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
Common Core: Nationalized State-Run Education
American Thinker, April 12, 2013
Common Core, the new federal education standards, may look delicious; but before you take a bite out of the apple, it might be a good idea to know a razor is inside.
Common Core Will Raise The Bar Of Standards, But Scores Will Go Down At First
New York Daily News, NY, April 12, 2013
Students will no longer be learning at the lower standards set by No Child Left Behind. We can only hope students will be learning more with standards that compete internationally.
STATE COVERAGE
ARIZONA
Governor Vetoes Bill Adding Disabled Kids To Charters
KVOA, AZ, April 11, 2013
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has vetoed a bill that would have allowed charter schools to enroll some disabled pre-school students because the Legislature didn’t include funding for the students.
CALIFORNIA
Greuel Vows School Reform As Garcetti Seeks End To ‘Division’
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 11, 2013
Los Angeles mayoral candidate Wendy Greuel laid out her plans to improve public schools on Thursday, pushing for tougher evaluations of teachers and principals, while opponent Eric Garcetti secured endorsements from a handful of African American leaders.
L.A. Teachers Vote ‘No Confidence’ In Supt. Deasy
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 12, 2013
In a referendum, 91% disapproved of the superintendent, the teachers union says. A measure sharply criticizing the union’s leadership and laying out priorities passes too.
Imagine That: Happy Ending To A ‘Parent Trigger’ Petition
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 11, 2013
The “parent trigger” movement underwent a maturation process in its latest campaign, a petition to restructure 24th Street Elementary in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
COLORADO
Plaintiffs In Douglas County School Voucher Fight Turn To High Court
Denver Post, CO, April 12, 2013
The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado filed a petition Thursday with the Colorado Supreme Court, asking that it overturn the state appeals court ruling that found that Douglas County schools’ voucher program did not violate the state constitution.
Report States Reform Efforts In Denver, Aurora Lacking
9NEWS, CO, April 11, 2013
A group of community leaders called A+ Denver launched a comprehensive study into whether or not reform efforts in urban schools are working as well as district leaders are claiming. The report shows that despite targeted funding more students are not ready for college.
CONNECTICUT
A Few Words Of Advice For Charter Naysayers
CT Post, CT, April 11, 2013
Not all advocates appreciate their critics, but I do. As an advocate for charter schools, I’m grateful for the passion of our naysyers and respect their dedication to public education.
DELAWARE
Delaware Charter School Troubles: Pencader Parents, Students Dealt Another Blow
Newsworks, DE, April 11, 2013
First Pencader Charter High School lost its charter; now, less than two months later, Pencader parents received more bad news.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Memo Warns Of Rampant Cheating In D.C. Public Schools
USA Today, April 11, 2013
District of Columbia Public Schools officials have long maintained that a 2011 test-cheating scandal that generated two government probes was limited to one elementary school. But a newly uncovered confidential memo warns as far back as January 2009 that educator cheating on 2008 standardized tests could have been widespread, with 191 teachers in 70 schools “implicated in possible testing infractions.”
FLORIDA
No Need For “Parent Trigger.” Florida Has “Parent Empowerment.”
Palm Beach Post, FL, April 12, 2013
The image of crusading parents turning around their children’s failing public school is compelling. That’s why advocates of so-called “parent trigger” laws invoke it. But in most cases, the image is a simplistic sham.
ILLINOIS
Illinois School-Choice Supporters Disappear For Dem Bill
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 12, 2013
In certain corners of the national education reform movement, there is no prize more coveted than a voucher system that gives parents the freedom to choose and the tuition to pay for private school enrollment so their children don’t have to attend an academically deficient public school.
High-Performing School Finds Itself On Closing List
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 121, 2013
A big blue banner hangs on the brick exterior of Calhoun North Elementary boasting how the East Garfield Park neighborhood school provides a rich array of computer access for students and has logged some of the best math scores in the city.
KENTUCKY
Teachers Union Denies Holding Up Low-Performing Jefferson County Schools
Louisville Courier-Journal, KY, April 12, 2013
The Jefferson County Teachers Association is denying claims by Kentucky Department of Education officials that its teachers are resisting changes at some of the district’s persistently low-achieving schools.
LOUISIANA
Louisiana Parents Have Power In Their Children’s Education, Study Says
Times-Picayune, LA, April 11, 2013
Louisiana parents have more power in their children’s education than parents in nearly every other state, according to a new report card from the pro-charter Center for Education Reform.
MASSACHUSETTS
Students Ask For More Charter Schools
WWLP 22News, MA, April 11, 2013
Hundreds of western Massachusetts students, teachers and parents are asking state lawmakers to raise the cap on the number of charter schools that are allowed to open, especially in the state’s low-performing districts.
MICHIGAN
Over 100 Michigan Charter Schools To Be Represented At Job Fair At Novi Showplace
Oakland Press, MI, April 11, 2013
More than 100 charter schools will be represented at a job fair Saturday, April 20 sponsored by the Michigan Association of Public School Academies, including many of the new charter schools expected to open next school year.
EM Roberts Rolls Out Plan To Revive Detroit Schools
Detroit News, MI, April 12, 2013
Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager Roy Roberts unveiled a plan Thursday to reverse a longtime enrollment slide and stabilize the district’s precarious finances.
