Daily Headlines for January 6, 2013
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
I’m no Common Core fan, but give it a chance
Column, Washington Post, DC, January 4, 2014
As our national battle over the Common Core standards escalates this year, remember that new standards and curricula rarely improve schools. What does work is families becoming more affluent, teachers becoming more proficient and students spending more time and energy on their studies.
Report gives local Teach for America educators high marks in math
The Baltimore Sun, MD, January 5, 2014
A study commissioned by the U.S. Department of Education found that Teach for America teachers — recent college graduates or professionals who commit to teaching in low-performing, low-income public schools for at least two years — were as effective, if not more, at teaching math as those from similar programs or even career educators.
Zero Tolerance, Reconsidered
Editorial, New York Times, NY, January 6, 2014
Schools across the country are rethinking “zero tolerance” discipline policies under which children have been suspended, even arrested, for minor offenses like cursing, getting into shoving matches and other garden-variety misbehavior that in years past would have been resolved with detention or meetings with a child’s parents.
STATE COVERAGE
ARKANSAS
Preliminary education task force report answers few questions
Juneau Empire, AK, January 5, 2014
A two-page report by the state’s education task force released Thursday has left a lot to be desired by Juneau’s legislative delegation.
CALIFORNIA
L.A. Unified finally hiring teachers again
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 5, 2014
After years of layoffs and hiring freezes, L.A. Unified expects to hire more than 1,300 for next year. And it can even be choosy.
When competitors converged, collaboration began in Los Angeles Unified
Commentary, EdSource Today, CA, January 5th, 2014
Nearly a quarter century ago, two Stanford University professors wrote that market forces could reform public education in ways that government dominated by interest groups, like teachers unions, could not. “Politics, Markets, and America’s Schools” by John Chubb and Terry Moe remains a guiding light for Republicans and a large swath of Democrats seeking to transform schools.
CONNECTICUT
Malloy works to appease teachers in 2014
CT Mirror, CT, January 5, 2014
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s calculated decision to make a public show of challenging unionized teachers two years ago still dogs the first-term Democratic governor as he prepares for a 2014 re-election he cannot win without support from organized labor.
DELAWARE
Reach Academy to stay open for at least another year
The News Journal, DE, January 5, 2013
The Reach Academy for Girls Charter School, slated to close after the state revoked its charter, will stay open for at least another year by order of a federal judge.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Before creating plan to improve D.C. middle schools, chancellor wants community input
Washington Post, DC, January 6, 2014
The District’s school system cannot articulate how it will turn around its long-struggling middle schools until it gathers more input from the community, Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson said recently in response to pressure from the D.C. Council to outline an improvement plan.
FLORIDA
Charter advocates debate impact of local control
The Tampa Tribune, FL, January 5, 2014
Who’s in charge, and where they are, have emerged as points of debate in a bid to open a charter school at MacDill Air Force Base — and in the broader debate about accountability in the growing charter school industry.
Program Gets Students Back Into Education
The Ledger, FL, January 5, 2014
A Polk State College charter high school program set up to target high school dropouts began just in August, and has already shown dozens of students there is hope for their futures.
ILLINOIS
Minority students make up new majority in Illinois public schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 6, 2014
New enrollment numbers show that lllinois’ public school system for the first time does not have a white majority, with Latino, black, Asian and other racial groups combined eclipsing white students across the state’s classrooms.
Teachers, district embrace new way on pay
Chicago Sun Times, IL, January 4, 2014
There’s a new kind of teacher reward system in place in a north suburban school district that ties teachers’ portfolios and evaluations to dollars-and-cents results, but don’t expect it to catch on in Chicago or across the state.
IOWA
State education standards face opposition in Iowa
Quad-City Times, IA, January 6, 2014
Conservative suspicion over the national standards known as the Common Core threaten to derail key parts of Gov. Terry Branstad’s education reform plans.
KENTUCKY
Education funding to be key issue for legislators
Richmond Register, KY, January 6, 2014
Since 1990, Kentucky has been viewed as a leader in education reform, first with passage of the landmark Kentucky Education Reform Act in 1990 and then with passage of Senate Bill 1 in 2009.
LOUISIANA
Revised school aid plan wins support
The Advocate, LA, January 5, 2014
After a three-week delay, a special state panel is expected to recommend modest changes Monday in how the state finances public schools, including a controversial program called Course Choice.
MICHIGAN
Trustee gives union a boost
Opinion, Detroit News, MI, January 5, 2014
Given all the academic and financial problems facing public schools in Michigan, the State Board of Education’s intense focus on charter schools seems odd.
NEW JERSEY
The list: top 10 education highlights of Christie’s first term
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, January 6, 2014
The governor has left his mark on almost every aspect of New Jersey’s public school system.
NEW YORK
Bill de Blasio & an anti-charter lawsuit
Editorial, New York Post, NY, January 5, 2014
Even before Mayor de Blasio took office Wednesday, he was being yanked to his left on a key issue: charter schools. And he had a wise response: Not so fast.
