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
Education Department Loosens NCLB Waiver Requirements
US News & World Report, November 14, 2013
Not long after it said states would have to increase their accountability measures to renew No Child Left Behind waivers, the Education Department is scaling back that process.
Education Losers Now Recovering
Huffington Post, November 14, 2013
How often does Tennessee get cited nationally for producing great academic gains for its children? Almost never, about the same number of times Washington, D.C., gets touted for its superior academic results.
Obama vs. Black Kids
Wall Street Journal, November 14, 2013
When the Justice Department sued to stop Louisiana’s school voucher program earlier this year, it claimed that school choice “frustrates and impedes the desegregation process.” But what does the evidence show?
STATE COVERAGE
CALIFORNIA
iPad use out of sync with L.A. charter school’s philosophy
Los Angeles Times, CA, November 14, 2013
Ocean Charter, a school based on the Waldorf educational approach that strictly limits technology, is among the L.A. Unified schools to be provided iPads for student use.
CONNECTICUT
Connecticut maintains nations widest achievement gap
Yale Daily News, CT, November 15, 2013
Despite Connecticut students’ above average-performance on math and reading, the state continues to face the widest achievement gap in the nation, according to National Assessment for Educational Progress (NAEP) data released by the U.S. Department of Education last week.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Golden Hammer: Cost of pre-K school has Texas officials seeing red
Washington Times, DC, November 14, 2013
Forty-thousand dollars per student sounds like the annual price tag for tuition at a prestigious college. But it’s actually the projected cost to build a pre-kindergarten school in Austin, Texas, that has state officials sparring with the local school board.
DELAWARE
Why Reach needed to close and how we move on
Opinion
News Journal, DE
November 15, 2013
In The News Journal’s Nov. 13 article on the closing of Reach Academy, there is a sidebar with a list of every charter school that has closed since 2002. I can imagine the reaction of readers. What’s going on with Delaware’s charter schools?
GEORGIA
Druid Hills Charter Cluster and DeKalb School Board: Any hope for a redo?
Atlanta Journal Constitution Blog, GA, November 14, 2013
In urging the rejection of the Druid Hills Charter Cluster, DeKalb Superintendent Michael Thurmond said his concern was not only for the 5,000 students who would attend the seven schools in the proposed cluster, but for the 100,000 in the entire system.
FLORIDA
Detert not budging on parent trigger bill, despite attack ads
Herald Tribune, FL, November 14, 2013
State Sen. Nancy Detert is not backing down on the so-called parent trigger bill. Although Americans for Prosperity is running ads attacking her partly on the issue, Detert said she has no regrets about twice helping kill the parent trigger bill and considers it one of her biggest successes in 2013.
Pinellas could get first Montessori charter, at beach
Tampa Bay Times, FL, November 14, 2013
Four years after the last public school closed on Pinellas County’s barrier islands, residents are a step closer to getting a new school for their children.
Progress on achievement, but not enough
Editorial, Tampa Bay Times, FL, November 14, 2013
The Hillsborough County School District has some success to show for the millions it has spent to close the achievement gap between white and minority students. Graduation rates and disciplinary cases are moving in the right direction. But there is still a way to go, and educators and community leaders need to continue exploring how to reach at-risk students.
INDIANA
Firm in the face of takeover
Opinion, Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, IN, November 15, 2013
I very rarely write a response to an opinion article. However, I feel compelled to clear the air after a column appeared in another Indiana newspaper under the headline, “While Ritz, board spar, children get hurt.”
Time to deal with reality of charter schools as 2nd in size to IPS
Column, Indianapolis Recorder, IN, November 14, 2013
Last week, this column revealed the real facts about white families fleeing Indianapolis’ quality township schools and the depths of racial diversity in Indy’s major school districts.
ILLINOIS
Proposed State Legislation Looks To Abolish Illinois Charter School Commission
Progress Illinois, November 14, 2013
State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia (D-Aurora) wants to take away the Illinois State Charter School Commission’s power to overrule local school boards if they reject proposals from charter firms trying to set up new schools in their districts.
