Daily Headlines for October 1, 2012
“Parent Power” Film Stirs Hopes Of Education Reform Activists
Reuters, September 29, 2012
Education reform film “Won’t Back Down” opened Friday to terrible reviews – and high hopes from activists who expect the movie to inspire parents everywhere to demand big changes in public schools.
Fostering Tech Talent in Schools
New York Times, NY, October 1, 2012
When he is not volunteering as a computer science instructor four days a week, Mr. Edouard works at Microsoft. He is one of 110 engineers from high-tech companies who are part of a Microsoft program aimed at getting high school students hooked on computer science, so they go on to pursue careers in the field.
School Reform At Odds With Itself
Washington Post, DC, September 30, 2012
Education reformers contradict themselves every day and don’t seem to know it. This includes President Obama, Mitt Romney and many mayors, scholars and activists who all say we need more charter schools, more systems that evaluate teachers based on student test scores and more merit pay.
The Bottom Line On ‘No Excuses’ And Poverty In School Reform
Washington Post Blog, DC, September 29, 2012
The issue of the role of poverty in student achievement is far more complicated than the usual depiction of the school reform debate in much of mainstream media.
An Insecure Profession
Indianapolis Star, IN, September 30, 2012
We must build a sustainable and dedicated teaching force, she in effect argued, rather than a profession built of teachers who will come and go quickly because of low respect and poor working conditions.
More Evidence For Education Reform
Indianapolis Star, IN, October 1, 2012
The College Board provided sobering evidence last week as to why education reform continues to be so vital in this state and nation.
Film About School Reform Is A Story Of Hope
The Oklahoman, OK, September 30, 2012
EDUCATION reform is a bipartisan issue that too often gets mired in polarized positions. In the tussle between teacher unions going to the mattresses for the status quo and conservative think tanks storming the citadels, what can be forgotten is that reform is about children and how they learn.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
LAUSD, 3 Charter Groups Win Grants To Develop Evaluation Systems
Los Angeles Times, CA, October 1, 2012
L.A. Unified wins $16 million for its teacher and principal evaluation system. Charter-school groups Alliance College-Ready, Aspire and Green Dot also win grants.
Alternative Programs Offer Tailored Education Options
Santa Maria Times, CA, October 1, 2012
The rapid growth of charter school programs throughout the Central Coast indicate parents are more interested than ever in diversifying their children’s education. The programs also may provide some relief to traditional public schools on the verge of overcrowding, but the impact has been minimal, officials say.
Oakland Schools To Let Feds Monitor Discipline Of Black Students
Los Angeles Times, CA, October 1, 2012
Agreement with U.S. Department of Education is aimed at ensuring that African American students are not disciplined more frequently and harshly than their white classmates
COLORADO
CDE Model For Teacher, Principal Eval Bill Touted
Brush News-Tribune, CO, September 29, 2012
Discussion on Senate Bill 191 (SB 191) — the teacher and principal evaluation bill — continues, but Superintendent of Schools Michelle Johnstone informed the Brush Board of Education (BOE) at last week’s meeting that she will eventually ask the board to approve and adopt the model proposed by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE).
CONNECTICUT
Charter Schools Are Critical For New Hampshire Students
Concord Monitor, CT, October 1, 2012
I am an educator, the mother of a high school student and aunt of 10 other New Hampshire students. I am heartsick over the prospect of the state suspending and potentially eliminating funding for charter schools. This would be an enormous disservice to the children of this state.
FLORIDA
Parental Takeover Isn’t A Cure-All For Schools
Tampa Bay Times, FL, October 1, 2012
Fortunately, in Hillsborough County our public school system has been a pioneer in choice for parents and students. Our school district has a wide variety of magnet programs, career academies and innovative alternatives for a wide range of students. Our programs in teacher enrichment, peer review and mentoring have set a standard for our nation. The commitment of everyone involved in public education in our county makes it easy to say, “We Won’t Back Down” when it comes to offering the very best education for all of our students
Palm Beach County Readies School Choice Process For Next Year
Palm Beach Post, FL, September 30, 2012
This school year has barely started, but for parents clamoring to get their kid a seat in the popular school district magnet program of their choice next year, the process already has begun.
