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Education News for Monday, June 26

Study casts doubt on "boy crisis" – Jay Mathews from the Washington Post writes about the NAEP findings that over the past three decades, boys’ test scores are mostly up, more boys are going to college and more are getting bachelor’s degrees. (more)

The wrong way to argue charter schools – The undercard of the marquee fight over whether or not to lift New York’s cap on charter schools is a vitally important battle over how to define these schools’ success. (more)

PA: "Buts" are hurdles for charter schools – Though some education reformers tout testing as a way to evaluate success, for some students the real test is simply surviving to the next day. The situation is not hopeless, however. Charter schools in Philadelphia and across the commonwealth have created a haven for students that allow the fundamental need of safety to be met – setting the stage for learning. (more)

Utah PAC fueled with out of state funds – An infusion of out-of-state money is raising the profile and influence of the Utah political action committee Parents for Choice. Organized five years ago, the advocacy group for private-school vouchers and tuition tax credits has given $64,000 to 21 state Legislature candidates this year. (more)

UPDATE:

Charter schools increasingly popular with parents – A decade ago, charter schools existed largely on the fringes. Many were startups operating out of rented church basements — alternatives to failing urban schools that struggled to teach the basics. (more)

Education-linked PACs active in races– A pair of education-related political action committees are active in legislative primary races this year, utilizing telephone banks and mailing lists as well as making contributions to favored candidates. (more)

School vouchers deal angers some – Nearly half a billion dollars. Full-day kindergarten in every school. Raises for teachers. Millions more for special education funding. (more)

Residency rule’s demerits at least merit a discussion– It’s hard to spot the St. Francis-Milwaukee boundary as it splits hedges on the southeast side. You have to inspect the stamp in the sidewalk concrete to know which side you’re on. (more)

Outsiders fund ‘school choice’ PAC– Parents for Choice in Education has a grass-roots image and a name ready-made for focus groups…(more)

Other Voices: Increase school choice in Virginia – Public education is on the verge of collapse in this country. Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft Corp., last summer told a summit meeting of the nation’s governors that America’s high schools are obsolete and unable to teach students what they need to survive in today’s global marketplace and that creative new ideas are needed to meet these challenges. (more)

School’s Out, but Few Are Cheering at Doomed St. Columba – As one boy walked out the door of St. Columba school in Chelsea yesterday, his cheeks were streaked with tears. Another student’s grandmother fell quiet and turned away from the building to keep from crying. On the sidewalk, parting handshakes between teachers and parents were somber. (more)

White House Proposes National Opportunity Scholarship Initiative – This spring, the Bush administration proposed an initiative to give thousands of underprivileged children in failing public schools the option to attend private school. A report from the U.S. Department of Education released in February found more than 2,100 public schools have failed to meet adequate yearly progress under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) for five or more years. (more)

Statistics Released on Second Year of D.C. Vouchers – The official evaluation team for the D.C. voucher program released its descriptive report for the program’s second year in May. According to "Evaluation of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program: Second Year Report on Participation," by Georgetown University’s Patrick Wolf, Westat’s Babette Gutmann, and Chesapeake Research Associates’ Michael Puma. (More)

Boys Behind in Graduation Rates: Study – A wide gender gap in high school graduation rates is most pronounced among minorities in large urban school districts, according to a report from the Manhattan Institute. (more)