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
Curious Grade for Teachers: Nearly All Pass
New York Times, NY, March 31, 2013
Across the country, education reformers and their allies in both parties have revamped the way teachers are graded, abandoning methods under which nearly everyone was deemed satisfactory, even when students were falling behind.
School Suspensions: Does Racial Bias Feed The School-To-Prison Pipeline?
Christian Science Monitor, MA, March 31, 2013
Rocketing school suspensions may feed the school-to-prison pipeline – and even violate civil rights.
Parents Should Make the Choice
Carolina Journal, NC, April 1, 2013
By international standards, the opposite is true in both cases. America spends more tax dollars per student on elementary and secondary education than nearly every other country in the world. And with just over 90 percent of students enrolled in district-run public schools, America has less parental choice and competition than most of our international competitors do.
FROM THE STATES
ARIZONA
Teacher Judging To Get Stricter
Arizona Daily Star, AZ, April 1, 2013
In the fall, all Tucson-area school districts will start judging teachers more strictly based on how their students perform on standardized tests and other measures of student progress.
COLORADO
A Billion-Dollar Bet For Colorado Schools?
Denver Post, CO, March 31, 2013
If you’re going to ask voters for a billion-dollar tax hike for schools, you’d better have a more compelling explanation than the insipid adage, “We owe it to the children.” And state Sen. Mike Johnston, D-Denver, has no trouble passing the test, even if his bill rewriting Colorado’s school finance law doesn’t go as far as it might.
CONNECTICUT
Refining Teacher Prep Programs
Stamford Advocate, CT, March 31, 2013
Graduates of the state’s 21 teacher preparation programs need to be “classroom ready,” while the colleges that produce those teachers need to stand by their work, according to the report.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Charters Are Lifting The D.C. Public School System
Washington Post, DC, March 30, 2013
Courtland Milloy [“D.C. schools chief’s lofty goals face some tough tests,” Metro, March 20] wrongly claimed that D.C. public charter schools siphon resources and talented students from the public system.
FLORIDA
Public School Parents Solidly Reject ‘Parent Trigger’ Legislation
News-Press, FL, March 31, 2013
Despite a bruising defeat in the 2012 Florida Legislative session, Parent Trigger is something proponents are too stubborn to drop. Anointed 2013 sponsors, Rep. Carlos Trujillo and Sen. Kelli Stargel, struggling to re-position their brand say, “We want to give parents a seat at the table.” Thanks, but no thanks.
Debate Grows Over Merit Pay Plan For Teachers In Florida
Bradenton Herald, FL, April 1, 2013
Sen. Anitere Flores has a simple fix for a complex problem. The problem: Teachers have serious issues with the complicated new formula that will be used to evaluate them and determine pay raises. Some are being judged by the performance of students they’ve never met.
Conversation Starters On Charters To Come To Senate Education Committee
Tampa Bay Times Blog, FL, March 30, 2013
There’s been much talk in Tallahassee about the future of Florida charter schools during the legislative session, and the discussion is about to get more provocative.
GEORGIA
APS Officials To Begin Surrendering
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, March 31, 2013
The first of almost three dozen indicted educators are expected to walk through the doors of the Fulton County Jail around daybreak Monday to be searched, fingerprinted and processed as accused felons.
Charters Face Cuts After Dispute With School District
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, March 31, 2013
Atlanta’s charter schools are increasing class sizes, reducing staff and trimming budgets because nearly $3 million is being withheld from them in a legal dispute with the city school district. One judge has ruled the charters should have the money.
IDAHO
Grand Bargain For Schools Turns To Debacle In The Idaho Legislature
Idaho Statesman, ID, April 1, 2013
The Senate last week rejected the appropriations bill 18-17, a narrow defeat for a measure viewed as a compromise that had the backing of Idaho’s public schools chief, school boards and the Idaho teachers union. But it fell apart after Senate opponents charged the Joint Finance-Appropriations budget committee with not properly consulting with the Senate Education Committee about how key slices of the money were to be spent.
ILLINOIS
School-Closings Controversy Needs Some Reality Checks
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 31, 2013
As long as we’re playing “Let’s Pretend,” let’s also pretend lobbing accusations of racism is an effective negotiating gambit and a good lever to pull if you want to move public opinion toward your side.
INDIANA
Don’t Expand Scope Of School Vouchers
Northwest Times, IN, April 1, 2013
While we’re glad the Indiana Supreme Court upheld Indiana’s school voucher law, we’re not in a rush to see that law expanded.
