Daily Headlines for October 3, 2012
Rethinking What Leads To Success In Education
USA Today, October 3, 2012
After decades of failed education policies, scientists, economists and educators are beginning to rethink their basic ideas about what it takes to succeed in school. They’re beginning to look at so-called “non-cognitive skills” — grit, perseverance, conscientiousness and optimism, for instance — and wondering if they might be as important as cognitive skills.
Arne Duncan Tries To Smooth Relations With Teachers
Washington Post, DC, October 2, 2012
Education Secretary Arne Duncan made a careful effort Tuesday to smooth relations with teachers, saying the Obama administration understands that many educators feel besieged by the national push for new evaluations and faster improvements in student achievement.
Will Obama Duck ‘Won’t Back Down’?
Wall Street Journal , October 3, 2012
With five weeks to go before election day, Hollywood has just released a drama starring Viola Davis and Maggie Gyllenhaal as gritty moms fighting injustice in a hardscrabble Pittsburgh neighborhood.
What Obama and Romney Say About Education: Not Much
Los Angeles Times, CA, October 2, 2012
It’s hard to guess whether the topic of education will come up in this week’s presidential debate, or any of the others. With the economy and the whole 47% debacle on everybody’s mind, there hasn’t been much talk about the public schools, even though they’re at a critical juncture.
Tying Students’ Test Scores To Teacher Evaluations Still A Matter Of Debate
Desert News, UT, October 2, 2012
Cities and states are starting to rely heavily on students’ test scores as indicators of their teachers’ success, but educators worry current tests do not provide a fair gauge of their actual effect on student progress
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
Veto Pits Charter School Autonomy Against Affordable Meals
San Diego Union Tribune, CA, October 3, 2012
Arguing that he did not want to “erode the independence and flexibility” of charter schools, Gov. Jerry Brown last weekend vetoed legislation that would have required charters to provide low-income students free or reduced-price meals.
A Potential Charter School Crisis
San Jose Inside Blog, CA, October 2, 2012
A comprehensive plan must be developed to chart the best course for the ever-expanding charter school movement—before it is too late. Like urban sprawl, the unplanned process will be disastrous. I believe there is still time for a win for our students, a win for the teachers and a win for our region.
CONNECTICUT
New Legislation Makes Millions Available For Construction at Charter Oak International Academy
West Hartford News, CT, October 2, 2012
Legislation that will make millions of dollars available for construction at the Charter Oak International Academy in West Hartford was recently passed, state officials announced at a West Hartford Board of Education meeting today.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Receives Zero Fast-Track Charter School Applications — So Far
Washington Post Blog, DC, October 2, 2012
Experienced charter school operators have yet to take advantage of the District’s new fast-track approval process, which would allow school leaders with a record of success in other cities to open doors here a full year ahead of the regular timetable.
FLORIDA
School Board OKs Nearly Year-Round Charter School
Gainesville Sun, FL, October 2, 2012
A nearly year-round charter school may open its doors in June after the Alachua County School Board unanimously approved the school’s application Tuesday.
Measure Opens Door To Tax Support For Church Schools
Orlando Sentinel, FL, October 3, 2012
No matter what we hear about the benefits of Amendment 8, I can only shudder at the unintended consequences that may erupt if it passes in November. I anticipate greater erosion of the public school system as we know it, the same public school system that our state leaders tout as one of the most improved and highly rated, progressive and accountable state education systems in the country.
GEORGIA
Defeat Charter Amendment, Push for Rewrite
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, October 3, 2012
When you go to the polls on Nov. 6, you will be asked to vote on an Amendment to the Georgia State Constitution. Amending our state Constitution should be done rarely and only with the consequences fully understood.
Choice On Charter School Amendment Is Local Or State Control
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, October 3, 2012
Charter schools are touted as the answer to the deficiencies in our public schools. But since supporters don’t trust local school boards or the state board of education to do the right thing, they want to amend the Georgia Constitution and empower a state commission to override local school boards.
Tea Party Hears Push for Charter Vote OK
The Citizen, GA, October 3, 2012
State Rep. Jan Jones (R-Milton) at the Sept. 27 meeting of the Fayette County Local Issues Tea Party had her say on the upcoming Nov. 6 statewide referendum on the charter schools amendment. Jones is largely responsible for the having the proposed amendment included on the ballot.
