Funding Rules Test Schools
Wall Street Journal, November 20, 2012
The school district in this ranching community has long been among the poorest in the state—and it remains so, local officials say, even though an oil boom has sent property values surging eightfold in the past two years.
FROM THE STATES
ARKANSAS
How One AR School Is Trying to Close the Achievement Gap
KARK, AR, November 20, 2012
Dedication. That’s how Wilbur Mills High School Principal Veronica Perkins summed up what it’s going to take for some students at her school to meet federal and state standards for math and literacy.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
More Details On Three Charter-School Chains Seeking Approval To Operate In The District
Washington Post Blog, DC, November 20, 2012
Three experienced charter-school operators have applied to set up shop in the District, eventually enrolling more than 6,000 kids at 10 separate campuses.
FLORIDA
Teachers Give An F To Evaluation Process
Florida Current, FL, November 21, 2012
The Florida Education Association wants a moratorium, a timeout, a pause in the implementation of SB 736, also known as the Student Success Act of 2011. It was the first bill Gov. Rick Scott signed into law and it ties teachers’ raises to how their students perform in the classroom.
Union Questioning Florida’s Teacher Evaluation Plan
Pensacola News Journal, FL, November 21, 2012
Margaret Goodman says she received high marks from all five principals she’s worked for during 39 years, yet Florida’s new evaluation system gave her a low rating of “needs improvement.”
GEORGIA
Black Politicians Ignoring Black Voters
Wall Street Journal, November 20, 2012
On Election Day earlier this month, voters in Georgia approved a ballot initiative that will expand school choice in a state where one in three high school freshmen fails to graduate in four years. You might consider this progress, but some lawmakers in the state are fighting the new law, which passed 59% to 41%. Even more curious is the fact that black lawmakers are leading the charge.
Georgia: Putting All Our Eggs And Hopes In Charter School Basket
Atlanta Journal Constitution Blog, GA, November 21, 2012
The battle in Georgia to win passage of a controversial charter school amendment turned out to be costly, divisive and polarizing.
ILLINOIS
Teachers Union Chief Slams ‘Top-Down’ Reform
Chicago Tribune, IL, November 20, 2012
Showing the same combativeness that was on display during the recent strike, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said Tuesday that the wealthy backers of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s efforts to overhaul the city’s troubled schools should donate money to support public education but otherwise butt out.
Aldermen Question CPS ‘Right-Sizing,’ Opening Charters In ‘Haphazard’ Way
Chicago Sun Times, IL, November 20, 2012
Aldermen upset about the prospect of massive school closings amid an expected charter expansion Tuesday got a lot of reassurances but not as many specifics from Chicago Public School officials.
INDIANA
Indiana School Voucher Program Taking Off; Lawsuit Over Popular Program Will Be Heard Wednesday
Indianapolis Star, IN, November 21, 2012
Indiana’s private school voucher program grew at an unprecedented rate this fall, more than doubling the number of students in its second year.
500 More Students Lost To Vouchers
The Journal Gazette, IN, November 21, 2012
Participation in the state’s voucher program more than doubled statewide this year, with Fort Wayne Community Schools losing more than 500 additional students to area private schools.
Thank God, Or Someone, For School Voucher System
Muncie Times, IN, November 21, 2012
Indiana Supreme Court justices will hear arguments this morning on whether the state’s school voucher system is the turkey its detractors claim it is.
Hoosier Voters Didn’t Renounce Education Reform
Muncie Times, IN, November 21, 2012
It’s ludicrous to equate Tony Bennett’s defeat in the school superintendent’s race with public rejection of a school reform agenda, as many in the education bureaucracy are trying to do.
LOUISIANA
Figuring Out How Well Louisiana Teachers Teach
Times-Picayune, LA, November 21, 2012
Many teachers are worried about the state’s new approach to evaluating their performance in the classroom, and that is understandable. It will be a dramatic change to use student test scores as part of a teacher’s measurement.
Principals, Teachers Wrestling With How To Carry Out New Teacher Evaluation Rules
Times Picayune, LA, November 20, 2012
Now, Louisiana was planning a major intensification of teacher job reviews, another chapter in a longstanding drive to reform public education, this one focusing on better identifying top-notch instructors and ushering out nonstarters.
MICHIGAN
Rush To School Reform Likely To Get It Wrong
Detroit Free Press, MI, November 20, 2012
Lame-duck legislative sessions are typically the devil’s cauldron, filled with a steaming heap of cowardly and ill-thought-out legislation that wouldn’t have a prayer of passing if citizens (or even lawmakers) were paying much attention.
MISSISSIPPI
Gunn Faces More Choices With Education Committee Vacancies
Clarion Ledger, MS, November 21, 2012
When House Speaker Philip Gunn removed Rep. Linda Whittington from the House Education Committee, he did so under the guise of promoting her to vice chairman of the Tourism Committee.
MISSOURI
Help Great Schools Flourish in Missouri
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, November 21, 2012
As we begin the transition from election to new term, we owe it to the children of Missouri to focus on high quality public schools. If we can find what’s working, and expand it to reach more students, we have a great shot at setting Missouri’s young people up for success, and giving our state a competitive advantage that will benefit us for years into the future.
UMKC Won’t Renew Charter for Derrick Thomas Academy
Kansas City Star, MO, November 20, 2012
The Derrick Thomas Academy charter school in Kansas City will no longer be sponsored by the University of Missouri-Kansas City, university officials announced Tuesday.
Downtown Elementary School Fills Neighborhood Need
Kansas City Star, MO, November 20, 2012
For the past 10 years, Kansas City has strived to turn downtown into a real neighborhood. The main ingredients were all there — new loft housing, a vibrant library, parks, cultural amenities, even a grocery store.
