Daily Headlines for November 20, 2012
School Improvement Grants Produce Mixed Results
Washington Post, DC, November 19, 2012
A federal program that pumped a record $3 billion into failing schools has shown mixed early results, with more than one-third of the targeted schools doing worse after receiving funding, according to initial government results released Monday.
Obama’s Education Agenda Dominated By Loose Ends
Associated Press, November 19, 2012
President Barack Obama’s education agenda for next four years may look less like real reform and more like tying up loose ends, experts say, with practical budget issues and an age-old power struggle between Congress and the administration getting in the way.
Unions Flexed Muscles In State Campaigns
Associated Press, November 20, 2012
From California to Maine, unions used their political muscle in the recent elections to help install Democratic governors, build labor-friendly majorities in state legislatures and defeat ballot initiatives against them.
The Attack On Teacher Tenure
Video, CBS News, November 19, 2012
Education has not been a dominant issue in the presidential campaign so far, and that’s a problem for the American Federation of Teachers, the country’s second-largest union. AFT’s president Randi Weingarten talks to Charlie Rose and Gayle King.
No Child Left Behind Reauthorization Debate Likely To Continue In Obama Second Term
Huffington Post, November 19, 2012
In 2008, Barack Obama campaigned on the promise that his administration would oversee the rewriting of the expired No Child Left Behind Act. But four years later, education experts and legislators don’t see any end to the negotiations with and within Congress.
Chartering A New Course
Notre Dame Observer, IN, November 20, 2012
Charter schools may be the most controversial development in American education in the past decade. With the release of successful pro-charter documentaries such as “Waiting for Superman” and “The Lottery,” the conversation about the actual effectiveness of charter schools has been questioned as different statistics and studies have created a rigorous debate over an effort to save American education.
FROM THE STATES
ARKANSAS
State Education Officials Unveil New Accountability System
Log Cabin Democrat, AR, November 19, 2012
More than two-thirds of Arkansas ’ public schools are deemed in need of improvement and just 19 of the state’s 1,102 schools are considered “exemplary” under a new school accountability system unveiled Monday by state education officials.
COLORADO
Litigious Mob Takes On Vouchers
Colorado Springs Gazette, CO, November 19, 2012
We constantly hear about a “wall of separation” that protects governments from religion. The wall gives us a secular government, say separation activists, and allows individuals to exercise religion in their private lives.
Douglas County School Voucher Program Has Day In Appeals Court
Denver Post, CO, November 19, 2012
An hour of argument for and against the legality of the Douglas School District ‘s voucher program boiled down to a couple of main points Monday.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. School Closures: Accountability Must Trump Loyalty
Washington Post Blog by Kevin P. Chavous, November 19, 2012
Many years ago, when I was a member of the D.C. City Council, I attended a community meeting at a junior high school scheduled to be closed.
Three Charter School Operators Apply To Open Doors In The District
Washington Post, DC, November 19, 2012
Three experienced charter-school operators have applied for fast-track approval to run 10 campuses serving thousands of students in the District, D.C. Public Charter School Board officials said Monday.
Residency Fraud Still Plagues D.C. Schools
Washington Times, DC, November 19, 2012
D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson stood before a room of high school athletes in a swanky Verizon Center dining room Monday and reminded them of their hard work, good grades and effort to “do what was good and right” in the run-up to their showdown in the annual Turkey Bowl.
FLORIDA
Union Questioning Florida Teacher Evaluation Plan
St. Augustine Record, FL, November 20, 2012
An administrative law judge’s ruling has delayed but not stopped a new state teacher evaluation system.
INDIANA
Daniels’ Focus Was Accountability In Spending And In Student Outcomes
News Sentinel, IN, November 19, 2012
Mitch Daniels used his first term to get Indiana’s fiscal house in order. His second term sealed his reputation as the education reform governor.
LOUISIANA
Kenner Charter Welcomed
The Advocate, LA, November 20, 2012
As plans for Kenner’s first charter school firm up, the city’s public officials are buzzing, particularly since a chunk of the spots at the school will be set aside for Kenner residents.
Expert On Teacher Evaluation Has Concerns About Louisiana’s New System
Times-Picayune, LA, November 19, 2012
The new teacher evaluation system Louisiana launched this fall may be too simplistic, according to the architect of one of the most widely used evaluation systems in the country — and the one on which Louisiana’s new system is based.
MAINE
Portland Charter School On Track To Open In Sept. 2013
The Forecaster, ME, November 19, 2012
After receiving full-approval from the Maine Charter School Commission on Friday, Baxter Academy for Technology and Science is set to start classes next fall.
MICHIGAN
Michigan Schools Overhaul Faces Fight
Detroit News, MI, November 20, 2012
A plan to overhaul Michigan ‘s public education funding system came under sharp scrutiny Monday, as educators, state lawmakers and parents got their first glimpse at the proposed changes.
