Obama, Romney Have Different Views On Education
USA Today, October 17, 2012
Glance at the two presidential candidates’ education plans and you may not immediately see much of a difference. Both want greater scrutiny of teacher effectiveness. Both champion privately run, but publicly funded K-12 charter schools as well as higher academic standards. Both want more high school and college graduates and a more competitive workforce.
5 Myths about Education
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, October 18, 2012
MARK TWAIN observed that “it’s not what you don’t know that kills you, it’s what you know for sure that ain’t true.” After 15 years doing fieldwork in more than 100 public schools and interviewing more than 1,000 students, parents, and educators, we’re convinced that no area is more fraught with myths and misconceptions than education policy, especially during election seasons like this one.
State Must Reject Federal Takeover Of Schools
Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, IN, October 18, 2012
Imagine the power the federal government will wield when it controls the content and perspective that will be taught to every student nationwide K-12. With virtually no public debate, Obama has quietly engineered the federal takeover of the education system nationwide.
School Law Should Be Changed, Not Skirted
Poughkeepsie Journal, NY, October 18, 2012
President Obama hasn’t had any success pushing Congress to do something it was supposed to do years ago: Review a landmark national education law and make changes where necessary.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
Families Try To Adjust As Horizon Charter School Closes In Rocklin
Modesto Bee, CA, October 18, 2012
Luke Chaussee and his mother, Loriann, are searching for a new school.
The third-grader and 390 classmates were shut out of their charter school after Placer County officials told school officials they were allowed only 75 students in the buildings they were leasing in a Rocklin industrial park.
LAUSD Says Talks With UTLA On Teacher Evaluations Are At Impasse
Los Angeles Daily News, CA, October 17, 2012
Los Angeles Unified has filed a declaration of impasse in its negotiations with UTLA over teacher evaluations, seeking mediation from the state Public Employee Relations Board, officials said Wednesday.
COLORADO
Cash Incentives For Colorado Students A Study In Progress
Denver Post, CO, October 18, 2012
There’s a reward waiting for Moises Banuelos if he passes the standardized tests in three Advanced Placement classes he’s taking this semester at Denver’s Abraham Lincoln High School : $100 for each qualifying score.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Council Halts Rental Fees For Parent-Run School Enrichment Programs
Washington Post Blog, DC, October 18, 2012
The District’s Department of General Services may no longer collect rent from parents who run enrichment programs in the city’s public schools, under emergency legislation passed unanimously Tuesday by the D.C. Council.
FLORIDA
Florida Officials Defend Racial and Ethnic Learning Goals
New York Times, NY, October 18, 2012
When the Florida Board of Education voted this month to set different goals for student achievement in reading and math by race and ethnicity, among other guidelines, the move was widely criticized as discriminatory and harmful to blacks and Hispanics.
Parents, Leaders Slam State Plan For Race-Based Student Goals
Pensacola News-Journal, FL, October 18, 2012
A newly adopted state Board of Education strategic plan setting race-based student achievement goals is drawing fire from parents, school districts, civil-rights activists and Gov. Rick Scott.
Race-Based School Plan No Big Deal, Local Educators Say
Naples Daily News, FL, October 18, 2012
Much ado is being made of a recent Florida State Board of Education plan that sets out different goals for different ethnic groups.
Charter School System ‘A Shining Light’ For Cape Coral
News-Press, FL, October 17, 2012
During that era of explosive growth a decade ago, when the future looked bright and nothing seemed impossible, Cape Coral was facing a crisis — too many children and not enough schools to send them to.
Pasco County School Board Oks The Charter’s Application; Next Step Is For District To Negotiate A Contract
The Tampa Tribune, FL, October 18, 2012
Plans are moving forward on a proposed charter school that will focus on classical education. The Pasco County School Board on Tuesday evening approved the application for Classical Preparatory School , which plans to open next year and serve 254 students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
Flagler School Board Takes a Hard Line on Corporate Charters as it Delays Latest Bid
Flagler Live, FL, October 17, 2012
Burned by a recent experience with a charter school that failed, the Flagler County School Board on Tuesday not only blocked—for now—the application of a new charter school in Flagler County , but used the occasion to send a strict message to all charter school applicants in the future.
