Daily Headlines for September 27, 2012
The Life and Death of Schools
Austin Chronicle, TX, September 27, 2012
On the subject of public education, Diane Ravitch may be America’s most important whistle-blower.
Julia Steiny: Get Creative with Private-School Vouchers
GoLocal Worchester, RI, September 27, 2012
It might look better if we all took a deep breath and opened our hearts to the potential virtues of private-school vouchers. Forget the current debate. Here’s the driving question: “How can we give more students and families what they believe will work for them?”
‘Won’t Back Down’s’ ‘Parent Trigger’ School Story Draws Protest
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 26, 2012
‘Won’t Back Down’ stars Maggie Gyllenhaal and Viola Davis as a mom and teacher who try to improve a failing public school. Anti-charter advocates aren’t fans.
Let’s Talk About Local Control of Public Education
Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, IN, September 27, 2012
A handful of candidates are running for local school board seats in November’s election. It’s a wonder they bother. State and federal dictates keep diminishing school board autonomy. Why seek a public office with growing responsibility but shrinking authority?
Putting the SAT in its Place
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 26, 2012
At the same time that public schools are placing heavier emphasis on a single standardized test — the annual standards exam that each state offers — colleges are edging in the other direction. More are de-emphasizing the SAT, which for years ruled the college admissions scene. And though their motives for this might have a tinge of self-interest, this new flexibility in college admissions is a welcome change.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
FUSD Handling Of Charter Sparks Board Clash
The Fresno Bee, CA, September 26, 2012
The Fresno Unified School Board erupted with accusations Wednesday night over the district’s handling of the troubled New Millennium charter school, prompting one trustee to say the board had shirked its duty to investigate possible staff misconduct.
Oakland’s Award-Winning American Indian Charter Schools Face Closure Threat
Oakland Tribune, CA, September 26, 2012
The governing board for Oakland’s American Indian Model Schools — which boast some of the highest test scores in California — has been put on notice: If they don’t make swift changes to the way the organization is run, it could be shut down.
COLORADO
Best DPS Schools Refute The Critics
Denver Post, CO, September 27, 2012
Local leaders should heed the lessons of successful charter schools, not try to obstruct their growth.
CONNECTICUT
Can Public Schools Really Change?
Slate Magazine, September 27, 2012
Why New Haven’s ambitious new education strategy might actually succeed.
FLORIDA
Pasco School Enrollment Reverses Decline
Tampa Tribune, FL, September 27, 2012
Enrollment in Pasco County schools has grown by more than 500 students compared with the same period last year, the school district reported Tuesday.
Gov. Rick Scott And Florida Teacher’s Union President Meet Again
NPR StateImpact , FL, September 26, 2012
Staying true to his word, Gov. Rick Scott will sit down again this afternoon with Florida Education Association President Andy Ford.
GEORGIA
Richmond County Board of Education Plans Forum Against Charter School Amendment
Augusta Chronicle, GA, September 26, 2012
The Richmond County Board of Education is holding its first of several forums Oct. 4 to inform the public about a controversial constitutional amendment.
School Board Opposes Charter School Amendment
Savannah Morning News, GA, September 27, 2012
Members of the Effingham County board of education oppose a charter school amendment on the Nov. 6 ballot.
Controversial Amendment Could Make It Easier To Create New Charter Schools
41NBC/WMGT, GA, September 26, 2012
Charter schools provide different choices for your students’ education, but there are several hoops you have to jump through to start one. A controversial constitutional amendment on the ballot in November could make it easier to create new charter schools.
Deal Says Charters Schools Amendment Is Not A Power Grab
WSB Radio, GA, September 27, 2012
Gov. Nathan Deal is responding to accusations by opponents of the November ballot question on charter schools who call it nothing more than a power grab by Deal.
Down With Charter Schools
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, GA, September 27, 2012
I retired after 33 years of teaching in the public schools, and I feel that I understand the challenges facing our schools. We have always had plenty of detractors, but never enough support. This latest rush to Charter Schools is detrimental to teachers, to children, and to public education in general.
Charter Approval Process Differs In Georgia And Neighboring States
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, September 26, 2012
Georgia and surrounding states offer different paths for the approval of charter school applicants. Parents or groups that want to establish a charter school in Georgia must first go to their local school board. If they are rejected there, they can turn to the state Board of Education.
IDAHO
Idaho’s Overlooked Education Overhaul Law
Idaho Statesman, ID, September 27, 2012
Of the three Students Come First laws, Proposition 1 doesn’t have much sizzle. It’s not as juicy as Prop 2, the teacher merit pay law, or Prop 3, the law to equip high school students with portable devices. Prop 1 deals with such matters as “evergreen clauses,” longstanding language in teachers union contracts.
