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Daily Headlines for March 18, 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

More Teachers Are Grouping Kids By Ability
USA Today, March 18, 2013

New findings based on more than 20 years of research suggest that despite decades of controversy, elementary school teachers now feel fine placing students into “ability groups.”

No Child Left Behind
New York Post, NY, March 17, 2013

Gifted and talented programs have been the target of criticism ever since the concept took hold in the 1970s, as huge demographic changes were transforming urban school districts and white, middle-class families were fleeing to the suburbs.

FROM THE STATES

ARKANSAS

Lawmakers Mull Options On School Choice Law
Log Cabin Democrat, AR, March 16, 2013

A testy exchange during a Senate committee hearing last week illustrates the sensitivity of the school choice issue in a state still trying to move beyond its history of racially separate public education.

CALIFORNIA

Leaders Of Charter Movement Seek Higher Standards
San Diego Union Tribune, CA, March 16, 2013

After two decades of offering educational choice to families, leaders of the charter-school movement in California are touting accomplishments but also calling for higher standards in light of some underperforming and mismanaged schools.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

$43,056 Bonus To Charter Teacher At ‘D’-Rated School
Washington Post Blog, DC, March 18, 2013

The obsession among school reformers with standardized test scores and merit pay has led to this: A fourth-grade teacher at a charter school in New Orleans won a $43,056 bonus because her students’ scores skyrocketed at a school with a “D” state rating. But there’s more.

District Officials Oddly Unwelcoming To A KIPP Charter High School
Washington Post, DC, March 16, 2013

“KIPP is a great school, they do good work, they’re a valuable part of the District. But that doesn’t mean that we’re simply going to hand over a parcel of land to them.” So said Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s spokesman, explaining why there has been no action on a proposal by the high-performing public charter network to build a high school in Southwest D.C.

Closing The Achievement Gap In Education
Washington Times, DC, March 16, 2013,

Recently, the Equity and Excellence Commission — a commission of the Department of Education — released recommendations on how to close the persistent achievement gap that exists among 22 percent of children attending substandard schools and living in poverty. Although it’s a product of 27 first-rate minds, the report is remarkable for what it doesn’t address.

FLORIDA

CER President: Florida Charter Schools Need Less Regulation, Better Authorizing And Supervision
Orlando Sentinel Blog, FL, March 14, 2013

Bills in the state legislature that would give school districts and the state more power to regulate charters would be a move in the wrong direction, said Jeanne Allen, founder and president of the Center for Education Reform, in an interview with School Zone.

Charter Schools Deserve No Help From School Boards
Palm Beach Post, FL, March 17, 2013

Regarding the push to expand charter schools, I do not understand why the Palm Beach County School Board would hesitate to close charter schools, which are free and receive public money, that have questionable financial practices, substandard math programs, and inadequate or non-existence reading programs (“Should district save charter schools?” March 11).

Charter School Supporters Plan To Tone Down Lobbying Strategy In Tallahassee
Miami Herald, FL, March 17, 2013

After suffering bruising defeats during last year’s Legislative session, charter school advocates have descended upon the capital city with a revamped strategy.

Parent Trigger Laws Won’t Help Students
Palm Beach Post, FL, March 16, 2013

Florida Education Commissioner Tony Bennett has warned that “parent trigger” bills expected to pass the Legislature are flawed. He’s right, but for the wrong reasons.

GEORGIA

Blackmon: ‘Parent Trigger’ Is Wrong Approach To Education Reform
Athens Banner-Herald, GA, March 16, 2013

I just can’t see where a parent trigger will do anything but generate discord and instability and waste money that could be used on actual education, only to create “transformed” schools that continue to get the same results. The evidence from other states supports my conclusion.

IDAHO

Idaho Public Schools Take Fresh Hits In Legislature
Spokesman Review, WA, March 16, 2013

Unbowed by the defeats of Propositions 1, 2 and 3 last November, Idaho lawmakers have renewed their efforts to undermine public school education.