KANSAS
Charter school experiencing enrollment spike after multi-million dollar expansion
Fox4KC, KS, November 14, 2013
DeLaSalle Charter School is seeing a jump in enrollment this year, thanks to an $8 million expansion and renovation. More parents are interested in what the school offers.
Expert warns against labeling good teachers bad
Topeka Capital Journal, KS, November 14, 2013
Evaluating teachers based on the test scores of their students poses great risks, a leading testing expert warned Thursday.
KENTUCKY
The Key to JCPS’ Elementary School Choice? Parent Involvement in the Process.
WFPL, KY, November 14, 2013
The application process for Jefferson County public elementary schools begins Monday, bringing another batch of incoming kindergartners’ parents to confront the choice of schools.
LOUISIANA
Ascension parents looking to turn around struggling schools
The Advocate, LA, November 14, 2013
More than two dozen concerned parents of students enrolled in low-performing schools in Ascension Parish met with school administrators Thursday to discuss what can be done to turn around those schools.
Charter association director advocates for Caddo school choice
Shreveport Times, LA, November 14, 2013
Education is fast changing in Louisiana; however, school districts are often slow to progress, said Caroline Roemer Shirley, executive director of the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools.
MASSACHUSETTS
Fitchburg charter school proposal stirs money fears
Telegram & Gazette, MA, November 14, 2013
he auditorium in Fitchburg Public Library was packed Thursday night for a public hearing held by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education on a proposed elementary-level, arts-focused charter school in the city.
MICHIGAN
In Pontiac, school choice in action
Editorial, Detroit News, MI, November 15, 2013
When a visitor walks into Walton Charter Academy in Pontiac, the staff notices immediately. Safety is clearly a priority for this elementary and middle school. But the friendly, family atmosphere is just as evident.
Union protests layoffs, staff changes at Detroit’s Cesar Chavez Academy
Detroit News, MI, November 15, 2013
Dozens of unionized school employees, parents and students gathered in the cafeteria of Cesar Chavez Academy Middle School for a scheduled school board meeting that was to include discussion of the budget for the four-campus Cesar Chavez Academy.
MISSISSIPPI
Lumumba, Barbour: Strong capital city helps Mississippi
Sun Herald, MS, November 14, 2013
During the gathering Thursday at the Jackson Convention Complex, the two politicians agreed on many points about how to improve the capital city, including the idea that schools are more successful when parents and community members are deeply involved. But Lumumba and Barbour politely disagreed about whether charter schools will help or hurt.
NEW JERSEY
Education officials don’t know what’s been spent on School Choice no-shows
Hunterdon County Democrat, NJ, November 14, 2013
It’s “common” for the state to pay tuition aid to School Choice districts for students who commit to a Choice school but fail to enroll, according to a state Department of Education spokesman.
N.J. test results mostly static amid tougher standards
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, November 15, 2013
New Jersey asked tougher questions in annual tests for elementary and middle school students, but the results remained nearly the same as last year – something state officials consider a positive outcome.
Senate panel lends support to ‘innovation fund’ for NJ schools
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, November 15, 2013
A proposal to revive the Christie administration’s plans for a state “Innovation Fund” for schools won a boost from a Senate committee yesterday, but not without questions about whether it was the best way to spend the money — a relatively small sum.
NEW MEXICO
PED full speed ahead on new evaluations
Albuquerque Journal, NM, November 15, 2013
Despite numerous entreaties from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to postpone some of the educational reforms affecting teacher evaluations, a top official of the state’s Public Education Department on Thursday said the agency has no intention of changing course.
NEW YORK
Brooklyn Councilman Steve Levin Calls For Moratorium On New NYC Charter Schools
New York Daily News Blog, NY, November 14, 2013
With the next mayoral administration poised to be less friendly to charter schools, one City Councilman is going even further — proposing an outright moratorium on the opening of new ones.
NY, unions agree: Stop standardized tests for pre-K through 2nd grade
Democrat & Chronicle, NY, November 14, 2013
Teachers’ unions on Thursday called for a ban on standardized tests for students in pre-kindergarten through second grade, saying school districts are turning to more testing to evaluate teachers. And the state Education Commissioner John King agreed.
