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
How To Get High School Dropouts Into ‘Recovery’? Ideas Bloom Across US.
Christian Science Monitor, MA, January 15, 2013
Innovative programs across the US are finding some success in reengaging high school dropouts. They strive to target ‘disconnected’ youths – those not in school and not working, who are a costly burden for taxpayers.
FROM THE STATES
ARKANSAS
Big Week For School Choice
Arkansas Times, AR, January 16, 2013
Arkansas’s public school system could be upended by events this week.
CALIFORNIA
First Success For ‘Parent Trigger’ Shouldn’t Be The Last
Orange County Register, CA, January 15, 2013
In recent days, these pages have given repeated attention to a disheartening new report from the education group StudentsFirst, which identified California as a national laggard in education reform.
L.A. Unified To Overhaul Struggling Crenshaw High
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 16, 2013
Calling Crenshaw the worst in L.A. Unified, Supt. John Deasy gets the green light to turn the landmark campus into three magnet schools.
Hebrew-English Charter School In Van Nuys Approved By LAUSD
Las Angeles Daily News, CA, January 15, 2013
A proposed Hebrew-English charter school in Van Nuys won the approval Tuesday of the LAUSD board, which also OK’d the renewal of two landmark charters and the conditional approval of a third.
California Charter Schools Grow At Fastest U.S. Rate
Huffington Post, January 15, 2013
California leads the nation in both the growth and overall number of charter schools, according to a study by the Washington-based National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.
COLORADO
Several School Districts In Colorado Pushing For Rigor In Science
Denver Post, CO, January 16, 2013
Come this fall, a new initiative to increase the rigor of science and math education will start by changing the sequence of classes students take.
CONNECTICUT
State Teacher Evaluations To Cost Darien Time And Money
Darien Daily Voice, CT, January 16, 2013
New state mandated teacher evaluations are expected to significantly increase the amount of time Darien school administrators devote to evaluating teachers. Darien is also considering spending $80,000 to help transition to the new system.
FLORIDA
Legal Challenge To The Teacher Merit-Pay Law Starts Today
Tallahassee Democrat, FL, January 16, 2013
In 2011, Gov. Rick Scott chose a landmark education bill tying teacher pay to student performance as the first he would sign as governor.
GEORGIA
Parent Trigger Bill Another Avenue For Charter Schools; BOE Chair Kelley Skeptical Of Proposal
Douglas County Sentinel, GA, January 16, 2013
A Republican legislator said he plans to introduce a bill in the General Assembly that will let parents who aren’t satisfied with their child’s school petition the local school board to convert the school into a charter school.
INDIANA
We Can’t Vouch For This Expansion Plan
Northwest Times, IN, January 16, 2013
Legislation to expand eligibility for school vouchers in Indiana needs to be scrapped, at least for now. Those vouchers allow many Hoosier families who otherwise can’t afford a private school to have that school choice option.
State Senator Proposes To Rein In National Common Core Education Standards
Evansville Courier & Press, IN, January 15, 2013
A Republican state senator wants to pull Indiana schools off a set of national education standards that he said are a “step backward for Indiana.”
IOWA
Governor Lays Groundwork For Ed Reform Talk
Globe Gazette, IA, January 16, 2013
On the heels of a report card giving Iowa an “F” for its state education policy, Iowans got a taste Tuesday of the education talking points they’ll hear during this legislative session.
LOUISIANA
Ascension Board Denies Charter Application
The Advocate, LA, January 16, 2013
The Ascension Parish School Board on Tuesday rejected the application of a charter school that hoped to open in the parish for the 2013-14 school year.
Orleans Parish School Board, RSD launch OneApp program
The Advocate, LA, January 16, 2013
The unified enrollment application known as OneApp was launched Tuesday by the Recovery School District and the Orleans Parish School Board in an effort to continue streamlining the process for families deciding where to send their children for the 2013-2014 school year.
Jindal Gains Victory As Court Puts Hold On Voucher Block In Tangipahoa
The Times-Picayune, LA, January 15, 2013
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s school voucher overhaul racked up a victory Monday when a panel of appellate court judges granted to stay a federal district court judge’s ruling to block the program’s implementation in Tangipahoa Parish.
