Daily Headlines for May 22, 2013
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
The College ‘Preparation Gap’ In A Single Graphic
Washington Post Blog, DC, May 22, 2013
An annual national survey of school curriculum concludes that there is a “large gap” between how high school teachers perceive their graduating students’ readiness for college and what professors expect freshmen to know.
Common Core Clash: AFT President Fires Back At State Education Officials
Washington Post, DC, May 21, 2013
The head of a major teachers union fired back Tuesday at state education officials who had dismissed her call for a moratorium on stakes associated with new standardized state tests in public schools.
Education Reform Is Only Part Of Answer To Student Achievement
Seattle Times, WA, May 21, 2013
But don’t expect state money, or reforms, or anything politicians in Olympia do will make Johnny do his homework. He will do it when he knows he can’t get out of it, and it will take people more powerful than politicians to convince him of that.
STATE COVERAGE
ARIZONA
AZ Grading System Hurts 3 Edge Schools
Arizona Star, AZ, May 22, 2013
Edge High School in Tucson takes in students from difficult backgrounds – about one out of 10 is homeless, many are parents or pregnant, some are sixth- or seventh-year seniors – and helps them graduate.
Desegregation Plan, Competition From Charter Schools Add To Tucson School District’s Financial Woes
KJZZ, AZ, May 21, 2013
School is out for summer, but Arizona school districts are looking ahead to the fall when they will face another year of lean budgets.
CALIFORNIA
Ratliff Holding Slim Lead In LAUSD Race
Los Angeles Times, CA, May 22, 2013
The race for an open seat on the Los Angeles Board of Education was close in early returns with Monica Ratliff ahead despite financial support and union backing that made her opponent, Antonio Sanchez, a heavy favorite.
COLORADO
Overhauling School Funding
Daily Camera, CO, May 22, 2013
It wasn’t the most attention-grabbing bill coming out of the legislature this year, but the most sweeping change to school funding in Colorado may be near.
CONNECTICUT
Against Proposed New Charter School
CT Post, CT, May 21, 2013
I am a parent of two children currently enrolled at Waltersville School. I have witnessed firsthand how underfunded the Bridgeport Public School District is.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Council Must Stop Micromanaging Public Schools
Washington Post, DC, May 21, 2013
ONE OF THE FIRST things D.C. Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large) did after taking over the newly constituted education committee was host a dinner aimed at establishing a new tone of collaboration for those involved in D.C. public education.
Meridian Continues To Examine Allegations Of Test-Tampering
Washington Post, DC, May 21, 2013
Meridian Public Charter School officials have said that are continuing to examine allegations of test-tampering at the school and have not yet disciplined any staff members.
FLORIDA
Florida Teacher Evaluation System Still Needs Tweaks, Panel Decides
Florida Times Union, FL, May 22, 2013
If Florida continues to base its teacher evaluations solely on student academic growth and observations from a principal, that might lead educators to “teach to the test.”
ILLINOIS
Teachers, Perpetual War Doesn’t Help Students
Chicago Tribune, IL, May 22, 2013
We point this out on a day when the Chicago public school system will make a gut-wrenching decision. The school board is set to vote Wednesday on whether to close 53 elementary schools. Chicago teachers and parents have been protesting, trying to save those schools.
LOUISIANA
Benjamin Mays Prep Families Still Await Orleans Parish School Board Takeover Answer
Times-Picayune, LA, May 21, 2013
Families at the Recovery School District charter school Benjamin Mays Prep continue to hope that this school year isn’t the last for the Desire-area elementary — but they got no answers Tuesday from the Orleans Parish School Board, one month after a parents’ group came to the board asking to be taken over. The Recovery School District is shutting down the school for poor academic performance.
MAINE
Maine Educators Object To Evaluation Emphasis
Kennebec Journal, ME, May 22, 2013
Teachers and school administrators took issue Tuesday with the weight given to student assessments in proposed regulations for teachers’ and principals’ evaluations.
MARYLAND
Montgomery Schools React To New Innovation, Intervention Plan
Maryland Gazette, MD, May 22, 2013
Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Joshua P. Starr said he believes there is no one-size-fits-all approach to school and student success.
Montgomery’s First Charter School Operates Under The School Board’s Radar
Maryland Gazette, MD, May 22, 2013
Community Montessori Charter School faced an initial rejection and then much scrutiny from Montgomery County school board members two years ago when applying to be the first public charter school in the county.
