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
N.J., Va. Governors May Face Legislative Hurdles
Education Week, November 12, 2013
The two gubernatorial contests this year produced the re-election of a staunch foe of teachers’ unions in New Jersey and the election of a solid friend of public school funding in Virginia. Both winners, though, must deal with legislatures controlled by the opposite party as they consider new K-12 policy pushes.
Report card shows us on the right education path
Editorial, News Sentinel, IN, November 11, 2013
If Indiana education officials needed any encouragement to stay on the reform course embarked upon under Gov. Mitch Daniels and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett, they just got it in a big way from the U.S. Department of Education’s National Assessment of Educational Progress, more commonly referred to as the Nation’s Report Card.
Where do Catholics stand on Common Core?
Daily Caller, DC, November 11, 2013
Common Core backers are eager to keep the Catholic Church — a dominating presence in American K-12 education — on their side. But many Catholic scholars and organizations have voiced skepticism about the national curriculum standards, and they are increasingly speaking out.
STATE COVERAGE
ARIZONA
District charters give Dysart financial assist
Arizona Republic, AZ, November 11, 2013
Dysart Unified School District has turned four of its schools into district-sponsored charter schools, beginning with this school year.
CALIFORNIA
In pursuit of excellent teachers
Letter, Los Angeles Times, CA, November 9, 2013
Thank you for your balanced editorial on the use of test scores in evaluating schools and teachers. The “all or none” attitude of No Child Left Behind in using test scores to demonize struggling schools and teachers is counterproductive.
It’s all about choice at El Capitan High School in Merced
Modesto Bee, CA, November 11, 2013
Getting students involved in campus organizations is a key objective at Merced’s El Capitan High School, where 655 of the 765 freshmen and sophomores belong to a group, Principal Anthony Johnson said.
COLORADO
Back to the drawing board for education reform
Editorial, Steamboat Today, CO, November 9, 2013
There are important lessons to be learned from the resounding defeat of Amendment 66. Despite pollsters predicting passage, the measure was rejected by 65 percent of Colorado voters.
Education’s uphill battle begins with hiring great teachers
Opinion, Denver Post, CO, November 11, 2013
“Incremental” is probably the best way to describe the recent progress of Colorado schoolchildren on national achievement tests.
DELAWARE
Standardized tests at the root of teaching problems
Opinion, News Journal, DE, November 11, 2013
The disconnect between Delaware’s excellent teacher evaluation ratings and student performance is not the teachers’ fault. The elephant in every classroom is standardized test-driven projects our elected and appointed decision-makers are imposing on school staff, students and parents.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
DC Charter School Board releases new school rankings for 68 schools; about a third in Tier 1
Washington Post, DC, November 10, 2013
New rankings show a third of the District of Columbia’s charter schools that are subject to annual rankings are high-performing “Tier 1” schools.
Montgomery schools chief: Close achievement gaps, expand innovation
Washington Post, DC, November 11, 2013
Montgomery County Superintendent Joshua P. Starr delivered his yearly “State of the Schools” address Monday, sounding a familiar theme of student hope as he called for collaboration and “embracing the new” in Maryland’s largest school system
GEORGIA
Atlanta calls off vote on K-8 school
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, November 11, 2013
The Atlanta school board scuttled a planned vote Monday that would have launched an experiment to expand an elementary school to include middle school grades 6-8, a model that could be replicated in other city schools.
First Bibb County charter school session draws 200
Macon Telegraph, GA, November 11, 2013
Two hundred or so parents turned out Saturday to learn more about a Bibb County charter school set to open next fall.
Hundreds Register for ‘ACE’ Charter School in Macon
WMGT-TV, GA, November 10, 2013
Frustrated with the local school system, some families are turning to a new educational choice in Bibb County—charter schools. This weekend, hundreds of parents registered for the ‘Academy for Classical Education’, in hopes to get their kids in the classroom, when the school opens its doors.
School board rejects Druid Hills Charter
Cross Roads News, GA, November 12, 2013
After a marathon four-hour meeting Nov. 11 the DeKalb School Board voted 5-4 to reject a petition to create a seven school Druid Hills charter cluster. The arrangement would have taken five elementary schools, a middle school and one high school in Central DeKalb out of county control and put them under a private board of directors.
FLORIDA
Charter school rule changes raise local control issues, money concerns for public school officials
St. Augustine Record, FL, November 10, 2013
Less local control and potentially more work and expenses for Florida school districts will be the result of charter school revisions, say school officials.
