Daily Headlines for November 2, 2011
NATIONAL
Math Gains Add Up on National Exams
Wall Street Journal, November 2, 2011
Elementary-school students notched the highest scores ever on national math exams this year, continuing a 20-year trend of improvement, but reading scores remained lackluster, according to data released Tuesday.
U.S. Students’ Scores Go Up But Racial Gaps Persist
Washington Times, DC, November 1, 2011
U.S. students are making progress in reading and math, but the advances continue to be clouded by stubbornly high gaps between scores for white children and their black and Hispanic counterparts, according to a major new survey Tuesday from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Education Report Card: Flat Reading Scores Are ‘Deeply Disappointing’
Christian Science Monitor, MA, November 1, 2011
Math scores inched up – barely – in the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), otherwise known as the ‘nation’s report card.’
Educator Not Always Voucher Advocate
Pittsburgh Post-Tribune, PA, November 2, 2011
School voucher advocate Michelle Rhee says she doesn’t buy claims that using tax money to send children to private schools will worsen the experience for students who remain in low-performing schools.
Study: Public School Teachers Aren’t Underpaid
Daily Caller, DC, November 1, 2011
Despite Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s consistent calls for increased teacher salaries, a new study says that most public school teachers aren’t actually being underpaid.
STATE COVERAGE
National Report: Mesa District Sees Big Jump In Charter School Enrollment
East Valley Tribune, AZ, November 1, 2011
Among the largest school districts in the country, Mesa Unified saw the fourth-biggest jump in students enrolling in neighborhood charter schools last school year, according to a recent report.
Suit Filed To Make L.A. Teacher Evaluations Include Student Data
Los Angeles Times Blog, CA, November 1, 2011
Advocates went forward Tuesday with a lawsuit alleging that the Los Angeles Unified School District has failed to comply with state laws requiring that teachers and principals should be evaluated, in part, on student academic progress.
Two of Three Reform-Minded Candidates Sweep Onto Denver’s School Board
Denver Post, CO, November 2, 2011
Reform-minded candidates swept into seats on the Denver Public Schools board in an election seen as a referendum on fast-acting district reforms underway for six years.
Contentious Douglas County School-Board Race Settles on Pro-Voucher Slate
The Denver Post, CO
Douglas County voters settled on a slate of pro-voucher school-board candidates Tuesday, with incumbent Craig Richardson leading in the three-way District A race with 45.8 percent of the vote.
Merit Pay System Must Be Flexible
Press News, FL, November 1, 2011
Merit pay for Florida teachers is the law now, but the fight over it is far from over.
Valparaiso, Okaloosa School District Clash Over Elementary School Building
Northwest Florida Daily News, FL, November 1, 2011
The future of the former Valparaiso Elementary School building remains under debate. The Valparaiso City Commission has made clear that it wants a charter school in the building on Edge Avenue. But Okaloosa County School District officials say they have different plans.
Recovery School District Announces Which Schools It Will Charter Next Year
Times Picayune, LA, November 1, 2011
Making New Orleans one step closer to complete charter management of its public schools, state officials said Tuesday they will convert the few remaining direct-run high schools and three more elementary schools to autonomous charters next year.
Jefferson Parish Public Schools At Risk Of More Layoffs, Eventual Campus Closings
Times Picayune, LA, November 1, 2011
In the board’s meeting agenda, Meza also announces he has formed a committee to study closing and consolidating schools as a longer-term way to address inefficiencies in the way the system uses its resources.
Move Carefully In Reforming KC School District
Kansas City Star, MO, November 1, 2011
The latest setbacks for the Kansas City School District should prompt the state and community to seek a new administrative model for educating children.
A Pattern of Inattention
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, November 2, 2011
In our guest commentary “Imagine must be held accountable for its troubling record” (Sept. 22) the Missouri Charter Public School Association hypothesized that a potential issue leading to the poor academic performance of Imagine Schools Inc. in St. Louis may be “a lack of resources and support available to the teachers and staff.”
Proposed Cobble Hill Charter Elementary Could Put The Squeeze On An Improving High School
New York Daily News, NY, November 1, 2011
Parents of students at an an existing high school contend there won’t be room for Success Academy Cobble Hill
First Elementary Charter School Comes to Washington Heights
The Uptowner, NY, November 1, 2011
Unlike Harlem, home to 22 charter schools, Washington Heights previously had only two, Equity Project and New Heights Academy, both opened within the past five* years to serve middle-schoolers. KIPP, which preps mostly African-American and Latino students from poor neighborhoods for college, operates three schools in Harlem and three in the Bronx, yet had none in Washington Heights until this year.