NEW JERSEY
Race to the Top Returns, This Time for School Districts
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, November 21, 2012
Twenty-one New Jersey school districts are among more than 370 nationwide to apply for $400 million in federal Race to the Top funds, as the sweeping and sometimes controversial competition goes local with a push into specific instruction models and technology.
NEW MEXICO
Kudos to Gov. for Supporting Charter Schools
Albuquerque Journal, NM, November 21, 2012
Consider this. While only 10 percent of New Mexico’s public schools are charters, under our new school grading system, 25 percent of the top 40 public schools that received an “A” grade were charters. In fact, four of the top 10 schools are charters.
NEW YORK
Report: Insolvency Looms For NY School Districts
CBS News, NY, November 20, 2012
More than 40 percent of New York school superintendents say they will be unable to balance their budgets within four years if obligations and income continue on the current path, and even more say they won’t be able to keep up with student instruction and services mandates.
Charter School Push Is Not For The Fainthearted
Buffalo News, NY, November 21, 2012
You have to wonder why he – why they – don’t just walk away. They were figuratively beaten up by the Board of Education.
OHIO
Graduation Test To Be Subbed Out
Columbus Dispatch, OH, November 21, 2012
Ohio will dump its high-school graduation test and replace it with a tougher college-readiness exam and a series of end-of-course tests.
Cleveland Schools Set Goal of Topping Other Big-City Districts by 2017
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, November 20, 2012
The Cleveland school district aims to have state test scores by 2017 that would top those that all other big-city districts in Ohio have now.
Reach Out To Bring Parents Back To The Cleveland Schools
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, November 20, 2012
School districts that want to improve student achievement have to partner with parents. That message isn’t earth-shattering, but it bears repeating as the Cleveland schools embark on the most critical phase of their reform plans.
OREGON
Breidenthal Defends Madrone Trail School From Parents’ Criticism
Mail Tribune & Daily Tiding, OR, November 21, 2012
Concerns from Madrone Trail Public Charter School parents expressed to the Medford School Board this week about the charter school’s board of directors are outdated and not representative of the majority of parents, board Chairman Doug Breidenthal said Tuesday.
PENNSYLVANIA
School Board OKs Plan To Close Achievement Gap
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, November 21, 2012
Pittsburgh Public Schools board Tuesday unanimously approved an equity plan that is largely the same as when it was introduced in August.
Scandal-Tainted Md. Honcho Named CFO of Philly Schools
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, November 21, 2012
MATTHEW E. Stanski, who was chief financial officer with Prince George’s County, Md., schools until a payment scandal forced his removal in September, has been named the Philadelphia School District ‘s new CFO, district sources have told the Daily News.
Pa. Charter Schools Have No Accountability
Mercury News, PA, November 21, 2012
The Pennsylvania General Assembly has failed again in its attempt to provide financial and academic accountability to charter schools.
TENNESSEE
Cap On Special-Ed Testing Concerns Schools
The Tennessean, TN, November 21, 2012
The push for educational accountability is creating a delicate balancing act for advocates of children with disabilities, who want improvement measured but don’t want children or schools punished for poor scores.
TEXAS
Five Lose Jobs At Charter School
San Antonio Express, TX, November 20, 2012
Five employees at KIPP-San Antonio’s University Prep High School have been laid off because state funding did not meet expectations, KIPP-S.A. CEO Mark Larson said.
WEST VIRGINIA
State BOE To Vote Again On Firing Of School Chief
Herald Dispatch, WV, November 20, 2012
West Virginia’s Board of Education will meet again next week to vote on Superintendent Jorea Marple’s firing because of concerns that the board may have violated the open-meetings law when it surprised many, including Marple, by ousting her on Thursday.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
Virtual Uncertainty
Commonwealth Magazine, MA, November 20, 2012
The state’s first all-online public school in Greenfield struggles to boost student achievement
Virtual Schools Popping Up In Georgia
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, November 21, 2012
Virtual schools are expanding their reach into Georgia, where three schools now operate in the state with a combined enrollment of nearly 15,000 students.
Georgia Cyber Academy Disputes Allegations in Georgia Department of Education Comprehensive Monitoring Report
The Herald, GA, November 21, 2012
The Georgia Cyber Academy (GCA), together with the school’s independent nonprofit governing board, the Odyssey Charter School Board, disputes the allegations in a Comprehensive Monitoring Report released by the Georgia Department of Education (DOE) yesterday.
Students Get Chance To Earn Diploma With Online Learning
Burton View, MI, November 21, 2012
The Swartz Creek Global Learning Hub is a program for sixth grade through 13th grade students, which are also known as fifth year super seniors in the program, where the students take a combination of online courses accompanied with more traditional classes with a teacher to earn their high school diploma.
Teachers ‘Flip Classroom’ To Cope With Math Anxiety
WLS-TV, IL, November 20, 2012
The word pre-calculus is frightening, itself. But for some math is more than scary, it’s a pain.
“I don’t know how else to describe it, but it’s scary,” Allison King said. Just the thought of a major math test can be mentally paralyzing for the 16-year-old, who says she “sometimes” enjoys math.
All-Online K-12 Needed in N.M.
Albuquerque Journal, NM, November 21, 2012
One size doesn’t fit all. This is a key principle in public education reform and why charter schools — with their innovative approach to decision-making, scheduling, staffing, curriculum and filling in the gaps in traditional education — have energized students and parents in New Mexico.
** The next edition if the Daily Clips will be on Monday November 26. Happy Thanksgiving.