Daily Headlines for January 19, 2012
NATIONAL
School Choice Gives Teachers Options
Washington Times, DC, January 18, 2012
School choice is often discussed in terms of policies that provide students with educational options. Overlooked, however, is the fact that teachers also benefit by having career choices as part of the school choice platform.
Obama Education Reforms Advance As Congress Falters
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 18, 2012
President Barack Obama’s administration is moving ahead in reforming U.S. education without the help of the Congress, and will soon announce which states can opt out of the national education law known as “No Child Left Behind.”
STATE COVERAGE
ALASKA
Education Options: Borough School District Showcases Alternative Schools
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, AK, January 18, 2012
Seven of the Fairbanks North Star Borough School District’s schools were showcased at a School of Choice Fair on Wednesday. The seven schools included four charter schools, the Fairbanks Building Educational Success Together Correspondence School, Hutchison High School and Barnette Magnet School.
CALIFORNIA
Gov. Brown’s School Reform Proposal Should Get A Passing Grade
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 19, 2012
Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget aims to give school districts greater flexibility in spending state funds.
Barnidge: Lessons To Be Learned From Clayton Valley Charter Petition
Contra Costa Times, CA, January 18, 2012
When the Contra Costa County Board of Education voted last week to approve Clayton Valley High’s petition to become a charter school, you could almost hear the gnashing of teeth in the administrative offices of the Mt. Diablo school district.
COLORADO
School District Not Fit For Its King
Denver Post, CO, January 19, 2012
You see, in the process of explaining the situation, the superintendent’s spokesman let slip that the public school Boasberg now sends his kids to is not in Denver but in Boulder, one of America’s wealthiest enclaves. That’s right, Boasberg refuses to live in the district that he governs.
Thursday Churn: Board Contribution Limits
Education News Colorado, CO, January 19, 2012
The first education bill out of the box this session is House Bill 12-1067, which would limit contributions to school board candidates. It’s set for a hearing this morning in the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee.
CONNECTICUT
CT Parents Union Urges Teacher Tenure Reform
Hartford Courant, CT, January 18, 2012
Led by Gwen Samuel of Meriden , the Connecticut Parents Union added its voice Wednesday to the myriad calls to reform education this year. Samuel said the group supports the Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents’ proposal to reform education, which would eliminate lifetime tenure for teachers and replace it with five-year renewable contracts.
Solving The Way Schools Are Funded Without Pouring In New Dollars
Connecticut Mirror, CT, January 18, 2012
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy wants a solution to the “broken” way the state funds education without an influx of new money. As the task force he has asked to solve this puzzle nears completion of its initial recommendations, his budget chief has frequently reminded the members that more money cannot be their solution.
Connecticut Shakes Up Education Bureaucracy
Wall Street Journal, January 18, 2012
Connecticut’s Board of Education voted Wednesday to drastically reorganize the state education department, a move that offers a sneak peak at an expansive school-reform package expected in next month’s legislative session.
DELAWARE
Charter Votes To Join Union
News Journal, DE, January 19, 2012
Educators at the Delaware College Preparatory Academy in Wilmington have voted to join the Delaware State Education Association, making them the state’s only charter school educators represented by a union.
FLORIDA
Report: Miami-Dade Schools Don’t Fire Enough Teachers
Miami Herald, FL, January 19, 2012
The Miami-Dade school district does a poor job of culling underperforming teachers, according to a report to be released by the National Council on Teacher Quality.
Flagler Charter School’s Likely Demise Saddens Some
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL, January 19, 2012
When Heritage Academy closes for summer break this year, the students probably won’t return in the fall.
GEORGIA
A Bad Idea: Marietta ‘s Lembeck Criticizes Movement To Restore Charter School Control To State
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, January 19, 2012
Marietta Schools Superintendent Dr. Emily Lembeck believes a constitutional amendment planned by lawmakers this session to restore the state’s ability to create charter schools is a bad idea.
ILLINOIS
Let’s Hope Dist. 227 Learns From Ridiculous And Costly Legal Battle
Chicago Sun Times, IL, January 18, 2012
Nearly two years, more than $100,000 in legal fees and apparently 14 brand new toilets later, the Rich Township High School District 227 school board appears to have finally come to its senses.
And yet, the whole mess still stinks.
IL Lawmakers Set To Push For School Vouchers — Again
Illinois Statehouse News, IL, January 18, 2012
Riding the wave of a victory in school reform last year, education activists are gearing up for another push this spring, this time for school vouchers.
INDIANA
Vouchers’ Next Step
The Journal Gazette, IN, January 19, 2012
Advocates of Indiana’s new, expansive voucher system received some good news last week when a Marion County judge ruled that the program does not violate Indiana’s constitution.
Charter School Shift Frosts Oversight Body
The Journal Gazette, IN, January 19, 2012
One of the first moves made by the Thurgood Marshall Leadership Academy’s school board did not sit well with at least one member of the group slated to run the school.
IOWA
Cost, Scope Of Teacher Evaluation Proposal Questioned
Des Moines Register Blog, IA, January 18, 2012
A proposal to require annual performance evaluations for all Iowa teachers would stretch administrators too thin and could create a financial burden for school districts, according to several lawmakers tasked with reviewing the governor’s education reform bill.
KANSAS
School Choice Debate To Resume In Kansas Education Committee
Kansas Reporter, KS, January 18, 2012
Parents get to choose the tax-supported colleges and universities in which to enroll their children, says one longtime advocate of homeschooling. So why are there so few choices for public schools? That’s the question asked by Jeff Barclay, pastor at Christ Community Church in Lawrence.
LOUISIANA
Cenla Educators Open To Changes, But Unsure About Plan For School Vouchers
Alexandria Town Talk, LA, January 18, 2012
Local educators are cautious about Gov. Bobby Jindal’s proposal to provide vouchers for students to attend private schools if their current school fails to meet a certain standard.
Three New Orleans Charter School Groups Awarded $2.8 In Federal Grants
Times Picayune, LA, January 18, 2012
Three New Orleans charter school operators have won grants totaling almost $2.8 million to help take over or establish new schools next fall. Friends of King, Future is Now and Rite of Passage are the latest to win federal grants awarded jointly by the nonprofit New Schools for New Orleans and the state-run Recovery School District .
Parents Pleased With Charter School Education
Tri Parish Times, LA, January 18, 2012
Rigorous. That’s the word frequently used by educators and parents of children attending Bayou Community Academy when talking about the college-preparatory-focused curriculum administered at the Lafourche Parish charter school.
MASSACHUSETTS
Menino’s Broken Vows On Schools
Boston Globe, MA, January 19, 2012
What would it really take for Mayor Thomas Menino to deliver on his promise for the Boston public schools? He controls the school committee and the superintendent.
Hundreds of Boston Teachers Rally Over Contract
Boston Globe Blog, MA, January 18, 2012
Hundreds of teachers blew horns, rang bells, and chanted ‘‘Talk to Teachers’’ at a rally Wednesday night at Boston School Department headquarters, in hopes of speeding up protracted negotiations over a new contract.
MISSOURI
Missouri Teachers Could Be Evaluated On Student Progress
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, January 19, 2012
For the first time, Missouri teachers would be evaluated partly on the performance of their students, according to a plan that could free the state from the increasingly unpopular No Child Left Behind law.
NEW JERSEY
Tempers Flare At Christie Town Hall
Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ, January 18, 2012
A vocal foe of a planned charter school in Cherry Hill got under Gov. Chris Christie’s skin during a town hall meeting here Wednesday.
Montclair Charter School Decision Due
Montclair Times, NJ, January 19, 2012
Will Montclair get a new charter high school next September? It’s a question that could be answered before this week is over.
Quality Districts Don’t Need Charter Schools
Home News Tribune, NJ, January 18, 2012
This is a response to the featured letter by Mr. Walter Goldeski n the Jan. 13 edition of the Home News, “Local School Boards Cannot be Trusted.” He states that school boards should not have the right to approve charter schools in their districts; he is correct, voters should.
NEW YORK
Teachers Deal in Talks
Wall Street Journal, January 19, 2012
Under pressure from New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, state education and union officials are moving closer to reaching a settlement over a teacher evaluation system tied to student test scores, according to people familiar with the talks.
