Daily Headlines: April 26, 2012
The Pressure to Perform
Huffington Post Blog by Kevin P. Chavous, April 25, 2012
When many of us attended school, standardized testing didn’t bear such importance. This practice of “high stakes testing” skyrocketed after No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandated annual statewide testing in 2001. Since this act passed, testing has put a burden on our students to perform under pressure.
Grade Retention and Other Dead-End Educational Policies
The Atlantic, April 25, 2012
Education policy, like so many areas of lawmaking, is rife with reform proposals that, while attractive on paper, are supported by little or no evidence
No Child Left Inside Movement Still Faces Challenges
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 26, 2012
Noah doesn’t know it, but he’s reaping the rewards of the No Child Left Inside movement, a push to increase children’s access to outside play that gained momentum when Richard Louv’s book, Last Child in the Woods, was published in 2005.
FROM THE STATES
Somerton Charter School Moves To More Ample Location
KSWT, AZ, April 25, 2012
The only charter school in Somerton had something very special to celebrate this afternoon. Somerton school and city officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony at their new facility.
Academia Semillas, a Failing School , Escapes Closure
LA Weekly, CA, April 26, 2012
Under state law, charter schools can’t operate failing programs. Academia Semillas seemed on its way out. Then something peculiar happened.
Ten Colorado Schools Get Grants To Improve College Readiness
Denver Post, CO, April 26, 2012
Ten Colorado high schools will share a $10.5 million grant designed to close achievement gaps and improve college readiness for students by making Advanced Placement course opportunities more widely available.
Loud Crowd Greets Malloy’s Education Reform Pitch
CT Post, CT, April 26, 2012
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s personal pitch for an education reform package, which has riled teachers and won charter school support, finally reached the city Wednesday.
Duval May Approve KIPP’s Second Charter After First School Received An ‘F’
Florida Times Union, FL, April 25, 2012
Nationally known charter school network KIPP is set to open a second school in Jacksonville this fall, even though the local campus it runs now received poor marks during a recent Duval County School Board checkup.
Parents’ Plea: Keep Troubled Charter School Open
Miami Herald, FL, April 25, 2012
The parents at a South Miami Heights charter school want it to remain open — despite debt, foreclosure and accusations that administrators allowed boozy, late-night parties in the school cafeteria.
Two Atlanta Colleges To Partner With Charter Schools
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, April 26, 2012
Two Atlanta colleges have pledged to reserve spots for qualified graduates from one of the nation’s largest chain of charter schools in an effort to increase the number of low-income students earning bachelor’s degrees.
Enrollment, Finances Lower Than Projected At Cherokee Charter
Cherokee Tribune, GA, April 26, 2012
Cherokee Charter Academy’s local governance council met Wednesday morning for its monthly meeting to discuss enrollment numbers and the financial state of the school.
Schools To Get Millions In Flexible Funds To Cope With Longer Day
Chicago Sun Times, IL, April 26, 2012
Despite a massive deficit, Chicago public schools next year will receive $130 million more in flexible instructional dollars to help fill a longer school day and meet higher academic standards, officials said at Wednesday’s school board meeting.
New Evaluations Could Force LSC To Add Staff
Journal and Courier, IN, April 26, 2012
Lafayette School Corp. officials are considering hiring several full-time employees to keep up with newly required annual teacher evaluations.
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Teacher Evaluation Process Has Its Flaws
Muncie Star Press, IN, April 26, 2012
I feel obliged to respond to the “Our View” editorial, “Teachers recognized for excellence in classroom” (April 22). I was an elementary school teacher for nearly 40 years.
The idea of merit pay and rating teaching performance is not an innovative concept. It has been a consideration as long as I was associated with education. It has always been rejected because the idea is inane.
Four City Charter Schools To Move
Baltimore Brew, MD, April 25, 2012
Four Baltimore City charter schools are moving to new locations for the next school year and last night the Baltimore City school board, which oversees charter as well as traditional schools, approved three of the relocations.
Teacher Scorecards Might Sound Easy, But Good Ones Carry A Price
Pioneer Press, MN, April 26, 2012
Minnesota is in the midst of developing a new teacher evaluation system, one that Republican lawmakers would like to use to make layoff decisions based on performance rather than seniority.
Mississippi Earns ‘F’ In Education, Decides To Drop Out
Clarion Ledger, MS, April 25, 2012
With all the discussion about charter schools so far this legislative season, it should have occurred to all of us by now that what we’re really talking about is privatizing public education. The end game is to take money that had been going to public schools and turn it over to free enterprise. The end game is for the state, having failed, to drop out.
