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
Harlem ninth-grader bowls over Obama with precocious introduction preceding White House ceremony
New York Daily News, NY, January 9, 2014
President says Kiara Molina’s eloquent remarks, delivered before he announced the five locations designated as ‘Promise Zones’, amounted to ‘one of the best introductions I’ve ever had’. Kiara attends Promise Academy amid Harlem’s St. Nicholas Houses.
Leave de Blasio alone, Mr. Cantor
Editorial, New York Post, NY, January 9, 2014
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor was in town this week with a timely defense of charter schools.
STATE COVERAGE
ALABAMA
Selma City Schools in danger of state takeover
WSFA, AL, January 9, 2014
Alabama School Superintendent Dr. Tommy Bice is not happy with the Selma City Board of Education, and strongly suggested Thursday that the state will take over if things don’t get better in a hurry.
CALIFORNIA
Court warns lawmakers to move faster on public-school funding
Seattle Times, CA, January 9, 2014
The State Supreme Court urged lawmakers Thursday to make more progress toward increasing education spending this year.
Embracing charter schools as educational option
Commentary, San Diego Union-Tribune, CA, January 9, 2014
Does the Golden State consider school choice a priority? Over the next decade, changes in the state’s reform of funding and facility legislation will answer this question. Recent stories in U-T San Diego and the latest news release from the California Charter Schools Association (CCSA) detail more than 500,000 charter school students currently enrolled statewide, with 50,000 additional students remaining on waiting lists.
Teach for America comes to San Diego
San Diego Union-Tribune, CA, January 9, 2014
He is part of San Diego County’s first crop of Teach for America educators — more than 20 newly minted teachers who joined local schools for the 2013-14 academic year.
CONNECTICUT
Trending: How we close the academic divide
CT Post, CT, January 9, 2014
Schools throughout southwestern Connecticut are struggling to close a wide achievement gap between economically disadvantaged students and their better-off peers.
FLORIDA
Florida House panel proposes big changes to charter schools
Bradenton Herald, FL, January 10, 2014
A House panel is pushing forward with big changes to the state charter school law. A draft bill released this week by the House Choice and Innovation Subcommittee would require charter school governing boards and school district to use a new model contract. It would also enable the state Department of Education to perform technical reviews of charter school applications.
GEORGIA
Carrollton School Board gets update on charter, CES project
Times-Georgian, GA, January 9, 2014
The Carrollton Board of Education was given the most current information on numerous significant initiatives in the system during a Thursday morning work session heavy on updates.
ILLINOIS
Archdiocese to close 6 schools at end of year
Chicago Sun Times, IL, January 9, 2014
They’re on a mission from God. Adopting that mantra, Our Lady of Victory Catholic School has about a week to raise money and come up with a plan to restructure its budget — $400,000 deficit and all — or it may have to shut its doors, said the school’s principal Jennifer Hodge.
Chicago doesn’t need more school choice
Opinion, Crain’s Chicago Business, IL, January 10, 2014
Chicago closed a record number of neighborhood schools this year with the message that the district faced a billion-dollar deficit and had 511,000 seats for only 403,000 students. Over and over we heard Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and Mayor Rahm Emanuel say we must redirect scarce resources to existing schools to benefit students.
LOUISIANA
East Baton Rouge district facing revenue loss with expansion of charter schools
Times-Picayune, LA, January 9, 2014
As the East Baton Rouge school district reworks school boundaries and introduces new programs, it’s also trying to stave off a potential loss of students who could be attracted to a slew of new charter schools opening in Baton Rouge next year.
State launches probe of East Baton Rouge Parish school system
The Advocate, LA, January 9, 2014
The state is launching an investigation of the East Baton Rouge Parish school system amid allegations of “discrepancies among student graduation records,” state Superintendent of Education John White said Thursday.
MAINE
Poverty impacts Maine students’ grades, researchers say
Portland Press Herald, ME, January 9, 2014
The study came after the LePage administration began a report card-style ranking system for schools.
MASSACHUSETTS
Charter school makes pitch for students at open house
South Coast Today, MA, January 8, 2014
City on a Hill is little more than a concept right now, but it’s one that’s intriguing enough to attract dozens of prospective students to an open house at the Whaling Museum Thursday.
MINNESOTA
Minnesota wants more oversight from charter school authorizers
Pioneer Press, MN, January 9, 2014
Minnesota is telling the overseer of a St. Paul charter school a plan to address serious missteps there falls short.
MISSOURI
Snow leaves many transfer students without transportation
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, January 10, 2014
Many transfer students from Riverview Gardens who attend the Kirkwood district missed class Thursday while their classmates had school.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
House backs charter school funding
Eagle Tribune, NH, January 10, 2014
Only a day after the new legislative session began, charter school advocates said yesterday they were pleased the House of Representatives gave preliminary approval to more funding for the schools.
