Daily Headlines for September 30, 2011
Saving Catholic Education
Wall Street Journal, September 30, 2011
Catholic education in the United States is in dire straits. A report from Loyola Marymount University in June found that Catholic schools continue to close even though they graduate 98% of their high school students and send almost all of them onto college.
A Better Way To Measure Public Schools
Press Democrat, CA, September 29, 2011
Talk about the law of unintended consequences: In trying to ensure that all children succeed, the federal No Child Left Behind Act ensures that virtually every school will be labeled a failure.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
KIPP Co-Founder Mike Feinberg Joins Mayor Johnson to Discuss Parent Choice
Valley Community Newspaper, CA, September 29, 2011
Today Mayor Johnson was joined by Mike Feinberg, Co-Founder of the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), and the Superintendent of KIPP Houston, to discuss the concept that every child can learn and the importance of parent choice.
FLORIDA
Miami-Dade Schools Debut Merit Pay in Florida
Miami Herald, FL, September 30, 2011
Miami-Dade County Public Schools recently gave thousands of teachers an extra bump in their paychecks and plans to reward the district’s top 120 teachers with bigger bonuses.
Administrators Try Hand At New Pasco Teacher Evaluation System
St. Petersburg Times, FL, September 30, 2011
Formal evaluations are expected to begin Oct. 17. And because of a new state law, they’ll carry more weight than ever in teachers’ pay and continued employment.
GEORGIA
Cobb Board Rejects Charter School’s Application For Renewal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution , GA, September 29, 2011
A vote by the Cobb County school board Thursday evening sent 11-year-old Armani Singh out of the meeting room with tears in her eyes.
ILLINOIS
U. of C. Report Says CPS Reforms Have Failed Many Students
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 30, 2011
For the last two decades, Chicago’s public school system has been a laboratory of education reform and experimentation, but it has delivered only marginal improvement in student performance, according to a report to be released Friday by a University of Chicago consortium.
Chicago Teachers Union Wants to Meet with Aldermen
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 29, 2011
Chicago Teachers Union officials want to make their case directly to aldermen to counter the blitz Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration has undertaken to institute a longer school day.
LOUISIANA
Recovery School District To Put Cheating Protections Into Place
Times Picayune, LA, September 29, 2011
The state-run Recovery School District said Thursday it will take new steps to prevent cheating on the high-stakes standardized exams Louisiana students take each year.
MARYLAND
Ulman Says School Board Strife Factored In Decision To Change Its Structure
Baltimore Sun, MD, September 29, 2011
On Tuesday morning in Hunt Valley, Howard County school board member Allen Dyer asked an administrative law judge to dismiss his fellow board members’ request to have him removed.
MASSACHUSETTS
Charter School Successes Pose Challenge To City
Dorchester Reporter, MA, September 29, 2011
As the city’s school department and teachers’ union squabble over a new contract, a report shows that charter schools are set for a significant expansion in Boston , with eight new sites possibly opening in the next two years, and the number of students who attend charters expected to increase by 55 percent over the next four years.
MICHIGAN
Charter School Takes Aim at B.C.
Battle Creek Enquirer, MI, September 30, 2011
An Augusta company with permission to open a new charter school is looking for a spot in Battle Creek Public Schools’ back yard.
Bill Would Permit The Privatizing Of Teachers
Livingston Daily, MI, September 30, 2011
A proposal to allow private contracting of teachers in Michigan public schools is part of a “power grab” aimed at weakening community-based education in favor of for-profit teaching, critics of the bill said.
MINNESOTA
Few Minnesota Kids Using the ‘No Child’ Options
Star Tribune, MN, September 29, 2011
Thousands of low-income students in underperforming schools statewide will soon receive letters saying they are eligible to transfer to different schools and receive private tutoring paid for by their school districts. If history is an indicator, however, few will take advantage of those opportunities.
NEW JERSEY
School Doors Open To Out-Of-Towners
Advertiser News, NJ, September 20, 2011
Lafayette, Ogdensburg and Vernon school districts began accepting students from outside of the school district as part of the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie in September 2010.
Credits NJEA for Accepting Evaluation Program
Home News, NJ, September 29, 2011
New Jersey’s largest teachers union has decided wisely to stand down on resisting the state’s teacher evaluation pilot. Since so many New Jersey teachers belong to the New Jersey Education Association, their participation will help the pilot do its job: test different ways to measure how well a teacher educates students.