LOUISIANA
Teacher Evaluation Law Up For Changes
The Advocate, LA, March 31, 2013
The chief sponsor of Louisiana’s teacher evaluation law said the change remains a solid idea, but some of the details need reworking.
MAINE
Bills To Limit Charter Schools Funding, Approval Slated For Monday Hearings
Morning Sentinel, ME, March 29, 2013
The Legislature’s education committee on Monday will hear a handful of bills to cut school district payments to charter schools and require local voter approval of new charter schools.
Oversight Unit Sits In Glare Of Charter Politics
Portland Press Herald, ME, April 1, 2013
Members say they can shun the fierce debate as they decide on doing an inquiry into one school’s finances.
MARYLAND
Baker Says School Takeover Plan Seeks To Make Prince George’s More Competitive
Washington Post, DC, March 30, 2013
Student test scores are among the lowest in the Washington region. Many classrooms are overcrowded. School buses often arrive late or not at all. Superintendents and teachers often leave after spending just a couple of years in the district.
Private K-12 Schools In Md. Get Little State Aid
Maryland Reporter, MD, March 31, 2013
The rift between public and private education couldn’t be much larger than it is in Maryland, where the public schools are boasted about as number 1 in the nation and the private schools receive less state funding than several neighboring states.
MASSACHUSETTS
The Ladder Lesson
Boston Globe, MA, April 1, 2013
In Lawrence, teachers’ raises will be based on merit, not seniority. But how will the union react?
MISSISSIPPI
Tate Reeves Risks Blame If Charter School Bills Fail As Session Winds Down
Mississippi Press, MS, April 1, 2013
Tate Reeves looked like a wizard after his first legislative session as Mississippi lieutenant governor. But the reputation of the Republican leader of the Senate could be in for a radical re-evaluation if a charter school expansion doesn’t make it into law in the closing days of the 2013 session.
Charters May Derail Successful Districts
Hattiesburg American, MS, April 1, 2013
We have always enjoyed tremendous success in Biloxi Public Schools, and our district is on track for even greater success.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Hostile To Charter Schools
Concord Monitor, NH, March 31, 2013
I don’t know what is in the water in Concord, but in the last year the House has gone from strongly supportive of public charter schools to outright hostility. Last week the House Finance Committee continued its assault on charters in a party-line vote to cut about $2.5 million from charter school tuition and leave charter school lease aid at $0.
NEW JERSEY
Trenton’s Foundation Academy Charter School Shows Potential For Success
Times of Trenton, NJ, April 1, 2013
When New Jersey’s charter school law was enacted two decades ago, the idea was that these smaller, more flexible institutions would be free to devise innovative approaches to challenges faced in regular public schools. And then their successes — innovations that worked — would be shared, with the hope that all students in a sponsoring district might benefit from fresh approaches to perennial issues.
Newark School Board Candidates Change Tone On Charter Schools
Star Ledger, NJ, March 31, 2013
As Newark’s school advisory board candidates hash out their positions in the run-up to the April 16 election, a change in tone has emerged from a slate once known for its opposition to charter schools.
Making The Grade In Camden Schools
Star-Ledger, NJ, March 31, 2013
The state takeover of public schools in New Jersey’s poorest city, Camden, last week is a move long overdue and presents a new opportunity for the local educational system to reinvent itself.
Critics Say Camden’s State-Appointed Schools Chief Will Have Too Much Power
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 1, 2013
An in-depth state report on Camden’s schools “in crisis” laid out several recommendations in August, including hiring a superintendent who could transform the district.
NEW MEXICO
Don’t Forget Charter Schools When Reforming Education
Albuquerque Journal, NM, March 31, 2013
In the modern era, education reform has been present in New Mexico at least since 1972. The conversation in 1972 was about equitable school funding by school enrollment.
NEW YORK
In N.Y.’S Schools, Anxiety Is High Over New Tests
News Journal, NY, March 31, 2013
If your child is due to take one of the state’s mysterious new tests in math and English later this month, don’t be surprised if he or she gets a lower score than in the past.
NORTH CAROLINA
In N.C., Teacher Tenure Doesn’t Mean A Guaranteed Job
Charlotte Observer, NC, March 31, 2013
A 34-year veteran teacher at Corinth Holders High in Wendell, he teaches U.S. history to 11th-graders, and he’s pretty sure that come fall, he’ll be there for his 35th year.
