Jeb Bush Hammers Teachers Unions At Education Summit
Washington Times, DC, November 27, 2012
In the fight to reform American schools, former Florida Gov. and outspoken education advocate Jeb Bush on Tuesday took direct aim at labor groups and joined a growing chorus who believe real change must start by loosening the grip of teachers unions.
Call for Reformers and Unions to Get Along
Stateline, November 28, 2012
Speaking in Washington, D.C. at the fifth annual Excellence in Action National Summit on Education Reform, John Podesta said that major electoral defeats in Indiana, Idaho and South Dakota showed the folly of painting unions as the enemy.
Charter School Proponents To Announce Major Focus On Shutting Down Failing Schools
Huffington Post, November 28, 2012
Charter schools are about to get a reality check. As someone who has observed the breakneck pace of the growing charter school movement up close, Greg Richmond, who leads the National Association of Charter School Authorizers (NACSA), is taking a step back.
Why the School Turnaround Experiment Is Failing
Huffington Post, November 27, 2012
The disappointing results of the Duncan administration’s controversial School Improvement Grants exemplify the fundamental flaw of test-driven school “reform.”
FROM THE STATES
ARIZONA
District Moving Forward To Establish Charter School
Yuma Sun, AZ, November 27, 2012
The Crane Elementary School District governing board recently adopted a charter to move forward with the establishment of a district-sponsored charter school to be opened Fall 2013.
ARKANSAS
Teacher Test Fraud Opens The Door To School Choice In Arkansas
Daily Caller, November 27, 2012
Prospective teachers in three southern states paid stand-ins to take their licensing exams, according to a federal investigation that uncovered 15 years of mass fraud in the public school licensing system.
CALIFORNIA
Proposed Charter School Drawing Heat In Novato
Pacific Sun, CA, November 27, 2012
A national debate over the effect charter schools may have on student diversity has hit home in Marin, as a pair of Bay Area civil rights watchdogs have entered the fray over the proposed North Bay Academy in Novato .
Judge Disagrees With Bullis Charter In Facilities Case, Sides With Los Altos School District
Marin Independent Journal, CA, November 27, 2012
A Santa Clara County Superior Court judge has sided with the Los Altos School District in its latest legal run-in with Bullis Charter School, but the fight over facilities appears to be far from over.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Measuring Quality In D.C.’s School Voucher Program
Washington Post Blog, DC, November 27, 2012
On Saturday, November 17, 2012 the Washington Post published an article entitled “Quality controls lacking for D.C. schools accepting federal vouchers”.
Charter Schools Send Teens To College
Washington Times, DC, November 27, 2012
Graduating urban youths is incredibly important. Friendship Collegiate Academy , one of six public charter school campuses and one of 11 urban campuses run by my organization, is a public charter high school in underserved Northeast Washington .
THE 3-MINUTE INTERVIEW: Jason Lody
Washington Examiner, DC, November 27, 2012
Lody is executive director of Sela Public Charter School , the first Hebrew language charter school in the District — and only the third of its kind in the nation. “Sela” means rock or foundation in Hebrew, and the school recently announced that it will set its own foundation in the Ward 4 neighborhood of Takoma when it opens in fall 2013.
GEORGIA
Georgia’s High School Graduation Rates Near Bottom In U.S.
Athens Banner-Herald, GA, November 27, 2012
Georgia’s high school graduation rates are not good, but probably not quite as bad as the state’s number 48 ranking indicates, state schools Superintendent John Barge said Tuesday.
State Should Keep Charter School As It Is
The Brunswick News, GA, November 28, 2012
Someone in the Georgia Department of Education owes Glynn County , the public school system and the business community an explanation. Someone needs to tell us all, every taxpayer in Brunswick and the Golden Isles, how someone in state government in Atlanta could have approved a school charter that failed to meet the specifics of state law.
ILLINOIS
New Charter Turns To The Law To Inspire Kids
Chicago Tribune, IL, November 28, 2012
Legal Prep Charter Academy opened its doors in West Garfield Park three months ago, the only legal-themed high school in Illinois.
School Closing Bill Moves To House, Senate Floors
Chicago Tribune, IL, November 27, 2012
A key legislator said Tuesday that she remains undecided on whether to allow Chicago Public Schools four more months to produce a list of school closings, even as legislation on the extension moved to the House and Senate floors.
