Daily Headlines for September 18, 2013
Click here for Newswire, 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
GOP wants Justice to change ruling on Louisiana vouchers
Washington Times, DC, September 17, 2013
House GOP leaders came to the defense of school-choice advocates Tuesday, calling on the Justice Department to reconsider its legal opposition to a popular school voucher program in Louisiana that gives some students from low-income families the chance to escape failing education systems.
STATE COVERAGE
CALIFORNIA
Chaos, dysfunction and the L.A. Unified school board
Editorial, Los Angeles Times, CA, September 17, 2013
During a special meeting Tuesday, the Los Angeles Unified school board will try to figure out how the district should spend more than $113 million in one-time funding to get teachers and students ready for the Common Core curriculum, the new standards in English and math that are to go into effect next year and that emphasize critical thinking over rote memorization.
LAUSD approves $113M budget to train teachers for Common Core standards
Los Angeles Daily News, CA, September 17, 2013
After debating nearly two hours and voting down a proposed compromise, the Los Angeles Unified board on Tuesday approved a plan for spending $113 million to implement a new curriculum — the same budget that triggered the resignation of the district’s instructional chief when it was rejected last week.
COLORADO
Education reform bill authors pitch ballot measure
Post Independent, CO, September 17, 2013
The return on investment in early childhood education that would come with voter approval of Amendment 66 could be seen in about three years, as fewer children will need costly intervention programs to bring them up to speed when they reach third grade, according to the lead proponent of the measure.
CONNECTICUT
Did This Little Election Strike a Big Blow to Education Reform?
The Atlantic, September 17, 2013
Progressives and unions say a primary in Connecticut last week shows momentum is turning against the corporate-backed charter-school movement.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. charter board approves new preschool evaluation tool
Washington Post, DC, September 17, 2013
The D.C. Public Charter School Board has approved a revised evaluation tool for preschools that is one of the first efforts in the country to tie the success of early learning programs to the academic performance of their students.
FLORIDA
639 school officials scold charter schools
Herald Tribune, FL, September 17, 2013
Sarasota County School Board members lambasted the applications for new charter schools Tuesday, at times calling them “bizarre” and “disrespectful” and accusing one of plagiarism.
Broward charter school forced to close after two Fs
Sun Sentinel, FL, September 17, 2013
A Broward County charter school that received two F grades in a row must close, the State Board of Education decided Tuesday, leaving parents of 249 children scrambling to find a new school.
Company running F-, D-rated schools wants to open 3 more in Orange Co.
WFTV, FL, September 17, 2013
A charter school company that runs an F-rated school is fighting to open three more in Orange County.
Orange school board turns critical eye toward first round of charter applicants
Orlando Sentinel Blog, FL, September 17, 2013
Despite changes in state law, the Orange County School Board didn’t hold back when the first four charter applicants appeared before them Tuesday night.
Teachers still waiting for promised pay hikes
Sun Sentinel, FL, September 17, 2013
More than four months after Gov. Rick Scott and the legislature approved $480 million in raises for educators, teachers in South Florida have yet to see a dime.
Troubled St. Pete charter school faces closure
Tampa Tribune, FL, September 17, 2013
Only months after its elementary school was closed due to poor performance, Imagine Charter School in St. Petersburg’s middle school has learned it may face a similar fate.
Vitti says he, district ready to pursue charter students
Florida Times Union, FL, September 17, 2013
After years of watching students opt for private or charter schools, the superintendent of Duval County Public Schools says it’s time to fight and recapture those children.
HAWAII
Hawaii Charter Schools in Limbo Over Teacher Evaluations
Honolulu Civil Beat, HI, September 18, 2013
Hawaii is trying to find out whether its public school teachers are making the grade.
ILLINOIS
Better than a meaningless checklist: CPS’ new teacher evaluations
Editorial, Chicago Sun Times, IL, September 18, 2013
A key issue driving last year’s Chicago teachers strike was a new teacher evaluation system, one that for the first time judged teachers in part on how much their students learned.
New CPS teacher evaluations: Mixed reviews from CEO, principals, teachers
Chicago Sun Times, IL, September 18, 2013
The first year of the new teacher evaluation system at the heart of negotiations during last year’s Chicago teachers strike worked better than expected, Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett said, releasing individual results Wednesday to teachers.
LOUISIANA
School board still weighing options on charter schools
The Daily Advertiser, LA, September 18, 2013
There is no clear consensus among Lafayette Parish School Board members on whether they will approve charter schools for the district.
MARYLAND
Carroll commissioner announces Common Core study group
Baltimore Sun, MD, September 18, 2013
Carroll County Commissioner Doug Howard announced in a news release Tuesday the formation of a citizen study group that will examine concerns and the impact of the Common Core State Standards in the county.
MASSACHUSETTS
Test time for teachers union in mayor’s race
Column, Boston Globe, MA, September 18, 2013
Do unions still wield muscle in local elections? Richard Stutman hopes so. The president of the Boston Teachers Union, at least, thinks his group has the clout to make a difference in a close mayoral primary.
MICHIGAN
Tennis star Agassi greets students, parents at Detroit school he helped fund
Detroit News, MI, September 18, 2013
Tennis champion Andre Agassi visited southwest Detroit on Tuesday to meet the students, staff and parents of a charter academy he and partners helped to create.
MINNESOTA
St. Paul teachers reject district’s Q-Comp pitch
Pioneer Press, MN, September 17, 2013
The St. Paul teachers union rejected a district pitch to join Quality Compensation, or Q-Comp, the state’s alternative teacher pay and evaluation program.
