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.
Holding States and Schools Accountable
New York Times, NY, February 10, 2013
As Congress contemplates rewriting No Child Left Behind, President George W. Bush’s signature education law, legislators will tussle over a vision of how the federal government should hold states and schools accountable for students’ academic progress.
The Secret to Fixing Bad Schools
New York Times, NY, February 10, 2013
WHAT would it really take to give students a first-rate education? Some argue that our schools are irremediably broken and that charter schools offer the only solution. The striking achievement of Union City, N.J. — bringing poor, mostly immigrant kids into the educational mainstream — argues for reinventing the public schools we have.
FROM THE STATES
ARKANSAS
ADE Discusses Common Core and Charter Schools
KARK, AR, February 10, 2013
The Arkansas State Board of Education is meeting for a work session to discuss Common Core state standards and upcoming charter school renewal process ahead of the board’s meeting Monday morning.
CALIFORNIA
Teamwork Reverses School’s Fortune
Stockton Record, CA, February 11, 2013
Undeterred by the foreboding sky threatening rain, fifth-grade teacher Talia Ortega led her 30 students to the Nightingale Charter School playground last week, not for fun and games but to study the water cycle.
COLORADO
Charter School Opens $9.7 Million Facility
9NEWS, CO, February 10, 2013
Tammy Stringari knows first-hand how difficult it can be for charter schools to pay for their own buildings. That’s why when Jefferson Academy opened the doors on a new building for the first time Saturday afternoon, the principal says it was the end of a journey both short and long.
Waldorf-Inspired Local Charter School Focuses On Sustainability
The Coloradoan, CO, February 9, 2013
More than three years ago, a group of local parents and educators convened to discuss how they could create a Waldorf-inspired school in Fort Collins. Their vision was to open a school where children would be educated to know their own creative power, their day to day would be steeped in sustainable living practices, arts and music would be the threads that tie all subjects together, and each child would feel their place within the community.
Critics Linger, But Colorado Girds For Roll-Out Of Common Core
Denver Post, CO, February 10, 2013
As a ninth-grade earth-science teacher, Cheryl Mosier initially figured the upcoming implementation of national standards for math and literacy would have little impact on her classes at Columbine High School.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Debates Growth Of Charter Schools
Washington Post, DC, February 10, 2013
It’s the latest sign that the District is on track to become a city where a majority of children are educated not in traditional public schools but in public charters: A California nonprofit group has proposed opening eight D.C. charter schools that would enroll more than 5,000 students by 2019.
Charters Shell Out To Renovate Long-Vacant D.C. School Buildings
Washington Examiner, DC, February 10, 2013
With its students divided among three campuses on 16th Street Northwest — sharing facilities with churches on two — it’s easy to understand why Washington Latin Public Charter School is eager to lease a former D.C. public school.
The Exaggeration Of Charter School Waiting List
Washington Post Blog, DC, February 10, 2013
No doubt there are excellent charter schools in the country where the waiting lists are very, very long. But there also are instances where waiting lists aren’t exactly as long as they appear.
FLORIDA
With Millions At Stake, Tutoring Lobby Goes Into Action
Miami Herald, FL, February 11, 2013
Florida won a waiver from a requirement that school districts hire tutors, but the industry made sure the money kept flowing.
GEORGIA
Blackmon: ‘Parent Trigger’ Sidesteps Real Education Issues
Athens Banner-Herald, GA, February 9, 2013
Making its way through the Georgia House of Representatives is a nefarious bill under the misleading name of Parent and Teacher Empowerment Act. It is more commonly known as the “parent trigger.” Some are calling it The Chaos Theory of Running Our Schools Act.
Bill Seeks New Teacher Evaluation System
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, February 9, 2013
State Rep. Randy Nix, R-LaGrange, has introduced legislation to establish a new system for the evaluation of teachers, assistant principals and principals.
IDAHO
On Education, Legislators Must Do More Than Listen
Idaho Statesman, ID, February 11, 2013
Idaho’s House and Senate Education committees need to focus more on Idaho’s educational dog and not the charter school tail wagging it. If you rounded up every child enrolled in a charter school as well as every student who’d like to attend one, you’d still be talking about no more than 10 percent of the kids in the Gem State.
ILLINOIS
A Do-Over On Accountability For UNO Charter-School Contracting
Chicago Sun Times, IL, February 10, 2013
The United Neighborhood Organization seems to have forgotten that it pays its bills with public dollars.
CPS Parents Make Pre-Emptive Push To Keep Logan Square School Open
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 11, 2013
Brentano Elementary Math and Science Academy not yet slated for shutdown, but it meets CPS criteria for closing
KANSAS
School Choice Provides Hope, Opportunity
Wichita Eagle, KS, February 11, 2013
The results of our assignment-by-ZIP code public-education system over the last half century show that we shouldn’t. Graduation rates have remained stagnant since the 1970s, with roughly three-quarters of students graduating. In some of America’s largest cities, fewer than half of all students complete high school.
