Daily Headlines for July 12, 2013
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NATIONAL COVERAGE
Vouching for Tolerance at Religious Schools
Opinion
Wall Street Journal, July 12, 2013
Like much of the Democratic Party leadership, Mr. Obama supports allowing families to use public funds to attend the school of their choice, including charter schools, but strongly opposes the inclusion of private religious schools among the options.
Did Arne Duncan rebrand ‘no excuse’ school reform?
Washington Post Blog, July 11, 2013
“No excuse” has been a mantra from people who present themselves as advocates for “reforming” America’s public schools. And the term is a “pillar” of more than one popular charter school franchise.
Push for School Vouchers is Tactical
WWNO, July 11, 2013
Both Wisconsin and Ohio have just pushed through major expansions of their voucher programs too. And both states — like Louisiana — are headed by Republican governors.
Common Core, job-training education reforms will fail, says education researcher
Athens Banner-Herald, July 11, 2013
The Common Core curriculum reform most states have signed on for is doomed to failure, predicted a pro-choice academic scholar Thursday in Athens.
STATE COVERAGE
ARIZONA
Schools to charters is a scam by districts
Opinion
Arizona Republic, July 12, 2013
There’s a trend among school districts: converting some or all of their campuses into charter schools. Is this to innovate, to grant principals greater flexibility and control over curriculum, personnel and resources? No. It’s to take advantage of Arizona’s convoluted school-finance provisions to haul in more state aid.
CALIFORNIA
Teachers union gives poor grade to L.A. schools Supt. Deasy
Los Angeles Times, July 11, 2012
The L.A. teachers union pressed its campaign of criticism against L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy Thursday with the release of a survey in which 85% of those who responded rated him below average or poor.
Charter Schools Chase Elusive Formula for Education Reform
The Independent Voter Network, July 11, 2013
One month ago, Summit Preparatory in Redwood City, California graduated its seventh senior class with 98 percent college enrollment, a large proportion of them first generation college attendees. The class processed along with beaming families and their faculty mentors approached the podium to say their goodbyes.
Opportunity Knox
City Journal, July 11, 2013
If the California Teachers Association and its parent, the National Education Association, represent Goliath, then ten teachers and a small union alternative called the Christian Educators Association International are fitting stand-ins for David.
CONNECTICUT
Appeal keeps school district sidetracked
CT Post, July 11, 2013
This was supposed to be the year of stability in the city school system.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. needs full accounting of charter schools
Opinion
Washington Post, July 12, 2013
Suzanne Wells, a parent leader who helped revitalize neighborhood schools on Capitol Hill, appealed this week to the D.C. Council’s Education Committee to cut the number of charter schools allowed to open annually.
D.C. Council confirms two new charter school board members
Washington Post, July 11, 2013
The D.C. Council on Wednesday confirmed two Gray administration nominees to the D.C. Public Charter School Board, which is responsible for authorizing new charter schools and closing poor performers.
FLORIDA
All-boys charter school set to open in August in Bradenton
Bradenton Herald, July 12, 2013
The Visible Men Academy welcomes young men in Manatee/Sarasota to no longer feel “invisible.”
Founder and President Neil Phillip said he wanted to create success stories of young African-American men by giving them exceptional education opportunities.
Miami-Dade schools probes cheating allegations at district-run charter
Miami Herald, July 11, 2013
Miami-Dade schools police are investigating cheating allegations at a district-managed charter school overseen by a former senior district official.
LOUISIANA
State denies plan for two EBR schools to avoid takeover
The Advocate, July 12, 2013
The state on Thursday shot down an East Baton Rouge Parish school system proposal to reconfigure two low-performing schools, a move aimed at averting a state takeover.
School reform fights raging
Opinion
The Advocate, July 12, 2013
After months of legislative and court battles, the seemingly endless tussle over how to improve Louisiana’s teacher ranks has entered a new phase.
MICHIGAN
Michigan needs far fewer school districts
Editorial
Detroit News, July 12, 2013
Superintendent Flanagan’s idea for grouping schools by county could save money needed in the classrooms
Consolidation done right
Opinion
Detroit News, July 12, 2013
State Superintendent Mike Flanagan floated an interesting proposal this week. The head of the Michigan Department of Education is asking the Legislature to totally overhaul public education in the state by consolidating the administrative functions of local school districts into the existing intermediate school districts.
