Daily Headlines for July 24, 2012
Enrollment Off in Big Districts, Forcing Layoffs
New York Times, NY, July 24, 2012
Enrollment in nearly half of the nation’s largest school districts has dropped steadily over the last five years, triggering school closings that have destabilized neighborhoods, caused layoffs of essential staff and concerns in many cities that the students who remain are some of the neediest and most difficult to educate.
Does Teacher Merit Pay Work? A New Study Says Yes.
Washington Post Blog, DC, July 23, 2012
There’s very good evidence that teacher quality matters a lot in terms of student performance in school and success later on in life.
HOLLAND: Obama Quietly Implements Common Core
Washington Times, DC, July 23, 2012
New standards for math and English called Common Core are poised to hit public schools across the nation. Some schools will begin implementing them as early as this fall, before parents have any inkling what has happened to their children’s classroom instruction.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
Ruling Supports Adelanto Charter School Effort
Los Angeles Times, CA, July 24, 2012
Judge rules that California ‘s ‘parent trigger’ law does not allow signatures to be revoked, meaning Desert Trails Elementary in Adelanto could become a charter.
A Parent Power Watershed
Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2012
Summer vacation has just turned sour for some of the mandarins atop America’s sclerotic education system. With a judge’s ruling last week in Southern California, a group of parents has become the first in the country to take over their children’s failing public school after pulling a “parent trigger.”
California’s Sunshine Democrats
Wall Street Journal, July 23, 2012
California’s paycheck protection ballot initiative has just gotten its biggest endorsement yet—from former state Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero.
CONNECTICUT
Teacher Evaluation Pilot Program Faces Delays
The Hour, CT, July 23, 2012
The state evaluation pilot program, for which Norwalk was selected in early June, was supposed to have sample evaluations out last week, but that was postponed until the end of the month, Superintendent Susan Marks told the Negotiations and Personnel Committee meeting Monday night.
FLORIDA
State Forgot Part Of Formula In Calculation, Revises Grades For Nearly 50 South Florida Schools
Miami Herald, FL, July 23, 2012
Miami-Dade Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the state forgot to include part of its formula in the calculation. He said the accountability system needs reform.
State Blinded By Its Devotion To School Testing
Tampa Bay Times, FL, July 24, 2012
The state’s devotion to standardized testing is admirable. It is also foolish, political, expensive, dangerous, maniacal, shortsighted, suspicious, self-serving, arbitrary and unfair.
GEORGIA
School System Seeking Mentors For New Teachers
Augusta Chronicle, GA, July 23, 2012
The scenario is common. A recent graduate enters the teaching field with a passion for children, delves into year one of teaching and has an unexpected reality check.
ILLINOIS
Chicago School Board Delays Budget Vote, Worries Charter Leaders
Chicago Tribune, IL, July 24, 2012
The Chicago school board’s decision to postpone Wednesday’s scheduled vote on a $5.73 billion budget for 2012-13 because of uncertainty over a teachers contract has stoked fears among charter school leaders that their funding could be cut.
Ald. Joe Moore Takes Heat For Blocking Vote on Chicago School Board Election
Chicago Tribune, IL, July 23, 2012
Ten aldermen wanted to put symbolic referendum questions on the fall ballot asking voters if the city’s school board should be elected instead of appointed by the mayor.
INDIANA
Military Families Upset Over School Voucher Loophole
WRTV Indianapolis, IN, July 23, 2012
Some Hoosiers military families are upset over a loophole that’s excluding them from taking part in the state’s popular school voucher program.
Let Parents Make Choice
Kokomo Tribune, IN, July 24, 2012
Lawmakers should instill fairness in the way public schools fill class vacancies.
Charter In Push To Get Recruits To Actually Enroll
The Journal Gazette, IN, July 24, 2012
With less than a month before school starts, officials tied to the Fort Wayne Urban League’s new charter school are trying to get more students to make their enrollment official.
LOUISIANA
La. Association of Educators Urges Closing of Tax Loopholes
Alexandria Town Talk, LA, July 23, 2012
Educators from across the state gathered Monday at the Louisiana Association of Educators summer leadership conference for training and a discussion of closing tax loopholes.
