Churches Grapple With School Ruling
Wall Street Journal, December 6, 2011
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear a Bronx church’s case on whether it can hold worship services in New York City public schools.
How to Rescue Education Reform
New York Times, NY, December 6, 2011
THE debate over renewing No Child Left Behind, the education reform act that will be 10 years old in January, has fallen along partisan lines even though school improvement is one of the few examples of bipartisan cooperation over the last decade.
STATE COVERAGE
CALIFORNIA
Freeing up LAUSD
Los Angeles Times, CA, December 6, 2011
Agreement to shift back to more autonomy for individual schools makes sense for these times, but not at the price of consistency or accountability.
County Board Rejects Appeal From Rialto Charter School
San Bernardino Sun, CA, December 5, 2011
The San Bernardino County Board of Education on Monday turned down a prospective charter school’s request to open in Rialto.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
District Wins Special-Ed Appeal
Washington Examiner, DC, December 5, 2011
The injunction is part of the Petties vs. D.C. class-action lawsuit filed in 1995 by parents whose children had been placed in private schools because the District’s public schools couldn’t provide adequate special-education services.
FLORIDA
Parents Argue For A New Charter School In West Boynton Beach
Palm Beach Post, FL, December 5, 2011
It’s a parent’s dream: a combination middle-high school within walking and bike-riding distance of their homes. But that dream, the Boynton West Middle/High Charter School, still has three to six months before it will hear if it can get the land it needs.
Sarasota Charter School Gets A Bigger Campus
Herald Tribune, FL, December 5, 2011
With 750 students, the Sarasota School of Arts and Sciences charter school long ago outgrew the former plumbing warehouse it occupies on Central Avenue .
Bill Would OK Adult Education in Florida Charters
Florida Times Union, FL, December 6, 2011
Each of Florida’s 154,780 charter school students shares a common trait: They are traditional, from kindergarten to high school.
IDAHO
K12’s Money Hasn’t Influenced Idaho Schools Chief Luna, Spokeswoman Says
Idaho Statesman, ID, December 6, 2011
Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna has close ties to K12 Inc., which contributed about $44,000 to his 2010 re-election bid.
Let’s Buy Idaho When It Comes To Education, Too
Idaho Press Tribune, ID, December 6, 2011
With the 2012 legislative session convening next month, I would hope the governor and Idaho Legislature would take the same approach by investing in Idaho schools.
ILLINOIS
Suburban Schools Not Following Chicago In Quest For Longer School Day
Chicago Daily Herald, IL, December 6, 2011
While the debate over the length of the school day in the Chicago Public Schools continues to escalate, data produced by suburban high schools indicate that parents’ resources and the way classroom time is used are equal, or larger, contributors to student success.
INDIANA
Ball State Approves Portage Charter High School, Denies Others
Northwestern Times, IN, December 5, 2011
Ball State University officially has given Neighbors’ Educational Opportunities the green light to open a charter high school in Portage. However, it denied the applications of three other Northwest Indiana organizations, saying their submissions were incomplete.
IOWA
Branstad: Survey Indicates Support For Reforms
Des Moines Register, IA, December 5, 2011
A survey of nearly 600 educators and parents indicates the majority support education reforms outlined by Gov. Terry Branstad, he said in a press conference Monday.
LOUISIANA
Some New Orleans Charter Schools Tailoring Pace of Learning
Times-Picayune, LA, December 5, 2011
Michael McClain sits among 60 or so fourth-grade classmates in the computer lab at Arthur Ashe Charter School. He’s wearing a bulky headset that makes him look a little like an undersized airline pilot, and he’s encountered on the screen in front of him what his teacher calls a typical fourth-grade stumbling block — the intersection of mathematics and clocks.
Offering Options
Opelousas Daily World, LA, December 6, 2011
A charter school that would be headed by vocal critics of the St. Landry Parish School System might soon open in Opelousas
Jindal Pledges School Reform in ’12
Daily Comet, LA, December 5, 2011
Gov. Bobby Jindal hinted at major changes he has planned for the state’s education system Monday during a visit to Dularge Middle School.
MINNESOTA
Minneapolis Schools May Withdraw From Desegregation Program
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN, December 5, 2011
The Minneapolis school district is considering withdrawing from a partnership with west-suburban school districts intended to help desegregate schools.
Twin Cities Teachers Unions Walking A Fine Line On Contract Talks
Pioneer Press, MN, December 5, 2011
Several Twin Cities teachers unions say they are trying to stay positive as contract negotiations heat up in the face of tight budgets brought on by a tough economy.
NEW JERSEY
Controversial Voucher Bill Gets New Life
Hudson Reporter, NJ, December 5, 2011
The day before 2,500 supporters of a controversial school voucher bill held a rally in Trenton , opponents of the measure made Jersey City ground zero for their fight.
NEW YORK
School Choice? A Question of Time and Money
New York Times Blog, NY, December 5, 2011
When my son’s high school choice process began last spring, I already had a full-time job. I was not looking for a second one. But as the summer turned to fall, and the high school touring and test-taking kicked into full gear, I watched as many 8th grade parents (myself included) became increasingly bleary eyed and overwhelmed.
