Daily Headlines for January 30, 2012
NATIONAL
Is College Not For Poor Kids?
Washington Post, DC, January 29, 2012
A few weeks ago, my colleague Paul Schwartzman introduced readers to a group of Prince George’s County residents known as “the Seat Pleasant 59.” They were promised in 1988, when they were in elementary school, that their tuition would be paid if they worked hard and got into college.
Time to Expand School Choice
Washington Examiner, DC, January 28, 2012
This week has marked the second annual National School Choice Week. Parents, students and advocates across the country are celebrating effective education options for all children.
Using Student Test Scores To Evaluate Teachers Unfair
Lexington Herald Leader, KY, January 30, 2012
There are two ways to persuade people to do dumb things: Fill them with fear or dangle money in front of them. The Obama administration is engaged in the latter. In the face of significant scientific evidence to the contrary, the U.S. Department of Education is pushing the states to evaluate teachers on the basis of student test scores by offering one-time dollars for doing so.
STATE COVERAGE
Alabama Considers Adding Charter Schools To Its Education Mix
Birmingham News, AL, January 28, 2012
The quality of education offered to children in Alabama depends largely on geography and ability to pay. Lawmakers say it is time to change that by offering parents in failing school systems a choice of where they send their children. And it is likely to come in the form of charter schools.
Just Saying: Charter Schools Have Records of Success
Montgomery Advertiser, AL, January 29, 2012
Charter schools are the an¬swer to our education prob¬lems. I’m serious about this. Our state leaders announced this week that among the changes to education that they would like to implement this year, introducing charter schools is high on their list.
The Governor And Schools: Improvement of Children’s Education Must Drive Any Alterations
Anniston Star, AL, January 30, 2012
When Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley announced the education initiatives he will submit to the state Legislature, he acknowledged the opposition he and his Republican colleagues would face.
Make Private School Tax Credits More Accountable
Arizona Sun, AZ, January 29, 2012
As for paying for K-12 schools, the first side sees tax dollars as ultimately belonging to individuals to be respent according to a family’s values. The second sees those dollars as community assets that can be leveraged on behalf of all children.
Charter School Proposed in Somerton
Yuma Sun, AZ, January 29, 2012
City officials here are considering a proposal by a Phoenix-area social service organization to open a charter high school to serve up to 400 students.
An L.A. Teacher Reviews Her Review
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 29, 2012
Evaluations don’t take into account the real world of today’s Los Angeles Unified School District classrooms.
Pushing Past Mediocrity in the Classroom
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 29, 2012
Interactions between children and teachers are at the heart of learning. We should evaluate that.
How to Grade a Teacher
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 29, 2012
United Teachers Los Angeles and the school district should get behind a teacher-led evaluation system.
A Sputtering Stop for School Buses?
San Diego Union Tribune, CA, January 30, 2012
Julian Charter School District won’t lose a penny. It’s a K-12 district formed 12 years ago with eight physical locations in San Diego and Riverside counties. But the district has no transportation and many of its 2,200 students learn at home through online instruction. Others, said Executive Director Jennifer Cauzza, may carpool four days a week, say from Fallbrook to Temecula.
Board of Ed Chief Schaffer Backs Embattled Neenan, Cites Past Dealings
Denver Post, CO, January 28, 2012
Faced with a series of damaging disclosures about its school-construction projects, the Neenan Co. is getting support from a successful Fort Collins charter school and its high-profile principal — State Board of Education chairman Bob Schaffer.
Kevin Chavous on His Tireless Efforts for School Choice
The Foundry Blog, Heritage Foundation, January 28, 2012
Few legislators have done more to advance school choice than Kevin Chavous. As a city councilmember in Washington D.C. from 1992 to 2004, and a chairman of the council’s Education Committee, Chavous was instrumental in implementing the city’s landmark Opportunity Scholarship Program.
Extremes Show Disparity Between Schools
Washington Examiner, DC, January 29, 2012
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown, who has introduced legislation to incentivize more top teachers into low-income, underperforming schools, said these extremes in ratios of effective teachers emphasize the gulf between affluent and poor schools.
Good Teachers Spread Throughout District
Washington Examiner, DC, January 29, 2012
Good teachers are spread fairly evenly throughout the District, according to an analysis of teacher evaluations by The Washington Examiner, despite the enormous achievement gap between classrooms in affluent Northwest areas and poor Southeast communities.
Parents Scramble for Magnet Schools
Miami Herald, FL, January 28, 2012
To land their children a spot in a Broward magnet school, some parents have lobbied for attendance-zone changes.
More Charter Schools Means More Cost to Pinellas County in Time and Money
Tampa Bay Times, FL, January 29, 2012
Like most of Florida, Pinellas County is welcoming more charter schools to its school district.
Lawmakers Want Charter Schools To Grow
Miami Herald, FL, January 28, 2012
While education isn’t likely to take center stage in Tallahassee this year, one message is clear: Florida lawmakers want to continue growing charter schools.
