Daily Headlines: April 2, 2012
Democratic Mayors Challenge Teachers Unions In Urban Political Shift
Washington Post, DC, March 31, 2012
As a young labor organizer in Los Angeles , Antonio Villaraigosa worked for the city’s teachers, honing his political skills in the fight for a good contract. The union loved him back, supporting the Democrat’s election to the State Assembly, City Council and, finally, the mayor’s office he occupies today.
Private School: The Future of Education, for Good and Ill
Forbes, April 1, 2012
The quality of America’s public school system — not just in terms of how well students are taught to excel at subjects taught in college — has driven parents toward private schools even as parents of all tax brackets struggle to find their way beyond public schools.
FROM THE STATES
Charter Bill Has Problems
The Decatur Daily, AL, April 1, 2012
A few states have laws that managed to create beneficial charter schools without devastating public schools in the process. A bill pending in the Alabama Legislature, however, fails to find this balance.
Superintendents May Be Worried About Themselves
Press Register, AL, April 2, 2012
There are two thoughts that come readily to mind regarding the article “Supers: Reject Charter Schools” in the March 24 Press-Register.
Academy Tries To Make Name For Self In
Yuma Sun, AZ, April 1, 2012
A Phoenix-area social service organization is finding it has some work to do to earn this community’s support of its plans to open a charter high school.
Fresno Charter School Offers A Fresh Approach To Learning
Fresno Bee, CA, March 31, 2012
The more I look into Fresno’s high dropout rate, the more I’m convinced students and parents don’t know all their options
Oakland Plan Makes Teachers Compete For Their Jobs
San Francisco Chronicle, CA, March 31, 2012
As part of a radical plan to reform three failing high schools in Oakland , current teachers who want to stay will have to compete for their jobs with outside applicants.
Restore the Malloy Plan for Education
The Republican American, CT, April 1, 2012
Connecticut is at a fork in the road on education. We can perpetuate a system with our nation’s biggest achievement gap between students in low-income and higher-income schools; or we can chart a bold new course that will give every child the opportunity for a great education and the skills to pursue a meaningful career.
Unions Call Shots On Education Bill
New Haven Register, CT, March 31, 2012
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’ bold plan for education reform is being run through the legislative sausage grinder. And, the state’s teacher unions are turning the crank. The bill that emerged from the legislature’s Education Committee after closed-door negotiations with union leaders is a step, but only a step, in the right direction.
Denver Public Schools Can Better Improve Through Charter Schools, Study Says
Denver Post, CO, April 2, 2012
Denver Public Schools may be able to more quickly improve performance through charter schools than by using federal turnaround strategies for the entire system, according to a report out today.
Interest Surges In Moving Kids Into Out-Of-Boundary D.C. Schools
Washington Examiner, DC, April 1, 2012
Parents’ interest in sending their child to a D.C. Public Schools campus away from their own neighborhood surged this year, with 10 percent more applications submitted for the “out-of-boundary lottery” than last year.
Why Parents are Choosing Charter Schools
Bradenton Times, FL, March 31, 2012
A recent article published in the Bradenton Times, “Charter Schools Are Moving the Ball,” spurned a short debate via Facebook amongst teachers and parents. I read the article and can understand some of their confusion and misguided arguments. Charter schools are publicly funded, but they are currently funded at a lower dollar amount per student than traditional public schools. The local effort, derived from tax payer money, is collected by the county and then distributed to the district schools, but not shared with the local charter schools.
Charter School Bill Is Challenged
Honolulu Star-Advertiser, HI, April 2, 2012
A new provision in the charter school reform bill would exempt the public charter school system from the state Ethics Code, despite a recent auditor’s report that lambasted a few charters for unethical and improper spending and employment practices.
Schools, Union Far Apart On Salary Negotiations
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 1, 2012
The first round of negotiations between the Chicago Public Schools and the teachers union went squarely to the district, which will get its way in weighing student performance more heavily in teacher evaluations.