NEW YORK
City Study Tracks Transfers by Charter School Students
New York Times, NY, January 10, 2014
Addressing a common criticism of New York City charter schools, a study released on Thursday said that in general their students were not, in fact, more likely to transfer out than their counterparts in traditional public schools.
Union president calls for no-confidence vote on ed chief
Capital New York, NY, January 9, 2014
The state’s largest teachers’ union will soon consider a vote of “no confidence” for state Education Commissioner John King, the union’s president said Thursday on YNN’s “Capital Tonight.”
NORTH CAROLINA
Jenkins: NC teachers get offered a rotten deal thanks to legislators
Opinion, News & Observer, NC, January 10, 2014
There’s a good reason why a recent op-ed article by former Gov. Jim Hunt has proved popular with readers. It’s because people, particularly parents of school-age children, agree with the four-term “education governor.”
Let innovative models flourish in K-12 education
Column, Durham Herald Sun, NC, January 9, 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?”
N.C. approves 26 new charter schools for fall 2014
Times-News, NC, January 9, 2014
The State Board of Education gave final approval Thursday for 26 new charter schools to open this fall – the largest expansion of the program since the late 1990s.
State approves 11 new charters to serve 3,200 Charlotte-area students next year
Charlotte Observer, NC, January 9, 2014
RALEIGH Eleven new charter schools planning to serve 3,200 students in Mecklenburg and Cabarrus counties got the go-ahead to open in August, as the N.C. Board of Education approved 26 new charters on Thursday.
OHIO
Cleveland school district will better promote STEM programs to Hispanic students under new civil rights agreement
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, January 9, 2014
The Cleveland school district must promote its science and technology high schools more to Hispanic students to increase the number of Spanish-speaking students at the schools, the district and the civil rights office of the U.S. Department of Education agreed this week.
PENNSYLVANIA
Jury acquits charter-school founder of six counts, deadlocks on rest
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, January 10, 2014
AN EMOTIONALLY tense jury hopelessly deadlocked yesterday on 54 of 60 counts against charter-school founder Dorothy June Brown in her lengthy federal fraud trial, while unanimously acquitting her of six charges.
Yes, schools can improve
Letter, Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 10, 2014
As happens every few years, the Philadelphia public schools face a crisis. In Christmas week, no less, dozens of academic-oriented school activities including debate, the Science Olympiad, and the Northeast High Space Research Center, were slashed. National Public Radio blames budget cuts, with new resources going to charter schools.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Haley’s education reform plans ‘a pleasant surprise’
Opinion, Aiken Standard, SC, January 10, 2014
S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley announced extensive plans for K-12 education reform on Wednesday – among them new reading initiatives, additional support for children in low-income communities and funds for technology.
Private school-choice on hold in S.C.
The Herald, SC, January 9, 2014
Karl Hoecke had just given a tour of his school Thursday that featured stops by the library, paintings he made of the four seasons, and the place where they store the “Bunnies’ Brew” – organic fertilizer the students make in their garden using their pet rabbit’s poop – when his classmates gathered around him.
TENNESSEE
AG: State charter authorizer bill ‘would likely’ withstand constitutional challenge
The Tennessean Blog, TN, January 9, 2014
A proposal to hand the state new power to approve charter school applications on appeal “would likely withstand any facial constitutional challenge,” Tennessee Attorney General Robert Cooper opined in a legal opinion released Thursday.
TEXAS
Texas governor candidate Davis announces education plan
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, TX, January 10, 2014
Texas gubernatorial candidate Wendy Davis made the first policy announcement of her campaign Thursday, offering proposals aimed at luring new public school teachers with guaranteed college admission, teaching jobs and loan forgiveness.
WISCONSIN
Charter legislation worries Kenosha Unified principals
Kenosha News, WI, January 9, 2014
Proposed state legislation that would eliminate school district-operated charter schools like those in the Kenosha Unified School District is worrying local educators.
Independent charter school debate highlights ideological divide
Milwaukee State Journal, WI, January 9, 2014
A contentious proposal to expand independent charter schools in Wisconsin worries public-school advocates because it would further reduce aid to traditional districts and open the door for more private companies to run public schools.
Public Weighs In On Charter School Expansion
WUWM, WI, January 10, 2014
Charters are public schools operated by private businesses or non-profits. They operate independently and have greater flexibility than traditional public schools.
ONLINE LEARNING
Los Angeles Library to offer high school diplomas
Associated Press
January 9, 2014
The Los Angeles Public Library is evolving from a place where people can check out books and surf the Web to one where residents can also earn an accredited high school diploma.
Schools may have alternative to snow days
WWLP 22News, MA, January 9, 2014
Students are back at school now after an extended winter vacation. Many schools closed last Thursday and Friday due to a snowstorm. In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the inclement weather didn’t stop some schools from holding classes. They had “cyber days” instead of snow days; teachers gave assignments online.
Teachers in Boardman Using iPads to Teach Science
KNDU Tri-Cities, OR, January 9, 2014
Teachers at Riverside Junior-Senior High in Boardman, Oregon are using technology to keep students engaged in the classroom