LOUISIANA
La. High Court To Hear Voucher Case
The Advocate, LA, February 11, 2013
Louisiana’s top court next month will hear the state’s appeal of a Baton Rouge judge’s ruling that Louisiana’s expanded voucher program, along with another key legislatively approved piece of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s public school overhaul plan, unconstitutionally divert public funds to private and parochial schools.
Cravins Calls For Independent District
Opelousas Daily World, LA, February 10, 2013
Opelousas Mayor Donald Cravins has said that he will ask the city council at its Feb. 19 meeting to either create an independent school district for the city or move to a charter school system.
Continuing School Reforms In Jefferson Parish
Times-Picayune, LA, February 10, 2013
For years Jefferson Parish school leaders resisted change, rejecting education reform measures and allowing parish schools to slide downward. Fortunately, that is no longer true. The latest evidence is the new partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to try to make the system’s budget line up with goals for reform.
MARYLAND
Montgomery Schools Wrong To Balk At Evaluation Proposals
Washington Post, DC, February 9, 2013
MARYLAND ESTABLISHED its credentials as a leader in education reform by insisting on making schools accountable for their results. That certainly was the hallmark of now-retired state schools superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick, whose lengthy tenure pioneered reforms that are now established education policy.
Charter And Independent Schools Faced Financial, Academic Challenges
Baltimore Sun, MD, February 9, 2013
In response to a system that many believed had long failed young black boys, a school began to take shape seven years ago in a small East Baltimore neighborhood.
MASSACHUSETTS
Chieppo And Gass: More Charter Schools To Close The Education Gap
Medway Country Gazette, MA, February 10, 2013
It’s easy to become desensitized to the plight of students in our lowest-performing school districts. We routinely read about the latest efforts to turn around a failing school or, as in Lawrence, an entire district. But the problem never seems to go away.
MICHIGAN
Snyder Criticized In School Aid Move
Detroit News, MI, February 11, 2013
For the third year in a row, Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget is balanced by diverting nearly $400 million from a fund normally reserved for K-12 public schools to fund community colleges and four-year universities.
MINNESOTA
German Immersion School Will Move To St. Paul’s Como Park Area
Twin Cities Pioneer Press, MN, February 10, 2013
Minnesota’s only German-language charter school is gearing up for a move this summer. Amid the bustle of light rail construction at its University Avenue spot in St. Paul, the Twin Cities German Immersion School has been looking around for a permanent home. Meanwhile, its enrollment continued to grow.
MONTANA
MEA-MFT Is Wrong In Calling School Choice Unconstitutional
Montana Standard, MT, February 10, 2013
The stark contrast between a statesman and a lobbyist or politician is no more clear than in the remarks Eric Feaver, president of MEA-MFT. Unfortunately, Mr. Feaver’s untruthful remarks (“MEA-MFT: Just say ‘no’ to Joe,” Feb. 1) resonate only with the uneducated, and there are a lot of them.
NEVADA
Improving Schools Isn’t Easy, And It’s Certainly Not Cheap
Reno Gazette-Journal, NV, February 11, 2013
Running a school isn’t easy, and it certainly isn’t cheap. It’s especially difficult if you try to do it on the approximately $6,000 per student that Nevada provides to public and charter schools.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Stiles Should Support Voucher Repeal
Seacoast Online, NH, February 10, 2013
Starting next September, New Hampshire’s new voucher program would provide scholarships worth an average of $2,500 per year to students going to private and religious schools and up to $625 for home schooling costs. Businesses could fund these scholarships in lieu of paying their state taxes. The state would off-set the lost business taxes by reducing state funding to school districts.
NEW JERSEY
In Local Battles Against Charters, Florence Township Joins the Fray
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, February 11, 2013
In what is becoming an annual ritual in towns across the state, another charter school is running into local resistance.
Laying Siege To New Jersey’s Public School System
Times of Trenton, NJ, February 11, 2013
If one follows press reports in this country, one gets the distinct impression that there is a grand scheme afoot to destroy the American public school system. The demise of public schools, it’s suggested, will make way for the Golden Age of Charter Schools, the self-styled wave of the future, the Promised Land and long-awaited Deliverer of American education.
NEW MEXICO
Crammed Classes
Albuquerque Journal, NM, February 11, 2013
For the past three years, Albuquerque Public Schools has been operating under a class size waiver from the state, which allows classes to exceed state maximums. This year and last, the waiver has allowed APS to exceed the minimums by 7 percent. For example, secondary teachers can now have a daily course load of 171 students instead of 160. In fiscal 2011, the district had a 3 percent waiver.
