Daily Headlines for February 4, 2013
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
Rhee Wary Of Stressing On Testing
Washington Times, DC, February 3, 2013
As organized opposition to standardized testing grows, one of the nation’s most outspoken and controversial education activists said Sunday that such assessments have a place in public schools but cautioned against an “overemphasis” on them.
School Turnaround Prompts Community Backlash
Associated Press, February 3, 2013
The federal government’s push for drastic reforms at chronically low achieving schools has led to takeovers by charter operators, overhauls of staff and curriculum, and even school shutdowns across the country.
More Lessons About Charter Schools
New York Times, NY, February 2, 2013
The charter school movement gained a foothold in American education two decades ago partly by asserting that independently run, publicly financed schools would outperform traditional public schools if they were exempted from onerous regulations.
FROM THE STATES
ALASKA
Alaska Lawmakers Consider School Voucher Proposal
KTUU, AK, February 3, 2013
Parents would be able to send their kids to private or religious schools using public education funds if a new constitutional amendment passes.
CALIFORNIA
L.A.’s First Hebrew-Language Charter School Raises Questions
Los Angeles Times, CA, February, 2013
Lashon Academy is to teach modern Hebrew, have no religious component and aim for a diverse student body. But some worry that dual-language charters blur the line between public and private schools.
COLORADO
Charter School Rally Highlights Choices For Students
Colorado Springs Gazette, CO, February 1, 2013
Nearly 400 students, teachers and others rallied Friday afternoon for National School Choice Week at Pikes Peak Prep.
Colorado Should Expand Its School Choice
Denver Post, CO, January 4, 2013
A great school isn’t great for every student.
I was fortunate. Columbine High School was a great school for me. My senior year, I was making good grades, was an editor on the school newspaper staff, and competed on the speech and debate team.
FLORIDA
Charting Florida’s K-12 Legislative Landscape
Orlando Sentinel, FL, February 3, 2013
K-12 education in Florida is a never-ending series of tweaks. Expect a new round of fine-tuning in March when the 2013 legislative session begins.
Pines Charters, Broward School Board In Tug-Of-War For Tax Money
Sun Sentinel, FL, February 2, 2013
The 5,600 students who attend the Pembroke Pines Charter schools are no different than their peers at Chapel Trail Elementary or West Broward High.
Charter Schools Put Unfair Pressure On Public-School Construction Funding
Miami Herald, FL, February 3, 2013
In the past week, The Herald has published two stories regarding the Pembroke Pines Charter school system’s attempt to relieve its financial pressure by requesting a portion of the Broward County Public Schools’ (BCPS) local capital dollars.
Florida Praised For Support Of Charter Schools
Tampa Bay Tribune, FL, February 3, 2013
New rankings from a national charter school advocacy group rate Florida as the nation’s fifth-best state because of laws that make it easy for such schools to open and operate, but critics say those policies may not be best for students.
GEORGIA
Georgia’s Bid For Federal School Grant At Risk
Gainesville Times, GA, February 3, 2013
Federal officials have moved a piece of Georgia’s Race to the Top education grant into a “high risk” category because of the state’s difficulty with implementing a new teacher-evaluation strategy.
Resolution of Atlanta Cheating Scandal Caught Between 2 Agencies
Augusta Chronicle, GA, February 3, 2013
Most of the educators named in an Atlanta school cheating scandal are gone. But for many, there is no closure because they are caught between two agencies.
IDAHO
Idaho’s Charter School Law Could Be Revamped Soon
Idaho Statesman, ID, February 3, 2013
For charter school advocates, the key to promoting choice in Idaho is finding a way to pay for projects, since charter schools can’t hold a levy election and must pay for facilities with the per-student operating money the state distributes.
ILLINOIS
For Insiders, Community Group UNO’s Charter Schools Pay
Chicago Sun Times, IL, February 4, 2013
A $98 million state grant — approved by the Illinois Legislature in 2009 and believed to be the nation’s largest government investment in charter schools to date — funded the construction of Soccer Academy Elementary and other new schools built by UNO.
All They Want Is A Choice
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 4, 2013
On Aug. 11 inside a school gymnasium in West Englewood, more than 200 parents scribbled their child’s name on a pink raffle ticket.
