Daily Headlines for June 22, 2011
Charter School Debate Overlooks Lessons Learned
USA Today, June 21, 2011
In the debate over how to improve the nation’s educational system, there is typically no middle ground on the value of charter schools. You’re either for them or against them. But in their fervor, both sides are missing a more fundamental question: Which charters work, and why?
Opposing View: Rethink The Charter Experiment
USA Today, June 21, 2011
Replicating good charter schools and rejecting bad ones sounds eminently reasonable, but it’s far easier said than done. For decades, educators have been trying to scale up high-achieving, high-poverty schools, but success often comes down to hard-to-duplicate factors, such as a charismatic principal, a supply of teachers willing to work extraordinary hours or particularly motivated students.
Race to the Top Will Never Reach The Finish Line
Star Ledger, NJ, June 22, 2011
President Obama’s intention to improve the quality of low-performing schools is consistent with our nation’s needs, but his method of achieving that goal – Race to the Top – is fatally flawed.
FROM THE STATES
ARIZONA
Basis Charter Named Third-Best School In Country
Tucson Sentinel, AZ, June 21, 2011
A Tucson charter school was named the third-best high school in the nation this week in Newsweek magazine’s annual “Best High Schools in America” ranking.
CALIFORNIA
South L.A. Charter Schools May Get A Reprieve After Cheating Scandal
Los Angeles Times, CA, June 22, 2011
The Crescendo charter school group has taken appropriate steps and probably can stay open, Supt. John Deasy says.
Charter School Would Be First for Lincoln Unified
Stockton Record, CA, June 22, 2011
Humphreys College is seeking to join the growing local roster of independent charter-school operators, with a former Stockton Unified official among the founders of a proposed new high school and a former mayoral candidate among the signers of the school’s charter petition.
Who Is Running Charter School, People Ask
The Press-Enterprise, CA, June 21, 2011
Staff members and parents of students at the Public Safety Academy charter school Tuesday night called on the San Bernardino City Unified School District to resolve a dispute that has two boards of directors each claiming that it is in charge.
COLORADO
ACLU Sues Over Douglas County School Vouchers
Denver Post, CO, June 22, 2011
The Colorado ACLU and two other civil liberties groups filed suit Tuesday challenging the Douglas County School District ‘s voucher plan, which would allow students to attend private schools with public money.
DELAWARE
Reach Board Files Suit in Chancery Court
Delaware Journal, DE, June 22, 2011
The Reach Academy for Girls Charter School Board asked the state Chancery Court to prohibit the state Department of Education from continuing with a process that could lead to closing the school next month, saying “historic failings” at the state level led to the problems.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. School Ratings Up Among System Parents, But Doubts Remain
Washington Post, DC, June 21, 2011
A majority of D.C. public school parents give the system positive marks for the first time in a decade, according to a new survey by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation.
FLORIDA
Virginia Official Selected As Florida Education Commissioner
Miami Herald, FL, June 21, 2011
Gerard Robinson, an advocate for school choice, was unanimously hired Tuesday to take over a 1,000-strong staff overseeing K-12 schools in the state.
New State Education Commissioner An Advocate For Vouchers, School Choice
Palm Beach Post, FL, June 21, 2011
The state Board of Education took little time during a meeting today to name Gerard Robinson, secretary of education in Virginia, to be Florida’s next education commissioner
ILLINOIS
Pingree OKs $6.4M Bond for Charter School, But Traffic Is A Sticking Point
Courier News, IL, June 22, 2011
Village trustees have approved a $6.4 million bond issue for expansion of the Cambridge Lakes charter school, but expressed concern about added traffic from the new building and lack of communication from the school’s officials.
GEORGIA
Cobb Will Decide Fate Of Five Charters
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, June 21, 2011
Five charter providers are applying this summer to open or renew schools in Cobb County. Thursday, the school board will vote on three applications for new charter schools, while the fate of two existing Imagine charter schools, Smyrna and Mableton, will be decided next month.
LOUISIANA
Jefferson Parish is Smart to Seek Schools’ Turnaround
Times Picayune, LA, June 21, 2011
Seven Jefferson Parish public schools have qualified for an $8.6 million federal turnaround grant, and it’s encouraging that the school system is grabbing this opportunity to rescue troubled schools.
MARYLAND
New Teacher Evaluation Plan Approved in Maryland
Washington Post, DC, June 21, 2011
A council of Maryland educators and policy makers Tuesday approved a new model for evaluating teachers and principals that will be tried out in Prince George’s County and six other school systems this fall.
NEW YORK
Both Sides Square Off at Hearing on Charter School Suit
New York Times, NY, June 22, 2011
The debate began an hour before Justice Pau
l G. Feinman of the State Supreme Court opened a hearing on Tuesday on the lawsuit by the United Federation of Teachers against the New York City Department of Education.
OHIO
Breaking with Democrats, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson Asks State Budget Dealmakers To Adopt Teacher Merit Pay Plan
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, June 21, 2011
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson is urging Republican legislative leaders to adopt language in the state budget bill creating a teacher merit pay system — similar to one in Senate Bill 5, a controversial collective bargaining law Jackson has criticized as an attack on public workers.
Bill Would Hold Charter Schools Accountable
Youngstown Vindicator, OH, June 22, 2011
Charter schools that earn lower ratings on state report cards than nearby public schools would be prohibited from admitting students who live in those districts, under legislation being considered in the Ohio Senate.
School Buildings for $1?
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, June 21, 2011
A state budget proposal could force Ohio school districts to lease closed school buildings to charter school operators – for $1 a year.
OKLAHOMA
Vouchers Have Long Been In Place At College Level
Oklahoman, OK, June 22, 2011
Vouchers, offering competition and accountability, will finally put in place the proper incentives that will make our education system more efficient.
Cherokees Take Action On Charter School Plan
Tulsa World, OK, June 22, 2011
The Tahlequah-based tribe could be the first in the state to sponsor a charter school.
OREGON
Legislators Plow Through Bills, Put Adjournment In Sight
Statesman Journal, OR, June 22, 2011
A trainload of 14 education bills, after starting and stopping Monday, managed to reach the station Tuesday as Oregon lawmakers put the legislative engine back on a track toward adjournment.
PENNSYLVANIA
Charter Schools On State’s Agenda
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, June 22, 2011
A nonprofit law firm that advocates for the rights of public school students urged lawmakers not to act in haste on legislation regarding charter schools that House Republicans considered on Tuesday.
TENNESSEE
State to Help Manage Four Memphis High Schools
Commercial Appeal, TN, June 22, 2011
The state will co-manage four failing city schools this year, a change that could lead to large shifts in faculty.
TEXAS
KIPP Snatches Another HISD Administrator
Houston Chronicle Blog, TX, June 21, 2011
Houston ISD has lost at least 11 administrators to the KIPP charter school network since last year.
VIRTUAL LEARNING
Virtual School Plan Praised
Omaha World Herald, NE, June 22, 2011
A virtual school would give students in rural and low-performing schools access to honors, enrichment and remediation courses, improving achievement and graduation rates at a lower cost than traditional classroom instruction, according to a report by the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy.