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
School Improvement Grants Need Some Work
Opinion, US News & World Report, November 25, 2013
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education released an analysis of the School Improvement Grant program, and the results merit some concern.
What Happens When Great Teachers Get $20,000 to Work in Low-Income Schools?
Slate Magazine, November 25, 2013
Teacher merit pay. It’s one of those perennially popular policy ideas that, historically, hasn’t worked very well.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Council committee approves bill to give schools more money for “at risk” students
Washington Post, DC, November 25, 2013
The D.C. Council’s education committee on Monday unanimously approved a bill that aims to provide the city’s public schools with additional money to help low-income students and others at risk of academic failure.
FLORIDA
Florida NEA’s $15 Million Spree
Dropout Nation, November 25, 2013
Slowly but surely, the annual financial disclosures provided by affiliates of the National Education Association to the U.S. Department of Labor are coming available for public consumption. And in the case of the nation’s largest teachers’ union’s Florida affiliate, the spending on preserving influence is quite sizable.
LOUISIANA
State recommends charter extensions, renewals for 25 schools
Times-Picayune, LA, November 25, 2013
Fourteen New Orleans and Baton Rouge charter schools are getting contract renewals of three to 10 years. In addition, 11 New Orleans charters that opened in 2009 could get one-year extensions.
NEW MEXICO
Awards given for charters
Column, Albuquerque Journal, NM, November 26, 2013
One of the best things about my job is that I get to travel the state visiting charter schools. I am always astounded by the positive vision for education and the passion for teaching that I find.
NEW JERSEY
Common Core Standards, online testing continue to gain ground in NJ
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, November 26, 2013
While a few states are getting cold feet about the new Common Core State Standards and the online testing they entail, most New Jersey politicians are concerned chiefly about costs and are waiting — none too patiently — for more details from the Christie administration.
N.J. lawmakers look to prevent school dropouts with new government office
Star-Ledger, NJ, November 25, 2013
The Assembly Education Committee is expected to vote on a bill to establish an office in the Department of Education focused on dropout prevention and outreach to out-of-school youth.
School Choice districts that ‘swap’ students may lose targeted tuition aid in 2014-15
Hunterdon County Democrat, NJ, November 25, 2013
School Choice districts that “swap” students could lose state tuition aid for those students next year, as part of a move by Department of Education officials to stem the growing cost of the program.
NEW YORK
Education reform backed by the wealthy
Albany Times Union, NY, November 25, 2013
A team of two dozen well-paid analysts embedded in the State Education Department is having a dramatic impact on a reform agenda that’s causing controversy throughout New York.
Take a lesson, Bill
Opinion, New York Daily News, NY, November 26, 2013
In his first policy speech since his big win, Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio vowed to fight like hell to live up to his signature promise of providing universal pre-k and expanded after school-programs, and paying for them through a tax on the wealthy.
NORTH CAROLINA
N.C. teachers see legislative changes as harmful, survey finds
Star News, NC, November 25, 2013
“North Carolina is hurting itself by not treating teachers better.” “For the first time in my career, I find myself exploring other options. And I love teaching.” “Education in North Carolina is broken.”
PENNSYLVANIA
Improve both reform bills
Editorial, Scranton Times-Tribune, PA, November 26, 2013
Charter schools are a permanent and permanently controversial part of public education in Pennsylvania.
The state Senate should reject flawed charter school bill: Susan Spicka
Op-Ed, Patriot News, PA, November 25, 2013
The Pennsylvania Senate is poised to vote on a bill that would weaken our local public schools and gut taxpayer control over how our school tax dollars are spent.
RHODE ISLAND
At R.I.’s urban schools, graduation rates are rising
Providence Journal, RI, November 26, 2013
High school graduation rates in Rhode Island’s poorest cities improved at more than twice the rate of the rest of the state during the last five years, according to a report released Monday by Rhode Island KidsCount.
TENNESSEE
Kevin Huffman ‘surprised’ by amount of time MNPS board devotes to charters
The Tennessean Blog, TN, November 25, 2013
I was unable to squeeze in Huffman’s thoughts on the Metro school board, which has increasingly raised concerns over the financial toll of charter school expansion in Nashville.
School turnaround requires a village
The Tennessean, TN, November 26, 2013
In the picture she shows teachers who come to work for her, Tammy Garrett is a third-grader on roller skates, hamming it up for the camera in front of the trailer park where she grew up.
VIRGINIA
Virginia’s K-12 reform initiatives
Commentary, Suffolk News Herald, VA, November 25, 2013
The time is now to end the excuses for chronically under-performing and unaccredited schools. This year we took decisive action to challenge the status quo. We created the Opportunity Education Institution to turn around failing schools and provide high quality alternatives for these children. We also passed legislation to bring Teach For America to Virginia to focus on closing the achievement gaps among students in low-income areas.
WASHINGTON
Three groups seek charter schools in Spokane, with one proposed for 2014
Spokesman-Review, WA, November 26, 2013
The first is Pride Prep, a grass-roots effort led by former Garry Middle School principal Brenda McDonald. The proposed college preparatory school for sixth through 12th grades would include several years of a foreign language, extra math and science, nine-hour school days and an extended school year. Pride Prep would use a four-“T” philosophy: time, technology, targets and talent.
School district defers charter onus
News-Tribune, WA, November 26, 2013
Under the charter school law approved by Washington voters last year, the schools can be authorized and overseen either by a newly created statewide charter commission or by local school districts. Charters are publicly funded but operated by private nonprofit groups rather than local school boards.
Yakima, Sunnyside proposals among 22 vying for 8 charter school slots in state
Yakima Herald-Republic, WA, November 26, 2013
And then there were two. Proposals in Yakima and Sunnyside are two of 22 submitted by nonprofit groups intent on launching charter schools in Washington — possibly in the Valley — starting next school year. These groups will know which eight grabbed the coveted first slots no later than Feb. 24.
WISCONSIN
Revised Voucher School Accountability Bill May Soon Be Ready
Wisconsin Public Radio, WI, November 25, 2013
State Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon) says a revised version of a bill that would bring publicly funded voucher schools under the same accountability system may be ready as soon as mid-December.
ONLINE LEARNING
Audit finds problems with NC virtual school
News & Observer, NC, November 25, 2013
The N.C. Virtual Public School had lax standards when it came to enrolling, tracking and reporting the thousands of students it educated in online classes, a state audit has found.