Daily Headlines for July 9, 2012
Romney’s Record On Education Includes Successes, Failures
Washington Times, DC, July 8, 2012
Mitt Romney kept academic standards high, pushed for more charter schools and took other steps during his time as Massachusetts governor to keep the state in the top tier of student performance — but he stumbled in his efforts to institute merit pay for teachers, revamp the tenure system and other aims.
America Has Too Many Teachers
Wall Street Journal, July 9, 2012
Public-school employees have doubled in 40 years while student enrollment has increased by only 8.5%—and academic results have stagnated.
An End Run On Education
Boston Herald, MA, July 9, 2012
For all its flaws the No Child Left Behind law was duly enacted by Congress. That doesn’t seem to matter to this White House. As The New York Times [NYT] reported on Friday, the Obama Education Department has now issued 26 waivers freeing states — including Massachusetts — from the central provisions of the Bush-era education reform law, raising the question of whether the law “has been effectively nullified.” Gee, ya think?
More Public Schools Splitting Up Boys, Girls
Associated Press, July 8, 2012
Single-sex classes began proliferating after the U.S. Education Department relaxed restrictions in 2006. With research showing boys, particularly minority boys, are graduating at lower rates than girls and faring worse on tests, plenty of schools were paying attention.
Some States Tie Reading Tests To Grade Promotion
USA Today, July 8, 2012
Fourth grade is when young people stop learning to read and start reading to learn, says Marcus Winters, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research.
FROM THE STATES
ARIZONA
Carpe Diem Expanding to Indiana
Yuma Sun, AZ, July 8, 2012
Carpe Diem, a Yuma-based charter school, is making a name for itself across state lines as it opens a school in Indiana this fall.
CALIFORNIA
Judge Revokes State Oversight Of 6 Schools In Prominent Charter System
San Diego Union Tribune, CA, July 9, 2012
A superior court judge has invalidated the State Board of Education’s oversight of one of the state’s biggest charter school companies, giving six schools until June 2013 to gain approval from local school districts or be forced to close.
Green Dot Charter Schools Move Toward Merit Pay Instead Of Seniority For Teachers
Contra Costa Times, CA, July 6, 2012
Teachers unions in California tend not to be big fans of tying teacher evaluations to test scores or linking pay increases to performance ratings – a concept often referred to as “merit pay.”
Teaching Technology In A No-Tech Classroom
Orange County Register, CA, July 7, 2012
At Journey School, a K-8 public charter school in Aliso Viejo, the focus is on ‘cyber civics,’ not on gadgets.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Charter Schools Expand In D.C., But Stall In Maryland And Virginia
Washington Examiner, DC, July 7, 2012
The popularity of charter schools in the District is sometimes perceived as a fad, but know this: Experts are predicting that more students will attend public charter schools than DC Public Schools within a matter of years.
FLORIDA
Top Manatee District Official To Head New Charter School
Bradenton Herald, FL, July 8, 2012
Nancy Beal, the Manatee school district’s director of exceptional student education, is leaving her central office position to become the first principal of the new Manatee Charter School.
GEORGIA
Georgia School Chief Worried About Teacher Evaluation Plan
Augusta Chronicle, GA, July 7, 2012
Georgia school Superintendent John Barge is telling federal education officials that he will not implement a teacher evaluation system that he fears might not work and could lead to lawsuits.
With APS Vote Approaching, Parents Rally Behind Drew Charter School Expansion
CBS Atlanta, GA, July 7, 2012
The Atlanta Public Schools Board of Education is expected to vote Monday on a proposal to allow the Drew Charter School in southeast Atlanta to expand from K-8 to K-12. Superintendent Errol Davis has said he is against such an expansion because it would ultimately take students away from a city high school system that already has 6,200 vacancies.
Budget Cut, Charter School To Close
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, July 6, 2012
Two hundred Atlanta students must scramble to find new schools after an announcement Friday that their charter school is closing.
ILLINOIS
CPS Budget Bomb
Chicago Tribune, IL, July 9, 2012
Mayor Rahm Emanuel spent much of his first year in office defusing financial bombs set by the previous administration.
LOUISIANA
Forum Will Explore State School Reform
The Daily Adviser, LA, July 9, 2012
A panel of experts with a variety of viewpoints — and all with experience as classroom teachers — will talk about Louisiana’s changing public education landscape at a forum at 5:30 p.m. today at The Daily Advertiser, 1100 Bertrand Drive.
Super Salaries
Shreveport Times, LA, July 8, 2012
Act 1 of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s education reform requires school superintendents whose districts have any variation of “C,” “D,” or “F” schools to include performance targets as part of their employment contract.
Uptown New Orleans Charter School Will Have Musical Focus
Times Picayune, LA, July 8, 2012
Starting in August, there will be music in the air on Marengo Street — during the school day, at least. Aug. 13 is the first day of classes for the new Encore Academy , an open-enrollment charter school at 2301 Marengo St. that aims to emphasize music and individualized instruction.
