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
New GED test fails to measure skills that matter most
Commentary, Seattle Times, WA, January 24, 2014
America’s largest high school is not a building but a test. The General Educational Development test is a seven-hour exam that allows high school dropouts to show they are equivalent to high school graduates.
Telling the truth on achievement gaps improves education
Opinion, Washington Post, DC, January 23, 2014
In education, it sometimes takes courage to do what ought to be common sense.
STATE COVERAGE
ALASKA
Parnell says funding increase linked to reforms, not vouchers
Anchorage Daily News, AK, January 23, 2014
Gov. Sean Parnell said Thursday that legislative passage of a school voucher constitutional amendment wasn’t a precondition for his support of the first increase in the per-pupil school funding formula since 2011.
‘School Choice Week’ a great time to reflect on opportunities within public schools
Opinion, Alaska Dispatch, AK, January 23, 2014
The week of Jan. 26 through Feb. 1 is promoted as School Choice Week by organizations that advocate for the privatization of public education under the guise of giving every parent the opportunity to choose the right school for his/her child no matter social economic status.
CALIFORNIA
California should give all kids the pre-K advantage
Opinion, Los Angeles Times, CA, January 24, 2014
New research buttresses the argument for educating kids early. And the state’s better financial situation makes the idea more politically attractive.
COLORADO
State’s high school drop out rate lowest since 2003
Colorado Springs Gazette, CO, January 23, 2014
Colorado’s high school drop out rate is at its lowest point since 2003, and the El Paso county rate is also declining.
DELAWARE
Markell again pushes for reworking teacher compensation
The News Journal, DE, January 24, 2014
Educators say they like the broad strokes of Gov. Jack Markell’s school agenda outlined in Thursday’s State of the State speech.
FLORIDA
Auditors say 5 charter schools in the red
Sun Sentinel, FL, January 23, 2014
Five charter schools in Broward County ended last school year in “deteriorating financial condition,” spending more money than they took in, district auditors said Thursday.
GEORGIA
On school choice, Georgia is a model
Column, The Augusta Chronicle, GA, January 23, 2014
As Americans prepare to observe National School Choice Week next week, Georgia’s families have a lot to celebrate.
ILLINOIS
Panel: Charter schools don’t make the grade
Courier News, IL, January 24, 2014
Charter schools are not outperforming public schools as much as is touted. That is the message Northern Illinois Jobs with Justice was putting out to the public at a panel discussion the activist coalition hosted Thursday night at the Batavia Public Library.
INDIANA
IPS chief Lewis Ferebee seeks charter powers but faces pushback
Indianapolis Star, IN, January 23, 2014
Indianapolis’ new school chief wants to have the flexibility of charter schools, while also better utilizing school resources.
KANSAS
Teachers from fifth school district decertify from KNEA
Topeka Capital Journal, KS, January 23, 2014
Teachers in a small, southwest Kansas school district have decertified from the state’s main teachers union, the fifth group of teachers to do so in the past year.
LOUISIANA
Two new charter schools in Baker increase competition for students in East Baton Rouge Parish
Times-Picayune, LA, January 24, 2014
The small community of Baker is preparing for two new charter schools to open within its borders this fall, nearly doubling the number of public elementary school seats in the city and potentially pulling students from Baton Rouge.
NEW MEXICO
Minnesota’s teacher basic skills test would be scrapped under proposal
Pioneer Press, NM, January 23, 2014
Minnesota is considering making it easier to become a teacher by eliminating what educators say is an overly demanding test of their academic skills.
NEW YORK
Auditors critical of two Buffalo charter schools
Buffalo News, NY, January 23, 2014
Auditors were critical of two Buffalo charter schools in reports issued Thursday by the office of State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli.
State Ed leader John King Jr. grilled over Common Core
Albany Times Union, NY, January 24, 2014
If state Education Commissioner John King doesn’t slow or delay the state’s rollout of Common Core standard tests, lawmakers will do it for him, members of the Senate Education Committee said Thursday at a hearing that suggested a showdown and power struggle between the commissioner, who reports to the appointed Board of Regents, and the Legislature.
