Daily Headlines for August 28, 2012
Teachers Unions’ Pressure Is Failing
Washington Times, DC, August 27, 2012
Hearing teachers unions complain about extending school choice to American families is nothing new. They have been spreading misinformation about efforts to break up their monopoly on education for years. With millions of students going back to school, we can, unfortunately, expect them to turn up the volume.
Obama vs. Romney 101: 5 Differences on Education
Christian Science Monitor, MA, August 27, 2012
President Obama has used back-to-school season to make the case that his education funding and policy initiatives are saving teachers’ jobs, turning around failing public schools, and helping cash-strapped college students. Mitt Romney counters that Mr. Obama has spent too much, and he advocates more school choice and private-sector involvement.
Charters Draw Students From Private Schools, Study Finds
Los Angeles Times, CA, August 28, 2012
A Rand Corp. study finds that the switch from private to public schools has added $1.8 billion to public funding obligations.
If You Win a Charter School Lottery, You’re Happy. But What About the Losers?
Mother Jones, August 27, 2012
How do we know if charter schools really do a better job of educating students? After all, maybe it’s just that better students apply to charters in the first place. The usual way of controlling for this is to examine charter schools that select students by lottery.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
The Parent-Trigger War Escalates
Wall Street Journal, August 28, 2012
It has come to this in California ‘s saga over “parent-trigger” education reform: A local school board is openly defying a judge’s order, with one member declaring “If I’m found in contempt of court, I brought my own handcuffs, take me away.” So now the stalwarts of the status quo will break the law rather than allow parents school choice.
Aspire Appealing Decision
Stockton Record, CA, August 28, 2012
Aspire Public Charter Schools will join the State Board of Education in appealing an Oakland judge’s decision that would revoke its Statewide Benefits Charter.
Mt. Diablo School Board Allows Clayton Valley Charter To Use KVHS For One Year
Contra Costa Times, CA, August 27, 2012
The Mt. Diablo school board conditionally agreed to allow Clayton Valley Charter High to pursue a radio course for one year through the Contra Costa County Office of Education’s Regional Occupational Program.
Take The Time To Craft Teacher Evaluation Bill
Mercer Sun Star, CA, August 27, 2012
Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes, D-Sylmar, last year launched an effort to improve teacher effectiveness in California’s public schools. He said then, “I believe the time has come for the state to ensure that all students, regardless of race, ethnicity or ZIP code, have a fundamental right to be taught by an effective, qualified teacher.”
COLORADO
Education Group Says Douglas County School Board Ballot Proposal Is Illegal
Denver Post, CO, August 28, 2012
One of the groups that sued to end the controversial Douglas County voucher program now claims the school board’s plan to ask voters to endorse ending collective bargaining with the teachers union is illegal.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Public Schools Work To Attract Students From Charter Schools
WJLA, DC, August 27, 2012
With D.C. student back in school, administrators are facing the unique challenge of keeping students and parents in the public school system and away from charter schools.
GEORGIA
School Leaders Oppose Charter Amendment
Calhoun Times, GA, August 27, 2012
Since the recent rejection of the TSPLSOT by Georgia voters in the July primary, the next hot button issue up to vote will determine the fate of the charter school system in Georgia.
ILLINOIS
Charter Schools Are NOT Private Schools
Courier News, IL, August 27, 2012
We at the Illinois Network of Charter Schools were disturbed to read District U46 Superintendent Jose Torres’ comments at a recent public hearing incorrectly calling charter public schools private schools.
Elgin, U-46 Consider Partnerships; Torres Opposes Charter Schools
Daily Herald, IL, August 27, 2012
When Mayor David Kaptain does economic development work and meets with foreign business owners thinking about setting up shop in Elgin , he mentions the local schools with pride.
Clark: As Education In Illinois Changes, Don’t Forget Students
The State Journal-Register, IL, August 28, 2012
Pension reform. Education reform. Common Core Standards. Budget cuts. As we start a new school year in Illinois the most important priority is probably the least discussed: The children in our public school systems.