MASSACHUSETTS
Charter Schools In Boston Score Higher On Key Tests
Boston Globe, MA, May 22, 2013
Boston charter schools outperform other public schools on three popular barometers of achievement — the MCAS, the SAT, and the Advanced Placement exams — but tend to have lower four-year graduation rates, according to a study being released Wednesday.
Charter Idea Backed
Republican –American, MA, May 21, 2013
A string of political, business, philanthropic and educational heavyweights turned out Tuesday night to back a proposed new charter school.
MICHIGAN
Plan Makes Test Data Main Factor In Teacher Pay
Daily Press & Argus, MI, May 22, 2013
Teachers are responsible for producing well-rounded students but don’t control whether students come from stable homes or eat or exercise enough.
MISSOURI
Questions Of Accountability And Fairness Remain After Charter School’s Reprieve
Kansas City Star, MO, May 21, 2013
The lofty promise that is Gordon Parks Elementary School has won a reprieve, at least temporarily.
NEW JERSEY
Diegnan’s Charter School Bill
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, May 22, 2013
Assemblyman drops bill, which called for central review board and local approval for new and expanded charters
N.J. Charters Look At Teacher Evaluations
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, May 22, 2013
Following a parallel but very different path from their school-district brethren, New Jersey’s charter schools are finalizing plans for how they will evaluate teachers and principals.
OHIO
Bill Would Have Columbus Schools Share Levy Money With Charters
Columbus Dispatch, OH, May 21, 2013
State lawmakers drew attention to academic failures of the Columbus school district and to its ongoing data scandal tonight in the first talks over a bill that, if passed, could share district tax money with charter schools.
OKLAHOMA
Evaluating Teacher Training Programs Complex
The Oklahoman, OK, May 22, 2013
Regarding “Study shows need to better prepare teachers” (Our Views, May 10): I take exception to your endorsement of the study by the National Council on Teacher Quality evaluating the effectiveness of teacher training programs, and your recommendation that lawmakers “carefully review its findings on Oklahoma programs.”
Oklahoma Lawmakers Should Resist Push To Repeal Common Core
The Oklahoman, OK, May 22, 2013
IN a triumph of irrationality over reason, House Speaker T.W. Shannon abruptly announced that lawmakers might try to repeal Common Core academic standards in the legislative session’s final days.
PENNSYLVANIA
Nonprofit’s Study Critical Of Phila. Teacher Policies
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, May 22, 2013
The Philadelphia School District shells out too much for the health care of its teachers, who tend to be absent too often. Teacher pay ought to be revamped to keep strong performers, and effectiveness, not start date, should guide layoff decisions.
SOUTH CAROLINA
SC House Bill Would End ‘School Choice’ For Student-Property Owners
The Herald, SC, May 21, 2013
A decades-old form of “school choice” is under fire from lawmakers who say it is not fair to all S.C. families.
TEXAS
Bill To Create District To Improve Unacceptable Schools Dies In The Texas House
Dallas Morning News Blog, TX, May 21, 2013
A bill to create a district of underperforming schools with the goal of improving their ratings was killed in the House on Tuesday by a technical maneuver.
WASHINGTON
Catholic Schools Update To Compete With Charter Schools
Seattle Times, WA, May 21, 2013
A number of Catholic schools in Western Washington are embracing educational innovations in an attempt to update their curriculum and to better compete with the charter schools that will open here in the next few years.
WEST VIRGINIA
No Child Left Behind Waiver Will Bring Major Changes To Schools
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, May 22, 2013
They might not be immediately noticeable to students, but major changes are coming to education in West Virginia.
ONLINE LEARNING
iCademy Is New Online K-12 Charter School From LSSU
Second Wave, MI, May 22, 2013
Charter schools are nothing new for Upper Peninsula universities; they are located all over the state. But the latest one chartered by Lake Superior State University is different.
Reynoldsburg Takes Over Charter E-School
Columbus Dispatch, OH, May 22, 2013
The Reynoldsburg school board is taking over the charter e-school that it placed on probation last year.
Moratorium Bill In Springfield Could Halt Local Virtual Schools
Kane County Chronicle, IL, May 22, 2013
A proposed virtual school that could affect some Kane County schools would be delayed for a year if Gov. Pat Quinn signs into law a moratorium on charter schools like it.
Let’s Look At What Online Charter Schools Are Really Selling
Naperville Sun, IL, May 21, 2013
Sometimes it’s a hard sell. A K12-managed Illinois Virtual Charter School at Fox Valley — which was recently proposed by Virtual Learning Solutions, a non-profit company that as its name implies resists tangibility — was denied by all 18 of the school districts involved.