Daily Headlines: March 13, 2012
To Many Teachers, Career Has Failed
Washington Times, DC, March 12, 2012
Students aren’t the only ones who hate going to school.
An increasing number of teachers don’t like their jobs and are considering a new line of work, according to a major survey by MetLife.
Tenure Reforms Can’t Afford ‘Grandfather’ Clauses
Daily Record, NJ, March 13, 2012
This year, the teacher tenure laws in New York, New Jersey and a number of other states are under direct fire from previously politically frightened legislatures and governors.
FROM THE STATES
Bill Limits School Decisions All Should Share In
Ahwatukee Foothills News, AZ, March 12, 2012
The bill contemplates the opposite of that Scottsdale situation: It gives parents whose children are not getting a good education the sole authority to close their school, force its conversion to a charter school or have the principal fired.
Ustate Board Rejects Proposed School Merger
North Little Rock Times, AR, March 12, 2012
The state Board of Education today rejected the voluntary merger of two northern Arkansas school districts.
State: Leave Charters Alone
Arkansas Democrat Gazette, AR, March 13, 2012
Attorneys for the state urged a federal judge on Monday to deny requests by the Little Rock School District and black students known as the Joshua intervenors to put limits on independently operated, open enrollment charter schools in Pulaski County and address a racial achievement gap.
31 LAUSD Campuses Files Papers To Become Charter Schools
CBS Local, CA, March 12, 2012
More than two dozen Los Angeles Unified schools have applied to become charger schools this year, a direct result of large and unexpected cutbacks in funding for economically disadvantaged students.
DPS School-Choice Program Accommodates Most Students In Its Inaugural Year
Denver Post, CO, March 13, 2012
In the first year using a new system that centralized school-choice applications within Denver Public Schools, a vast majority of students were able to get into their top picks.
APS Redistricting Plan Hits The Road
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, March 12, 2012
APS serves about 47,000 students, excluding those in charter schools, but it has space for 60,000. The district spends $27 million on salaries for 450 teachers who work in schools too small to qualify for state funding, Davis said. This is the first time in a decade that APS has attempted a redistricting of this magnitude.
Why Isn’t Anyone Talking About For-Profit Charter Schools?
Macon Telegraph, GA, March 13, 2012
At the risk of sounding like Johnny One-Note, let me go back over my concerns one more time about the charter school constitutional amendment bill in the state Senate that may or may not have been passed by the time this gets to you. (My deadlines and legislative deadlines don’t always coincide.)
Change the Game in North Chicago
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 13, 2012
Create charter school, remove the board: In November 2010, the Illinois State Board of Education took virtual control of one of the worst school districts in the state, North Chicago School District 187.
SD 227 Supporters Question Charter School Funding
Southtown Star, IL, March 12, 2012
Officials at Southland College Prep Charter High School hoped Monday would be about showing off their second-year school to visitors from the Illinois State Charter School Commission.
Thanks to Illinois Change: Teachers Who Rank Low Are First to Go
Rockford Register Star, IL, March 12, 2012
Tenured teachers are more vulnerable to layoffs this year because they will be based on performance rather than seniority.
Using Teachers To Evaluate Teachers
Hechinger Report, March 12, 2012
Any number of educators—principals, personnel directors, superintendents—can be called upon to evaluate teachers. But one school district in Indiana, Anderson , has decided that another group has perhaps the best expertise to judge quality teaching: other teachers.
Minor Ind. School Reforms Find Last-Minute Success
Indianapolis Star, IN, March 12, 2012
Indiana lawmakers signed off on minor school changes at the close of the 2012 session while reining in broader efforts sought by state schools Superintendent Tony Bennett.
Education Reformer Rhee Likes Branstad Proposals
Des Moines Register, IA, March 12, 2012
Education reform advocate Michelle Rhee called Gov. Terry Branstad’s school improvement plan for Iowa “a step in the right direction” during a Monday meeting with Des Moines Register reporters and editors.
Rep. Rollins Speaks Out Against Charter Schools
WFPL, KY, March 12, 2012
Kentucky’s charter school bill remains in House committee leaving some concerned over whether Rep. Carl Rollins (D) will give the bill a hearing. Rollins was recently interviewed by CN2 and he, again, restated his position against the schools arguing charters don’t improve the public school system and saying the schools don’t result in student achievement, despite mixed reports of which some show success.
