Daily Headlines: April 30, 2012
Common Core Standards Drive Wedge In Education Circles
USA Today, April 29, 2012
A high-profile effort by a pair of national education groups to strengthen, simplify and focus the building blocks of elementary and secondary education is finally making its way into schools. But two years ahead of its planned implementation, critics on both the right and left are seizing upon it.
FROM THE STATES
Respect, Expectations Key To School’s Future
East Valley Tribune, AZ, April 29, 2012
As a “turnaround” principal, Ray Chavez has a daunting task before him: Transform Mesa’s Carson Junior High School from a low-performing underachiever into an academic success. After Carson was found to be failing for five years under the federal No Child Left Behind law, the Mesa Unified School District was required to take drastic steps to “turn around” the school.
VISTA Joining Stockton’s Charter School Landscape in Sept.
Stockton Record, CA, April 30, 2012
Another charter school is coming to Stockton, this one established by the group that butted heads in recent months with Stockton Unified over control of Stockton Early College Academy .
Parent Trigger Misfires, Again
San Bernardino Sun, CA, April 28, 2012
The Adelanto Elementary School District Board of Trustees boldly stood up for students and the rights of all parents in the school community by rejecting an attempt led mainly by a group of outside organizers to shut down an elementary school, replace the entire staff, and create a privately managed charter school.
Questions of Tenure, Union’s Role
La Canada Valley Sun, CA, April 28, 2012
Mandy Redfern, president of the LCUSD teachers’ union, recently derided efforts to reform teacher tenure, suggesting tenure was far from “the problem” (“Blaming teachers union is wrong tactic,” op-ed, April 22). She minimizes both the laboriousness of the process and the role of the union.
Education Reform In Connecticut A ‘Work In Progress’
Middletown Press, CT, April 29, 2012
The latest version of education reform continues to restrict the power of the commissioner, elevates the role of the University of Connecticut ’s education school to administer a teacher evaluation model and makes sure the unions get to negotiate changes at turnaround schools.
Evaluation Plan Imposes Professional Standards On New London Teachers
The Day, CT, April 30, 2012
The aim of the new evaluation system is to clearly outline what’s expected of a teacher in the classroom, give a teacher ways to improve instructional practices and, ultimately, to raise student academic performance levels.
Charter Schools Are Forcing DCPS to Improve
Washington Examiner, DC, April 28, 2012
When Congress passed the 1995 D.C. School Reform Act, establishing charter schools, the law was attacked by the Washington Teachers’ Union as a wasteful diversion of tax dollars. The union said the money would be better spent improving existing public schools. But more than a decade later, public charter schools are improving the District’s regular DCPS schools by providing them with much-needed competition, just as charters’ proponents predicted.
Charter Schools Get A Second Helping of Free Money
Miami Herald, FL, April 28, 2012
Established charter schools are able to tap into grants meant to help start-ups by nesting schools within schools. Sometimes the two schools share everything, from staffers to teachers to buildings
Public Schools Must Do Better At Selling Themselves
Orlando Sentinel, FL, April 28, 2012
Administrators of traditional public schools must see the decline and potential demise of the U.S. Postal Service and shudder.
Redistricting, Charter Schools Discussed at Richmond County District 5 Breakfast
Augusta Chronicle, GA, April 28, 2012
Charter schools and redistricting were the big issues addressed Saturday at the District 5 Quarterly Breakfast at the Henry Brigham Com¬munity Center.
Sweeping Changes To Hit Schools
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, April 30, 2012
Kindergartners won’t be waiting until the first grade to learn about shapes. Classwork on comparative and superlative adjectives will begin in the third grade instead of the seventh grade. And as soon as students hit the sixth grade, they’ll start learning about negative numbers, a grade earlier than in school years past.
Charter School Happy With First Year
Journal Courier, IL, April 30, 2012
Things like town hall, advisory, enrichment courses and community involvement all help with the school’s mission to educate the child as a whole — to prepare them “academically, socially and emotionally” to succeed in college prep classes at the secondary level.
CPS Principals Facing Longer Day To Get $130M Boost
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 30, 2012
But official says total cost of extra time hard to compute; critic fears more cuts, seeks details
CPS Must Spend $16M On Tutoring — Or It Loses The Funds
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 30, 2012
Cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools is racing to spend about $16 million in federal tutoring grants by the end of the summer to avoid losing the money in a program plagued by dwindling participation and financial missteps.
Momentum for School Choice (Except in Illinois)
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 28, 2012
The Bayou State is part of a “Top this!” competition among many states to open public schools to competition. Indiana has set up an expansive voucher program that covers students in families that have incomes below $61,000 a year. Wisconsin has expanded school choice programs in Milwaukee and Racine . Ohio will give tuition vouchers to as many as 60,000 students by 2013.
And Illinois ? Left in the dust.
Muncie Community Schools Trying To Lure Back Students
Muncie Star Press, IN, April 28, 2012
This school year, enrollment at Muncie Community Schools is down by 110 students. MCS is now trying to get at least some of those students back.
