Daily Headlines: April 23, 2012
Facing a Robo-Grader? Just Keep Obfuscating Mellifluously
New York Times, NY, April 23, 2012
A recently released study has concluded that computers are capable of scoring essays on standardized tests as well as human beings do.
Putting A Number On Teachers’ Value Not An Easy Task
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, April 23, 2012
It’s a vexing and critical question for teachers, parents and students: How much does a teacher contribute to a student’s success?
FROM THE STATES
Charter Schools Closer To Better Buildings
Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, AK, April 21, 2012
When all was said and done, a pair of charter schools got exactly what they came for at Tuesday’s Mat-Su Borough Assembly meeting.
SECA Leaders To Start New School
Stockton Record, CA, April 23, 2012
Though not quite ready to unveil all their plans, independence-minded leaders of Stockton Early College Academy say they have relented in their efforts to break away from Stockton Unified and instead intend to open their own rigorous charter high school.
Opponents Seek Restraining Order Over Doyle Park Closure
Press Democrat, CA, April 22, 2012
The civil rights group that sued Santa Rosa City Schools officials over the closure of Doyle Park Elementary School is to appear before a judge today to seek a temporary restraining order to halt closure efforts.
KIPP San Francisco Bay Academy Embraces High-Tech Tools
San Francisco Examiner, CA, April 23, 2012
The Bay Area may be a cradle for technological innovation, but chronic funding shortages often prevent high-tech tools from being used in public school classrooms.
Parents Want to Open A ‘Social-Emotional Learning’ Charter School in Redwood City
San Jose Mercury News, CA, April 21, 2012
A Redwood City parents group is working to open a charter school next year that would focus on students’ emotional growth as well as academics — a popular educational model offered at some local private schools.
Inland Empire District Charts Its Own Course To Success
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 22, 2012
Corona-Norco Unified gives teachers the freedom to experiment instead of prescribed lesson plans, boosting scores and graduation rates in the heavily Latino, low-income district.
2 State Bills On Teacher Misconduct Pass Hurdles
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 23, 2012
The California Senate bill would modify the dismissal process for teachers accused of serious misconduct involving sex, violence or drugs. The Assembly bill deals with a wider range of offenses.
California’s Pension Tax
Wall Street Journal, April 23, 2012
California Governor Jerry Brown is trying to sell his tax hike to voters this November by saying it will go to schools. The dirty little secret is that the new revenues are needed to backfill the insolvent teachers pension fund.
Denver Green School Breaks Ground For New Middle School — And A New Garden
Denver Post, CO, April 23, 2012
The 2-year-old facility in southeast Denver is an “innovation school” — a special category that falls somewhere between a neighborhood school and a charter school, and that allows more flexibility in curriculum development.
Education Reform: Malloy Offers Compromise On Tenure
Connecticut Mirror, CT, April 20, 2012
State legislators have made it clear they do not support a statewide policy of tying teacher tenure and pay to performance evaluations before the end of the coming school year. But will they support trying it out in 10 districts first?
Charter Schools Are Trial-And-Error Process
The News Journal, DE, April 21, 2012
The purpose of charter schools is to explore new ways to improve public education. It was expected that some innovations might fail while others would have varying degrees of success. The results of these efforts were to be shared with all public schools and implemented, where possible, for the benefit of all students. The goal is to help every student realize his or her full potential. The goal is to “max every child.”
Growing Roots For More STEM
Washington Post, DC, April 22, 2012
Local technology companies, concerned by a growing pool of jobs and an inadequate number of qualified employees, have increasingly focused on initiatives to improve what they call STEM — science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
District Charter Schools Set To Expand
Washington Examiner, DC, April 22, 2012
The District’s booming charter school network is set to expand further Monday evening when school leaders vote on 11 wide-ranging applications to open schools.
FCAT Tests The Performance Of Region’s Charter Schools Vs. Public Schools
Naples News, FL, April 22, 2012
There’s close competition between local charter and traditional public schools to see which students can perform best on the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test as testing wraps up this week.
Manatee Overhauling Its School System
Herald Tribune, FL, April 22, 2012
Facing that hard reality that their schools are not getting better, Manatee County school leaders are embarking on a dramatic instructional overhaul to undo a top-down management system they say has failed its schools and students.
Back Effective Teachers
News-Press, FL, April 21, 2012
The Lee and Collier communities came together earlier this month at each county’s Golden Apple Awards banquet to celebrate teaching excellence.
Saving Our Children
Augusta Chronicle, GA, April 21, 2012
There was a “Save Our Schools” rally Saturday in Hephzibah to oppose state-approved charter schools. Save our schools? From what? Other schools? And why? Because today’s schools are doing so well? “I think we ought to be talking about Saving Our Children,” says Dr. Tony Roberts, president and CEO of the Georgia Charter Schools Association.
