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
Education Programs Are Bad For Education
Washington Examiner, DC, March 12, 2013
Schools of education, whether graduate or undergraduate, tend to represent the academic slums of most college campuses. They tend to be home to students who have the lowest academic achievement test scores when they enter college, such as SAT scores.
FROM THE STATES
ALABAMA
New Poll Finds Strong Overall Support For School Choice, Support Slips When Tax Dollars Go To Private Schools
Alabama Blog, AL, March 12, 2013
A poll commissioned and paid for by Republicans has found solid support for a school choice plan passed by the Legislature Feb. 28.
ARKANSAS
Changes Could Come To The Charter School Process
THV11, AR, March 12, 2013
A House committee has approved legislation that would change the way Arkansas approves charter schools applications.
CALIFORNIA
L.A. Charter School Aims To Toss Out Students With Fake Addresses
Los Angeles Times, CA, March 13, 2013
Officials at Carpenter Community Charter, a top-notch elementary, think 120 children are enrolled fraudulently. They want to make room for students who live in the neighborhood.
Divided over L.A. Unified
Los Angeles Times, CA, March 12, 2013
One nasty election later, there is no sign that the divisiveness in the Los Angeles Unified School District will abate. If anything, it looks likely to increase, with activists in United Teachers Los Angeles announcing that teachers will vote on a passel of anti-reform positions.
Parent Trigger Group Gets Proposals To Remake LAUSD School
Contra Costa Times, CA, March 12, 2013
A group of Los Angeles parents who successfully invoked a state law to take over their failing school have received four proposals on how to remake the school, including one from the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Manteca Unified, Charter Schools Compete For Pupils
Manteca Bulletin, CA, March 13, 2013
Manteca Unified School District’s competition was fairly small just a few years ago. Primarily Christian schools such as St. Anthony’s, Plumfield Academy, Ripon Christian Schools, and Manteca Christian Schools competed with the district for students. And given parents had to come up with the tuition, the numbers of students who opted out of public school was small.
Students, Parents, Teachers Voice Support Of Imagine Imperial Valley To Local School Board
Imperial Press, CA, March 13, 2013
In an effort to ensure Imagine Imperial Valley stays open for years to come, parents and students alike pledged the charter school’s good work to the El Centro Elementary School District board of trustees at a meeting Tuesday.
COLORADO
Double Talk On Lobato Case Before The Colorado Supreme Court
Denver Post, CO, March 13, 2013
So if the Colorado Supreme Court upholds a district judge’s ruling that we grossly underfund our public schools, how long will judges, rather than elected lawmakers, dictate funding decisions?
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Median D.C. Charter School Outperforms Median Traditional, Study Finds
Washington Post, DC, March 13, 2013
Student proficiency in math and reading improved at the median D.C. public charter school over the past five years, while student proficiency at the city’s median traditional school declined, according to a new analysis of school data.
GEORGIA
Regional Charter School Idea Floated
Jackson Progress-Argus, GA, March 13, 2013
Area school officials are considering establishing a regional charter academy that would serve students from multiple counties, delivering a curriculum at least partly based around area business and industry needs.
Evaluation Process For Teachers Gaining Momentum Through Legislation
North Fulton, GA, March 12, 2013
State legislators are getting serious about the competency of teachers and administrators in local schools, and are putting political clout behind the drive. However, the legislation leaves more questions than answers for local school systems as they move toward full implementation.
INDIANA
Left In Dark On Charter Appeals
Journal Gazette, IN, March 13, 2013
Charter schools are public schools, financed with your tax dollars. Yet when Ball State University – a public, taxpayer-subsidized school – hears appeals from three local charter schools trying to save their Ball State-authorized charters, the hearings will be secret.
MASSACHUSETTS
Charter School’s Debt Shows Need For State Reforms
Gloucester Daily Times, MA, March 13, 2013
And the truth is, the schools debts once again point, more than anything else, to a dire lack of oversight on the part of the state’s Department of Education, and the need to reform the manner in which the state funds and then tends to its charter schools.
MICHIGAN
Charter School Boards Need More Training, Guidance
Bridge Magazine, MI, March 13, 2013
Since the new Legislature convened in January, more than 40 bills related to public education have been introduced. These bills cover a wide range of topics, from funding for pre-kindergarten programs to high school graduation requirements.
MISSISSIPPI
Senate Oks Ed Reform Bill In Close Vote
Clarion Ledger, MS, March 13, 2013
The Senate on Tuesday passed a comprehensive education reform bill that includes charter schools, but the vote was closer than expected and its fate in the House is uncertain.
NEVADA
Grants Save Rainshadow Community Charter School In Reno From Closing
Reno Gazette-Journal, NV, March 12, 2013
When news of the closing of Rainshadow Community Charter School came out last month, the community stepped up.
NEW JERSEY
Hatikvah Accuses E.B. Board Of Misusing Taxpayer Dollars
East Brunswick Sentinel, NJ, March 13, 2013
The Hatikvah International Academy Charter School’s board of trustees last week called upon the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and the state commissioner of education to probe the East Brunswick Board of Education for what the charter school board described as a “gross misuse of taxpayer dollars to fund its ongoing campaign against the dual-language charter school.”
