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
Bush, Obama Focus On Standardized Testing Leads To ‘Opt-Out’ Parents’ Movement
Washington Post, DC, April 14, 2013
A decade into the school accountability movement, pockets of resistance to standardized testing are sprouting up around the country, with parents and students opting out of the high-stakes tests used to evaluate schools and teachers.
America’s Most Challenging Schools Are Facing Staff Cuts And Shut-Downs
Washington Post, DC, April 4, 2013
I have been ranking the most challenging schools in the country and this region for 15 years. Rarely have I encountered anything like the American Indian Public Charter High School of Oakland, Calif., the No. 1 school on my 2013 list. It has risen to the top just as its city school board is trying to shut it down.
Helping Teachers Learn
New York Times, NY, April 14, 2013
The school cheating scandal in Atlanta that led to criminal indictments against dozens of teachers, principals and administrators last month contains at least three lessons for states that are developing teacher evaluation systems.
Some States Dropping GED as Test Price Spikes
Associated Press, April 14, 2013
Several dozen states are looking for an alternative to the GED high school equivalency test because of concerns that a new version coming out next year is more costly and will no longer be offered in a pencil and paper format.
STATE COVERAGE
ALABAMA
Charter Schools In Alabama Would Help Improve Broken Education System
Alabama Crimson White, AL, April 15, 2013
There has been a lot of debate on education in the state legislature this year. Largely, it has been centered on the Alabama Accountability Act and the vouchers it provides for private schools. While important, these vouchers are not the only creative avenues for education reform. The state needs to have a discussion on charter schools, which have the potential to help all students of the state of Alabama, and not just a few.
CALIFORNIA
Huachuca Mountain Parents Delve Into Charter Proposal
Sierra Vista Herald, CA, April 15, 2013
Speaking to more than 50 parents, five Huachuca Mountain Elementary School teachers explained why they support flipping the school into a district-run charter at a meeting in the school’s library last week.
L.A. School Reform Effort Draws Diverse Group Of Wealthy Donors
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 14, 2013
Republicans, liberals, Hollywood notables and global corporate executives are among those who gave to the Coalition for School Reform.
California Democrats Blast Efforts To Overhaul Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 14, 2013
They call StudentsFirst and Democrats for Education Reform fronts for GOP and corporate interests. Also, Harris and Newsom tout stands on same-sex marriage.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Sidwell Friends Alumni Aim To Open Public Charter School In The District
Washington Post, DC, April 13, 2013
Sidwell Friends, the elite private school known for educating the children of presidents and members of Congress, has lent its support to a group of former students and faculty who are seeking to open a public charter school in the District.
Students Leaving Mid-Year Raise Questions For Charter School
Washington Examiner, DC, April 14, 2013
D.C. charter board staff are recommending that Basis Public Charter School should not be allowed to add 35 seats next year because a large number of students are leaving in the middle of the school year.
FLORIDA
Parents, Students Fight Shutdown Of Bradenton Charter School
Bradenton Herald, FL, April 14, 2013
Bradenton Charter School may be forced to close its doors this June. But since the Manatee school board voted for the nonrenewal of the school’s contract in March, parents, teachers and students have been scrambling to get another chance.
GEORGIA
Ga. May Standardize Teacher Evaluations
Cherokee Tribune, GA, April 14, 2013
Georgia is moving forward with a plan to standardize annual evaluations for teachers and principals based, in part, on student performance.
Ex-Senator Sets Up Foundation For Charter School Systems
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, April 13, 2013
The sponsor of legislation creating charter school systems has formed a taxpayer-supported foundation to lobby for the program his bill created.
LOUISIANA
The Direction of our Compass
The Advocate, LA, April 14, 2013
The founder of Microsoft has taken to tilting at philantrophic windmills, from malaria in Africa to public education in America. But if Bill Gates has an image as a Knight of Nerds, or Duke of Data, his message on a key policy problem in the latter sector is focused on the worker bees: teachers, and their roles as inspirers of the next generation in our classrooms.
