Click here for Newswire, 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 federal intervention not answer for schools
Editorial, Fort Wayne News Sentinel, IN, September 13, 2013
Apparently the absence of some useless federal regulations makes some hearts grow fonder of them.
States, schools urge U.S. Senate to pass new No Child Left Behind law
Reuters, September 12, 2013
States, cities and school districts are pressing the U.S. Senate to vote on “No Child Left Behind” education legislation, after the House of Representatives passed its version of the bill two months ago.
STATE COVERAGE
ALABAMA
Michelle Rhee on AEA protest outside town hall meeting: teachers should be inside taking part in discussion
The Huntsville Times Blog, AL, September 12, 2013
A teacher town hall meeting tonight hosted by controversial education reformer Michelle Rhee had more teachers outside the building protesting than actually participating in the discussion.
CALIFORNIA
Union-backed bill to streamline disciplining of teachers advances
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 12, 2013
The Senate on Thursday voted 25-13 to approve a bill supported by teachers’ unions that would streamline the discipline and dismissal process for teachers accused of misconduct. The measure goes back to the Assembly for a vote on amendments.
COLORADO
A snapshot of education reform: Latino students in DPS
Commentary. Denver Post, CO, September 12, 2013
A few weeks ago, Denver Public Schools released the results of the 2013 Transitional Colorado Assessment Program (TCAP), a measurement of students’ yearly improvement in reading, writing, math and science.
CONNECTICUT
Hartford ‘Sheff’ Students Outperform Those In City Schools
Hartford Courant, CT, September 13, 2013
New state data from this year’s mastery tests show that Hartford residents who attend regional magnet schools and Open Choice suburban schools outperformed city students enrolled in Hartford neighborhood schools.
FLORIDA
Jax Beach charter school promises “new model” of learning
WTEV 47, FL, September 12, 2013
The subjects are similar to the ones taught in public school systems, but the way these elementary school students learn is much different. They are aided by UNF professors and students who are learning to teach a way that’s even new to them, utilizing research into early childhood education learning.
Keep the pressure on charter schools
Editorial, Tampa Bay Times, FL, September 12, 2013
The Hillsborough County School District should continue to monitor charter schools for the fees and other charges they are passing along to students. Parents at some charters have complained that they are being asked to pay for routine classroom expenses. These pass-through charges are inappropriate, and the district needs to call out those charters that take advantage of a gray area in the law.
‘Pause Button’: Polk Legislators React to Common Core Bill
The Ledger, FL, September 12, 2013
The issue of whether the Common Core Standards should be implemented in Florida schools has drawn mixed reactions from Polk’s legislative delegation.
Volusia school board files lawsuit against failing charter school
WFTV, FL, September 12, 2013
A Volusia County school is in for a legal battle. The school board has filed a lawsuit against a failing DeLand charter school and its management company in an effort to force them to turn over unspent money.
GEORGIA
Bad teachers? There aren’t that many
Column, Savannah Morning News, GA, September 12, 2013
School may not have been on the minds of students this summer, but it sure was on the minds of state legislators around the country.
IDAHO
Charter school enjoying success in Coeur d’Alene
KREM, ID, September 12, 2013
Spokane Public Schools announced their intent to incorporate charter schools into the district for the first time this week, but across the border in Idaho, charter schools have been an option for more than ten years.
ILLINOIS
Why charter schools are part of the solution
Opinion, Crain’s Chicago Business, IL, September 13, 2013
The Illinois Network of Charter Schools is compelled to set the record straight on the sweeping generalizations about Chicago charter public schools in Kenneth Saltman’s opinion piece.
INDIANA
Democrat calls for investigation of Bennett lists
Courier Press, IN, September 13, 2013
Indiana’s Senate Democratic leader called for an investigation Thursday after fundraising lists for former state schools chief Tony Bennett were discovered on state computers.
KENTUCKY
Kentucky a national leader in instituting Common Core math and reading lessons in classroom
The Courier-Journal, KY, September 13, 2013
Though the school year has just begun, Young’s class is already in full throttle, poring over math problems they are expected to master under the Common Core standards, a set of ambitious academic guidelines designed by states that clearly describe what students need to learn in math and English language arts before completing each grade.
MASSACHUSETTS
Andover School Committee members spar over possible conflicts of interest
Eagle Tribune, MA, September 13, 2013
Citing “potential or perceived” conflicts of interest, the chairman of the School Committee is calling into question fellow member David Birnbach’s involvement as a leading proponent of a proposed charter high school in town.
