Daily Headlines for June 20, 2012
Charter Schools Fall Short on Disabled
Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2012
A new government report shows that charter schools are not enrolling as high a portion of special-education students as traditional public schools, despite federal laws mandating that publicly financed schools run by private entities take almost every disabled student seeking to enroll.
Charter Schools Still Enroll Fewer Disabled Students
New York Times, NY, June 20, 2012
Charter schools in most states continue to enroll proportionately fewer students with disabilities than traditional public schools, a new government report shows.
Winning Campaign Issue? Charter Schools
USA Today, June 19, 2012
As a veteran education reporter, I have some advice for parents listening to Mitt Romney and Barack Obama debate this issue. Tune out the phony disagreements such as school vouchers (which are unlikely to make a difference) and instead focus on where the two agree: Launch more great charter schools.
FROM THE STATES
ARIZONA
Innovation Is Name of Game For Schools Here
Yuma Sun, AZ, June 19, 2012
At the same time the Yuma Union High School District (YUHSD) is preparing to undergo a dramatic shift in its curriculum, a local elementary school district is looking at an equally innovative approach to education.
CALIFORNIA
Millennium Charter’s Delayed Opening Causes Headache For One Family
Monterey Herald, CA, June 20, 2012
A decision to postpone the opening of a college preparatory charter school left at least one family scrambling to find a high school for their son.
Suspended Charter Teacher Cites Student Test Scores In His Defense
Los Angeles Times, CA, June 20, 2012
A teacher suspended from a Green Dot-run charter high school in Inglewood says his students’ scores, and those of a fired colleague, merit consideration.
USC Releases Top 10 California Charter Schools List
89.3 KPCC , CA, June 19, 2012
The University of Southern California released its list of the top 10 charter schools in California on Tuesday, which includes two campuses in Los Angeles County .
CONNECTICUT
UConn To Oversee State’s Teacher Evaluation Program
Connecticut Post, CT, June 20, 2012
While school officials in 10 districts start observing teachers this fall as part of the state’s new teacher-evaluation program, someone from the University of Connecticut’s Neag School of Education will be observing them.
FLORIDA
Proposed Flagler Charter School Lacks Home
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL, June 20, 2012
Time is running out for a new Flagler County charter school to secure a place to host classes before school resumes in August.
GEORGIA
Innovative High School Concept Proposed in Dougherty County
WFXL FOX 31, GA, June 19, 2012
One look at the proposed charter school draft for the Albany College and Career Academy(ACCA), it becomes clear this isn’t your typical high school. The academy is designs to allow students more control of their high school career, in hopes of better preparing them for their future.
HAWAII
Charter Reform Signed Into Law, New Commission Appointed
Star Advertiser, HI, June 19, 2012
Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed legislation today to reform the governance of Hawaii’s charter schools and the Board of Education quickly appointed members to the new Public School Charter Commission that will oversee the system.
ILLINOIS
New Venture Fund to Focus on CPS Education Reform
Chicago Tribune, IL, June 20, 2012
A new venture fund devoted to education reform efforts in Chicago’s public schools is being proposed by a group of civic leaders under the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.
LOUISIANA
Alliance Helps Parents Cope
Monroe News Star, LA, June 19, 2012
We applaud parents who have taken this new opportunity to exercise parental choice by applying for the new scholarships or asking their local school board about their rights under No Child Left Behind.
MASSACHUSETTS
Excellence in Education
Boston Globe, MA, June 20, 2012
The Massachusetts Teachers Association and Stand for Children recently reached a compromise agreement on legislation that would put teacher performance over seniority in decisions about hiring, transfers, and layoffs. This is the right move for both students and teachers.
MICHIGAN
Two Giant Leaps Into Uncharted Charters
Detroit Free Press, MI, June 20, 2012
Michigan is about to take a major gamble with the futures of 2,000 children, and their parents have little say in the matter.