INDIANA
Charter Looks To Build Board
The Journal Gazette, IN, August 28, 2012
Now that classes are under way at the new Thurgood Marshall Leadership Academy , board President Will Clark said the next meeting will be the last time the founding members gather.
LOUISIANA
New Voucher School Proposal Withdrawn
Opelousas Daily World, LA, August 28, 2012
The J.S. Clark Leadership Academy opened as St. Landry Parish’s first voucher school this year and a second such school was planned for the Opelousas area next year.
MASSACHUSETTS
State Acts On Boston Schools Labor Impasse
Boston Globe, MA, August 28, 2012
The state said Monday it would step in and attempt to break the stalemate over a new teachers’ contract in Boston , an unusual development that could finally end the acrimonious negotiations that have stalled a new teacher evaluation system.
MISSISSIPPI
New Rating System Won’t Fix Education
Hattiesburg American, MS, August 27, 2012
Mississippi has been struggling for years to improve education in public schools, and this year was set to roll out a new way of measuring its success.
NEW MEXICO
Charters: Why They Succeed
ABQ Journal, NM, August 28, 2012
As I meet new people, I am often asked what I do for a living. When I tell folks that I work with charter schools, I am often asked “just what is a charter school?”
NEW YORK
Teach-Grade System Is ‘Unsatisfactory’
New York Post, NY, August 28, 2012
Despite years of effort by the Bloomberg administration to weed out bad teachers, relatively few were given poor ratings that could lead to dismissal this year, officials said yesterday.
Charter Schools On the Rise in NYC
Epoch Times, August 27, 2012
One out of every 10 New York City school students will be enrolled in a charter school by fall 2017, according to a report by the New York City Charter School Center.
OHIO
Vouchers Meet Special Needs
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, August 27, 2012
Hundreds of Ohio students who have special needs are getting help paying for private schooling for the first time this school year.
Honest School Numbers
Toledo Blade, OH, August 28, 2012
Although the new school year is just starting, the first “incomplete” already has been taken. The Ohio Department of Education is delaying release of the annual report cards it gives public school districts and individual schools across Ohio while the state auditor investigates accounts of data manipulation by several systems, including Toledo Public Schools.
TPS Teacher Evaluation To Change
WNWO, OH, August 27, 2012
The new “value-added” measure going into effect in the Toledo Public Schools will change the current four year, peer evaluation, to an evaluation every year, based fifty percent on student growth.
OKLAHOMA
Tulsa Public Schools Student Counts 630 Below Anticipated Number
Tulsa World, OK, August 28, 2012
Tulsa Public Schools officials expected lower enrollment because of the conversion of two sites into charter schools, but student counts are down 630 beyond that after one week of classes.
PENNSYLVANIA
Teachers Can Be The Solution, If They’re Given The Support
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, August 27, 2012
PERHAPS FOR VERY different reasons, students and parents across Philadelphia are already counting the days until school starts. Both might be wondering who will be standing in front of the classroom on the first day of school. Odds are good that the teacher in the room will be new to the school, new to Philadelphia and, quite possibly, completely new to teaching.
Good To See Foundations Trying To Help Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, August 28, 2012
The Philadelphia School Partnership is well on its way toward a $100 million fund-raising goal for Philadelphia schools. That type of effort in the aftermath of a crippling recession deserves loud applause.
Watkins: Man With A Mission Of Choice?
Delaware County Times, PA, August 27, 2012
Watkins, a University of Pennsylvania-trained educator, has a record of not only being very supportive of charter schools, but also of being employed by them and their owners.
Upper Darby Officials Discuss Controversial Elementary School Choice Plan
Delaware County Times, PA, August 28, 2012
Following the guidelines of NCLB, students attending Bywood, Charles Kelly, Highland Park and Stonehurst Hills elementary schools are eligible for School Choice and have the option to transfer to Aronimink School , provided they meet certain criteria.