District Helped Charter Group Get $50K Grant
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, January 30, 2012
Although the Cobb school district has never sought any of the $400 million from the federal Race to the Top program for its own use, district staff did help a potential charter school land a $50,000 planning grant through the program
BOE Opposes New Charter School Proposal
Covington News, GA, January 29, 2012
The Newton County Board of Education announced its opposition to charter schools created by the state that use local funds without the blessing of the local board of education.
Legislature Needs To Clarify Law Enabling Charter Schools
Honolulu Star-Advertiser , HI, January 29, 2012
Even someone accustomed to the twists and turns of government surely would be tied up in knots following the battle over the conversion of Laupahoehoe High and Elementary School to a public charter school, a roller-coaster ride now in its third year.
Why Public Charter Schools Are Important
Louisville Courier-Journal, KY, January 30, 2012
The public conversation about what charter schools are and what they might bring to public education in Kentucky is well underway, and it has been a long time coming. Over the last several years education reform advocates have worked tirelessly in Louisville and across the commonwealth just to get to this point.
Louisiana Vouchers Would Need To Provide Good Options
Times Picayune, LA, January 28, 2012
As a staunch public school advocate, it pains me to say, vouchers can work. But are Gov. Bobby Jindal and state Superintendent John White prepared to give parents the information and transparency required for high levels of parental choice?
How Will School Vouchers Affect You?
Daily Comet, LA, January 28, 2012
Thousands of students could qualify for vouchers that would allow them to leave failing public schools in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes under a proposal Gov. Bobby Jindal has included in a sweeping education-reform plan.
Innovation Schools Should Be Part of the Big Picture
South Coast Today, MA, January 29, 2012
United Interfaith Action will be before the School Committee on Feb. 13 hoping to move the process forward on creating small, autonomous schools, which the group sees as a vital tool for giving New Bedford’s school system a better chance at success.
Educators Seeking Parents to Partner on Evaluations
Battle Creek Enquirer, MI, January 30, 2012
Union City’s Bill Schaeffer said he’s worried about how people might react to letters some local parents are likely to receive telling them their children’s teacher isn’t good at their job.
The Urgency of School Reform in Minnesota
Pioneer Press, MN, January 28, 2012
After listening this past week to important ideas for improving education in Minnesota, we hope the efforts of a reform-minded Republican-controlled Legislature – and an open-minded Democratic governor – will add up to a win for students.
Charter Schools Are Not The Priority
Clarion Ledger, MS, January 27, 2012
They’re the latest panacea, the latest fix. Charter schools will allow Mississippi ‘s education system to burst with new success once they free up students and teachers from the rules of the evil education bureaucracy.
Teacher Compensation, Performance Legislation Introduced in House
Missouri Net, MO, January 30, 2012
The legislative strategy for House Republicans in the new legislative session makes a priority a bill addressing teacher compensation and performance, calling it the “Missouri Teacher Quality Act.” That has now been introduced by Elementary and Secondary Education Committee Chairman Scott Dieckhaus (R-Washington).
Schools Struggle With Dwindling Interest Income
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, January 30, 2012
Money in the bank used to generate a nice little piece of revenue for a school district — but that was before the recession.
Voucher Legislation Threatens N.H.’S Public Schools
Portsmouth Herald, NH, January 29, 2012
Last week, Seacoast Sunday featured a story, “Private school scholarship bills rebuked,” on the education tax credit (school voucher) program proposed in the Legislature.
Bracing for $40,000 at New York City Private Schools
New York Times, NY, January 29, 2012
THERE are certain mathematical realities associated with New York City private schools: There are more students than seats at the top-tier schools, at least three sets of twins will be vying head to head for spots in any class, and already-expensive tuition can only go up. Way up.
Education Secretary Arne Duncan Backs Mayor Bloomberg on Teacher Bonuses
New York Daily News, NY, January 28, 2012
Mayor Bloomberg’s bold plan to pay the best teachers much more — via $20,000 salary hikes doled out to top performers — is winning friends in high places.
Charter School Releases an Ad Supporting Cuomo
New York Times Blog, NY, January 27, 2012
As he girds for confrontation with what he calls the state’s educational bureaucracy, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has found an unexpected ally singing his praises on cable television: a group of high school students in East Harlem .
West Side Might Get K-8 Charter School This Fall
Columbus Dispatch, OH, January 29, 2012
The state’s largest charter-school operator is eyeing Columbus ’ West Side as the perfect spot to open its first K-8 building in the city.
TPS Fears Partial State Seizure of Schools
Tulsa World, OK, January 28, 2012
The possibility of a state takeover of Tulsa school sites was among a list of hot topics that came up during a special meeting Friday that the Tulsa school board hosted for legislators.
Choice: It’s Good for Children
Edmond Sun, OK, January 28, 2012
When my twin sons were in elementary school, both were identified as requiring special needs attention. Unfortunately, I knew their needs were not being met. We could have moved at the time, but I knew there were parents who couldn’t make these choices because of their income level.
Oklahoma Tax Dollars at Center of School Voucher Debate
The Oklahoman, OK, January 29, 2012
Vouchers that use public school funding for private school tuition (proponents prefer the term scholarships) are at the center of a growing conflict in Oklahoma between parents, the state and schools.