Teacher Evaluations Issue: Not ‘If,’ but ‘How
New York Times, NY, January 18, 2012
In the long-simmering debate over how to judge the quality of New York State school employees, there is one thing all sides agree on: a system should be in place.
Latino Residents In Southside Williamsburg Say The Success Charter Network Succeeds In Excluding Them
New York Daily News, NY, January 19, 2012
Longtime Latino residents in Southside Williamsburg are fuming over the marketing strategy of a controversial charter school network that they say is cutting them out.
Parents Flexing Muscle
Buffalo News, NY, January 19, 2012
It might not be so easy anymore for the Buffalo Teachers Federation to sue itself out of educational policy changes it doesn’t like. The District Parent Coordinating Council recently threw down the gauntlet in defense of plans to improve some of Buffalo’s worst performing schools.
NORTH CAROLINA
Wake Assignment Plan Worries Charter School Parents
News Observer, NC, January 19, 2012
Charter schools are supposed to provide additional public school options for families, but they could become less attractive under Wake County’s new student assignment plan.
PENNSYLVANIA
Not All Charter Proposals Are Sound
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 19, 2012
James Osborne’s article about the charter school application process in New Jersey (“In New Jersey, nonprofit at center of education conflict,” Tuesday) creates confusion around a straightforward set of facts.
TENNESSEE
Concerned MNPS Parents Seek Better Options
NewsChannel5, TN, January 18, 2012
If you ask people to rate Metro Nashville’s Public Schools, some will say it leaves a lot to be desired.
Tennessee Teachers Urge Evaluation Changes
The Tennessean, TN, January 19, 2012
The Tennessee Education Association is calling on Gov. Bill Haslam and state lawmakers to revise the state’s new teacher evaluation system and throw out the results from this year.
VIRGINIA
Patrick Henry Aims To Show That It Is Delivering An Innovative Curriculum
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, January 19, 2012
For his second-grade science class project at the Patrick Henry School for Science and the Arts, Connor Long devised a clever way to help his father move big logs more easily.
VIRGINIA
Fairfax Teacher Proposes Charter School
Washington Post, DC, January 18, 2012
Charter schools have boomed nationwide in recent years, buoyed by bipartisan support from politicians such as President Obama and former Florida governor Jeb Bush. But they have barely gained a foothold in Virginia.
WASHINGTON
Charter Schools Measure Revived And Debated In State Senate
Daily Herald, WA, January 19, 2012
Those wanting to lift the state’s ban on charter schools ran smack into opposition Wednesday from teachers, principals and school board members.
Lawmakers, Not Judges Form Education Funding Plan
The Olympian, WA, January 19, 2012
The state constitution says that public education – kindergarten through high school – is the paramount duty of the state. But there’s a problem. The state Supreme Court, in a strongly worded ruling, said state lawmakers are not living up to that constitutional responsibility.
Proposed Solutions Don’t Hold Up
Seattle Times, WA, January 18, 2012
Two Washington state legislators claim to have found a fix for public education [“Kick-starting education reform,” Opinion, Jan. 18].
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
Starting Next Month, Online Learning Program Comes to St. Joseph by-the-Sea HS
Staten Island Advance, NY, January 18, 2012
Students at St. Joseph by-the-Sea High School will take a giant step into the future of learning via the “virtual classroom” when Sea becomes the first Staten Island high school to offer online instruction.
Miami-Dade School Board Rejects Virtual Charter Schools
Miami Herald, FL, January 18, 2012
Four proposals to build Internet-only charter schools were turned down, but more applications are expected in the next few months.
Michigan Education Association Leaders Say Virtual Charter Schools Are Designed For Profits, Not Students
Grand Rapids Press, MI, January 18, 2012
Teachers union leaders lashed out at plans to eliminate the cap on virtual charter schools, telling state House Education Committee members that the schools are interested only in profits.
Lawmakers Advance Online Learning Rule With Caveat
Idaho Press Tribune, ID, January 18, 2012
State lawmakers advanced a rule requiring high school students to take at least two credits online to graduate, but with the understanding that education officials will remove a stipulation on how the courses are delivered.