Teachers Blast Louisiana Evaluation System, Say State Doesn’t Support Them
Times-Picayune, LA, April 15, 2013
Teachers attending a Saturday town hall meeting in New Orleans hosted by NBC’s Education Nation blasted new state evaluation procedures for teachers and Louisiana’s adoption of national education standards, saying the state Department of Education isn’t giving teachers enough support.
Teacher Unions Push Bills
The Advocate, LA, April 15, 2013
One or both teacher unions in Louisiana back bills that would require the state superintendent of education to be elected by voters, add new oversight to online schools and change testing rules for public school students.
MASSACHUSETTS
Charter School Wait List: Take An Accurate Count
Boston Globe, MA, April 14, 2013
THE STATE’S 80-odd charter schools and their supporters point proudly to a 53,000-student waiting list as proof for the need to raise the state cap on these K-12 classrooms that operate outside the control of local school districts. It’s true that parents are queuing up to get their children a seat in charter schools known for impressive MCAS scores, flexible teacher hiring practices, and a longer school day. But the list is inflated by duplicate entries that arise when families join the lotteries for more than one charter school.
Underperforming Schools Take On Partners To Stave Off State Takeover
Boston Globe, MA, April 14, 2013
Boston and three other Massachusetts cities, in an attempt to stave off a state takeover of underperforming schools, are turning to nonprofit partners to jump-start flagging overhaul efforts.
MISSISSIPPI
Let’s Keep Promises Of Charter Schools Bill
Clarion Ledger, MS, April 14, 2013
When Gov. Phil Bryant places pen to paper on the recently passed charter school legislation, he won’t just be signing a bill, he’ll be signing a promise to Mississippi’s school children. This promise — that Mississippi will work to ensure that all children have access to an excellent public school — is one that we must all make, but especially those of us who have championed the charter school legislation.
MISSOURI
Charter Schools Want Flexibility In Pensions
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, April 14, 2013
Grand Center Arts Academy needed a reading teacher. So Principal Lynne Glickert began recruiting a candidate from St. Louis County, a teacher whom she calls “amazing.”
NEW JERSEY
Vouchers Not The Answer For Schools
Herald News, NJ, April 15, 2013
GOVERNOR CHRISTIE continues his efforts to use vouchers to improve New Jersey’s educational system, arguing he wants to help some students in bad situations have access to better schools. However, keeping vouchers in the conversation does nothing but damage the futures of the majority of the state’s students. Christie needs to look at how he can help the whole state — not just a select few.
Camden Charter To Be Managed By N.Y. Network
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 15, 2013
When Freedom Academy Charter School was put on state probation last year – its charter was in jeopardy because of poor academic results – it hired a New York charter management organization as an academic consultant while continuing a partnership with a local group to oversee its finances.
NEW MEXICO
Teacher Eval Criticism Doesn’t Add Up For N.M.
Albuquerque Journal, NM, April 14, 2013
Here’s a math quiz for the defenders of the status quo who are fighting the state’s new teacher evaluation system — a serious proposal put forth in the equivalent of an improvement and accountability vacuum.
District Pushes For Clear Info On Charters
Santa Fe New Mexican, NM, April 14, 2013
Santa Fe Public Schools plans to initiate a charter school performance management system that will provide more information, clarification and transparency about the four district-chartered schools’ status.
NEW YORK
Students Face Tougher Tests That Outpace Lesson Plans
New York Times, NY, April 15, 2013
At Public School 10 on the edge of Park Slope, Brooklyn, parents begged the principal to postpone the lower school science fair, insisting it was going to add too much pressure while they were preparing their children for the coming state tests.
New Teacher Evaluations Costly For School Districts
Utica Observer Dispatch, NY, April 14, 2013
Students aren’t the only ones subject to testing. A state mandated evaluation system now puts teachers and principals in the hot seat, but it’s about more than just a passing grade.
Shady Charter ‘$trips’
New York Post, NY, April 14, 2013
The city approved a politically connected charter school — whose founder went to prison and principal was once accused of fixing grades — to issue up to $23 million in tax-exempt bonds to relocate to a former Bronx strip club.
NORTH CAROLINA
Fitzsimon: Battle Over Vouchers
Daily Reflector, NC, April 14, 2013
The real battle for the future of public education is about to begin in Raleigh.
