Election Shows Voters Divided Over Education
Wall Street Journal, November 8, 2012
Voters delivered mixed verdicts on a raft of education-related ballot questions, highlighting the deep divide across the country over how to run public schools.
A Call For President Obama To Change Course On Education
Washington Post, DC, November 7, 2012
With the election behind us, it is time for the Obama administration to step back from its education policy and access whether its foundation is sound and supported by evidence. It is a moment to summon the courage to change course.
Teachers Unions Notch Big Wins On State Education Votes
Reuters, November 7, 2012
Teachers unions won several big victories in both red and blue states Tuesday, overturning laws that would have eliminated tenure in Idaho and South Dakota, defeating a threat to union political work in California, and ousting a state schools chief in Indiana who sought to fundamentally remake public education.
Evaluating Teachers Based on Student Test Scores Hurts Children the Most
Washington Times, DC, November 8, 2012
My daughter Caroline is a bright, sweet, inquisitive thirteen year-old. She also has autism. Over the past seven years of school, Caroline has made amazing progress because she always been included in the general education classroom with the help of a 1:1 aide.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
Passage of Prop. 30 Hailed By Educators
Los Angeles Times, CA, November 8, 2012
College students will be spared tuition increases, thousands of classes will be restored, and younger students will avoid a shorter school year, they say.
COLORADO
Board Grants Extension To Local Charter School
Pueblo Chieftain, CO, November 8, 2012
The Connect School has been granted another five-year extension of its charter with Pueblo County District 70.
The school board Wednesday night unanimously agreed to the charter renewal that now will run through 2018.
D-11 Board Hears About Three Proposed Charter Schools
Colorado Springs Gazette, CO, November 7, 2012
Colorado Springs School District 11 board members have one less charter school application to consider this month.
CONNECTICUT
Impact Of Charter Vote On Finch’s Influence Unclear
CT Post, CT, November 7, 2012
A bid to seize control of the city school board was a gamble Mayor Bill Finch took and lost. Yet few are ready to say he or the Democratic machine are too bruised as a result.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Charter Board Releases School Ratings
Washington Post, DC, November 7, 2012
The D.C. Public Charter School Board released charter-school ratings Wednesday that aim to provide a way to assess and compare education choices across the city.
Study Chides D.C. Teacher Turnover
Washington Post, DC, November 8, 2012
The District has higher-than-desirable teacher turnover, but a report released Thursday finds that the public school system is succeeding in holding onto its best teachers at nearly twice the rate as its lowest performers.
Heated Debates Expected over School Closures
Washington Informer, DC, November 7, 2012
A maelstrom of controversy is erupting over a list of District of Columbia Public School [DCPS] closings that made its way onto the Internet last week. As a result, pressure has been put on D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson to come clean about which schools are marked for closure or consolidation.
Moving The Best Teachers To The Worst Schools
Washington Post Blog, DC, November 7, 2012
Here are two tough questions for D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson. They are suggested by a study from TNTP, a nonprofit teacher improvement organization for which Henderson once served as a vice president:
FLORIDA
New Charter School Targets iGeneration
The Palm Beach Post, FL, November 8, 2012
The iGeneration Empowerment Academy is tucked into a corner office complex directly behind Stayin Alive Fitness Center in Palm Beach Gardens.
Merit-Pay System Flawed
Florida Today, FL, November 8, 2012
I want to call your attention to a destructive policy that will have dire consequences for your children. Florida’s ill-conceived merit pay evaluation system may result in your children being subjected to inferior teaching.
GEORGIA
New Charter Schools Commission Could Crank Up In February
Athens Banner-Herald, GA, November 7, 2012
The new Georgia Charter Schools Commission voters approved Tuesday could start meeting as soon as February.
Charter Schools Win Support in Georgia Vote
New York Times, NY, November 8, 2012
Two ballot measures concerning charter schools, which are publicly financed but privately operated, spawned fierce battles in Georgia and Washington State .
IDAHO
Otter To Seek ‘Path Forward’ On Education
Idaho Statesman, ID, November 8, 2012
Though his name wasn’t on the ballot, Gov. Butch Otter said he got the message from voters who soundly rejected education reforms he championed with state Superintendent Tom Luna.
