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.
New Front in Charter Schools
Wall Street Journal, March 11, 2013
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering eliminating a cap on the number of charter schools that can operate in the lowest-performing school districts, including here in the capital city.
States Draw A Hard Line On Third-Graders, Holding Some Back Over Reading
Washington Post, DC, March 10, 2013
A growing number of states are drawing a hard line in elementary school, requiring children to pass a reading test in third grade or be held back from fourth grade.
The Education Reforms We’ve Been Arguing About? Mostly, They Go Nowhere.
Washington Post, DC, March 10, 2013
Those of us arguing about the latest reforms — rating teachers by student test scores, switching to the Common Core standards, opening more charter schools — should read Cuban’s masterful book, “Inside the Black Box of Classroom Practice: Change Without Reform in American Education.” He listens and watches quietly in classrooms. He sifts through the research. Then he reveals how little the reforms have added, no matter what their promoters or critics say about them.
FROM THE STATES
ALABAMA
Vouchers: It’s Our Money
Decatur Daily, AL, March 10, 2013
Legislators, consumed with the desire to keep HB84 secret, failed to get the input they needed to create a bill that benefits the state. It drains money from the Education Trust Fund and funnels it to private entities. Some in Alabama resent their tax dollars going to public schools. They may find they are even less comfortable financing the schools allowed by HB84.
How The HB84 Private-School Tax Credit Could Affect Alabama Families
Anniston Star, AL, March 10, 2013
Jan Hurd has been waiting a long time for Alabama to set up a school choice program.
CALIFORNIA
Local Families Try Their Luck In Charter School Lottery
Lodi News Sentinel, CA, March 10, 2013
Inside were the names of 230 children. There was little conversation as the minutes ticked toward 9 a.m. when a volunteer would begin to call out names. A class list printed on five huge sheets of paper was tacked on the far wall. More than half the class was already full from students with family at the school. Only 29 places remained for the parents who filed in, filling the air with tension.
Charter District Outgrowing Space
San Diego Union-Tribune, CA, March 10, 2013
Popular charter schools run by Dennis “Coach” Snyder on the northeast side of the city are experiencing growing pains.
The Wrong Fight Over Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, March 11, 2013
The politics of education need to shift from who controls governance to building the system’s capacity.
FLORIDA
Should School District Save Charter Schools?
Palm Beach Post, FL, March 11, 2013
As they discussed the fates of three struggling charter schools last week, an interesting — and to some, surprising — debate erupted among Palm Beach County School Board members over the district’s responsibility to help quasi-public schools when they’re faltering.
For Escambia Students, School Choice No Longer Limited By Location
Pensacola News Journal, FL, March 11, 2013
Next school year, Escambia County parents will have more choices where to send their children to school.
Educated, Informed Choice Is Vital
News Chief, FL, March 11, 2013
The hundreds of millions of dollars that are being funneled into private, for-profit programs would surely help fix our public schools.
Schools Chief Warns That Plan To Give Parents Power In School Turnarounds Is Flawed
Palm Beach Post, FL, March 8, 2013
A controversial “parent trigger” plan to let parents take over failing schools is on the fast track, but Education Commissioner Tony Bennett cautioned lawmakers this week that the proposal gives the state too much power and creates too much red tape for parents.
Don’t Pull The Trigger
Miami Herald, FL, March 11, 2013
Daniel Shoer Roth’s March 7 article, Deadly trigger for public schools, hits the mark — privatization of public institutions for private profit.
GEORGIA
DeKalb School Superintendent Addresses Dunwoody Concerns
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, March 11, 2013
This is what DeKalb school district Interim Superintendent Michael Thurmond signed up for.
Newton Charter School To Close After This Year
Newton Citizen, GA, March 9, 2013
Officials with the Georgia Department of Education notified the Challenge Foundation last month that the school’s petition would be submitted to the state board of education with a recommendation for denial, according to NCSS.
IDAHO
Charter Schools Are Public Schools But Founding, Funding Are Unique
Idaho Reporter, ID, March 10, 2013
Since authorized for creation by the Legislature in 1998, Idaho has been home to 44 charter schools with a handful coming and going since then. There are currently 40 charter schools in the state.
ILLINOIS
Charter Schools Could Unionize
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 10, 2013
The United Neighborhood Organization, one of the largest charter networks in the city, is allowing teachers at its 13 charter campuses to unionize.
49th Ward Residents Ask Alderman To Oppose Charter Schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 11, 2013
Hundreds of North Side residents are asking their alderman, Joe Moore, to publicly oppose the opening of future charter schools in Chicago’s 49th ward.
INDIANA
Charter School HAST Exceeded Expectations
Northwest Times, IN, March 11, 2013
If you’ve read any of my previous columns, you’ll know I’m no friend of public education. I used to have the same attitude toward charter schools.
Study: Charter School Students Learning More
South Bend Tribune, IN, March 11, 2013
An average Michigan charter school student will learn more in a year than his or her public school peer, according to a new report by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes.
