Daily Headlines for September 2, 2011
Boys in one class, girls in another…Teacher evaluation gets a new start…Virtual classes go from optional to mandatory…and more in Today’s Daily Headlines.
Boys In One Class, Girls In Another At More Schools
Washington Times, DC, September 1, 2011
More American elementary and secondary schools are embracing the idea that a student will perform better in the classroom when a key distraction is removed: the opposite sex.
The Single Best Idea for Reforming K-12 Education
Forbes, September 1, 2011
To decide what is the single best idea for reforming K-12 education, one needs to figure out what is the biggest problem that the system currently faces.
More Benefits From Credits Than Vouchers
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 2, 2011
Pennsylvania endured a bruising battle over education vouchers in the last legislative session, and the next round seems to be in the offing. But a recent court injunction halting a Colorado program should give pause to voucher promoters in the Keystone State .
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
A Weaker Public School Choice Initiative
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 2, 2011
By keeping charter operators out of the first round of applications to run new schools, the L.A. Unified board has scaled back its goal of making educational excellence the highest priority.
Bullis Tests Highest In State Among Charters, Tops Other Los Altos Schools
Mercury News, CA, September 2, 2011
Bullis Charter School was loud and proud about its state Academic Performance Index scores this week, declaring itself the top-performing school in the Los Altos School District.
Former Charter Opponent Duffy To Launch His Own ‘Revolutionary’ Schools
Daily Breeze, CA, September 1, 2011
Once a vocal opponent of the rapid growth of charter schools in Los Angeles , former teachers union leader A.J. Duffy has announced plans to launch his own independently run public campuses.
COLORADO
Commit To Our Schools
Denver Post, CO, September 2, 2011
The adage that engaged parents produce high-achieving students is validated in myriad research studies and anecdotes. So it makes sense to listen to what Denver parents are saying about how they want their children educated. We are listening, and are calling for the truth about how neighborhood schools perform.
Judge’s Ruling ‘Establishing’ Government Church Is Unconstitutional
Greeley Gazette, CO, September 1, 2011
When Denver District Judge Michael Martinez ruled that the Douglas County school voucher program was not “constitutional,” he believed he was following the law. But which law was he following?
DELAWARE
Schools In Partner Program Express Anticipation, Anxiety
News Journal, DE, September 2, 2011
Last year, when school communities found out they were selected to take part in a program aimed at improving test scores at those that are persistent low achievers, many did not welcome the distinction.
GEORGIA
APS May Nix Bonus Pay Program Cited In Cheating Probe
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, September 1, 2011
Atlanta Public Schools may ditch its incentive pay program in an effort to trim the district’s spending and following concerns of widespread test cheating since the program’s creation.
District Mulls Offering More School Choice
Cherokee Tribune, GA, September 2, 2011
More school choice could be coming to county school students. The Cherokee County Board of Education last night directed staff to begin the groundwork to establish its Cherokee Academies initiative, which would offer specialized educational programs.
Cobb Charter Schools Await Fate
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, September 2, 2011
The Cobb school board will decide the fate of four charter schools later this month. After a nearly 90-day extension, the school board will consider renewals and start-ups for four charter schools in Cobb County for the 2012-13 school year at its Sept. 14 work session.
IDAHO
School Board Approves Pay-For-Performance Model
Idaho Mountain Express, ID, September 2, 2011
It won’t directly affect any of the current salary systems for teachers in the Blaine County School District , but a newly developed “pay-for-performance” model may help the district recoup some of the money the state of Idaho won’t be doling out for teacher salaries over the next few years.
MASSACHUSETTS
John Danner Shoots For The Stars With Rocketship Charter Schools
Christian Science Monitor, MA, September 1, 2011
Rocketship schools employ computers and coaches to help teach low-income kids, and see student performance rise dramatically.
Uproar Over A Latin Academy Move
Boston Globe, MA, September 2, 2011
Admission to the school is considered a golden opportunity for many students in Boston . Latin Academy , which initially opened as an all-girls school in 1878, is one of three schools that require passing an entrance exam. The academy produces some of the highest MCAS scores in the state, and nearly all graduates enroll in college.
MICHIGAN
Quick Results Needed To Justify Chancellor’s Salary
Detroit News, MI, September 2, 2011
Teachers unions in Michigan have long protested against surrendering pay and benefits in state and district cost-cutting moves, arguing that higher pay for administrators should be the first item on the chopping block.
