Daily Headlines for August 3, 2012
A Parent Revolution
Chicago Tribune, IL, August 3, 2012
Here’s some big news you may have missed: Fed up with the long record of failure at their elementary school, parents in Adelanto, Calif. , recently became the first in the nation to pull the “parent trigger” and wrest control of the school from the local board of education.
Better Schools Through Smarter Testing
Los Angeles Times, CA, August 3, 2012
We need to redesign testing so that it becomes integral to the subjects students are studying, rather than an add-on afterward.
FROM THE STATES
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
New Rating System Will Put More D.C. Teachers At Risk
Washington Post, DC, August 2, 2012
More D.C. teachers will be at risk of losing their jobs for poor performance in coming years, under a revised rating system, even though standardized test scores will carry less weight in their job evaluations.
Vouchers Given To 1,788 D.C. Public School Students
Washington Times, DC, August 2, 2012
More than 1,700 students from the District will get the chance to attend a private school this year through a federal voucher program, despite an ongoing debate among leaders in the city and on Capitol Hill about whether “school choice” should stay within the bounds of the public school system.
SIMMONS: How To Make Our Schools A Lot Better
Washington Times, DC, August 2, 2012
At a time when school districts like the District’s are considering closing dozens of schools and making sure the cap is tightened on the red-ink bottle, Americans who participated in a report released Thursday by the Fordham Institute have a few curt messages.
D.C. To Weaken Link Between Test Scores, Teacher Ratings
Washington Examiner, DC, August 2, 2012
D.C. Public Schools is planning to reduce the power that students’ standardized test scores have over teachers’ performance ratings and job security, The Washington Examiner has learned.
Teachers’ Union Threatens To Sue Private Schools Over Voucher Program
Daily Caller, DC, August 2, 2012
Last week, a lawyer for a Louisiana teachers’ union wrote a letter to 95 private schools that have agreed to participate in the Pelican State’s new school voucher program. His message? That vouchers are unconstitutional and if schools accept them, “We will have no alternative other than to institute litigation against [you].”
FLORIDA
Four Applicants Propose New Charter Schools In Pasco
Tampa Bay Times, FL, August 3, 2012
After receiving a time-crushing 11 applications last August, Pasco County charter schools supervisor Nancy Scowcroft expected another deluge this year. Instead, she got barely a trickle.
MAINE
Maine Voices: Charter School’s Mission: Rigorous, Innovative Education For All
Portland Press Herald, ME, August 3, 2012
There has recently been a great deal of press regarding the approval of the first three charter schools here in Maine. While there exists considerable enthusiasm for Baxter Academy for Technology and Science and we have a very strong board and a dedicated group of parent supporters, we would like the opportunity to dispel some misinformation and address some concerns that have recently been expressed.
MASSACHUSETTS
Somerville Public Schools Emphasize Diversity In Wake Of Charter School Return
Somerville Journal, MA, August 2, 2012
As the public schools gear up for more parent involvement, additional after school programming and improved student coaching, proponents unhappy with the system refiled last week for a proposed Somerville Progressive Charter School .
Lawrence Teachers Union Head Blasts Turnaround Plan
Eagle Tribune, MA, August 3, 2012
City teachers are losing their voice and collective bargaining rights, Lawrence Teachers Union President Frank McLaughlin wrote in a recent memo that was highly critical of the state’s plan for turning around the city’s troubled school system.
MICHIGAN
Detroiters Deserve The Best From Their Schools – Even If They’re Charters
Detroit News, MI, August 3, 2012
Families are busy choosing schools for the fall, and there are good things happening in Detroit , which is quickly becoming one of the epicenters of innovative education reform.
DPS Emergency Manager Roy Roberts Rejects Union Request To Bargain For New Contract
Detroit News, MI, August 3, 2012
The emergency manager for Detroit Public Schools has rejected a request from local, state and national union leaders to bargain with teachers for a new contract.
