Daily Headlines: May 8, 2012
Learning That Works
TIME, May 8, 2012
Clyde McBride is one of those everyday saints who, without much fanfare, go about the work of changing, and sometimes saving, the lives of children.
Start Your High School Search May 8
US News & World Report, May 7, 2012
The fourth edition of Best High Schools will include data on nearly 22,000 public schools. Of those high schools, the top 4,877 were ranked nationally, earning them gold, silver, or bronze medals. Schools ranked at the national level met certain criteria based on state assessment scores and the percentages of students who take and pass AP or IB tests.
Report: Some Charters Spend More Than Traditional Schools
Washington Post Blog, DC, May 7, 2012
A new report concludes that charter schools operated by major charter management organizations in three states often spend more to educate children than the surrounding public schools.
FROM THE STATES
Choking Charter Schools
Gadsden Times, AL, May 7, 2012
Sometimes, legislation is not what it seems to be on the surface. Such is the case with the charter school bill passed last week in the Alabama Senate. The restrictions included in the legislation virtually assure that the state won’t be seeing charter schools anytime soon.
UHS, Basis Tucson Among Nation’s Best High Schools
Arizona Daily Star, AZ, May 8, 2012
University High and Basis Tucson have been identified as two of the top 10 high schools across the country.
Colorado High Schools Given High Marks In National Ranking
Denver Post, CO, May 8, 2012
When word of an impressive showing in U.S. News & World Report’s rankings came down, Ridgeview Classical Schools principal Florian Hild greeted it with a mixture of pride and indifference.
A Racial Divide In School Discipline
CT Post, CT, May 8, 2012
Black and Hispanic students across the state are suspended from school at far greater rates than their white classmates, and education experts say this disparate treatment of students is widening the achievement gap.
Malloy, Democrats Reach Deal On Education Reform
The Day, CT, May 8, 2012
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy announced late Monday night that he and Democratic leaders of the legislature have reached an education reform agreement that he could sign. The governor had threatened to veto earlier versions that differed from his original proposal.
D.C. Mum on Federal Response to NCLB Waiver Bid
Washington Post Blog, DC, May 7, 2012
D.C.’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education (OSSE) promised lots of outreach and transparency in its application for relief from portions of the federal No Child Left Behind Law. Evidently that doesn’t include the U.S. Department of Education’s response to the application, which OSSE has in hand but declines to release.
Principal Tells APS Tribunal She Isn’t ‘Responsible’ For Teachers
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, May 7, 2012
Principal Selena Dukes Walton testified Monday that she remains “very qualified” to oversee her elementary school because she had been unaware of the massive cheating by teachers on a test to determine how well they were educating students.
State Recommends Denial of Ga. Charter School
Cedartown Standard, GA, May 7, 2012
Georgia’s first charter school to win a Blue Ribbon award from the U.S. Department of Education for standardized test achievement could lose its battle to stay open.
Forum: Charter School Editorial Missed Point
Southtown Star, IL, May 7, 2012
We at the Illinois Network of Charter Schools were dismayed to read your April 23 editorial questioning the funding for Southland College Prep Charter High School, a successful charter school serving students in Rich Township .
Indiana Charter School Law May Block Sale of Shuttered Fort Wayne Elementary
Indianapolis Star, IN, May 8, 2012
The Fort Wayne-South Bend Catholic Diocese is re-evaluating plans to buy a closed elementary school after a charter school group charged that the deal violates state law.
Group Wants Poor Performing Charter Schools To Close
FOX 59, IN, May 7, 2012
An education reform organization known for promoting charter schools, is calling for some of the worst performing charters to close. As founder and CEO of The Mind Trust and a former Indianapolis charter schools director, David Harris has helped support and foster the growth of charter schools.
Charter School Cap Lifted By the State
Boston Globe, MA, May 8, 2012
State education officials will lift a temporary moratorium on proposals to open charter schools in several cities across Massachusetts, a move that could allow for the creation of more than 1,000 seats in Boston .
Time for a Turner Fix
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, May 8, 2012
It’s time for the Missouri Legislature to do its job and fix the uncertainties stemming from a school transfer law, adopted by the Legislature, which has been the subject of a lawsuit known as Turner v. School District of Clayton.
Charter Schools’ Use Of Lottery Is Wrong
Nashua Telegraph, NH, May 7, 2012
I couldn’t help but feel appalled after reading the April 17 article titled “Merrimack charter school holds lottery for admission, parents hold their breath” in The Telegraph.
Alternative Testing? Not Under Christie’s Change for High School Graduation
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, May 8, 2012
As the Christie administration launches new high-stakes testing for New Jersey’s high school students, acting Education Commissioner Chris Cerf said yesterday that he intends to continue an appeals process that last year was the last resort for roughly 1,000 students to graduate.
Low Test Scores Outweigh Lofty Challenges As Trenton Charter School Faces Closure
Star-Ledger, NJ, May 7, 2012
High school senior Jabari Alvarango has had a difficult life. His father was deported when he was five. His mother died of cancer when he was 14.
Teachers Sue Over Closings
Wall Street Journal, May 7, 2012
For the third time in as many years, the city teachers union is suing to try to stop school closings, saying on Monday that Mayor Michael Bloomberg had attempted an “end run” around the union to get rid of bad teachers.
Voter Support Is Shown For BTF On Evaluations
Buffalo News, NY, May 8, 2012
A majority of Buffalo voters support the Buffalo Teachers Federation’s stance on student absenteeism as it relates to teacher evaluations — but when it comes to the district losing money or a major university partner as a result, public opinion veers away from the union, a recent survey has found.