Parents Say Teachers Preventing Reform
WIBV, NY, November 1, 2011
Some concerned parents are trying to find a middle ground with Buffalo teachers, who they say are costing the district millions of dollars in federal funding.
Putting Zuckerberg’s Millions to Work for Schools
New York Times, NY, November 2, 2011
Mr. Taylor, a 43-year-old who is long experienced in foundation and youth work, is in many ways living the do-gooder’s dream, flush with cash, attention and a rare alliance of public officials at his flank. But turning $100 million — actually, $200 million, presuming the mayor manages to raise the matching funds Mr. Zuckerberg required — into transformational change amid intractable problems may not be as much fun as it sounds.
Virgo Plan To Head To State For Approval
Star News, NC, November 1, 2011
Despite some members’ concerns, the New Hanover County school board voted 5-2 to approve the proposed charter school application for the former Virgo Middle School.
Oklahoma Lawmaker Wants More Money Going To Classrooms
The Oklahoman, OK, November 2, 2011
About 54.5 percent of the state money going to public schools the past three years is spent on instructional expenditures, figures show.
Sen. Piccola: Why Does PSBA Oppose What’s good for Public Education?
Patriot News, PA, November 2, 2011
As I have repeatedly asked PSBA, “Why do you ignore the will of the people and fight measures that will help kids achieve academically? Why does the PSBA oppose common-sense measures that would reduce the cost of education and improve academic achievement? Why is the PSBA more interested in the employment of adults than the education of children?”
Educators Say Teacher Evaluation Reform Needed
The Scranton Times Tribune, PA, November 2, 2011
Calling it the next critical step in education reform, people from across the state came together on Tuesday night to discuss teacher effectiveness.
Environment-focused Charter School Taking Applications
Charleston Post and Courier, SC, November 2, 2011
Sarah Turnage wants her three school-age children to learn in small classes, and that’s one of the reasons she’s applied for them to attend Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter starting in fall 2012.
Fight Builds Over School Vouchers
Times Free Press, TN, November 2, 2011
Critics of a bill that would mandate school voucher programs in Tennessee’s four largest public school systems charged Tuesday that the proposal amounts to a government-funded “bailout” for private schools.
Voucher Backers: Tennessee Education Reforms Fall Short
The Tennessean, TN, November 2, 2011
Lawmakers supporting a private school voucher bill say Tennessee ’s sweeping education reforms are helping but not fast enough for some of its neediest students.
Developing the Best Teachers
Commercial Appeal, TN, November 2, 2011
Good teachers can make a difference: Getting the effective teachers into classrooms should remain a crucial goal for schools.
KIPP Loses Another HISD Hire In ‘Talent War’
Houston Chronicle Blog, TX, November 1, 2011
The Johnston Middle School principal who surprised and upset parents when he left for the KIPP charter school network this year has returned to the Houston Independent School District a few months after his departure.
Author Promotes Education Reform At Seattle Talk
Seattle Times, WA, November 2, 2011
Steven Brill, the author of the recently published “Class Warfare: Inside the Fight to Fix America’s Schools,” was in Seattle on Tuesday to talk about his controversial ideas for reforming America’s schools.
Madison Prep’s Ambitious Plan To Close Achievement Gap Sparks Vigorous Debate
Capital Times, WI, November 2, 2011
Stories like Nicole’s — that often express decades of frustration with a school district where stark disparities in racial achievement are, literally, black and white — have been repeated many times as the community vigorously debates plans for Madison Preparatory Academy, a publicly funded charter school sponsored by the Urban League of Greater Madison.
Charter Schools Make Sure All Are Educated
Green Bay Press Gazette, WI, November 2, 2011
Education has been the center of many debates in our state throughout much of 2011. We do not always agree on what a quality education looks like or even how we measure quality in an educational setting.
VIRTUAL LEARNING
Rebekah Warren to Discuss Impact of Charter School and Cyber School Expansion at Town Hall
Ann Arbor, MI, November 1, 2011
State Sen. Rebekah Warren, D-Ann Arbor, will host a town hall meeting on Monday to discuss the impact of the proposed expansion of charter schools and cyber schools in Michigan.