Daily Headlines for April 20, 2011
Detroit’s Mass Teacher Layoffs May Prove Bellwether For Education Reform Nationwide
Huffington Post, NY, April 19, 2011
Detroit’s layoffs are not unprecedented, but they could signal a new trend toward mass layoffs for large school districts unsure of their finances but required by state laws to notify teachers of potential dismissals. 2011 is the first year to see entire districts fired.
FROM THE STATES
Arizona
Chandler Unified School District May Transform Another School In Quest To Keep Students
The Arizona Republic, AZ, April 20, 2011
After nearly 100 years as the main game in town, Chandler Unified School District is considering remaking another elementary school to boost enrollment and compete with charter schools.
California
Reforming Los Angeles
Daily Breeze, CA, April 19, 2011
Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa took some license with his state of the city address this year. The city of which Villaraigosa is chief executive was almost an afterthought. Instead, the focus of his speech was on the future of the Los Angeles Unified School District and education reform.
Colorado
Douglas County Voucher Plan Draws Private Schools In
Denver Post, CO, April 20, 2011
About a quarter of the roughly 105 eligible private schools have applied to participate in the Douglas County School District’s pilot voucher program. Douglas County School District officials said 27 private schools returned applications by the Friday deadline.
Florida
Wanda Ezell Booth Is Charter School Teacher of the Year
The Ledger, FL, April 20, 2011
If Wanda Ezell Booth hadn’t lost her job at a dentist’s office where she worked for 20 years, accepting the Polk County Charter Schools Association Teacher of the Year wouldn’t have happened Tuesday night.
Illinois
For Students’ Sake, Get On The Same Page
Chicago Sun-Times, IL, April 20, 2011
No one in this city should be confused about where Mayor-elect Rahm Emanuel wants to take the Chicago Public Schools.
Nevada
Teacher Evaluations Called Unproductive
Las Vegas Sun, NV, April 20, 2011
The assumption behind Gov. Brian Sandoval’s education reform package is that red tape has prevented schools from getting rid of bad teachers, who are increasingly viewed as the greatest impediment to improving public education.
New Jersey
More Choices, More Success
Courier News, NJ, April 19, 2011
While the debate over vouchers to allow kids trapped in unsafe and failing public schools in New Jersey’s cities rages on, there’s been virtually no fighting over the interdistrict school choice law signed last year.
New York
Schools Boss Hails Single-Sex Classes
New York Post, NY, April 20, 2011
New Chancellor Dennis Walcott says he strongly supports school reform efforts that offer parents additional educational choices — including controversial single-sex schools.
Ohio
More Parents Take Advantage of Voucher Program
Morning Journal, OH, April 20, 2011
More students across Ohio have applied for the Educational Choice Scholarship Program, exceeding the number of vouchers available.
Virginia
McDonnell Pushes Teacher Merit Pay In Va. Schools
Washington Post, DC, April 20, 2011
Gov. Robert F. McDonnell unveiled a program Tuesday that would award $3 million in merit-based bonuses to recruit and retain teachers in select schools in Northern Virginia and elsewhere in the state.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
For AP Students, a New Classroom Is Online
Wall Street Journal, April 20, 2011
When budget cuts wiped out honors French classes at her Uxbridge, Mass., high school, 18-year-old Katie Larrivee turned to the Internet. These days, Ms. Larrivee, who plans to study abroad in college, practices her pronunciation alone in front of a computer.