Charter School Pitched For Site Next To West Easton Work-Release Center
The Morning Call, PA, August 28, 2012
Developer Abraham Atiyeh and former Bethlehem Area School District Superintendent Joseph Lewis are pitching a charter school next to the recently opened DUI treatment and work-release facility in West Easton.
City Charter School Teams with National Park Service on Latino Heritage
Reading Eagle, PA, August 28, 2012
A Reading school has been chosen to spearhead a national initiative to promote and preserve the Latino heritage in American history.
Pittsburgh Schools Start To Roll Out Equity Plan
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, August 28, 2012
Pittsburgh Public Schools is starting to put into place a new equity plan aimed at closing the racial achievement gap, beginning with Pittsburgh Perry High School on the North Side and Westinghouse 6-12 in Homewood .
SOUTH CAROLINA
Against the Odds, Calhoun Falls Charter School Survives
Anderson Independent Mail, SC, August 27, 2012
A few miles past a mill fated to close in September sits an old brick school that was once so poor it didn’t have bells to ring between classes.
TEXAS
Texas Senate Hearing Voucher Testimony
Myfoxlubbok, TX, August 27, 2012
Top education leaders in the Texas Senate are hearing testimony on offering state-funded school vouchers.
UTAH
Charter School Attendance On The Rise In Utah
KSL, UT, August 27, 2012
Thousands of Utah children are returning to the classroom this week, but many aren’t returning to their traditional, neighborhood schools. Nearly 10 percent of Utah students now attend charter schools.
WASHINGTON
Public Schools Perform Better
Everett Herald, WA, August 28, 2012
Charter schools perform poorly when compared to public schools, according to reputable state and national studies. Let me rephrase that. Studies show that charter schools are not as effective at educating our kids as public schools. I do not know how the supporters of Initiative 1240 can explain that fact away.
WISCONSIN
New Public Charter Schools Awarded Federal Grants
Journal Sentinel, WI, August 27, 2012
Eleven new public charter schools in the works for the Milwaukee area will receive about $2.4 million in federal start-up planning grants this year, according to information released Monday from the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction.
Teacher Merit Pay Raises Questions
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, August 27, 2012
We all want quality teachers. I certainly do. And we all believe (I hope) that excellence deserves compensation. As we approach a new school year under Wisconsin ‘s Act 10, we hear about many new ways to evaluate teacher performance. “Performance pay” is the new mantra.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
Virtual Schools Offer Cost Savings
Herald Times Reporter, WI, August 27, 2012
The number of virtual charter schools in Wisconsin has nearly doubled in the last three years, as financially strapped districts are increasingly drawn to the comparatively low cost of online education.
Green Bay School District To Use Grant For Charter School
Green Bay Gazette, WI, August 27, 2012
The Green Bay School District will use a state grant to move ahead with plans to develop a new online charter school.
Virtual Schools Dropping For-Profit Vendors
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, August 28, 2012
The relatively low cost of online education has made it enticing to for-profit educators, but Wisconsin ’s online schools have been moving away from that model of late amid concerns over performance and responsiveness.
Florida’s Fastest Growing Public School District is … Online
NPR StateImpact , FL, August 27, 2012
School is canceled for many Florida students due to weather conditions brought on by Tropical Storm Isaac.
Online Schools Offer Virtually Unlimited Options
San Angelo Standard Times, TX, August 27, 2012
Teala Howell, a graduate of an online school, says it’s not for everybody. “It has to be for somebody who’s motivated, somebody who wants to get an education,” she said. “If you’re one of those kids who sits in the back row and isn’t interested, this is not for you. If you’re good at handing things in before they’re due, then this would be great for you.”
School Districts Offer Online Alternatives To Traditional Classroom Instruction
San Bernardino Sun, CA, August 27, 2012
The school blends virtual learning, face-to-face instruction and blended approaches with teachers in the classroom while a student is online in the same room.