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
US States, Local Governments Plead For New ‘No Child Left Behind’
Reuters, February 5, 2013
U.S. state and local officials again called on Congress to pass renewed “No Child Left Behind” education legislation, writing in a letter on Tuesday that it must become “a top priority for every member of the House and Senate.”
Education Miracles That Aren’t
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 6, 2013
Beware of education miracles. Too often, there’s less there than meets the eye. Remember the extraordinary gains in test scores and lowered dropout rates in Houston schools more than a decade ago?
FROM THE STATES
ARIZONA
School Spending Report Unveiled
Arizona Journal, AZ, February 5, 2013
Charter schools spent an average of $3,189 per student on classroom instruction, or $652 less than the state average, and $178 per pupil on classroom supplies, or $36 more than the state average.
CALIFORNIA
No. 2 Republican In House Seeks To Reframe Party Agenda
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 5, 2013
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) casts the GOP as an advocate for improving Americans’ lives while reaffirming the party’s focus on balancing the budget.
CONNECTICUT
Malloy’s ECS Proposal Could Help Narrow Gap
The News-Times, CT, February 5, 2013
A school aid proposal by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy acknowledges those realities. If approved by the state Legislature, the governor’s plan would affirm Connecticut’s resolve to close an achievement gap that has separated students, largely along lines of race and affluence.
A ‘Flagrant’ Misuse of Taxpayer Money
CT Post, CT, February 5, 2013
Whatever your concept of public education is, your Connecticut state tax dollars are currently underwriting the public financing of a massive private enterprise.
State Board Of Education May Slow Roll-Out Of New Evaluation System
The Hartford Courant, CT, February 5, 2013
The state Board of Education is expected to consider a recommendation Wednesday to allow school districts to more slowly phase in a new teacher evaluation system for staff this coming fall.
DELAWARE
The Missing Link In Charter School Reform
Delaware News, DE, February 6, 2013
The state is reviewing the existing charter law for possible revisions. This might be a good time to think about the missing link in the charter school reform movement, i.e., the sharing of the lessons learned, both good and bad, with the traditional public schools for possible implementation.
FLORIDA
Legislature Should Not Give Charter Schools A Construction Subsidy
Palm Beach Post, FL, February 6, 2013
Gov. Rick Scott says he wants to provide an additional $1.2 billion next year for public schools. The need is evident from Post reporter Allison Ross’ story Tuesday detailing a potential $56 million shortage in the Palm Beach County School District’s 2014 construction budget.
School Districts May Have To Share Space With Charters
Sun Sentinel, FL, February 5, 2013
The relationship between charter schools and traditional schools could soon get a lot cozier under a legislative proposal that could require them to share space.
GEORGIA
Time To Stop Trapping Low-Income Students In Failing Schools
The Macon Telegraph, GA, February 6, 2013
We are lucky enough to live in a country where we have the latitude to make choices in almost every arena of our lives. Yet when it comes to one of the most important aspects of a child’s upbringing — education — parents are too often offered frustratingly few choices. Our broken public education system can leave low-income students and parents with no alternatives to find a quality education.
HAWAII
Hawaii Charter School Commission Gets New Director
Civil Beat Blog, HI, February 5, 2013
The State Public Charter School Commission announced today the appointment of its Executive Director, Tom Hutton. Mr. Hutton is a national authority on education law and policy and was a co-founder of a noted Washington D.C. charter school, Thurgood Marshall Academy.
INDIANA
Racing Ahead On School Vouchers
Journal and Courier, IN, February 5, 2013
Emboldened, perhaps, by a new governor whose vague directives about education boil down to more choice and more freedom for classroom teachers, proponents of Indiana’s fresh school voucher program are charging ahead for more.
Pence Backs Voucher Program Expansion
Pharos Tribune, IN, February 6, 2013
Gov. Mike Pence officially threw his support Tuesday behind a major expansion of Indiana’s school voucher program that goes well beyond what he campaigned for last year by calling for more vouchers in limited cases.
EACS Hears Plea To Sponsor Charter School
The Journal Gazette, IN, February 6, 2013
At the request of Timothy L. Johnson Academy parents and officials, the East Allen County Schools board will discuss authorizing the charter school.
Charter School Of The Dunes To Finish Building Despite Nonrenewal Of Charter
NW Times, IN, February 5, 2013
Despite notice that its charter won’t be renewed, Charter School of the Dunes is operating in the black and will finish its $13 million school building, officials said.