ILLINOIS
Seminar Aims To Increase Parent Involvement To Close Achievement Gap
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 27, 2012
Educators and parents will gather Saturday, Sept. 29, in DuPage County to discuss issues and try to narrow the gap in test scores between students identified as black or Hispanic and those who are white or Asian.
INDIANA
NACS Approves New Teacher Reviews
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, September 27, 2012
Northwest Allen County Schools board approved an upgraded and legally compliant teacher evaluation system Wednesday night, a plan developed and voted on by teachers that incorporates the use of data to rate teacher effectiveness.
Gary Officials Want To Put Brakes On Charter Schools, Merrillville Seeking Its First
Post Tribune, IN, September 27, 2012
As several Merrillville residents clamor for a charter school in that town, several Gary residents — including top Gary Community School Corp. administrators — don’t want another one.
KANSAS
Close Achievement Gap
Wichita Eagle, KS, September 27, 2012
Normally, one shouldn’t make too much out of a single year’s state test scores, as an increase or decline may not necessarily reflect a trend. But the drop in assessment scores this past year among African-American students statewide (but notably not in Wichita ) was so dramatic that it demands action.
LOUISIANA
Neville Charter Seeks Option
Monroe News Star, LA, September 27, 2012
The Neville Charter School Association will seek the approval of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to operate as a Type II Charter, apart from the Monroe City School Board.
New Evaluation Plan In Works
Baton Rouge Advocate, LA, September 27, 2012
Teachers in Ascension Parish are preparing to undergo a new evaluation program.
Steve Westbrook, assistant superintendent of instruction and school turnaround for Ascension schools, explained to the School Board on Tuesday how the district is implementing a new statewide teacher evaluation system.
Schools Weigh Voucher Funds’ Return
Hammond Daily Star, LA, September 26, 2012
The Tangipahoa Parish School Board has asked federal Judge Ivan Lemelle to call in state education officials to consider the merits of removing state funding from the public school system to follow students in the voucher program.
MASSACHUSETTS
State Dropout Rate Lowest In A Decade, But Some Districts Lag
Boston Globe, MA, September 27, 2012
Every year, thousands of young people in Massachusetts decide to quit high school, for various reasons. They might have been struggling in the classroom because of learning disabilities. Or they were older than their peers because they had repeated grades. They might have jobs, or a baby at home. Often, it’s a combination of factors leading students to drop out before getting their diplomas.
Providence Establishes Education Nonprofit
Brown Daily Herald, MA, September 26, 2012
Legislative leaders announced this summer a $100,000 budget appropriation to fund the nation’s first partnership between labor and education management officials. The initiative United Providence, or UP!, which was incorporated as a 501(c)(3) organization, has created a unique collaboration between the Providence Teachers Union and the Providence Public School District designed specifically to improve the city’s lowest-performing schools.
MICHIGAN
Vote Yes on Prop 1 to Save Cities, Schools
Detroit News, MI, September 27, 2012
Michigan has two options for rescuing its financially failing cities and school districts: allow the state to intervene to put in place an aggressive turnaround strategy, or let them lurch into bankruptcy court where a judge will do the same thing, only with less concern for the long-term impact.
MONTANA
Superintendent of Public Instruction Candidates Debate
KFBB, MT, September 26, 2012
The candidates for Superintendent of Public Instruction also went head-to-head Wednesday night.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Group Aims To Open New Charter School Next Fall
Fosters Daily Democrat, NH, September 27, 2012
The local group notified the Maine Charter School Commission last week of its intention to submit an application to open a charter school for fourth, fifth and sixth grades in Sanford or Springvale. Applications for new charter schools are due by Oct. 31 if a school is to open for the 2013-14 school year, but a notice of intent to submit an application had to be filed by Sept. 17.
Officials: Charter School Moratorium Could Be Lifted By November
Nashua Telegraph, NH, September 27, 2012
The future of Granite State charter schools is beginning to look brighter, after the state Board of Education and lawmakers announced they were optimistic a deal could be reached to end a moratorium imposed last week.
NEW JERSEY
Camden School Board Rejects Hope Act Schools
Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ, September 27, 2012
Advocates for Hope Act schools on Wednesday expressed disappointment, but not defeat, after the city Board of Education rejected all four applicants seeking to open such schools here.
Camden Board Rejects Four Privately Run Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 27, 2012
New Jersey Assemblyman Angel Fuentes patiently waited for hours Tuesday to see how the Camden school board would exercise its new power to decide whether to allow more privately run public schools to open in the city.