NEW JERSEY
Tenure Reforms Called Political
New Jersey Herald, NJ, June 19, 2012
Local school administrators are saying that two separate Assembly and state Senate bills looking to toughen teacher tenure are more of a political move that still leaves many questions unanswered.
Newark School Advisory Board Postpones Vote On Leasing District Facilities To Charter Schools
Star-Ledger, NJ, June 19, 2012
Saying the community needs to have its say, Newark’s advisory school board declined to vote Tuesday evening on a plan to lease a half-dozen district-owned facilities to six charter schools — a move that could generate $2 million for the district next school year.
Atlantic City’s Oceanside Charter School Plans $21 Million Facility After Years Of Operating In Modular Units
Press of Atlantic City, NJ, June 19, 2012
After operating out of modular classrooms for more than a decade, Oceanside Charter School has plans to open a new $21 million facility by the end of 2014.
NEW YORK
Clash Over Teacher Bill
Wall Street Journal, June 20, 2012
Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s administration on Tuesday was lobbying heavily to kill an effort by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and unions to limit the release of individual teachers’ evaluations, people familiar with the matter said.
As Year Ends, Students at Williamsburg Charter High Wonder: Will We Be Back?
New York Times Schoolbook, NY, June 19, 2012
As the school year ends, Marin Acevedo, 14, is already looking ahead to September, but the view is hazy. In January, city officials announced that they were shutting the charter school Marin attends, Williamsburg Charter High School in Brooklyn , because of concerns about its management.
Schools Done Right
New York Post, NY, June 20, 2012
New York’s Catholic schools are the little engine that could. Their success doesn’t make news because there’s nothing shocking about it. It happens routinely, year after year, student after student.
Helping Charters Serve ‘At-Risk’ Kids
New York Post, NY, June 20, 2012
What do we do about the fact that some New York charter schools don’t enroll (or retain) their “fair share” of at-risk kids? It’s a fair question — but not the “charter killer” that opponents of these innovative schools seem to think.
Harlem Hebrew Charter OK’d
Jewish Week, NY, June 19, 2012
A Hebrew charter school in Harlem may sound akin to an African-American-themed school in Borough Park or Jerusalem.
Teacher Evaluation Bill Introduced
Press & Sun-Bulletin, NY, June 19, 2012
Gov. Andrew Cuomo introduced legislation late Monday to limit the public disclosure of new teacher evaluations, but the governor doubted that the measure would receive legislative approval before the session ends Thursday.
Charter School Closes Early
Albany Times Union, NY, June 20, 2012
A charter school slated for closure scrapped its regular calendar and shut its doors more than a week early.
NORTH CAROLINA
Wake County School Board Votes To Pursue Diversity-Based Student Assignment Plan
News & Observer, NC, June 20, 2012
In a partisan battle that raged into the early hours of Wednesday morning, members of the Wake County school board’s Democratic majority passed a motion calling for a return to a diversity-based student assignment plan for the 2013-14 school year.
Misconceptions on Charters Need Clarification
Herald Sun, NC, June 19, 2012
It has been just over a year since the passage of Senate Bill 8, which lifted the cap on charter schools in North Carolina. Nine of 27 “fast track” charter applications were approved and are expected to open this fall, and some 60-plus are undergoing the current review process with hopes of opening in 2013. But the passage of SB8 has had other effects, including efforts to cap charter school offerings in Durham .
Only One New Proposed Durham Charter Recommended For Next Step
Herald Sun, NC, June 19, 2012
Yvette Munroe, the leader of a planned Durham charter school called the Institute for Development of Young Leaders, may have reason to be optimistic today.
OHIO
Charter-School Treasurer’s Accounting Questioned In State Audit
Columbus Dispatch, OH, June 20, 2012
The state auditor says another charter-school treasurer is responsible for misspending about $170,000 in taxpayer money and has committed ethical misdeeds.
