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
No Child Left Behind Act ignored for too long
Editorial, Poughkeepsie Journal, NY, September 21, 2013
But, when it comes to critical aspects of education reform, President Barack Obama and Congress simply can’t be counted on to do the same. Just take a look at the No Child Left Behind Act.
Voucher battle will be fought in courtrooms
Monroe News Star, LA, September 22, 2013
Gov. Bobby Jindal has declared war against President Barack Obama’s U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and has brought in what was declared some big guns to help him fight it.
STATE COVERAGE
ARKANSAS
School reformers want democracy, just not for charter schools
Arkansas Times Blog, AR, September 21, 2013
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette editorial page today lamented again the low turnout in school board elections. This fits hand-in-glove with the campaign by Gary Newton, a Walton-paid head of at least two pro-charter school lobby groups,
CALIFORNIA
Fix the ‘parent trigger’
Editorial, Los Angeles Times, CA, September 23, 2013
Local tinkering isn’t enough. The Legislature and State Board of Education need to amend the law.
CONNECTICUT
Bridgeport Schools Chief Faces Dual Threats
Wall Street Journal, September 21, 2013
Two challenges to the tenure of embattled Bridgeport schools chief Paul Vallas, who was recruited with great fanfare less than two years ago, are coming to a head.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Adding more desks to D.C.’s charter schools
Editorial, Washington Post, DC, September 20, 2013
OR FIVE years, the former Charles E. Young Elementary School has sat empty, its facilities slowly rotting and fast becoming a neighborhood nuisance. Elsewhere in Northeast Washington, Two Rivers Public Charter School has been bursting at the seams and turning away students attracted by its high standards.
School superintendents speak out on key education issues
Washington Post, DC, September 22, 2013
Have Washington area school systems been hurt by federal budget cuts? Are students being bombarded with too many standardized tests? How are schools handling the implementation of the Common Core State Standards?
FLORIDA
Edgewater charter school’s fate up for vote
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL, September 22, 2013
The fate of a proposed arts-focused charter school in Edgewater will be decided Tuesday by the Volusia County School Board, with school district staff recommending its application be rejected.
Issues with buildings often trip new charter schools in Palm Beach County
Palm Beach Post, FL, September 22, 2013
The Palm Beach County School District has been inundated in recent years with applications from prospective charter schools wanting to share their vision of education and carve out a stake in their growing industry.
GEORGIA
Bibb County schools take a big step by approving two charter schools
Opinion, Macon Telegraph, GA
September 22, 2013
Those words were uttered right after a presentation that sought to deny approval of the Bibb system’s first public charter school. That effort failed — not because the board voted the effort down — but the proponents of the school couldn’t get its act together.
ILLINOIS
Why $17 million went to Payton Prep
Editorial, Chicago Tribune, IL
September 23, 2013
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s announcement last week of a $17 million addition at Walter Payton College Prep High School stirred some resentment from parents and teachers, coming so soon after Chicago closed dozens of schools and reduced spending at scores more of them.
KANSAS
Charter school movement flounders in Kansas
Lawrence Journal-World, KS, September 22, 2013
Kansas has never been known as a hotbed of charter schools. But new figures from the Kansas State Department of Education show that the number of charter schools — quasi-independent schools that receive public funding but are usually managed by outside boards or private companies — is rapidly declining in Kansas, with only 11 still operating this year.
LOUISIANA
Charter schools’ growth could jeopardize East Baton Rouge schools’ finances, panelists say
Times Picayune, LA, September 19, 2013
As more charter schools open in East Baton Rouge Parish, less money will likely be available to educate students who stay in what remains of the traditional public school system.
MASSACHUSETTS
School, state officials keep on sparring
Boston Globe, MA, September 22, 2013
The new school year has brought many changes to Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden, but the change many parents had been anticipating — expansion of the school’s board of trustees — hasn’t happened, despite a July 31 deadline set by the state Department of Education.
New Boston charter schools yield high MCAS scores
Boston Globe, MA, September 22, 2013
Many Boston charter schools that have opened additional campuses frequently scored higher than state averages on last spring’s MCAS, a sign that high performance can be sustained as more students enroll, according to a Globe review of data released Friday.
MICHIGAN
See which charter schools are attracting Ann Arbor students
The Ann Arbor News, MI, September 20, 2013
Within the past five years, charter schools in Washtenaw County and beyond have drawn students from Ann Arbor Public Schools in growing numbers.
MISSOURI
Time for teacher tenure reform?
Column, Southeast Missourian, MO, September 23, 2013
We may not have rubber rooms, but Missouri superintendents recognize that teacher tenure is an issue that should be addressed.
NEW YORK
City plans to end guarantee for local high school slots
New York Daily News, NY, September 23, 2013
In a push that is alarming parents, the Bloomberg administration plans to stop guaranteeing eighth-graders a spot in the city’s remaining neighborhood high schools.
OHIO
Akron to add transportation for kids in charter schools after cuts to its own students
Akron Beacon Journal, OH, September 21, 2012
The Akron school board in its meeting Monday will consider spending an additional $300,000 to transport children not in its schools — charter school students that the state says it must bus.