MISSISSIPPI
Judge halts school takeover
Clarion Ledger, MS, September 18, 2013
A Hinds County judge granted Leflore County school officials a temporary restraining order to stop the state from taking over the district. Meanwhile, the Claiborne County school district is asking another judge to block a takeover there.
MISSOURI
Missouri Board of Education disappointed in Confluence charter schools
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, September 18, 2013
The Missouri Board of Education expressed frustration Tuesday with Confluence Academies, a cluster of struggling charter schools in St. Louis that have been under pressure this past year to improve.
Spend on school reform instead of on reform schools
Column, News-Leader, MO, September 18, 2013
According to the report, Missouri could save a lot of money in annual crime costs if its high school male graduation rate increased by just 5 percent.
NEW JERSEY
Going one on one with news superintendent of Camden public schools
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, September 17, 2013
When Paymon Rouhanifard was appointed by Gov. Chris Christie as superintendent of Camden public schools, questions quickly arose as to not only his plans for what is arguably New Jersey’s most troubled district but also his experience and credentials to lead the state’s fourth district takeover.
NEW YORK
Education Secretary Not Closely Following Mayor’s Race
Wall Street Journal Blog, September 18, 2013
The next New York City mayor will take control of the nation’s largest school system. But don’t look to the U.S. Secretary of Education for guidance on which candidate would be best for the city’s 1.1 million public schoolchildren.
Parents assail education officials on N.Y. school reforms
The Journal News, NY, September 17, 2013
The growing focus on testing in New York’s schools is sickening students, bewildering parents and threatening to undermine public confidence in the state’s education system, speaker after speaker said Tuesday at a public hearing on the state’s “reform” agenda.
Troy Prep files transportation appeal with state Education Department
Troy Record, NY, September 17, 2013
Troy Prep has filed an appeal with the state Education Department regarding ongoing transportation issues between the charter school and the Lansingburgh Central School District.
NORTH CAROLINA
Wake Schools to tackle high school drop out rate
WNCN, NC, September 18, 2013
Wake County School leaders say a variety of options are on the table to try and reduce the county’s high school drop out rate.
OHIO
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson vows that he “won’t be burned again” in his efforts for oversight of charter schools in the city
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, September 17, 2013
Mayor Frank Jackson’s not sure if state officials pulled a slick move on him last year when they left charter schools with an easy way to skirt his new school quality control panel.
Two Stories About Big-City Mayors Trying to Set Rules for Charter Schools
NPR StateImpact, OH, September 17, 2013
Over the past year, state legislators changed state law to allow charter schools in Ohio’s two biggest cities–Columbus and Cleveland–to receive local tax dollars.
PENNSYLVANIA
Residents give school district bad grades in Pew poll
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, September 18, 2013
PHILADELPHIANS gave the strapped school district the lowest rating in five years while placing blame equally on local and state leaders for the system’s woes, according to a poll released yesterday by the Pew Charitable Trusts.
RHODE ISLAND
Charter schools’ successes bolstered by caring parents
Column, Valley Breeze, RI, September 17, 2013
By the time you read this, the Cumberland Town Council will likely have approved a move strongly backed by Mayor Dan McKee to site a new Blackstone Valley Prep charter school in Valley Falls, across from Town Hall. It will displace the Currier Playground there, recreational space which the town will be forced to replace.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Parents look to charter schools to deal with overcrowding
WMBF, SC, September 17, 2013
While the Horry County School District is dealing with overcrowding, Bridgewater Academy says they have room for dozens more students and their low student-teacher ratio is attracting some parents.
TENNESSEE
Haslam asks school leaders to back off from criticizing Huffman
The Tennessean, TN, September 18, 2013
Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam took a flattering and conciliatory tone with irritated school leaders this week, but still told them to back off public criticism of beleaguered Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman.
Hopson Three-Year Contract Approved By School Board.
Memphis Daily News, TN, September 18, 2013
School board members voted down a resolution by board member David Pickler to call for a moratorium on the approval of any new charter schools statewide until the 2016-2017 school year.
WASHINGTON
Pride Prep has promise as pioneer for charters
Editorial, Spokesman Review, WA, September 18, 2013
While other school districts are taking a wait-and-see approach, Spokane Public Schools could have the first charter school in the state. Voters said they want them, and the district board and superintendent aren’t afraid to deliver.
Seattle redraws school maps to ease overcrowding
Seattle Times, WA, September 17, 2013
The Seattle school district is redrawing its attendance maps to make room for thousands of additional students expected by the end of the decade. School Board members saw the first proposal Tuesday, and parents will have several opportunities to weigh in before a final board vote in November.
WISCONSIN
Voucher schools need report cards, too
Editorial, Wisconsin State Journal, WI, September 17, 2013
Virtually every public school and school district across Wisconsin received a state report card Tuesday. The same performance summaries should be applied to all private schools that receive public money.
ONLINE LEARNING
Rossview students take on the digital frontier
Leaf Chronicle, TN, September 17, 2013
Enthusiastic students are learning the foundation of digital arts, design and computer programming in the Academy of Media Arts and Technology at Rossview High School.
WHS teacher blends learning in class
Shoshone News Press, ID, September 17, 2013
Mr. Hoffman waited for his ninth-grade Earth science students to raise their hands as they each worked on laptops and desktops Wednesday to complete a quiz on outer space.