Current School Choice system evolves from school desegregation laws expiring
News Press, FL, November 10, 2013
The seeds of Lee County’s current School Choice system were planted in 2003. Ten years ago, the 1964 court order to desegregate and maintain racial diversity in equal numbers in the Lee County School District expired.
New charter school to be part of PB ‘learning cluster’
Sun Sentinel, FL, November 11, 2013
A new charter school planned near Scripps and Max Planck Institute would help grow a “learning cluster” in northern Palm Beach County, according to officials involved in the project.
Study: Struggling Miami-Dade schools benefited from teacher transfers
Miami Herald, FL, November 11, 2013
Dozens of struggling Miami-Dade schools benefited in recent years from the forced transfers of hundreds of teachers, according to newly published research.
IDAHO
Reading Levels Focus of Idaho Education Efforts
Twin Falls Times-News, ID, November 11, 2013
Fifteen years after Idaho laid the groundwork for all students to be good readers by third grade, results have been tepid.
ILLINOIS
Time to dump the standardized tests
Opinion, Chicago Tribune, IL, November 12, 2013
Here’s a way to dramatically increase classroom teaching time in Chicago and elsewhere while saving a ton of money: Get rid of most or all standardized testing.
Who saw this coming? Quinn taps Vallas as running mate.
Column, Chicago Tribune, IL, November 10, 2013
Like just about everyone else, I expected Gov. Pat Quinn to choose an up-and-coming Illinois Democrat to be his running mate — an ethnic minority, a woman or both. The party needs to deepen its bench and reach out to emerging communities if it’s going to maintain its hold on power.
INDIANA
Gary Roosevelt making comeback after state takeover
Journal Gazette, IN, November 10, 2013
An unsettling initial year found the state-appointed takeover operator, EdisonLearning Inc., grappling with a lack of student records, a failing heating and air-conditioning system and a principal jumping ship midyear.
KENTUCKY
Failed Education Tax Vote Puts Spotlight on Kentucky School Funding
WFPL, KY, November 11, 2013
Joe Burgan is a coordinator with the Kentucky Charter Schools Association. He says local taxpayers are fed up with consistent hikes in the face of lagging test scores and failing schools, and simply want to make sure their money is being spent wisely.
LOUISIANA
KIPP board gets advice on school governance
The Lens, LA, November 11, 2013
The KIPP New Orleans board of directors, which oversees nine schools on eight campuses, participated in a two-day board retreat and training Nov. 1-2 at the Iberia Bank conference room on St. Charles Avenue.
MINNESOTA
Minneapolis schools to double down on grade gap
Star Tribune, MN, November 11, 2013
Failure to meet most targets means district is likely to put two teachers in early-grade classrooms at schools that are struggling.
NEW JERSEY
N.J. public schools can learn from the success at charters
Opinion, Times of Trenton, NJ, November 12, 2013
I read with interest the article “Ravitch: America’s public schools are in danger — During talk in Princeton, she blames the erosion of public education on promoting charter schools, voucher system” (Nov. 6).
NEW MEXICO
Find common ground on evaluations
Editorial, Carlsbad Current-Argus, NM, November 10, 2013
We agree with Education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera that there needs to be an evaluation of teachers that allows us to reward excellence and identify those who are not performing up to expectations.
NEW YORK
Bill de Blasio faces big test in picking next schools chancellor
New York Daily News, NY, November 10, 2013
The mayor-elect’s appointment to lead New York City’s schools will be highly scrutinized and risky, as it will signal his direction for the education of the city’s 1.1 million students.
De Blasio plan will keep 16,000 students out of charters
Editorial, New York Post, DC, November 9, 2013
Bill de Blasio won election as mayor with 74% of the vote — an impressive achievement by any measure.
De Blasio wants charters to pay rent, but what about cultural institutions?
New York Post, NY, November 11, 2013
The mayor-elect plans to charge rent to well-funded charter schools that serve kids in poor neighborhoods, while 34 top cultural institutions — including museums and music venues with huge endowments and million-dollar CEOs — continue to use city space without paying rent.
NORTH CAROLINA
9 Investigates: Questions surround state’s largest teacher advocacy group
WSOC Charlotte, NC, November 11, 2013
The North Carolina Association of Educators has 50,000 members but some teachers, who haven’t seen a raise in years, are asking how effective the organization is.
NC needs to make it easier for charter schools to replicate
Opinion, News & Observer, NC, November 8, 2013
There is one issue that every elected official – whether Democrat or Republican – every policymaker, every educator, every business leader and every parent agrees on: We must provide a quality education to all of our children. Our economic future, even our democratic system, depends on it.
