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
Transforming Culture, Education Key To A New Birth Of Freedom
Human Events, January 28, 2013
American history is filled with examples of political parties rising and falling, reaching the pinnacles of success just years before ultimate extinction and rising reborn from the ashes of political movements and principles of the past.
With Parents Making Choices, Bad Schools Left Behind
Washington Times, DC, January 27, 2013
Now is the time for all good education advocates to come to the aid of school choice. It’s National School Choice Week, so pay attention if you truly want a way forward.
State-Level Education Reform Key To Kids’ Future
Washington Times, DC, January 27, 2013
Our children represent our hopes and dreams for tomorrow, and in the eyes of a parent, there’s nothing more important. Unfortunately, today the troubles in our education system hang like a dark cloud over our children’s bright future.
FROM THE STATES
ARKANSAS
Arkansas Republican House Caucus Pushes for Charter Schools
KARK, AR, January 27, 2013
A battle shaping up in the legislature over your child’s education.
The Arkansas Republican house caucus is pushing for the creation of a charter school commission.
ARIZONA
Error Shorts Ariz. Schools $38 Million
Arizona Republic, AZ, January 28, 2013
An error in calculating classroom funding since 2006 has shortchanged hundreds of Arizona public and charter schools while causing others to be overpaid.
Traditional Public School Is A Legitimate Choice, Too
Arizona Republic, AZ, January 27, 2013
However, what may get lost in the celebration this week is that after nearly two decades of expanding choice options in our state, traditional public schools continue to be the choice for nearly nine out of 10 Arizona students. Like my family, hundreds of thousands of Arizona families make the informed and conscious choice to send our children to our traditional public schools.
Range Of School Options Allows Children To Thrive
Arizona Republic, AZ, January 27, 2013
It was 1993 and my first year in the Arizona Senate. I was one of a handful of legislators who were enthusiastically committed to reforming education in Arizona.
CALIFORNIA
Rating Districts On School Choice
Victorville Daily Press, CA, January 28, 2013
As our nation marks National School Choice Week, through Feb. 2., it is intriguing for Californians to reflect on exactly what is meant by “choice” in public education, and how well California schools fare in offering choice options and policies to parents.
Bill Aims To Limit Schools’ Use Of Expensive Bonds
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 28, 2013
To build classrooms and sports facilities, many districts have been relying on bonds that can require as much as $20 in payments for every $1 borrowed.
CONNECTICUT
Revisiting Charter School ‘Successes’
Stamford Advocate, CT, January 25, 2013
Every legislative session, charter school lobbyists proclaim how successful privately run charter schools are compared to “failing” public schools, and that charters should get a share of public money disproportionate to the 1 percent of public school children they serve. In order to illustrate the murky world of charter school statistics, here is a follow-up to two of my columns on Connecticut charters.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Council Member David Catania Takes Charge Of New Education Committee
Washington Post, DC, January 27, 2013
Two weeks after taking the helm of the D.C. Council’s new Education Committee, David A. Catania walked through the front door of Burrville Elementary School and started asking questions.
FLORIDA
Palm Coast Charter School Battling Back From ‘F’
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL, January 27, 2013
As many young schoolchildren pack up each day, Palm Harbor Academy students gear up for an extra hour of reading. While their peers are boarding buses, the charter school students are breaking into small groups for individual instruction.
Pines Charters Want Share Of Broward Dollars
Miami Herald, FL, January 26, 2013
The Pembroke Pines Charter school system has a stellar reputation, top-notch students and well-maintained buildings. But it needs more money to keep going, school officials say.
Legislators On the Spot With Rick Scott’s Teacher Pay-Hike Proposal
Sunshine State News, FL, January 28, 2013
The past two years, Gov. Rick Scott and the majority in the state Legislature have been mostly on the same conservative, pro-business page regarding education, reforming insurance, slashing the budget and repealing government regulations.
Gov. Scott’s Teacher Pay Raise Plan Met With Skepticism
Tampa Bay Tribune, FL, January 28, 2013
The governor wants teachers to have $2,500 raises next school year.Teachers say the raises are long overdue. It sounds like a great idea, but whether it comes to fruition might be another thing.
GEORGIA
Education Group Claims Tax Credit Program Is Widely Abused
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, January 27, 2013
A 2008 law that allows Georgians to claim a tax credit after making a charitable contribution to a student scholarship organization has been widely abused, an education policy group alleges in a complaint that will be filed Monday with the state Department of Revenue.
INDIANA
Charters’ Test Scores Miss Mark
The Journal Gazette, IN, January 27, 2013
At a recent parent meeting for Imagine MASTer Academy, one big question that school officials said was difficult to answer was, “Why?”
More School Choice Options Touted, Extending Vouchers To Kindergarteners
Northwest Times, IN, January 27, 2013
As the nation celebrates National School Choice Week today through Friday local and state school choice supporters said they’d like to see changes in the law to give parents even more options.
IOWA
This Must Be The Year For Education Reform
Sioux City Journal, IA, January 27, 2013
From the beginning, we have applauded and supported the administration of Gov. Terry Branstad for its pursuit of education reform.
