Daily Headlines for June 19, 2012
New Venture Connects US Teachers Online
Associated Press, June 19, 2012
Discussing education reform at Stanford University last year, the leader of one of the nation’s largest teacher unions decided to turn the tables and ask a question of the audience.
The Middle School Conundrum
New York Times, NY, June 18, 2012
You don’t have to have to read all the studies to know that the ages between 10 and 13 are socially awkward ones. But they are also important ones academically, crucial in determining college and career outcomes. Would these preteens be better off staying in an elementary school that covers kindergarten through eighth grade? Or is there a reason why this age group needs to be sectioned off into a separate middle school?
Congress to Restore D.C. School Vouchers
Washington Examiner, DC, June 19, 2012
Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said Monday that they intend to restore funding for a school voucher program in the District that President Obama wants to cut.
Summer School for Everyone
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, June 19, 2012
Let’s suppose you could dramatically boost the academic achievement of America’s poorest children simply by sending your own kids to school during the summer. Would you?
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
Long Beach School Board Rejects Rosie The Riveter Charter Renewal
Long Beach Press Telegram, CA, June 18, 2012
The Long Beach Unified School District won’t renew Rosie the Riveter High School’s charter because of concerns about the school’s financial stability, officials decided Monday.
Clayton Valley High Graduates Consider New Charter School Their Legacy
Contra Costa Times, CA, June 19, 2012
When Clayton Valley High converts to a charter school in the fall, many students will benefit from the legacy left behind by this year’s seniors who advocated tirelessly for the change.
A New Tack On Funding California’s Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, June 18, 2012
Gov. Brown is on the right path with a more logical, needs-based plan, but accountability is lacking.
FLORIDA
Department of Labor Gets OK to Sue Charter School
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, FL, June 18, 2012
A federal judge has ruled that the U.S. Department of Labor can sue a local charter school that it says fired a theater worker because he reported electrical safety problems to the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
GEORGIA
Poll On Charter-School Amendment Shows Support For Measure
Augusta Chronicle, GA, June 18, 2012
Supporters of an amendment to the Georgia Constitution to empower the state to grant charters to local schools start the campaign with a majority on their side, according to the first survey made public.
ILLINOIS
Chicago’s School Showdown
Wall Street Journal, June 18, 2012
Chicago’s teacher union has announced that more than 90% of its members have voted to authorize a strike in the event that the union and school district don’t agree on a new contract by next fall. The vote’s not exactly something to brag about, and it helps illustrate just how out of touch the teachers union is.
INDIANA
Marshall Academy Pleased As 175 Enroll
The Journal Gazette, IN, June 19, 2012
The school board of the Fort Wayne Urban League’s planned charter school expressed positive feelings about the number of students who have pledged to enroll.
Charter Attracts Mostly FWCS Residents
News-Sentinel, IN, June 19, 2012
A breakdown by residency provided to the Thurgood Marshall Leadership Academy board on Monday shows the majority of the school’s 175 applicants live within the boundaries of Fort Wayne Community Schools.
LOUISIANA
Charter School Teacher Certification Questioned
The Advocate, LA, June 19, 2012
A new state law that allows uncertified teachers to teach in charter schools sparked controversy Monday on Louisiana’s top school board.
State School Board Signals Strong Support for Big Changes in Louisiana Education Policy
Times Picayune, LA, June 18, 2012
Louisiana’s top governing body for public schools gave preliminary approval to state Superintendent John White’s plans for implementing a broad set of changes to the state’s public education system on Monday.
Algiers Educators Counter Allegations Of Turmoil In Charter School Group
Times Picayune, LA, June 18, 2012
A group of educators from McDonogh 32 Literacy Charter School issued a rebuttal on Monday against complaints about upheaval in the Algiers Charter Schools Association. They said a turnaround consultant working in the schools is delivering a refreshing and hopeful new perspective, countering protests that he has been dictatorial and unresponsive.
Voucher School Oversight
Times Picayune, LA, June 18, 2012
As the state moves to pay for more students to attend private school this fall, one of the most important pieces is how those schools are held accountable for the academic results of those students.
MAINE
Mayor Opposes Portland Charter School
Portland Daily Sun, ME, June 18, 2012
Portland Mayor Michael Brennan came out in opposition to the idea of starting a charter school in the city.
Charter Schools Now Legal in Maine, but Battles Continue
MPBN News, ME, June 18, 2012
The Maine Charter School Commission may be the most closely-watched group of officials in state government this summer. The seven members of the commission can approve up to ten public charter schools statewide over the next decade.
MARYLAND
City School Evaluations Show Problems In Instruction
Baltimore Sun, MD, June 18, 2012
As the Baltimore school system prepares to implement a more stringent curriculum next year, sample evaluations of more than two dozen schools show that many are struggling with how to effectively teach children.