Board Does Most Of The Chartering
The Journal Gazette, IN, April 22, 2012
While private colleges and universities have largely shunned the opportunity to sponsor charter schools in Indiana , a new state board is flying through applications with the aid of third-party evaluators.
School Improvement Grants: Success Of Reform Program In Indiana Is Hard To Measure
Indianapolis Star, IN, April 21, 2012
Indiana is at the forefront of a massive national push, fueled by billions in federal aid, aimed at turning around the nation’s worst-performing schools.
Private Schools Should Not Get Public Money
Des Moines Register, IA, April 23, 2012
The answer to the issue of state and federal money going to private or religious scholarships and grants is quite simple: it should not.
New Orleans Charter School Students Will Visit Colleges of Their Dreams
Times Picayune, LA, April 22, 2012
Sunday afternoon, Kedrick Smothers, Chaddsity Smith and a dozen other students from New Orleans College Prep will be strolling down the streets of Cambridge, Mass. , walking the Revolutionary War Freedom Trail and eating Italian cannolis at Mike’s Pastry in Boston. They’ll also be learning what it’s like to study at Harvard University by speaking with faculty members and current students.
Lillian Lowery Named Maryland State Superintendent of Schools
Baltimore Sun, MD, April 20, 2012
An outsider with experience in leading a neighboring state through sometimes-unpopular reforms will become the next Maryland superintendent of schools, the state school board announced Friday.
Challenge To Teacher Seniority Headed Toward The Ballot
South Coast Today, MA, April 23, 2012
A ballot initiative to make teacher evaluations more important than seniority in hiring, layoff and transfer decisions is ringing alarm bells among the state’s teachers unions.
NAACP Weighs in on Charter School Closures in St. Louis
The Southeast Missourian, MO, April 23, 2012
The NAACP has sent a letter to a top Missouri education official questioning why the more than 3,500 students attending a network of soon-to-close St. Louis charter schools haven’t been given the option of transferring to accredited school districts, as allowed under state law.
In Failure Of Imagine Charter Schools, There Is Opportunity
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, April 23, 2012
In seven years, will educators and politicians across the nation be talking about St. Louis as the next New Orleans?
Struggles to Success
Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ, April 23, 2012
Unlike most Camden kids, next year he’s likely heading to an Ivy League university — if he can make the money work to attend Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y. If not, there’s always his fallback school: prestigious Georgetown University. Not bad for a kid who spent his teens living in North Camden, who flunked sixth grade — and is “only” No. 2 in his graduating class from LEAP Academy University Charter School .
Princeton International Academy Opening Remains in Limbo
Times of Trenton, NJ, April 23, 2012
The Princeton International Academy Charter School has battled local school districts, zoning boards and an administrative law judge, but its prospects for opening a dual English-Mandarin Chinese institution anytime soon remain unclear.
Gov. Christie’s Task Force Is Unschooled on Nuances of Education Funding
Star-Ledger, NJ, April 23, 2012
But this does not make him an expert on public school funding and he would be the first to admit it, despite his appointment to the New Jersey Education Funding Task Force created by Gov. Chris Christie.
Choice In Education Shouldn’t Be Restricted To The Rich
Nashua Telegraph, NH, April 22, 2012
But while many kids flourish in their assigned school, some students need a different educational environment. Every child learns differently, and every child holds within themselves their own particular genius. This potential can best be realized when a child and their families have the ability to choose what school they believe will best engage, prepare and educate them for the future.
Court Issues Stay on Williamsburg Charter Closing
New York Times Schoolbook, NY, April 23, 2012
A Brooklyn charter school won a temporary restraining order on Friday, making it the second charter school this year to successfully resist — for the moment — the city’s efforts to close it.
Parents, Staff Protest Likely Closing of Pinnacle Charter School in June
Buffalo News, NY, April 22, 2012
Parents and staff made an impassioned plea Saturday to save Pinnacle Charter School after learning the 9-year-old school would close at the end of June based on a recommendation from state education leaders.
Blame Rumore
Buffalo News, NY, April 21, 2012
When cornered, blame someone else. That’s the predictable strategy of the Buffalo Teachers Federation. The teachers union has refused to agree to a teacher evaluation system that has been adopted elsewhere around the state, yet the problem, according to BTF President Philip Rumore, is that State Education Commissioner John B. King Jr. doesn’t care about children who, Rumore says, King is using as “pawns.”
Schools Seek More Control of Tutoring
Democrat and Chronicle, NY, April 23, 2012
Villarrubia’s tutoring program is part of what has become one of the largest and costliest efforts to reach those students hanging by an academic thread. Many critics say the overall effort has been a failure for a variety of reasons.
