NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.
NATIONAL COVERAGE
Teachers Leaning Toward Tougher Standards
Washington Post, DC, December 5, 2012
Teachers appear to be changing their minds about how they should be hired, assessed, paid and dismissed. This merits attention because we cannot have good schools if teachers are not happy with their compensation and working conditions.
7 Districts Split $25M In Gates Education Grants
Associated Press, December 5, 2012
Seven school districts committed to working with charter schools to improve student achievement will split about $25 million in grants from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, officials announced Wednesday.
Teacher Exams: An Overdue Reform
Press Democrat, CA, December 6, 2012
Let’s applaud the best education reform policy proposed this year: A test — similar to a bar exam — for teachers.
Lengthening School Day Could Be A Stretch For Students
Kingston Daily Freeman, NY, December 6, 2012
Eleven years into the current educational reform spasm — begun by passage of No Child Left Behind — a new strategy is being pushed to the top of the agenda.
FROM THE STATES
ALASKA
Anchorage Mayor Announces A Non-Profit Group To Promote Education Reform Ideas
Anchorage Daily News, AK, December 5, 2012
Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan Wednesday announced formation of a non-profit corporation called Education Matters Inc. to follow-up on recommendations from local education reform conferences he sponsored in 2011 and 2012.
CALIFORNIA
Charter School Petition Denied: OUHSD Board Votes Down Kirshner Foundation’s Request To Form New School
Mercury Register, CA, December 6, 2012
A petition for a new charter school through the Barry Kirshner Wildlife Sanctuary and Educational Center was denied Wednesday night by the Oroville Union High School District board of trustees.
Chico Charter Schools Take Center Stage At Board Meet
Chico Enterprise-Record, CA, December 6, 2012
Charter schools were the focus of attention at Wednesday’s Chico school board meeting.
The Blue Oak Charter School came before the Chico Unified School District board of trustees for a mandated public hearing in the school’s effort to renew its charter, which is set to expire in June.
School Reform Took A Back Seat With Denial Of Discovery Charter School
Mercury News, CA, December 5, 2012
Is bureaucratic protocol more crucial than the fierce urgency of now for our children? Based on a vote taken by the Santa Clara County Board of Education Nov. 28, the answer is a disappointing yes.
Classroom Lessons for New Teachers
Wall Street Journal, December 5, 2012
Rather than pursue a conventional master’s degree in education, Ms. Wilson, now 57 years old, opted to enroll in San Francisco Teacher Residency. The program is one of several in the Bay Area that mesh the typical academic preparation for would-be teachers with months or longer of intensive mentoring or classroom time side-by-side with veteran teachers.
COLORADO
Charter Schools Underserve Special Ed Students – Charters
North Denver News, CO, December 6, 2012
Several recent reports, including one from the U.S. Government Accountability Office, have found that charter schools generally under-enroll special education students when compared to conventional public schools. A new report from the Center on Reinventing Public Education, however, asserts that charter schools’ special education rates are much closer to those of district public schools than is described by these other recent reports
Is More Learning Better Learning?
Denver Post, CO, December 6, 2012
The answer is yes, and we’re encouraged by a grant for Colorado schools to study how to make it work.
CONNECTICUT
Big Grant Will Promote Hartford School, Charter Ties
The Hartford Guardian, CT, December 6, 2012
A new multimillion-dollar grant to Hartford’s public schools not only will strengthen the city’s ties to charter schools, it could bolster a charter movement that some educators believe has never fulfilled its potential in Connecticut .
FLORIDA
State Botches Release Of New Data On Teacher Evaluations
Tampa Bay Times, FL, December 6, 2012
Florida’s Department of Education on Wednesday rolled out the results of a sweeping new teacher evaluation system that is designed to be a more accurate, helpful and data-driven measure of how well teachers actually get students to learn.
Rubio Touts Charter School Tax Credits To Help Middle Class
Orlando Sentinel Blog, FL, December 5, 2012
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, while positioning himself as a Republican voice for advancing the poor and middle class, is calling for tax credits to help parents pay for charter schools.
GEORGIA
Georgia Implementing System To Measure Teacher Effectiveness
Augusta Chronicle, GA, December 5, 2012
Effective teaching can be found in the paper trail of standardized test scores in addition to the inspirational stories told at graduation.
ILLINIOS
CPS Passed Over For Gates Grant, For Now
Chicago Tribune, IL, December 65, 2012
Chicago Public Schools was shut out in the latest round of grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which on Wednesday awarded nearly $25 million for educational efforts in seven cities.
LOUISIANA
5 Charter Schools Renewed; 4 Rejected
The Advocate, LA, December 6, 2012
The state Board of Secondary and Elementary Education voted Wednesday to continue charter school contracts for five New Orleans schools and to end operations for four others in the city.
BESE Oks BR Charter School For Dyslexics
The Advocate, LA, December 6, 2012
Overriding the recommendation of a national evaluation group, Louisiana’s top school board Wednesday gave conditional approval for a new charter school in Baton Rouge that would serve students with dyslexia.
‘Course Providers’ Approved To Educate Students
The Adviser, LA, December 6, 2012
Although there’s currently no way to pay them, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education has granted final approval for 45 independent “course providers” to start educating students outside of Louisiana classrooms.
MAINE
Online Public School Would Be Good Fit For Some
Kennebec Journal, ME, December 6, 2012
Two applications before the Maine Charter School Commission would allow full-time, fully online public schools to open in our state.
MASSACHUSETTS
Brighton Public, Charter, Catholic Schools Sing Praises Of $3.25m Grant To Aid Year-Old Partnership
Boston Globe, MA, December 6, 2012
About 100 students from three schools in Brighton – the Edison K-8, Conservatory Lab Charter, and St. Columbkille – performed a series of instrumental and vocal pieces for classmates, teachers, parents, and local leaders Wednesday morning.
New Bedford Should Welcome City On A Hill Charter School
South Coast Today, MA, December 6, 2012
In February, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will decide whether a Boston-based charter public school can make its highly successful educational model available to families in New Bedford .
MICHIGAN
State Proposals Threaten Schools
The Commercial Record, MI, December 5, 2012
Saugatuck Public Schools has worked hard to become the outstanding school district that it is. When a district like ours is in danger, we must speak up. The state us now moving towards legislation that could dramatically harm the way SPS and all public schools do business. Here’s what’s at stake:
Gov. Rick Snyder’s Administration Drafts Bill To Address Shortcomings Of Current Emergency Manager Law
Detroit Free Press, MI, December 6, 2012
Gov. Rick Snyder’s administration has drafted a new emergency manager law it hopes will replace Public Act 4 of 2011, which was rejected by voters Nov. 6.
A Classroom For Teachers
Detroit News, MI, December 6, 2012
Great teachers are not born — they’re taught. That philosophy is the impetus behind a two-week teaching lab held annually at the University of Michigan’s School of Education, where the teacher and her methods are under study by educators, policymakers and others who hope to learn more about what makes a great educator.
MISSOURI
Missouri Needs ‘Parent Trigger’
St. Louis America, MO, December 5, 2012
Overcoming adversity is nothing new for me. As a child faced with many tough obstacles, and as a candidate that had to take my case to the Missouri Supreme Court just to get my name on the ballot, I do not shy away from a fight. As the newly elected Senator from Missouri’s 5th District, my determination and grit will carry on in our Senate chambers, especially for children in St. Louis.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Nashua Teachers Union Key Factor in Race to the Top
Nashua Telegraph, NH, December 6, 2012
Two years ago, we didn’t mince words when we called out the Nashua Teachers Union for helping to sabotage the state Department of Education’s bid for millions of dollars in federal Race to the Top education reform funding by refusing to sign off on its application.
NEW MEXICO
Teacher Colleges Not Good Enough
Albuquerque Journal, NM, December 6, 2012
New Mexico’s colleges of education are not doing enough to prepare future teachers for the classroom, according to a new legislative report.