Miami-Dade Bond Issue Aims To Upgrade School Technology
Miami Herald, FL, September 30, 2012
Upgrading the digital network across Miami-Dade County Public Schools is a big piece of the spending plan for a $1.2 billion bond issue residents will vote on Nov. 6
GEORGIA
Charter School Opponents Set For Ground War
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, September 30, 2012
The increasingly bitter fight in Georgia over a constitutional amendment to allow more state charter schools isn’t likely to play out in expensive television ads before the Nov. 6 referendum.
Charter Schools Mean Choice For Parents
Savannah Morning News, GA, September 30, 2012
Fifteen years ago, I was one of a group of interested Savannah citizens who proposed that Savannah open its first start-up charter school, the first of its kind in Georgia.
ILLINOIS
Even After Fourth Denial, GreenTek Charter Organizers Not Giving Up
Rockford Register Star, IL, September 29, 2012
The public heard just four short, generic reasons Tuesday why the Rockford School Board and administration denied the plan for a dropout recovery charter high school.
INDIANA
Excel Center Deserving
Palladium-Item , IN, September 29, 2012
There’s a connectiveness between two public school stories appearing in Thursday’s Palladium-Item that should be apparent to even the most casual reader.
IOWA
Teacher Pay Hikes Good Place To Start
Globe Gazette, IA, October 1, 2012
Grab your chalk and write “uncertainty” on the board. Because there’s a fair amount of it in a task force recommendation on education that will wind up going to Gov. Terry Branstad.
LOUISIANA
School Board Debates Location For Lee High
The Advocate, LA, October 1, 2012
Location, however, could prove critical. Throughout the history of the magnet program, an attractive location has often made a big difference in whether a magnet program reaches its potential. Magnet programs established in less attractive neighborhoods have usually struggled.
Governor Makes Unforced Errors
Monroe News Star, LA, October 1, 2012
School choice is a good thing and people often choose to pay more for a home and taxes to live in a better school district. Parents should be able to move their children to higher functioning schools of their choice and these schools should have to meet standards that demonstrate the schools are practicing educational strategies that have documentation of success over the past five years.
MAINE
RSU 19 Among Six Districts Getting $25 Million For Teacher Evaluation Systems
Morning Sentinel, ME, October 1, 2012
Six school districts, including Newport-based Regional School Unit 19, will share nearly $25 million in federal money to create teacher evaluation systems, the Maine Department of Education announced this weekend.
Maine’s 1st Charter School Opens In Fairfield
Kennebec Journal, ME, October 1, 2012
The Maine Academy of Natural Sciences uses hands-on methods focused on agriculture, forestry and environmental sciences.
MASSACHUSETTS
MTA Picks Wrong Fight
Boston Herald, MA, October 1, 2012
Last week officials from the Massachusetts Teachers Association complained that the four hours the state has mandated to train teachers on new evaluation systems isn’t enough. They want teachers to undergo at least 12 hours of training before the new systems — which for the first time will consider measures of student performance — can be implemented.
Charter Schools Essential To Western Massachusetts’ Future
The Republican, MA, September 30, 2012
With the recent opening of Veritas Preparatory Charter School on Pine Street , Springfield families will have more options when it comes to choosing the right public school for their children.
MICHIGAN
Walled Lake Parent Hopes To Start Academy In Ferndale
Oakland Press, MI, September 30, 2012
Walled Lake mother Amy Niebert is living her own dream of starting a new school just as the controversial movie “Won’t Back Down” opens at area theaters.