Public School Budget Problems A Boon For Catholic Schools
Utica Observer Dispatch, NY, April 22, 2012
On Friday, the Matos family was one of a dozen families with kindergarten-age students touring Notre Dame Elementary School. Israel and Eliana Matos sought information about the school because there might not be full-day kindergarten in the Utica City School District in the fall.
Bills Want Teacher Evaluations Kept Private
The Journal New, NY, April 23, 2012
The question of whether teacher evaluations should be public information is shaping up as one of the hottest issues of the new legislative session in Albany, with three local legislators sponsoring bills that would make teachers’ report cards largely confidential.
3 Charter Schools Proposed For Area
Winston Salem Journal, NC, April 23, 2012
Three new charter schools are proposed for the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County area, including two with ties to current or former elected officials and one with a military bent.
Shared Sacrifice For Schools
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, April 21, 2012
Jackson’s well-thought-out reform plan deserves Ohio lawmakers’ prompt approval.
Special-Needs Students Seeking New Vouchers
Columbus Dispatch, OH, April 23, 2012
Special-needs students from 11 of Franklin County’s 16 school districts have applied for new taxpayer-funded vouchers to attend private schools.
Don’t Wait
Columbus Dispatch, OH, April 23, 2012
Protests from school officials and teachers who want a reprieve from tougher grading standards are predictable, but that doesn’t make them valid.
Parity Needed in Cleveland Plan for Those Using School Vouchers
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, April 21, 2012
All children deserve a quality education that best meets their learning needs, and all students in Cleveland should have access to quality schools that can provide an excellent education and encourage success.
2 Charter Schools, TPS Mend Relations
Toledo Blade, OH, April 23, 2012
Frayed relations between Toledo Public Schools and two charter schools it sponsors appear improved and the schools’ once-possible defection to the Ohio Department of Education apparently is off.
Tulsa’s Teacher Evaluation System Picked By Most Oklahoma Schools Over Two Other Renowned National Models
Tulsa World, OK, April 23, 2012
More than 400 school districts throughout the state selected a teacher evaluation system that was developed by Tulsa Public Schools over two other renowned national models.
Closing A Charter School Is A Long, Costly Process
Allentown Morning Call, PA, April 22, 2012
The Allentown School Board was hoping not to go down this path. But the facts, rattled off in measured tones by district administrators at a meeting this month, forced its hand:
At High-Poverty Schools, Lack of Stability Starts At The Top
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 23, 2012
L.P. Hill Elementary in Strawberry Mansion has gone through five principals in nine years.
Services Needed To Help More Horry County Students Succeed
Morning News, SC, April 23, 2012
A quality education is important for children. Right now, the achievement gap in Horry County schools continues to be a major cause for concern. Educators want to examine current programs and examine available resources to determine ways to help all children succeed in school.
State Nixes Charter School Bid
Jackson Sun, TN, April 21, 2012
An application to create Jackson’s first charter school was denied by the Tennessee Board of Education on Friday.
Ready or Not, TCAP Tests Raise Stakes For Students
The Tennessean, TN, April 23, 2012
They come with far higher stakes for students this year. Third-graders who don’t demonstrate basic reading skills can be held back, and the scores will count for 15-25 percent of all test-takers’ second-semester grades.
Register Making Progress on Metro Schools
The Tennessean, TN, April 23, 2012
Large organizations are difficult to change, whether it’s a business or school system. They are even more difficult to change when they have been underperforming for a long time. It takes a leader and team who are willing to make tough decisions to turn things around. In Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools, we have such a leader in Jesse Register, who’s beginning to produce results.
Demand High For Dual-Language School Serving At-Risk Students
Houston Chronicle, TX, April 22, 2012
Every year on the first day of March, just before dawn, hundreds of hopeful parents converge outside the SER-Niños Charter School.
Sliding Enrollment Means Schools To See Dip In State Money
Seattle Times, WA, April 22, 2012
Because of a lower-than-expected increase in student enrollment, Washington state’s public schools will be forced to make do with $61 million less than what had been earmarked by the state in the two-year budget passed in 2011.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
War on Public Schools
Greenville Daily Reflector, NC, April 22, 2012
One of the least discussed destructive decisions made by the General Assembly last year was the approval of a budget provision that opened the door to for profit virtual charter schools in North Carolina .
Online Teacher Of The Year Helps Children Learn In A New Way
News & Observer, NC, April 22, 2012
The honor has also put a national spotlight on the N.C. Virtual Public School , the nation’s second-largest online public school. Fetzer helped develop a program there in which online and classroom teachers pair up to teach traditional high school content to students with disabilities.
Virtual School Plans To Double Its Enrollment
Monroe News Star, LA, April 22, 2012
Louisiana Connections Academy, one of the state’s two virtual charter schools, has been approved to increase its student population for the 2012-13 school year.