INDIANA
Teacher Union Regroups After Financial Scandal
Courier Journal, IN, February 3, , 2013
Indiana’s largest teachers union, battered by the 2009 collapse of its insurance trust, hopes the election of teacher and union activist Glenda Ritz as the state’s top school official will help it rebuild its clout and overcome financial challenges.
KANSAS
Teacher Evaluations Undergoing Overhaul
Topeka Capital Journal, KS, February 3, 2013
Federally mandated changes to teacher evaluations in Kansas mean educators soon will be evaluated at least in part based on the state assessment scores of their students — a requirement that will apply to math teachers and gym instructors alike.
LOUISIANA
Teachers Union Requests Info From 35 N.O. Charter Schools
The Advocate, LA, February 4, 2013
In an attempt to organize and rebuild its profile, the city’s teachers union has requested teachers’ names and contact information, employee handbooks and charter agreements from 35 of the city’s 70-plus charter schools.
COMPASS Needs To Be Revisited
Monroe News Star, LA, February 4, 2013
As a member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and a director of human resources , I am appealing to the Louisiana Legislature to revisit COMPASS — the new teacher-leader evaluation program.
MARYLAND
Something Is Wrong In Maryland
Washington Post Blog, DC, February 4, 2013
For years, Maryland has been known for its excellent public schools. That doesn’t mean they are all of equal quality, but the state has been ranked No. 1 for five straight years by Education Week, which, if you put any stock in rankings, is the best on this subject because of the multiple indicators it considers.
MASSACHUSETTS
Parents Go Shopping — For Schools
South Coast Today, MA, February 3, 2013
Parents went shopping Saturday. But not for clothes or groceries. They were shopping for schools for their children’s education.
MICHIGAN
Everyone Has A Plan For Education Reform, Except Educator
Michigan Live, MI, February 3, 2013
The Center for Michigan has one. So does the Governor and legislature. Even the Oxford Foundation has one. What is it? A plan for educational reform and it seems that everyone, with the exception of the educational community, has one. It seems the would rather simply to on the sidelines and carp about ideas being advanced.
Education Reform Builds Momentum
Lansing State Journal, MI, February 2, 2013
For much of the past decade, some person or group at the Capitol has been pressing the cause for school finance reform.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Educational Opportunity Under Attack On Many Fronts
Foster’s Daily Democrat, NH, February 3, 2013
Educational opportunity is something we all want for our children. But it is under threat in New Hampshire.
NEW YORK
Teacher Evaluation Law Puts Bloomberg In A Bind
New York Daily News, NY, February 4, 2013
The nation’s most knowledgeable school reform experts believe New York is the only state to, in effect, give unions veto power over how to evaluate teacher performance.
In a Memphis Cheating Ring, the Teachers Are the Accused
New York Times, NY, February 2, 2013
In the end, it was a pink baseball cap that revealed an audacious test-cheating scheme in three Southern states that spanned at least 15 years.
NORTH CAROLINA
Charter Advocate Seeks Reform Within A Climate Of Choice
Herald Sun, NC, February 2, 2013
Darrell Allison doesn’t have much use for the idea of a moratorium on public-supported charter schools in Durham – or anywhere else, for that matter.
Changes To CMS Teacher Pay Remain Unclear
Charlotte Observer, NC, February 3, 2013
By the end of this month, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools plans to unveil a proposal for changing the way teachers are paid, with rewards for leadership and classroom results.
OHIO
Millions Of Dollars Owed To State By Failed Charter Schools
10TV, OH, February 3, 2013
Millions of taxpayer dollars in Central Ohio are missing, and chances are the state will never get them back. Much of the money is attributed to failed charter schools, such as Harte Crossroads, which opened in the former Columbus City Center mall in 2004.
Kasich’s School Funding Plan Is A Positive Step Forward, But Effects On Traditional Public Schools Are Still Murky
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, February 2, 2013
Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s long-awaited school funding formula appears overall to be a promising fix for a long-broken funding system that the Ohio Supreme Court first ruled unconstitutional in 1997.
Only Limit On New Voucher Is The Budget
Columbus Dispatch, OH, February 3, 2013
Nearly half of Ohio’s 1.8 million elementary and secondary students could qualify in the coming years for tax-funded tuition to private schools under Gov. John Kasich’s plan to expand the state’s voucher program, which would change the face of education in the Buckeye State.