LOUISIANA
Do Louisiana School Vouchers Use State Or Local Money?
Alexandria Town Talk, LA, November 28, 2012
In what may have been the apex of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal’s power and influence over the state Legislature, his team pressed non-stop to push through a far-reaching package of education bills in the first three weeks of this year’s session, which is considered warp speed at the Capitol.
Louisiana Education Lawsuit: Teachers Association Expects Protracted Legal Battle
Times Picayune, LA, November 27, 2012
Louisiana’s recent education overhaul will be tested Wednesday in court as multiple teachers associations and school boards challenge the constitutionality of changes made this year to the state’s voucher program and teacher hiring rules. Ahead of Wednesday’s court case, Louisiana Federation of Teachers (LFT) President Steve Monaghan told NOLA.com he expects a protracted legal battle with the Jindal administration.
MARYLAND
City Schools Unveil 10-Year Renovation Plan
Baltimore Sun, MD, November 27, 2012
In the next 10 years, Baltimore’s school system will have a leaner, modernized look under a proposed $2.4 billion facilities plan that calls for closing 26 school buildings and upgrading 136 others in a large-scale face-lift of Maryland’s oldest school infrastructure.
MASSACHUSETTS
City Schools Must Prepare Response To Charter Questions
Gloucester Daily Times, MA, November 27, 2012
We won’t know until sometime next month whether the state’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will let the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School carry on beyond this academic year — or really even finish it, given Tuesday’s comments by state Commissioner of Education Mitchell D. Chester (See news story, Page 1).
MICHIGAN
Detroit Schools Battle For Custody Following Public Act 4 Repeal
Michigan Chronicle, MI, November 27, 2012
“I have no idea who’s in charge of our public schools, and I don’t know if anyone really has any idea,” Harris said. “Both the school board and the emergency manager think they’re in charge.”
Bills Would Turn Michigan Into ‘Super Choice’ State
Bridge Magazine, MI, November 27, 2012
Michigan Board of Education President John Austin calls it a “nuclear bomb.”
These School Reforms Will Move Michigan Forward
Detroit News, MI, November 28, 2012
The 2012 election is behind us and the voters of this state have spoken. Now it’s time for our state’s leaders to come together and work on common solutions to the problems facing our state.
School Reform Aims For Profits
Detroit Free Press, MI, November 28, 2012
The state Republicans’ wave of education reform is nothing but a power grab. It is part of a long-term strategy to give the so-called job creators control of the education dollar. The voucher era is at hand.
MISSISSIPPI
Did Gov. Bryant Propose A Pilot Program For Charter Schools?
Clarion Ledger Blog , MS, November 27, 2012
Gov. Phil Bryant was on the Paul Gallo Radio Show this morning talking about a variety of topics from Medicaid expansion to health insurance exchanges to his upcoming education policy announcement on Friday.
Pilot Charter School Program Could Work In Mississippi
Clarion Ledger, MS, November 27, 2012
Everyone knows that one of the top issues for the upcoming legislative session is charter schools. Last year, the bill failed largely because it never made it out of committee in the House, where a bipartisan group of legislators killed the Senate version. House Speaker Philip Gunn, R-Clinton, has fixed that problem by reassigning committee members.
MISSOURI
State-Appointed Board In Riverview Gardens To Remain In Place
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, November 28, 2012
State education officials voted Tuesday in St. Louis to extend state oversight of the struggling Riverview Gardens school district by ordering a Special Administrative Board to remain in place an additional three years.
Link Between Poverty, School Success Needs To Be Systemically Addressed
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, November 28, 2012
As the struggles of school districts across the state reflect, neither size nor geography will determine success but rather the quality of the education being provided and our ability to support the families and neighborhoods where the schools are located. We need to recognize that where children live — their house, their apartment and their neighborhood — matters.
NEVADA
Out of the Race
Las Vegas Review Journal, NV, November 28, 2012
In the end, the encouraging 11th-hour efforts of Gov. Brian Sandoval, the Clark County School District and the Clark County Education Association bore no fruit for local students. The district’s application for a Race to the Top grant from the U.S. Department of Education was rejected Monday.
NEW JERSEY
NJ Charter School Students Learn More Than Their Peers, Says New Report
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, November 28, 2012
New Jersey’s ongoing debate about whether traditional public schools or charters do a better job educating students got some provocative new data yesterday, courtesy of a study from Stanford University that came down on the side of the charters — particularly in Newark ‘s embattled school district.
