a chance to communicate in a different way than has been expected and more effectively. Everyone expects him to come out swinging. ... I think it would be more creative and effective if he focuses on audience members and the middle class and his plans for the future and why they are more effective than his opposition," said David Gergen, a senior political analyst for CNN. Romney too could use his strengths to score points. "Romney's strength is dignity," Gergen said, adding that the GOP nominee seemed to relish and fare well when he was on the offensive during the first debate. "He's got to bring the same level of energy and go more indirectly with the president through the person he's talking to." CNN Political Editor Paul Steinhauser contributed to this story

Five things to watch for in the debate

Remember George H.W. Bush checking his watch? Or Al Gore invading George W. Bush's personal space? The town hall format for presidential debates hasn't always been kind to candidates. Here are a few moments when things didn't go so well. During the 2008 presidential town hall debate, GOP candidate John McCain wandered around stage as Democratic nominee Barack Obama tackled questions. President George W. Bush had a hard time coming up with three wrong decisions that he'd made in response to a question from an audience member during the town hall debate in 2004 at Washington University in St. Louis. In 2000, Vice President Al Gore invaded GOP rival George W. Bush's personal space, which made for an uncomfortable moment. President George H.W. Bush looked at his watch during a question at a town hall debate in 1992. How well candidates connect with audience members could affect outcome Obama must overcome passive first performance without overdoing it Women's issues are one area Obama must exploit if he wants to maintain their support Strong debate will result in flood of contributions, much needed in stretch run ad blitz Watch Tuesday's presidential debate and CNN's exclusive expert analysis starting at 7 p.m. ET on CNN TV, CNN.com and CNN's apps for iPhone, iPad and Android. Clip-and-share your favorite debate moments on Facebook and Twitter, and join the discussion on our live blog. Need other reasons to watch the debate on CNN's platforms? Click here for our list. Hempstead, New York (CNN) -- President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney face off Tuesday in the second of their three debates, this one in a town hall-style setting in which they'll take questions from likely voters. The stakes couldn't be higher: Obama must get his campaign back on track after a poor performance in the first debate that left Democrats demoralized and Obama's lead evaporating both in national polls and those in key battleground states. For Romney, who polls among voters showed won the first debate overwhelmingly, a second strong performance would boost his momentum going into the third debate next Monday and the final two weeks before Election Day. Here are five things to watch for on Tuesday: 1. Connecting with the audience Crowley: 'Town hall' may limit attacks Stage secrets for a debate win McKinnon: 'Bar is really low' for Obama Crowley as moderator: 'Career highlight' Unlike the first presidential showdown in Denver two weeks ago, this debate will include a town hall audience of approximately 80 undecided voters, some of whom will get the chance to ask questions to the two candidates. It's a completely different dynamic than the first face-off between the president and the Republican nominee. "The challenge is that they've got to connect, not just with the people that are looking into the television and watching them, but to the people that are on the stage with them," the debate's moderator, CNN Chief Political Correspondent Candy Crowley, said. Format makes it hard for candidates to dodge questions "They have to keep those folks in mind. It's a much more intimate and up close adventure with voters. The candidate that makes a connection with the person asking the question is also making a better connection with the person back at home," added Crowley, who's also the host of CNN's "State of the Union." With no podium to hide behind in Tuesday's debate, the candidates' style and body language will be in the spotlight. If you don't think this matters, flash back 20 years to the first town hall-style presidential debate when then-President George H.W. Bush repeatedly checked his watch. It was a sign, some thought, that the incumbent would rather have been anywhere else than debating Democratic challenger Bill Clinton. The Arkansas governor highlighted his ability to connect to voters by walking towards the town hall audience when answering a question about the recession. Democratic strategist and CNN contributor Paul Begala, who was chief strategist for Clinton's campaign, agrees with Crowley on the importance of connecting with the audience. "If you do that -- with empathy, compassion, understanding and cool strength -- you will win the debate and the election," said Begala, who's a senior adviser for a pro-Obama super PAC. John King: Stakes enormous in second debate 2. Find a warm place After a lackluster performance in the first debate, it's obvious the president needs to step it up in Round 2. Even Obama himself admits he was flat in the face-off in Denver, telling ABC News, "I had a bad night." The big question is how