NORTH CAROLINA
McCrory vows to hold charter schools to high standards
Charlotte Observer, NC, January 24, 2014
As North Carolina rapidly expands its charter school roster, Gov. Pat McCrory pledged Thursday to crack down on any that don’t meet quality standards.
Charter school would focus on vocations
Charlotte Observer, NC, January 24, 2014
As North Carolina A group of south Charlotte residents has applied to open a new charter school that would focus on careers such as carpentry and masonry.
PENNSYLVANIA
Report: Philly’s school ‘Renaissance’ a mixed bag
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, January 23, 2014
THE SCHOOL District of Philadelphia’s latest attempt to turn around “underperforming” schools has yielded dramatic improvements in some cases, while many schools are still struggling, according to a recent report by the district.
TENNESSEE
Black Caucus seeks clarity on official’s charter diversity remarks
The Tennessean, TN, January 24, 2014
The Tennessee General Assembly’s Black Caucus plans to invite Tennessee Achievement School District superintendent Chris Barbic to speak to its members to explain recent comments he made on diversity at charter schools.
Educators largely against eval changes
The Dickson Herald, TN, January 23, 2014
The head of the state teachers union will be in Dickson County next month to talk to local educators about a new ruling that ties teacher license renewal with student performance.
Senate’s school voucher proposal doesn’t sway Haslam
The Tennessean, TN, January 24, 2014
Three influential state senators have put together a new plan to create Tennessee’s first school voucher program, but Gov. Bill Haslam says he intends to hold firm to his proposal to limit vouchers to needy students in the state’s worst schools.
Springfield One Step Closer To Getting Charter School
WTVF-TV, TN, January 23, 2014
Charter schools have become more popular in the Mid-State recently. Now, school districts in Springfield have grown closer to getting its first charter school.
Voucher plan will garner passionate pleas from both sides
Editorial, Mountain Press, TN, January 24, 2014
While just the mention of school voucher programs can start a shouting match between even the closest of friends, it’s likely coming to a water cooler, living room or office near you.
VIRGINIA
Peninsula school systems oppose law allowing state takeover of failing schools
Daily Press, VA, January 23, 2014
Several local school districts are opposing a new law that allows the state to take over failing schools, saying the law is unconstitutional and would allow a state commission to take control of local, state and federal money earmarked for those schools.
WASHINGTON
School board smart to reject AAS charter
Column, The Spokesman-Review, WA, January 24, 2014
If you’re concerned about charter schools coming to Spokane, take heart from the story of the charter schools that won’t be coming to Spokane.
WISCONSIN
When schools choose, students with disabilities lose
Opinion, Journal Sentinel, WI, January 23, 2014
LifeSkills Academy, as a promoter of “school choice,” made some jaw-dropping choices. One such choice was to close without warning in the middle of the night in December, disrupting the education of 66 students as their families scrambled to find alternatives, while keeping the full $200,000 it had received in taxpayer funds for a semester left unfinished.
ONLINE LEARNING
District 200 moving ahead with online courses
Daily Herald, IL, January 23, 2014
Students in Wheaton Warrenville Unit District 200 will have an opportunity next school year to take online classes through a virtual learning consortium that district officials will form with at least two other area districts.
Garden City schools “flip” for technology
Garden City News, NY, January 24, 2014
For the first half of this school year some Garden City students have been part of a fundamental flip to learning through the integration of technology.
Going ‘Virtual’: River Falls school board throws the switch
River Falls Journal, WI, January 23, 2014
Call it a technological leap. Monday night, Jan. 20, the school board approved the school district’s virtual charter school application to the state Department of Public Instruction.
Kodiak will use robots to enhance virtual learning
Kodiak Daily Mirror, AK, January 23, 2014
The Kodiak Island Borough School District has purchased 12 telepresence robots to expand the district’s virtual learning program. Instead of being tied to a webcam attached to a computer, teachers can use the robots to move around a classroom and communicate through an attached iPad.