Blocking Preschool Project Funding Doesn’t Put Students First
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, April 26, 2012
Ms. Cunningham, on the other hand, is blocking an effort to fund a pilot program in Missouri that helps 3- and 4-year-olds get placed in quality preschools. The program, the Missouri Preschool Project, is run by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
High School Seniors Face Stark Reality: Pass Proficiency Test Or Don’t Graduate
Las Vegas Sun, NV, April 26, 2012
This is another in a yearlong series of stories tracking efforts by the Clark County School District to improve student performance at five struggling schools.
N.J. School Privatization Debate Rages On, Leaving Parents In The Dark
Star-Ledger, NJ, April 26, 2012
Marilyn Valentine of Franklin Township was one of the few African-Americans in the audience the other night at Highland Park’s Bartle School. She came to hear a panel discussion about charter schools. Much of the discussion was critical of state policies concerning the privately managed but publicly-funded alternatives.
Close Bad Schools, Save Their Students
New York Daily News, NY, April 26, 2012
During the last 10 years, New York City has opened 535 new schools, leading to the most dramatic improvements in student achievement in city history.
Three Charter Middle Schools Proposed for Queens
New York Daily News, NY, April 26, 2012
The latest crop of proposed charter schools in Queens has received an unusually warm welcome from local parent groups.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo Says He Will Not Approve of Making Teacher Evaluations Public
New York Daily News, NY, April 26, 2012
Gov. Cuomo flatly rejected the “total disclosure” of teacher evaluations Wednesday, putting himself at odds with Mayor Bloomberg.
Final Chance To Fight For Buffalo School Funding
WGRZ, NY, April 26, 2012
Buffalo School District officials hit the road at 7 a.m. this morning en route to Albany. They have one last chance to plea for the return of millions of dollars in federal School Improvement Grant funding to the district’s six lowest performing schools.
State Board Must Determine Need For New Charters
Winston-Salem Journal, NC, April 26, 2012
News that three Forsyth County charter-school proposals are under consideration by the State Board of Education raises a number of questions for local and state educators.
Lehigh Hosts 700 New York City Charter School Students
The Express-Times Blog, PA, April 26, 2012
On Monday morning, 700 second graders and 200 teachers and parents of the Success Academy Charter Schools in New York City visited Lehigh as part of a program that is intended to instill dreams of attending college at an early age.
St. Vrain Valley School District Board Challenges Erie Charter’s Budget
Longmont Daily Times-Call, PA, April 25, 2012
Aspen Ridge Preparatory School may or may not be in financial trouble.
The St. Vrain Valley School District Board of Education isn’t sure, because the financial documents that Aspen Ridge officials presented to the board on Wednesday night were not clear.
Woodland Hills School Board Rejects Budget Proposal
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, April 26, 2012
The Woodland Hills school board on Monday continued to discuss a proposed 2012-13 budget it unanimously rejected last week.
Pocono Mountain Charter School Gets More Scrutiny
Pocono Record, PA, April 26, 2012
A state hearing officer will be appointed to review new information in the legal fight between the Pocono Mountain School District and the Pocono Mountain Charter School .
Private School Choice Advocates Gather in Columbia
Herald-Journal, SC, April 25, 2012
Advocates of a bill helping South Carolina parents pay for private tuition are urging senators to approve it. Several dozen people wearing T-shirts that read “School Choice is the Right Choice” gathered at the Statehouse Tuesday.
TCAP Time Is More Important Than Ever
Jackson Sun, TN, April 25, 2012
Area public school students in grades 3 through 8 are in the midst of taking the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program (TCAP) tests this week. This is an especially important year for the tests, and we wish each student — and their teachers — the best of luck.
Study: Dropout Rates for Blacks Higher in Charters
Austin Chronicle, TX, April 25, 2012
A new UT study shows black high school students in Texas are three times more likely to drop out from a charter system
Teachers Union Targets Barrett Over Voucher Schools
Wis Politics, WI, April 25, 2012
WEAC has circulated a memo to members saying it endorsed Kathleen Falk in part because Tom Barrett favors expanding voucher programs and expanding taxpayer support for private schools.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
AIU Academy To Mix Online Learning With Work Experience
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, April 26, 2012
Next fall, students who are interested in attending a cyber charter school will have a new option — one that combines online learning with workplace experiences.