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
Learning Goals Spur Backlash
Wall Street Journal, May 1, 2013
As more classrooms across the country roll out universal math and reading standards, a growing group of critics are pressing officials to slow their implementation or dump the learning goals entirely.
Union Chief Recommends Delay in Use of Test Scores
New York Times, NY, May 1, 2013
Warning that a new set of academic standards was on the verge of falling into the “dustbin of history,” the leader of a national teachers’ union called on Tuesday for school systems to postpone using new tests to evaluate teachers and promote students.
High Stakes, No Prep: These Tests Are Designed To Fail
Washington Post, DC, April 30, 2013
It’s no wonder that parents, educators and even students are spearheading a small but growing revolution to opt out of standardized tests. From Seattle to Pennsylvania, more and more students across the country are boycotting tests that many say are increasing stress, narrowing curriculum and, at worst, leading to the kind of cheating exposed in the recent Atlanta Public Schools scandal.
Education Fight Likely To Split Lawmakers
The Hill, DC, May 1, 2013
Democratic senators from rural areas are seeking a rewrite of the No Child Left Behind law to give their constituents a better chance of competing for federal funding, a touchy subject in the majority’s conference.
STATE COVERAGE
ALABAMA
City Eyes New Way To Rate Teachers
Tuscaloosa News, AL, May 1, 2013
Tuscaloosa City School System officials are in the process of developing a new teacher evaluation tool that will focus on how well teachers have met established standards.
ARIZONA
How School Choice Has Reshaped Arizona
Arizona Republic, AZ, April 30, 2013
Arizona students can learn to speak Mandarin, study dance, become young engineers or delve into the medical sciences because of the state’s competitive K-12 marketplace.
CALIFORNIA
School Voucher System Could Come to California
San Josie Inside, CA, April 30, 2013
The school “choice” movement was originally embraced by the right side of the political aisle; today, for the most part, it is bipartisan. Four years ago, I was on the fence relative to the role charter schools can play in achieving results for students. Now, I am a staunch advocate for the high quality charter school movement in Santa Clara County as a proud Democrat.
LAUSD Supt. John Deasy Faces ‘Performance Evaluation’ By Teachers Union
Los Angeles Daily News, CA, April 30, 2013
Barely two weeks after delivering a stinging no-confidence vote on the leadership of Superintendent John Deasy, the teachers union announced it will do a first-ever “performance evaluation” of the Los Angeles Unified chief.
Lawsuit Targets Union Fees Collected From Nonmember Teachers
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 30, 2013
A conservative organization has joined with a group of California teachers in an effort to overturn laws that allow teacher unions to collect fees from those who don’t want to be members.
FLORIDA
Senate Kills Parent Trigger Bill In Dramatic 20-20 Vote
Miami Herald, FL, April 30, 2013
The controversial parent trigger bill died a dramatic legislative death Tuesday the same way it did last year: in a surprise tie vote in the Florida Senate during the final week of session.
Parent Trigger
Tallahassee Democrat, FL, May 1, 2013
Who could argue against parents’ involvement in their children’s education?
Legislature Looks To Speed Release Of School Employee Raises
Miami Herald, FL, April 30, 2013
Florida lawmakers are looking to speed up the release of $480 million in school employee raises one day after the House and Senate negotiated a budget that proposed delaying them until June 2014.
ILLINOIS
Science Charter School Gets Zoning Approval After Heated Debate
Chicago Sun-Times, IL, May 1, 2013
Concept Charter School got the go-ahead Tuesday to open a new charter school in a McKinley Park industrial building but not before a heated debate about the wisdom of opening charters while closing public schools.
INDIANA
Charter School Of The Dunes Expects New Relationship To Boost Student Achievement
NW Times, IN, April 30, 2013
Calumet College of St. Joseph held a public hearing Tuesday as part of the process to become the new sponsor of the Gary charter school in July.
Hoosiers Are Right To Be Wary About Common Core
Indianapolis Star, IN, April 30, 2013
Indiana has just shot into the spotlight of the education world, with the legislature voting over the weekend to hit the pause button on the Common Core national curriculum standards.
MAINE
Public School Rankings Don’t Make The Grade
Portland Press Herald, ME, May 1, 2013
The state Department of Education has given each of Maine’s 600 public schools a letter grade, from A to F, and Wednesday is the day those rankings will be made public.
MARYLAND
Prince George’s School System Forwards E-Mail Opposing Overhaul
Washington Post, DC, April 30, 2013
A government watchdog group says the Prince George’s County school system “crossed a line” when a schools official sent an e-mail late Monday that urged residents to join a petition drive that opposes the county’s new school governance structure.
Laurel Boys and Girls Club Postpones Charter School Plans
Baltimore Sun, MD, April 30, 2013
Laurel Boys and Girls Club officials have not only decided to put off plans to open a charter high school in their Montgomery Street headquarters indefinitely, but they will not renew the lease of its current tenant, Princeton Day Academy, for next year.