GEORGIA
Guest Column: Say No To Charter School Amendment
Savannah Morning News, GA, October 18, 2012
I want to start off by saying that I am not against charter schools. As a matter of fact, the Effingham College and Career Academy is a charter school. I support locally approved charter schools.
Charter School Fight Makes A Jumble Of Georgia Politics
Atlanta Journal Constitution Blog, GA, October 17, 2012
Hyper-partisanship, the curse of Washington , is an infectious thing. Yet even here, in the reddest of red states, you and I are catching a strong whiff of something different. For the second time in 100 days, a statewide campaign has made a massive jumble of Georgia’s traditional political alliances.
ILLINOIS
Two Charter School Operators Get Grants — Even Though CPS Hasn’t Oked Any New Charters
Chicago Sun-Times, IL, October 18, 2012
Two new charter school operators received grant money to set up shop in Chicago in time for the next school year, though Chicago Public School has yet to approve any new school charters.
LOUISIANA
Neville Parents, Teachers To Vote
Monroe News Star, LA, October 18, 2012
Parents and teachers of students at Neville High School will soon get a chance to decide whether they would like Neville High School to become a charter school, but for now, charter association members are waiting for Department of Education guidance on conducting the election.
MARYLAND
Montgomery Schools Need To Limit Spending
Washington Post, DC, October 17, 2012
PRODDED BY teachers unions, Maryland lawmakers decided this year to penalize any local school system that would reduce per-pupil spending, no matter how generous its education funding. The effect is to render past funding increases irreversible — and to wave a large red flag at local officials who might consider going beyond state-mandated increases in the future.
MASSACHUSETTS
Schools Search For Ways To Expand ‘Advanced’ MCAS Ranks
Boston Globe, MA, October 18, 2012
Local high schools that participate in the Metco program are redoubling efforts to challenge and equip all students to achieve top MCAS scores, officials said, after recent test results showed African-American students in the regional collaboration persistently lagging behind their white classmates.
MICHIGAN
2 Detroit Charters Among 20 Michigan Schools Getting Health Programming
Detroit News, MI, October 18, 2012
Two Detroit charter schools are part of a program to help spur physical fitness and healthy eating.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Charter Schools Get Blanket ‘No’ From State Board
Union Leader, NH, October 18, 2012
Advocates for new charter schools urged the state Board of Education Wednesday to reconsider its blanket denial of all new applications, but the board did not budge.
Panel Digs In On Charters
Concord Monitor, NH, October 18, 2012
Members of the New Hampshire Board of Education defended their decision to deny all pending applications for charter schools until after the Nov. 6 election at a heated meeting yesterday in Concord.
NEW JERSEY
Quest Academy Charter to Get Its Day in Supreme Court
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, October 18, 2012
After being denied a charter for a record five times, Quest questions if the state is meeting its own ‘standard for review’
Newark Tries Merit Payouts For Teachers
Wall Street Journal, October 18, 2012
Newark and its teachers union on Thursday are expected to sign a tentative contract deal blessed by Gov. Chris Christie that would overhaul teacher pay, introducing lucrative merit bonuses and giving teachers a role in grading each other.
Newark Teachers Strike Historic Deal Including Bonuses For Top Educators
Star-Leger, NJ, October 17, 2012
The Newark Teachers Union has reached a historic deal with the state that will make the district the first in New Jersey to offer bonuses based on how teachers perform in the classroom, union officials said today.
NEW YORK
Anxious Brooklyn Parents See Proposed Redrawn School Boundaries
New York Times, NY, October 18, 2012
The New York City Education Department proposed new boundaries Wednesday night for some of Brooklyn ’s most-sought-after elementary school zones, drawing anxious parents to an auditorium to see the new map for the first time.
PENNSYLVANIA
SRC Renews Deal For One Charter School, Tells Another To Improve
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, October 18, 2012
The Philadelphia School Reform Commission renewed the operating agreement Wednesday for one charter school that agreed to overhaul its operations, and gave a troubled charter for students in foster care 12 months to improve.
