Report: We Still Don’t Know Much About Charter Schools
Washington Post Blog, January 14, 2012
A new study on the effectiveness of public charter schools concludes that most of the research on the subject has been conducted with methods that “tell us little about causal effects.”
Matt Damon’s Mom Is Wrong
Washington Post, DC, January 15, 2012
Exhibit A is the bad blood between the National Education Association, the nation’s largest teacher’s union, and Teach for America, the most popular public-service option for graduates of selective colleges.
STATE COVERAGE
CALIFORNIA
LAUSD Without Borders
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 16, 2012
A district without boundaries might be impractical. But such big-sky ideas are worth discussing.
Clayton Valley High Charter Conversion Prompts Examination of State School Funding Laws
Contra Costa Times, CA, January 15, 2012
Clayton Valley High’s conversion to a charter school in the fall is prompting discussions at the state level about funding inequities that could result under current laws.
Failed North Monterey County Charter Can Pursue Lawsuit Against School District
Monterey Herald, CA, January 14, 2012
A former charter school can press a suit for money against the North Monterey County Unified School District despite having had its charter yanked by the district in 2004, a state appellate court ruled.
COLORADO
Bank, Charter School At Odds Over $1.2 Million Loan
Vail Daily, CO, January 15, 2012
Wells Fargo loaned Stone Creek Charter School $1.2 million six years ago when the school opened, according to documents obtained by the Vail Daily.
High Marks for School Choice
Denver Post, CO, January 16, 2012
They’re calling it “Charter 2.0.”
The State Board of Education’s approval last week of new guidelines governing Colorado ‘s robust network of charter schools could make a good system better.
DELAWARE
Measuring a Teacher’s Worth
News Journal, DE, January 15, 2012
In a few months, Delaware will begin evaluating the performance of about 9,000 educators using a new system linked to how well students perform on standardized tests.
FLORIDA
Popularity of Charter Schools is on the Rise
Tampa Bay Times, FL, January 15, 2012
The number of charter schools is steadily rising in the Pinellas County School District.
GEORGIA
Tying Test Scores To Teacher Evaluations Under Fire
Walton Tribune, GA, January 16, 2012
As one of the first states to ask for a federal waiver, Georgia is now gearing up to launch its evaluation process, starting with 26 districts before moving to all school systems.
Rep. Morgan Eyes Charter School in South Cobb
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, January 14, 2012
State Rep. Alisha Thomas Morgan (D-Austell) is one of a handful of organizers hoping to open a K-12 charter school in south Cobb in fall 2013.
ILLINOIS
Task Force Wants To Halt School Closings, Turnarounds
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 13, 2012
A state legislative task force created to address community concerns over Chicago ‘s efforts to shut down or completely overhaul underperforming schools is calling for a moratorium on school closings and “turnarounds.”
INDIANA
Judge Rules in Favor of School Vouchers
Journal and Courier, IN, January 14, 2012
Proponents of Indiana’s school voucher program have won the battle, but not the war. At least that’s according to plaintiffs in the lawsuit seeking to stop the controversial school choice program from moving forward.
LOUISIANA
School Voucher Program Gets Fresh Look in Louisiana
Times Picayune, LA, January 15, 2012
When Gov. Bobby Jindal pushed through New Orleans ‘ school voucher program four years ago, political interest in using taxpayer money to send students to private schools had waned across the country. School choice advocates had suffered several stinging defeats, causing some to throw their weight behind charter schools, which generally receive more bipartisan support.
Jindal Plans For Education Reform Hinge On ‘Choice’
Opelousas Daily World, LA, January 15, 2012
Within days, Gov. Bobby Jindal will unveil his education reform agenda, which seems to hinge largely on the meaning of one word: choice.
MASSACHUSETTS
Bargain, or Face the Ballot
Boston Globe, MA, January 16, 2012
A PROPOSED ballot initiative about teacher seniority has come along at a delicate time for public education in Massachusetts. Even as state and local education officials are working through more rigorous ways of evaluating teachers, the education-reform group Stand for Children is mounting a ballot initiative to ensure that performance in the classroom trumps seniority when it comes to staffing decisions.
MICHIGAN
Michigan Has A Quarter of The Nation’s For-Profit Charter Schools. Should We Care?
Kalamazoo Gazette, MI, January 15, 2012
A newly enacted state law allows expansion of charter schools, but it turns out Michigan already has a disproportionate share of the nation’s for-profit charter school market, according to a recent report by a Western Michigan University professor.
MISSISSIPPI
Education: The Priority
Clarion Ledger, MS, January 15, 2012
The road to recovery begins with the recognition of a problem. Our research confirms that voters and business and community leaders understand the road to success is built upon a foundation of education.
MISSOURI
Mayoral School Takeovers Face A Rough Road
Kansas City Star, MO, January 15, 2012
School-reform experts predict Milwaukee’s experience may soon be echoed in Kansas City , which has just started to wrestle with its own plan to place public schools in the mayor’s portfolio.
Expanding Charter Schools in Missouri Considered
Southeast Missourian, MO, January 16, 2012
Some Missouri lawmakers are seeking to allow charter schools throughout the state and tighten the oversight for them, hoping to improve the quality of education while boosting the options available to parents.