MAINE
Two More Charter Schools Approved In Maine
Portland Press Herald, ME, February 6, 2013
Applications in Harpswell and Gray are strongly supported, which will bring the state’s total to five.
MARYLAND
Montgomery’s ‘Proven’ System In Question
Maryland Gazette, MD, February 6, 2013
When it comes to proving himself an effective first-year teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools, Lanham, who teaches Advanced World Studies, said, “It’s not all cupcakes and candy canes.”
MICHIGAN
Turnaround Leader Ross Leaves Detroit Schools
Detroit News, MI, February 5, 2013
Doug Ross, hired by Detroit Public Schools to lead its school turnaround program, has left the district after 18 months. DPS Emergency Financial Manager Roy Roberts made the announcement Tuesday, saying Ross left the district to focus exclusively on the turnaround of urban high schools outside DPS.
MISSISSIPPI
Doing The Math On Charter Schools
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, February 5, 2013
Now that the charter school bills have passed both the house and the senate, it is a sit and wait game to see which leader will bend in trying to come to compromise on the bill.
Bill: School Takeovers Would Last 3 Years
Hattiesburg American, MS, February 6, 2013
State education officials could only take over a school district for three years under a bill moving forward in the Senate.
MISSOURI
KC School Takeover Bill Advances In General Assembly
Kansas City Star, MO, February 5, 2013
A bill that would allow the state to immediately take over troubled Kansas City Public Schools won initial approval Tuesday in the Missouri Senate.
A final vote is expected Thursday. If it passes, the bill will go to the House, which unanimously approved it last year.
NEVADA
Funding Woes Forcing Rainshadow Community Charter School In Reno To Close
Reno Gazette Journal, NV, February 5, 2013
When Rainshadow Community Charter School principal Steve West called an assembly last Thursday, students Ryan and River Rees were ecstatic.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Bill Provides Boost To Charter Schools
Eagle Tribune, NH, February 6, 2013
Lawmakers are considering a proposal that offers hope for charter schools struggling to fund an alternative education for New Hampshire students.
NEW JERSEY
Independent Report: Teachers Remain Skeptical About New Evaluation System
NJ Spotlight, NJ, February 6, 2013
With less than nine months and counting, New Jersey’s rollout of a statewide teacher evaluation system is moving ahead, but the deadlines are tight, reliability remains an issue — and the system has yet to win the confidence of the teachers it’s intended to evaluate.
NEW MEXICO
Skandera Still Awaiting Confirmation
Albuquerque Journal, NM, February 6, 2013
More than two years after being appointed to the helm of New Mexico’s public school system, Public Education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera still has not been confirmed by the state Senate.
NEW YORK
School Money Lawsuit Filed
Wall Street Journal, February 6, 2013
An attorney who once successfully sued to increase New York state school funding on Tuesday challenged the state’s decision to withhold about $250 million from New York City after district and union officials failed to reach an agreement on teacher evaluations.
Cuomo Closing Off Best Pre-K Hope
New York Post, NY, February 6, 2013
Why is Gov. Cuomo hobbling one of his signature initiatives? Drawing on a core recommendation of his education-reform commission, Cuomo is targeting pre-K education in New York’s worst school districts.
Parents Rally In Support Of Charter Schools
WXXA, NY, February 5, 2013
More than 1,000 charter school parents converged on Albany Tuesday to try to get lawmakers to let charter schools compete for funding to serve Pre-K students.
Charters Make Pre-Emptive ‘Move’
New York Post, NY, February 6, 2013
The city Department of Education is trying to fast-track the placement of charter schools in public-school buildings years ahead of schedule — in a bid to protect the schools from a less charter-friendly mayor.
NORTH CAROLINA
Parents Tell Bacon Academy Not To Abandon Plan For 2nd School
News Star, NC, February 5, 2013
The Roger Bacon Academy held an informational meeting Tuesday in Supply to find out if there is enough interest to add another school to southern Brunswick County.
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma Legislative Panel Rejects Charter School Measure
The Oklahoman, OK, February 6, 2013
A bill targeting four Oklahoma charter schools would have required that the five highest-paid administrators are American citizens. The bill failed in committee Tuesday.