Charter School of Inquiry envisioned as hothouse for kids’ critical thinking
Buffalo News, NY, January 5, 2014
Instead of using textbooks to teach math, how about bringing an apple to class, cutting it into halves – then quarters or fifths, and so on – to demonstrate fractions?
Cuomo’s obligation to your kids
Column, New York Daily News, NY, January 6, 2014
Gov. Cuomo’s priorities are totally askew. In October, Cuomo formed a tax-relief commission, co-chaired by former Gov. George Pataki and former State Controller Carl McCall, to come up with $2 billion in tax cuts for businesses and property owners.
Mark-Viverito was for charters before she was against them
New York Post, NY, January 6, 2014
Melissa Mark-Viverito was for charter schools in her East Harlem district — until she hungered to become the next City Council speaker, critics charge.
Pay, Plus Pension, for Schools Chief
Wall Street Journal, January 5, 2014
New York City’s new schools chancellor will collect both her pension and a salary, putting her total package at more than $410,000 a year, the de Blasio administration said.
NORTH CAROLINA
As charter schools grow, so does need for resource officers
Mooresville Tribune, NC, January 5, 2014
The growth of charter schools here has also created a need for resource officers provided by Mooresville Police Department.
Charter schools poised for expansion in North Carolina
News & Observer, NC, January 5, 2014
The next two weeks will determine how rapidly North Carolina’s charter-school movement expands. Supporters say the schools are giving families more choices, while critics say they’re harming traditional public schools.
State questions whether all-new charter board is ready to run school
Charlotte Observer, NC, January 4, 2014
RALEIGH State charter-school officials say they’ve never seen a case like that of Entrepreneur High.
Voucher system will lead to privatized schools
Opinion, Black Mountain News, NC, January 5, 2014
I should like to offer my take on what the North Carolina General Assembly has done to the folks who work in our public schools. Letters to editors in every county have taken our lawmakers to task for giving vouchers to students to attend private schools.
OHIO
Charter schools a choice for parents
Letter, Tribune Chronicle, OH, January 5, 2014
Ohio families expect ALL public schools to focus on the needs of their children and not squabble about funding.
Charter schools ask justices to rule on White Hat
Columbus Dispatch, OH, January 4, 2014
The state Supreme Court has been asked to decide whether a for-profit corporation that runs charter schools in Ohio owns the desks, computers, books and other items it bought with state tax money.
PENNSYLVANIA
At Phila. high school, a daily struggle with budget cuts
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 5, 2014
Not long ago, Debora Carrera had a climate manager, assistant principal, and aides to keep order in the hallways. But the Philadelphia School District’s financial implosion has eviscerated school budgets, and now there are simply not enough adults to go around.
Court rules against charter school application
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 4, 2014
A Delaware County Court judge has ruled against a former businessman trying to open a charter school in Upper Darby.
In York, a third try for proposed charter school
York Daily Record, PA, January 4, 2014
After being turned down twice, Cynthia Dotson has submitted for the third time an application to start a health-and-fitness-focused charter school in York City.
Pa. Senate set to tackle charter school reforms
Beaver County Times, PA, January 5, 2014
The state Senate is set to vote as early as this month on the latest proposal to overhaul Pennsylvania’s 16-year-old charter school law.
TENNESSEE
Charting future of education
Editorial, The Tennessean, TN, January 5, 2014
A new calendar year is a great time for a fresh beginning. This year could be just that for Metro Nashville Public Schools, Mayor Karl Dean and state leaders to work collaboratively on education reform.
TEXAS
Houston’s public schools are primed for success
Opinion, Houston Chronicle, TX, January 5, 2014
What this means is that Houston has the responsibility and the opportunity today to address many of the challenges other urban centers will face over the next three decades, especially in public education.
WEST VIRGINIA
W.Va. teachers unions want raises
Charleston Gazette, WV, January 4, 2014
Leaders of West Virginia’s teachers unions are hoping that this year’s State of the State address will promise something that last year’s education-heavy address did not: pay raises for teachers.
WISCONSIN
Make teacher evaluations fair
Editorial, The Northwestern, WI, January 6, 2014
Before trying to gauge the state’s progress in developing a successful teacher evaluation program, it’s important to remember the state’s core intentions behind this process.
ONLINE LEARNING
Consider alternative schooling
Column, USA Today, January 5, 2014
Last week, I wrote here about zero-tolerance stupidity, suggesting that as schools grow more and more willing to punish and stigmatize kids for reasons of bureaucratic convenience, it might be parental malpractice to put your kids in public schools.
Online schools
Opinion, Tulsa World, OK, January 6, 2014
State Superintendent Janet Barresi wants stronger academic and financial standards for virtual charter schools operating in the state. We agree.
State Lawmaker Works to Improve Charter, Cyber Charter Schools
WESA, PA, January 6, 2014
A Pittsburgh-area state lawmaker wants charter and cyber charter schools to be regulated as strictly as public schools.
Students gain more resources through technology at school
Valley Morning Star, TX, January 5, 2014
From the description, Gonzalez sounds
like any other student at one of the
top universities in the nation, but in
reality she is a fourth-grade student at
Dr. Rodriguez Elementary School.