Daily Headlines for May 6, 2011
If Supermarkets Were Like Public Schools
Wall Street Journal, May 5, 2011
What if groceries were paid for by taxes, and you were assigned a store based on where you live?
No Silver Bullet For Education Woes
Charlotte Observer, NC, May 6, 2011
Two reports caught my eye this week. They say a lot about what influences public education reform these days. They also say a lot about the difficulties involved in such “reforms” and even challenge the notion that some of the ideas can be tagged reforms.
FROM THE STATES
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Under Josephine Baker, D.C. Charter Schools Have Flourished
Washington Post, DC, May 5, 2011
WHEN JOSEPHINE BAKER was approached about joining the District’s new public charter school board, the first thing she had to do was find out what these newfangled schools were all about. It was 1996 and the national charter school movement was in its infancy.
FLORIDA
Lawmakers Took ‘Wrecking Ball’ To Florida Schools, Union Chief Says
Orlando Sentinel, FL, May 5, 2011
The Orange County school district shines as an example of the “good that’s going on in education” despite “tragic” budget cuts and an effort by Tallahassee power brokers to demoralize and denigrate teachers, union leader Randi Weingarten said Thursday.
GEORGIA
Race to the Top Begins Slowly
GBS, GA, May 5, 2011
Georgia has begun spending the $400 million it won eight months ago in the federal Race to the Top education grant competition. But progress has been slow. Although the state is picking up its pace, the delay has left some lingering confusion.
ILLINOIS
Not Ready For Reform
Chicago Tribune, IL, May 5, 2011
Not so fast. Looks now like we have proof the education employee unions aren’t ready to be leaders in reform. The governing body of the CTU has pulled its support for the bill known as Performance Counts.
INDIANA
Indiana’s Great Education Leap
Wall Street Journal, May 6, 2011
School choice is gaining new momentum, and one of the biggest political breakthroughs came this week in Indiana. Governor Mitch Daniels signed legislation Thursday that includes far-reaching reforms in teacher assessment and tenure, as well the most ambitious voucher program in memory.
LOUISIANA
New Orleans Charter Schools Taking Their Time To Set Up Attendance Zones
Times Picayune, LA, May 5, 2011
New Orleans won’t move any closer to having neighborhood schools in the coming year, despite a new state policy that allows most of the city’s charter schools to set aside a portion of their slots for students who live nearby.
MAINE
No Union For Teachers
Portsmouth Herald, ME, May 6, 2011
Starting next school year, teachers at the Great Bay eLearning Charter School in Exeter will have separate contracts from those in the Exeter Region Cooperative School District , and will not belong to a teachers’ union.
MASSACHUSETTS
Unions, Get On Board With Schools
Boston Globe, MA, May 6, 2011
If the traditional schools don’t embrace a significantly longer day and more staffing flexibility, expect two things to happen. First, the performance gap between traditional schools and those with substantially longer days will become ever more apparent. Second, parental pressure will grow for more longer-day options.
Trying a New Way of Learning
Worcester Telegram, MA, May 6, 2011
Five schools will take new approaches to education this fall after School Committee votes last night to approve five innovation schools.
MISSOURI
Schools Face Influx Of Students From Failing Districts
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, May 6, 2011
Hope is dwindling that the Missouri Legislature will pass a bill reining in a landmark court decision that could trigger an exodus of thousands of children from failing urban schools to the suburbs.
NEW JERSEY
Give Charter Schools A Chance, Association Chairman Says
Press of Atlantic City, NJ, May 5, 2011
Charter schools are the research and development arm of public education and deserve a chance to prove they can succeed where public schools have not, a charter schools advocate told attendees Thursday at the annual Metropolitan Business and Citizens Association Scholarship Luncheon.
NEW YORK
Can Outside Organizations Help Schools?
WIVB, NY, May 6, 2011
Outside organizations now have an open invitation to step in and help turn around Buffalo’s struggling public schools.
Bill Would Help Charter Schools for At-Risk Students
New York Times, NY, May 6, 2011
When Mansoor Kapasi first began taking his students to chess tournaments, the other parents wondered if they were part of a gang.
OHIO
Budget Adds Teacher-Pay Changes
Columbus Dispatch, OH, May 6, 2011
Voting along party lines yesterday, the Ohio House approved a new two-year state budget after Democrats tried unsuccessfully to remove language that is similar to performance-pay provisions also included in Senate Bill 5, the collective-bargaining bill.
OKLAHOMA
Proposed Tax Credit In Oklahoma For Private School Scholarships Could Go To Wealthy
The Oklahoman, OK, May 6, 2011
A proposed tax credit, touted as an opportunity for low-income children to attend a private school of their choice on a scholarship, would be available to any middle-class family in Oklahoma and many wealthy families as well.
PENNSYLVANIA
SRC Must Change
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, May 6, 2011
People are rightly questioning whether the Philadelphia School Reform Commission is fulfilling its role as an independent watchdog of the district’s operations.
NORTH CAROLINA
A Worthwhile Option for Progress in Public Education
Carolina Journal, NC, May 6, 2011
The school-choice movement in North Carolina and many other states has generated much effort and focus on charter schools, tax credits, and vouchers. Meanwhile, another means of achieving progress in educational choice has gone fairly overlooked: public school open enrollment.
A Seamless Success And A Race To The Top In Education
Fayetteville Observer, NC, May 6, 2011
The North Carolina Race to the Top federal grant provides the state with $399 million to be spent over a four-year period, ending with the 2013-2014 school year.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
Implementing Virtual School Bill Has Polk Officials Worried
The Ledger, FL, May 5, 2011
Polk County School District officials are concerned about legislation that would require students entering high school next year take one course online in order to graduate.
Charter Virtual School To Make Debut Here This Fall
Barron News Shield, WI, May 6, 2011
About 12 years ago, students began engaging in a different type of education: virtual schooling. They were completing courses online, in a virtual, or online, community. A few years ago, more and more virtual schools started popping up around the U.S. , and today, a significant number of school districts are working to develop chartered virtual schools – including Barron.
Cool in School: Online Classes Help With Family Balance
KARE 11, MN, May 5, 2011
Luke Schneider doesn’t worry about catching the bus, standing in long lines at lunch or passing time in the hallway of his high school. No one disrupts his classes, either.
Online School Grows in Oklahoma
KTUL, OK, May 5, 2011
Technology is changing the way your children are learning. For years, colleges have offered online courses and degrees. Now it seems your student could graduate from high school without ever stepping foot in a classroom. NewsChannel 8’s Kim Jackson says this revolutionary curriculum may surprise even the most modern parents.