NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.
NATIONAL COVERAGE
NAACP Seeks To Mount Shakeup In US Education
Associated Press, December 6, 2012
The NAACP is going on the offensive on education, deploying volunteers across the country in its biggest push for a public education overhaul since the nation’s classrooms were ordered desegregated in 1954, the civil rights group said Thursday.
Raising The ‘Bar’ On Teacher Training And Performance
Seattle Times, WA, December 6, 2012
A call for something similar to a “bar exam” for teachers deserves serious consideration. That the suggestion comes from the nation’s second-largest teachers union is significant.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
LAUSD Wins Key Legal Battle With Charter Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, December 7, 2012
A California appellate court panel strikes down a ruling that could have opened up many classrooms for charters and created potential hardships for traditional campuses.
Fact-Finders Review Orcutt Charter Schools Contract
Santa Maria Times, CA, December 7, 2012
For the first time, the Orcutt Educators Association (OEA) and Orcutt Union School District will try to resolve contract differences regarding rights for charter school teachers in a fact-finding process today.
FLORIDA
Converting Schools To Charters A Simmering Issue In Miami-Dade
Miami Herald, FL, December 7, 2012
Two parents in Key Biscayne have hired an attorney to negotiate the procedure for voting on converting their school into a charter.
Teacher Evaluation Data Revised
The Tampa Tribune, FL, December 7, 2012
A day after it had to backpedal on teacher evaluation results, the state Department of Education sent revised numbers Thursday for school districts to review before once again releasing them to the public.
Despite Good Teacher Evaluations, Criticism Grows
Herald Tribune, FL, December 6, 2012
Only two teachers out of almost 5,000 Sarasota and Manatee teachers were rated “unsatisfactory” under Florida ’s new teacher evaluation system.
Patton To State On Teacher Evals: ‘Get It Right’
Naples News, FL, December 7, 2012
Collier schools Superintendent Kamela Patton blasted state officials on Thursday for botching teacher evaluation data released a day earlier.
HAWAII
‘Gene’s Schemes’
Maui Weekly, HI, December 6, 2012
This is part two of a two-part series about the Kihei Charter School (KCS), the island of Maui’s only public charter school. KCS is open to any public school child on the island by application. If there are more applications than openings, selection is by lottery.
ILLINOIS
Greentek Opponents And Supporters Try To Sway State Education Commission
WREX, IL, December 7, 2012
An idea, shot down by Rockford ‘s Board of Education, gets another chance. A nine-member group known as the Illinois State Charter School Commission has the power to overturn the district’s rejection, but members need public input before making a call.
INDIANA
State Discounting Education Expertise
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, December 7, 2012
An overflow crowd of educators opposed to stripped-down teacher and school administrator licensing requirements couldn’t persuade the Indiana State Board of Education to delay a vote Wednesday on the weakened regulations.
LOUISIANA
Four New Orleans Schools Lose Their Charters; Five Other Groups Approved To Take Over Schools
Times Picayune, LA, December 6, 2012
In its continuing effort to ensure fledgling charter schools are providing quality instruction to New Orleans students, the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education voted this week to revoke the charters of four elementaries: Benjamin Mays, Crocker, Intercultural Charter and Pride College Prep.
Louisiana Voucher Students Don’t Need To Be Kicked Off School Choice Lifeboat
CNN Blog, December 7, 2012
If you follow the logic of America’s teachers unions – and particularly those in Louisiana – it’s better for all children to get a lousy education than for some to get the chance to escape to a better school using a voucher.
MASSACHUSETTS
Proposal For New New Bedford Charter School Draws Both Praise And Criticism At Hearing
South Coast Today, MA, December 7, 2012
Public sentiment was divided at a public hearing Thursday on a proposal to create a new charter high school in New Bedford , with the application receiving praise and criticism in turn.
Charter Eyes ‘Horace Mann’ Alternative
Gloucester Daily Times, MA, December 6, 2012
The Gloucester Community Arts School , facing a potential revocation of its charter in less than two weeks, is entertaining the idea of joining the Gloucester Public School District as a Horace Mann school — an arrangement that would allow the school to maintain relative independence yet receive funding as part of the public school district.
MICHIGAN
Do Critics Of Education Reform Have Any Better Ideas?
Holland Sentinel, MI, December 7, 2012
Simply opposing legislation will not prepare our children for the hyper-competitive, disruptive, knowledge-driven world they will inherit, where ideas and jobs can and do move around the globe effortlessly.
Panel Advances New EM Bill
Detroit News, MI, December 7, 2012
Detroit and other financially troubled cities would have the option of electing to declare municipal bankruptcy instead of being run by state-appointed managers under a proposal to replace the emergency manager law voters repealed last month.
MINNESOTA
Achievement Gap Cures Have Their Own Gap
Star Tribune, MN, December 6, 2012
In “A promising focus on achievement gap” (Dec. 4) the Star Tribune Editorial Board was prudent in expressing both hope and caution regarding “Generation Next,” the Twin Cities’ newest and most encompassing attempt to narrow achievement gaps between white and nonwhite K-12 students. Led by a remarkable collection of business, foundation, educational and political leaders, Generation Next has been inspired by a similarly comprehensive approach in Cincinnati known as “Strive.”