Planned Cuts To Magnet School Busing Upset Parents
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, October 17, 2012
Getting accepted to extremely competitive GAMP, the acronym by which it is better known, is no easy task. Of the 1,000 students who applied to the 5th-through-12th grade school last year, 250 were invited to audition for 66 slots.
Districts Consider Creating A Charter School
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, October 17, 2012
Superintendents in three school districts in the east are looking at forming a charter school.
Plum Superintendent Timothy Glasspool said he has had discussions with officials in the Gateway and Penn Hills school districts about converting the Boyce Campus Middle College High School into a charter school that enable students to earn an associate’s degree while they receive their high school diploma.
Pay Charters Actual Costs
Scranton Times-Tribune, PA, October 18, 2012
Lawmakers have made some valuable changes to the law covering public charter schools but have punted on the most important issue.
Charter School Bill Falls Apart In Pa. House
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, October 18, 2012
An agreement to change charter school regulations this year fell apart Wednesday night when House leaders found themselves short on votes and declined to bring up the bill.
TEXAS
TISD Eyes College-Focused Charter School
Tyler Morning Telegraph, TX, October 18, 2012
A grant-funded charter school that would help students earn associate’s degrees in high school will be up for discussion in Tyler ISD.
Ideas For School Vouchers Are Up In The Air
San Angelo Standard Times, TX, October 17, 2012
The battle for the future for Texas public education is under way. Some despair. Some are ready for the challenge. On Tuesday, Steven Schafersman, the Democratic candidate for the State Board of Education for District 15, came into town to blow off some steam as part of a tour of cities in the North and West Texas district he hopes to represent.
WASHINGTON
10 Donors Funded 91 Percent of Charter Schools Campaign
KUOW NPR, WA, October 17, 2012
The campaign to bring charter schools to Washington state has now raised more cash than any other measure on the ballot. Donors have contributed more than $8.9 million to the Yes on 1240 campaign. Of that, 91 percent came from just ten people, according to the Public Disclosure Commission website.
Voters To Decide For Fourth Time On Charters
Moscow-Pullman Daily News, WA, October 18, 2012
Washington voters rejected charter school initiatives in 1996, 2000 and 2004. On Nov. 6, they may do so again or the trend may change with Initiative 1240, which would allow the creation of up to 40 nonprofit charter schools across Washington during the next five years. The state is currently one of nine that does not have a charter school system.
Whatcom Teachers Differ On Charter School Initiative
Bellingham Herald, WA, October 18, 2012
An initiative on November’s ballot will give voters the chance to change the landscape of public education in Washington by allowing charter schools in the state.
Fulfill Your Obligation To Fund Education, Lawyer Urges Legislators
Seattle Times, WA, October 17, 2012
The Legislature is still avoiding its constitutional duty to schoolchildren, according to a filing Wednesday with the state Supreme Court.
WYOMING
Committee Advising Legislature On School Accountability Presents ‘Cause And Effect’ Plan
Casper Star-Tribune, WY, October 18, 2012
As part of their job evaluations, Wyoming teachers may have to submit portfolios showing goals, student work, lesson plans and reflections on what worked and what didn’t.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
PA Cyber Makes Grade When It Comes To Success
Patriot News, PA, October 18, 2012
In his Oct. 9 op-ed, “Gov. Corbett must step up for charter reform,” Jonathan Cetel gave the governor an “incomplete” in the subject of education reform. Cetel is hardly qualified to dole out grades when he cannot get his facts straight. Cetel says the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School is “failing.”
KDKA Investigates: Cyber School Spinoffs Reap Spoils
KDKA, PA, October 17, 2012
What began as an on line school with a few hundred students has grown into an empire, developing curriculum and spawning cyber schools throughout the nation.
Online Classes A Hit At Holmes
Madison County Herald, MS, October 18, 2012
Through his virtual classroom, Holmes Community College instructor Matt Wasowski shows his students in Mississippi the Manhattan skyline outside his window.
Online Academy Takes Learning Beyond School Day
Hispanic Business, CA, October 17, 2012
An online school is expanding Hamilton students’ technology knowledge and helping teachers provide more specific remediation.