LOUISIANA
New School Policies Face Uncertain Future
The Advocate, LA, March 11, 2013
Already under one cloud, the future of sweeping changes in Louisiana public schools faces more uncertainty after a state district court judge tossed out a law that makes it harder for teachers to earn job security.
Choice Still On Table; Leave It To The Parents
American Press, LA, March 9, 2013
The deadline passed last month for local non-profits, public agencies and colleges to grant charters to Louisiana schools. Curiously, there were no takers.
Charter Review Team On County Schools Agenda
Shreveport Times, LA, March 9, 2013
Rutherford County board members will be asked this week to approve a review team to assist in evaluating charter school applications.
MAINE
Portland Charter School Flap Exposes Structural Flaw
Maine Sunday Telegram, ME, March 9, 2013
When charter schools are attacked for taking money away from public schools, we always hear the same response: Charter schools are public schools.
MASSACHUSETTS
Bold School Choice
Boston Herald, MA, March 11, 2013
Boston’s new school assignment plan, if approved by the School Committee this week, won’t resolve the angst of every Hub family who must endure the current, nearly universally-disdained process. In a system with 57,000 students and 128 schools there are simply too many competing interests to achieve assignment nirvana.
MICHIGAN
Schools Wrong In Skirting Right To Work
Detroit News, MI, March 11, 2013
As the days shorten before Michigan’s new right-to-work law takes effect late this month, a growing number of school districts and public universities are doing everything in their power to circumvent it.
MISSOURI
Will School Turnarounds Continue After The Federal Money Has Dried Up?
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, March 9, 2013
Before Cornelius Green arrived at Fanning Middle School, principals spent their days holed up in the office.
MONTANA
Opponents Rip Into School-Choice Tax Credit Measure
Montana Standard, MT, March 9, 2013
State Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Dennis Parman didn’t mince words Friday when he blasted supporters of this session’s major bill creating tax credits to help finance scholarships for kids attending private schools in Montana.
NEBRASKA
Achievement Gap Still Tests OPS
World-Herald, NE, March 11, 2013
If you want to see progress in closing the achievement gap, check out Miller Park Elementary in north Omaha.
NEW JERSEY
Tenure Reform
The Record, NJ, March 9, 2013
WHEN LEGISLATION was passed and signed last summer reforming teacher tenure in New Jersey, both Democrats and Republicans hailed the move as a landmark achievement. Even the New Jersey Education Association was on board, having temporarily put aside its antipathy to the Christie administration.
NEW YORK
Why More Charters Need To Close
New York Daily News, NY, March 10, 2013
The United Federation of Teachers has finally gotten a taste of how hard it is to run a successful charter, with state authorities giving the East New York school only two years to improve.
Queens Parents Council Says No Room For New Charters In Overcrowded District 24
New York Daily News, NY, March 11, 2013
Community Education Council District 24 is opposed to using public school building space for charters; District encompasses Corona, Middle Village, Elmhurst
Rational Decisions and Heartbreak on School Closings
New York Times, NY, March 9, 2013
When it comes to school closings, the arguments may make sense on paper, but the reality is much messier.
NORTH CAROLINA
Drain – Low Teacher Pay Puts State’s Future In Doubt
Fayetteville Observer, NC, March 11, 2013
Few things are beyond dispute, but this comes close: North Carolina will never become a mecca for top-flight teachers if teacher pay remains just four slots out of last place.
STEAM Academy In Finance Trouble
Winston-Salem Journal, NC, March 11, 2013
A Winston-Salem charter school is once again in hot water with the State Board of Education.
Lottery For Future Charter School?
Shelby Star, NC, March 10, 2013
Leaders overseeing the organization of Cleveland County’s first charter school approved a lottery system Sunday that will help determine which applicants will attend the new school when it opens this August.
OHIO
Charter Schools Fail To Make Grade
Youngstown Vindicator, OH, March 11, 2013
When charter schools burst on Ohio’s education scene about 15 years ago, proponents claimed they could educate at-risk kids better — and more cheaply — than traditional public schools.
Race to Top Grants Not Worth Costs, Officials Say
Columbus Dispatch, OH, March 10, 2013
Requirements tied to federal Race to the Top education grants have become more work than the money is worth, some Ohio school districts say.
OKLAHOMA
School Success Is No Embarrassment
The Oklahoman, OK, March 11, 2013
In Oklahoma City, Tracy McDaniel is principal of KIPP Reach College Preparatory charter school. More than 90 percent of the school’s students are minorities and 83 percent are poor enough to qualify for free or reduced lunch.
PENNSYLVANIA
Level Field For Schools
Scranton Times-Tribune, PA, March 11, 2013
Charter schools are favored by the Corbett administration and many lawmakers as an effective means of alternative education, 16 years after they first were authorized by state law.
Recent Pennsylvania Legislation Overhauls Charter School Funding
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, March 11, 2013
A new legislative session in Harrisburg has brought a renewed effort at charter school overhaul.
