Daily Headlines: April 24, 2012
Schools To Get Star Turn For Arts Education
Washington Times, DC, April 23, 2012
Students in high-poverty schools that offer art and music classes are also 10 percent more likely to complete high school-level courses, such as calculus, the survey says.
Eight Schools in Pa. and N.J. Get Green Ribbons
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 24, 2012
Four Pennsylvania schools, including two from the Philadelphia area, and four New Jersey schools, one from South Jersey , were among 78 named Monday by the U. S. Department of Education as Green Ribbon Schools in recognition of their environmental design and practices.
Why States Should Hop Off the National Standards Bandwagon
The Heritage Foundation, April 23, 2012
Stotsky and four other education scholars from around the nation met to discuss the Obama Administration’s growing push for Common Core national education standards and why states should resist Washington’s attempt to further centralize education.
FROM THE STATES
City Council Votes Against Charter Schools
News Courier, AL, April 24, 2012
Though it’s been discussed and debated by lawmakers and educators for the past few weeks, the Athens City Council Monday passed a resolution against the charter schools bill.
Malloy Seeking Minority Support To Pass His Education Bill
Hartford Courant, CT, April 24, 2012
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy has faced many harsh critics of his education package at about a dozen “town hall” style meetings around the state, but Monday night at Faith Congregational Church people were asking him how they could help.
Nearly 16,000 Apply To School Lottery; Only 4,153 Win Spots
Hartford Courant, CT, April 23, 2012
More than 10,000 Hartford area children who wanted to attend an interdistrict magnet school or participate in the state’s Open Choice program were turned down in the first round of placements, according to state figures available Monday night.
Charter Schools Subject of Hearing
Delaware News Journal, DE, April 24, 2012
After heated debates over the future of two charter schools, Delaware legislators plan to hold a public hearing next week to get input from residents as it considers changes to the state’s charter regulations.
Troubled Volusia Charter May Be Forced To Close
Orlando Sentinel, FL, April 23, 2012
The fate of a troubled Orange City charter school, which was the source of a recent police investigation, likely will be decided Tuesday at a Volusia County School Board meeting.
Two CPS Schools Honored For Being ‘Green’
Chicago Sun Times, IL, April 23, 2012
Two Chicago public schools — one a neighborhood school, the other a charter — were among 78 across the country named Monday as the first nationally-recognized “Green Ribbon Schools.’’
Audit of Des Moines Charter School To Be Finished By June
Des Moines Register, IA, April 24, 2012
Teachers and parents have recently stepped forward with concerns of poor leadership and mismanagement of the school after 53 school laptops were reported missing earlier this year.
A Promising Sign For Maryland School Reform
Washington Post, DC, April 23, 2012
SHORTLY AFTER Lillian M. Lowery became Delaware’s education secretary, she brought her staff to Maryland so it could learn firsthand about the work being done by then-state schools superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick that made Maryland a leader in education. The fact that Ms. Lowery saw an affinity with the woman she’s now been tapped to follow is a promising sign that Maryland will continue to pursue critical school reform.
Power Struggle Erupts Over Board Control At Salem Charter School
KATU, MA, April 23, 2012
Vandalism forced the cancellation of classes at a Salem charter school Monday and it might be part of a larger power struggle months in the making. Some parents are protesting what they call corrupt leadership at Bennett Pearson Academy .
Flint Teachers Union Sues School Board Over Tenure Reform Changes
Flint Journal, MI, April 23, 2012
The lawsuit from the United Teachers of Flint asks the Genesee Circuit Court to recognize a three-year labor contract imposed in 2010, meaning any changes stemming from last year’s teacher tenure reform laws would need to wait until next year to be instituted, said UTF President Ethel Johnson.
Charter Bill Likely Doomed
Clarion Ledger, MS, April 24, 2012
Put a fork in it. The charter schools debate for this legislative session, as far as Tate Reeves is concerned, is done.
NAACP Seeks Transfers For Charter School Students
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, April 24, 2012
The NAACP has sent a letter to Missouri Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro asking why the 3,800 children at Imagine charter schools in St. Louis aren’t allowed to transfer to accredited schools in St. Louis County , as set forth in state statute.
Missouri Must Do Better For Its Students
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, April 24, 2012
Here’s what one former teacher, who recently became an assistant principal in a St. Louis public school, had to say about the teacher evaluation process: “My evaluations were always done at the last minute. There was no real coaching or conversation about how I was doing, or not doing, in my job,” she said. “I got the sense, because I had no discipline problems in my class, I got rubber stamped. But that’s not evidence of learning in and of itself.”
N.H.’S School Voucher Bill Is Bad For Education
Portsmouth Herald, NH, April 24, 2012
On March 29, the Republican-dominated House passed HB 1607, the school voucher bill, by a 173-127 margin. This bill attempts to circumvent the New Hampshire Constitution’s prohibition against giving public tax money to support religious schools.