NEW YORK
Schools Chief Sets Deadline
Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2012
In unusually forceful remarks, New York City’s schools chancellor warned Wednesday that principals across the city would be forced to make painful cuts in areas such as staff size, libraries and after-school programs if a deal on teacher evaluations isn’t reached soon.
Choice? Brownsville , Ocean Hill And East New York Parents Get To Choose Among Low-Performing Schools
New York Daily News, NY, December 5, 2012
A plan to let parents in Ocean Hill, Brownsville and East New York pick their own schools regardless of where they live could be no choice at all.
Schools Boss $$ Scold
New York Post, NY, December 6, 2012
Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott warned of deep cuts for teaching staff, music, art and sports programs and larger class sizes if an agreement isn’t reached with the union on a new teacher-evaluation system.
OHIO
Senate Will Redo Bill On Grading Districts
Columbus Dispatch, OH, December 6, 2012
Republican leaders in the Senate say the goal of a new A-to-F report-card system and tougher school-accountability system is to ensure that all students graduate from high school ready for college or groomed for a career.
Senate Looks At School Grades
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, December 5, 2012
Few people doubt that Ohio will change its school and district report card rating system to simple letter grades, from A to F, for each public and charter school and school district in the next two years.
PENNSYLVANIA
Gates Foundation Gives Philly $2.5 Million For Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, December 5, 2012
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded Philadelphia $2.5 million Wednesday to promote collaboration between public and charter schools and fund projects aimed at boosting teacher training and principal leadership, among other things.
Two York Charter School Cases To Come Before State Board
York Dispatch, PA, December 6, 2012
Two York City charter schools will have their cases come before the state charter appeal board on Tuesday. New Hope Academy will face York City School District ‘s motion to quash the appeal hearing. The district has argued New Hope did not meet a 30-day deadline to file an appeal of the school board’s decision this summer not to renew New Hope ‘s charter.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Teachers To Question How They’ll Be Graded
Morning News, SC, December 5, 2012
State education superintendent Dr. Mick Zais could be facing a potentially angry mob of teachers Thursday night at a Florence meeting that is being held to inform the public of new educational standards, but more pressingly to get input on how educators should be evaluated.
TENNESSEE
Report Says Not Enough Data To Judge Tennessee Teacher Training Programs
Commercial Appeal, TN, December 5, 2012
Tennessee spends tens of millions of dollars on professional development for its 63,000 public school teachers but has little idea if it makes a difference or even exactly what it costs.
WISCONSIN
Poverty Less Damaging To Public Schools’ Scores Than Charters’, Report Finds
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, December 5, 2012
Poverty is strongly tied to schools’ rankings in a new state report card system, but among low-income schools, traditional public schools have higher achievement scores than charter schools, according to an analysis from a new nonprofit.
Mosinee Aims To Develop Charter School
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, December 6, 2012
Administrators in the Mosinee School District are beginning to develop a charter school that would serve struggling high-schoolers with a project-based curriculum.
ONLINE LEARNING
Pa. Considers 8 New Cyber Charters, While Critics Question Cost And Quality
The Notebook Blog, PA, December 5, 2012
Amid concerns about quality, cost, and corruption in Pennsylvania’s extensive system of cyber charters, state officials are considering eight new proposals for independently managed schools providing mostly online instruction.
NC School Board Sidesteps Virtual Charter Schools
News & Observer, NC, December 5, 2012
With a warning from budget-writing legislators in the background, the North Carolina school board on Wednesday delayed action on rules that would make it much more difficult to open a taxpayer-funded charter school offering online-only classes.
Online Learning Program Wows Kids, Parents
MyFox Tampa Bay, FL, December 5, 2012
When we first told you about Khan Academy in January, the online teaching program was just starting to make waves around the globe. Now it is actually being implemented in classrooms right here in the Bay Area. Gateway Christian Academy is among the schools that are catching on to the Khan phenomenon.