MARYLAND
Holding Charter Schools Accountable
Baltimore Sun, MD, January 15, 2013
Improved review process for Baltimore City weeds out unsuccessful experiments while still encouraging innovation
MASSACHUSETTS
$2.5B School Aid Plan Outlined By Governor Patrick
Boston Globe, MA, January 16, 2013
Governor Deval Patrick proposed Tuesday to sharply increase spending on public education by more than $2.5 billion over the next four years, an investment he said was critical to the state’s social and economic future.
Newburyport Charter School Buys Local Building With Help From Mass Development Bond
Boston Globe, MA, January 15, 2013
Newburyport’s River Valley Charter School now owns the 36,000 square foot building it has been leasing for over a decade.
MICHIGAN
At This Late Stage, Detroit Schools’ Leaders Are Still In Conflict
Detroit News, MI, January 16, 2013
For many months now, in my board-appointed capacity as interim superintendent of the Detroit Public Schools, I’ve been working hard to follow a judge’s order to collaborate with Emergency Financial Manager Roy Roberts in administering the school district.
MISSISSIPPI
Senate Committee Approves Charter School Bill
Hattiesburg American, MS, January 15, 2013
Legislation to expand charter schools in Mississippi is once again moving forward, with the state Senate Education Committee approving Senate Bill 2189 on a split vote Tuesday.
Nonprofit Vs. For-Profit Debate Could Be Sticking Point In House
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, January 16, 2013
As the charter schools debate moves to the forefront of legislative agendas this week, one little-discussed issue will be key to codifying support in the House for a bill the Senate will accept.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Derry Charter School Leadership In Place
Union Leader, NH, January 15, 2013
When Derry’s new alternative charter high school opens next September at the Gilbert H. Hood Middle School, current district middle school assistant principals Justin Krieger and Joe Crawford will be the full-time co-directors of the school.
NEW JERSEY
East Brunswick Township Council Blocks Charter School Move; Hatikvah Threatens Lawsuit
Asbury Park Press, NJ, January 15, 2013
In the wake of the Township Council’s reversal on Monday of a variance granted this summer by the Zoning Board, Hatikvah International Charter School said that it plans to file a lawsuit against the township to fulfill its plans to move and expand.
NEW YORK
School’s Twist on Going Private
Wall Street Journal, January 16, 2013
A Vermont town’s plan to close its only public grade school and reopen it as a private academy puts an unusual twist on efforts by parents and residents nationwide to seize more control of educational opportunities.
Former Urban Choice Leader Starting Another Charter
Rochester City Newspaper, NY, January 15, 2013
Figuring out how to improve student performance in the city’s schools is arguably the biggest challenge facing Rochester. Like many cities across the country, Rochester has pursued multiple avenues to increase student achievement with little success.
Teacher-Eval Talks Bog Down
New York Post, NY, January 16, 2013
City officials and the teachers union yesterday spent crucial negotiating time for a deal on a new teacher-evaluation system bickering over whether an independent mediator was needed.
District, Union Reach Deal On Teacher-Evaluation Plan
Buffalo News, NY, January 16, 2013
The Buffalo teachers union and district officials reached an agreement on a teacher-evaluation plan Tuesday night at the union’s Porter Avenue headquarters – likely staving off the loss of $33.4 million in state aid at nearly the last minute.
In Speech, Quinn Spells Out Education Platform
Wall Street Journal Blog, January 15, 2013
City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, a top Democratic contender in this year’s mayoral race, generally aligned her education platform with the policies of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg in a speech Tuesday, saying the city needs to build on a “foundation” that is already in place.
Gates Foundation Study About Teacher Effectiveness A Must Read For Policymakers
The Oklahoman, OK, January 16, 2013
AS Oklahoma continues its journey toward improving evaluations for teachers, policymakers should pay attention to the results of a new nationwide study on determining educator effectiveness.
Make Superintendent Appointive? Don’t Forget Labor, Insurance Posts
The Oklahoman, OK, January 16, 2013
STATE Sen. Susan Paddack ran for the office of state schools superintendent in 2010. She lost. Now Paddack, D-Ada, says there’s no reason for the job to be political in nature. She’s filed a bill seeking to make the position appointive.