LOUISIANA
More Boards Follow Rules
The Advocate, LA, January 28, 2013
Twenty-five of New Orleans’ 43 charter school boards have complied with a state law that requires them to publicize and gather public input on their school budgets before they’re finalized, according to a Lens survey.
MASSACHUSETTS
Charter Schools’ Building Costs Cited
Boston Globe, MA, January 28, 2013
As charter schools lobby the State House for increased funding for building improvements, they have a new tool to help them make their case: A report expected to be released Monday outlines the financial challenges faced by Massachusetts charter schools that lease or purchase their own facilities.
City on a Hill Offers Choice Where None Exists
South Coast Today, MA, January 28, 2013
The families and children of New Bedford cannot afford to wait for the New Bedford Public Schools to fulfill their promises of a better education.
MICHIGAN
Spend Early Education Dollars Wisely
Detroit News, MI, January 27, 2013
As they consider increasing preschool funds, lawmakers ought only to support effective programs
MINNESOTA
Minnesota Falls Behind On School Choice
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN, January 27, 2013
Back in 1991, my home state of Minnesota was a national leader in promoting the progressive reform of parental school choice. The Star of the North had begun allowing parents to claim a state income tax deduction for school expenses, including tuition at private schools, in 1955. In the 1980s, it pioneered the concept of public-school choice through open enrollment. In 1991, St. Paul became home to the nation’s first public charter school.
MISSISSIPPI
A Model That Benefits All Children
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, MS, January 27, 2013
No one would argue that our schools are in need of smart and sustaining reform. Every child in our state deserves a quality education that will one day prepare them to compete globally in the workplace. Simply put, our children are not keeping up with children in top-performing countries. Regrettably, some children in our state have been denied the chance to be taught in consistently good schools by good teachers.
MISSOURI
Charter Schools Bring Competition To Education
Kansas City Star, MO, January 27, 2013
For those intent on deriding the Kansas City School District at every turn, the idea of charter schools is often an appealing alternative. A more realistic view would see the schools as an education option for families, but not a silver bullet for everything ailing public schools.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Charter School Funding Bill Moving Forward in Statehouse
Nashua Telegraph, NH, January 28, 2013
A bill to revert charter school spending practices back to those in place before 2010 is officially moving forward, but it likely won’t mean an earlier end to the moratorium on new charter schools.
NEW YORK
Catholic Competition
New York Post, NY, January 27, 2013
Today marks the start of Catholic Schools Week. There should be nothing parochial about the local celebrations.
Still on Strike, a Bus Union Sees a Threat to Its Culture
New York Times, NY, January 28, 2013
The strike, which has shut down roughly 5,000 of the city’s 7,700 school bus routes, is expected to continue this week, though the drivers’ union and the school bus companies had agreed to sit down at Gracie Mansion with a mediator on Monday.
Albany Charter School Group Becomes Hotbed Of Fraud, Embezzlement
NYaltnews, NY, January 27, 2013
The Brighter Choice Foundation, which was created by a Republican political operative, Thomas Carroll, is reeling as its chief financial officer has been charged with embezzling more than $200,000 from the organization.
Assembly Democrats Are Opposed To Gov. Cuomo’s New, $224 Million Line In The Sand In The City’s Teacher Evaluation Fight
New York Daily News, NY, January 28, 2013
Assembly Democrats are strongly opposed to Gov. Cuomo’s decision to impose a second strings-attached deadline on the city to approve a teacher evaluation plan.
NORTH CAROLINA
Lambeth’s Proposal For A Charter-School District Needs Much More Study
Winston-Salem Journal, NC, January 28, 2013
We have long supported charter schools in North Carolina. We favored lifting the state’s 100-school cap in 2011 because we think charter schools encourage innovation, give parents a choice, and put needed competitive pressure on the public schools to do a better job.
Davidson Elementary Enrollment Falls
Charlotte Observer, NC, January 27, 2013
While private and charter schools proliferate in the Lake Norman area, Davidson Elementary School’s enrollment has decreased by more than 20 percent over the last seven years.
Charter Schools May Double By 2014
News & Observer, NC, January 26, 2013
The events sponsored by the N.C. Public Charter Schools Association will draw parents looking for schools for their children. Over 1,000 people are expected to attend the charter fairs, where they can get information on the state’s 107 existing charter schools, the 25 new ones set to open in August and the more than 150 that have submitted letters to the state indicating they want to open in 2014.
Popularity High For Two Charter Schools In Vance County
Daily Dispatch, NC, January 26, 2013
Equal access to high quality educational opportunities is becoming more attainable in the state of North Carolina since the enactment of a bill signed into law by former Gov. Bev Perdue in 2011, lifting the 100-school cap on charter schools.
OHIO
Kasich Set To Unveil School Funding Plan
Toledo Blade, OH, January 28, 2013
It’s been a decade since the Ohio Supreme Court issued its fourth and final ruling declaring the state’s funding of schools unconstitutional because it placed students in poorer districts at a competitive disadvantage with their wealthier counterparts.