What Next For Ed Reform?
The Coeur d’ Alene Press, ID, November 8, 2012
Now that Idaho voters have given Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna’s education reform initiatives the boot, what’s next? Top administrators from Kootenai County’s three largest school districts say it’s unclear, while teachers say they’re eager to move forward toward finding reform solutions that will increase teacher effectiveness and improve student outcomes.
INDIANA
What Does Tony Bennett’s Defeat Mean For Future Of Education Reform In Indiana?
Indianapolis Star, IN, November 7, 2012
Under four years of Tony Bennett, Indiana embraced education reform at an unprecedented level — so swift, so sweeping that Indiana and its school superintendent have emerged as among the nation’s leaders in the education reform movement.
The Takedown of Tony Bennett
Journal Courier, IN, November 7, 2012
What do they say about Washington, D.C. ? Congress is broken, but my representative … well, he’s OK. Twist that a bit and apply it to Indiana schools, and you get a sense of how Tony Bennett, the state’s run-and-gun school reformer, went down so spectacularly and unexpectedly in Tuesday’s elections.
GOP Firm Despite Education Coup
The Journal Gazette, IN, November 8, 2012
Top Republican officials, including the current and future governor, argued vehemently Wednesday that their education reform mandate is intact despite the defeat of Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett.
ANDREA NEAL: Education Reform Could Be Daniels’ Enduring Legacy
Evansville Courier & Press, IN, November 8, 2012
Mitch Daniels used his first term to get Indiana’s fiscal house in order. His second term sealed his reputation as the education reform governor.
LOUISIANA
Jefferson Parish School Board Approves Young Audiences Charter
Times-Picayune, LA, November 7, 2012
The Jefferson Parish School Board, in an 8-1 vote Wednesday, approved a new charter school that will focus on the arts and theater. Young Audiences is set to open in the 2013-14 school year with a location yet to be determined. It will accept applications from students across the parish.
James Meza Wins Extension As Jefferson Parish Schools Superintendent Into 2014
Times-Picayune, LA, November 7, 2012
The Jefferson Parish School Board on Wednesday unanimously agreed to extend Acting Superintendent James Meza’s contract through June 2014 and name him permanent superintendent.
Neville Board: Monroe System Still An Option
Monroe News Star, LA, November 8, 2012
Neville Charter School Board members say they are willing to consider negotiating with the Monroe City School District for a shared services contract, but they’re not discontinuing their efforts to charter through the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
MASSACHUSETTS
Parents Listen In To Potential Changes Coming To The Marshall Elementary School
Boston Globe, MA, November 7, 2012
On Monday night parents and staff from the Marshall Elementary School in Dorchester listened nervously to what Superintendent of Boston Public Schools Carol R. Johnson had to say about the possibility of the school being turned into an in-district charter school.
MICHIGAN
Emergency Manager Law Rejection Doesn’t Change Much In Muskegon Heights
The Muskegon Chronicle, MI, November 7, 2012
Voters’ repeal of the state’s emergency manager law doesn’t affect the changes made in the Muskegon Heights school district, but does offer the elected school board a little more say in the education children receive.
MISSISSIPPI
State GOP Renewing Charter Schools Push
Madison County Journal, MS, November 7, 2012
Gov. Phil Bryant and fellow Republicans who lead the Mississippi House and Senate say they have big plans to overhaul public education during the 2013 session.
NEVADA
It Is Time To Get Engaged In Incline Education
North Lake Tahoe Bonanza , NV, November 7, 2012
As the front page story indicated in last week’s Bonanza (Nov. 1), a proposal for a NV-sponsored K-12 public charter school to be located in Incline Village was denied approval on Oct. 21. This proposal was first discussed in public at the Oct. 19 WCSD School Board candidates forum (though no members of the charter development team were present).
NEW YORK
A School Distanced From Technology Faces Its Intrusion
New York Times, NY, November 8, 2012
That presents a challenge for the Mountain School: how to regulate the use of smartphones and other devices that serve as a constant distraction for 21st-century teenagers, who are here to engage with the rural setting and with one another.