MASSACHUSETTS
Charter School Faces New Meeting Law Complaints
Gloucester Times, MA, June 19, 2012
A Gloucester parent who is already part of a lawsuit challenging the charter for the Gloucester Community Arts School has filed two Open Meeting Law complaints with the state Attorney General’s office against the school’s trustees.
MICHIGAN
Give Parents Safety Valve To Fix Schools
Detroit News, MI, June 19, 2012
New proposal would allow families an opportunity to take over failing schools when other reform efforts fail
Charter May Control Highland Park Schools
Detroit News, MI, June 19, 2012
To avoid financial collapse and keep doors open to students this fall, the entire Highland Park school district may be turned over to a charter operator.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Lynch Vetoes Education Tax Credit Bill; House, Senate Could Override
Nashua Telegraph, NH, June 19, 2012
In vetoing a bill offering business tax credits that support nonpublic schools, Gov. John Lynch said the plan was poorly targeted to students most in need and could raise local property taxes.
NEW JERSEY
State Senate Committee Approves Bill That Links Teacher Tenure To Performance
Star-Ledger, NJ, June 18, 2012
The first major change to New Jersey’s tenure law a century, but one that leaves intact the practice of laying off teachers based on seniority, won unanimous backing today of a Senate committee.
NJ Court Ends Emily Fisher Charter School’s Fight to Stay Open
The Trentonian, NJ, June 19, 2012
It’s over. Emily Fisher Charter School lost its fight to stay open as a state court denied a request from the 14-year-old charter school that sought to block the New Jersey Department of Education’s shutdown order from taking effect.
NEW YORK
Cuomo Tries to Save Teacher Rankings Deal
Wall Street Journal, June 19, 2012
Gov. Andrew Cuomo made a last-minute bid late Monday just before midnight to salvage a possible deal with teachers unions and lawmakers to limit the public disclosure of teacher evaluations.
No Deal Is Good Deal
New York Post, NY, June 19, 2012
A hard-fought union effort to construct an impenetrable wall of secrecy around teacher-evaluation data fell short in Albany yesterday, when Gov. Cuomo failed to strike a last-minute deal with the Legislature.
NORTH CAROLINA
Wake School Board To Vote On Changing Student Assignment Plan
News & Observer, NC, June 19, 2012
Here’s what years of heated debate about finding a new way to assign Wake County public school students may be about to bring – a chastened version of the old plan.
Fort Bragg Withdraws From Effort To Start Charter School On Post
Fayetteville Observer, NC, June 18, 2012
Fort Bragg officials have pulled out of efforts to start a charter high school on post, citing a conflict of interest.
Court Ends Charter Schools’ Lawsuit Against CMS
Charlotte Observer, NC, June 18, 2012
Mecklenburg County commissioners were notified Monday that the N.C. Supreme Court has ended a three-year legal battle over whether charter schools can receive public construction money.
PENNSYLVANIA
Principals At Underachieving Camden Schools To Be Reassigned
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, June 18, 2012
The state has ordered the reassignment of at least four principals in persistently underachieving Camden City schools by fall, a move that could have a domino effect on other principals and schools in the district.
North Hills Denies Charter School Application
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, June 18, 2012
The North Hills School Board denied a revised and resubmitted application of Provident Charter School to establish a school within the district for dyslexic students in grades two through eight by a vote of 8-0 at Monday, June 18’s legislative meeting.
Now’s the Time For School Vouchers
Delaware County Daily Times, PA, June 19, 2012
Since the announcement by Archbishop Chaput in February that Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast would remain open, local legislators have heard overwhelmingly from Catholics in Delaware County about the desire and need for school choice legislation to be immediately passed. At the urging of the Archbishop, Catholics have called, written, emailed and rallied to advocate support for expanded EITC and school vouchers. And in Harrisburg, our voices have been heard.
What Philly Principals Need
Philadelphia Inquirer Blog, PA, June 18, 2012
Philadelphia School District Chief Academic Officer Penny Nixon did not mince words. “We realize we must do something about the leadership challenge that we have in Philadelphia,” said Nixon, a former principal herself. SRC member Wendell Pritchett called principals “the most important adults” in the district.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Teacher Bonus Pay Steps Toward Ballot
Sioux Falls Argus Leader, SD, June 19, 2012
Opponents of South Dakota’s new teacher bonus system turned in 30,000 signatures Monday as a step toward letting voters decide the fate of that proposal in the November election.
TENNESSEE
Unified School Board Not Unified On Some Points
Commercial Appeal, TN, June 19, 2012
Transition planners run into reluctance to accept closings, staff cuts, hard choices
UTAH
Valley Academy Charter School, Free K-7 Unique Arts And Technology Based Education
Dixie Press, UT, June 18, 2012
A school unlike any other in Washington County will be opening for the 2012-2013 school year. Valley Academy in Hurricane is a kindergarten through 7th-grade charter school. It’s a free public school that any child in Utah can attend, regardless of where they live, as long as they have transportation to the campus.