Many, Many Choices
National Review Online, January 23, 2012
This week, hundreds of organizations across the country–city officials, associations, schools of all stripes, and think tanks–will hold events celebrating school choice.
New York Education, Played to the Tune of Race To The Top
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 23, 2012
I’ve never been a fan of Race to the Top, though I have to admire, as Winerip does, the genius of a plan that gets states to drive themselves into a frenzy to do what the federal government wants, and for so little money in return.
The State of the Teachers’ Union
Huffington Post, January 23, 2012
The state of teachers unions is unstable at best. If they want to remain relevant, they must join the millions of American parents and children demanding equality in education now or be left behind. Education is the key to achieving the American dream and parents will no longer accept the unspoken doctrine that equates destiny with zip code.
STATE COVERAGE
Alaska Lawmakers To Take Look At Issue Of School Choice
Anchorage Daily News, AK, January 23, 2012
Students could attend private or religious schools with state-sponsored scholarships under a measure being considered by Alaska lawmakers.
Thumbs Up for Charter School
Clayton Pioneer, CA, January 23, 2012
It’s approved! Following months of legal wrangling, a PR war from both sides, and at least a small forest worth of paper, at a meeting packed with over 400 people, the Contra Costa County Board of Education overturned the MDUSD’s denial, and unanimously approved the Clayton Valley High School charter petition.
Teacher Tenure Rules Favored
Durango Herald, CO, January 24, 2012
New rules for judging good and bad teachers received overwhelming support from legislators Monday.
D.C. Public Schools Need $25 Million More — For What?
Washington Examiner, DC, January 23, 2012
Now the charter schools have asked Levy to compare public funding to the semi-independent charter schools to money that goes to DCPS. Under the congressional act that created the charters in 1996 and the council’s own law, funding levels are supposed to be equal.
D.C. Schools Chancellor Supports Teacher-Incentive Program
Washington Times, DC, January 23, 2012
D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Henderson broadly supports a bill that would entice high-performing teachers to the schools that need them the most, citing human capital as the “cornerstone” of her reform efforts.
Brown No Longer Pushing For Evaluation Waivers For Top Teachers Who Transfer
Washington Examiner, DC, January 23, 2012
D.C. lawmakers are backing away from a plan to scrap evaluations for top-performing teachers who choose to transfer to the city’s most challenging schools, instead focusing on lavish bonuses and incentives such as housing credits.
Critics Say ‘Parent Trigger’ Bill Favors Charters Over Public Schools
Miami Herald, FL, January 23, 2012
Florida parents are taking sides over a controversial piece of legislation known as the parent trigger.
Charter Group’s Official Proposal Will Trigger Public Hearing in D-26
Northwest Herald, IL, January 24, 2012
A school board meeting Monday that began with a speech by Board of Education veteran Chris Jenner on National School Choice Week closed with emotionally charged comments from the team that recently pitched a charter school in School District 26.
Charter School Takeover Decisions Announced By State Education Officials
Times-Picayune, LA, January 23, 2012
State officials released final decisions Monday on which charter operators will take over some of the last remaining traditional schools in the state-run Recovery School District. And they provided new details about plans to expand options for students who hope to go directly into the work force, rather than to college.
Group Believes Area Is Ripe for Charter Schools
Shreveport Times, LA, January 24, 2012
State and local leaders believe the time for change is now.
Monday morning, members of the Louisiana Black Alliance for Educational Options, LaBAEO, joined forces with local community members, including state Rep. Patrick Williams and Linwood Board President Gard Wayt, to mark the beginning of National School Choice Week and insist on greater educational opportunities for Caddo Parish students.
Group Studying Neville High Charter
Monroe Star News, LA, January 23, 2012
The Neville Alumni and Friends Association thinks it has a good thing going at Neville High School and wants to ensure it stays that way for years to come. A charter school application could be a part of that effort.
Teachers Unions Accuse Gov. Bobby Jindal of Misleading And Inflammatory Rhetoric
Times-Picayune, LA, January 23, 2012
Two teachers unions fired back at Gov. Bobby Jindal on Monday, taking aim at his proposed education overhaul and accusing him of using misleading and inflammatory rhetoric to attack educators.
Two Local Teachers Join Lawsuit Seeking To Block Ballot Initiative on Evaluations
Daily Hampshire Gazette, MA, January 24, 2012
Two area public school teachers are part of a lawsuit filed by the state’s largest teachers union Monday to stop a proposed ballot initiative on teacher evaluations.
Wong and Fitchburg Charter Official Ready To Defend School
Sentinel and Enterprise, MA, January 24, 2012
Supporters of the North Central Charter Essential School were prepared to travel to Malden this morning to ask the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to renew the school’s five-year charter with no conditions.
Senator Pushes Charter School Bill
Hattiesburg American, MS, January 24, 2012
With Republicans in control of the Mississippi House and Senate for the first time since Reconstruction, supporters of charter schools say the most significant education bill to come out of the state Legislature this session could well be a new charter school law.