MISSOURI
Assessing blame for failing schools
Opinion
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 12, 2013
The current mess involving unaccredited school districts threatening to send bus-loads of children to school districts where they will be unwelcome is as much about the failure of our political system as it is the failure of our educational system.
Parents trying to leave Normandy schools hear plea to stay
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 12, 2013
Several times a day, the new leader of Normandy schools takes the back stairs to the room two floors below his office, where parents are filling out forms to transfer their children out of his schools.
NEW JERSEY
Old Bridge Superintendent: “We have to close the achievement gap.”
Star-Ledger, July 11, 2012
David Cittadino, who was named the new superintendent of schools by Old Bridge’s Board of Education during a special meeting in June, said he’s focused on improving the district.
Student Growth Objectives: The Other Teacher Evaluation Tool
New Jersey Spotlight, July 12, 2013
Evaluating New Jersey public school teachers using student test scores has gotten most of the political — and parental — attention. But where does that leave the majority of educators, who don’t teach subjects evaluated by state exams, like language arts and math?
NEW YORK
Charter school audit sheds light for Utica school practices
Utica Observer Dispatch, July 11, 2013
A state audit of the Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School gave administrators something to work on for its sister school in Utica.
NORTH CAROLINA
NC House keeps Wake school construction bill alive
News & Observer, July 11, 2013
The state House used a parliamentary tactic to refer a bill to the Rules Committee after it was rejected by a different committee. The bill would let Wake commissioners and other counties’ commissioners take over school construction from school boards.
Two key charter school bills behind closed doors on Jones Street (Jeanne Allen in the news)
Progressive Pulse, July 11, 2013
Two bills that would significantly alter charter school policy in North Carolina were sent to conference committees in the House and Senate this week.
OHIO
Proposed amount for Columbus school levy: 9.01 mills
Columbus Dispatch, July 12, 2013
Charter schools and a new preschool program would each get $8.5 million a year in new property taxes under a plan unanimously approved by a citizen panel yesterday.
OKLAHOMA
Phyllis Hudecki resigns as Oklahoma secretary of education
Tulsa World, July 11, 2013
Secretary of Education Phyllis Hudecki announced her resignation Tuesday to return to lead a nonprofit education advocacy group.
PENNSYLVANIA
Officials’ pay at N.J. special-needs schools draws scrutiny
Philadelphia Inquirer, July 12, 2013
The salaries of top administrators at private special-needs schools in New Jersey have drawn the attention of a state watchdog, who said dozens of school directors make far more than allowed for their colleagues in public schools.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Horry County’s first charter high school prepares for school year
WBTW, July 12, 2013
Summer vacation is a quiet time for most schools but not one new school in Myrtle Beach. Folks are hard at work at the first charter high school in Horry County. Tucked away on Palmetto Pointe Boulevard in an old granite workshop, Coastal Leadership Academy prepares for it’s more than 150 student inaugural class.
Haley hears teachers’ outlook on K-12 education
The Herald, July 12, 2013
Gov. Nikki Haley and four legislators met with nearly 40 teachers Thursday in a closed-door meeting in Columbia, Haley’s office said.
TENNESSEE
Model Tennessee schools after nation’s most successful
Opinion
The Tennessean, July 12, 2013
The July 9 article “Haslam stands by beleaguered education chief” is no surprise. Haslam has shown that he is anti-public education since he came into office.
ONLINE LEARNING
Horry school part of launch for statewide virtual engineering program
Myrtle Beach Sun News, July 11, 2013
Horry County Schools is one of eight districts in the state partnering with the S.C. Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics on Accelerate, a new statewide virtual engineering program, which launches next week with an official boot camp on the school’s Hartsville campus, according to a release from the Governor’s School.
St. Martin expands virtual school program
The Advocate, July 12, 2013
About 240 students in seventh through 12th grades in the St. Martin Parish school system opted for a full online school experience last year and now the district plans to expand that option to its students in first through sixth grades.
Great Lakes Cyber Academy makes pitch to Genesee County students for online high school
The Flint Journal, July 11, 2013
It doesn’t have a bell, a football team or lockers, but this fall the Great Lakes Cyber Academy will open its digital doors as a state-approved charter high school for Michigan students.