aggressive will the president be in this second showdown? Obama needs to look like a fighter. The normally cool president needs to heat it up, but he can't come off looking overly aggressive or negative. That might smack of desperation. "Don't over-correct. Don't go from being too passive in the first debate to too aggressive in the second," Begala cautioned. "You need the Goldilocks Strategy: Not as cool as the first debate, not as hot as Vice President Joe Biden." Poll: Debate-watchers split on who won VP debate Making Obama's task even tougher is the debate format. Many of the questions from the audience of undecided voters may focus on the president's record the past four years, forcing Obama to defend himself in front of the crowd, before attempting to pivot to criticizing his GOP challenger. It's a delicate dance. But Begala says Obama can learn from Biden's performance at last week's vice presidential debate by emulating "Biden's combination of facts with common sense." And we're also going to watch to see if the president plays the empathy card. "Obama needs to connect the struggles and sacrifices his family made to the struggles families in the town hall audience are going through. Romney can't do that," Begala added. Opinion: Do facts matter? 3. Getting women's issues into the conversation Obama pollster Joel Benenson released a harshly worded memo on Monday attacking the Gallup organization over a new poll, released in tandem with USA Today, that showed Romney now tied with Obama among women voters. You read that right. After months of leading Romney by double digits among women, his lead among female voters has effectively vanished, if you believe that poll. Benenson savaged Gallup's methodology and dismissed the poll as an outlier. He's correct that no other survey has shown Romney performing that well among women. But for Chicago's sake, he better be right. Along with his impenetrable lead among Hispanics and a near total hold on African-American voters, Obama has led Romney all year thanks to his robust support among women. If that disappears, so do the president's re-election hopes. What does this mean for Tuesday night? Women-specific issues -- topics like abortion, contraception, child care, education -- did not come up at length in the first Obama-Romney showdown. Obama ad's Planned Parenthood focus They did in the vice presidential debate, however, and Romney running mate Paul Ryan scored poorly among women in debate-watching focus groups when he explained Romney's opposition to abortion rights. If Obama hopes to lock in his lead among women, he must find a way to get issues like abortion and contraception in the spotlight in order to draw a sharp contrast with Romney. 4. Strong performance pays off -- literally A strong debate showing doesn't just move numbers, it raises money. Romney's energetic performance in Denver -- which voters judged as a clear win, polls showed -- accomplished something very important for the Republican nominee. In short, his supporters now like him. Before the debate, according to a Washington Post/ABC News poll out Monday, fewer than half of Romney supporters said they were "very enthusiastic" about his candidacy. Today, the "very enthusiastic" number is up to 62% among likely voters. That's crucial for Romney, who needs a fired-up base of supporters to show up on Election Day. But the more immediate post-debate impact was financial: Romney raised more than $12 million online in the 48 hours after Denver, his campaign announced just a few days after the debate. And if a campaign is rolling out fundraising data before the federal deadline for financial reports, you know they're feeling good. On top of that, the campaign said it raised $27 million online from low-dollar contributors in the first two weeks of October. Strong debate leads to fund-raising windfall for Romney That's good money for a campaign currently engaged in an all-out television ad blitz in key swing states. Both campaigns are in the process of emptying their war chests for the final three-week push before Election Day. A burst of online donations means an extra TV ad here and a final volley of mail pieces there. In a race this tight, every little bit counts. 5. Watch out for the wild card The economy is still issue No. 1 for voters in this election. Foreign policy and national security have also crept into the discussion, with tensions in the Middle East slightly eroding Obama's edge over Romney on the commander-in-chief question. But unlike in the previous two debates, when editorial control rested in the hands of the moderator, Monday's debate is a town-hall style forum, in which the audience, about 80 undecided voters from Nassau County, will be the ones generating questions for the candidates. That means there's a real chance Obama and Romney will have to talk about something that might not have come up in their exhaustive debate prep sessions. A question on affirmative action? Funding for AIDS-relief efforts overseas? Guns? NFL head-trauma? Is that Brody guy from "Homeland" really a terrorist? Theoretically, anything is on the table. The moderator, Candy Crowley, and her team will have final say over the submitted questions. But with regular people in the mix, there's always potential for a wild card that could throw one or both of the candidates off his game. Are you voting? Tell us why on CNN iReport

