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
School reform should pay heed to employers’ needs
Opinion, Washington Times, DC, February 25, 2014
As the discussion of inequality intensifies, it has further highlighted the importance of school reform and school choice in terms of charter schools and school vouchers.
States: Stop blaming Washington for Common Core
Opinion, Daily Caller, DC, February 25, 2014
Still, Common Core wasn’t somehow foisted on unwilling states. Now that the federalized standards and assessments regime has become unpopular in many parts of the country, state elected officials often speak of Common Core as if it had been imposed from above. But that’s not the case. States happily implemented Common Core — and they did it for money.
STATE COVERAGE
CALIFORNIA
Antioch’s Dozier Libbey teachers file petition to form charter school
Contra Coasta Times, CA, February 25, 2014
Teachers at Dozier Libbey Medical High School filed a petition this week with the Antioch Unified School District to convert the health care-themed public school to a charter.
County challenges charter school admissions process
Los Altos Town Crier, CA, February 26, 2014
The Santa Clara County Office of Education sent a letter to Bullis Charter School last week ordering administrators to correct their enrollment practices to conform to state law.
LAUSD reports increase in charter school co-location approvals
LA School Report, CA, February 25, 2014
LA Unified has released a preliminary list of charter school co-location proposals, showing that the district is offering more traditional school sites for co-locations for 2014-15 than in either of the previous two school years.
COLORADO
Teacher’s Union to oppose new ‘reform’ and funding school bill
North Denver News, CO, February 25, 2014
Michael Johnston’s newest reform bill has already drawn the opposition of Colorado teachers, and could cause a major rift between Democrats and their strongest supporters in an election year.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
The most meaningless teacher evaluation exercise ever?
Washington Post Blog, DC, February 26, 2014
If ever there were a meaningless exercise in the annals of evaluation, it would be this one. The Florida Times-Union newspaper sued the state Education Department to get access to what are called “value-added” scores of teachers that are used to make high-stakes decisions about their jobs.
FLORIDA
Appeals group: State should back MacDill charter rejection
The Tampa Tribune, FL, February 25, 2014
The group that makes recommendations to top state education officials on charter school appeals is siding with the Hillsborough County School Board in its decision to turn down an application for a charter school on MacDill Air Force Base.
Superintendent Browning says beware of teacher eval data
The Tampa Tribune, FL, February 26, 2014
Pasco County school district officials and the teachers union say it’s a move that could sow confusion rather than shed light on how well teachers are doing their jobs.
Testing times
Editorial, Tallahassee Democrat, FL, February 26, 2014
Think back to a schoolteacher who had a positive impact on your life. Chances are, your choice wasn’t based on explanations of quadratic equations or whether she helped advance your reading skills a full grade level.
GEORGIA
Georgia politicians rip national education standards
Cherokee Tribune, GA, February 26, 2014
Republican lawmakers indulged their conservative wing Tuesday by opposing national education standards, though the watered-down legislation does nothing to change the standards at the heart of the controversy.
IDAHO
Charter school nears enrollment goal
Idaho Mountain Express and Guide, ID, February 26, 2014
With the start of the 2014-2015 school year still six months away, Syringa Mountain School, Blaine County’s new state-funded charter school, is approaching its goal of 165 students.
ILLINOIS
Charter schools’ expulsion rate vastly higher than rest of CPS
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 26, 2014
As it continues to modify strict disciplinary policies in an effort to keep students in the classroom, Chicago Public Schools on Tuesday released data showing privately run charter schools expel students at a vastly higher rate than the rest of the district.
LOUISIANA
Changes to Louisiana teacher tenure law discussed by Jindal administration, education officials
Times-Picayune, LA, February 25, 2014
A controversial teacher tenure law passed in 2012 could be tweaked again this year, after administration officials and educational leaders discussed possible statutorial changes on Tuesday (Feb. 25).
MICHIGAN
School District, Union Working Together To Try To Ban Charter Schools
Michigan Capital Confidential, MI, February 26, 2014
Charter public schools in Michigan have been blamed by many in the media and by advocates for more school spending as part of the reason conventional public schools have problems.