PENNSYLVANIA
Pa. Gets Good Grades In Education Reform Ranking
Philadelphia Tribune, PA, January 26, 2013
The Center for Education Reform, a national non-profit tasked with improving public education, has released an encompassing report that grades parental empowerment, solid educational choices, teacher quality and access to digital learning, among other factors. That Pennsylvania ranks in the top ten of all states can be viewed as proof educational reforms in the commonwealth are beginning to take hold.
Sub-Par Options: Charter Schools As A Class Don’t Measure Up
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, January 27, 2013
Now that the test scores for Pennsylvania charter schools have been recalculated, parents and taxpayers will be able to make more of an apples-to-apples comparison with the performance of traditional public schools.
Pittsburgh-Area Catholic Schools Launch An Outreach Association
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, January 27, 2013
At a time when school choice is hot, one choice that has been around for more than a century has boosted its marketing efforts to get the word out.
It’s A Shame Pa. Chose To Become A Wild West Of Charter Schools
Newsworks Blog, January 27, 2013
The state of Pennsylvania just got caught cooking the books. Which books? Well, this little scam didn’t have to do with dollars or deficits. It had to do with test scores. The scores emerging from the state’s charter schools, to be precise. As reported by Martha Woodallin The Inquirer, the Corbett administration – a big charter backer – fiddled with how it evaluated charters to make the picture look rosier.
Activists Gear Up Against Planned Philadelphia School Closings
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 27, 2013
As the clock ticks down to a School Reform Commission decision on shutting one in six Philadelphia public schools, opponents of the plan are ramping up their push against it.
Bills Would Alter Funding For Charter Schools In Pa.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, January 26, 2013
Republicans in the House are proposing changes in how charter schools are funded, after a late decision last year not to call a House vote made charter-school legislation a major piece of unfinished business.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Local Charter Schools To Conduct Enrollment Lotteries
Beaufort Gazette, SC, January 27, 2013
Three area charter schools plan enrollment lotteries soon because they have more applicants than spots available. Here is information about Bridges Preparatory, Riverview and Royal Live Oaks Academy of the Arts & Sciences.
TENNESSEE
School Board May Have Learned Why Charters Succeed
The Tennessean, TN, January 28, 2013
Metro school board members nailed it last week with a direct question: If the district’s most successful middle school test scores are coming out of six charter schools, how can regular schools emulate that success?
Governor To Outline School Voucher Program
NewsChannel5, TN, January 27, 2013
Governor Bill Haslam is preparing for Monday night when he will deliver his annual address. During his State of the State speech, he is expected to cover the hot-button issue of education reform in Tennessee.
Haslam To Introduce Public-Money-To-Private-Entities Transfer Program
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, January 27, 2013
Gov. Bill Haslam confirmed that, in his annual State of the State address tomorrow, he will introduce his own proposal to create a program in Tennessee to transfer more public money to private hands, beginning with a school voucher system. He declined to elaborate about which private concerns he would make eligible for taxpayer dollars.
Proposed Change In ‘Parent Trigger’ Law Would Give Tennessee Final Say
Commercial Appeal, TN, January 28, 2013
A state representative from Memphis is proposing a change in the so-called parent trigger education law that would give the state final approval.
Bill In Works To ‘Tweak’ Teacher Evaluations In Tennessee
Commercial Appeal, TN, January 26, 2013
Teachers across the state, including thousands in Shelby County, could have a job evaluation that better reflects their work, if a bill now in the draft stages passes this legislative session.
TEXAS
Waco-Area Schools Speak Out Against ‘Unfair’ Vouchers
Waco Tribune, TX, January 27, 2013
Waco, Midway and China Spring school boards approved the same resolution last week stating their opposition to vouchers, taxpayer savings grants, franchise tax credits or any other provision that diverts public money from public schools to private schools.
UTAH
The Winners And The Losers
Desert News, UT, January 26, 2013
The idea of charter schools took awhile to catch on in Utah, and it still isn’t popular among some public-school advocates.
Lawmaker Wants To Add Charter School Costs To Property Tax Notices
Salt Lake Tribune, UT, January 27, 2013
A Republican lawmaker wants to show Utahns how much of their property taxes goes toward charter schools, by adding a line to their local property tax notices.
‘Yes’ On Seattle Public Schools Levies — With Reservations
Seattle Times, WA, January 27, 2013
Vote yes for two Seattle Public School levies, but the district’s academic challenges and management problems remain cause for concern.
ONLINE LEARNING
Teachers Flip For ‘Flipped Learning’ Class Model
Associated Press, January 27, 2013
When Timmy Nguyen comes to his pre-calculus class, he’s already learned the day’s lesson — he watched it on a short online video prepared by his teacher for homework.
Superintendent Questions Cyber School Funding
The Sentinel, PA, January 27, 2013
The funding of cyber education programs is something that Mark Leidy, superintendent of Mechanicsburg Area School District, has seen as problematic.
Georgia’s Virtual Schools See Enrollment Increasing
Augusta Chronicle, GA, January 26, 2013
Interest in virtual education is rising across Georgia for families who want an alternative to traditional public schools, causing a significant increase in enrollment at the major online providers this academic year.