Michigan City Outsources All of Its Schools
Wall Street Journal, August 3, 2012
The public school district in this hard-luck city has come up with a radical answer for its troubled education system: It is outsourcing all of it.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Charter School Transportation Will Cost District $84,000
Nashua Telegraph, NH, August 3, 2012
The move of the Academy for Science and Design to Nashua this fall will come at a cost to the Nashua School District, which is required by state law to provide and cover the cost of busing for city students attending the charter school.
NEVADA
Republican Lawmaker Plans To Champion School Vouchers
Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV, August 2, 2012
Once again, a Republican lawmaker will attempt to pass a school choice bill at the Legislature over the expected strong opposition of Democrats.
NEW JERSEY
NJEA Says Gov. Christie Is Misleading On Tenure Bill
The Star-Ledger, NJ, August 2, 2012
Gov. Chris Christie has yet to sign the hard-fought teacher tenure reform bill that sits on his desk, but the state’s largest teachers union says he’s already claiming all the credit for historic change.
BOE Reviews Charter Proposals
Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ, August 3, 2012
Without a hitch, the Camden Board of Education began its review of three proposals for Hope Act schools in the city Thursday evening.
NORTH CAROLINA
Schools Report Brings Mixed Results
Greenville Daily Reflector, NC, August 3, 2012
Four out of five North Carolina public schools met expected student learning growth targets in the recently completed academic year, but fewer than half reached all objectives, the state’s annual schools report card showed Thursday.
OHIO
Council To Hold Do-Over Vote On Charter School
Toledo Blade, OH, August 3, 2012
A charter school company whose bid to obtain a permit to open in downtown Toledo failed to garner City Council’s support early this week could get a second chance.
Ethics Probe Slams State Schools Chief
Columbus Dispatch, OH, August 3, 2012
Ohio schools Superintendent Stan Heffner apologized but says he does not plan to resign after a scathing ethics investigation revealed he already had accepted a job with a standardized testing company when he urged state lawmakers to pass legislation which could have benefitted his new employer.
OKLAHOMA
On Testing, Oklahoma Students And Teachers Prove The Critics Wrong
The Oklahoman, OK, August 3, 2012
WHEN lawmakers voted in 2005 to require Oklahoma high school seniors to pass end-of-instruction exams in order to graduate, supporters argued a diploma should be more than a certificate of attendance. We agreed, believing that raising the bar benefits children.
PENNSYLVANIA
BGC Report On Philadelphia Schools Draws Mixed Reaction
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, August 3, 2012
On the day that the Boston Consulting Group’s exhaustive analysis of and recommendations for the troubled Philadelphia School District was made public, reaction was swift, decisive, and divided.
Pittsburgh Schools Work To Close Racial Achievement Gap
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, August 3, 2012
In its quest to tackle the racial achievement gap, Pittsburgh Public Schools today is issuing an equity plan focusing on doing initiatives already under way better, rather than introducing new strategies.
Erie Superintendent Critical Of Scholarship Program
Erie Times-News, PA, August 2, 2012
Several Erie School District schools are on the list for the state’s new scholarship program that could send students to private schools.
TENNESSEE
6 Memphis Suburbs Vote On New School Systems
The Tennessean, TN, August 3, 2012
Voters in six Memphis suburbs had their say on whether to create municipal public school systems to sidestep the merger of city and county schools, while a federal judge has reserved the right to invalidate the elections later. Final results were not available by press time.
Teach for America Hopes to Keep Recruits in Memphis
Commercial Appeal, TN, August 3, 2012
Monday, against scheduling odds that wiped out most other new charter schools this year, Simpson will be at the front door of Grizzlies Prep Academy in the former Federal Reserve Bank, greeting 75 new sixth-grade boys as principal of the school.
WASHINGTON
Governor Talks To KIMA About Yakima Schools & Charter School Initiative
KIMATV, WA, August 2, 2012
Governor Chris Gregoire winds down her term with a couple of stops in the Yakima Valley today. KIMA asked her how she expects local schools to thrive as stimulus money disappears.