Was high school pep rally skit racist?

A photo of a skit performed at a Waverly High School pep rally has gone viral, sparking controversy. Some students at a New York high school don't see anything offensive Others are outraged that the school allowed such a skit to take place The superintendent doesn't believe the students were intentionally malicious A photo of the skit posted on CNN's iReport went viral (CNN) -- It was a homecoming rally to cheer on the Waverly Wolverines football team. They were undefeated this year. Everyone was proud. Then, in the midst of the cheers and a sea of red and white pom poms came a 30-second skit that, for some, turned an afternoon of school pride into one of shame. Three white male students involved in the skit made light of domestic violence, and they did it in racist manner, say some. Two were in blackface as they re-enacted a 2009 domestic abuse incident in which singer Chris Brown assaulted then-girlfriend Rihanna. The student who played Brown was vying for the school's "Mr. Waverly" title -- a school tradition in which skits are performed and the one that garners the most applause wins the title. On Monday, Waverly alum Matthew Dishler posted a photograph of the skit on CNN's iReport. He says someone shared the image on Facebook. The photo went viral. By Tuesday afternoon, the CNN iReport had more than 46,000 views and showed up on Huffington Post, Buzzfeed and Gawker and in local newspapers. Suddenly, Waverly High School became synonymous with racism and sexism. Twitter lit up with comments about the skit. Many were critical, but some defended the skit. "I don't think it was offensive at all," said Chelsea House, who earned her high school diploma from Waverly last year and moved to Alabama but returned for homecoming last week and saw the skit. "There's nothing wrong with blackface. There's nothing wrong with dressing up as a black person. Black is but a color," House said. Waverly Central School District Superintendent Joseph Yelich said Tuesday that he did not believe the students in the skit intended to offend anyone. Waverly resident Thomas Rumpff, a 2007 graduate of the high school, said he believed most of the kids were unaware of the historical context of blackface, a form of theatrical makeup used by white people in minstrel shows that perpetuated racist stereotypes of African-Americans. Rumpff said the Rihanna incident had also been satirized online and on television before. "Was this a little bit inappropriate? Yes," he said. But said the incident "has been completely blown out of proportion." Other incidents of blackface have surfaced this year, including a Colorado Springs second-grader who offended a teacher when he painted his face black to resemble the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The Waverly High skit was approved by school officials before it was performed, Yelich said. He acknowledged the problem and said he was speaking with students, teachers and staff at the school in the coming days. "My concern is to start making something teachable out of this particular circumstance," he said. The desire to win likely fuels outrageous behavior, said Fran Bialy, assistant director of A New Hope Center, an agency that aids victims of rape, domestic violence, assault and hate crimes. Other skits at the pep rally involved Tarzan and a dairy farmer milking his cows. Last year, a student played Tiger Woods, also in blackface. "I have heard about blackface, but ... they're portraying Hollywood events," alum Ryan Bronson said. "It would be the same thing if he bought a mask." Bottom line, Bronson said: People are being too sensitive. "They go crazy about every little thing," he said. "The school and everybody are going to basically stop letting kids be kids." Dishler said he posted the image not to cast a harsh light on anyone but to prod the school to do better with issues of diversity. "I don't believe the kids really knew what they were doing is as offensive as it is," Dishler said. "The administration was watching this go on, and they let it happen." Alum Vlad Chituc also blamed school officials. He said Waverly, a small town off Interstate 86 just west of Binghamton, New York, could easily be seen as a place that affirmed stereotypes of all sorts. Of Waverly's 4,444 people, 4,312 were white, according to 2010 census data. Chituc said he was "extraordinarily offended" by the skit and ashamed that his school seemed to be OK with it. "On the one hand, I can't blame the kids for being ignorant," Chituc said. "It's a small town, and the kids don't know any better. It's the responsibility of the administration to let the kids know this is not how you behave in 21st-century America. ... They've been failing at that spectacularly. "The administration should be creating an environment where minorities are welcome, not the butts of racist jokes that make light of domestic violence." Chituc contacted Waverly High School Principal Kim Forero by e-mail. He sent CNN Forero's response, which read in part: "Thank you for your concerns. We will continue to address issues of diversity and respect for all. The format of pep rally will need to be reconsidered. I appreciate your concern for your alma mater." Yelich, for his part, said he could see how the skit could have been misconstrued and that he intends to set clearer expectations for behavior. "I have some opportunities here to make positive change," he said. CNN was not able to obtain the names of the students involved in the skit. Whatever their intentions were, one thing was clear: Their portrayals of Chris Brown and Rihanna fell short -- the kid who played the dairy farmer was crowned Mr. Waverly. CNN's Katie Hawkins-Gaar contributed to this report.