LOUISIANA

Bobby Jindal Will Call Special Legislative Session If Education Overhaul Ruled Unconstitutional
Times-Picayune, LA, March 16, 2013

Gov. Bobby Jindal confirmed Thursday he will call the Legislature into special session if his education overhaul is ruled unconstitutional by the state Supreme Court.

Vouchers go to Supreme Court on Tuesday
Opelousas Daily World, LA, March 18, 2013

Attorneys on both sides of the Louisiana voucher debate are honing their arguments for a showdown Tuesday before the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Orleans Parish School Board Committees Focus On Charter Control
The Advocate, LA, March 17, 2013

The Orleans Parish School Board discussed new legislation at its committee meetings Thursday to work toward convincing more Recovery School District charter schools to return to local control.

MARYLAND

Prince George’s County Reacts To Rushern Baker’s Plan To Take Over The School System
Washington Post, DC, March 17, 2013

A newly elected Prince George’s County school board member said Sunday that she strongly supports County Executive Rushern L. Baker III’s plan to take over the county’s struggling school system, saying the board is hampering the schools and is averse to accountability.

MICHIGAN

Enrollment Falls At Detroit School For Teen Mothers
Detroit News, MI, March 18, 2013

Nearly two years after Detroit Public Schools cut ties with Catherine Ferguson Academy, the charter school for pregnant students and teen mothers is experiencing some challenges.

MINNESOTA

If Most Teachers Get A Bonus, Does Minnesota’s Q-Comp System Work?
Pioneer Press, MN, March 16, 2013

Minnesota’s pioneering teacher pay-for-performance system has grown into one that awards a bonus to nearly every teacher who participates.

MISSISSIPPI

In Mississippi, a Gray Area Between Black and White
Wall Street Journal, March 15, 2013

But nearly a half century after a federal judge ordered Cleveland to begin school desegregation, government attorneys have returned to court to argue the district must, once and for all, “fully dismantle its racially identifiable one-race schools,” in a legal battle that is again dividing the town.

Landmark Education Reform Needed
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, MS, March 17, 2013

Gov. Phil Bryant laid out a bold education reform package for the Legislature calling this the “Education Session.”

MONTANA

Who, And What, Are Behind School-Choice Movement In Montana?
Billings Gazette, MT, March 18, 2013

Advocates for “school choice” — the use of tax credits or public money to help finance public-school alternatives in Montana like charter or private schools — have hit a high-water mark this Legislature, getting a major bill through a chamber for the first time.

MEA-MFT’s Feaver: School Choice Rips The Fabric Of Public Education
Billings Gazette, MT, March 18, 2013

Eric Feaver, the leader of MEA-MFT, the union representing teachers and other public workers, says it’s no coincidence the entire public-education community is battling hard against school-choice bills this Legislature.

NEW JERSEY

From Pilot Teacher Evaluation Systems, Words of Encouragement, Warning
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, March 18, 2013
With every New Jersey school district tasked with having a new teacher evaluation system in place by next fall, the experiences of the handful of districts that have been testing the tools for the past two years are in high demand.

NEW YORK

Nine High Schools, One Roof
New York Times, NY, March 17, 2013

Still, only 14 percent of students graduated with a Regents degree from Stevenson in 2005; at the five schools with graduating classes in 2011, 40 percent did.

OREGON

Take The Long View
Mail Tribune, OR, March 17, 2013

Tom Cole says he hopes Medford School Board members can look beyond financial concerns when they decide whether to approve a new charter school operated by Cole’s Kids Unlimited organization. We hope so, too.

SOUTH CAROLINA

SC Moves To Close Failing Charter School After A Year Of Trying
The State, SC, March 16, 2013

At the same time, the state’s charter school district was moving forward with steps – on hold for a year by court order – to shut the school down for failure to improve its academic performance, financial reporting problems and alleged violations of state law.

TENNESSEE

Rocketship’s Nashville Charter Schools May Fall Short On Diversity
The Tennessean, TN, March 17, 2013

The California charter school company approved by the state to put new schools in Nashville gets high performance marks from education leaders, but its stated mission could run afoul of a diversity policy aimed at charter schools.