Wide racial gap persists in education testing
Columbus Dispatch, OH, September 22, 2013
Even if they come from affluent families or attend highly rated schools, black students in Ohio continue to lag far behind their white peers in school, according to a Dispatchanalysis of data from state standardized exams.
PENNSYLVANIA
Congressman Cantor to Speak at Philly Charter School
NBC10, PA, Sept 22, 2013
Virginia Congressman Eric Cantor is set to speak at a Philadelphia charter school on Monday to meet with students and deliver a major policy speech on school choice, according to a spokesperson.
Pennsylvania Legislature mop-up session to consider pension, school taxes, more
Tribune-Review, PA, September 22, 2013
Meanwhile, there’s a need for more openness and accountability for cyber charter schools, Turzai said.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Schools could receive flexibility on teacher evaluation processes
Capital Journal, SD, September 22, 2013
A proposed change in state rules would allow South Dakota school districts to use their own processes for evaluating teachers’ performances, rather than following the standard model already established by the state Board of Education.
TENNESSEE
MNPS School Choice Festival set for Monday
The Tennessean, TN, September 22, 2013
Leaders of Metro Nashville Public Schools learned their lesson about venues during the inaugural First Choice Festival.
MNPS attorney: Don’t be deterred by state in pursuing legal options
The Tennessean, TN, September 22, 2013
An attorney for Metro Nashville Public Schools told school board members Friday that they shouldn’t be deterred by the opinion of the state attorney general as they pursue a wide range of legal challenges over school funding inequity.
Mississippi charter schools starting up without money
Commercial Appeal, TN, September 22, 2013
Mississippi’s newly created charter school board is beginning its mission with no director and no money.
VIRGINIA
Six schools in Va. facing state takeover
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, September 21, 2013
Six schools in Virginia, including two in Petersburg, are poised to be the first seized by an embattled statewide division intended to turn around academically struggling schools.
The mayor’s evolution
Editorial, Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, September 19, 2013
Saying he has “evolved” on certain education questions, Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones explained recently that he now supports charter schools and the involvement of the private sector in education.
WASHINGTON
Tacoma shows new interest in charter schools
News Tribune, WA, September 22, 2013
Tacoma Public Schools will submit a second letter of intent to state officials, indicating the district’s renewed interest in possibly becoming an authorizer of charter schools. But the soonest a charter school could open in Tacoma with the district’s blessing is still two years away.
Washington’s charter-school pioneers need to be bold
Opinion, Seattle Times, WA, September 19, 2013
Three Washington educators are at the forefront of the state’s new charter school effort. Columnist Lynne K. Varner welcomes them to this exciting endeavor.
WISCONSIN
Many independent charter schools miss mark on state report cards
Journal Sentinel, WI, September 23, 2013
Despite having more freedom over curriculum, budgets and staffing than traditional public schools, the majority of Milwaukee’s independent charter schools are not meeting performance expectations, according to statewide report card results for 2012-’13.
Sen. Kathleen Vinehout: Report cards for voucher schools? Yes
Column, Capital Times, WI, September 23, 2013
Report cards have just come out. Not for the children, but for schools. They help us know how our schools are doing and how schools can improve to help all students learn.
Voucher schools must report test scores
Editorial, Journal Times, WI, September 22, 2013
What is at question is whether private schools, such as Catholic schools, should have to report achievement data to the state if they accept students through the taxpayer-funded voucher program.
ONLINE LEARNING
Boost online learning
Editorial, News Herald, FL, September 23, 2013
Florida leaders continue to push the state forward on the issue of online education. They should keep up their efforts, despite the Sunshine State’s already high ranking in the online education field.
Hillsboro Online Academy expands to include grades 4-6, increases enrollment
Oregonian, OR, September 19, 2013
Hillsboro Online Academy, the virtual public school that the district launched in 2012, has expanded to include students in fourth, fifth and sixth grades this year.
More students taking online courses
Herald Argus, MI, September 22, 2013
The number of students in online courses at La Porte High School has increased from seven in the fall of 2012 to 181 in 2013.
Pennsylvania taxpayers cheated by charter school corruption
Letter, Lehigh Valley Times, PA, September 21, 2013
As a new school year begins, leaders of the largest and second-largest for-profit cyber charter schools stand accused of stealing from school children while Gov. Corbett and the Legislature looked the other way.
Remote learning not for all
Editorial, Post and Courier, SC, September 23, 2013
3It appears one more rift could be developing between traditional and charter schools. This time it is between traditional schools whose at-risk students leave and online charter schools where they enroll.
Santa Fe-based online academy offers alternative for 500 students statewide
Santa Fe New Mexican, NM, September 21, 2013
It’s 2 p.m. on a recent Thursday, and science teacher Yvette Martinez is preparing to review some math skills with her ninth-grade science students.
State initiative growing technology in classrooms
Augusta Chronicle, GA, September 22, 2013
The initiative is part of a larger effort to grow technology in the classrooms, from incorporating more devices into the learning experience to offering more online courses.
What will be the impact of virtual schools and technology on brick and mortar schools?
Opinion, Daily News, MI
It is clear that technology must be thoughtfully and carefully integrated into the learning environment. Technology is ever changing and will require that teachers, students and, yes, parents continually adapt.