Both female officers fail Marine infantry course

By Jeff Black, NBC News Both volunteers in a study to see if women could become Marine ground combat leaders have dropped out of the rigorous Infantry Officer Course, with the second failing because of a medical reason late last week, the Marine Corps Times reported. A second lieutenant was unable to complete the required training and left the program on Friday because of unreported medical reasons, the newspaper reported on its website. It was unknown if she became ill or injured or had other medical issues. Inquiries from NBC News into her condition were not immediately returned by the Marine Corps. The other female volunteer, who was also a second lieutenant, was unable to complete the introductory endurance test and dropped out – along with nearly 30 men – on Sept. 28. The program, run at the Marine base at Quantico, Va., is considered the toughest course in the Marine Corps. Women in the infantry? Forget about it, says female Marine officer The Marine Corps officer who left the course on Friday issued a statement through the Marine Corps public affairs unit: "I want to try to open up a door, maybe, for women after me. I don't know how far it will open, but I'm hoping to make a difference for women down the road." A long debate over changing roles of women in the military reached a turning point in 2011 when Congress directed the Pentagon to take a hard look at policies that restrict female service members from serving in some roles. The Defense Department relaxed some restrictions in February, moving women closer to combat, but a fuller review of combat jobs is under way. Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com  The Marine Corps' admission of female officers to the grueling 13-week infantry course is part of an effort to gather research on what jobs would be open to women. It was the first time women had been admitted to the program. Besides the infantry program, the Corps is evaluating numerous jobs that normally are closed to women. Those jobs include billets in artillery and tank units, as well as others. More content from NBCNews.com: Norovirus sickens 320 students at Calif. school Readers weigh in on debate questions California city bans smoking in duplexes Shrinking cellphone bill claim may not be accurate Escaped prisoner discovered in NJ hospital vent Video: Wrong-way chase caught on dashcam Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook

Teens in blackface reenact Rihanna beating

Singer Chris Brown pleads guilty to assaulting his former girlfriend, pop start Rihanna during a hearing at Superior Court of Los Angeles County on June 23, 2009 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Lori Shepler-Pool/Getty Images) Three white high school students in Waverly, New York, performed a satirical "re-enactment" of Chris Brown's infamous beating of his then-girlfriend Rihanna, in blackface, at a pep rally in front of students, parents, community leaders, and the media. The act has decried as racist by former students of the high school, and some have questioned the judgment of the school administrators who allowed such a show to be performed. Their students were participating in a competition to be crowned "Mr. Waverly." According to CNN, former Waverly High School student Vlad Chituc said, "I think it's unconscionable that such blatant racism has been tacitly approved two years in a row." "The administration should be creating an environment where minorities are welcome, not the butts of racist jokes that make light of domestic violence," said Chituc. Waverly students 're-enact' Chris Brown-Rihanna beating Another former student, Hannah Van Wie-Desisti, said, "I used to be so proud of where I came from. Not so much now due to the recent incident. I found it unfathomable that the faculty would not only approve this idea for the skit in the first place, but allow it to go on during the pep rally. I honestly don't believe that the students meant to offend, but were just ill informed of how offending their skit actually was. The staff should have stopped it before it even started. By acting like the skit was acceptable, they are teaching their students that racism is okay and that abuse is humorous." "The Waverly School District is committed to creating a positive atmosphere through our activities," school district superintendent Joseph Yelich said in a statement. "I will be working with our building administrators, our staff and our students to examine our current activities and develop future activities consistent with our commitment." Follow Abdul Sada on Twitter.