Jindal Says Education Overhaul Is A ‘Moral Imperative’
Times Picayune, LA, March 12, 2012
Gov. Bobby Jindal opened the first legislative session of his second term Monday afternoon, telling a newly elected Legislature that his effort to remake primary and secondary education in Louisiana is a moral issue. “The moral imperative to improve education is more than an economic one,” Jindal told a joint session of the House and Senate. “The moral imperative to improve education goes to the heart of the American Dream.”
Why the Rush on Reforms?
Houma Courier, LA, March 13, 2012
Gov. Bobby Jindal has proposed an ambitious slate of reforms for the state’s school systems.
Over Union Objections, Jefferson Parish Schools Going Outside For New Teachers
Times Picayune, LA, March 12, 2012
Jefferson Parish public school officials are turning to yet another national training program to find teachers for the system’s poorest and lowest-performing schools. The School Board told Superintendent James Meza last week to sign a contract with The New Teacher Project for as many as 15 teachers for the 2012-13 academic year.
Time to Get Behind Baxter Academy of Technology and Science
Portland Press Herald, ME, March 13, 2012
It is unfortunate that Portland Mayor Mike Brennan has suggested that parents should be skeptical of the proposed Baxter Academy for Technology and Science (“Deadline limits charter school opening in the fall,” March 6).
Education Reform Bill’s Essence Is To Make It Easier To Fire Teachers
Morning Sentinel, ME, March 13, 2012
Anyone who has been following the news in the past few years and anyone who examines the bill (www.maine. gov/education/first/index.html) easily can read between the lines of the complex language and see that this bill is primarily intended to undermine the power of the Maine Teachers Association and erode collective bargaining rights by allowing school administrators to get around due process when firing teachers.
Maryland’s Local School Funding Mandate Opposed
Washington Times, DC, March 12, 2012
Local leaders in Maryland say a proposed state mandate on local education funding goes too far in dictating the fiscal decisions made by county governments.
Award Winning Cambridge Charter School Has New Head
Cambridge Chronicle, MA, March 12, 2012
Seven years after its founding, the Community Charter School of Cambridge will have a new head of school to start the 2012-2013 school year, though Caleb Hurst-Hiller is already pretty familiar with the East Cambridge middle and high school.
In Michigan Charter Schools, Results No Better Than Other Public Schools
Bridge Magazine, MI, March 13, 2012
Nearly 20 years into the experiment, public-school academies — charter schools, as they are more popularly known — would appear a rousing success. An enthusiastic Michigan Legislature, as part of a comprehensive reform package, lifted the state cap on charters late last year. The charter ranks, now at 256 schools, can start growing next year and operate without a state cap in 2015.
Charters Leave At-Risk Behind
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, March 12, 2012
The proposed charter school bills will have several effects. Highly educated and thus wealthier persons are required to follow the process to create a public charter school. Because of their influence, in spite of limitations in the law they will find ways to select the more easily educated students.
Pilot Teacher Evaluation Program Gets Good Marks
Princeton Packet, NJ, March 12, 2012
Forerunners in the new teacher evaluation program pilot think the system is an overall improvement. During a panel discussion on March 10 in the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association conference room in Monroe Township hosted by NJ Spotlight, the subject was progress of the controversial framework, which will affect teacher tenure decisions.
Christie Talks To Democrats About Proposals
Daily Record, NJ, March 13, 2012
Christie said he’s been talking with Senate President Stephen Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver about tenure, merit pay, charter schools and the Opportunity Scholarship Act, which would give tax credits to businesses that donate to programs providing school vouchers to poor children.
Charters Hot Ticket in W’burg and UWS
New York Post, NY, March 13, 2012
Thousands of students are jockeying to get admitted into three new Success Academy charter schools in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg and Cobble Hill neighborhoods as well as Manhattan ’s Upper West Side , according to new figures released yesterday.
Utica Charter Schools: The New Kids In Class
Utica Observer-Dispatch, NY, March 12, 2012
One of the most hotly debated issues in education is coming to Utica: charter schools. Utica is one of the few cities of any size in New York that doesn’t have a charter school. But if two groups are successful, the city would have two – an elementary school and a junior-senior high school – when students return to class in fall 2013.
