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
Charter Schools Put Parents To The Test
Reuters, February 15, 2013
Charter schools pride themselves on asking a lot of their students. Many ask a great deal of parents, too.
Give School Choice Back To Parents, Teachers
Washington Times, DC, February 14, 2013
No one who truly cares about education (as opposed to the politics of education) should shed a tear if the waivers granted by the Obama administration to 34 states and the District of Columbia expire with congressional reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind law.
D.M. District Actions On Gateway School Reflect Flawed Vision
Des Moines Register, IA, February 15, 2013
Next week the Des Moines school board will vote on whether to close a school it opened just three years ago. And though that’s twice as long as the Des Moines Charter School, which met its demise last year, was given, it hardly seems enough time for the Gateway Secondary School to have proved itself.
FROM THE STATES
ALABAMA
Alabama Legislature: House OKs School Flexibility: Waivers Will Give Local Boards More Control Over Their Budgets, Curriculum
Montgomery Advertiser, AL, February 15, 2013
The House of Representatives has approved a measure that would allow schools to apply for waivers from certain state laws, including the competitive bid law.
ARKANSAS
Little Rock District Appealing Lawsuit On Charter Schools
Today’s THV, AR, February 14, 2013
Board members voted Thursday night 5 to 2 to move forward with their challenge to the US Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit. The district argues charter schools violate the state’s desegregation settlement.
CALIFORNIA
For L.A. School Board
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 15, 2013
The teachers union once had a virtual lock on the Los Angeles Unified school board, and the results weren’t pretty. Truly awful schools operated without accountability; the board worked harder to please teachers than to protect students.
Raising Quality In School Choice
Orange County Register, CA, February 15, 2013
California has long embraced the notion of ensuring that parents have more school choice options. The Associated Press recently reported, for example, that California added 81 public charter schools during the 2012-13 school year, pushing the state’s total number of publicly funded autonomous schools to more than 1,000 – the most in the nation.
LASD Calls For ‘Pause’ In Litigation With Bullis
Mountain View Voice, CA, February 14, 2013
The head of the Los Altos School District’s board of has proposed halting all litigation between his district and Bullis Charter School, at least temporarily, so that the two organizations can focus on negotiations. The suggestion appears to be a non-starter with the charter school.
Union Wins Right To Represent Valley Charter School
Los Angeles Times Blog, CA, February 14, 2013
The Los Angeles teachers union announced Wednesday night that it has won the right to negotiate a contract for teachers and counselors at a West San Fernando Valley charter school.
COLORADO
Colorado Education Board Reviews Report On Turnaround Schools
Denver Post, CO, February 15, 2013
Working with partners to bring in experienced school turnaround professionals is the most important component of successfully reshaping a failing school, a new report says.
Financial Trouble Puts Some Charter Schools In Danger Of Closing
9NEWS, CO, February 14, 2013
What many don’t realize is their child’s school could be in danger of closing before they graduate.
CONNECTICUT
Danbury Parents Want School Choice
Danbury News Times, CT, February 14, 2013
Seven hundred twenty-two Danbury parents signed up their children for 42 seats next year at the Western Connecticut Academy for International Studies elementary magnet school.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C.’s Odd Resistance To More Charter Schools
Washington Post, DC, February 14, 2013
ONLY 34 PERCENT of D.C. public-school students are in top-quality schools. The District — particularly struggling neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River — is in urgent need of schools that can perform. So one would think that the city would be clamoring to welcome a renowned charter nonprofit that wants to bring its record of educational success with disadvantaged students to the nation’s capital.
D.C. Will Invest More In Schools Next Year, Gray Says
Washington Post, DC, February 14, 2013
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) wants to give the city’s schools more money next year, raising the basic allocation for each student from $9,124 to $9,306.
FLORIDA
Students Do Not Excel In Merit-Pay Plan Schools
News-Press, FL, February 15, 2013
For months Exxon/Mobil aired a series of commercials which claim that on standardized tests in math and science U.S. students rank 17th and 25th in the world respectively.
School Supt. Encourages White Springs To Pursue Charter School
Suwanee Democrat, FL, February 14, 2013
White Springs Vice Mayor Walter McKenzie, on behalf of Mayor Helen Miller, addressed the Hamilton County School Board on Monday, Feb. 11 regarding the charter school denial that was voted on by the board on Jan. 28.
ILLINOIS
UNO Hires Ex-Judge To Review Charter-School Spending
Chicago Sun Times, IL, February 14, 2013
United Neighborhood Organization officials said Thursday they have hired former U.S. District Judge Wayne Andersen to conduct a review of how their charter-school network selected companies to build new schools with state grant money.
Will Boosting Public Funding For Charter Schools Be Smart Money?
Medill Reports: Chicago, February 14, 2013
Is a bill to increase charter funding fair, as its supporters say, or a blank check, as its critics insist? This is a question Chicagoans will need to ask themselves after a prominent charter network came under scrutiny for its spending of state money.
INDIANA
East Allen Explores Sponsoring Johnson Charter School
Fort Wayne Daily News, IN, February 15, 2013
The East Allen School Board is exploring the possibility of becoming the new authorizer for the Timothy L. Johnson Charter School.
IOWA
Branstad’s Education Reforms Scaled Back
Des Moines Register, IA, February 15, 2013
Big changes to Gov. Terry Branstad’s education reform package approved during a late-night debate Wednesday won cheers from Republicans and jeers from Democrats on Thursday.
Iowa Poll: Teacher Pay Is Best Use For Surplus, Iowans Say
Iowa City Press-Citizen, IA, February 14, 2013
Most Iowans believe that paying more to beginning teachers and to successful teachers who take on mentoring roles would make a major difference in the quality of instruction students receive, according to a new Iowa Poll.