Calif. 'parent trigger' hurdles key court test

Bret Hartman / Washington Post via Getty Images Doreen Diaz, right, walks with her daughter and other children to the front door of Desert Trails Elementary in Adelanto, Calif., in February. She has been one of the key parents organizing for a charter school at Desert Trails. By Natasha Lindstrom, The Hechinger Report About nine months ago, at a small park playground a few hundred feet from their children's struggling school, a group of parents chanted, cheered and delivered passionate speeches about their growing frustration with Desert Trails Elementary. That Jan. 12 park rally — which drew a throng of camera crews and reporters from around the state to the tiny desert city of Adelanto, Calif. — marked the beginning of a bitter battle in the national spotlight. That was when the Desert Trails Parent Union announced its petition to use the so-called "parent trigger" law to force a major overhaul of a school. They hoped to become the first parent group in the nation to do so. On Thursday, that same park is set to become a makeshift polling place where those parents will make history. With a court ruling last week permitting the vote to go forward, parents who signed the petition last winter now have the chance to cast a ballot on the charter school operator they want to take over their neighborhood school next fall. As permitted by law, the vote won't include parents who opposed the charter conversion or declined to be part of the petition process.   "For the first time, a group of parents is going to take back power of the educations of their own kids and select a high-quality nonprofit to transform their failing school," said Ben Austin, executive director of Parent Revolution, the Los Angeles nonprofit that is bankrolling the parent union. The little local election, Austin said, represents a "monumental day for the parent power movement." Parent Revolution estimates that fewer than 200 parents will be eligible to vote this week. California's Parent Empowerment Act of 2010 enables parents who collect signatures representing more than 50 percent of students to spur big reforms at a low-performing school, from firing the principal and half the staff to shutting it down. More than 20 states have considered the controversial legislation, and seven states have passed versions of the parent trigger law. Well-funded advocacy groups, like Parent Revolution and StudentsFirst, are using the new feature film "Won't Back Down" to galvanize support for parent trigger laws, and educators across the nation are paying close attention to the real-life version. The Adelanto effort has fiercely divided the school community. Parents who opposed converting to a charter school launched a counter-campaign to get parents to retract their signatures supporting it, and nearly 100 parents did so. Each side has accused the other of harassment and intimidation. The petitioning parents scored their latest victory in Victorville Superior Court on Friday, when Judge John Vander Feer ruled that the Adelanto School District must let them press on with plans to convert Desert Trails into a charter school, effective fall of  2013. The judge's decision reinforced a July 18 ruling by another judge who found the district couldn't use the signature withdrawals to quash the charter petition. "I'm feeling great," said Doreen Diaz, a parent union organizer, as she headed to a "Won't Back Down" screening shortly after leaving the courtroom Friday. "I'm ecstatic and happy that we're vindicated once again." 'Parent trigger' fight: No Hollywood ending in sight Diaz and fellow supporters are celebrating the legal win as a way to finally turn around Desert Trails, which ranks in the bottom third of California schools with similar demographics and has been on the federal watch list for failing schools for six consecutive years. "We've gained strength, and we can only get stronger," parent union member Jeffrey Hancock said Monday on a press conference call. "Hopefully it will get better for every school that's failing." The smaller, more loosely organized group of parents opposing the conversion has called for less radical reform and working with current administrators and teachers. Parent Lori Yuan argues that "parents who believe that a charter is going to magically make their kids score higher, be smarter and achieve success" will be disappointed. Adelanto School Board President Carlos Mendoza said that while he's not "opposed to charter schools per se," he's concerned that the looming conversion will disrupt school changes already in progress. Before the latest court ruling, the school board had decided it was too late to implement a charter school this year. Instead, they created an "alternative governance council" co-led by parents and funded a new literacy curriculum called Success for All. More from The Hechinger Report Are new online standardized tests revolutionary? Decide for yourself College loans are easy money, hard to repay Ed in the Election: Obama and Romney advisers debate education spending Will the Supreme Court strike down affirmative action in education once and for all? Are new online standardized tests revolutionary? Decide for yourself "I'm just hoping that becoming a charter school doesn't undo all of that," Mendoza said. He also questions what the lack of job security will do to teacher morale. Under a new charter operator, teachers would have to reapply for positions at the school and enter into non-union contracts. Parents will choose from two local charter operators who submitted proposals: the Lewis Center for Educational Research, which runs a K-12 charter school in Apple Valley focused on project-based learning; and LaVerne Elementary Preparatory Academy, a K-8 school in Hesperia that partners with the University of La Verne. Alex Wagner talks to the director of "Won't Back Down," Daniel Barnz, about the misconceptions he says some protesters have about his film. The parent union leadership is telling voters it prefers the operator that runs LaVerne Elementary, which is less than half the size of Desert Trails' roughly 600 students. Diaz said she likes that LaVerne's proposal included a more formal structure for parent involvement, and that its school has demographics that resemble Desert Trails, a predominately Hispanic and black school where 100 percent of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. Thursday's vote isn't the final step in the conversion process. Charter schools are taxpayer-funded, independently operated and overseen by the agency that authorizes them. In California, that agency is typically a local school district governing board. 'Won't Back Down': Film to spur parent-led school coups? The charter operator that gets the most Desert Trails parent votes will submit a proposal to the Adelanto School District. In the past few years, the district has approved one charter school and denied at least two others, mostly over concerns about brand-new operators with poor financial plans. As Parent Revolution helps Desert Trails parents advance, its organizers say they've also been working with a handful of other parent groups who may soon launch their own campaigns. "There are parents organizing, mostly in Los Angeles but also in areas across California, to do the same thing," Austin said. "My one hope about the next round of parent trigger campaigns is that they can be more collaborative." This story, "First 'parent trigger' moves to a crucial vote after court ruling" was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, nonpartisan education-news outlet based at Teachers College, Columbia University. More content from NBCNews.com: Norovirus sickens 320 students at Calif. school Readers weigh in on debate questions Calif. city bans smoking in duplexes Shrinking cellphone bill claim may not be accurate Escaped prisoner discovered in NJ hospital vent Video: Wrong-way chase caught on dashcam Follow US news from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook