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.
The Irrational Fear of For-Profit Education
Wall Street Journal, December 17, 2012
McGraw-Hill recently announced plans to sell its education publishing division to Apollo Global Management for $2.5 billion. The deal is a reminder that K-12 schooling is a $600 billion-a-year business. In 2008, schools and systems spent $22 billion on transportation, $20 billion on food services and even $1 billion on pencils.
Should Students Evaluate Teachers?
Washington Post Blog, DC, December 18, 2012
First it became something of a national obsession for teachers to be judged by standardized test scores. Now increasingly we hear about students helping to evaluate teachers for purposes that include pay and effectiveness ratings.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
Sacramento’s Two Aspire Charter Schools To Stay Open With San Juan Unified’s Blessing
Sacramento Bee, CA, December 18, 2012
Twilight College Preparatory Academy and Aspire Alexander Twilight Secondary Academy will remain open under a charter approved by San Juan Unified last week.
DELAWARE
Odyssey’s School Plans Delayed
News Journal, DE, December 17, 2012
Odyssey Charter School’s plan for three new schools on a historic site near Hockessin has been delayed after New Castle County attorneys said the school can’t automatically build as big of a K-12 campus as school officials would like.
Don’t Favor Local Kids In Charter Admissions, Says Task Force
Greater Greater Washington, DC, December 17, 2012
Charter schools don’t give priority to kids who live nearby, instead choosing all students from a citywide lottery. Some other big cities, like New York, allow or require a neighborhood preference in charter admissions. In a report released Friday, a DC task force set up to consider this idea recommended against DC following the lead of these cities.
FLORIDA
New Chief, Old Education Game Plan
Orlando Sentinel, FL, December 18, 2012
Florida last week tapped its fifth top educator in 18 months: former Indiana school chief, Tony Bennett.
GEORGIA
Schools Ask Legislators For More Flexibility
Times-Georgian, GA, December 18, 2012
The county school board met with state legislators face-to-face Friday for a discussion on flexibility in public schools and what the county system has done in the past year despite severe financial cutbacks.
Dekalb School District In “Conflict And Crisis,” Put On Probation By Accreditation Agency
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, December 17, 2012
Georgia’s third largest school district, DeKalb County, was placed on probation Monday after a six-month-investigation into scores of complaints of mismanagement.
IDAHO
In Idaho Education Reform Talks, Time And Money Are At Issue
Idaho Statesman, ID, December 18, 2012
As Idaho lawmakers prepare to convene in January, questions loom about what comes next for education reform, after voters rejected the state’s Students Come First laws.
INDIANA
Indiana Charter Schools Continue To Show Strong Test Score Gains, Study Shows
Indianapolis Star, IN, December 17, 2012
Charter schools in Indiana are among the nation’s best at raising student test scores when compared with other public schools, a Stanford University study showed.
KANSAS
KNEA Blasts Governor’s Task Force Report
Lawrence Journal World, KS, December 17, 2012
Officials with the Kansas National Education Association are sharply criticizing a governor’s task force recommendation that calls for revising or narrowing state laws that govern collective bargaining rights of teachers.
LOUISIANA
Judge To Rule On Education Law Constitutionality
Alexandria Town Talk, LA, December 18, 2012
A Baton Rouge district judge is set to rule today on the constitutionality of a key Jindal administration education bill approved by the Legislature this year.
Newsweek Hails New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu For Education Stance Despite Scant Role In Schools
Times Picayune, LA, December 17, 2012
Newsweek, the venerable current affairs magazine, has singled out New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu as one of the five most innovative mayors in the country for his work in — education? It’s not just Landrieu’s focus on other issues, like reducing the city’s gun violence or blight, that makes Newsweek’s assertion a surprising one.
MARYLAND
Maryland Releases New Rating System For Schools
Washington Examiner, DC, December 18, 2012
Montgomery County students met new performance goals introduced by the state on Monday, which go beyond No Child Left Behind’s focus on test scores to measure student growth, graduation rates and progress toward closing the achievement gap for minority students.
MASSACHUSETTS
Brockton Charter School Will Be Topic Of Public Hearing
Enterprise News, MA, December 18, 2012
School officials and charter school supporters will state their cases on Tuesday at a public hearing on a plan to open a charter school in Brockton.
Ed Board Owes Charter Families Potential Solutions
Gloucester Daily Times, MA, December 17, 2012
The state’s Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will be meeting this morning to decide whether the decide the fate of the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School – reportedly whether students will even get to finish the current school year, let alone whether the school will ever get to live out its full five-year charter.