Just Two Names Make Ballot for KC School Board Election
Kansas City Star, MO, January 24, 2012
Two candidates for the Kansas City school board were disqualified Monday, meaning three out of the four races in April will now need write-in candidates.
Teacher Evaluation Bill Criticized
Omaha World News, NE, January 24, 2012
Teachers and school administrators from most of the state lined up together Monday to oppose a bill mandating annual evaluations for all Nebraska teachers.
Pair of Bills Links Gifts To School Choice Tax Credits
Union Leader, NH, January 24, 2012
Legislators introduced companion bills Monday to provide a state business tax credit for contributions to scholarship organizations that help students move from public schools to private schools.
School Choice Advocates Hold Pep Rally In Morristown
Daily Record, NJ, January 24, 2012
Former state Department of Education Commissioner Bret Schundler on Sunday said he wants to see New Jersey take the strides already made nationally to embolden parental school choice rights, but admitted it will be a tough fight because of the political makeup in Trenton.
Trove of N.C. Teacher Evaluation Data Online, With More to Come
Morganton News Herald, NC, January 23, 2012
State education officials have made available a massive amount of teacher evaluation data online, giving parents a new way to judge their child’s school.
Oklahoma City Public Schools to Accept More Teach for America Teachers
The Oklahoman, OK, January 24, 2012
Donations from the business community have enabled the Oklahoma City school district to hire an additional 70 teachers from the Teach for America program.
Andre Agassi to Celebrate Philly Charter School
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 24, 2012
Tennis great Andre Agassi and officials of a California real estate company created an unusual joint venture last year to help successful charter schools find affordable and sustainable buildings.
Educational Choice in PA Has Expanded in Past 20 Years
Daily Local, PA, January 23, 2012
School choice is advancing in Pennsylvania , even as a public school voucher plan remains stuck in legislative limbo.
Legislators Vow To Save Chester Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 23, 2012
After meeting privately with Gov. Corbett and Education Secretary Ron Tomalis on Monday, a bipartisan group of legislators said that they would jointly find a way to keep Chester Upland’s students in the classroom while exploring long-term solutions to the district’s financial plight.
Leftover Bond Money To Help Several Austin Schools
KUVE, TX, January 23, 2012
Parents like Noyola are pleased most of the money has been earmarked for repairs and to help the overcrowding in North Austin. However they are not pleased that almost a half million dollars has been allocated for the IDEA charter school system.
Va. Teachers’ Groups Push Back Against GOP Education Proposals
Washington Times, DC, January 23, 2012
House Republicans on Monday morning pre-emptively protested the Virginia Education Association and the Virginia PTA, touting their own education proposals that have been roundly denounced by the teachers’ groups, which later gathered for their traditional “lobby day” at the Capitol.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
Resolution Deals With Online Charter Schools
Reading Eagle, PA, January 24, 2012
Board Vice President Gregory Portner said each online charter student costs the district $11,600 per year, which is more than the cost for regular students at $10,000 to $11,000 annually.
Publics’ Edge: Districts Can Make AYP Even If a School Fails
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, January 24, 2012
When Ron and Tina Gamble’s twin daughters, Jessica and Lauren, considered leaving public school for cyber school after sophomore year, several factors influenced their decision. The family from Murrysville liked the flexible cyber school schedule and lack of “busy work.”
‘Virtual’ Charter School Looks To Cabarrus, Seeks BOE Partnership
WFAE, NC, January 23, 2012
North Carolina’s charter school law doesn’t differentiate between traditional schools with brick and mortar schoolhouses and online ones. So far that hasn’t been a problem since the state doesn’t have a virtual charter school. But one group is trying to start one and that’s raising a lot of questions.
Digital Academy Could Help City Keep Students
Springfield Sun News, OH, January 23, 2012
More than $1.1 million in state funding follows nearly 200 Springfield students to online schools, but that could change as the district prepares to launch its own virtual school.
Two Iowa School Districts To Offer Online Academies Next Fall
Des Moines Register, IA, January 24, 2012
Two Iowa school districts will launch online-only academies next fall, a development that state education officials say highlights the need for expansion of virtual learning opportunities in the state.
As Some Schools Plunge Into Technology, Poor Schools Are Left Behind
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 24, 2012
At a time when awareness of technology and its potential uses in school is growing nationally, this public high school of 550 often feels like a poster child for the so-called digital divide.
TR Board Approves Virtual School
Herald Times Reporter, WI, January 23, 2012
Ninth- through 12th-graders living within the boundaries of the Two Rivers School District now have another option for acquiring an education — the Two Rivers Virtual School.
Jindal Pushes Virtual Programs
Daily Comet, LA, January 23, 2012
Jindal wants more students to enroll in the Louisiana Virtual School, a statewide program that offers Internet courses to home-schooled children.
Schools Look For Best Ideas to Protect Kids on Internet
Denver Post, CO, January 24, 2012
As Colorado schools embrace iPads and other take-home technology, some are taking distinctly different approaches to a key question: Who’s responsible for online activity on school-issued devices once they leave the filtered safety of the campus?