NEVADA
King’s Ideals Shape North Las Vegas School’s Code
Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV, January 16, 2012
Dozens of children leap and shuffle on the playground before gathering into lines under a crisp blue sky as the school day begins.
NEW JERSEY
Demand for Top N.J. Charter Schools Exceeds Available Seats
Star-Ledger, NJ, January 15, 2012
The dreaded night came on Thursday this year. The grim weather — a chilly drizzle as night fell — seemed fitting for what was sure to be a grim evening.
NEW YORK
Mayor Draws Teacher Threat
Wall Street Journal, January 14, 2012
The city teachers union on Friday threatened to go to court to block the Bloomberg administration’s plan to replace staff at 33 troubled schools as the city moved ahead with preparations to close the schools.
Mike’s School Groove
New York Post, NY, January 15, 2012
After a pretty rough year at Department of Education headquarters, Mayor Bloomberg appears to have gotten his school-reform groove back. It couldn’t come at a more crucial time. The city’s public schools have made some real progress on Bloomberg’s watch, but need a new shot in the arm to help many more students meet higher standards and ensure they’re ready for college.
Central New York School Districts Scramble To Try To Create New Teacher Evaluations
Post Standard, NY, January 16, 2012
This is the year school districts in New York state are supposed to start phasing in a new teacher evaluation system based partly on how well students do on tests.
W’burg Parents Don’t Want ‘Success’ In Their Schools
Brooklyn Paper, NY, January 16, 2012
Williamsburg’s academic activists are fighting a politically-connected charter school, and they’re taking it to the streets.
PENNSYLVANIA
Delco Officials Press for Pa. Takeover of Chester Upland
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 14, 2012
A bipartisan group of Delaware County legislators including Senate Majority Leader Dominic Pileggi asked Gov. Corbett on Friday to declare the Chester Upland School District financially distressed, which would trigger a state takeover.
Mifflinburg Area School District Wary of Funding Charter School
The Daily Item, PA, January 15, 2012
Concerns raised by the district superintendent in which the Valley’s first bricks-and-mortar charter school would be located are premature, said a founding member of the proposed New Berlin Charter School.
RHODE ISLAND
PolitiFact RI Rules Taveras Claim on Achievement First Charter Schools Half True
Providence Journal, RI, January 15, 2012
Politicians, parents and education officials are wrangling over a proposal by Achievement First to open two charter schools in Providence.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Tenure Vs. Bonus Pay: Questions Need Answers
Aberdeen News, SD, January 15, 2012
Instead, whether through his own hubris or for some other reason, Daugaard has picked another controversial fight by suggesting the state do away with K-12 public school teacher tenure and instead move to a system of performance and bonus pay.
Education Reform Draws Praise, Doubt
Sioux Falls Argus Leader, SD, January 15, 2012
At the heart of Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s plan for education reform is the widely accepted notion that teacher quality matters, and it matters a lot.
TEXAS
As Austin District Works To Open Charter School, Opponents Plan Boycott
Austin American-Statesman, TX, January 14, 2012
As Austin school district leaders move forward with one of the first in-district charter schools, opponents are hoping to shutter the doors of IDEA Public Schools before they can open.
VIRGINIA
The Governor’s Education Plan for Virginia
Washington Post, DC, January 15, 2012
VIRGINIA GOV. Robert F. McDonnell (R) began the second half of his term outlining an expansive agenda to remake public education.
WASHINGTON
Charter School Feud To Raise Its Head Again In State
Daily Herald, WA, January 15, 2012
Like Twinkies, some political issues never get stale. Legalizing charter schools is one of them.
School Reform Can’t Wait For A Booming Economy
News Tribune, WA, January 15, 2012
A legislative push for new school reforms – including charter schools and greater teacher accountability – met with instant resistance this week from the usual suspects.
WISCONSIN
Think Tank Proposes Basing Teacher Pay On School Performance
Journal Sentinel, WI, January 15, 2012
A study from a conservative Wisconsin think tank proposes a new system of compensation that would boost teachers’ pay based on the performance of the schools they work for.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
Limits of Online Education
Tampa Bay Times, FL, January 15, 2012
In about the time it takes for a student to go from kindergarten to high school graduate, the Florida Virtual School has grown from a mere idea into the largest K-12 online school in America that is funded with public money. It enrolls 130,000 students and is poised to grow even bigger.
State Wants London to Let Charter Keep Profit
Columbus Dispatch, OH, January 15, 2012
The London school district is certain it’s right: It can funnel the $700,000 profit from an affiliated charter school into the district’s general fund.
Too early for Push to Uncap Michigan Cyberschools
Livingston Daily, MI, January 15, 2012
There must be better and more varied ways to provide education in Michigan . But that doesn’t mean that an overreaching Legislature should venture wildly and expensively into new ventures, an outcome that is likely under a proposed bill that would lift limits on the number of virtual charter schools, also known as cyberschools.
Thankful for School Choice
Grand Rapids Herald Review, MN, January 14, 2012
And now, as we’ve entered the precious school-age years, we are grateful for school choice, especially living in a remote area. In 2011 our son Carson entered Kindergarten and we were fortunate enough to become a part of the MTS Minnesota Connections Academy family, an online public school program that works great for our family.