Rural Schools Left Behind
Las Vegas Sun, NV, November 17, 2011
Now, as the full Senate considers this bill, let’s urge lawmakers to set politics aside, make any needed changes and pass this important legislation as a long-overdue down payment on the future of our children in rural communities who have been left behind for far too long.
STATE COVERAGE
CALIFORNIA
Teachers And Test Scores
Los Angeles Times, CA, November 17, 2011
Smaller schools? More charters? Those are yesterday’s headlines in the world of school reform. The hot-button topic now is the inclusion of student test scores in teacher evaluations.
Don’t Mess With Success At Sacramento City High Schools
Sacramento Bee, CA, November 17, 2011
Rather than disrupt successful schools, board members and the community should reject the West Campus/Sac High ideas for a swap or co-location. Better to explore the constructive Borg and Cuneo ideas.
COLORADO
Next Charter Steps Could Create Model
Reporter Herald, CO, November 17, 2011
The next steps for Berthoud’s proposed charter school could set the tone for future charter proposals but, more important, they are key for the community of Berthoud.
More Shared Campuses, Still Controversial
Education News Colorado, CO, November 16, 2011
More than a hundred people have appeared before the Denver school board in recent months with impassioned arguments for and against the proposed placement of a new elementary program in their neighborhood middle school.
CONNECTICUT
Pryor Comes Home, Promises Charter Boost
New Haven Independent, CT, November 16, 2011
In a visit to the hometown charter school he founded 13 years ago, Stefan Pryor applauded the school’s expansion—and vowed to support more Amistad Academies in his new post as the state’s education chief.
DELAWARE
Campus Community’s Assignment: $650K in a Month
News Journal, DE, November 17, 2011
The students, parents, staff, administrators and loyal supporters of Campus Community Charter School in Dover have just one month to raise $650,000 to ensure the roughly 200 students in its high school program will be able to graduate from the institution.
Incentives Have Consequences
Eastern Shore News, DE, November 17, 2011
Delaware has painted itself into a corner. When accepting $119 million in federal Race to the Top grant funds, it agreed to make major changes in the way it evaluates the performance of its public school teachers.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Court Orders District to Expand Preschool Special Education
Washington Post, DC, November 16, 2011
A federal judge ruled Wednesday that the District has failed to provide special education services to hundreds of eligible preschool-age children and ordered that the city redouble its efforts to find, assess and treat those with special needs.
FLORIDA
Board Urged to Reject 5 Proposed Charter Schools
The Tampa Tribune, FL, November 17, 2011
Pasco County school district staffers are recommending the school board reject applications from five proposed charter schools, including one with connections to two state lawmakers.
INDIANA
93 Elkhart County Students In Private Schools With Vouchers
Elkhart Truth, IN, November 17, 2011
Ninety-three students from Elkhart County are attending private schools with financial help through the Indiana Choice Scholarship program.
Districts Fear More Takeovers
Indianapolis Star, IN, November 17, 2011
Earlier this year, Indiana education officials took the unprecedented step of taking over five public schools. That might be just the beginning.
It’s No Loss for IPS Because Student Has Left
Indianapolis Star, IN, November 16, 2011
A recent Star article claims that Indianapolis Public Schools loses $8,000 for each school choice transfer to parochial, private, home or charter schools. Actually, IPS loses nothing because the district’s responsibility to educate that child ends with the transfer.
Imagine Seeks Charter Renewal
The Journal Gazette, IN, November 17, 2011
Ball State University has pushed back the deadline for Imagine MASTer Academy and other charter schools it oversees to complete their charter renewal application.
School’s Backers Lobby for New Charter
Indianapolis Star, IN, November 17, 2011
So on Wednesday, she lobbied officials from Ball State University to sponsor a new, similar charter school at the same site next year. That way, school leaders said, they can keep the spirit of Fountain Square Academy alive.
IOWA
Teacher Pay Plan in Iowa Education Blueprint Is Now on Hold
Des Moines Register, IA, November 17, 2011
A proposal to change how Iowa’s teachers are paid has been put on hold for at least a year, and a task force is expected to convene in January to study the issue.
KENTUCKY
Bill Pre-filed to Allow Charter Schools in Kentucky
SurfKY News, KY, November 16, 2011
Rep. Brad Montell, R-Shelbyville (58th District), announced today he is pre-filing legislation that if passed would establish a charter schools initiative in Kentucky.
MASSACHUSETTS
Schools Fall Short on No Child Left Behind Act Standard
Boston Globe, MA, November 17, 2011
As Massachusetts seeks a reprieve from a federal education law, a growing number of educators throughout Boston’s northern suburbs are being forced to take a hard look at their teaching methods after being told their schools are not making the grade.
‘Takeover’ Call Divides Committee
Eagle Tribune, MA, November 17, 2011
School Committee members have mixed views on Mayor William Lantigua’s public call for the state to takeover the Lawrence Public Schools.
MICHIGAN
Detroit’s Teach For America Recruits Stuck In Middle of Broader Battle
Huffington Post, November 16, 2011
TFA Detroit members teach both in traditional public schools and in charter schools. They are the face of the latest wave of Detroit education reform — one that draws much skepticism from Detroiters who see it as yet another outside intervention that takes decision-making power away from citizens.