Rob Consalvo earns A+ in pandering to teachers union
Column, Boston Globe, MA, September 12, 2013
It was a spectacle not to be missed: a mayoral campaign forum featuring candidates sharply divided about charter schools, held at the Boston Teachers Union Hall.
Somerville to purge low teacher evaluations
Boston Globe, MA, September 13, 2013
Guided by a belief that everyone can improve, Somerville school leaders imposed a harsh “needs improvement” rating on scores of teachers last year, a near-failing grade that placed them on a potential path to termination.
MINNESOTA
Rêve Academy gives north Minneapolis students digital skills
KMSP-TV, MN, September 12, 2013
With online sales predicted to grow, there’s a large demand for people to program websites and a Twin Cities non-profit is working to solve the worker shortage by training students in north Minneapolis to use the tech that will give them a competitive edge.
MISSISSIPPI
30 Miss. schools may face state takeover
Clarion Ledger, MS, September 13, 2013
Thirty or more Mississippi schools as early as next fall could see their entire staffs fired — from principal to custodians — and new hires made by the state if they earn an “F” rating from the state Department of Education for a third year in a row.
NEW YORK
‘Developing’ label disheartens teacher
Albany Times Union, NY, September 13, 2013
For them, it was just another test, one of those unpleasant parts of the school day. For Jen, it felt like watching her career slide away.
NORTH CAROLINA
Charter schools need to be true to mission
Letter, News & Observer, NC, September 12, 2013
With her apparently warm embrace of the 170 letters of intent from groups wanting to form new charter schools, June Atkinson is facing political reality gracefully.
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma leads nation in percentage of cuts to school funding
The Oklahoman, OK, September 13, 2013
Oklahoma has slashed per-pupil spending by 22.8 percent, according to the report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a policy research organization based in Washington, D.C.
PENNSYLVANIA
Goode opens new front on Phila. schools crisis
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 13, 2013
PHILADELPHIA A new front appeared to open in the Philadelphia school funding crisis Thursday when City Councilman W. Wilson Goode Jr. tied his long-standing effort to reduce a home-building tax incentive to the daunting deficit facing the schools.
National union leader thwarted in school visit
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 13, 2013
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, got what she wanted Thursday at Abraham Lincoln High School in Northeast Philadelphia – even though she was stopped just past the metal detector.
Philipsburg-Osceola school board member proposes salary ceiling for administrators
Centre Daily Times, PA, September 13, 2013
Jim Verbeck wants to know what the Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District principals and other staff members make — and why.
TENNESSEE
Education Reform Leaders
Memphis Daily News, TN, September 13, 2013
Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson and Achievement School District superintendent Chris Barbic say the education reformation underway locally in Shelby County can lead and influence the national discussion about education reform.
Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman unfazed by ouster petition
Times Free Press, TN, September 13, 2013
State Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman makes no apologies for a sharp-elbowed approach that now has nearly half of Tennessee’s local school directors up in arms about his management style and policies.
TEXAS
Dallas charter school to remain closed pending safety compliance
Dallas Morning News, TX, September 12, 2013
A Dallas charter school will remain closed until it can prove it’s complying with state laws to keep children safe, a state education official ruled Thursday.
WISCONSIN
School accountability bill gets Capitol hearing
Wisconsin Radio Network, WI, September 13, 2013
State lawmakers discuss plan to track student performance at schools that receive taxpayer dollars. Senator Luther Olsen (R-Ripon) is a co-author of the legislation (SB-286) that creates new standards for measuring performance at Wisconsin’s public and private schools getting taxpayer dollars. “And no matter if you’re a public school, a charter school, or a choice school … if you get a check, you’re gonna get a check-up.”
Transparency a must in voucher program
Editorial, Green Bay Press Gazette, WI, September 12, 2013
Private and Catholic school representatives on Thursday objected to some of the accountability measures they might have to abide by in the voucher program.
ONLINE LEARNING
SC online schools fear becoming “dumping ground’
The Herald, SC, September 13, 2013
Leaders of the state’s charter school district fear its fledgling online schools are becoming a “dumping ground” for the state’s most at-risk students.
Students find success at virtual school
Mason City Globe Gazette, IA, September 13, 2013
For the second consecutive year, one North Iowa family has exchanged backpacks, lunch money and school bus rides for a cutting-edge alternative public school education.