NEW JERSEY
State May Ease Alternate-Route Rules for Charter-School Teachers
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, December 7, 2012
The Christie administration has proposed easing some of the state’s teacher-certification rules for charter schools, saying the move would give the schools more flexibility in hiring.
CREDO’s Study of Charter Schools in NJ Leaves Many Unanswered Questions
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, December 7, 2012
Last week, with much fanfare, a study comparing standardized test scores of New Jersey ’s charter school students to those of their public school peers was released by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes (CREDO). As a professor of public policy, a supporter of public education, and a parent of a charter school student, I have four questions that I would like to ask the authors.
NEW YORK
School Choice vs. ‘Familiar Images’
Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2012
For Young Latino Readers, an Image Is Missing.” So goes the headline of a recent New York Times story that cites a lot of multiculturalist mumbo-jumbo to explain the learning gap between white and Hispanic students.
Locals Blast Charter School ‘s Proposed Co-Location in Williamsburg
DNAinfo, NY, December 6, 2012
Parents, teachers and politicians Wednesday fiercely contested a proposal to bring a charter elementary school into a building already containing two other schools across from McCarren Park .
Mulgrew vs. the Kids
New York Daily News, NY, December 6, 2012
Yet despite Gov. Cuomo’s overdue push for districts statewide to embrace professional methods of evaluating teachers — for the first time, factoring in student achievement along with principals’ assessments — the city has yet to come up with such a system.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Teachers Call Education Department Meeting ‘A Farce’
Morning News, SC, December 7, 2012
– Hundreds of teachers left Lucy T. Davis Elementary School on Thursday night frustrated and with many unanswered questions about how they will be graded in the future.
TENNESSEE
Metro Schools’ Reform Push Needs Support
The Tennessean, TN, December 7, 2012
The transformation continues for Metro Nashville Public Schools, and it may not be pretty.
Mayor to Speak at Charter Fair Saturday
Nashville Public Radio, TN, December 7, 2012
Charter schools in Nashville will try a new recruitment tactic this weekend – they’re hosting a charter fair for interested parents and students. Mayor Karl Dean will speak at the event for schools that run their own way, setting their own hours and methods, while getting public money.
School Vouchers Open Up School Choice But Critics Say They Create Issues
WREG, TN, December 6, 2012
School choice takes center stage in Nashville in the New Year in the form of school vouchers also known as Opportunity Scholarships.
TEXAS
Education Commissioner Removes EPISD School Board
El Paso Times, TX, December 7, 2012
Dissolving the authority of El Paso Independent School District trustees and installing a new board of managers provided Texas Education Commissioner Michael Williams with a stern message Thursday for administrators and educators trying to game the federal accountability system: “We’re not going to allow cheating in this state.”
Parents Protest Irving School Admission Plan
CBS Local, TX, December 6, 2012
One of the top ranked schools in North Texas stepped back from a plan Thursday night to only accept new students from areas with primarily low income families. North Hills Preparatory, a charter school run by Uplift Education, admitted it was caught off guard by parents who felt the change could influence educational standards at the highly regarded school.
Charter School Waiting Lists In Amarillo
KFDA, TX, December 6, 2012
The school has had a waiting list for students wanting to attend almost since the very beginning.
Dallas-Area Conservatives In Texas Legislature Face Fight From School Districts Over Vouchers
Dallas Morning News, TX, December 6, 2012
The Legislature is bracing for a fight over school vouchers as Senate leaders push for school-choice options and district officials fight to keep every dollar in public education.
The Bottom Line For Good Schools
Odessa American, TX, December 6, 2012
With the Legislature convening on Jan. 8, there is a lot of talk about improving our public schools and our students’ achievement. These are worthy goals for assuring a strong future for our state, but much of this discussion is being generated by self-styled education “experts” who haven’t been inside a classroom since they were in college.
WASHINGTON
Chartering New Opportunities
The Columbian, WA, December 6, 2012
Headlines of recent stories: Charter school control dinged; Onward with charter schools; Washington becomes 42nd state to allow public charter schools; Charter school appeals contract revocation; Up next for charter schools: plans, panels and lawyers; Charter schools’ performance eyed.
New Parent Group To Continue To Fight Charter Schools
Seattle Times Blog, WA, December 7, 2012
About four dozen parents, mostly from the Puget Sound region, have started a new group that hopes to keep charter schools out of Washington state, even though Initiative 1240 has passed.
ONLINE LEARNING
NEW: Online Charter School Opening in RI
Go Local Prov , RI, December 6, 2012
The YWCA Rhode Island has received the go-ahead from the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) for a groundbreaking online charter school designed for at-risk high school students.
Auditor Criticizes Pa. Cyber Charter School
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, December 7, 2012
Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School follows state laws and other requirements, but state Auditor General Jack Wagner questioned some of the school’s practices, its hefty bank account and $2 million advertising budget in an audit released Thursday.
Auditor General Uses PA Cyber Finances To Illustrate Need For Change
Elwood City Ledger, PA, December 7, 2012
The Midland-based Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School finished the 2009-10 school year with a $13 million budget surplus and spent $4 million on advertising over a two-year period, state Auditor General Jack Wagner said.
New Year, New School? Online Learning Can Ease Transitions
Lake City Reporter, FL, December 7, 2012
A new trend in American public education finds many K-12 students transferring schools mid-year – even when the family doesn’t move. Many families are looking to give their child a fresh start for a variety of reasons, both academic and social.