MINNESOTA
How one high school is tackling the achievement gap
Star Tribune, MN, February 25, 2014
It’s big bragging rights for the state’s biggest school district. While the Twin Cities’ other large districts struggled to lessen the disparity between white and minority students’ proficiency in reading, math and other core subjects, Anoka-Hennepin surpassed goals set by the state.
MISSISSIPPI
Parents, advocates push for special-needs vouchers
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, February 26, 2014
Supporters of a school voucher for special-needs children rallied Tuesday at the state Capitol, where two bills await legislative action.
NEBRASKA
Parents testifying in the Legislature say time for charter schools is now
Omaha World Herald, NE, February 25, 2014
A legislative hearing on a bill to create charter schools in Nebraska came down to time. Anxious parents said Tuesday that they couldn’t wait any longer for Nebraska public schools — namely the Omaha Public Schools — to get their act together.
NEVADA
Study Shows Racial Achievement Gaps In Reno Students
Capital Radio, NV, February 26, 2014
For the first time the Washoe County School District is releasing data that show significant achievement gaps by race. The district is beginning what it expects to be a difficult conversation.
Teacher evaluation specifics lacking as implementation nears
Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV, February 25, 2014
State lawmakers were updated Tuesday on the first statewide teacher evaluation system being implemented in the fall, but a lot of questions remain.
NEW JERSEY
Charter schools strip residents of their rights
Commentary, Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ, February 26, 2014
After attending “community meetings” concerning the possibility of two more Renaissance school operators coming to Camden, it is obvious that preserving what constitutionally belongs to the people of Camden, democratic public schools, is quickly becoming a thing of the past. While some of the city’s elite seem fine with people’s rights being taken away, as public school educators, we deem what is going on here unacceptable.
Newark teachers, students protest district’s layoff plan
Star-Ledger, NJ, February 25, 2014
About 400 Newark teachers and their supporters voiced pronounced opposition last night to the school district’s proposal to base planned layoffs of more than 1,000 teachers on classroom effectiveness rather than seniority.
NEW YORK
The cynical Cuomo-Tisch Common Core tug-of-war
Opinion, New York Daily News, NY, February 26, 2014
This month, the New York State Board of Regents released a “Path Forward” for implementation of Common Core standards. Though the report posed as a course correction, it is little more than a Trojan Horse.
NORTH CAROLINA
NAACP equates vouchers to school segregation effort
WRAL, NC, February 25, 2014
North Carolina’s school voucher program is the state’s latest assault on minorities, civil rights advocates said Tuesday.
Public, charter school collaboration in the future?
Durham Herald Sun, NC, February 25, 2014
Duke University economics professor Helen Ladd believes that charter schools have a place on the outskirts – not at the center – of public education.
PENNSYLVANIA
Duquesne charter school denied
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, February 26, 2014
Duquesne City School District’s court-appointed receiver Paul B. Long has denied the application for a proposed charter school.
Letting colleges and universities authorize charter schools doesn’t necessarily mean better results: Op-Ed
Patriot News, PA, February 25, 2014
In what has become an almost annual occurrence, Pennsylvania lawmakers are discussing changes to the state’s Charter School Law.
Speakers question charter school funding
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, February 26, 2014
State Auditor General Eugene DePasquale doesn’t think the Legislature is moving fast enough to revise Pennsylvania’s charter school law to address funding and other issues.
Vulnerable students need high-quality teachers
Opinion, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, February 26, 2014
Black leaders and educational researchers have long advocated for better learning conditions for black children, and decades of research have shown that black parents care deeply about their children’s education but are often marginalized by educational inequities.
TENNESSEE
Ailing Nashville schools spark takeover interest from 2 charter groups
The Tennessean, TN, February 26, 2014
Might the same Metro school board that has clashed at times with charter schools hand the keys of a struggling district school to one?