MINNESOTA
More Kids With Disabilities In Minneapolis And St. Paul District Schools Than In Area Charters
Twin City Daily Planet, MN, September 30, 2012
Twin Cities charter schools enroll a smaller proportion of special education students than St. Paul and Minneapolis district schools.
Counseled Out: How Some Twin Cities Charter Schools Push Kids With Disabilities Towards District Schools
Twin City Daily Planet, MN, September 30, 2012
Last fall, only 4 percent of the students attending Dugsi Academy in St. Paul were in special education. That proportion is smaller than in most charter schools, and it’s much smaller than in Minneapolis and St. Paul district schools, where overall 18 percent of students are in special education.
MISSOURI
Delasalle Charter School Begins $7 Million Expansion, Renovation
Kansas City Star, MO, September 30, 2012
The charter school will spend $7 million to add facilities, programs and room for more students.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Moratorium On Charter Schools Puts 2 Seacoast Plans In Jeopardy
Portsmouth Herald, NH, September 30, 2012
Seacoast High School of the Arts, a proposed regional charter high school in North Hampton that would focus on the arts, has already submitted its full application to the state Board of Education, which has reviewed it, and was ready to undergo the board’s rigorous full review process when the moratorium was declared by the board earlier this month. The school was shooting for a September 2013 opening.
NEW JERSEY
Appeal Cites OK’ing Use Of Warehouse By Charter School
Canbury Road, NJ, October 1, 2012
Hatikvah spokesman Dan Gerstein said the school is aware of the township’s concern about enrollment and is reviewing the approved plans with its engineer to determine if any modifications are necessary.
NEW YORK
Parents Pitch In to Help Schools Face Budget Cuts
New York Times, NY, September 30, 2012
The space used to be a vacant field, sandwiched between Casis Elementary School and a parking lot.
Districts Face State Mid-January Deadline On Teacher, Principal Evaluations
Journal News, NY, October 1, 2012
With a mid-January deadline for state approval looming, about half of New York’s roughly 700 school districts have submitted union-negotiated proposals for the new state-mandated teacher and principal evaluations.
OHIO
Levy Battles
Columbus Dispatch, OH, October 1, 2012
Pushback from taxpayers means school officials must make a better case
OREGON
Corvallis Charters Offer Lesson In State System
Coos Bay World, OR, September 30, 2012
A dispute between an Oregon charter school and the local school district offers some insights into the complex and sometimes tense relationship between charter schools and their sponsoring districts.
PENNSYLVANIA
Hearts Ruled In Making Renaissance Decision
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 29, 2012
Members of the Camden Board of Education were being patted on the back for turning down four proposals by politically connected interests to add new Renaissance schools to the school system.
President of Harrisburg Teachers Union Thinks New Evaluation System Will Hurt Urban, Rural Teachers
Patriot-News, PA, October 1, 2012
Teachers at more affluent suburban school districts will have an unfair advantage over urban and rural educators when the state’s new teacher evaluation system is implemented next year, the president of Harrisburg School District’s teachers union said.
Pa. Must Pull Parent Trigger To Save Education
Patriot-News, PA, September 30, 2012
With seven states now adopting similar laws that put parental and student interests before those of government unions, it’s time Pennsylvania lawmakers pull the parent trigger lest the final word on King’s dream becomes unreachable.
TENNESSEE
Tennessee Planning For School Vouchers Nears Final Stages
Commercial Appeal, TN, October 1, 2012
A special commission appointed by Gov. Bill Haslam is about to begin drafting its final recommendations on how a Tennessee school-voucher program would operate, including who would be eligible for taxpayer dollars for private school tuition.
Nashville Schools’ Diversity Goals Clash With Charter Law
The Tennessean, TN, September 29, 2012
Although Metro Nashville school officials see diversity in the classroom as a moral imperative, state education leaders say Tennessee law may prevent the district from imposing that vision on charter schools.
Vouchers Hot Topic For Tennessee Campaigns
Times Free Press, TN, October 1, 2012
Republican Gov. Bill Haslam says he expects the question of using taxpayer dollars to fund private school vouchers will be a major issue in the General Assembly come January.