Vouchers Version 2.0
South Bend Tribune, IN, April 28, 2012
Welcome to Michiana Christian, a tiny nondenominational school serving kindergartners through sixth-graders that’s the area’s latest to join the School Choice voucher program.
Fate of Alice Harte Elementary, Karr High Remain Uncertain
Times Picayune, LA, April 29, 2012
A pair of competing decisions this week by the Orleans Parish School Board and the board that governs the Algiers Charter School Association has left uncertain the immediate fate of Alice Harte Elementary and Edna Karr High School .
No Good Reason To Wait On Reform Of Teacher Layoff Rules
Pioneer Press, MN, April 28, 2012
Gov. Mark Dayton has an opportunity to advance one of Minnesota’s most important education reforms. He should sign into law the measure that would end the so-called “last in, first out” practice of laying off teachers based on seniority, rather than performance.
GOP Gov Hopefuls Favor School Choice; Dems Don’t
Helena Independent Record, MT, April 30, 2012
Most Republican gubernatorial candidates want to boost competition in K-12 education by changing state law to give parents vouchers or tax credits if they send their children to private schools.
Children Lose When Unions Fight To Keep Poor Performers In The Classroom
Las Vegas Review-Journal , NV, April 29, 2012
Last month, the Nevada State Education Association voted not to endorse Democratic challenger John Oceguera in his race for Nevada’s 3rd Congressional District seat against GOP Rep. Joe Heck.
Charter Schools Surging
Concord Monitor, NH, April 28, 2012
While other states – and even some cities – boast hundreds of charter schools, after 17 years on the books, New Hampshire’s charter school law has spawned 11 public education alternatives.
Merrimack Charter School Expanding To Nashua With More Students, Staff
Nashua Telegraph, NH, April 29, 2012
It appears Nashua will get its first charter school this year after all.
With School Choice Growing, NJ Expands Options
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, April 29, 2012
With New Jersey ’s interdistrict choice program tripling in size the past two years, the Christie administration is tweaking the regulations for the program to make it available to more students.
In Perth Amboy, Politics Derailing School Reform
Star Ledger, NJ, April 29, 2012
But none of that matters much. Because Caffrey is not a great politician. Her first sin was to tell the truth about tenure — that it protects horrendously bad teachers in her district and hurts kids.
New Jersey Department of Education Looking to Evaluate School Principals
Gloucester Times Daily, NJ, April 29, 2012
The New Jersey Department of Education is creating a new Principal Evaluation Pilot Program to appraise the work of current school principals and improve the education of New Jersey children.
Parents Take Gamble for Top School Slots
Wall Street Journal, April 29, 2012
As competition has intensified for slots at the city’s elite public and private schools, a growing number of parents are pursuing both options, anxious to secure a top education for their children.
For Some Parents, Leaving a Private School Is Harder Than Getting In
New York Times, NY, April 30, 2012
Many parents have found that, after withdrawing their children from private schools in New York City , they are still expected to pay the full tuition for the coming school year.
Rent Gouging 101
New York Post, NY, April 30, 2012
A for-profit education firm is soaking taxpayers by subleasing buildings to the Brooklyn public charter schools it runs at astronomical rates — including one at an incredible 1,000 percent markup, sources said.
SUNY Must Keep Up The Fight For More Charter Schools
New York Daily News, NY, April 29, 2012
The anti-charter school forces have opened a new front in the war against the city’s most successful education reform movement.
State Should Step In
Buffalo News, NY, April 29, 2012
We’re not sure exactly what a state takeover of the Buffalo Public School District would accomplish, but like Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes, who has suggested that possibility, we’re sure that nothing else has worked. Assuming the matter of teacher evaluations remains unresolved, this is a possibility the state should aggressively pursue.
Public Evals Raise Lots of Dangers
Journal News, NY, April 28, 2012
Your editorial charges teacher evaluation bills sponsored by state Sen. Greg Ball, R-Patterson; Assemblywoman Ellen Jaffee, D-Suffern; and Assemblywoman Sandy Galef, D-Ossining, as inhibiting teacher accountability because they prevent mass distribution of teacher evaluations to the general population. I would have preferred your editorial to be more informative instead of promoting accountability without clear thinking.
Mixed Reactions To Teacher Tenure Proposal
Blue Ridge Times News, NC, April 29, 2012
State legislators are considering doing away with teacher tenure in North Carolina, but some teachers question the motivation behind the proposal.
Some Charter School Supporters Urge Opposition To Cleveland Schools Reform Legislation
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, April 29, 2012
Some charter school backers say the Cleveland school reform legislation would unfairly limit school choice options in the city and are taking their concerns directly to state lawmakers.
Breakthrough Charter Schools Play Central Role in Cleveland School District’s Plans
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, April 29, 2012
Charter schools were once the bad guys in the minds of school district officials, who considered them a horde of profiteers out to pillage students and dollars from traditional public schools.