For-profit charter schools would be bad business for Tennessee
Column, The Tennessean, TN, February 26, 2014
The over simplified argument that those two tasks are similar is one of the arguments charter school lobbyists are using to try to convince the state legislature that charter schools should be allowed to be profit-making businesses, not nonprofits run by boards as they are now.
VIRGINIA
Norfolk drops plan for charter schools
WAVY, VA, February 25, 2014
Norfolk Public Schools has dropped plans to turn some low-performing schools into charter schools. 10 On Your Side first told you about this plan in an in-depth report in October. It would have allowed the Superintendent to turn ten low-performing schools into public conversion charters.
WASHINGTON
Inslee plans bill requiring state test scores in teacher evaluations
Seattle Times, WA, February 25, 2014
Gov. Jay Inslee met Tuesday afternoon with lawmakers from both parties to hammer out a compromise that would allow the state to keep its waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law — and keep control over some $40 million that comes with the waiver.
WEST VIRGINIA
Vote on teacher pay raise bill postponed
Martinsburg Journal, WV, February 26, 2014
The West Virginia Senate postponed voting Tuesday on a bill to provide salary increases for teachers and school service personnel.
WISCONSIN
Bills would help state’s rural schools
Opinion, La Crosse Tribune, WI, February 26, 21014
As people in our area know, schools are at the center of rural communities. First and foremost, schools provide an education for the next generation, but they also serve as a gathering place for community members and provide extracurricular activities opportunities for students.
ONLINE LEARNING
Aiken Co. School Changes Put More Students Online
WJBF, GA, February 25, 2014
Major changes are on the way for Aiken County schools. The district has been working on a five year strategic plan, which is expected to affect North Augusta High School, Levealle-McCampbell Middle School in Graniteville and Ridge Spring-Monetta Elementary, Middle and High Schools. But there was one program aimed at helping students take that walk across the stage at the end of each year.
Audit finds poor oversight Utah schools …. online education
Salt Lake Tribune, UT, February 26, 2014
Two private companies are being paid millions in Utah tax dollars to recruit online students who boost enrollment for mostly charter schools — on paper.
Elanco’s virtual learning program is gaining momentum
Lancaster New Era, PA, February 25, 2014
Boosting cyber-school enrollment to compete with charters and offer students a wider range of learning possibilities is part of the plan at the Eastern Lancaster County School District.
High school taken online a new option for some
KAIT8, AR, February 25, 2014
With the flexibility and convenience, online classes have become more popular among college students. But one local student chose the keyboard over the classroom early by enrolling in online classes her junior year of high school.
iPads are a big hit in Putnam City classrooms
The Oklahoman, OK, February 26, 2014
Putnam City School District voters in Oklahoma passed a $6 million technology bond in 2013 that already is benefiting students.
Liberty promotes digital learning with flipped classrooms, online independent study courses
Carroll County Times, MD, February 26, 2014
Taylor Jones is enjoying the new way she’s learning math.
Jones, a freshman, is part of a conceptual algebra class at Liberty High School that’s functioning under a flipped classroom model.
More Mass. Students To Learn Virtually
WBUR, MA, February 25, 2014
The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education unanimously approved the state’s second online K-12 academy today, despite concerns that virtual schools lack oversight and accountability.
Pascack Valley Regional School District hopeful that virtual school day will count
The Record, NJ, February 25, 2014
For their first try at a virtual snow day, Pascack Valley Regional High School District officials agree it was a successful one.
Probing Question: Do cyber charter schools help or hurt the educational system?
Penn State News, PA, February 25, 2014
When charter schools were first created in the early 1990s, they were viewed as alternative learning environments for a small number of students. The ideal model was to unhitch these schools from many of the state laws and district regulations governing traditional public schools, and allow them to tailor the education to families looking for an option outside the conventional system.
Proposal for state-run virtual school wins preliminary approval
Portland Press Herald, ME, February 25, 2014
The House of Representatives on Tuesday gave preliminary approval to a bill to study the creation of a state-run virtual school and place a moratorium on private virtual charter schools.