LA Schools Superintendent Shakes Up District
Associated Press, July 7, 2012
Faced with a shocking case of a teacher accused of playing classroom sex games with children for years, Los Angeles schools Superintendent John Deasy delivered another jolt: He removed the school’s entire staff – from custodians to the principal – to smash what he called a “culture of silence.”
MAINE
Mixed Grades for Maine’s Initial Charter School Efforts
Kennebec Journal, ME, July 9, 2012
When one to four charter schools open their doors this fall, they will be paving a new path for Maine , guided by a new law and accompanying regulations.
MARYLAND
Group Wants Charter School in Kitzmiller
Cumberland Times-News, MD, July 8, 2012
Both the Garrett County Community Action Committee and the Kitzmiller Charter School Initiative Inc. have approached the commissioners about possible uses of the former Kitzmiller Elementary School .
MASSACHUSETTS
Program Keeps Boston Students Learning All Summer
Boston Globe, MA, July 9, 2012
What began as a 232-student program in 2010 now includes more than 1,600 students spread across 40 locations that include college campuses, community centers, museums, and nature centers.
Just Firing Teachers Is No Panacea
Boston Globe, MA, July 8, 2012
FIRING TEACHERS based on student test scores will have minimal impact on the quality of education. It didn’t work at English High School, and it won’t work in Lawrence (“ School overhaul hits 16 teachers,” Metro, July 6).
MICHIGAN
Emergency Managers Shop Schools To Charter Operators; Teachers Fear Future
Detroit News, MI, July 8, 2012
Thousands of laid-off Michigan public school teachers don’t know if they will have jobs waiting for them when classes resume this fall in their state-run districts.
Narrowing Academic Achievement Gap Goes Far Beyond School Reform
The Kalamazoo Gazette, MI, July 8, 2012
White 11th-graders in Kalamazoo Public Schools are three times more likely than KPS African-Africans to test as proficient in reading, and four times more likely to test as proficient in math, according to recently released results of the 2012 Michigan Merit Exam.
Consider Merits Of Merit Pay
Detroit News, MI, July 8, 2012
Imagine yourself a freshly minted teacher, eager to launch into a career of changing the world — one child at a time. But after a year or two in the classroom and long hours and weekends spent grading papers and preparing lessons, the job begins to lose some of its charm.
MINNESOTA
Minnesota’s Alternate Path For Aspiring Teachers Still Is Untraveled
Star Tribune, MN, July 8, 2012
So far, no one has taken Minnesota up on its offer to make it easier for aspiring teachers to enter the classroom without a teaching degree from a traditional college or university.
MISSOURI
School Finds Formula For Success
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, July 9, 2012
As students took a final exam recently at Shearwater High School, its founder and her staff were focused on more than just tests — they were finding food at local pantries for one student and a bus pass for another.
NEW JERSEY
The Newark Advisory Board’s Irrational Vote On Charter Schools
Star-Ledger, NJ, July 8, 2012
The Newark school system once served more than twice as many kids as it does today, but it still has almost as many schools. So it’s full of empty space, with more than 8,000 vacant seats at last count. That’s an expensive albatross.
State: No to Regis Academy
Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ, July 7, 2012
The state’s top education official, citing “serious concerns regarding …reliability and integrity,” on Friday denied final approval to Regis Academy Charter School.
NEW YORK
Teacher Evaluations Turned In By 26 Districts
Newsday, NY, July 8, 2012
Twenty-six Hudson Valley school districts were among 186 statewide submitting teacher and principal evaluation agreements with unions as of Friday.
NORTH CAROLINA
‘School Choice’ Is The Right Answer, But More Can Be Done
Winston-Salem Journal, NC, July 8, 2012
The story of two public schools, one whose parents raised $60,000 for playground equipment while another struggled to find $2,000 for the same purpose, may best illustrate the challenge for school officials and others who support school choice and the concept of neighborhood schools.
Wake County Schools Seeing Faster-Than-Expected Growth
News & Observer, NC, July 9, 2012
The return of students Monday at year-round schools could mark the beginning of massive growth in the Wake County school system.
OHIO
CPS To Reluctantly Sell Buildings
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, July 9, 2012
This summer Cincinnati Public Schools plans to reluctantly sell at least five closed schools, and possibly more. The process, however, isn’t sitting well with some board members. That’s because Ohio law requires districts to give charter school operators first dibs on buying the buildings.
PENNSYLVANIA
Charter Omission: All Public Teachers Should Be Held Accountable
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, July 9, 2012
The idea behind charter schools in Pennsylvania is that they’re just another form of public school, offering choices for parents and programming for students that’s not available in schools run directly by elected boards of education.