TEXAS
It’s Harder For Charter Schools To Keep Teachers
San Antonio Express Times, TX, September 30, 2012
Teachers leave Bexar County charter schools almost three times more often than at traditional public schools, which generally pay more and perform better academically, according to an Express-News analysis of five years of state data.
UTAH
High Quality Preschool Closes Achievement Gap For At-Risk Children
Desert News, UT, September 30, 2012
The Education Interim Committee on Sept. 19 heard and discussed research based on Granite School District’s high quality Title I preschool program. The research proved the program was successful in addressing school readiness, closing the achievement gap for at-risk children and reducing special education costs.
WASHINGTON
School Reform Ad Selective
Spokesman Review, WA, September 29, 2012
A new television commercial touting Idaho’s controversial school reform laws makes claims that are accurate but still mislead voters about the impact of the laws.
Simplistic And Costly, Charter Schools Aren’t Solution To State’s Education Problems
Bellingham Herald, WA, September 30, 2012
The charter schools measure on this year’s ballot is a simple solution that is wrong. Fortunately, researchers across the nation are unveiling the myths of this quick fix to public education. The most extensive study on charter schools done so far was conducted by Stanford University and showed that only 17 percent of charters perform better than traditional public schools, while twice that number perform at a lower level.
Charter Schools Provide Important Public Option To Help Struggling Students Succeed
News Tribune, WA, September 30, 2012
As a proud graduate of Tacoma Public Schools, an advocate for public education and an elected official who cares deeply about our city and state’s future, I urge you to join me and cast your vote for Initiative 1240.
WEST VIRGINIA
W.Va. BOE Wary of Teacher Unions In Reform Talks
Charleston Gazette-Mail, WV, September 30, 2012
The members of the West Virginia Board of Education knew that responding to a $750,000 audit of the state’s public education system would be politically dangerous.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
York-based Cyber School Seeks State Approval
The York Dispatch, PA, September 29, 2012
The first cyber charter school based in York County could open in the fall of 2013.
The proposed Urban Cyber Charter School would be designed for students in grades 6 through 12 and focus on the specific needs of the urban students and those at risk of failing.
Cyber/Charter Enrollment Hits 1,000 In Beaver County
Beaver County Times, PA, September 30, 2012
Ten significant facts gleaned from the Beaver Valley Intermediate Unit’s 2012-13 enrollment survey involving public schools in Beaver County , as well as Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School , Lincoln Park Performing Arts Charter School and Baden Academy Charter School :
Florida Districts Fight K12′s Plan for Virtual Charter Schools
Florida Center for Investigative Reporting, FL, September 30, 2012
Thousands of Florida students already are taking classes from Virginia-based K12, Inc., the nation’s largest online education company.
School Application Advances
Tampa Tribune, FL, September 30, 2012
A charter school applicant that plans to operate an online school is getting a tentative go-ahead nod from members of the Pasco County School District staff.
Online Schools Enroll Thousands Of Ohio Student
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, September 30, 2012
More than 30,000 Ohio students attend school online, skipping buses, cafeterias and classrooms to do their lessons entirely by computer, often at home, typing in tests and papers to be reviewed by a teacher far away.
How Much Does It Cost to Run an Online School?
NPR StateImpact , OH, September 30, 2012
Robert Mengerink didn’t know how much an online school really costs to operate — until he started one.
Online Schools Serve Students With A Range Of Goals, Officials Say
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, September 30, 2012
Few graduates of Ohio’s statewide online schools attend postsecondary training: not a two-year community college, not a four-year publicuniversity and often not even training for a vocational certificate.
Newark Digital Academy Seeking Improvement, Pursuing Waiver
Newark Advocate, OH, September 29, 2012
Preliminary report card data released Wednesday for the Newark Digital Academy shows a school that has not met adequate yearly progress and was below value-added growth.