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
Op-Ed: To Close The Achievement Gap, Don’t Lower The Bar
NPR, January 11, 2013
Florida and Virginia adopted new academic standards for students based on race and ability — refocusing attention on the U.S. achievement gap. In a piece in the Miami Herald, syndicated columnist Leonard Pitts argues that lowering the bar is not the way to fix the education system.
Who Teaches Matters
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 11, 2013
A new study by the Gates Foundation merely confirms what was already known: Good teachers make a difference.
Teacher Test
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 11, 2013
For years, educators have argued about the best ways to grade teachers’ performance in the classroom. Some skeptics doubted it was possible to fairly evaluate teachers, partly because some teachers had brighter students while others faced classes filled with struggling kids.
Researcher Tears Apart Gates Foundation Teacher Evaluation Study
StateImpact Florida, FL, January 10, 2013
Greene says the foundation’s conclusions were based on the politics of convincing teachers and school districts of the merits of evaluations, and not data. He takes particular aim at classroom observations, which he says the Gates data shows do not improve evaluations:
Taking Stock on the Anniversary of ‘No Child Left Behind’
Huffington Post, January 10, 2013
This week marks the 11th anniversary of the signing of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 2001 — the “No Child Left Behind” Act. The legislation is due to be reauthorized, although there is little movement on Capitol Hill toward making this happen any time soon.
The Case for a Teacher Bar Exam
The Atlantic, January 10, 2013
Like law and medical schools, education schools shouldn’t be able to survive if fewer than half their students can pass a rigorous professional exam.
FROM THE STATES
ARIZONA
More Regulations On Purchasing Opposed By State Charter Schools
Arizona Daily Star, AZ, January 11, 2013
Arizona charter school officials say they don’t want the state to impose more regulations on how the mostly privately operated schools buy goods and services with taxpayer dollars, and the state board says no changes are in the works.
East Valley Families Seek School Options Through Open Enrollment
East Valley Tribune, AZ, January 10, 2013
Rachel Cesta spent part of this week turning in charter school applications for her children.
CALIFORNIA
Gov. Brown Joins School Reform Debate – Finally
San Diego Union Tribune, CA, January 11, 2013
For two years, Gov. Jerry Brown has ducked the school reform debate. Yes, in 2011, he got headlines after mocking the trendiness of some reformers. But even as President Barack Obama urged Democratic governors to adopt policies that focused on teacher quality, Brown has stayed mum beyond espousing a vague belief that local control is better than dictates handed down from afar.
FLORIDA
Lee County Is The No. 1 Place In The State For Charter Schools
News Press, FL, January 11, 2013
That’s according to the Washington D.C.-based Center for School Options, which rated Lee County as the top school district for charter school access compared to the state’s 10 largest counties in 2011.
District Audit Panel Suggests Tighter Controls On Charter Schools’ Student Attendance Reporting
Palm Beach Post, FL, January 10, 2013
The Palm Beach County School District needs to develop better controls over how charter schools take and report student attendance, district audit committee members said Thursday.
Hofman Leaves University To Help Start Miami Charter School
Miami Herald, FL, January 11, 2013
Rich Hofman, the first baseball coach in Florida prep history to win 1,000 games, said Thursday he has left Broward County’s University School to help start a new co-educational charter school in Miami.
Pines To Hold Charter School Town Hall
Sun Sentinel, FL, January 11, 2013
Stakeholders in the city’s charter school system are rallying together Monday to beg the state Legislature for money.
INDIANA
Proposed Bill Cuts Wait To Buy Vacant Schools
The Journal Gazette, IN, January 10, 2013
Legislators on Wednesday considered lessening the effect of a law that has stymied the sale of several area school buildings.
KENTUCKY
Lawmakers Not Optimistic About Charter School Bill
Tri State, KY, January 10, 2013
A scaled-down version of a controversial bill to allow charter schools in Kentucky is returning to the General Assembly this year, but supporters and opponents say it has little chance of winning approval.
LOUISIANA
Study Gives State F For Achievement
The Advocate, LA, January 11, 2013
Louisiana got an F for public education achievement Thursday for the third consecutive year in an annual study done by Education Week magazine.
MAINE
LePage’s Charges On Charters Off The Charts
Portland Press Herald, ME, January 11, 2013
He loves to rant and rant and rant about what’s wrong with Maine schools.
If only Gov. Paul LePage would put the same energy into doing his homework.
MARYLAND
City Recommends Severing Ties With Operators Of Six Schools
The Baltimore Sun, MD, January 10, 2013
Baltimore school officials recommended Thursday severing ties with independent operators of six schools after a months-long review of more than two dozen diverse programs.
