Daily Headlines for July 11, 2013
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NATIONAL COVERAGE
Teach For America critics gathering to organize resistance
Washington Post, July 10, 2013
Teach For America alumni and students of corps members who are critical of TFA are holding this weekend what amounts to the first national assembly aimed at organizing resistance to the organization that is popular with school reformers.
STATE COVERAGE
ALABAMA
Technology only a tool, not the final solution
Editorial
Tuscaloosa News, July 11, 2013
In a sense, the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education’s response to Davis-Emerson Middle School’s failing grade was predictable. Education professionals usually view student transfers out of district for any reason as a nuisance.
ARIZONA
MUSD’s six charter schools to evolve over next year
In Maricopa, July 10, 2013
The largest change, though, is the conversion of five of the district’s six elementary schools and one of the two middle schools into charter schools. Only, it won’t really be noticeable.
COLORADO
Convert all of Denver’s public schools to charter schools
Letter
Denver Post, July 10, 2013
It’s time to change, Denver. Time to elect people to the school board who have the strength of character to change our outdated, union-controlled school system.
CONNECTICUT
Bridgeport Superintendent Is Ordered to Step Down
Wall Street Journal, July 11, 2013
A Connecticut Superior Court judge on Wednesday ordered that Paul Vallas must immediately step down as Bridgeport’s school superintendent while the city appeals a ruling that found him unqualified for the job.
Malloy would spare students a standardized test double-whammy
The Day, July 11, 2013
The governor is working to prevent students from having to take two standardized tests next year and to stop students’ test scores from being included in teachers’ evaluations next school year.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Finding charter and traditional public school successes
Letter
Washington Post, July 11, 2013
The July 7 editorial “A gold star for charters” was right to note the significant performance of the District’s charter schools vs. those in the rest of the country. Kudos to the D.C. Public Charter School Board and the schools for their achievement.
FLORIDA
Dual-enrollment costs go to districts
Pensacola News Journal, July 11, 2013
When Tristan Dopyera graduated from Gulf Breeze High School in May, he left with more than a diploma. He received an associate’s degree from Pensacola State College at the same time, thanks to dual-enrollment courses that award high school and college credit.
Schools anticipate FCAT woes
Tampa Tribune, July 11, 2013
The Pasco County school district – and other districts statewide – are bracing for bad news this month when the Florida Department of Education releases the annual school grades.
GEORGIA
A rare day in education when we can say something’s working
Atlanta Journal Constitution Blog, July 11, 2013
Several recent high-profile reports give rise to a seldom-heard statement in the education community: Something’s working.
ILLINOIS
CPS releasing more money to schools
Chicago Tribune, July 11, 2013
After weeks of complaints from principals and parents about budget cuts, Chicago Public Schools released an additional $36 million to schools Wednesday.
MAINE
Legislative session ends with mixed reviews
Portland Daily Sun, July 10, 2013
These bills were aimed at stopping Maine’s fledgling charter school community and all were vetoed by Governor Paul LePage,” the group reported.
MARYLAND
Board of Education denies public charter school applicationM
Carroll County Times, July 11, 2013
The group that applied to open a public charter school in Carroll County must now regroup after its proposal to open the school in 2014 was struck down Wednesday.
MICHIGAN
Michigan schools again barred from collecting union dues
Detroit News, July 10, 2013
A Michigan law that prohibits school districts from helping unions collect dues is back on the books.
Severing with seniority
Lansing City Pulse, July 10, 2013
Lansing School District teacher layoffs will likely no longer be based solely on seniority
MISSOURI
Mehlville cites class sizes to block transfers
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 11, 2013
When faced with the prospect of accepting busloads of students transferring from Riverview Gardens schools, the response from the Mehlville district has been to essentially light a “no vacancy” sign.
NEW YORK
Parents Protest Proposal To Expand Charter School Into Harlem Special Education Building
NY1, July 11, 2013
The plan would give Success Academy three classrooms at P.S. 811 in Harlem.
The school serves autistic and developmentally disabled students from Harlem and Washington Heights.
Bronx Charter School Gives Students Hands-On Learning In Extra School Days
NY1, July 11, 2013
School is finally out for the summer at Mott Hall Charter, a new school with an extended school year. But even though classes stretched into July, students weren’t necessarily in classrooms.
NORTH CAROLINA
Senate rejects version of legislation for charter schools
Henderson Daily Dispatch, July 10, 2013
The state Senate is rejecting legislation that creates more rules to govern North Carolina’s growing number of public charter schools but scraps plans to set up a separate panel to oversee them.
PENNSYLVANIA
Improving schools for (their own) future kids
Philadelphia Daily News, July 11, 2013
SHORTLY AFTER former Philadelphia public-school teacher Megan Rosenbach bought her house in Point Breeze in June 2011, she began mobilizing around her neighborhood elementary school.
District’s tough sell to charter parents
Editorial
York Dispatch, July 10, 2013
Teams of York City School District staffers are taking to the streets, knocking on doors in hopes of luring back students who fled the financially and academically troubled district for charter schools.
School districts show their stuff on TV
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 11, 2013
The Woodland Hills and Penn Hills school districts have taken to the airwaves in an attempt to lure students back from charter schools and improve the way the public perceives the districts.
TENNESSEE
Merit pay plan for teachers is unfair
Letter
Knoxville News Sentinel, July 11, 2013
The Tennessee State Board of Education should be ashamed of moving our state education system closer to low-achieving states like Louisiana and Florida instead of toward higher-achieving states.
TEXAS
More Texas schools to fail U.S. education standards
American-Statesman Staff, July 11, 2013
The taint of failure could sully a majority of Texas public schools this summer under increasingly onerous federal education standards that no longer apply in most other states.
VIRGINIA
Norfolk discusses public charter schools
WAVY-TV, July 10, 2013
A Norfolk superintendent is proposing a plan to convert 10 public schools into charter schools.
WASHINGTON
Ahead of the Curve
Pacific Northwest Inlander, July 10, 2013
There are 295 school districts across the state of Washington. And so far only one, Spokane Public Schools, has opted to become a charter school authorizer. One reason, Superintendent Shelley Redinger says, is because local district leadership has experience in the charter school world.
City officials should care about schools
Editorial
Seattle Times, July 11, 2013
Seattle mayoral candidates are right to include the Seattle Public Schools in their vision for the city.
ONLINE LEARNING
Idea virtually expels in-school interaction
Opinion
Hutchinson News, July 10, 2013
The new virtual classes will be offered in partnership with the Southwest Kansas Education Center, also know as Greenbush. Greenbush? In southwest Kansas? I guess it is a virtual name.