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
Test Scores of Hispanics Vary Widely Across 5 Most Populous States, Analysis Shows
New York Times, NY, February 22, 2013
Of all the changes sweeping through the American public education system, one of the most significant is simply demographic: the growing population of Hispanic students.
Education Secretary Decries Sequestration
USA Today, February 21, 2013
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan came out swinging Thursday, directing his harshest words at congressional lawmakers before what he calls “increasingly likely” mandatory spending cuts for “real kids, real teachers and real classrooms” from sequestration this March.
Charter Schools, Through The Prism Of Economics
Detroit News, MI, February 22, 2013
How long would an organization stay in business if it continually produced a product that failed to meet standards of quality? For too long has our nation’s educational system been insulated from competition and has stagnated, failing our most marginalized children.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
Charter School’s Appeal Rejected
Merced Sun-Star, CA, February 22, 2013
Almond Grove Charter School proponents are pondering their next move. Earlier this week, the Merced County Board of Education denied an appeal of a plan previously rejected by McSwain trustees to allow a charter school in their area.
Most Closed Schools Don’t Stay That Way For Long
Sacramento Bee, CA, February 21, 2013
If the Sacramento City Unified school board votes to close 10 schools tonight, chances are many will reopen soon as specialty or charter schools.
COLORADO
Charter School Wants ‘Fair Share’ Of Mill Levy Override Money
9 News, CO, February 21, 2013
When Principal Jay Cerny was asked by Cherry Creek School District leaders to support the passage of a $25 million mill levy last fall, he says he thought his school would receive more funding if successful. The measure passed. The money didn’t come.
CONNECTICUT
New Haven Charter Panel Urged Not To Endorse Elected School Board
New Haven Register, CT, February 21, 2013
One of the largest and most dividing proposed changes put forth in public hearings is to elect members to the Board of Education. They are currently appointed by the mayor. The mayor also serves as a member on the Board of Education.
DELAWARE
State Monitors Flunk Pencader, Revoke School’s Charter
News Journal, DE, February 22, 2013
Although parents and students had urged state officials to give them one more chance, the state Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to close Pencader Business and Finance Charter School.
FLORIDA
Decision In T-U Lawsuit Over Teacher Evaluations At Least Two Weeks Away
Florida Times Union, FL, February 21, 2013
The judge hearing The Florida Times-Union’s lawsuit to obtain the state’s controversial value-added teacher performance data won’t make a decision for at least two weeks.
Somerset Kindergartners in Coral Gables in Limbo for Next School Year
Miami Herald, FL, February 21, 2013
A month into the school year, when Somerset Academy Gables called to say a coveted seat had opened up, Jorge Guerra pulled his 5-year-old son George out of South Miami K-8 Center and placed him in the charter school’s kindergarten campus.
Two Florida Civil Rights Groups Oppose Parent Trigger Bill
State Impact, FL, February 21, 2013
Two civil right groups have teamed up to write resolutions against the proposed Parent Empowerment in Education bill in Florida.
IDAHO
Charter School Funding Bill Introduced
Magic Valley Times News, ID, February 22, 2013
Idaho charter schools would be eligible for state funding to help pay for building improvements and operations under a bill making its way through the House.
Don’t Look At Them As ‘Education’ Bills
Coeur d’Alene Press, ID, February 22, 2013
When Idaho voters roundly rejected Propositions 1, 2 and 3 – Superintendent Tom Luna’s “Students Come First” education reforms – it was a stinging blow to both Luna and Gov. Butch Otter. After having their proverbial hats handed to them, both promised to start over and gather professionals from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives to craft a plan to improve K-12 education in Idaho that would have broad support.
ILLINOIS
New Schools Meet Old School Cronyism …
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 22, 2013
The United Neighborhood Organization runs some of the more innovative and effective charter schools in Chicago. UNO schools offer students, many from working-class Hispanic families, a choice, an alternative to lackluster neighborhood schools.
Chicago Public Schools Proposes Closing 2 Charter High Schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 21, 2013
Chicago Public Schools officials will recommend that two charter high schools be closed this year because of poor performance, officials said Thursday.
INDIANA
Failing Grade For The State’s New Grading System
News-Sentinel, IN, February 22, 2013
What a difference a year makes. Gov. Mitch Daniels and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett are gone, and the reforms they pushed through aren’t safe even with their fellow Republicans having a supermajority in both the House and Senate.
Mayoral Charter Fees Are Fair, Says Councilman
Indianapolis Recorder, IN, February 21, 2013
In his Feb. 15 opinion piece, Abdul-Hakim Shabazz criticized my recent proposal for the Indianapolis mayor to collect a nominal administrative fee from charter schools he authorizes. Unfortunately, he omitted some very important information.
Schools Chief To Keep Voucher Power
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, February 22, 2013
GOP House Speaker Brian Bosma killed a bill Thursday that would have cut the Democratic superintendent of public instruction out of the state voucher program.
Voucher Squabble Doing Disservice To Hoosier Families
Evansville Courier Press, IN, February 22, 2013
The Indiana House Education Committee voted along party lines on Wednesday 7-4 to take oversight of the state voucher program away from the state’s new superintendent of public instruction, Democrat Glenda Ritz, and turn it over to the state’s Office of Management and Budget, which is controlled by Republican Gov. Mike Pence.