Officials Outline Voucher Plans
Shreveport Times, LA, July 23, 2012
Louisiana education officials released a proposed accountability plan today that they hope will stem criticism of the statewide voucher program.
MAINE
Thin-Stretched Charter School Commission Seeks To Fill Vacancy After Resignation, Add Staff
Bangor Daily News, ME, July 23, 2012
The Maine Charter School Commission, which has been working feverishly in recent months through several applications for Maine ’s first charter schools, is short-handed following the recent resignation of one of its members and a lack of paid staff to support its activities.
MISSOURI
State NCLB Waiver Allows Area School Districts More Flexibility
Blue Springs Examiner, MO, July 23, 2012
Now that the state of Missouri has received a waiver from the federal No Child Left Behind law, area school districts will have a little more flexibility when it comes to accounting for student success.
NEW JERSEY
Urban Hope Act Brings Renaissance Schools to Camden
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, July 24, 2012
Camden moves closer this week to being the first test of the Urban Hope Act, with formal proposals due soon for the new and sometimes controversial Renaissance Schools.
NORTH CAROLINA
School Board To Decide Whether To Appeal Order
Star News, NC, July 23, 2012
The New Hanover County Board of Education will decide in the upcoming months whether to appeal a judge’s order that the school district had underpaid a local charter school.
http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20120723/ARTICLES/120729892
OHIO
Uncooking the Books
Toledo Blade, OH, July 24, 2012
The revelation that Toledo Public Schools has been deleting the test scores of habitually truant students from data it gives the state to prepare the district’s annual report card raises troubling, and thus far unanswered, questions: Did the district’s manipulation of attendance data break the law? How many students have been covered by this practice? How long has it been in effect?
OKLAHOMA
New Tulsa Charter School To Open This School Year
Tulsa World, OK, July 24, 2012
A new charter school focusing on the creative and performing arts is expected to open this school year in Tulsa.
Action In Tulsa Could Prove To Be An Important Time For Charter Schools In Oklahoma
The Oklahoman, OK, July 24, 2012
WHEN Tulsa Public Schools sued over the state’s charter school law five years ago, we called it a shameful waste of taxpayer money. That’s proven true.
OREGON
Homesource Plan Criticized
Register Guard, OR, July 24, 2012
The Bethel School Board seeks changes in the charter school’s plan to make delinquent retirement payments
Leaving Behind NCLB
Register Guard, OR, July 24, 2012
With Oregon, 31 other states and the District of Columbia gaining waivers of the central requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act, the chief federal education reform act of the past decade is well on its way toward becoming a nullity.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Federal Waiver Allows S.C. To Improve Education
The State, SC, July 24, 2012
FEDERAL approval of Education Superintendent Mick Zais’ request to be released from the absurd mandates of the meddlesome No Child Left Behind law is unequivocally good news.
TENNESSEE
Failed Charter School Team To Try For STEM School
Blount County Times, TN, July 24, 2012
After careful consideration, the HOPE Academy founding team will not submit a charter school application in Blount County for the 2013-2014 academic year, the group announced Monday.
Proposed Knox Charter School Makes Case During Appeal Hearing
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, July 23, 2012
An attorney for the proposed Knoxville Charter Academy said Monday that school officials took “prudent steps” to identify an appropriate location for the school and should be given the opportunity to still open its doors.
Politicians Tie Teachers With Rolls Of Red Tape
Daily News Journal, TN, July 24, 2012
Congratulations to the majority of Rutherford County teachers who scored well on the new evaluation system enacted this past school year.
WISCONSIN
Agassi’s Fund Helps New Charter School With Building
Journal Sentinel, WI, July 23, 2012
When executives from Lighthouse Academies, a national charter school operator, sought to open a school in Milwaukee , they got approval to operate as part of the Milwaukee Public Schools family.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
Online Programs Helping Students Succeed
Yankton Press & Dakotan, SD, July 24, 2012
The South Dakota Board of Education received updates Monday during its regularly scheduled meeting on two online programs that create rigor and relevance for high school students.