Charter Conversion Pitch Falls Flat With Teachers, Buffalo School Board
Buffalo News, NY, November 7, 2012
A heated two-hour public hearing Wednesday night sparked plenty of hostile exchanges, along with allegations of racism and questions about a profit motive, regarding a proposal to close East High School and Waterfront Elementary and reopen them as charter schools.
OHIO
Test Scores Suffer When Kids Move
Columbus Dispatch, OH, November 8, 2012
The students aren’t staying put. Not in Columbus, a district that has long struggled with a student population that often changes schools. Not in many suburban central Ohio schools either. And not among charter schools, where just a few in this area have stable populations, according to a first-of-its kind look at kindergarten-through-12th-grade student mobility in Ohio.
Cleveland School Board Votes To Restore Full School Day, Along With Cut Programs, After Levy Wins
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, November 7, 2012
Cleveland schoolchildren will have 50 minutes returned to their school day in January, after East Side voters overwhelmed West Side opposition to give the district more money Tuesday.
OREGON
It’s Official: Evans Valley Elementary School Site Goes To Homeschool Group
Mail Tribune & Daily Tidings, OR, November 8, 2012
The Rogue River School Board voted unanimously Tuesday to transfer the deed for the former Evans Valley Elementary School site to a nonprofit group supporting homeschool students.
Equity In Education Benefits All Of Us
Portland Tribune, OR, November 8, 2012
Make no mistake, at Portland Public Schools, our goal is to increase student learning for every student — whether they are white, black, Latino, native, Asian or multiracial.
PENNSYLVANIA
Philadelphia’s School Commission Borrows $300 Million To Pay Its Bills
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, November 8, 2012
The Philadelphia School Reform Commission moved Wednesday to borrow $300 million – money it needs just to pay teachers, heat buildings, and buy books for the rest of the school year.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Shealy Says She Will Vote To Loosen Gun Laws, Give Tax Credits For Private Schools
The State, SC, November 8, 2012
Newly elected state Sen.-elect Katrina Shealy said Wednesday that she will work to make concealed weapons permits optional and pass a school-choice bill – two issues soon-to-be-former state Sen. Jake Knotts opposed.
TENNESSEE
As The Metro School Board Decides Whether To Sue The State, Two New Members Undergo A Baptism By Fire
Nashville Scene, TN, November 8, 2012
For the better part of this year, if you engaged local politicos, journalists or civilian junkies in a political discussion, you’d be likely to hear the same observation: “The school board is where all the action is.”
Education PACs Show Muscle In Tennessee Races
Commercial Appeal, TN, November 7, 2012
Two groups promoting charter schools and vouchers poured hundreds of thousands of dollars into state and local political races this year and wrote some of their biggest checks last month as they pushed to fill state House and Senate chambers with supporters.
Achievement School District Prepares to Take Over 10 More Schools
WREG, TN, November 7, 2012
The state-run Achievement School District is preparing to take over another 10 schools in Memphis for the upcoming 2013-2014 school year.
TEXAS
School Choice Works … If You’re Choosy.
Houston Chronicle, TX, November 7, 2012
Attention parents: It’s time to start shopping for schools, picking the best for your kid to attend next year. The good news is that the Houston area offers parents one of the nation’s broadest selections of public-school (free!) options, not to mention many good private and religious schools. The bad news is that navigating all those options takes time, effort and savvy.
WASHINGTON
Charter Schools Measure Leads By A Slim Margin
Everett Herald, WA, November 7, 2012
More ballots have been counted, but the results are still unclear for Washington’s charter schools initiative.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
6News Explores Cyber Charter Schools In Pennsylvania
WJAC Johnstown, PA, November 7, 2012
Is tax money well spent on a cyber charter education? It’s a hot topic for some school administrators and parents. As 6News found out, the answer to the question depends on who you ask.
Wauwatosa District Studies Creating Virtual Charter School
Wauwatosa Now, WI, November 7, 2012
The Wauwatosa School District could add a virtual charter school to its options under a presentation made to the School Board on Monday night.