Daily Headlines for May 24, 2013
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Is K-12 Blended Learning Disruptive?
Forbes, May 23, 2013
Today the Clayton Christensen Institute published its fourth major paper on K–12 blended learning, titled “Is K–12 blended learning disruptive? An introduction to theory of hybrids.” Clayton Christensen joined Heather Staker, who has authored all four of our papers, and me in writing this paper, which takes a different approach from our past discussions of blended learning.
STATE COVERAGE
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Opens A Door For Charter Schools
Washington Post, DC, May 23, 2013
A LAW on the books in the District since the mid-1990s gives charter schools first priority to vacated public school buildings.
FLORIDA
Special Events Boost Charter Schools
Sun Sentinel, FL, May 24, 2013
For the city-run charter schools in Pembroke Pines, raising money to keep them running is an uphill battle.
ILLINOIS
Ex-Judge: Charter-School Operator UNO Needs ‘Robust’ Policy Against Conflicts
Chicago Sun Times, IL, May 23, 2013
The United Neighborhood Organization needs to adopt “robust conflict-of-interest” policies in the wake of a scandal that’s jeopardized tens of millions of dollars of state funding for UNO’s network of charter schools in Chicago, a retired federal judge hired by the politically influential group urged Thursday.
LOUISIANA
Slaughter Charter School Shows Gains
The Advocate, LA, May 23, 2013
The Slaughter Community Charter School made academic progress in its second year of operation, the school’s director told parents attending an awards program Thursday.
Move To Stop Common Core In Schools Fails
Alexandria Town Talk, LA, May 24, 2013
Senators on Thursday rejected a tea party-backed move to prevent implementation of a new course of study known as Common Core standards in public schools.
MAINE
Maine Panel Rejects Two LePage Education Bills
Portland Press Herald, ME, May 23, 2013
The panel votes not to support student transfers out of struggling schools or more than 10 charters.
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Teachers Receive High Ratings
Boston Globe, MA, May 24, 2013
The Boston Public Schools has rated 92 percent of all teachers as proficient or exemplary under a new evaluation system, according to a School Department analysis that officials held up as evidence that most students are receiving quality instruction in the classroom.
MICHIGAN
Is Teacher Merit Pay What’s Best For Michigan?
Michigan Radio, MI, May 23, 2013
As the 2012-2013 school year winds down, one of the issues occupying the attention of state lawmakers is teacher pay. In essence: what should determine teacher salaries in Michigan?
32 New Michigan Charter Schools Set To Open In Fall 2013
Michigan Radio, MI, May 23, 2013
This fall, 32 new charter schools are scheduled to open in Michigan. According to MAPSA, there are currently 232 charter public schools in Michigan with over 100,000 enrolled students.
Grand Valley State University Is Growing Its Charter Schools
Grand Rapids Press, MI, May 23, 2013
Six of 32 new charter schools scheduled to open this fall, including Covenant House Academy Grand Rapids, will be authorized by Grand Valley State University (GVSU).
Detroit School Reform Agency Embellished Bid To Get $35M In Funds
Detroit News, MI, May 24, 2013
Education Achievement Authority officials overstated their authority to take over failing schools across Michigan in a bid to win a $35.4 million federal grant — six weeks before they began operating in September.
MISSOURI
Only A Few Students Defy A School’s High Turnover Rate
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, May 24, 2013
Nikiya Phillips was all jitters, as most 12-year-olds would be, before delivering the speech this week at her sixth-grade promotion at Cote Brilliante Elementary School.
NORTH CAROLINA
The Tipping Point: Arapahoe Charter, Pamlico Schools, And ‘Choice’ In Rural NC
WUNC, NC, May 24, 2013
This is a story about choice. And it starts in the lunch line at Arapahoe Charter School in Pamlico County when students choose between pizza and french fries.
NORTH DAKOTA
Standardized Testing Not The Best Way To Educate Students
Williston Herald, ND, May 24, 2013
We support accountability. There has to be some standard to ensure students are taught the basic requirements before they move on. For generations, a handful of schools across the country moved students through without giving them an education. So finding a way to ensure all students receive a good education is important. But the AYP standards are clearly not the right way to do it. When more than half the schools in North Dakota failed to make adequate progress, it’s a sign that something is wrong.
OHIO
Columbus Schools Proposals Go Before Lawmakers
Columbus Dispatch, OH, May 24, 2013
State lawmakers spent time today getting details about a plan to create an independent auditor for Columbus City Schools and share the district’s property taxes with charter schools.
PENNSYLVANIA
Charters Join Phila. School District In Seeking Aid
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, May 24, 2013
The drumbeat for more money for Philadelphia’s taxpayer-funded schools continued to rumble across the city Thursday. At a West Philadelphia rally, leaders from more than 20 city charter schools, who at times have been at odds with the district, joined its campaign to obtain more state and city aid to cover a looming $304 million shortfall.
VIRGINIA
Home Schooling On The Rise In Virginia
Fairfax Times, VA, May 24, 2013
Across the United States, a growing number of parents like Wilson have chosen home schooling as an alternative to public schools. In Virginia, the number of home-schoolers has increased by more than 50 percent over the past decade, according to the Virginia Department of Education.
WASHINGTON
Tacoma School Board To Hold Off On Charter Start-Ups
Bellingham Herald, WA, May 24, 2013
The Tacoma School Board opted out of the charter school business Thursday night — at least for now. Board members, who voted 4-0 with one member absent, said they might reconsider their decision in the fall. But they said there are too many unknowns for them to meet the July 1 deadline established by the state Board of Education for school districts to apply to become charter authorizers.
WISCONSIN
Voucher Program Expansion Should Not Be In Budget
Green Bay Press-Gazette, WI, May 23, 2013
Two years ago the Joint Finance Committee tried to include the Green Bay School District in the expansion of the voucher school program. The inclusion wasn’t part of Gov. Scott Walker’s 2011-13 budget proposal; the committee added it late in the process. It was eventually removed after loud, bipartisan opposition.
Dollars Grease Skids For School Choice
LaCrosse Tribune, WI, May 24, 2013
Wisconsin has long played a pivotal role in the national movement to redirect taxpayer dollars to private, often parochial, schools. And money — much of it from out-of-state — has played a huge part in that process.
ONLINE LEARNING
Rising Cyber-Charter Costs Fuel Push For Statewide Reform
Philadelphia Notebook Blog, PA, May 23, 2013
Even as funding for Pennsylvania public schools has dwindled, the cost of sending students to independent, online charter schools has risen in more than three-quarters of Pennsylvania’s 500 traditional school districts.
Fayetteville Contracts With A+ Online Learning Program
News Democrat, NC, May 24, 2013
In order to compete with the growing trend of students choosing an online education over public schools, Fayetteville-Perry’s Board of Education approved the purchase of a five-year contract with A+ Online Learning for under $28,500 at the May 16 board meeting. Superintendent Raegan White said the contract will help Fayetteville-Perry compete with online universities,
APS Drops Digital Academy Sponsorship
West Side Leader, OH, May 23, 2013
The charter school started by the Akron Public Schools (APS) in 2002 to capture some of the students leaving to study online will no longer be associated with the APS.
Canon Online Academy Students Graduate From Program
Canon City Daily Record, CO, May 23, 2013
Families of middle school and high school students have a number of options to get a solid education and enter college or join the workforce.