Student Achievement, The Real Goal of Educator Evaluation
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, March 13, 2013
On March 6, the New Jersey Department of Education submitted to the State Board new teacher and principal evaluation regulations, which will be required to be fully implemented beginning in September 2013. Before we begin a spirited debate on the details of the department’s proscriptive approach in the code, we should take a moment to focus on the goals of educator effectiveness and the realities of implementing school reforms, on the ground-floor level, in New Jersey schools.
NEW MEXICO
Charter School Sex Case Is Shrouded In Secrecy
Albuquerque Journal, NM, March 13, 2013
The people running Bataan Military Academy seem to forget that it is a public school using taxpayer dollars to keep it in operation.
NEW YORK
Walcott Urges Principals To Engage Parents On New Academic Standards
New York Daily News, NY, March 12, 2013
Principals should do a better job engaging parents, city Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott admitted Tuesday.
OHIO
Kasich’s Pick Is Named State Schools Chief
Columbus Dispatch, OH, March 13, 2013
A divided state Board of Education yesterday named Gov. John Kasich’s top education adviser as Ohio school superintendent.
Court Orders Charter-School Manager To Open Books
Columbus Dispatch, OH, March 13, 2013
The Franklin County Court of Appeals upheld an order requiring Ohio’s largest for-profit manager of charter schools to share detailed financial records.
Gov. John Kasich’s School Funding Formula Would Increase Charter School Aid By 4.5 Percent
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, March 12, 2013
Charter schools would receive about $35 million more from the state — a 4.5 percent increase — under Gov. John Kasich’s proposed school funding formula than they have over the last two years, according to an analysis by the Legislative Service Commission.
OREGON
Supporters Of Kids Unlimited’s Charter School Proposal Pack House At Hearing
Mail Tribune, OR, March 13, 2013
The Medford School Board meeting room overflowed Monday night with supporters of Kids Unlimited’s proposed charter school, VIBES.
PENNSYLVANIA
Philly Charter School Lottery Shows Effects Of District Closures
6abc, PA, March 12, 2013
A thousand kids applied to get in, but there’s only room for a little more than 100. On Tuesday night, GLA, Global Leadership Academy Charter School in West Philadelphia, held its lottery for grades kindergarten through 8.
TENNESSEE
Charters Drain Funds From Other Students, Board Chairwoman Says
The Tennessean, TN, March 13, 2013
Charter schools are expected to siphon about $40 million from the Metro Nashville school budget next year, school board Chairwoman Cheryl Mayes said, leaving the district with a shortfall close to $30 million.
Tennessee House Committee OKs Voucher Bill
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, March 12, 2013
With heated discussion on both sides, a school-voucher bill passed 9-4 Tuesday in the House Education committee, moving Tennessee a step closer to allowing income-eligible children in failing schools to attend private schools with tax dollars in the fall.
WEST VIRGINIA
Education Bill Clears Senate Education Committee
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, March 12, 2013
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and supporters of his education initiatives won the first round on Tuesday as the Senate Education Committee approved a moderately altered version of his massive bill.
WISCONSIN
Arnold, Carstensen, Arnesen And Brien: Keep Public In Public Education
Capital Times, WI, March 13, 2013
Gov. Walker’s budget proposals for K-12 education continue to undermine local control of public education, while elevating private schools.
State Law Allows Unaccredited Voucher Schools To Stay In Program
Journal Sentinel Blog, WI, March 12, 2013
Three private schools in Milwaukee that have accepted millions of dollars from taxpayers through the voucher program are no longer accredited, but may continue accepting students because of a loophole in state law, records show.
ONLINE LEARNING
As I See It: A Solution To Cyber-Charter School Funding
Patriot News, PA, March 13, 2013
Next year, Pennsylvania’s public school districts will send $1 billion to charter and cyber-charter schools across the state. But what if Pennsylvania taxpayers could save $1 billion next year and every year after that. A bill now before the state Senate would do just that.
Cyber School Funding Reform Urged
The Sentinel, PA, March 12, 2013
Legislators can save $4.6 million in taxpayer dollars just by fixing the formula school districts use to fund cyber-charter schools, says a report from Education Matters in the Cumberland Valley.
Caution In Authorizing Online Schools Makes Sense
Jackson Sun, TN, March 13, 2013
A proposal by Gov. Bill Haslam to put limits on privately-run online schools in Tennessee is set to be taken up in a Senate committee this week. Better known as “virtual schools,” online education is a new approach to education that has potential, but still is in the developmental stage. Haslam is right to take a go-slow approach to bringing online education to Tennessee.
Fox Valley Districts Set Hearings On Proposed ‘Virtual’ Education Effort
Aurora Beacon News, IL, March 12, 2013
Residents of 17 Fox Valley school districts will get their chance to ask questions about a proposed charter school that would serve students online, rather than in a classroom.
Online Charter School Proposed for District 427
Daily Chronicle, IL, March 13, 2013
Sycamore School District 427 could add an online charter school next school year if the Board of Education approves.
BDHS Expands Virtual Classes
Beaver Dam Daily Citizen, WI, March 12, 2013
Beaver Dam High School principal Mark DiStefano said the Virtual Academy program at the school will expand next semester.
Virtual Charter School Enrolling Students
KNOE, LA, March 12, 2013
There’s no need to wait for the bell to ring to start learning, a group of educators have a different way to help students learn and they don’t have to go far to do it.