NEW YORK
Harlem Offers Elementary School Options From Magnets to Charters
DNAinfo, NY, February 11, 2013
Talk to Harlem parents, students and educators, and the tension between charter schools and district public schools is evident.
NORTH CAROLINA
To Close Achievement Gap, CMS Needs Cultural Competency
Charlotte Observer, NC, February 10, 2013
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has been nationally recognized for progress in narrowing achievement gaps for our students.
OHIO
Charter Schools Are Scapegoats
Tribune Chronicle, OH, February 10, 2013
Late last month a chorus of local public school administrators sounded off against state funding of charter schools. Those administrators, however, painted a skewed picture of the charter schools issue.
Stakes High For New Teacher Evaluation System
Hamilton Journal News, OH, February 9, 2013
Student performance will factor into teacher’s evaluation. Hamilton, Middletown schools have started to implement system that will be required next school year.
PENNSYLVANIA
Charter Expansion Will Further Damage District
Burlington County Times, PA, February 9, 2013
As a Florence resident whose four children attend our wonderful public schools, I am adamantly opposed to the proposed expansion of the Riverbank Charter School and feel that it will further damage an already well-run school district.
Some Closings Would Shift Students To Buildings In Worse Shape
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 10, 2013
Faced with a stock of aging, costly buildings and tens of thousands of empty seats, Philadelphia School District officials recently announced a plan to shut one in six Philadelphia schools.
SOUTH DAKOTA
School Reform Shifts To Students
Sioux Falls Argus Leader, SD, February 10, 2013
After the resounding rejection by voters of Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s teacher-focused education reform agenda, state education officials have turned attention back to the students.
TENNESSEE
Shelby Schools Battle Now Awaits Judge’s Ruling
Commercial Appeal, TN, February 10, 2013
Now that Shelby County’s six suburban municipalities have pulled out of negotiations for municipal charter school organizations, U.S. Dist. Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays must do something he’s been reluctant to since a suburban filing two years ago put schools lawsuits into federal court.
TEXAS
Texas Education Agency Works To Improve Scrutiny Of Charter School Applications
Dallas Morning News, TX, February 9, 2013
State education leaders say they want to avoid a repeat of last year, when several charter school proposals were found to have sections with identical or nearly identical wording.
By Any Name, Vouchers Don’t Work
Amarillo Globe News, TX, February 9, 2013
This is timely advice with the 83rd session of the Texas Legislature under way, and school voucher supporters vowing to make another run at passing voucher legislation despite a string of failed attempts.
VERMONT
New School Choice Rules Get Mixed Review
Burlington Free Press, VT, February 11, 2013
Under a new law, Vermont students may apply to any of the 61 public high schools in the state, regardless of where they live.
WISCONSIN
School Voucher Expansion Wrong
Appleton Post Crescent, WI, February 10, 2013
A year and a half ago, a provision was snuck into the state budget bill at the last minute that established a formula to expand the voucher school program beyond Milwaukee and Racine.
True Accountability In Action At A Choice School
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, February 9, 2013
Two years ago, I wrote an op-ed chiding then editorial columnist O. Ricardo Pimentel of the Journal Sentinel for his ill-conceived column accusing advocates of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) of “cynically” using minority children as “pawns.” Since then, Pimentel has left Milwaukee and I have been hired as president of the largest private school (St. Anthony School of Milwaukee) that currently participates in the choice program.
Number of Wisconsin Parents Using Open Enrollment Program Rises
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, February 11, 2013
Wausau-area school districts are reporting a record number of parents using the state’s open enrollment process to choose the schools their children attend.
ONLINE LEARNING
Local School Officials: Virtual Learning OK As A Supplement
Sentinel & Enterprise, MA, February 9, 2013
Legislators and educators applauded the benefits of virtual schools at a seminar Thursday, praising an innovation that allows students to learn at their own pace and take advantage of technology in the classroom.
Conn. Massacre Prompts Parents To Enroll Kids In Cyber School
Citizen Voice, PA, February 11, 2013
An attack on an elementary school in Connecticut led a Pennsylvania mother to transfer her two sons into a cyber school so they could take all their classes at home on a computer.
Hazleton Cyber School ‘Creative’ To Fit Students’ Needs
Standard Speaker, PA, February 10, 2013
Students in the Hazleton Area Virtual Academy have the same teachers, same attendance rules and earn the same diplomas as their peers at Hazleton Area High School.
Cyber-School Possibilities
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 10, 2013
When Philadelphia’s new school superintendent, William Hite Jr., started looking for ways to entice students back who had left the School District, one of his first stated goals was to start a new cyber school.
Virtual Schools Grow In Numbers, But Eau Claire Is Yet To Commit
Leader-Telegram, WI, February 10, 2013
Eau Claire school board member Kathryn Duax asked district administrators last week why they hadn’t pursued opening a virtual school.