From Leading Students To Leading Teachers: Group Works To Make Schools Better
Times-Picayune, LA, April 1, 2012
This is the leap that Elizardi and the rest of the staff at Leading Educators, a New Orleans-based nonprofit group, are trying to help teachers make: to go from leading students to leading teachers.
Changes Loom For Charters
The Advocate, LA, April 2, 2012
Despite getting little attention, one of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s education bills nearing final approval could pave the way for a huge expansion of charter schools in Louisiana, and change the way they operate.
Protesters Show Support For School
Frederick News Post, MD, April 2, 2012
Supporters of a proposed charter school took to the streets Sunday to express their anger over a setback they said is the result of a politically motivated decision by school board members.
Charter Schools Measure In Doubt
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, April 1, 2012
A bill that would ease allowances for charter schools in Mississippi seems destined to die in a House committee, some members say.
Nerad: Narrowing Gap A Work In Progress In Madison
Omaha World-Herald, NE, April 1, 2012
The push to raise achievement for minority and low-income students in Madison Metropolitan School District remains “a work in progress,” said Superintendent Daniel Nerad.
School District Wins
Las Vegas Review-Journal , NV, April 1, 2012
Arbitration is an inherently unpredictable process. So the taxpayers dodged a bullet last week when the Clark County School District prevailed in a dispute with the teacher union over retirement pay.
Our Best-Funded Schools Are The Worst
Las Vegas Review-Journal , NV, April 1, 2012
We’ve all heard the argument from teacher unions, their lap dogs in the Legislature and other big-government boosters: Schools get better only when we spend more on them. After all, five-star schools in affluent neighborhoods are knocking it out of the park because we spend the most money on them, while we force one-star campuses in poorer areas to limp along on couch change. Right?
‘Camden Kid’ Wants To Give Back With Charter School
Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ, April 2, 2012
Now Katz wants to make sure a new generation from his hometown doesn’t feel different. The latest part of that plan is to open a charter school at the site where his synagogue once stood.
Let Me Learn Teaching System Identifies Student Strengths, Weaknesses
Press of Atlantic City, NJ, March 31, 2012
Starting in September, Let Me Learn also will be the core of the new public Compass Academy Charter School in Vineland , making students active participants in their own learning.
Emily Fisher Charter School Wrestling With Poor Student Performance, Attendance And Curriculum Problems Since 2007
Times of Trenton, NJ, April 2, 2012
Some nontraditional classroom exercises have played a role in the state Department of Education’s decision not to renew the charter for the Emily Fisher school, an institution open since 1998.
School Closing Plan Dominates Newark Board Election
Star-Ledger, NJ, April 1, 2012
The old political adage says, “Elections have consequences.” And though Newark ’s school advisory board has had virtually no authority since 1995, the trope still rings true in the annual race to fill three seats on the nine-member board.
Some of Christie’s Biggest Bills Match Model Legislation From D.C. Group Called ALEC
Star-Ledger, NJ, April 1, 2012
Let’s say you’re a state lawmaker, passionate about charter schools, and you want to turn this passion into laws that create social change. What you need are bills. And you want them fast — ready-made, just add water, written in language that can withstand partisan debate and legal scrutiny. There is a place that has just what you want.
A New Charter School Poses the Question: Is There Room for One More?
WNET, NY, April 2, 2012
In a shared Brooklyn school building, the New York City Department of Education has asked four existing schools to make room for one more. But educators, students and community members at the border of the Clinton Hill and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods are responding with a clear message: “No vacancy.”
Teacher Ratings on Display
New York Post, NY, April 1, 2012
Teachers-union members have made it clear that they don’t like The Post’s publicizing their dismal test scores (“More Teacher Thuggery,” Editorial, March 27).