The leading think tank on the anti-public education Right set the stage this week with an “exclusive interview” with chief school privatizer and voucher proponent Rep. Paul Stam who talked about the voucher bill he would be introducing in the House.
Charters Benefit Legislators
News & Observer, NC, April 14, 2013
Senate Bill 337 comes directly from the American Legislative Exchange Council’s model legislation called “Charter School Growth with Quality Act.” In ALEC’s 2010 Report Card on American Education it called on its members and allies to “Transform the system, don’t tweak it.”
OHIO
Common Core: More Thinking, More Learning
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, April 14, 2013
The change will, advocates say, mark a fundamental shift in the way the nation’s children are educated. And it’s happening right now, in classrooms across Southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky, as school districts work to train teachers and administrators how to educate students the Common Core way.
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma City School Transportation Plan Adds Some Students, Omits Others
The Oklahoman, OK, April 15, 2013
Oklahoma City Public Schools developed a new transportation system to shuttle students across the district to attend new high school academies this year. But that shuttle hasn’t been open to students who attend alternative or magnet schools.
OREGON
A New School Or Back To The Drawing Board?
Mail Tribune, OR, April 15, 2013
The Medford School Board will vote today on whether to approve Kids Unlimited’s modified application to create the district’s third charter school.
PENNSYLVANIA
No Child Left Behind Gauge May End In Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, April 15, 2013
Adequate yearly progress has been the assessment measurement for schools and school districts in Pennsylvania since the enactment of the federal No Child Left Behind Law in January 2001.
TENNESSEE
Tennessee Voucher Fiasco
Wall Street Journal, April 15, 2013
Republicans claim to be looking for a way to support upward economic mobility without compromising their principles, and school choice is a natural. So it’s dismaying that Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has decided to kill a voucher plan to please the teachers unions.
TN Lawmakers Push Education Bills In Final Days Of Session
The Tennessean, TN, April 14, 2013
As the 108th Tennessee General Assembly draws to a close, state lawmakers are hoping to push through education proposals that include creating a state panel to authorize charter schools for five counties and a measure that would clear the way for cities to begin forming municipal school systems.
Proposed Charter School Panel Would Oversee Knox, 4 Other Counties
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, April 14, 2013
A bill to create a new state panel that could authorize charter schools when local school boards reject them has been revised to apply only in five counties, including Knox, and remains a contentious issue as legislators push toward adjourning the 2013 session.
WASHINGTON
Charter Schools Should Ignite Change For The Better
News Tribune, WA, April 14, 2013
I applaud the Tacoma School Board for signaling an interest in becoming a public charter school authorizer. It’s time that our community learned more about public charter schools.
WISCONSIN
Madison School Board To Finalize Charter Policy
Madison State Journal, WI, April 15, 2013
The Madison School Board on Monday plans to finalize revisions to its charter school policy, which, according to advocates for the alternative public schools, will discourage future proposals from coming forward.
Madison’s Thriving Private Schools Buck National Trend
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, April 14, 2013
Private school enrollment has steadily declined across Wisconsin over the past 15 years, but that’s not the case in Madison and Dane County.
ONLINE LEARNING
Virtual School Puts Florida On Cutting Edge Of Digital Learning
Orlando Sentinel, FL, April 14, 2013
This time of year my heart grows fond for Florida, both for its pleasant spring weather and for the wonderful memories of serving in the Florida Legislature, particularly the time spent as the first Republican speaker of the Florida House in 122 years.
D-300 Vows To Fight Any Appeal
Northwest Herald, IL, April 14, 2013
Some District 300 board members already have dangled the threat of legal action if a state commission doesn’t fairly consider the district’s questions concerning a proposed online charter school.
Legislators Target Online Charter Schools
Daily Chronicle, IL, April 15, 2013
As area school boards rejected an online charter school that would draw students from its schools, state lawmakers appear poised to slap a hold on the creation of virtual schools until regulations and guidelines can be crafted.
Digital Learning Way Of The Future
Albuquerque Journal, NM, April 14, 2013
Last year, President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan issued what has become known as the “digital mandate,” challenging schools to adopt digital technology by 2017.