A Full Accounting
Columbus Dispatch, OH, June 20, 2012
If an investigation proves some Columbus City Schools officials are falsifying student-attendance records to make schools’ performance ratings look better, the district should come clean with the details, however embarrassing. The allegations are so troubling that only a full and honest accounting will clear the air.
PENNSYLVANIA
New Jersey Tenure Reform Proposals Are A Good First Step
Leigh Valley Express-Times, PA, June 20, 2012
The New Jersey Legislature is moving closer toward enacting substantial reforms of its century-old teacher tenure system. That much is cause for hope.
RHODE ISLAND
Commissioner Gist Recommends Closure of Failing Providence Charter School
Go Local Prov , RI, June 20, 2012
Education Commissioner Deborah Gist is recommending that the Board of Regents close a Providence charter school that has “consistently failed to educate their students in math,” according to Thursday’s meeting agenda.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Don’t Disguise Tax Break As Choice
Greenville News, SC, June 20, 2012
A school choice bill that would have created a tax deduction for families whose children are enrolled in private schools mercifully died in the Senate during the past legislative session. The idea of school choice is gaining increasing traction every year, however, and surely will be back before the Legislature in some incarnation when the General Assembly reconvenes in January.
TENNESSEE
SCORE Should Revamp System On Evaluations
Clarksville Leaf Chronicle, TN, June 19, 2012
We believe Gov. Bill Haslam was on the right track when he commissioned an education foundation to study the state’s current teacher evaluation system.
Charters Give Parents Options
The Tennessean, TN, June 19, 2012
It’s about time that families and students are able to make up their minds on getting a good education. The public education system in America is flawed — as the statistics show.
VIRGINIA
Program Could Be A Virginia Beach Charter School
The Virginian-Pilot, VA, June 20, 2012
School leaders seem to have found a way to help fund the International Baccalaureate program they want to put at Green Run High: Make it a charter school.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
Bridging the Digital Divide in America’s Rural Schools
MSNBC, June 20, 2012
Rural schools have long been leaders in distance-learning and online education — to offer a full slate of courses to their students, they’ve had to be. In fact, Edison has a fully online school that enrolls about 100 other students in the district.
Pittston Area Hoping To Offer Cyber School
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA, June 20, 2012
In an effort to reclaim tax dollars, Pittston Area School District is hoping to offer a virtual learning option as a substitute for a traditional schoolhouse education.
Cyber School Competition Is Good For Every District
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, June 20, 2012
I am writing in response to the recent article “Pittsburgh Public Schools Mulls Online Education” (June 13). I do agree with the district’s chief academic officer, Jerri Lynn Lippert: Schools need to be competitive.
Struthers Board Starts Its Own Cyber School
Youngstown Vindicator, OH, June 19, 2012
To lure students back from cyber schools, the Struthers School District is opening one of its own. The school board voted 4-1 Tuesday to approve a one-year contract with VLN Partners, a cyber-curriculum provider that now serves 40 school districts in Pennsylvania .
Streetsboro Schools Receive $80,000 Grant To Improve Online Classroom Technologies
Gateway News, OH, June 20, 2012
The Streetsboro City School District plans to purchase 30 new computers plus a SMART board with money from an $80,000 Blended Learning grant that was awarded to the school system by the Ohio Etech Commission.
Cyber School Law Lacks Accountability
Detroit News, MI, June 20, 2012
School is out for summer, and in 2013, as many as 150,000 Michigan students may not go back. Their classes will be conducted online, and the quality of their education is likely to suffer for it.
Logrolling Claim Could Stem From Oklahoma Virtual Charter School Bill
The Oklahoman, OK, June 20, 2012
IN recent years, the Oklahoma Supreme Court has struck down several laws for violating a constitutional prohibition on placing multiple subjects into a single bill, a practice known as “logrolling.”
Virtual Educators To Brief Locals On Statewide Public School
Tri-Parish Times, LA, June 19, 2012
Representatives with a statewide online public school will host an information session in Houma tomorrow evening.