The Battle for the Emily Fisher Charter School
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, April 24, 2012
The DOE says the Trenton-based school isn’t doing its job, but some state percentages suggest that may not be so
A Brooklyn School Saved Lives, and Some Now Try to Return the Favor
New York Times, NY, April 24, 2012
New York City has many mysteries, some romantic, some frightening, some simply maddening. The uncertain fate of Bushwick Community High School falls into that last category. It is a last-chance place for last-chance kids
Public Kept In Dark About Sweet Deals For Success Charter Network Schools
New York Daily News, NY, April 24, 2012
SUNY moving quickly, and quietly, to boost per-pupil fees and let network chief Eva Moskowitz retool Harlem charters, but documents withheld from parents
Parent Protest On Stalemate Reaches BTF Headquarters
Buffalo News, NY, April 23, 2012
Several dozen parents and community activists protested at Buffalo Teachers Federation headquarters on Porter Avenue on Monday evening, calling for the union president to sign a teacher-evaluation agreement by 5 p.m. today — or for the state to extend that deadline.
Keep Pinnacle Open
Buffalo News, NY, April 24, 2012
If the question about Pinnacle Charter School turned only on the record of its management, the decision to close it would be clear. The Buffalo school has been run poorly and has only recently shown signs of improvement.
Gaston, Lincoln, Cleveland Charter Schools Sue
Gaston Gazette, NC, April 23, 2012
Three charter schools are suing the county’s board of education for allegedly shortchanging charter school students by more than $100,000.
Groups Detail Charter School Proposals Sent To State
Star News, NC, April 23, 20121
Two education groups in the Wilmington area say their out-of-the-box takes on the charter school concept sets them apart from other applicants in a recent statewide process to open new charter schools.
Charter School Grows But Most Students Still Turned Away
News Channel 7, NC, April 23, 2012
Greenville Tech Charter High School has strict limits on student enrollment, 105 students per grade and 420 in the entire school. Next year each grade will grow by 5. But that still means nearly 600 students on the wait list may be turned away.
Education Reform? Looks Like Politics
Charlotte Observer, NC, April 23, 2012
N.C. Republican leaders rolled out what they called a major education reform bill Monday. It’s not difficult to see how politics is playing a role.
GOP Offers Plan To End Teacher Tenure
Winston-Salem Journal, NC, April 24, 2012
North Carolina’s public school teachers would see employment tenure eliminated, but become eligible for performance bonuses under an education overhaul package rolled out Monday by Senate Republicans.
Cleveland Schools Legislation To Move Forward At The Ohio Statehouse
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, April 23, 2012
A pair of Cleveland lawmakers on Tuesday will reintroduce a bill at the Statehouse that could sharply change how public education is delivered in the city and become a model for the rest of the state.
Phila. School District Plan Includes Restructuring and School Closings
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 24, 2012
The Philadelphia School District will massively restructure itself in the coming months, fundamentally altering the way it is organized and run – and possibly closing 40 low-performing, underused schools next year and shifting many more students to charters.
Archdiocese Joins Great Schools Compact
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 24, 2012
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia agreed Monday to work more closely with the School District of Philadelphia and the city’s charter-school community to ensure that the city’s children have access to quality schools — a decision that could increase the city’s chances of winning millions of dollars from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Open School Budgets Could Save Money
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 24, 2012
Gov. Corbett is challenging Pennsylvania’s school districts to live within their means. To give them more flexibility in doing so, he has proposed a new block-grant system to replace targeted state spending.
Charter Schools Should Be Viewed As Public Education Allies
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, April 24, 2012
I find the initiatives and perceptions of the Pennsylvania School Boards Association and the district representatives quoted in Eleanor Chute’s article (“School Boards Group Offers Aid to Charters,” April 16) ironic, misinformed and unfortunate for the children of Pennsylvania.
TCAP Stakes Are Now Higher
Commercial Appeal, TN, April 24, 2012
More at stake for teachers and students: Students have more reason to do well on TCAP tests. Scores are now part of their grades.
School Worker Council Created
Austin American Statesman, TX, April 23, 2012
Education Austin will have the opportunity to retain its special status as the “lead representative” among the various groups representing district employees, the Austin school board decided Monday.
Janesville Plans Middle School of The Future
Janesville Gazette, WI, April 23, 2012
Middle school would become a part of Janesville’s economic resurgence if the vision of educators comes true.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
At Cyber-school, Follow The Money: Execs Get Some, Teachers Don’t
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, April 24, 2012
The People’s Paper filed a Right-to-Know request for salary information and found that Craig was paid $24,155 from Nov. 1 to Feb. 28 – about half of what he was due to earn for the four months. His annual salary is $140,000.