NEW YORK
Mount Vernon District Sues Again Over Charter School; Amani Students Protest
The Journal News, NY, September 27, 2012
For the third time in two years, the Mount Vernon school district has turned to the courts to challenge the legitimacy of the Amani Public Charter School.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo Releases ‘Tracker Map’ To Follow Teacher Evaluation Progress
Syracuse Post Standard, NY, September 26, 2012
Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has pushed school districts to move aggressively to develop new teacher evaluation systems, released an interactive “tracker map” today to help citizens see exactly where their districts stand.
NORTH CAROLINA
Candidate for State School Super Stumps in Jacksonville
Jacksonville Daily News, NC, September 27, 2012
Candidate for N.C. Superintendent of Public Instruction John Tedesco said if voters are 100 percent satisfied with how the state school system is being run then they shouldn’t vote for him. But if they’re not then he is their man.
OHIO
Ohio Charter School Preliminary Report Card Data: 2011-12
NPR StateImpact , OH, September 26, 2012
The Ohio Department of Education released a limited set of school performance data for the 2011-12 school year on Sept. 26. The department has postponed releasing the full set of school report-card data — and the report cards themselves — while the state auditor investigates whether some schools falsified student records.
Schools That Wiped Out Data The Most Take Academic Dive
Columbus Dispatch, OH, September 27, 2012
The Columbus schools that deleted the most student attendance records last year posted dramatic academic declines after the practice was halted this year, according to test-passing rates that the state released yesterday on school report cards.
’Ohio 8’ Urban School Districts Target Data System
Canton Repository, OH, September 26, 2012
The powerful “Ohio 8” alliance says in a new analysis that the Ohio Department of Education has failed to adequately train districts on how to use the Educational Management Information System, or EMIS, and reports generated for them through the system can be late, missing or filled with errors.
OKLAHOMA
Holt to Introduce ‘Parent Trigger’ Legislation
Daily Ardmoreite, OK, September 26, 2012
Senator David Holt, R-Oklahoma City, has announced that he would file legislation for the 2013 session that will empower parents to force positive changes in chronically low-performing schools.
PENNSLYVANIA
Pennsylvania Legislature Considering Charter School Regulation Bill
CBS Philly, PA, September 27, 2012
A bill before the Pennsylvania legislature would grant the state broad, new power to regulate charter schools, including over-ruling local school district decisions on granting charters and setting enrollment goals.
Application, Reapplication From Charter School Denied in Sto-Rox
Pittsburgh Post Gazette, PA, September 27, 2012
For more than a year, those with a vested interest in the future of Sto-Rox have been on a roller coaster ride of emotions as district officials faced the decision of whether to grant an application by Propel Schools to open a charter school in the district.
TENNESSEE
Tennessee Governor’s Voucher Panel Debates When To Launch
Commercial Appeal, TN, September 27, 2012
A task force appointed by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam has skipped over the question of whether to create a school voucher program. Instead, the panel’s most spirited debate Wednesday was over how soon vouchers could be offered in Tennessee.
TEXAS
North Hills Preparatory Ranked 10th Best Public School in the US
NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, September 26, 2012
The largest network of high performing charter schools in North Texas has come a long way. Uplift Education started in the 1990s with a small school in Irving.
VIRGINIA
School Accreditation Down After Math Standards Increased
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, September 27, 2012
In a year in which the state implemented tougher math standards, the number of schools that fell short of full accreditation more than tripled and the overall percentage of schools at the top level fell from 96 percent to 93 percent.
WASHINGTON
Teachers Focus On Governor’s Race, Not Charter Schools
Seattle Times, WA, September 26, 2012
Helping Democrat Jay Inslee defeat Republican Rob McKenna in the gubernatorial race is a higher priority for the statewide teachers union this year than whether voters approve public charter schools.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
Urban Cyber Charter School Could Be on Its Way to Central Pennsylvania
Fox 43, 2012, September 26, 2012
Next school year, students in Central Pennsylvania and across the Commonwealth could have an opportunity to attend an “Urban Cyber Charter School .” The school will target urban populations, while focusing on students who are at risk of school failure. Those heading up the initiative call the school a great combination of a brick and mortar school and online learning.
Pasco School District Officials Recommend Approval Of K12 Charter School
Tampa Bay Times, FL, September 27, 2012
K12 Florida, a charter school outfit that wants to create the Florida Virtual Academy of Pasco County, is under state investigation for allegedly hiring uncertified teachers in another county.
Janus’ $2.1 Million Grant To Boost Blended Learning In Denver Schools
Denver Post, CO, September 27, 2012
The investment firm Janus is giving Denver Public Schools $2.1 million to link teachers, students and software in what some say is a promising mix of high- and low-tech learning.