Broken Schools Or Broken Reform?
News-Record, NC, April 1, 2013
Having highly qualified teachers is essential to student success — but who in the future will be lured with wages that start low and fail to keep pace with our neighboring states?
N.C. Charter School Bill Is Very Troubling
Charlotte Observer, NC, March 31, 2013
There are so many troubling things about Senate Bill 337, an N.C. charter school bill unveiled last week, that it’s hard to know where to start. But this item stands out like a sore thumb: The bill would remove the requirement that at least half of a charter school’s teaching staff be certified, or be college educated.
OHIO
Lawmakers Aren’t Near A School-Funding Resolution
Columbus Dispatch, OH, April 1, 2013
Faced with an unpopular formula, a fast-approaching deadline, and an uncertain amount of money, Rep. Gerald Stebelton doubts a final school-funding plan can be crafted by the time the two-year state budget is approved.
Ohio’s New Chief Educator Is Expected To Seek Change
Columbus Dispatch, OH, March 31, 2013
People who know Ohio’s new state school superintendent have called him provocative, direct and impatient.
Urban Districts And Charter Schools Are More Likely To Get F’s On Report Cards
WKSU, OH, April 1, 2013
Starting this August, Ohio schools will be graded on a new set of criteria, ones are supposed to be tougher than the current district report cards. As StateImpact Ohio’s Ida Lieszkovszky reports, that means most urban districts and charter schools would get F’s.
OKLAHOMA
Conspiracy Theories About Common Core Should Be Ignored
The Oklahoman, OK, April 1, 2013
LAST week some lawmakers and citizens insisted that a state-developed, state-implemented set of academic standards is a federal conspiracy or even a United Nations takeover of education. Voters should recognize these views for the “black helicopter” musings that they are.
Oklahoma City Public Schools To Consider Grade-Changing Policy
The Oklahoman, OK, April 1, 2013
Oklahoma City public school students who fail a class but pass an end-of-instruction exam could receive a D in the course if the Oklahoma City School Board passes a recommended proposal at its meeting Monday night.
PENNSYLVANIA
NLRB To Oversee Union-Organizing Vote At Philadelphia Charter School
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 1, 2013
And, in what union officials said will be a first for a charter school in Pennsylvania, New Media’s union election will be overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) instead of Pennsylvania’s state labor board.
TENNESSEE
Bill Haslam Will Not Budge On Opposing The Expansion Of School Vouchers
Chattanooga Times Free Press, TN, April 1, 2013
Gov. Bill Haslam is prepared to withdraw his limited school voucher proposal from the Legislature if Senate Republicans carry out current plans to expand it, its sponsor says.
Could Charters Break MNPS Bank?
Nashville City Paper, TN, March 31, 2013
As the charter school movement gains steam in Nashville, local school board members are worried there’s not enough room in the budget to afford a windfall of the novel schools in years to come.
TEXAS
Vista Academy Students Get Pumped Up For First Shot At Assessments
Tyler Morning Telegraph, TX, April 1, 2013
Third- and fourth-graders at the Vista Academy of Tyler, a local charter school, were the center of attention during a pep rally on Friday. The rally was intended to encourage the students before they take state assessments this month.
WYOMING
Don’t Let Charter Schools Siphon Money From Public Schools
Billings Gazette, WY, March 30, 2013
Publicly funded charter schools might work well in some very large urban areas. However, Montana is sparsely populated (ranking 48th among 50 states, 2010 census). Our state is very rural. The counties with large K-12 enrollments are Yellowstone with 22,197, Missoula and Flathead with less than 13,500, and Gallatin and Cascade with less than 11,500.
Wyoming Schools Chief Cindy Hill Launches Public Schools Study
Star Tribune, WY, March 31, 2013
Superintendent of Public Instruction Cindy Hill is creating a report on the state’s public schools, which she and legislators say is intended to help guide education policy.
ONLINE LEARNING
Virtual School Uses ‘Blended Learning’
WPRI, RI, March 29, 2013
A high school unlike any Rhode Island has ever seen is set to open in September.
State Virtual School Could See Deep Funding Cut Under Lawmakers’ Proposal
Orlando Sentinel Blog, FL, March 29, 2013
When a student at a Florida public school takes a course with Florida Virtual School, the district doesn’t have to share any of its per-pupil funding — the online school gets money per class directly from the state.