Sides Dig In On Charter Issue
Times-Georgian, GA, October 3, 2012
A Villa Rica resident who has been vocal about an education issue on the November ballot has taken local superintendents to task on their stance on the charter school amendment.
Georgia School Boards Group Accused Of Anti-Charter Efforts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, October 2, 2012
During what were supposed to be training sessions, the Georgia School Boards Association instructed school board members on how to oppose the charter schools amendment, some school board members have complained.
Charter Schools Group To Honor Local Lawmakers
Cherokee Tribune, GA, October 03, 2012
Two elected officials from Cherokee who are strong proponents of charter schools will be honored by the Georgia Charter Schools Association in Atlanta this week.
State Education Agency Neutral On Charter Vote
Jackson Progress-Argus, GA, October 3, 2012
With the state education chief under pressure for opposing an amendment on charter schools, the Georgia Department of Education has declared its neutrality on the Nov. 6 vote.
Brad Smith: Charter Schools Should Be Supervised By Local School Boards
Newton Citizen, GA, October 2, 2012
On Nov. 6, you will have the opportunity to vote on an amendment to the state Constitution about Charter Schools. In my capacity as a member of the Rockdale County Board of Education, I have had the chance to really examine the issue so I can make informed decisions as a voter.
ILLINOIS
Charter Backers Rally As Teachers Vote On Contract
Chicago Tribune, IL, October 3, 2012
Chicago teachers voted on a tentative contract agreement Tuesday as the battle over the future of the city’s public schools ratcheted up with a large and boisterous rally in support of privately run charter schools.
INDIANA
Keep Control Local
Journal Gazette, IN, October 3, 2012
The State of Education address delivered by Indiana’s superintendent of public instruction last week lacked the specific proposals one might expect from a candidate facing re-election, but a reference to taking over entire school districts should be the clue that the state has gone too far in wresting control from local officials.
MARYLAND
School Board Member Questions Charter School Scrutiny
Maryland Gazette, MD, October 3, 2012
When the Montgomery County Board of Education approved the county’s first charter school, it only was after careful scrutiny of the school’s application.
MASSACHUSETTS
Many May Be Forced To Switch Schools In Boston
Boston Globe, MA, October 3, 2012
Proposed changes to the way Boston assigns students could force thousands of children already attending schools to move to new ones in two years, stirring unease among parents and prompting officials to quickly seek a remedy.
Science Charter School Would Serve North Shore
Salem News, MA, October 3, 2012
A proposal to open a new charter school serving the North Shore that emphasizes science and math has made it to the final round of selection before the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
MICHIGAN
Charter School Contract Addresses Student Achievement, Mosaica’s Fees And More
The Muskegon Chronicle, MI, October 3, 2012
When charter school officials went to work building a new district in Muskegon Heights , they had their work cut out for them in a series of specific student achievement goals and curriculum requirements.
Washtenaw County Charter Schools Boost Enrollment By More Than 28 Percent
Ann Arbor, MI, October 3, 2012
Early enrollment figures show an increase of more than 28 percent in the number of students attending Washtenaw County charter schools compared to last year.
MINNESOTA
St. Paul School Harbors Environment Where Girls Excel
CBS Minnesota , MN, October 2, 2012
In fact, studies show that in math and science girls do not do as well as boys. But a public charter school in St. Paul is changing that. Laura Jeffrey Academy is a school made for girls and it’s a great example of what’s working in our schools.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Nashua Charter School Organizers File Appeal Of Moratorium
Nashua Telegraph, NH, October 3, 2012
Organizers of the Gate City Charter School for the Arts are hoping they won’t have to wait much longer to be authorized, filing an appeal with the Department of Education to move the process forward.
N.H. Charter Freeze Triggers Fierce Backlash
Education Week, October 2, 2012
A recent decision by the New Hampshire board of education to place a moratorium on new charter schools drew an angry response from elected officials and parents—and underscored recurrent tensions among state and local officials across the country about how to fund those schools and manage their growth.