MASSACHUSETTS
Lift The Charter School Cap
Boston Globe, MA, April 30, 2013
A child’s destiny should not be determined by her zip code. Massachusetts has been a leader in public education reform for nearly two decades, but persistent poverty- and race-based achievement gaps in low-income communities are reminders that we have not done enough to meet our commitment to offer educational opportunity to every young person in the Commonwealth.
MICHIGAN
Should School Districts Sell Vacant Schools To Charters?
Oakland Press, MI, April 30, 2013
Readers are mixed in reaction to Brandon Board of Education decision to demolish a vacant building rather than sell it to a charter school that would compete for students.
NEW MEXICO
Put Changes In APS Policy On Public Table
Albuquerque Journal, NM, May 1, 2013
Today, we have a two-for-one lesson in how not to set policy for one of the nation’s largest school districts — and efforts to change it.
NEW YORK
Utica’s First Charter School Chooses Inaugural Students
Utica Observer Dispatch, NY, April 30, 2013
Jasmin Sabanovic stared anxiously at the screen hanging in the Holy Trinity Church gymnasium Tuesday afternoon.
NORTH CAROLINA
Vouchers Plan Would Hurt Public Schools
Rocky Mountain Telegram, NC, April 30, 2013
North Carolina legislators seem determined to put private school vouchers on a fast track to approval this session. A recent Civitas poll shows support for the plan cuts across political, racial and economic lines, but we’re disappointed for several reasons.
OHIO
Charter School Officials Accused Of Stealing Nearly $2 Million
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, April 30, 2013
Five former officials of the Cleveland Academy of Scholarship Technology & Leadership Enterprise are among 10 people and 13 businesses accused of fleecing the taxpayer-supported charter school out of nearly $2 million.
PENNSYLVANIA
Parents: Besieged Schools In Dire Need
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, May 1, 2013
Even assuming that the city comes up with another $60 million requested by the Philadelphia School District, the projected budget for the next school year will be a disaster for the city and its schoolchildren, a series of parents, teachers, civic groups and students told City Council on Tuesday.
Teachers At Philly Charter Unionize
Philadelphia Inquirer Blog, PA, April 30, 2013
After a significant two-year battle, teachers at the New Media Technology Charter School in West Oak Lane have voted to unionize, the Pennsylvania American Federation of Teachers said Tuesday.
Commentary Urging Charter School Reform Was Flawed
Patriot News, PA, April 30, 2013
An April 11 op-ed entitled “Pennsylvania’s charter school law is long overdue for reform: As I See It” bears significant inaccuracies that convey either the writer’s unfamiliarity with charter school law, or a willful intention to mislead readers.
Public Education Groups Call For Restoring $900 Million In School Funding Cut Two Years Ago
Patriot-News, PA, April 30, 2013
Public education groups are calling on Gov. Tom Corbett and state lawmakers to make a three-year commitment to restore the $900 million cut from public school funding two years ago.
TEXAS
Charter School Bill Means More Options For Parents And Students
KUHF-FM, TX, April 30, 2013
Charter schools will soon expand in Texas. A Texas House education panel approved raising the cap on charter school licenses over the next six years.
Charter Bill Brings New Players to Education Policy
Texas Tribune, TX, April 30, 2013
As lawmakers hammer out the terms of charter school legislation, political operatives better known for their activities in other venues have popped up among the usual cast of characters in education committee meetings.
WISCONSIN
Republicans Introduce Tuition Tax Credit Bill
La Crosse Tribune, WI, May 1, 2013
A Republican-sponsored bill that would give tax credits to parents of students in private schools has been introduced in the Legislature.
Evidence Doesn’t Support Choice Program Expansion
Journal Sentinel, WI, April 1, 2013
Legislators should be skeptical of a proposal by Gov. Scott Walker to sharply expand the school voucher program. There isn’t much evidence that students in voucher schools are better educated; in fact, they seem to perform at about the same level as their peers in mainline public schools.
ONLINE LEARNING
Panel: Level The Playing Field For Traditional Schools, Cyberschools
Observer-Reporter, PA, April 30, 2013
State legislators and school officials from around Southwestern Pennsylvania met Saturday morning to discuss the future of public education and the growing presence of cyberschools.
Muskegon Joining List Of Districts Offering ‘Virtual’ Middle And High Schools With Online Programs
The Muskegon Chronicle, MI, April 30, 2013
An online “virtual school” program will be operated by a private firm for Muskegon schools, one of the most recent districts to offer the education alternative.
School Districts Exploring Blended Learning Classes
Times Herald, MI, April 30, 2013
Moodle is a program that allows students to work online from home. Assignments, quizzes, homework and even video lessons are available.
Online Education Offers Viable Alternative For Students
Idaho Statesman, ID, May 1, 2013
As the school year winds down, many parents have begun to consider whether their children’s educational needs are being met or if they will explore alternatives for the coming school year.
Rocketship Education’s Next Phase: Technology In A Blended Classroom
Ed Source, CA, April 30, 2013
Palo Alto-based Rocketship Education has attracted national attention in the past few years for its innovative use of technology and impressive test scores for its largely low-income, Hispanic students.