MASSACHUSETTS
South Boston Charter School Proud Of Its Record
Boston Globe, MA, January 11, 2013
A MORE accurate headline for the Jan. 3 Metro article “Departures at South Boston charter school raise concerns” would have been “Former Gavin Middle School students excel at new in-district charter school.”
MICHIGAN
Judge To Decide If 7 DPS At-Large Members Should Be Removed
Detroit News, MI, January 11, 2013
A judge said Thursday he will issue a decision by mail on whether seven members of the Detroit school board are holding office illegally and should be removed.
Michigan Scores Sixth In Studentsfirst Report Cards
Detroit News, MI, January 11, 2013
StudentsFirst released our inaugural state policy report cards this week that provide a snapshot of where each state stands on important education reform issues that put the needs of students first.
MISSOURI
New Missouri System Raises The Bar For School District Performance
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, January 11, 2013
A new rating system for Missouri’s school districts will intensify pressure on low-performing school districts to improve, while exposing even the best schools to new scrutiny from parents and the public.
NEW MEXICO
Candidates Debate Achievement Gap
Albuquerque Journal, NM, January 11, 2013
The achievement gap and charter schools were flash points Thursday at a forum for candidates running for the school board.
NEW YORK
Report Links Poor Schools, Teachers
Wall Street Journal, January 11, 2013
Poor and minority students in New York City are more likely to be taught by failing teachers than other students, an analysis by an education advocacy group found.
Cuomo’s School Reforms Lauded, But Funding Source Questioned
Journal News, NY, January 11, 2013
Few education officials and advocates object to the sweeping schools agenda Gov. Andrew Cuomo presented Wednesday in his State of the State address — but many wonder how he’ll pay for it.
NORTH CAROLINA
Wake Schools Criticize State GOP Education Measures
News & Observer, NC, January 10, 2013
Education reforms passed last year by the Republican-led state legislature that would issue a letter grade to every school and end social promotion are drawing complaints from the state’s largest school system.
OHIO
Ohio’s Public Schools Rate 12th In U.S. With B- Grade
Columbus Dispatch, OH, January 11, 2013
Ohio’s public school system earned a better grade on the nation’s report card this year, but the state’s rank — fifth in the nation three years ago — fell to 12th.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Fair Evaluation Of Teachers A Clear And Present Educational Need
Charleston Post Courier, SC, January 11, 2013
You don’t need an education degree to know that the better a teacher, the better the classroom results. And you don’t need to be an avid observer of modern educational controversies to know that the ongoing push for broader “teacher evaluation” is generating resistance from many of those who would be judged — and possibly fired — on that basis.
TENNESSEE
Vouchers Don’t Get To Root Of Problem
Daily News Journal, TN, January 10, 2013
The concept of education vouchers in Tennessee seems quite simple on the face. Take children out of failing schools and send them somewhere else, either to a private school or better public school.
Rose Park Rises As Popular School Choice Heading Into Lottery
The Tennessean, TN, January 10, 2013
Almost every part of the Metro Nashville school choice lottery is different this year, including the addition of a new magnet school to the list of students’ favorites.
VIRGINIA
Superintendent Hopes Charter Schools Wouldn’t Take Funding from Public Schools
WHSV, VA, January 10, 2013
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said he’d like to bring more charter schools to the state and those schools would help educate low-income children.
WISCONSIN
Invest in MPS, Not Voucher and Charter
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, January 10, 2013
In his Jan. 6 column, Alan J. Borsuk says that a new vision for education in Milwaukee is needed to get beyond the stale and failed answers of the past. He is right.
Ex-Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald To Lobby For School Choice Group
Journal Sentinel Blog, WI, January 10, 2013
Then-Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald was coy about his plans when asked last summer what he would do if he lost his bid for the U.S. Senate.
ONLINE LEARNING
‘Facebook Meets The Classroom’
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, January 11, 2013
North College Hill, a district of mostly low-income students, is wading into a national educational trend called blended learning, which marries traditional classroom instruction with online learning and assignments.
Lakeview Learning Goes Virtual
Battle Creek Enquirer, MI, January 10, 2013
That somewhat annoying little tool is but one feature of edmodo, a website some Lakeview High School teachers have integrated into their classrooms to better engage students, allow students to do more work from home, do a little college prep, encourage more collaboration and maybe even save the school some money .
Oklahoma Mid-Year Aid Allocations At For-Profit Online Schools Questioned
Tulsa World, OK, January 11, 2013
The annual process of adjusting schools’ state aid allocations mid-year has brought more disappointment than relief, even in Tulsa’s fastest-growing suburbs.