PENNSYLVANIA
Renaissance Schools Still Alive
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, February 3, 2013
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT announced Friday that it would continue the Renaissance Charter Schools initiative for a fourth straight year.
Can’t Avoid Closing Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 3, 2013
Parents and other opponents of plans to close 37 city schools have been asking the right questions, and they deserve answers, but it shouldn’t take the yearlong moratorium they want to get the answers.
Chester Considering More Charter Schools
Delaware County Times, PA, February 2, 2013
Chester Upland School District Receiver Joseph Watkins has about a month to decide whether to approve two charter school proposals.
SOUTH CAROLINA
School Choice A Waste Of Time
The State, SC, February 4, 2013
I object to my tax dollars being used to give tax deductions to send children to private schools and home schools (“School choice bill introduced again,” Jan. 25).
TENNESSEE
In Memphis, Gates Testing Ways To Give Teacher Quick Feedback
Commercial Appeal, TN, February 4, 2013
As the nation pushes to improve the quality of its public school teachers, it’s pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into professional development with little way to measure the results.
Teacher Pay System Has To Be Equitable
The Tennessean, TN, February 3, 2013
“What’s with the war on teachers?” a Tennessean reader asked last week in the comments on a recent story outlining research that questions the value of pay differentials for teaching experience and advanced degrees.
Ease Up On Charter Push
Commercial Appeal, TN, February 4, 2013
Why do we need charter schools in Mississippi? I don’t understand why Gov. Phil Bryant and his elected Cabinet members are so gung-ho in trying to force charter schools down the throats of all Mississippians.
TEXAS
Perry Praises Charter Schools, Voucher Plan
Longview News-Journal, TX, February 2, 2013
Gov. Rick Perry told the State Board of Education on Friday that it’s time for Texas to increase the number of charter schools allowed to operate statewide and embrace a voucher system that would let parents get their kids out of poor-performing public schools and into private ones.
VIRGINIA
Charter School Fights Uphill Battle in Loudoun County
Washington Examiner, DC, February 3, 2013
Loudoun County’s would-be first public charter school has four meetings left to win over the county school board, but so far the school has not had much success.
Gov’s Charter Schools Measure Dies In House Panel
WTOP, VA, February 1, 2013
A proposed state constitutional amendment that would have given Virginia more say in establishing charter schools died in a House committee Friday over concerns that cities and counties would wind up footing the bill.
ONLINE LEARNING
Virtual Learning Academy Charter School Looks Toward Growth
Nashua Telegraph, NH, February 4, 2013
In only five years, enrollment at the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School has increased from 700 to 15,500, and is larger than many of the state’s school districts.
Say Hello to ‘The Flipped Classroom’ in Niagara Falls
Buffalo News, NY, February 2, 2013
Some classes at two local schools have been flipped. Work that used to be done in the classroom is being done at home, and what used to be done as homework is being done in class.
GOP Proposal Harms Cyber Schools, Limits Choices
Tribune Democrat, PA, February 3, 2013
Harrisburg fourth-grader Ashley Matunis excels at math, which allows her to learn faster than her classmates. Her 7-year-old sister Anna suffers from Type I diabetes. Their mother, Sarah, found a way to meet both her daughters’ learning needs at Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, which has more than 11,000 students across the state.
Pa. Students Need To Have Education Choices
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, February 2, 2013
This year more Pennsylvania families than ever have a reason to celebrate School Choice Week, Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, and Digital Learning Day on Feb. 6. As a teacher at the virtual public school Commonwealth Connections Academy’s Seven Fields office, I celebrate both proudly, as I see firsthand the benefits of choice and technology in learning every day.
Haslam Bill Seeks To Make Real Improvements In State’s Virtual Schools
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, February 3, 2013
Legislation imposing enrollment limits in Tennessee virtual schools is included in a 59-bill package in the Haslam administration’s legislative package for the 2013 session, though the governor never mentioned it in his “state-of-the-state” speech or news releases on his “priorities” for the year.
Appleton Online School Growing
WHBY, WI, February 4, 2013
Leaders of an Appleton-based online school are looking forward to the start of the state’s open enrollment period.
New Online-Only Charter School Gets State Approval
KOB, MN, February 1, 2013
This fall public school students across New Mexico could start getting their education completely online.