PENNSYLVANIA
School District Of Lancaster Eyes Charter School
Lancaster New Era, PA, January 15, 2013
Supporters and opponents of a charter school proposed for Lancaster city painted starkly different pictures of the school during a hearing before the School District of Lancaster board Tuesday night.
TENNESSEE
Schools That Take Vouchers Must Be Accountable
The Tennessean, TN, January 16, 2013
Gov. Bill Haslam surprised the world at an education forum Monday, committing to school voucher legislation. Earlier, he had indicated that would not be part of his legislative agenda.
School Vouchers May Help, But Won’t Solve Larger Problem
Leaf Chronicle, TN, January 16, 2013
We were surprised to learn Gov. Bill Haslam has decided to come forward with a proposal on school vouchers in his State of the State address Jan. 28. Haslam has been saying he was undecided on the issue, and did not foresee making it part of his legislative agenda this year.
TEXAS
School Trial Turns To Efficiency
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, TX, January 15, 2013
The sweeping case challenging how the state helps pay for Texas schoolchildren’s education entered a new phase Tuesday, now focusing on “efficiency” with testimony from a Mansfield mother who home-schooled her fifth-grader for a year because there was no space at a local charter school.
Travis Heights Will Be Austin District’s First Home-Grown Charter School
Austin American-Statesman, TX, January 15, 2013
Such lessons will be routine next school year once Travis Heights becomes the Austin school district’s second full-scale in-district charter school.
VIRGINIA
Teacher Pay Plan Would Cost Districts
Suffolk News Herald, VA, January 15, 2013
Suffolk’s public schools superintendent appears supportive of much of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s 2013 education agenda, but he is lukewarm on plans for a partially state-funded raise for some teachers.
VERMONT
Vt. School Boards, Officials Propose Reform
Barre Montpelier Times Argus, VT, January 16, 2013
Some of Vermont’s top educators called Tuesday for an overhaul of the state’s education system, saying one is needed to ensure children are ready to compete globally.
WASHINGTON
Tests, Observers, Kids = Fair Teacher Evaluations
Bellingham Herald, WA, January 16, 2013
Just as Washington’s school districts are gearing up to adopt new teacher evaluation systems, along comes an authoritative mega-study that spells out how to get it right. The project – funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – is an exceptional piece of science.
Seattle Teacher Protests Over MAP Tests Counterproductive
Seattle Times, WA, January 15, 2013
A testing boycott by teachers at two Seattle schools taps into anger over standardized tests but stops short of offering solutions.
WEST VIRGINIA
A Consensus Begins On School Reform
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, January 16, 2013
No one is happy with the public school system in West Virginia. Taxpayers give a larger portion of their meager incomes to education than residents of all but a handful of states, but our schools are near the bottom in academic achievement.
Teachers Union Wary Of Shifting Control
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, January 16, 2013
The head of West Virginia’s largest teachers union is wary of education reform plans that involve shifting more control to regional bodies.
WYOMING
Wyoming Senate Amends, Advances Education Superintendent Bill
Star Tribune, WY, January 15, 2013
The Wyoming Senate restored some duties to the state schools superintendent as it advanced a bill revamping how the state Department of Education is run.
ONLINE LEARNING
Fighting the Long Battle for a Virginia Virtual School
Bacons Rebellion, VA, January 15, 2013
Del. Dickie Bell, R-Staunton, knows he faces an up-hill climb creating a public online alternative to local school districts in Virginia, but he’s not giving up. The challenges are many. The educational establishment doesn’t like any idea that would turn schooling over to private-sector contractors.
Virtual Charter Schools Out Of Bill
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, January 16, 2013
Virtual charter schools would not be allowed in Mississippi under a bill that passed the Senate Education Committee Tuesday.
Funding Of Virtual Schools A Concern For Superintendent
Woodward News, OK, January 16, 2013
Woodward Superintendent Tim Merchant expressed concern with the allocation of state money to virtual private schools during his report at Monday’s Board of Education meeting.
Colorado Virtual Academy’s District Charter in Jeopardy
KUMC, CO, January 15, 2013
The future of the state’s largest virtual K-12 school may be in jeopardy. With its charter set to expire later this year, Colorado Virtual Academy needs to find an authorizer, or shut down over the summer.