MISSOURI
Missouri House Rejects Educator Evaluation Legislation
Missourian, MO, April 11, 2013
Missouri House members rejected legislation seeking to make changes to teacher tenure while requiring school districts to develop educator evaluation systems centered on student achievement.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Coalition Calls For Repeal Of N.H. Education Voucher Law
Portsmouth Herald, NH, April 12, 2013
A coalition of state educators, taxpayers and concerned citizens are calling for the repeal of what they call the “misguided Bradley-O’Brien education voucher law.”
NEW JERSEY
Opposition Muted as Christie’s School-Voucher Pilot Makes Public Debut
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, April 12, 2013
There were plenty of questions but little outright opposition as Gov. Chris Christie’s proposed school-vouchers program got its first public airing yesterday.
Traditional School Takeovers Aren’t Working
Daily Journal, NJ, April 12, 2013
As the state prepares to take over Camden schools, is it time to consider a different approach? One education policy think tank believes so.
For Failing Schools, There’s Another Option
Courier-Post, NJ, April 11, 2013
As the state prepares to take over Camden schools, is it time to consider a different approach? One education policy think tank believes so.
NEW YORK
Crown Heights Parents, Teachers Upset About Proposed School Closure, Co-Location
NY1, NY, April 11, 2013
A few dozen parents and teachers are fired up about a school closure and the proposed co-location of a charter school.
Lottery Nears For Utica Charter School; Staff Also Being Sought
Utica Observer Dispatch, NY, April 11, 2013
On Tuesday, April 30, Amela Pekmez hopes to win the lottery. The prize isn’t money. It’s a spot for her ninth-grader at the Utica Academy of Science Charter School.
NEW YORK
Walcott Faces Concerns Over Co-Location At West Harlem Town Hall
Columbia Spectator, NY, April 12, 2013
New York City Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott did little to assuage concerns about co-locations at a West Harlem town hall meeting Wednesday.
NORTH CAROLINA
Brunswick Must Repay What It Owes Charter School, Ruling Says
Star-News, NC, April 11, 2013
The Brunswick County school system has underfunded Roger Bacon Academy’s charter school operation and must repay the amount it shortchanged going back three years, according to a ruling Wednesday in Brunswick County Superior Court.
School Districts Could Create, Approve Charters Under New Bill
Winston-Salem Journal, NC, April 11, 2013
Two bills filed in the N.C. House this week could change the dynamic of charter schools in the state’s public education system.
OREGON
Armadillo Charter School Must Drop Its GED Program
Mail Tribune, OR, April 12, 2013
A popular GED program at the Armadillo Technical Institute may be dropped as the charter school and the Phoenix-Talent School District develop a new agreement to address concerns about low graduation and high dropout figures.
PENNSYLVANIA
Charter School Operators Defend Performance
Philadelphia Tribune, PA, April 11, 2013
While State Representative James Roebuck’s recent report and legislation is aimed at reforming the state’s charter school system – especially in light of several reports that have cast a pall of suspicion on numerous charter school operators – there are operators who view Roebuck’s legislation as an attack on properly run and executed alternative education programs.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Can School Choice Survive The SC Senate?
The Herald, SC, April 12, 2013
Supporters of a $39 million Senate plan to give parents tax deductions for sending their children to private schools are hopeful that the proposal will advance this year.
TENNESSEE
For-Profit Charters Still Alive, Taking Non-Traditional Route
Nashville Public Radio, TN, April 11, 2013
Governor Bill Haslam says for-profit charter schools are worth giving a look. He says a legislative proposal ending the state’s ban snuck up on him, but he’s open to the idea.
TEXAS
Senate Panel OKs Measure To Fund Tuition At Religious And Private Schools
Star-Telegram, TX, April 11, 2013
A state Senate committee on Thursday approved a high-profile school voucher plan, sending it to the full chamber for what could be a fierce floor fight.
Charter Schools Bill Advances
San Antonio Express, TX, April 11, 2013
Texas could have 100 more charter schools by 2019, and state officials could more easily close them if they perform poorly, under legislation adopted Thursday with broad bipartisan support by the Texas Senate.
ONLINE LEARNING
Teplitz Pushing For Six-Month Study On Fixing Charter School Tuition Rates
Patriot News, PA, April 11, 2013
State Sen. Rob Teplitz, D-Dauphin is pushing for a study he hopes will adjust tuition costs for Pennsylvania’s charter schools so they no longer burden public districts.
Online Learning Plan Out Of Line
Tampa Bay Times, FL, April 11, 2013
The Legislature’s stampede to significantly expand online learning for students in public schools has nothing to do with offering more options and meeting unmet needs.
Proposed Legislation Would Halt Local Virtual Charter School Plan
Elgin Courier News, IL, April 11, 2013
New legislation that has moved to the Illinois House floor for a vote would put a stop to a virtual charter school that’s seeking approval to open this fall in 18 Fox Valley districts.
Charters, Vouchers And Virtual
Northwest Herald, IL, April 11, 2013
K12 Inc., a virtual charter school corporation, is stalking the public schools in our region, attempting to get its hands on public education money.
State Lawmakers To Put Online Charter Schools On Standby
Northwest Herald, IL, April 12, 2013
As local school boards rejected this week a request from a proposed online charter school that would draw students from its schools, state lawmakers appear poised to slap a hold on the creation of virtual schools until regulations and guidelines to govern them can be crafted.