School Choice Is The Answer
Oklahoman Gazette, OK, February 6, 2013
The larger fallacy John Thompson (Commentary, “The fallacy of test-driven school reform, Jan. 16, Oklahoma Gazette) fails to recognize is the fallacy of centrally planned and administered education. MAPS for Kids has been a total failure, as schools are not buildings. The only obvious beneficiaries are the government contractors who built the buildings.
PENNSYLVANIA
Pittsburgh Public Schools Charter Review Team Recommends Denial Of 3 Applications
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, February 6, 2013
Pittsburgh Public Schools officials have recommended that the school board deny the applications for three charter schools less than two weeks after the board rejected a proposal for a charter school in Hazelwood that the administration favored.
Charter School A Negative For Florence District
Burlington County Times, PA, February 6, 2013
The expansion of the Riverbank Charter School of Excellence is not in the best interest of Florence.
Medical Academy Charter School: We’re Doing Our Part
Allentown Morning Call, PA, February 5, 2013
Faced with a threat to its existence, Medical Academy Charter School representatives said Tuesday they’re teaching kids about medicine, sending them on field trips and working to line up hands-on experiences for them.
Corbett Budget Proposes Education Funding Boost
Erie Times-News, PA, February 6, 2013
Gov. Tom Corbett wasn’t shy on Tuesday about trumpeting his plans to increase education funding, saying his 2013-14 budget proposal would invest “more Pennsylvania tax dollars in basic education than at any time in our history.”
SOUTH CAROLINA
Charter Renewal Breathes New Life Into Florence’s Choices School
WBTW, SC, February 5, 2013
Officials with Choices Charter School say it’s back to business as usual on campus, following the renewal of a charter agreement that caused some confusion and distress last fall.
TENNESSEE
Charter School Proposal Throws County Officials For A Loop
The Tennessean, TN, February 5, 2013
Bewildered and flat-footed. That was the mood Monday afternoon as some of the most influential people in Williamson County politics tried to wrap their heads around a proposal to open a charter school that would challenge their public education system.
Group Seeks Tougher Academic, Licensing Standards For Teachers
The Tennessean, TN, February 6, 2013
Less than a week after state education officials linked better ACT scores to teacher effectiveness, an education advocacy group is calling for teaching candidates to face tougher academic standards before starting their own studies.
TEXAS
Teacher Group, GOP At Odds Over School Flexibility Bill
Anniston Star, TX, February 5, 2013
The Alabama Education Association is preparing to square off against the Legislature’s Republican leadership in a battle over what’s left of Alabama’s failed charter school proposal.
VIRGINIA
Richmond School Board Votes ‘No’ On Hiring Help For Failing Schools
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, February 6, 2013
Five of Richmond’s chronically failing schools will have to wait at least another week before state-mandated help arrives, putting them more than a month behind schedule in receiving promised help.
Bolling’s Votes Pass 2 Education Reform Bills In Va. Senate
Washington Times, DC, February 5, 2013
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling cast tiebreaking votes Tuesday as the Senate passed two key components of Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell’s education-reform agenda.
WASHINGTON
Parents Joining Teachers’ Test Boycott As Garfield High Principals Give Exam
Seattle Times, WA, February 5, 2013
Seattle Superintendent José Banda has ordered Garfield High’s principal and assistant principals to give the tests that Garfield teachers have been protesting, but many students are opting out anyway.
State Superintendent Speaks On Education
News Tribune, WA, February 6, 2013
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn gave his thoughts on several wide-ranging education topics during an address Thursday at the Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Public Affairs Forum.
ONLINE LEARNING
Consider Virtual Schooling For Your Child
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, February 6, 2013
There are many education choices for Wisconsin children to best meet their learning needs. The state’s open enrollment period, when parents must make initial decisions on 2013 education options, started Monday. As the principal at Wisconsin Connections Academy, a virtual school educating students throughout the state, I urge parents to look at all options and make an informed choice.
Celebrating Digital Learning
Marshall Independent, MN, February 6, 2013
Marshall Public Schools will be part of the Second Annual National Digital Learning Day today, joining 50 states, nearly 25,000 teachers and millions of students who are celebrating the presence of technology in schools and spotlighting the digital learning that is taking place in classrooms across the country.
School District To Decide Fate Of K-12 Virtual School Charter
KUNC, CO, February 5, 2013
The future of the state’s largest virtual K-12 school will be decided by Adams 12 Five Star Board of Education members Wednesday night.