Public School Groups Decry Formula For Funding Charters
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, July 9, 2012
Pennsylvania charter schools are reaping a multimillion-dollar, taxpayer-funded bonus on pension reimbursements at the expense of public school districts, a coalition of school groups contends.
Teacher-Rating Plan Facing First Tests
Wilkes-Barre Time Leader, PA, July 9, 2012
You won’t find such colorful metaphors in the official descriptions of the new state teacher evaluation system signed into law last week. The paperwork invokes eye-glazing jargon like “utilize integrated systems,” and “effectively assesses the lesson’s effectiveness.”
TENNESSEE
Greater Memphis School Merger Panel To Hold Town Hall Meetings
Commercial Appeal, TN, July 9, 2012
The commission that has been crafting the plan for the merger of Memphis and Shelby County schools will continue fielding questions, gathering comments, quelling rumors and doing what it can to soothe anxious school patrons and school district employees in a series of town hall meetings this week.
Nashville Charter School To Ask State To Overrule Rejection
Commercial Appeal, TN, July 8, 2012
A charter school operator trying to be the first to use a new state law that opens enrollment to more students from richer families is appealing to the state after Nashville twice rejected its application.
TEXAS
Students Have Another Option To Public School
Odessa American, TX, July 8, 2012
Frequent absences and bullying kept Dakota Guyer from focusing on the most important thing in school, learning.
VIRGINIA
Math-science charter proposed in Loudoun, modeled on school with Turkish connection
Washington Post, DC, July 8, 2012
A group of Loudoun County residents is seeking permission to open a charter school in 2013that would fill growing demand for an intensive curriculum in math and science in grades six through 12.
State Encouraging More Communication In Charter School Process
Richmond Times Dispatch, VA, July 9, 2012
he Virginia Board of Education has tweaked the state’s charter school policy to bring it in line with legislative changes from this year’s session, with several small but noticeable shifts aimed at improving communication between applicants and local school boards during the application process.
WASHINGTON
Teacher Pay Report Has A Lot To Shock, And To Like
News Tribune, WA, July 8, 2012
A state task force looking into how – and how much – we pay teachers and other school employees made a confession that would not be news to anyone directly involved in public education.
State Receives No Child Left Behind Waiver
The Columbian, WA, July 8, 2012
Four months ago, a Columbian editorial yearned for the day when public-school educators in Washington state “could pursue higher proficiency levels with more autonomy and less meddling from inside the Beltway” of Washington, D.C.
Charter Schools Supporters Hope This Is Their Time
News Tribune, WA, July 7, 2012
Supporters of an initiative to bring charter schools to Washington say the volume of signatures they turned in to state officials Friday indicates that voters are ready to engage in the charter debate.
WEST VIRGINIA
A.J. Fields: No Quick Fixes For Education
Charleston Gazette, WV, July 8, 2012
Whole-Language, New Math, cooperative learning, block scheduling, vouchers, charter schools, school choose, merit pay and No Child Left Behind, all were the answer, they all were going to solve our problems with American education, but none did!
WISCONSIN
Leaving Behind ‘No Child’ Law Invites Lots Of Change
Journal Sentinel, WI, July 7, 2012
With Friday’s announcement that the U.S. Department of Education has approved Wisconsin’s request to launch a new school improvement and accountability plan, we effectively have reached the end of the No Child Left Behind era around here.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
New Leader For Scranton-Based Online School
Scranton Times-Tribune, PA, July 8, 2012
Now as chief operating officer of Scranton-based Penn Foster, an online school offering a variety of trade programs and a high school graduate equivalency diploma, Mr. Gagnon, 52, helps people in the margin between poverty and the middle class, struggling to adapt to a changing workplace.
Schools Virtually Anywhere
Greensboro News & Record, NC, July 9, 2012
Students who stay home for online class work can go anywhere. Virtual schools don’t have walls and aren’t limited by district boundaries. So Guilford County Schools should consider very carefully whether it needs to create a virtual high school.
Online Giant Connections Education Opening Charter High School In American Seating Park Complex In Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids Press, MI, July 7, 2012
The second largest leader in online education, Connections Education, plans to open a charter high school this fall – Nexus Academy of Grand Rapids.
Oklahoma City District To Open Online School
The Oklahoman, OK, July 9, 2012
Oklahoma City Public Schools is launching a free online school. The district expects about 700 students to enroll. Educators expect to see a boom in online education in the fall now that rules have been established requiring every school district to offer online courses.
Howell Starts Online Program to Recruit Home-Schoolers
WHMI, MI, July 9, 2012
A new Virtual Learning Academy is being offered to parents of home-schooled students within the Howell Public Schools district free of charge.
School District Seeks To Bring Students Back From Charter Schools
Daily Emerald, OR, July 8, 2012
For many students — both in college and high school — online classes have become very popular. With the increased popularity, Springfield Public Schools decided to offer online classes for elementary students.