Seven Queens High Schools To Close, Many 100+ Years Old
New York Daily News, NY, May 8, 2012
Some of the oldest high schools in Queens, including several that date back the turn of the 20th century, are slated to close their doors this summer.
Experienced, Top-Paid Teachers Leaving CMS
Charlotte Observer, NC, May 8, 2012
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has shed dozens of highly-paid teachers in the past year while adding to the entry-level ranks, an Observer analysis of the 2012 CMS payroll shows.
In Rock Hill, Gov. Haley Pushes For More Education Options
The Herald, NC, May 7, 2012
Gov. Nikki Haley said Monday she “absolutely” will sign a bill intended to bolster charter schools by, among other things, allowing those students to enroll in extracurricular activities like sports and music through the school districts in which they live.
Kasich School Plan May Change
Columbus Dispatch, OH, May 8, 2012
Republican leaders in the Senate plan to slow down Gov. John Kasich’s initiatives for holding back third-graders who aren’t proficient in reading and for a tougher report-card rating system for schools and districts.
Work Together
Columbus Dispatch, OH, May 8, 2012
The compromise version of a reform plan for Cleveland schools, currently before Ohio lawmakers, is a rare example of bipartisan give-and-take. It offers a chance for real change in the state’s most deeply troubled school district, and its backers deserve a chance to try it.
Thwarting Reform Does Nothing To Benefit Oklahoma Students
The Oklahoman, OK, May 8, 2012
Oklahoma took one step forward and one backward last week. Moving forward, Gov. Mary Fallin approved rules implementing an A-F grading system for schools. Falling back, a state House committee disapproved those same agency rules to thwart reform.
TPS May Be Have To Cut Services To Save Teacher Jobs
Tulsa World, OK, May 8, 2012
The district’s anticipated enrollment decrease of 485 students is largely driven by the impending closure of Greeley Elementary School to make way for a new charter school and the conversion of KIPP Tulsa College Preparatory School from a district contract school into a charter school.
Oklahoma City School Board Discusses Charter School Contracts
The Oklahoman, OK, May 8, 2012
Northeast Academy for Health Sciences and Engineering will be able to operate more independently because the Oklahoma City School Board voted Monday night to make it an enterprise school.
City Council Grills Philadelphia School District On Its Budget Today
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, May 8, 2012
Today, the City Council budget hearing for the school district starts at 10 a.m. Given what’s at stake and the complexity of the changes the district is proposing, by our reckoning, the hearing should end … sometime next month.
Vitalistic Therapeutic Charter School Facing Mounting Pressure To Close
Lehigh Valley Express-Times, PA, May 7, 2012
The Bethlehem Area School Board plans to vote later this month to notify Vitalistic Therapeutic Charter School of the Lehigh Valley it could lose its charter.
Susan Lusi Appointed Providence Superintendent
Providence Journal, RI, May 7, 2012
The School Board Monday night appointed Susan F. Lusi as the new superintendent, ending weeks of speculation that a top administrator from the Philadelphia school system was the frontrunner.
Charter Schools Could Help Education System
Island Packet, SC, May 8, 2012
I write in support of the April 28 column “We don’t have to be at bottom in education” by Tom Hatfield. His premise is to convert all of the K-12 Beaufort County public schools to public charter schools. Each school would then be run by its own board of governors and could choose how to run their own school and curriculum.
Jackson Mad County School Board, Baxter Proposes Charter School Idea
WNWS, TN, May 8, 2012
Among the items on the agenda was this month’s item 6 CHARTER SCHOOL DISCUSSION – (BILL BAXTER/GARY DEATON) (15 MINUTES). Board member Bill Baxter has been a proponent of some form of alternative school or charter school or academy and has had a regular slot on both board work session and meeting agendas.
Kids Appreciate Teachers; How About Rest of Us?
The Tennessean, TN, May 8, 2012
Today is Teacher Appreciation Day, part of Teacher Appreciation Week, and if you’re in Tennessee , there never has been a more important time to let educators know that you value their work.
Neighbors Air Concerns About Freedom Academy Expansion
Daily Herald, UT, May 7, 2012
Residents of the River Grove and Grandview neighborhoods held a town meeting Monday evening aimed at getting their voices heard about concerns over Freedom Academy ‘s planned expansion. The charter school, which has been in the neighborhood for four years, wants to expand from a K-8 school to a K-12 school starting by adding ninth grade this fall.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
Highlander Hosts Technology + Learning Conference in Providence
Go Local Prov, RI, May 8, 2012
Providence will host educators seeking to better incorporate digital technologies into their schools this month, when Highlander Institute, a regional provider of high quality professional development in education, presents the Blended Learning & Technology Conference on Saturday, May 19, 2012 from 8:30am-4pm.
Great Bay eLearning Charter School Contributes to State Award
Fosters Daily Democrat, NH, May 8, 2012
The Great Bay eLearning Charter School has contributed to state efforts that have resulted in New Hampshire winning a national award. The Education Commission of the States will honor New Hampshire’s State Board of Education and Department of Education with the prestigious Frank Newman Award for State Innovation at the 2012 National Forum on Education Policy.
There’s Always Online Education Options
Lacrosse Tribune, WI, May 8, 2012
As a concerned individual, I strongly support the Republican war on teachers. Wisconsin ranks 49th out of 50 in SAT scores, ahead of only Minnesota .
Parish Plans Virtual School, Targeting Home Schoolers
The Advocate, LA, May 8, 2012
The St. Mary Parish school system plans to open a new virtual school in August as a way to draw home schoolers back into the school system.
Online-Education Lawsuit Misfires On State Funding
Seattle Times, WA, May 8, 2012
Washington state must embrace online learning, “the future of education,” but a lawsuit against funding cuts interferes with the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s right to decide where to allocate dollars.