Flint School Board Considers Opening Charter School
The Flint Journal, MI, November 19, 2012
The Flint school board is considering opening its own charter school years of losing students, and the state funding they represent, to charter schools.
Let Dollars Follow Students
Detroit News, MI, November 20, 2012
Gov. Rick Snyder couldn’t care less about how things have always been done in education. He’s not afraid to rock the boat of the Michigan education establishment because he wants one thing: To see this state’s young people compete with their peers nationwide — and worldwide. To help achieve this goal, the governor wants to revamp how education is funded. A new education finance draft is complete, and it deserves the support of the Legislature.
MINNESOTA
Unique Collaboration Promotes Critical Skill: Reading By End Of Third Grade
Minn Post, MN, November 20, 2012
The Lee family, shown above at St. Paul City Charter School, represents more than 1,200 families in Minneapolis and St. Paul who have been participating in a unique collaboration to promote reading.
MISSISSIPPI
Charter Schools Must Be Tailored To State’s Needs
Sun Herald, MS, November 19, 2012
It’s hard to know what workaday people envision when the notion of “charter schools” is floated, usually as an all-purpose cure for whatever ails public education.”Ah, yes. Charter schools. They will fix everything.”
MONTANA
Public Money For Public Schools; Private Money For Private Schools
Independent Record, MT, November 20, 2012
On Oct. 26, the Independent Record published an opinion by Greg Gianforte, the founder and CEO of RightNow Technologies.
NEVADA
You Paid for It: Quest Academy
KTNV, NV, November 19, 2012
Teachers quitting, parents enraged and demanding answers, and students caught in the middle. That’s what’s going on at a local school under investigation by the state. And it’s raising issues of abuse of authority and waste of your tax dollars.
NEW JERSEY
Judging Teachers By Student Performance
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, November 20, 2012
Since New Jersey first started talking about revamping teacher evaluations, the biggest point of contention has always been the use of student performance in the equation.
NEW YORK
Likely Mayoral Contenders Suggest Improving Bloomberg’s Leadership of Schools
New York Times, NY, November 19, 2012
None of the likely contenders in the 2013 race for New York City mayor said Monday that they would lobby to scrap mayoral control of the city’s public schools in favor of the system it replaced in 2002: 32 neighborhood school boards with oversight and hiring powers.
There Is A Decided Lack Of Consensus As Community Education Council Weighs Changes To Admissions Process For Elementary Schools
New York Daily News, NY, November 19, 2012
Parents’ group debates whether to re-draw zones or eliminate them altogether in effort to give all families equal access to highest performing schools in Upper Manhattan
NORTH CAROLINA
Wake May Cap Schools To Reduce Reassignments
News & Observer, NC, November 20, 2012
Newcomers who buy a home in some of Wake County’s most desirable neighborhoods may encounter an unexpected drawback this school year – the nearest schools have no room for their children.
OHIO
Look For Housing From Old Schools
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, November 20, 2012
The Cincinnati Board of Education on Monday released the names of the people and groups who bought 11 old schools and one vacant parcel of land at auction Nov. 8.
PENNSYLVANIA
Charter Schools Blast SRC’s Move To Limit Enrollment
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, November 20, 2012
The Pennsylvania Coalition of Public Charter Schools on Monday blasted the Philadelphia School Reform Commission’s decision to suspend part of state law so it could control charter-school growth, and said the move could trigger legal challenges.
TENNESSEE
Parents Fight to Keep Smithson-Craighead Middle School Open
News Channel 5, TN, November 19, 2012
Parents at Smithson-Craighead Middle School are fighting to keep the school open.
Smithson-Craighead Charter School Closing Rouses Supporters’ Emotions
The Tennessean, TN, November 20, 2012
An informational session meant to smooth students’ transition from soon-to-close Smithson-Craighead Middle, a charter school, to other Metro Nashville schools turned into an emotional pep rally Monday.
PENCIL Has Improved Local Schools
The Tennessean, TN, November 20, 2012
During the first year, 37 businesses signed on as PENCIL Partners for individual public schools. Today, 803 businesses, community organizations and colleges are paired with one or more of 153 schools to donate time, talent and goods to benefit students.
WEST VIRGINIA
Moving Rapidly On School Reform
Wheeling Intelligencer, WV, November 19, 2012
Key state legislators have said public school reform will be a top priority for their regular annual session, beginning in January. But to date, the state Board of Education has not weighed in on precisely what needs to be done. That may change this week.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
State Board Of Education Repeals Online Graduation Requirement
Idaho State Journal, ID, November 19, 2012
The State Board of Education today repealed the pending rule that required students graduating in 2016 to take two online courses to graduate from high school.