NEW JERSEY
Ocean City School District Selected To Participate In Pilot Program For Teacher Evaluation System
Press of Atlantic City, NJ, September 2, 2011
The Ocean City School District is among 11 districts statewide that will pilot the development of a new teacher evaluation system that could link teacher pay raises and employment to students’ progress.
Teacher Evaluation Gets a New Start
NJ Spotlight, NJ, September 2, 2011
The timing may not be intentional, but the Christie administration’s announcement yesterday of its pilot teacher evaluation system in 11 districts came almost to the day on a conspicuous anniversary.
NEW YORK
Infighting Sinks Proposed Utica Charter School
Utica Observer-Dispatch, NY, September 1, 2011
Days before an answer was due on its application to the state, the Mohawk Valley Charter School for Excellence has pulled it application because of an argument over the leadership of the school.
New York Matters: Mayoral Control and Denial
Huffington Post Blog, September 1, 2011
What happens in the New York City school system has national implications because the city has been a testing ground for the so-called new reforms — greater testing and accountability by using annual standardized state tests to
evaluate students, teachers, principals, and schools; charter school; closing, not improving, failing schools; mayoral control; lack of collaboration with teachers and parents — that are now at the heart of the Obama administration’s education agenda.
NORTH CAROLINA
Quick Approval Set For Charter Schools
Charlotte Observer, NC, September 2, 2011
New charter schools can begin to open in North Carolina next fall – the first since the legislature ended the state’s longstanding 100-school cap.
OHIO
Public Schools That Are Worth Commutes, Tuition
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, September 1, 2011
The Kurlases are one of 175 families who pay tuition to send their children to a CPS school. The families come from West Chester, Fairfield, South Lebanon, Union, Ky., and many points in between to get an educational option they say they can’t find anywhere else.
TENNESSEE
Chris Barbic Leaps At Chance To Help Tennessee’s Lowest-Performing Schools
The Tennessean, TN, September 2, 2011
As the new superintendent of the state’s Achievement School District, Barbic is co-managing five of the state’s lowest-performing schools in Memphis and Chattanooga this year.
Teacher Eval Steps Sparking Complaint
The Daily News Journal, TN, September 2, 2011
The Rutherford County Board of Education will be asking the state to re-evaluate and make modifications to a new teacher performance evaluation adopted earlier this year.
UTAH
Still Leaving Children
Desert News, UT, September 2, 2011
The federal No Child Left Behind law always has presented a bit of a conundrum to conservative Utahns who believe in limited federal interference. Sure, education ought to be a function of state governments, not Washington. The closer an education system is to the people it serves, the more responsive it is to their needs. But there can be no denying that the law has forced a level of accountability on Utah’s public schools that otherwise would not exist.
WISCONSIN
Green Bay Charter School Opens
Green Bay Gazette, WI, September 2, 2011
Green Bay’s newest school is open to students in eighth to 11th grade, and much of their work will center on individual or group projects. It eventually also will open to seniors.
Marathon Venture Academy, Everest IDEA Charter School Open Doors
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, September 2, 2011
The Marathon Middle School is no more.The Marathon Venture Academy, a project-based charter school serving 130 sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders, has taken its place.
Little Chute Charter School Helps Teens Explore Careers
Appleton Post Crescent, WI, September 2, 2011
The Little Chute Area School District joins dozens of school districts across Wisconsin this year by launching a new charter school.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
‘Virtual School’ Hits Enrollment Hiccup
Times Free Press, TN, September 2, 2011
As many as half of the more than 2,000 students applying to attend the state’s first public online academy have yet to be enrolled some three weeks into the beginning of the privately-operated institution’s school year, officials say.
‘Virtual School’ Faces Fight
Marshall County Tribune, TN, September 2, 2011
Marshall County could have its own “Virtual School” next year, if a suggestion made by Technology Supervisor Suzanne Ingram to the curriculum committee comes to fruition.
BCHS Pioneering Online Courses
Baker County Press, FL, September 1, 2011
This year’s high school freshmen statewide must complete at least one course online before they graduate, but those at Baker County High School are among the few with a computer lab used exclusively to meet the requirement.
Virtual Classes Go from Optional to Mandatory
WCTV, FL, September 1, 2011
A new state law that requires Florida high school students to take a class online is causing cash-strapped school districts to spend millions on new computers.
The Online Battlefield
KIVI, ID, September 1, 2011
A group of high school graduates who are eyeing to join the military may be at a disadvantage all because of the type of diploma they receive.