Highlights of Draft Legislation For Cleveland Schools Plan
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, March 13, 2012
These are some of the highlights in the draft legislation proposed by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and supporters of his plan to improve the Cleveland schools. Some language, including the details of sharing money with charter schools and certain elements regarding the Transformation Alliance are still being fine-tuned.
Kasich Hails Cleveland School Plan
Columbus Dispatch, OH, March 13, 2012
Gov. John Kasich is praying and begging for support for Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s plan to overhaul the city’s schools, saying it’s a model that could be used in urban districts across Ohio.
In Previewing His Education Agenda, Governor Urges State Board To Back Mayor’s Blueprint For Overhaul
Wooster Daily Record, OH, March 13, 2012
At this time, it is not in the best interest of the Multi-County Juvenile Attention System to pursue establishing a charter or community school, the chairman of the program committee said.
Charter School Rejected
Register-Guard, OR, March 13, 2012
The Springfield School Board — with an eye on steadily declining state funding — rejected a charter school proposal Monday night from a passionate group of parents who wanted to reopen Mohawk Elementary School .
Philadelphia School Reform Commission Session Focuses On Turnarounds
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 13, 2012
Failing schools must be closed and replaced with high-performing options, whether they are charter or Philadelphia district schools, officials stressed Monday night.
Pocono Mountain Charter School Fight Cost Taxpayers $650K
Pocono Record, PA, March 13, 2012
Taxpayers in Pocono Mountain School District have footed the bill for almost $650,000 in legal fees in the battle between the district and Pocono Mountain Charter School .
Charter School Furloughs Staff
The Tribune-Democrat, PA, March 12, 2012
A shakeup that is rocking a state online charter school and its learning center in Johnstown has launched an official investigation and left some local parents wondering about the future of their children’s education.
PSEA: Special Ed Students Rights Violated
Delaware County Times, PA, March 12, 2012
The Pennsylvania State Education Association filed a federal complaint claiming the civil rights of Chester Upland School District’s 700 special education students are being violated by funding cuts and state special education and charter school laws.
A Better Plan For Education
Aberdeen News, SD, March 13, 2012
By combining base pay with merit pay, South Dakota teacher salaries would reach competitive levels. We would keep our best and brightest teachers, while attracting others from out of state.
Underachieving Lester School In Hands of Faith-based Overseer
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, March 13, 2012
Lester School is tucked in a neighborhood where the work of philanthropists and volunteers — streets dotted with renovations, new playground equipment and community gardens — suggest lots of people see hope in Binghamton.
Details Of New Educator-Evaluation System Will Matter
Seattle Times, WA, March 12, 2012
Gov. Chris Gregoire broke the impasse between the teachers union and the Legislature, brokering a sound deal on tougher teacher evaluations.
School Reformers Lose PR Battle But Win The War
News Tribune, WA, March 13, 2012
While anti-school reform elements among teachers and parents have been winning the rhetoric battle, they’ve been losing the legislative war.
Appleton East High School Parents Voice Concerns Over Charter School Concept
Appleton Post-Crescent, WI, March 13, 2012
To ensure concerns were heard about Appleton East High School ‘s proposed transition into a charter school, 15 parents from the school went to the Board of Education on Monday night.
Helping Special Needs Students
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, March 12, 2012
There are two critical bills before the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate this week that take an important step in allowing us to prepare our children for the future. Assembly Bill 110 and Senate Bill 486 create a public scholarship for special needs children, allowing parents to choose the right school for their children.
VIRTUAL LEARNING
Online Clearinghouse Bill Passes Senate
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, March 12, 2012
A clearinghouse of online education courses would be kept by the state under a bill passed Monday by the state Senate.
Gift-giving at the Mall
Tulsa World, OK, March 13, 2012
The Tulsa Learning Academy in the Tulsa Promenade shopping mall soon will have more space to serve its growing student population.
State Digital Academy’s Success Prompts Projected Funding Shortfall
Montana Watchdog, March 12, 2012
The Montana Digital Academy is apparently a victim of its own success as a state committee recently learned it would need an additional $420,000 next fiscal year as it has already spent nearly 85 percent of its $1.168 million program allocation for FY 2012 and has enrollment nearly three times of what was estimated in 2010.