NEW YORK
New York State Blocks “Victory” Charter on Long Island
Huffington Post, NY, September 29, 2011
Maybe the politicians finally understand. Last week the SUNY Charter Schools Institute, which makes recommendations to the New York State
Department of Education, decided not to support a charter school proposed by Victory Education Partners in Brentwood
OHIO
Ohio Looks To Expand School Voucher System
Zanesville Times Recorder, OH, September 30, 2011
With school districts already feeling the pinch of limited funding, they could lose almost $6,000 per student if an Ohio House bill becomes law.
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma Considers Value-Added Teacher Evaluations
The Oklahoman, OK, September 30, 2011
Value-added teacher evaluations rate teachers as highly effective or ineffective based on whether their students grow academically as expected. It’s a controversial evaluation system that an Oklahoma commission is considering.
Tulsa-Area School Districts Under Probe In Refusal To Fund Special-Needs Scholarships
Tulsa World, OK, September 30, 2011
Tulsa-area school districts that initially refused to fund private school scholarships for special education students are being investigated at the request of the Oklahoma attorney general.
PENNSYLVANIA
Good Teachers: What The Research Says
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, September 30, 2011
CHARTER schools, vouchers, teacher evaluations – all three are hot- button issues, not only in the realm of education reform, but in the larger national debate. All three are also the subject of bills that may soon pass in Harrisburg.
Fewer Pennsylvania Schools Meet State Standards, But Students Show Improvement
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 30, 2011
Fewer schools in Philadelphia and its suburbs met state standards than last school year, state data show, while students statewide showed a slight improvement.
Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson Supports Nonprofit’s Charter Effort
Patriot News, PA, September 29, 2011
Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson has thrown her support behind a Philadelphia-based nonprofit looking to bring new charter schools to the capital city.
RHODE ISLAND
Mayoral Academies Split With RI Charter School League
Providence Journal, RI, September 29, 2011
Rhode Island Mayoral Academies, a high-profile group of mayor-led charter schools, has broken ties with the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools citing “philosophical differences” and financial concerns.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Teacher Evaluation Process Reworked
Argus Leader, SD, September 29, 2011
South Dakota schools will begin using new teacher evaluations approved this week by lawmakers.A legislative committee approved the standards 4-1 Tuesday after delaying the decision in August for lack of information.
TENNESSEE
Charter School Incubator Beefs Up Staff
Nashville Post, TN, September 19, 2011
The Nashville-based incubator, which aims to launch 20 charter schools here and in Memphis by 2015, has named Justin Testerman to be its chief operating officer and Rebecca Lieberman as director of talent recruitment.
UTAH
The Problems With Merit Pay For Teachers
Daily Herald, UT, September 30, 2011
Before school districts and state legislators inaugurate “merit pay,” they need to solve issues that teachers deal with that they may not be aware of. Consider the following issues.
WISCONSIN
Voucher Debate Detracts From Helping Schools
The Northwestern, WI, September 29, 2011
After bruising fights earlier this year about collective bargaining by teachers and expanding school vouchers, it’s time for Wisconsin to refocus its attention on improving student performance in the public schools.
VIRTUAL LEARNING
Online Schools Take Tax Money But Fail Many Students
KMGH Denver, CO, September 28, 2011
Millions of tax dollars go to private corporations to run online schools, which often have poor academic performance records, a CALL7 investigation found.
Alarms Sounding On Online Classes
Coeur d’Alene Press, ID, September 30, 2011
Mr. Deide misrepresents the Idaho Education Association and public school teachers in his recent column (Sept. 19).In recent weeks, parents and teachers across the state have expressed concern over the State Board’s recommendation of two online courses for every high school student.
Idaho to Take Comment on Online Education Rules
Magic Valley Times, ID, September 29, 2011
A plan to make Idaho the first state to require students to take at least two credits online will officially go before the public for comment next week.
Mesa Schools Prepare For ‘Blended Learning’ Future
Arizona Republic, AZ, September 30, 2011
Mesa Public Schools Superintendent Michael Cowan pictures a time when the school day will no longer start in homeroom – but at home before the first bell rings.