NEW JERSEY
Christie Seeks Added Power on School Aid
Wall Street Journal, November 17, 2011
The Christie administration wants to withhold state and federal aid to low-performing schools that refuse to undergo significant reshaping via measures such as removing principals and teachers, lengthening the school day and revamping the curriculum.
OPRA Request Reveals Charter Advocates’ Role in Application Process
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, November 17, 2011
Over the past year, the Christie administration employed an array of national and state charter school experts, educators, officials, and other advocates to help review applications for new charters, according to documents released under a public records request.
Voorhees Resident Skeptical of Charter Schools
Sun News, NJ, November 16, 2011
Like many public schools, some charter schools probably do great things. And although I have not observed the Harlem Children’s Zone (HCZ) charter schools or examined the data on which its reputation is based, I suspect it’s doing some great things.
NEW YORK
School’s Students Don’t Match City’s Population
Democrat and Chronicle, NY, November 17, 2011
In a city where public schools predominantly serve poor minority children, one school appears to have become an enclave for white, middle-class students.
NORTH CAROLINA
Judge Expected to Rule in Asheville Charter School Case
Ashville Citizen-Times, NC, November 16, 2011
A judge is expected to rule next week in a lawsuit that could cost city schools up to $1 million. Three charter schools in Buncombe County have sued Asheville City Schools, alleging they were underfunded.
More Charter Schools Are Coming to Charlotte
WBTV, NC, November 16, 2011
Since North Carolina General Assembly lifted the cap on having just 100 charter schools in the state earlier this year, several have applied to get that status. 27 schools have sent in their applications. Six are in the Charlotte area.
OKALHOMA
State Proposes School Takeovers in Proposal
Tulsa World, OK, November 17, 2011
Tulsa Public Schools has 18 of the state’s 77 lowest-performing school sites that could be targeted in 2012 for state interventions, including takeover, if Oklahoma’s new school accountability system receives federal approval.
PENNSYLVANIA
Funding Vouchers While Cutting Public School Aid Won’t Work
Tribune-Democrat, PA, November 17, 2011
Does independent, reliable research show how tax-funded private school vouchers will improve student achievement, or make public schools better? No such research exists, because it doesn’t work.
Phila., Charters To Promote Top-Achieving Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, November 17, 2011
The Philadelphia School District plans to join the City of Philadelphia, the state Department of Education, and two major charter school organizations to set common academic standards, then seek to expand schools that meet them and close those that do not, officials said Wednesday.
SRC’s New Chairman Shakes Up Business As Usual
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, November 16, 2011
At a packed Wednesday session, Ramos said he was creating committees to deal with SRC business more efficiently and transparently. He said he wanted to move some meeting times later, so people who work during the day could attend.
Lure of Gates $$ Sparks Schools’ Spirit of Trust
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, November 17, 2011
JURATE KROKYS, chief executive of Center City’s Independence Charter School, says that there’s long been a “rift” and “mistrust” between the Philadelphia School District and the city’s charter schools.
TENNESSEE
Tennessee Considers Changes to Teacher Evaluations
The Tennessean, TN, November 17, 2011
Changes could come to Tennessee’s new teacher evaluation system over the summer, Commissioner of Education Kevin Huffman told the state legislature’s Joint Operations Committee on Wednesday.
LEAD Prepares for School Conversion
The Tennessean, TN, November 17, 2011
The details on LEAD Academy running all or some grades in a local middle school still must be worked out, charter school founder Jeremy Kane said Wednesday, but his organization received a $1 million federal grant to start the transition.
TEXAS
Nonprofit Plans to Open Four Charter Schools in Fort Worth
Star Telegram, TX, November 16, 2011
A charter school system that boasts that 100 percent of its high school graduates are accepted into college announced Wednesday that it plans to open four schools in Fort Worth.
How DISD Can Close Under-Capacity Campuses
Dallas Morning News, TX, November 16, 2011
DISD has numerous campuses that are not used to their potential. This newspaper recently reported that last spring, 41 Dallas public schools were operating at less than 75 percent of capacity. Put another way, they had room for plenty more students.
WISCONSIN
Will Madison School Board Go for Non-Union Madison Prep?
Capital Times Blog, WI, November 17, 2011
Backers of the Madison Preparatory Academy are now recommending establishing the proposed single-sex public charter school as what’s known as a “non-instrumentality” of the district.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
New Milford School Leaders Debate Online Learning
News Times, CT, November 16, 2011
In this high-tech 21st century world, online learning is becoming more prevalent, and school leaders agree it is time to consider how best to incorporate such technology and courses into the curriculum.
Bullied Student Seeks Refuge At Home
GPB News, GA, November 15, 2011
Like so many other families around the country 13-year-old Alicyn and her mother Annise Mabry are busy keeping up with the demands of the school year.
Former EVSC Official: Innovative Ways Needed To Deliver Education
Evansville Courier Press, IN, November 16, 2011
Former Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. official Candice Dodson — now with the Indiana Department of Education as director of e-learning — says schools must continue to find innovative ways to deliver education.
New Request Made for Audit of Online Schools
Pueblo Chieftain, CO, November 17, 2011
One week after state lawmakers declined to pursue an audit of online schools, a nonpartisan budget analyst recommended a review of them by the Joint Budget Committee.