Angry Church Meeting Decries Philadelphia’s School Reorganization Plan
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 30, 2012
About 200 people attended a quickly convened town-hall-style meeting at a church Sunday night to decry a Philadelphia School District plan that would close dozens of schools and shift thousands of students into charter schools.
Phila. Children Deserve Better
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 29, 2012
After days of listening intently to public responses to a draft plan that could transform our broken and broke public education system, I’m hearing one common thread in the conversation: All children in this city deserve better than the status quo.
Charter School Options Mulled After Meetings
Perry County Times, PA,April 30, 2012
Organizers of Green Valleys Charter School are trying to map a path forward after poor response to a series of six informational meetings held in February and March.
New Teacher Evaluation System Is A Lot Of Talk — But So Far That’s Good
York Daily Record, PA, April 29, 2012
Some local educators trying out an observation tool to be used in a new evaluation system for teachers in the future said it’s more time consuming, but worthwhile in the end.
Under A New Process, SRC Renews Charters For Two Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 28, 2012
The Philadelphia School Reform Commission began a new process Friday morning for handling charter-renewal applications by renewing charters of two schools that agreed to limit enrollment and meet other conditions.
Education Leader Sees No Reform In Phila. Plan
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 29, 2012
Diane Ravitch, education historian and pointed observer of the American educational scene, came to Philadelphia last week to speak at a math teachers’ convention.
City Schools Need Reform, Not Revolution
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 30, 2012
Like Veterans Stadium and the Spectrum, the Philadelphia School District is about to be blown up. The School Reform Commission announced plans last week to close 40 schools next year and two dozen more by 2017. It also plans to allow outside organizations to make proposals to run groups of schools.
School Choice: Duquesne’s Best Education Option Is Outsourcing
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, April 28, 2012
There are platitudes aplenty when the topic is children, but most of the warm, fuzzy sentiment seems to evaporate when the topic is specifically the children of the Duquesne City School District . Their plight is living in a district so dysfunctional that it has been run by a state board for years, with instruction and learning so inadequate that students routinely fail to meet minimum standards, and where neighbors, in large measure, don’t want to be part of a solution.
Slates Vie For Positions With City Teacher Union
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, April 30, 2012
Two slates of candidates are running for leadership of the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers.
School Choice Gives Poor Children Options
Island Packet, SC, April 29, 2012
H. 4894 primarily supports low-income students and students with special educational needs, who are eligible for scholarships of up to $5,000 and $10,000 respectively. Considering that the median tuition for private schools in South Carolina is about $4,400, this bill represents significant help for struggling families. These scholarships are funded by contributions from individuals and businesses to nonprofit scholarship entities.
Mississippi Charter School Bill Is Dead, Or Is It?
Commercial Appeal, TN, April 28, 2012
Charter schools legislation is dead — or it could be alive and well. It all depends on who you ask as the Mississippi Legislature trudges toward adjournment in early May.
Charter School Asks For 6-Month Extension To Find Knox Location
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, April 30, 2012
Officials with the Knoxville Charter Academy are asking for a six-month extension to their agreement with Knox County Schools to allow them to continue to look for a location for the school.
MCS, SCS Collaborate Ahead of Consolidation
Commercial Appeal, TN, April 30, 2012
The second-floor passageway between the side-by-side central offices of Memphis and Shelby County Schools has gotten a workout since Memphis voters decided to merge the two systems last March.
Charter School Group Right To Reapply
Jackson Sun, TN, April 29, 2012
We are disappointed that the Tennessee Board of Education voted to deny a charter school application to Connections Preparatory Academy in Jackson. It would have been Jackson-Madison County’s first charter school.
KIPP Academy Charter School Will Undergo $16 Million Renovation
The Tennessean, TN, April 29, 2012
The vintage 1930s Highland Heights school used by KIPP Academy charter students will keep its facade, but the rest of the building will be torn down and replaced with new construction.
Charter Has Big Plans for S.A.
San Antonia Express News, TX, April 29, 2012
Less than five hours south of San Antonio, the city can see its educational future in a growing network of charter schools in the Rio Grande Valley .
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
Virtual Learning Expands School
Westerly Sun, RI, April 27, 2012
A story earlier this week explained how Westerly High School students are taking part in a program called Virtual High School. Many people wonder: can students really learn when they take online classes?
School Wants To Woo Online Students Back
The Review, OH, April 30, 2012
The village school district intends to become more aggressive in wooing back students lost to online schools.
Laptops Replace Lectures In Some Area Schools
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, April 28, 2012
Last year, Kim Crosby spent about 80% of her class time teaching math concepts at Waukesha STEM Academy. For the other 20%, she helped students individually.
Southern Lab to Offer Online Curriculum
The Advocate, LA, April 29, 2012
Southern University Lab School announced Friday that it is hiring the for-profit K12 virtual school company to offer a full complement of online courses for 200 students next school year in grades kindergarten to 12.