OHIO
Ohio Voucher School Expansion Bill Is A Mistake
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, December 5, 2011
Rep. Matt Huffman, a Republican from Lima and school-choice advocate, may not intend to gouge holes in the budgets of public schools that are already on the ropes, but that’s exactly what his voucher bill will do if the Ohio General Assembly passes it.
Nationwide, Charters Schools Spend $1,800 Less Per Student
NPR StateImpact, OH, December 5, 2011
In general, charter schools nationwide spend about $1,800 less per student than traditional public schools, according to a report released by the U.S. Department of Education this week.
OKLAHOMA
TPS Teacher Evaluation System Preferred As New State Model
Tulsa World, OK, December 6, 2011
Tulsa Public Schools’ new teacher evaluation system beat out two national models in being selected Monday as Oklahoma ‘s primary new model for evaluating public school educators.
PENNSYLVANIA
Local Schools Host Forum On Voucher Legislation
Pocono Record, PA, December 6, 2011
With all the laws affecting public education being debated at the state level, it’s hard to keep track. The county’s public schools want to help.
Let’s Talk About Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer Blog, PA, December 5, 2011
I started researching Philadelphia schools. I thought a little data would win my wife over. Instead, the poor test scores at many Philadelphia public schools sent me scurrying toward her point of view. But even if our daughter got into a charter school, how would we get her there? And how could we pay for private-school tuition unless my wife returned to work.
Gillingham Parent-Teacher Group In Formation Stage
Republican Herald, PA, December 6, 2011
The first meeting of the Gillingham Association of Parents, the Gillingham Charter School’s parent-teacher organization, was held Monday afternoon in the administration building and it may not be in the mold of other PTOs.
RHODE ISLAND
Providence Group Creates Anti-Charter-School Website
Providence Journal, RI, December 5, 2011
A grass-roots group opposed to a proposed charter-school operator has launched a website, We-Can, to challenge the operator’s data.
TENNESSEE
Latest Charter School Shot Down by Knox Co. BOE
WBIR-TV, TN, December 5, 2011
Knox County’s Board of Education voted unanimously Monday to deny the latest application to form a new charter school.
Lottery Chooses Chattanooga Magnet School Students
Chattanooga Times Free Press, TN, December 6, 2011
Pulling small cards out of a metal bin, Hamilton County Schools officials held their first-ever live lottery to select students for the Chattanooga School for the Arts and Sciences and the Chattanooga School for the Liberal Arts.
Big Victory: Austin-East No Longer Eligible For State Takeover
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, December 5, 2011
After increasing its graduation rates, making Adequate Yearly Progress in English and language arts, and producing a National Merit Scholar, the East Knoxville school has been removed from the state’s Achievement School District , which was created to turn around the lowest achieving schools across the state.
TEXAS
Initiative At TLC Academy Teaches Youths To Be Responsible
San Angelo Standard Times, TX, December 5, 2011
Christine Wilmoth, principal of the San Angelo charter school’s elementary campus, and assistant principal Wendy Davis said they were introduced to Leader in Me while at an education conference.
With New Director, Victoria Charter School Set To Open In Fall 2012
Victoria Advocate, TX, December 5, 2011
The largest charter school district in Texas is one step closer to opening a Victoria campus, which is on its way to welcoming students in August 2012.
VIRGINIA
Richmond Charter School Selects Advisory Board
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, December 06, 2011
The Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts kicked off the week with a busy day. Early Monday afternoon, the Richmond school, the first charter elementary school in state history, announced the formation of an advisory board.
WISCONSIN
Supporters of Charter School Hope To Overcome Obstacles
Channel 3000, WI, December 5, 2011
Supporters of a proposed Madison charter school aimed at low-income, minority students said the school’s opponents are playing politics as usual.
WYOMING
Education Committee To Discuss Evaluations
Jackson Hole Daily, WY, December 6, 2011
In their effort to pick the best ways to collect and report student-performance data, state education leaders will meet by teleconference today as they continue to prepare a recommendation for legislators.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
Use of Technology In Classrooms Should Be Educational, Not for Show
Daily Campus, CT, December 5, 2011
It’s important to remember that technology may be convenient, but just because something is available does not mean it is necessary; just because something is more convenient, does not mean it is more effective; and just because a method is new, does not mean it is an improvement.
Court Puts Bill on Kids or Online School Cost
Reading Eagle, PA, December 6, 2011
Is it fair to make public school districts pay online charter school tuition for 4-year-olds? According to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, it isn’t.
Study Shows Almost 4 in 5 School Districts Using E-Learning
Indiana Public Media, IN, December 5, 2011
A new study shows more Hoosier educators are taking advantage of e-learning in their classrooms. Indiana Youth Institute President Bill Stanczykiewicz says a poll finds 79 percent of the state‘s school districts use some form of online learning.
As Budgets Get Stretched, Schools Turn To Free Digital Tools
Dallas Morning News, TX, December 5, 2011
The digital revolution, which smashed old patterns of other traditional media, is radically changing what can be found in the average classroom. Teachers and school districts are turning online for teaching games, collaborative tools and even custom-made entire textbooks.
Tulsa Public School Dropout Rates Spike
Tulsa World, OK, December 6, 2011
The number of dropouts in Tulsa Public Schools increased by more than 75 percent last year, a spike administrators attribute almost solely to a new virtual education program.