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
Federal government backs NC schools’ progress
Editorial, News & Observer, NC, January 1, 2013
The whole notion of grants from the federal government in the Race to the Top program came about because public school systems had some work to do to bring all schools up to a better level. So it wouldn’t be fair to pronounce North Carolina’s participation in the program as unsuccessful just because some goals weren’t met.
GED test gets overhaul; some states opt for new exam
Associated Press, January 1, 2014
The GED test, for decades the brand name for the high school equivalency exam, is about to undergo some changes.
The conservative battle over Common Core
Deseret News, UT, January 2, 2014
The controversy over Common Core State Standards for K-12 education adopted by 45 U.S. states and the District of Columbia divides both major political parties as well as faith communities and educators.
U.S. students must narrow gap
Opinion, The Tennessean, TN, January 1, 2014
Much has happened in public education in the United States during the past 10 years. There have been increasing demands for high standards and accountability systems to ensure the higher standards are being met.
STATE COVERAGE
ARIZONA
Scottsdale-based private school chain BASIS plants flag in Silicon Valley with San Jose purchase
Phoenix Business Journal, AZ, January 1, 2014
The company behind some of the country’s highest ranked public charter schools is making its first move into private schools — and it’s starting with San Jose, Calif., and Brooklyn, New York.
CALIFORNIA
As schools give students computers, price of L.A.’s program stands out
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 1, 2014
Districts nationwide are replacing textbooks with computers, but many are finding less costly ways than L.A. Unified’s $768 per device.
CONNECTICUT
Achievement Gap Not Caused By Money
Letter, Hartford Courant, CT, January 1, 2014
Regarding the op-ed “Despite Our Wealth, Connecticut Schools Fall Short” [Dec. 28]: Where is the evidence that the achievement gap is caused by state action or inaction, and that my tax dollars must be increased to remedy it?
DELAWARE
What happens after ‘Race to the Top’ goes away?
Delaware News Journal, DE, January 2, 2014
Delaware is doing just that. As the spending deadline approaches, Delaware is expected to ask the federal government for a little extra time to allocate the state’s Race to the Top money. That allocation is probably in the area of $10 million to $12 million, with a couple of million here or there still held by Delaware’s school districts.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Two D.C. Council members oppose Gray’s pick for state superintendent of education
Washington Post, DC, December 31, 2013
Two D.C. Council members are opposing Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s nominee for state superintendent of education, arguing that Gray’s pick — former city parks director Jesús Aguirre — lacks the experience and management skills needed for the job.
U.S. education officials lobbied against Starr for New York City schools post
Washington Post, DC, December 31, 2013
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and at least one other Education Department official urged New York Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio and his team not to choose Montgomery County Schools Superintendent Joshua P. Starr as the city’s next schools chancellor, according to several people knowledgable about the selection process.
GEORGIA
Charter schools fighting plan to fund pensions
Cherokee Tribune, GA, December 30, 2013
Georgia charter schools are fighting a proposal that would require the independent public schools to contribute money toward pension debt for the traditional public education system.
ILLINOIS
Critics knock process for more charter schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 1, 2014
With Chicago’s Board of Education set to vote this month on proposals for 21 new charter campuses, the district’s efforts to gather community input has done little to satisfy critics of the privately run schools.
MASSACHUSETTS
Argosy Collegiate Charter School deserves Fall River’s support
Opinion, Fall River Herald News, MA, January 1, 2014
The purpose of this piece is to encourage support for the establishment of the Argosy Collegiate Charter School for Fall River, whose mission is to prepare students for college, career, and life.
Teachers Union says it didn’t know of PAC ad
Boston Globe, MA, January 2, 2013
The Boston Teachers Union denied Wednesday any involvement in a massive television advertisement buy in the final days of the Boston mayoral race by its national affiliate that is believed to have helped propel Martin J. Walsh to victory over Councilor John R. Connolly, a longtime adversary of the union.
Walsh’s education test
Opinion, Boston Globe, MA, January 1, 2013
WATCH WHAT they do, not what they say, runs one piece of cautionary advice.
The American Federation of Teachers and the Boston Teachers Union, its local affiliate, have now demonstrated why they should be viewed through those skeptical spectacles.
MICHIGAN
Dissolve troubled school districts with care
Editorial, Detroit News, MI, January 2, 2013
This is a tactic to be used sparingly; additional costs to state, other districts should be considered
MISSISSIPPI
Teacher salaries to get attention
Column, Clarion Ledger, MS, January 2, 2014
In the upcoming legislative session, a pay raise for teachers is expected to be debated.
NEW YORK
Evaluating Teachers
Opinion, New York Times, NY, January 1, 2013
Your article describing the extra work for principals in New York City as a result of the new teacher evaluation system was revealing (“New Evaluation System for City’s Schoolteachers Has a Bumpy Start,” news article, Dec. 23).
Fariña’s test
Opinion, New York Daily News, NY, January 1, 2014
Bill de Blasio has filled the critical post of schools chancellor — second in importance only to police commissioner — by convincing a veteran educator to come out of retirement and lead the nation’s largest public education system.
Newark superintendent pushes charter school reforms
Editorial, New York Post, NY, January 2, 2013
Here in New York, we’re all waiting to see what the incoming mayor and his schools chancellor will mean for charter schools. While we’re waiting, it may be worth looking at New Jersey to see how another big city trying to reform its troubled schools is looking at charters.
NORTH CAROLINA
Charter high school could open in Morrisville
News & Observer, NC, January 1, 2014
A group of residents from western Wake County is trying to open what would be Morrisville’s first public high school – a charter school with a Montessori theme and a focus on art and technology.
More school choices will create better K-12 education system
Opinion, Charlotte Observer, NC, January 1, 2014
As I travel around the state, I am sometimes asked by well-meaning skeptics: “Instead of providing additional options to students, why not build it within our existing traditional public school system?” This question is understandable
SOUTH CAROLINA
Don’t let reform make more problems
Editorial, Greeneville News, SC, January 2, 2014
South Carolina needs to reform the formula it uses to fund public education. Gov. Nikki Haley has repeatedly and correctly pointed that out. With at least one education funding reform bill in the Legislature, it is likely lawmakers will have the opportunity to address the issue.
Scoppe: What’s the difference between building charter schools, growing government?
Opinion, The State, SC, January 2, 2014
I’M NOT ONE of those people who lump charter schools in with tax-credit and voucher schemes designed to funnel tax dollars into private schools.
TENNESSEE
As Jesse Register’s reign winds down, the political maneuvers to determine Metro schools’ next chief are just beginning
Nashville Scene, TN, January 2, 2014
He stood stiff at the podium, face to face with at least 200 people staring at him moments after the mayor called stories of his school district’s financial struggles a series of myths.
Charter school committee reviewing companies
Robertson County Times, TN, December 31, 2013
The move to open a charter school in Springfield continues to take shape as the steering committee narrows down just who will run the school, according to the committee’s chairperson Raymond Francis.
VIRGINIA
Some urge Suffolk to change its alternative education
The Virginian-Pilot, VA, January 2, 2014
The Suffolk public schools’ alternative-education programs are struggling to help academically challenged students catch up with their peers, and some community leaders are calling for an early-intervention model such as the nonprofit An Achievable Dream Academy.
ONLINE LEARNING
Millions in state aid go to online charter schools in Oklahoma
The Oklahoman, OK, December 31, 2013
While other states have taken action to prevent them from opening to the public, the number of online charter schools is set to grow significantly in Oklahoma.