Albany Eyeing Ways to Shield Teacher Data
Wall Street Journal, March 31, 2012
A top Albany lawmaker said Friday that restrictions on public access to schoolteacher evaluations could be taken up as soon as legislators return from a two-week hiatus in mid-April.
Governor Hopefuls Differ On Education
Charlotte Observer, NC, April 2, 2012
RALEIGH North Carolina’s race for governor offers sharply different views about the state of public education. Democrats argue that the system is slowly being starved of funds, while Republican Pat McCrory says reform is needed more than money.
Mishandled Finances Not Uncommon in Charter Schools
Columbus Dispatch, OH, April 2, 2012
Spend first, ask permission later, and don’t bother with receipts. The loose financial systems at some of Ohio’s charter schools have led to questionable spending in recent years. Some schools hired treasurers with spotty track records; others hired qualified treasurers but disregarded their advice when they insisted on better checks and balances.
For Sale Or Lease: Six Schools, Grounds
Columbus Dispatch, OH, April 1, 2012
A new law in the state budget bill enacted last summer forces school districts to sell or rent buildings that haven’t been used for at least two years to interested charter schools at market value.
Charter Schools Get Boost From Busing
Akron Beacon Journal, OH, March 31, 2012
Charter schools claim to offer a superior education than that provided by traditional public schools. But Akron school officials suspect parents have another reason for choosing charter schools: free busing courtesy of the city school district they are abandoning.
Oklahoma’s Education ‘Slush Fund’ Fed By Companies That Had No-Bid Contracts With The Agency
Tulsa World, OK, April 2, 2012
More than $100,000 that went into what auditors have dubbed as state Education Department slush funds were solicited by state education officials from 31 companies that had no-bid contracts with that agency, records reveal.
Meeting to Air Views of Teacher Evaluations
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, April 2, 2012
The independent panel in charge of assessing the fairness of the new teacher evaluation process is in Memphis today, listening to comments from city and county teachers and others.
Charter School Future Uncertain, Officials Unable To Find Location
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, March 31, 2012
The fate of the Knox Charter Academy is in limbo, with school officials facing a Sunday deadline to find an acceptable location.
Memphis Tries D.C.-Style Teacher Evaluation
Washington Post, DC, March 31, 2012
Teachers here took a step last spring that seemed at first glance surprising: They chose to have their work evaluated in much the same way that their counterparts are observed and rated in D.C. public schools.
Board to Revise Equity Panel
Register-Guard, WA, April 2, 2012
In an effort to do more to close the achievement gap between white students and ethnic and racial minorities, the Eugene School Board has taken on oversight of the district’s long-standing Equity Committee, which is being restructured and needs new members.
A Road Map For Education
The Herald, WA, April 1, 2012
The Excellent Schools Now coalition, a diverse alliance of parents, teachers, students, advocates and business and community leaders, recently unveiled a common-sense plan that will help us meet Washington’s education challenges. It’s called “A+ Washington: A Way Forward for All Students,” and it’s designed to create a school system that truly prepares students to succeed in work and life.
School Officials Stand By Test Scores Despite Paper’s Findings
Seattle Times, WA, April 1, 2012
An investigation by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has identified about 200 school districts, including four in Washington state, that recently reported test-score gains the article describes as extremely improbable.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
‘Virtual Schools’ Have A Place In Iowa
Des Moines Register, IA, March 31, 2012
The two virtual schools entering Iowa have created some debate. It is my intent to sort fact from fiction regarding these highly innovative schools.
Caution On Online Learning
Sun-Sentinel, FL, March 31, 2012
The question that needs to be answered is whether online learning can be a dependable option. In Florida, where experimentation with all sorts of educational strategies has yielded mixed results, we need to know that answer.
Arizona Schools Flipping Homework, Lectures
Tucson Citizen, AZ, March 31, 2012
Katia’s teacher, Michael Schultz, is one of a growing number of teachers across the country who are embracing an innovation called the “flipped classroom,” which reverses the traditional roles of classwork and homework.