City Schools Need To Adapt To Competition From Other Institutions
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 11, 2013
THE DEED is done. Amid some of the most well-orchestrated and well-attended protests from parents and activists in recent history, the School Reform Commission last week voted to close down nearly two-dozen schools and consolidate a dozen others.
Abiding Anxiety Of School Lottery
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 10, 2013
To go to Rosa, students have to enter a lottery. There is no way to bolster an application – students are selected at random. No preference is awarded to students who have a sibling at Rosa, although the district permits twins to apply together.
Admission to Pittsburgh’s Charter, Magnet Schools Becomes Difficult
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, March 11, 2013
For parents looking for a creative, outdoorsy education for their future kindergartners — with beautiful food in a beautiful building — the Environmental Charter School seems like a dream. Increasingly, it’s nearly an impossible one.
TENNESSEE
Charter Review Team On County Schools Agenda
The Tennessean, TN, March 9, 2013
Rutherford County board members will be asked this week to approve a review team to assist in evaluating charter school applications.
Haslam’s Limited Voucher Plan Is Best For Students
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, March 10, 2013
A bill in the Tennessee Legislature backed by Gov. Bill Haslam that would establish a school voucher program in the state has met with resistance from an unlikely source — the governor’s fellow Republicans.
Williamson Schools Chief Warns That Charters, Vouchers Could Lower Home Values
Tennessean, TN, March 8, 2013
If state legislators agree to expand the charter school and voucher systems in Tennessee, property owners in Williamson County will likely see a decline in the value of their home, according to the director of the county school system.
TEXAS
Texas Senate’s Education Chairman Pushes Bills On School Vouchers, Abortion, Lobbyists
Dallas Morning News, TX, March 10, 2013
Senate Education Committee Chairman Dan Patrick knows the power of volume. A radio station owner with a long career as a talk show host, the Houston Republican is trying to reshape Texas classrooms in the name of “school choice.”
Doing a Texas Two-Step Around Education Reform
Wall Street Journal, March 10, 2013
Watering down new high-school graduation standards will shortchange students, employers and the country.
UTAH
Voucher Backers Manhandle Education
Salt Lake Tribune, UT, March 9, 2013
Educators concerned about a bill they feel would ensure all public schools in Utah would get a failing grade under the new formula to evaluate student progress recently asked its sponsor, Sen. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, to come off the Senate floor and explain the measure.
VIRGINIA
McDonnell Achieves Mixed Results In Trying To Reform Virginia’s Schools
Washington Post, DC, March 10, 2013
Robert F. McDonnell ran for Virginia governor promising to reform public schools by offering parents more accountability and better teachers and giving them greater school choice by growing the state’s tiny list of charter schools.
A Republican That Virginia Educators Like
Roanoke Times, VA, March 11, 2013
The Virginia Education Association and state Republicans have not exactly been best buds in recent years. The GOP-controlled House of Delegates’ obstinate refusal to raise revenue has hit schools particularly hard. Tack on measures that divert funding away from public schools and hit teachers’ pocketbooks, and resentment blooms.
WEST VIRGINIA
National Teaching Corps Remains Hurdle In Tomblin’s Education Reform
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, March 11, 2013
Much of the vitriol surrounding Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s education reform bill concerns Teach For America, a national nonprofit that recruits college graduates to teach in high-need areas.
WISCONSIN
Are School Vouchers The Answer?
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, March 10, 2013
Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to expand the state’s school voucher program, a policy by which the government subsidizes the cost to parents of sending kids to private schools, inspired conversation among Daily Herald Media readers.
ONLINE LEARNING
Closing Of K-8 Cyber School Leaves An Opening For Others
Boston Globe, MA, March 11, 2013
Online education suffered a glancing blow recently when the Greenfield School Committee decided to close the state’s first and only cyber school. The demise of the Massachusetts Virtual Academy will create a temporary vacuum, but also open a new opportunity for the state’s energetic education-reform community.
31 On Track To Graduate From Virtual Academy
Reading Eagle, PA, March 9, 2013
The Brandywine Heights School Board has learned that the district’s virtual academy this year expects to graduate 31 seniors of a total 92 regular-education students enrolled.
Virtual Charter Schools Offer A New, Innovation Option For Education
Gaston Gazette, NC, March 8, 2013
With all the discussion of reforming the education system in North Carolina, I decided to take a look at a one prospect that has been making waves over the last year or so and that idea is virtual charter schools.
Lawrence District Testing ‘Blended Classroom’ Model To Provide More Flexibility, Learning Opportunities
Lawrence Journal World, KS, March 11, 2013
Flores is one of several teachers in the Lawrence school district taking part in a field test of a relatively new learning model called a “blended classroom” — so named because it blends traditional teacher-led instruction with individualized online activities that students can work on at their own pace, from anywhere they can get an Internet connection.
Lawmakers Look At Virtual Charter Schools
KRQE, NM, March 10, 2013
Some New Mexico lawmakers are trying to put the brakes on virtual charter schools, but some students say this is their best option for getting an education.