LOUISIANA
Lawmaker, Union Blast Education Changes
The Advocate, LA, February 22, 2013
State lawmakers should substitute teach for at least 40 hours a year in a school rated a “C” or lower to understand the plight of classroom teachers amid sweeping state educational reforms, a state representative said Thursday.
MASSACHUSETTS
Boston Charter School Faces Probation
Boston Globe, MA, February 22, 2013
One of Boston’s oldest and largest charter schools is facing possible probation because of declining academic achievement, a rarely ¬imposed sanction that could lead to the school’s closing.
MONTANA
Changes Could Derail School Bill
Great Falls Tribune, MT, February 21, 2013
Proposed last-minute amendments to an education funding bill by state Sen. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, before it hits the Senate floor today or Saturday could mean the death of a bill that has received broad bipartisan support early in Montana’s legislative session.
NEW JERSEY
Majority of NJ Schools Opt for Widely Used Teacher-Evaluation Method
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, February 22, 2013
As New Jersey public schools get ready for next school year’s newly mandated teacher-evaluation system, a majority of them are opting to use a system created by a Princeton-based firm.
Fort Lee Board of Education Objects to Charter Schools
Fort Lee Suburbanite, NJ, February 22, 2013
Prompted by years of parental prodding, the Board of Education agreed Feb. 11 to draft a resolution that would formally object to the formation of charter schools in Fort Lee.
NEW YORK
Judge Blocks Cuomo Cuts for Schools
Wall Street Journal, February 22, 2013
A judge temporarily blocked Gov. Andrew Cuomo from withholding $260 million in state aid from New York City, saying students shouldn’t be punished for the failure of the city and its teachers union to reach a deal on a new evaluation system.
Schools Fix Is In
New York Post, NY, February 22, 2013
So now it’s up to state Education Commissioner John King and his band of Albany bureaucrats to chum up an effective New York City teacher-evaluation system?
Brownsville Academy Co-Location Plan Withdrawn
News 12 Brooklyn, NY, February 21, 2013
The Department of Education (DOE) has withdrawn its plans to co-locate a charter school with another charter school, after months of fighting between the school and the DOE.
NORTH CAROLINA
Study Up on School Choice
Carolina Journal, NC, February 22, 2013
North Carolina conservatives have embraced parental choice and competition as indispensable elements of education reform for decades. Now that conservatives are in the majority in state government, you can expect more proposals to expand choice and competition as part of a larger reform strategy that includes higher academic standards, rigorous testing, and greater autonomy for local schools and districts to hire, retain, and compensate educators on the basis of performance.
OHIO
Ohio Federation Of Teachers Members Take Concerns About Teacher Evaluations To State Legislators
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, February 21, 2013
Members of the Ohio Federation of Teachers fanned out across the offices of state legislators today to air their concerns about new teacher evaluations and other changes in Gov. John Kasich’s proposed budget.
Charter School Opposition Flawed
Tribune Chronicle, OH, February 22, 2013
I found the recent article about the League of Women Voters forum on the costs of charter schools interesting but was disappointed that while the forum included those against charter schools, it did not include charter school proponents or parents who have chosen charter schools. The public really needs to hear all the facts before coming to a conclusion that charter schools are negative for our community.
PENNSYLVANIA
Harrisburg School District Expenses Could Grow To $180 Million
Patriot News, PA, February 22, 2013
And it means a student body down by 762, or 11 percent, in traditional classrooms citywide as 1,099 more opt to attend charter schools.
Boarding School Group Will Bring Charter Back To Erie School Board
Erie Times-News, PA, February 22, 2013
Bishop Dwane Brock’s proposed Eagle’s Nest College Preparatory Charter School was unanimously voted down by the Erie School Board Wednesday, but Brock is still optimistic his school will open in the fall.
Protesters Interrupt A Meeting To Decry Proposed Philadelphia School Closings
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 22, 2013
As the march toward the largest mass school closing in Philadelphia history continues, the voices of detractors grow louder.
TEXAS
Patrick’s Bill Could Improve Charter Schools
Dallas Morning News, TX, February 21, 2013
Let’s make this clear at the outset: There’s no magic formula for raising the achievement levels of Texas’ 5 million students, but state legislators and school districts can take various steps to give young Texans greater opportunities for a better education. One way is providing enough high-performing charter schools.
Charter School Proposal Is Being Studied
San Antonio Express, TX, February 21, 2013
Lawmakers heard hours of testimony Thursday on a bill to expand the charter school system that was introduced this week by the Senate Education Committee chairman, Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston.
Education Is Under Attack In Our State
El Pasco Times, TX, February 22, 2013
On Saturday, Texans will march down Austin’s Congress Avenue converging upon the State Capitol to advocate in the Save Texas Schools Rally.
WISCONSIN
State Superintendent Opposes Walker’s School Voucher Plan
WTAQ, WI, February 22, 2013
The state superintendent of schools says Governor Walker’s proposal to expand a voucher program needs to be reined in.
ONLINE LEARNING
West Aurora Questions Plan For Online Charter School
The Beacon-News, IL, February 21, 2013
An online charter school based in St. Charles has approached several area school district’s about the program it plans to launch in the fall.