The BOE’s Ridiculous Charter School Moratorium
Union Leader, NH, October 3, 2012
Two weeks ago, the state Board of Education denied every charter school application before it, citing a financial problem that did not exist.
NEW JERSEY
Grant To Boost Quality Of Staff
Asbury Park Press, NJ, October 3, 2012
Improving teacher and principal quality in Lakewood, Asbury Park and two other districts is the focus of a $39 million federal grant awarded to Rutgers University — and officials say the grant will help jump-start school reform measures in those districts.
NEW YORK
Bloomberg Blocks Teacher Ratings
New York Daily News, NY, October 3, 2012
Since Mayor Bloomberg took control of the school system, more than 67,000 teachers — the equivalent of the entire teaching forces of Los Angeles and Chicago combined — have left our schools.
NORTH CAROLINA
Some North Carolina Charter School Applicants Rated Inadequate
NBC 17, NC, October 2, 2012
The plans for some of the recently approved charter schools were rated “inadequate,” according to documents obtained by NBC-17 from the North Carolina Justice Center .
OHIO
Urban School Districts Targeting Data System In Attendance Tampering Probe
Ravenna News-Leader, OH, October 3, 2012
Ohio’s eight largest big-city school districts say they have experienced numerous problems understanding and using the computer system that’s at the center of a statewide data-tampering investigation.
OKLAHOMA
Lawmakers Oppose ‘Parent Trigger’ Idea
KOCO, OK, October 3, 2012
State Superintendent Janet Baressi said it inspired her, and that’s why she’s supporting Sen. David Holt’s new “parent trigger” legislation.
PENNSYLVANIA
Community Group Fights Against School Closures
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, October 3, 2012
THERE SHOULD BE a moratorium on closing public schools in the city because the Philadelphia School District’s plans disproportionately affect black students, a community group will allege in a federal complaint.
TENNESSEE
School Vouchers Fail Public
Times Free Press, TN, October 3, 2012
Public schools in Hamilton County — indeed, in all of Tennessee — must improve if students are to compete in a world where a sound, broad-based education is the prerequisite for well-paying jobs that allow men and women to lead productive lives and to provide for their families. Such improvement has been slow to arrive. Supporters of taxpayer-funded private school vouchers believe they have a remedy for current problems. They are short-sighted — and wrong.
TEXAS
Most Texans Say They’d Back Tax Boost To Raise Teacher Pay
San Antonio Express-News, TX, October 3, 2012
Nearly three-quarters of state registered voters would be willing to pay more in taxes to raise teacher pay, according to a poll released Tuesday by the nonpartisan, nonprofit Texas Lyceum leadership group
With Help of Andre Agassi’s Fund, KIPP Will Bring a Charter Elementary to Westmoreland and Camp Wisdom Next Year
Dallas Morning News Blog, TX, October 2, 2012
No doubt you recall the firestorm that erupted at Dallas City Hall earlier this year, when charter-school-operating Uplift Education asked the city to form that corporation that would allow it to sell $85 million worth of bonds for a planned expansion that includes that newly opened Deep Ellum campus.
WASHINGTON
School Reform Becomes Personal
Spokesman Review, WA, October 3, 2012
Here’s how fiery the debate over school reform has gotten in Idaho : After a forum at the City Club of Boise on Tuesday, state Rep. Brian Cronin, D-Boise, accused state schools Superintendent Tom Luna of grabbing his arm after his opening remarks and berating him.
Charter Schools Hurt Funding To Community Schools
Bellingham Herald, WA, October 3, 2012
We can all agree about the need to improve public education in northwest Washington. But a charter schools measure on the November ballot is a bad move. Initiative 1240 forces the state to spend millions on unproven ideas for a few, while ignoring proven solutions that will benefit all of Washington’s schoolchildren.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
State Lawmaker Introduces Charter And Cyber School Funding Reform Bill
The Patriot-News, PA, October 2, 2012
State Rep. James Roebuck introduced legislation Tuesday limiting the amount of money public school districts pay to charter and cyber schools.
FL School Districts Look To Model Lee School
ABC-7, FL, October 2, 2012
The successes of the Lee Virtual School have other school districts around the state looking to model their program like Lee County.