LOUISIANA
Schools Expo Aims To Introduce Families To Options For Kids
Times Picayune, LA, February 14, 2013
The seventh annual New Orleans Schools Expo takes place Saturday at the Superdome from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and will feature 75 public, private and parochial schools and charter groups.
MARYLAND
Test Scores Critical In Achievement Gap Struggle
Maryland Gazette, MD, February 15, 2013
As many of the state’s 24 school systems continue to struggle with crafting teacher and principal evaluations that reliably measure effectiveness, the pressures on the local officials continue to mount.
MASSACHUSETTS
Charter Sell-Off A City Opportunity
Gloucester Daily Times, MA, February 15, 2013
It’s interesting to note that the state’s Department of Education is working with the Board of Trustees of the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School to ensure all is on the up-and-up regarding a pending sell-off of the school’s furniture, computers and other equipment to pay the bankrupt schools creditors.
MICHIGAN
More Is Less In Snyder’s School Funding Plan
Detroit News, MI, February 15, 2013
A proposed 2-percent increase in public education spending next year could in reality leave many school districts with less money than they’re getting this year.
MINNESOTA
State Approves Process To Establish Tech Charter Schools In Southern Minnesota
Mankato Free Press, MN, February 14, 2013
The Minnesota Department of Education has approved a charter authorizing the opening of several technical-focused, project-based public charter high schools in southern Minnesota.
MISSISSIPPI
Charter Schools Prevent Reform
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, February 15, 2013
As we embark on our journey toward charter schools, we need to examine likely outcomes.
MONTANA
Senate Approves School Choice Bill Creating New Tax Credit
Ravalli Republic, MT, February 14, 2013
The state Senate Thursday advanced one of the session’s major school choice bills, which creates a new state income-tax credit for donating to “scholarship organizations” that help students attending private schools.
NEBRASKA
Private Schools Offer Great Choices
Omaha World-Herald, NE, February 15, 2013
Earlier this month more than 3,600 events were held across the country commemorating National School Choice Week — including four events in Omaha alone.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Charter School Funding Fix Moves Forward In House
Nashua Telegraph, NH, February 14, 2013
A bill that aims to end the moratorium on new charter schools took another step forward Tuesday, passing through the House Education Committee.
NEW MEXICO
‘Trojan Horses’ Undermine Schools
Albuquerque Journal, NM, February 15, 2013
This is an apt metaphor for how public education in New Mexico is being privatized. With roughly $8,000 allocated annually for each student attending public schools, there is a big economic incentive for education businesses to figure out how to access these public funds.
NEW YORK
How To Make New Evaluations Stick
New York Daily News, NY, February 15, 2013
Last month, Gov. Cuomo offered a new plan to break the impasse between New York City and the United Federation of Teachers over a new teacher evaluation system. Make a deal soon, he said, or you’ll be forced to use a plan designed by the state.
Schools Firm on Deposits
Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2013
New York City private schools won’t delay their deadline for requiring deposits—even though it falls two days before the city notifies students about their acceptances to public high schools, officials said Thursday.
Parents Want Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School to Expand
YNN, NY, February 14, 2013
The Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School is relatively new to the area, but parents of the students who go there say it has had made a big impact on their children.
Powerful State Lawmakers Push for a New Public-School Scholarship Program
New York Times, NY, February 15, 2013
A scholarship to help those students trapped in failing public schools to attend a school of their choice is near the top of the legislative agenda for several top lawmakers.
PENNSYLVANIA
MaST Charter School Officials To Appeal Neshaminy Denial
Courier Times, PA, February 15, 2013
MaST Community Charter School officials plan to appeal the denial of their application to open a school in the Neshaminy School District, officials said Thursday
Scranton Teachers Now Evaluating Principals
Scranton Times Tribune, PA, February 15, 2013
Scranton teachers are grading more than papers. Some are now grading their principals.
Yorkcounts Group Elaborates On All-Charter Proposal For City School District
York Daily Record, PA, February 14, 2013
Representatives of YorkCounts explained more Thursday about why they think an all-charter school system is the “only viable, doable option” for transforming the York City School District.
SOUTH CAROLINA
SC Senate: Let Governor, Not Voters, Choose State Schools Chief
The State, SC, February 14, 2013
S.C. voters would decide whether they want to elect the state’s schools chief or have the governor appoint a superintendent and oversee that post if a state Senate proposal becomes law.
VIRGINIA
Schools Struggling To Match State For Teacher Raises
The Virginian-Pilot, VA, February 15, 2013
It looked pretty good, at first. The governor announced in December he would back a 2 percent raise for school employees – the first state funds for a teacher pay raise in five years.
WEST VIRGINIA
Tomblin Says Education Bills Should Be Introduced In Legislature Next Week
Charleston Gazette, WV, February 14, 2013
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said Thursday initial legislative response to his proposals for public education reform has been “pretty positive,” and said the legislation should be introduced in the House and Senate by the end of next week.
State Board Ready To Tackle Tomblin’s Education Priorities
Charleston Gazette, WV, February 14, 2013
West Virginia Board of Education members say they’re ready to work with Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin to help reform the state’s public schools.
ONLINE LEARNING
Educators Discuss Virtual Schools At Natick Forum
MetroWest Daily News, MA, February 15, 2013
Local education leaders Thursday received a primer on the state’s new virtual school initiative as representatives from the nonprofit VHS Collaborative discussed ways to expand districts’ on-line education.
Online School Grade Changes Scandalous
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, February 15, 2013
“Horrified” was the word state Rep. Gloria Johnson, D-Knoxville, used to describe an email that the Tennessee Virtual Academy vice principal sent in December directing middle school teachers to delete September and October student grades.