MICHIGAN
Loophole In Gun Bill Means Michigan Schools Can’t Ban Firearms On Premises
Detroit Free Press, MI, December 17, 2012
An apparent loophole in a gun bill passed during the Legislature’s lame duck session means public schools would not be able to stop licensed gun holders with advanced training from carrying guns on school property in Michigan.
MISSISSIPPI
Gov. Bryant Fights For Charter School System
WLOX, MS, December 17, 2012
With his first legislative session as governor behind him, Gov. Phil Bryant is gearing up for round two.
“This year must be the year for transformational change in education,” Bryant said.
NEVADA
Quest Academy Fails To Act On State Recommendations
KTNV, NV, December 17, 2012
The state has called for radical change in who’s running a local charter school following an investigation into alleged collusion, cover-up and misuse of tax dollars.
NEW JERSEY
In Failed Jersey City RTTT Application, a Glimpse of Tensions Between Teachers and Administrators
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, December 18, 2012
The Friday before Sandy hit, Jersey City Educational Association head Ronald Greco was trying to decide whether to sign off on the district’s application for the new Race to the Top (RTTT) grants.
NORTH CAROLINA
UCA Partners With Elon University
Courier Tribune, NC, December 18, 2012
Randolph County’s first charter school, Uwharrie Charter Academy, announced it has partnered with the Environmental Studies Department at Elon University and the Elon University Center for Environmental Studies for ongoing curriculum development.
OHIO
What Happens When Charter Schools Rebel Against White Hat
NPR StateImpact, OH, December 18, 2012
When Ohio’s charter school movement began one company came to symbolize the change – White Hat Management, a for-profit firm based in Akron.
Attendance Probe Holds Up Columbus Teacher Bonuses
Columbus Dispatch, OH, December 18, 2012
Potentially hundreds of Columbus City Schools teachers are waiting on bonuses until after a state audit of the district’s data reporting is complete.
OREGON
Charter School Agrees To Close
The Register-Guard, OR, December 18, 2012
HomeSource Family Charter School has agreed to shut down at the end of the school year in a deal reached last week with the Bethel School District.
Group to Resubmit Charter Idea to GAPS
Albany Democrat Herald, OR, December 1 7, 2012
A volunteer group looking to start a charter school in Albany has decided to retool its proposal and once again approach Greater Albany Public Schools for sponsorship.
TENNESSEE
Charter Schools Will Help Boost Test Scores, Mayor Says
The Tennessean, TN, December 17, 2012
Nashville Mayor Karl Dean said this morning that charter schools are a large part of the solution to increasing student test scores.
Metro School Board Didn’t Know Funds Would Be Withheld, Director Says
The Tennessean, TN, December 18, 2012
The Tennessee Department of Education never warned Metro that state education funds were at stake if it were to reject the controversial charter school proposal of Great Hearts Academies, Director of Schools Jesse Register told members of the Metro Council on Monday.
TEXAS
Austin School Trustees Vote To End IDEA Charter Partnership
Austin American Statesman, TX, December 17, 2012
Austin school board trustees voted late Monday to dissolve a partnership with IDEA Public Schools, reversing a controversial board decision last year for the charter operator to take over an East Austin elementary school.
Irving Charter School Pondering ZIP Code-Weighted Admissions Policy
Dallas Morning News, TX, December 18, 2012
At North Hills Preparatory, admission is a game of chance. More than 3,600 students from throughout the Dallas area applied for just 225 openings in grades K-12 for next school year.
WASHINGTON
School Boards Push For Reforms
Spokesman Review, WA, December 18, 2012
Idaho school boards plan to press for laws that revive controversial school reforms that voters rejected in November.
ONLINE LEARNING
Virtual Charter School Offers Alternative To Bibb County High Schoolers
13WMAZ, GA, December 17, 2012
The Magic Johnson Bridgescape Center is set to open in Macon in mid-January.
It’d be the first charter school with a physical presence in Bibb County.
Online Academy Lures 120
Mail Tribune, OR, December 18, 2012
More than 100 Rogue Valley students are choosing to opt out of traditional brick-and-mortar schools in favor of logging on to an electronic classroom each day.
Greguson to Be Online Education Services Director for Chester
Madison Daily Leader, SD, December 18, 2012
Mark Greguson is stepping down as Chester’s school superintendent and stepping into the role of online education services director for the district.