Daily Headlines for October 12, 2011
Path to a same-sex charter school…Schools sue Texas over funding…Choice, charters, vouchers pushed by Gov. Corbett…and more in Today’s Daily Headlines
‘No Child’ Overhaul Bill Introduced in Senate
Wall Street Journal, October 12, 2011
A top Senate Democrat introduced a draft bill Tuesday that would significantly alter the No Child Left Behind education law and drastically roll back the federal government’s role in public schools.
Education Bill Draws Fire From Rights Groups
Washington Post, DC, October 11, 2011
A top Senate Democrat rolled out his plan Tuesday to revamp the main federal education law, but it immediately drew fire from civil rights groups that argued it would ease pressure on schools to provide quality education to all children, regardless of race or income.
Groups Attack School Bill
The Tennessean, TN, October 12, 2011
The measure, which is being decried by civil rights groups as a step backward when it comes to accountability for the education of poor and minority children, would scrap the 10-year-old law’s signature yardstick, known as Adequate Yearly Progress, or AYP. Instead, states would have to ensure that all students are making “continuous improvement.”
Parent Trigger Laws: Part of School Reform’s ‘Silly Season’
Washington Post Blog, DC, October 12, 2011
There is a new wave of legislation, called the parent trigger, which has been proposed in almost two dozen states, already adopted in some, and that is taking parental involvement in education to a whole new level.
FROM THE STATES
Portsmouth School Board: Change Rules on School Choice
Portsmouth Herald, NH, October 12, 2011
The School Board has drafted a letter to N.H. Commissioner of Education Virginia Barry urging her to change the state’s policy on school choice, a controversial provision of the No Child Left Behind law that disrupted city elementary schools this year.
Education Dept. Gives $200,000 Grant to Charter School Not Allowed to Open
Washington Post Blog, DC, October 11, 2011
New Jersey state officials recently declined — for the third time — to give permission to a group that wanted to open a charter school that offered a Hebrew-language immersion program. Still, the school was awarded a $200,000 grant from the U.S. Education Department.
Cherry Hill Battling Proposed Charter School
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, October 12, 2011
Cherry Hill school officials are fighting to stop the opening of a charter school in the township, the latest sign of growing tension in New Jersey between traditional public schools and charters.
Camden Academy Meant To Inspire A Lifetime of Learning
Courier Post, NJ, October 11, 2011
The $3.9 million ELRA opened on Cooper Street last month, the first step for Camden ’s youngest learners on a charter school path from poverty to higher education.
Charter School Sues Local Districts to Prevent Interference with Opening
Daily Princetonian, NJ, October 12, 2011
Princeton International Academy Charter School is suing South Brunswick, Princeton Regional and West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional school districts to prevent them from interfering with the charter school’s opening. A judge in Trenton heard the dispute on Tuesday.
Uneven PSSA Results for York City Charter Schools
York Dispatch, PA, October 11, 2011
There are many ways to look at last school year’s PSSA results for York City ‘s four charter schools. Charter supporters would point out that Crispus Attucks YouthBuild met state standards, known as adequate yearly progress, and Lincoln Elementary and Helen Thackston Middle charter schools barely missed.
Teacher Reports Should Be Refined
Leaf Chronicle, TN, October 11, 2011
Among the requirements of Tennessee’s First to the Top Act is that principals in public schools perform four official observations for experienced teachers and six for apprentice teachers. They also are required to spend more time on paperwork, writing reports.
State’s First Charter Continues Helping At-Risk Students
Lincoln Tribune, NC, October 12, 2011
Established in 1997, the Healthy Start Academy, a K-8 public charter school in Durham, pioneered a shift in the educational process for underprivileged and character building for underprivileged students.
Orange Exempts Four Charters From State Grading System
Orlando Sentinel, FL, October 11, 2011
With high school grades set to come out in November, four Orange County charter schools on Tuesday asked to be exempted from the state’s grading system. After much debate, the School Board granted their request Tuesday.
Murphey Middle School Won’t Renew Charter
Augusta Chronicle, GA, October 11, 2011
Since the conversion, Murphey has made adequate yearly progress benchmarks only twice and is being monitored by the Georgia Department of Education’s turnaround division.
Many Questions
Columbus Dispatch, OH, October 12, 2011
Ohio’s EdChoice school-voucher program has been a godsend for thousands of children whose public schools perform poorly, but whose parents can’t afford to send them to private schools. State-funded tuition vouchers give them the choice that wealthier families already have and that children in better school districts don’t need.
The Path to a Same-Sex Charter School
Detroit Free Press, MI, October 12, 2011
To successfully start a charter school, be prepared to do a lot of homework and jump numerous hurdles. Mary Mitchell, one of the cofounders of Girls Prep single-sex charter schools in New York City, suggests you start by forming a planning group.
Charter Schools Push Traditional Schools Out Of Their Comfort Zones
Jackson Citizen Patriot, MI, October 11, 2011
Last Wednesday, the Jackson area offered a clue to how public and charter schools might come to live happily side by side for a long time to come.
Day Ends While CPS, Union Spar Over Place To Talk About Longer Day
Chicago Tribune, IL, October 12, 2011
The wrangling over a meeting place for Chicago Public Schools and Chicago Teachers Union officials continued Tuesday until it was too late for the meeting.