School de Blasio saved is back on fail list
New York Post, NY, November 15, 2013
A Brooklyn elementary school that Bill de Blasio crowed about saving from the chopping block as public advocate in 2011 has landed once again on the city’s list of worst schools.
NORTH CAROLINA
Achievement gap widened among low-income students, but reason for hope
Editorial, Winston Salem Journal, NC, November 14, 2013
Two developments are encouraging in an otherwise discouraging report last week on the results of the new end-of-year exams.
Halifax County reading scores remain low despite NC intervention
News & Observer, NC, November 14, 2013
A Superior Court hearing Thursday on the quality of education in North Carolina focused on the continuing struggles of low-performing schools, with special attention on Halifax County.
OHIO
New charter school to close doors
Columbus Dispatch, OH, November 15, 2013
A charter school on Columbus’ East Side will close its doors today. Barnett Academy of Columbus-East, at 4300 Kimberly Parkway N., had financial problems, recently failing to meet a payroll.
PENNSYLVANIA
Appeals board: New Hope can stay open until end of school year
York Dispatch, PA, November 14, 2013
The fight to save New Hope Academy goes on. A state-level decision Thursday means the York City charter school will not have to close by Jan. 15, as New Hope had been previously ordered to do. Instead, the school can stay open until the end of its academic year.
Homewood group plans school
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, November 15, 2013
A Homewood nonprofit wants to open an arts, science and technology charter school that would lease classroom space in the Greater Pittsburgh Coliseum and use community support systems to help prepare students for college, an official said.
PA’s Black Democrats Love Charter Schools
Keystone Politics, PA, November 14, 2013
Reading only the progressive PA politics Internet, you might get the idea that Anthony Hardy Williams is going to be in bad shape for the Philadelphia Mayoral race in 2015, since he’s made school reform his signature issue for years, but recently *everyone* in the Democratic base has become radicalized in opposition to Corporate School Reform™ policies like vouchers and charter schools.
VIRGINIA
A new path for failing schools
Editorial, Roanoke Times, VA, November 15, 2013
Gov. Bob McDonnell’s plan to have the state take over chronically failing schools provided one of those rare issues on which the three gubernatorial candidates agreed. They all hated it.
WASHINGTON
Seattle’s universal preschool plans hit union meeting snag
Seattle Times, WA, November 14, 2013
Day-care providers who get city money were surprised by a proposal by Mayor Mike McGinn to compel them to sign agreements with unions. McGinn says it’s to improve teacher quality and prevent disruptions because of strikes, but day-care operators question whether the move is legal.
WEST VIRGINIA
State names new school innovation zones
Charleston Gazette, WV, November 15, 2013
The state Board of Education awarded Kanawha County Schools $300,000 in “innovation zone” funding on Thursday to help implement a new program that aims to decrease the high school dropout rate among students from Charleston’s West Side.
WISCONSIN
Voucher enrollment more than doubles in Racine
Journal Sentinel, WI, November 14, 2013
In its first year operating free of a state-imposed enrollment cap, Racine’s private school voucher program saw enrollment more than double to 1,245 students, according to fall enrollment figures released by the state Department of Public Instruction.
ONLINE LEARNING
Charter, Cyber Charter supporters criticize proposed cuts
WHTM-TV, PA, November 14, 2013
Charter schools and Cyber Charter schools are an important piece of the educational quilt in Pennsylvania. Forty thousand students are enrolled in them.
LP’s Virtual Learning Academy gets national award
The Herald Argus, IN, November 14, 2013
Some are missing high school credits, others can’t attend a traditional classroom environment, and still others want to enrich themselves with courses not offered locally.
New Virtual School Coming to Washington County
WHAG, MD, November 14, 2013
Its education gone virtual! “We are very excited. We’re creating the Washington County Virtual Works combining gaming technology with common core curriculum and creating new courses,” said Dr. Clayton Wilcox, of Washington County Public Schools.
What exactly does ‘blended learning,’ look like? This video explains
Hechinger Report, November 14, 2013
The term “blended learning,’’ is fast-becoming one of the education buzzwords that you will hear at conferences and in news articles.