The Lesson in Newark
CNN Blog, November 28, 2012
School and union leaders in the nation’s largest school districts who are waging epic battles over teacher evaluation, compensation and the future of the teaching profession could learn a lesson from their colleagues in Newark, New Jersey . That’s where the city’s 3,300 teachers recently ratified a groundbreaking new contract that provides them unprecedented support and compensation.
N.J. Charter School Students, On Average, Outperform Those In Public Schools, Study Shows
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, November 28, 2012
Students in New Jersey charter schools show greater learning gains, on average, than those in comparable traditional public schools, a study released Tuesday by a Stanford University research center shows.
NEW YORK
Storied St. Jerome’s And Seven Other Bronx Catholic Schools Put On Notice For Closure In 2013
New York Daily News, NY, November 28, 2012
Among the eight Bronx Catholic schools identified as “at risk” for closure by the Archdiocese of New York is storied St. Jerome, which opened its school doors more than 140 years ago on Alexander Ave.
Bronx District OKs Elementary-School Choice
New York Post, NY, November 28, 2012
One of the city’s lowest-performing school districts has voted to give parents choice in applying to elementary schools — becoming only the second of 32 geographic districts to do so.
Charter School Could Mean $14.8M Loss to Utica School District
Utica Observer Dispatch, NY, November 27, 2012
With a charter school expected to open next fall, the Utica City School District is preparing its budget for $14.8 million loss of state aid over the next five years.
Multifaceted Approach Needed On School Reform
Buffalo News, NY, November 28, 2012
The executive director of the New York State School Boards Association is correct – we do elect the school boards. He is also correct about the statistics regarding degrees and experience of the members.
NORTH CAROLINA
Wake School Board Deals With Concerns About Capping
News & Observer, NC, November 27, 2012
Wake County school board members are trying to reassure parents that a proposal to limit overcrowding at nearly three dozen schools won’t shut their children out next school year.
OHIO
Ohio’s Grad Rates Show Racial Disparity
Columbus Dispatch, OH, November 28, 2012
Ohio has one of the nation’s lowest graduation rates for black students but one of the better rates for white students.
House Tweaking Schools Legislation
Columbus Dispatch, OH, November 28, 2012
Majority Republicans in the House say legislation to ramp up the school accountability system and create new report cards for schools and districts could be voted on as early as Thursday.
PENNSYLVANIA
KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy Renaissance School Proposal Is Approved By Camden School Board
Philadelphia Inquirer Blog, PA, November 28, 2012
After months of lobbying behind the scenes, the KIPP Cooper Norcross Academy renaissance school founders got their wish: their five-school campus proposal was accepted by the Camden School Board early Wednesday evening.
No Child Left Behind Waiver To Be Sought By Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, November 28, 2012
Pennsylvania Education Secretary Ron Tomalis said his department will seek a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind legislation, which in its current form calls for all students to test proficient in reading and math on annual state achievement exams by 2014.
TENNESSEE
Knox County Schools Accepting Charter School Proposals
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, November 28, 2012
Knox County Schools is accepting charter school proposals — for both new schools and potential conversions of existing schools to a charter — for the 2014-15 school year.
Suburbs Study Options After Schools Defeat
Commercial Appeal, TN, November 27, 2012
Suburban Shelby County residents had been preparing for swearing-in ceremonies for the municipal school board members they elected Nov. 6, but late Tuesday officials from Arlington , Bartlett , Collierville, Germantown , Lakeland and Millington had dropped those plans and were reassessing their options.
TEXAS
Dallas ISD Could Be Model For Reform, Education Secretary Arne Duncan Says During Visit
Dallas Morning News, TX, November 27, 2012
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan’s visit Tuesday to Dallas ISD offered local leaders an unrivaled opportunity to highlight the district’s reform plans and make a sales pitch to the country’s top educator.
WASHINGTON
I-1240 Opponents Can Take The High Road If They Want
News Tribune, WA, November 28, 2012
After four hard-fought charter initiative campaigns, legislative foot-dragging, and implacable opposition from the state’s public school establishment – not just the teachers’ unions – Washington voters have approved public charter schools
WISCONSIN
Voucher School Expansion May Do Little To Help Kids
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, November 27, 2012
Gov. Scott Walker should focus on how to ensure that more poor kids do better in school. They are the ones who need help.