School choice plays growing role in Charlotte’s education scene, panel says
Charlotte Observer, NC, November 11, 2013
School choice plays a growing role in the quest to educate all students in the Charlotte region, speakers told more than 100 people gathered Saturday for a forum on the future of public education.
OHIO
The Cleveland Catholic diocese should be more cautious in leasing to charter schools: editorial
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, November 9, 2013
Roman Catholic pastors are understandably eager to lease now-closed school buildings to charter schools.
PENNSYLVANIA
Another day, another fishy charter school
KDKA, PA, November 10, 2013
Now the feds are investigating spending practices at the Pittsburgh Urban Pathways Charter Schools. Some of the initial reports looks pretty fishy:
Catholic education on downward spiral as enrollment drops, schools close
Herald Standard, PA, November 10, 2013
After a recommendation was made to close All Saints Regional Catholic School in Masontown in 2005, the community and Roman Catholic Diocese of Greensburg worked together to keep the facility open.
Pittsburgh schools may hire from Teach for America
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, November 9, 2013
Pittsburgh Public Schools superintendent Linda Lane wants Teach for America — which has deployed 32,000 college graduates without education degrees to classrooms nationwide for more than two decades — to help the district fill 15 to 30 teaching vacancies next fall.
School district must pay shuttered charter’s bill
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, November 11, 2013
The cash-strapped Philadelphia School District has been stuck with a $305,000 bill from a controversial cyber charter school that shut down last month.
State Senate Charter School Proposal Faces Criticism
WESA NPR, PA, November 11, 2013
Some education advocates are criticizing a state Senate proposal to revamp how public charter schools start, expand and receive funding because it would remove a check on the growth of the alternative schools.
TENNESSEE
Goodwill plans to open charter school in Memphis for adult dropouts
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, November 12, 2013
Goodwill Industries is preparing to get in the education business in Memphis with a charter school for adults who quit high school.
Large School Districts Interested in Challenging BEP to Get At Charters
Nashville Scene, TN, November 11, 2013
As the Tennessee School Boards Association met at the Opryland Convention Center this weekend, school board members from the state’s four largest districts broke off to talk strategy on Sunday, finding themselves with joint appetites to coalesce against the state.
School attendance shouldn’t be used to punish families
Letter, The Tennessean, TN, November 11, 2013
The state Senate is searching for a solution to the growing problem of truancy within Nashville’s poorest communities. Sen. Brian Kelsey’s answer to the growing issue is to cut welfare benefits of families whose children do not meet satisfactory school attendance.
TEXAS
New charter school caters to creatives
Cross Timbers Gazette, TX, November 11, 2013
In the center of Flower Mound’s Parker Square, a new charter school has opened its doors to help prepare high school students from across North Texas for careers in digital arts, business marketing, and fashion merchandising in a college-like campus setting.
UTAH
Utah’s schools educating 11,566 more students this year
Salt Lake Tribune, UT, November 9, 2013
Utah’s charter schools continue to add students at a faster clip than do traditional schools, contributing to an overall increase of nearly 2 percent — 11,566 students — in public-school enrollment this year.
VIRGINIA
Petersburg to try year-round programs at two failing schools
Richmond Post-Dispatch, VA, November 9, 2013
Petersburg will begin year-round programs at two chronically underperforming schools that are slated for state takeover under Gov. Bob McDonnell’s contentious Opportunity Education Institution.
ONLINE LEARNING
Regional Collaborative submits virtual school plan
Dedham Transcript, MA, November 11, 2013
The Education Cooperative was the only organization to submit a proposal to the state Monday, Nov. 4, to start an online school.
State targets Merrill charter school
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, November 9, 2013
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction has notified the Merrill school district that a charter school it operates doesn’t meet legal requirements to exist as a school.
Technology at work in Arkansas’ Catholic classrooms
Arkansas Catholic, AR, November 12, 2013
More parochial schools integrating students’ iPads, tablets to enhance learning
Virtual schools are changing education
Opinion, Orlando Sentinel, FL, November 10, 2013
Recently, under the headline “Cyber schools flunk, but the money keeps flowing,” Politico — a Washington-based political news outlet — reported on the poor performance of students taking online courses from various providers in a variety of states.
York City schools propose in-house cyber option
York Dispatch, PA, November 11, 2013
The York City School District is gearing up to launch its own cyber school.
District officials are touting the program as a quality education for students who prefer to learn online without the loss of extracurricular activities, social events and a traditional diploma.