School Vouchers Do No Improve Student Outcomes
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, March 17, 2013

Which is more important, providing a high-quality education to all children, or promoting an ideology with questionable benefits to kids? If you agree that children’s needs come first, contact our state legislators and ask them to vote no on school vouchers.

Nashville’s Battle Over Charter Schools Authorizer Shifts To Costs
The Tennessean, TN, March 18, 2013

As Metro schools officials dig in to halt legislation that would create a new state panel able to authorize charter schools, their final argument is a fiscal one: protecting the purse of Metro government.

School Voucher Program Is Not A Good Idea
Leaf Chronicle, TN, March 17, 2013

The currently pending school voucher legislation is a terrible idea for these reasons:

TEXAS

Sweeping Effort To Expand Charter Schools Faces Hurdles
Texas Tribune, TX, March 17, 2013

When former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush told Texas lawmakers recently to “go big or go home” on education reform, he offered advice that state Sen. Dan Patrick had already embraced.

Two-Stepping to Excellent Schools
Wall Street Journal, March 18, 2013

As parents of Texas public-school students and founding members of Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment, we were surprised to see Tamsa described as “anti-testing” (“Doing a Texas Two-Step Around Education Reform” by Charles Cook and Terrence Moore, Cross Country, March 9).

WASHINGTON

Commit To Poor Kids To End The Achievement Gap
Seattle Times, WA, March 16, 2013

We must move past the notion that poor kids will never achieve academic success until poverty is addressed, writes guest columnist Chris Korsmo.

WEST VIRGINIA

Don’t Stymie School Reform
The Intelligencer, WV, March 18, 2013

Officials of West Virginia’s two teachers’ unions scored something of a victory last week, in delaying a state Senate vote on Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s school reform bill.

Teacher Seniority Bill Nears Big Hurdle
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, March 17, 2013

Teachers union officials, state lawmakers and the governor’s office resumed talks over the weekend on an education reform bill expected for a vote on the Senate floor today.

WISCONSIN

Green Bay Expands Traditional Education With Specialty Schools
Green Bay Press-Gazette, WI, March 16, 2013

For some Green Bay students, school no longer is about sitting behind a desk listening to a teacher lecture.

ONLINE LEARNING

Pass Reforms For Charters
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 18, 2013

However, I believe Pennsylvania needs major reforms in the governance, financing, and accountability of charter and cyber schools. The estimate of $365 million in savings is conservative – the increased transparency and accountability requirements in this bill may reveal further savings.

Public School Districts Using More Online Classes
Washington Examiner, DC, March 17, 2013

As Southwood High School Principal Jeff Roberts sat next to his fellow principals for a virtual school sales pitch three years ago, he said he couldn’t sign up for the program fast enough.

Online School Pays Kids To Take Graduation Test
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, March 15, 2013

Thousands of Ohio students got an added bonus for taking state-mandated graduation tests this week. Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, the largest online charter school in Ohio, is paying students up to $100 to take the Ohio Graduation Test.

Online School Public, Run By New Mexicans
Albuquerque Journal, NM, March 17, 2013

There has been a lot of discussion in the New Mexico Legislature lately about online public charter schools. Rather than talking about how these public schools can benefit certain types of students, some are trying to abruptly take these education options away from families through legislation.

How Does The Carpe Diem Charter Model Work, In Practice?
News-Sentinel, IN, March 16, 2013

Full disclosure: I had never heard the phrase “blended learning” before a recent public hearing to discuss the proposed Carpe Diem Summit Campus, a charter school that will be located on the former campus of Taylor University.

Online Charter Program Seeks Inroad Into Local Schools
Elgin Courier News, IL, March 17, 2013

Residents of more than a dozen Fox Valley school districts will get their chance to ask questions about a proposed charter school that would serve students online, rather than in a classroom.

Virtual School Providing Options For Education
Silver Pinyon Journal, NV, March 18, 2013

Most parents are aware of at least two options for educating their children – public school and homeschooling. There is another option – virtual public schooling.

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