Legislature to Consider Bills That Will Tie School Funding to Key Goals
Statesman Journal, OR, January 30, 2012
Next month, lawmakers will consider bills that would tie that spending to specific, measurable goals and intervene in educational institutions that fail to meet expectations.
Public Schools Facing Crisis
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 29, 2012
But rural and suburban districts across the state are in similarly dire straits. Despite making drastic budget cuts, some districts, like Erie, may run out of money before the end of the school year and be unable to pay vendors or creditors.
State Needs Sound Course for Charters
Scranton Times-Tribune, PA, January 28, 2012
The fundamental concept behind school choice is that multiple options will help to improve all education, including in public schools that lose students to charter schools, or through tuition vouchers and similar devices. Competition, the concept holds, will force public schools to improve in order to retain students who once were captive but have been endowed with mobility. There are examples of the concept working but it hardly is universal.
Easton Area School District Considers Charging Charter, Cyber Schools a Fee for Sports Participation
Allentown Morning Call, PA, January 29, 2012
Many a young Eastonian has aspired to one day be part of Easton Area School District’s storied football and wrestling programs — bright spots in a school system battling economic and academic shortfalls.
S.D. Teachers Learning New Method for Evaluations
Aberdeen News, SD, January 29, 2012
The Aberdeen and Webster Area school districts are already preparing for their next endeavor — a new teacher evaluation model that will be implemented next school year.
TN Taps New Pipeline for Top Teachers
The Tennessean, TN, January 29, 2012
Instead, Tennessee education leaders plan to invest $10 million on two national programs that recruit the brightest graduates in other fields, put them through intensive training and send them into classrooms — where they typically outperform peers who took the traditional route
Charters Could Be On The Way
Commercial Appeal, TN, January 30, 2012
Changing education: Diminishing resistance to charter schools in Mississippi could result in another weapon to help students succeed.
The Time is Right for a Fairfax Charter School
Washington Post, DC, January 27, 2012
Public hearings before the Fairfax County School Board often last into the wee hours. In a county chock-full of smart and involved citizens, it’s not unusual for 80 people to volunteer their thoughts on the best choice for a third-grade spelling textbook.
Education: Investment Options
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, January 30, 2012
“Invest in Kids,” read the signs held by educators at a recent rally at the state Capitol. The rally, organized by the Virginia Education Association and the Virginia PTA, called for more school funding. We wonder if it’s really kids that the teachers want the state to invest in.
Con: Statistics Show No Significant Advantage Over Regular Public Education
Spokesman Review, WA, January 29, 2012
Advocates assert that charter schools are a key reform for raising the achievement of African-American, Latino and low-income students in Washington state. The problem is that the research evidence does not support this assertion.
Pro: Challenging Curriculum, Personal Attention Inspire High Achievement
Spokesman Review, WA, January 29, 2012
If I close my eyes, I can still see the college pennants hanging in the classrooms, and hear the echoes of voices asking who’s staying after school for Advanced Placement tutoring. I can still feel the texture of the well-used SAT prep books that were glued to everyone’s hands and served as reminders of our college goals.
Make Sure Charter Schools Meet Goals
The Sheboygan Press, WI, January 28, 2012
The Sheboygan Area School District has 10 charter schools under its wing — the third most among districts around the state. It trails only Milwaukee and Appleton.
Now, the district is poised to add two more.
Bill to Halt Voucher Expansion Appears Dead
Green Bay Press Gazette, WI, January 28, 2012
A bill that would guarantee Wisconsin ‘s divisive school voucher program doesn’t expand without legislative approval looks all but dead after Republican leaders said Friday they don’t know if their caucus supports the measure.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
Virtual Schools On The Rise, But Are They Right For K-12 Students?
CNN Blog, January 30, 2012
It’s a Tuesday morning in January, and seventh-grader Katerina Christhilf is learning algebra. But it’s no ordinary class. This one takes place entirely online, led by a teacher a few miles away.
Hybrid’ Charters Will Meld Online Lessons With Conventional Instruction
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, January 30, 2012
But the urban ones that were approved are interesting in themselves, including two in Trenton and Newark that are trying a new model of education, mixing online learning with face-to-face instruction in a setting unlike any other in the state.
Charter Schools Are Struggling To Meet Standards, But Keep Growing
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, January 30, 2012
When Ron and Tina Gamble’s twin daughters, Jessica and Lauren, considered leaving public school for cyber school after sophomore year, several factors influenced their decision. The family from Murrysville liked the flexible cyber school schedule and lack of “busy work.”
Erie School District To Open Online Charter School
Erie Times-News, PA, January 28, 2012
Erie school officials are tired of paying millions of dollars each year and losing hundreds of students to online charter schools.
Online Education For K-12 Students Is Growing
Kentucky Post, KY, January 28, 2012
Computers have long had a place in many classrooms, but what about learning online completely? The number of full time online K-12 students is growing.
Data May Give Students Edge
Appleton Post Crescent, WI, January 28, 2012
The Appleton eSchool could be part of a study that tracks student behaviors in online coursework to predict student success.