Big Boost for Intriguing School
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, October 12, 2011
Mary Burke of Madison just pledged $2.5 million to help the Urban League of Greater Madison launch a public charter school aimed at boosting the academic performance of black and Latino students.
Magnet Program Breeding Success
St. Louis Post Dispatch, MO, October 12, 2011
For years, Kennard has served as an academic lifeboat within the struggling St. Louis Public Schools, attracting city parents such as Chou who might otherwise choose a private school or migrate to the suburbs.
The Choice Not Taken
Arkansas Times, AR, October 12, 2011
The push for charter schools has produced undeniable pockets of excellence. It has also produced pockets of failure and corruption, resegregation and financial and demographic pressure that will end, if the movement continues, in a derelict Little Rock School District.
Schools Sue State Over Funding
San Antonio Express News, TX, October 12, 2011
Texas school districts and parents are once again asking the courts for help to get more equitable funding for public schools.
U.S., Los Angeles Schools in Civil Rights Pact
Wall Street Journal, October 12, 2011
A federal investigation into whether Los Angeles students are denied educational opportunities has prompted the school system to overhaul its approach to teaching immigrant and black students, federal and city officials said Tuesday.
Let Clayton Valley Become First Large Charter School In Region
Orlando Tribune, CA, October 11, 2011
The Mt. Diablo Unified school board needs to do the right thing now and give the green light to Clayton Valley High to become a charter school, without overly burdensome conditions.
Teacher Quality — And Their Preparation — Important To Economic Future
Seattle Times, WA, October 11, 2011
Want good teachers? Guest columnist Tom Stritikus says a number of factors contribute to teaching excellence, not only student test scores or teacher assessments. That’s why, as dean of the University of Washington College of Education, he supports increased accountability for teacher preparation programs.
School Board Denies Unconditional Approval Of Clayton High Charter Petition
Contra Costa Times, CA, October 11, 2011
The Mount Diablo school board Tuesday night rejected a motion by a trustee to make unconditional its approval to convert Clayton Valley High School into a charter school
Charter School Debate Difficult, Important
Inside San Jose Blog, CA, October 11, 2011
For seven years, the Los Altos community has been divided over Bullis’ authorization to exist. The SCCOE Board authorized the charter. Since that time, the community has been feuding in unhealthy ways over the existence of Bullis and its demands for comparable space for far too long.
Corbett’s Education Proposals Need More Details, Work
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, October 12, 2011
GOV. CORBETT made some of his educational positions clear yesterday in an announcement at a York, Pa., charter school, but if this were a test – and there’s no reason not to consider it one – he gets an incomplete at best.
Choice, Charters, Vouchers Pushed by Gov. Corbett
Pittsburgh Tribune Review, PA, October 12, 2011
Gov. Tom Corbett’s plan to address such concerns emerged on Tuesday at a charter school in York , where he announced an education reform plan that includes tuition vouchers that allow students to attend schools of their choice.
Corbett’s Voucher Plan Gives Students Options
Patriot News, PA, October 12, 2011
A decade after the passage of No Child Left Behind, Pennsylvania has the data — numeric and anecdotal — to prove the vast majority of students in this state are getting a good education.
No Consensus On Proposed Charter School Bills
Detroit Free Press, MI, October 11, 2011
An unusually divided State Board of Education couldn’t come to an agreement this afternoon on how to weigh in on a package of bills in the Michigan Legislature that would in part allow an unlimited number of charter schools to open statewide.
Education of Children Shouldn’t Go To Low Bidders
Livingston Daily, MI, October 12, 2011
The recent legislation found in Senate Bill 618 and supported by Senator Hune would allow a school district to contract with another agency to outsource its teaching staff rather than employ teachers directly. There are so many incomprehensible issues with this legislation, it is difficult to know where to start.
BESE Election Could Change Louisiana Education System
KATC Lafayette New, LA, October 11, 2011
Three of the positions are appointed by Governor Jindal, but the other 8 are up for the voters to decide and many school superintendents believe this years election is all about public verses charter schools.
VIRTUAL LEARNING
The Rise Of Online Education
Washington Post, DC, October 11, 2011
For the first time in roughly a century—since the transition from the one-room schoolhouse to the classroom- and age-based school—a dramatic change in the basic way we structure our educational system is afoot.
Cyber Schools Given A Failing Grade By Area Superintendent
Sun Gazette, PA, October 12, 2011
East Lycoming School District Superintendent Michael Pawlik delivered a scathing assessment of cyber schools costing the district’s taxpayers $400,000 this year alone.
Schools Go Home Through eLearning
Shelbyville Times Gazette, TN, October 11, 2011
Students in Bedford and surrounding counties have a new educational option — online courses offered by the Bedford County Board of Education in their eLearning program.
Schools Relying More On Online Learning Than Textbooks
Gainesville Times, GA, October 11, 2011
Textbooks are becoming less and less common in local school systems, a result of funding decreases and changing teaching philosophies.
Where Will Virtual Schools End Up?
KVNO, NE, October 11, 2011
Lincoln, NE – Like other states, Nebraska is teaching more students in settings other than traditional brick and mortar schools. But how far can this trend go, and who will pay for it?
PSD’s Global Academy Is A Model That Works
The Coloradoan, CO, October 11, 2011
The recent front-page article in the Coloradoan regarding the effectiveness of online schools prompted me to tell another side of the story, a very personal one, and one which people might not expect to hear about online education.