Daily Headlines for September 24, 2012
Chicago Schools Strike Incites Teachers Unions
Washington Times, DC, September 23, 2012
With Chicago’s ugly strike behind them, teachers unions are regrouping with a public relations blitz, meant to both repair a tarnished image and rally members who are under more fire than ever.
A Gold Star for the Chicago Teachers Strike
Wall Street Journal, September 23, 2012
After 10 years of top-down disruptions, teachers showed the power of collective action by those who work in schools
The Right Ways To Assess Teachers
Bangor Daily News, ME, September 23, 2012
Here’s a bit of advice to America ’s teachers: If you want the nation’s opinion leaders and CEOs to like you, don’t congregate in groups. Everyone, it seems, loves teachers individually. But when they get together, they become a menace to civilization.
Public Television Takes Role in Curbing Dropout Rates
New York Times, NY, September 24, 2012
More than 100 public television stations reaching two-thirds of the nation’s viewers turned over their air on Saturday to an unusual seven-hour telethon broadcast live from WNET-TV’s Lincoln Center studio in New York .
Fighting the Education Blob
National Review Online, September 24, 2012
School reformers who want to change the debate over how to fix America ’s public schools are successfully using a new weapon: cinema.
Education Nation: Schools in Crisis
NBC Nightly News, September 23, 2012
Teachers and students sound off about the state of America ‘s schools. NBC’s Rehema Ellis reports.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
Charter Schools Aren’t Offering New ‘Transitional’ Kindergarten
North County Times, CA, September 24, 2012
While confusion continues over whether charter schools need to offer a limited two-year kindergarten program, like other public schools, officials at local charter schools are opting to forgo the program for now.
Berkeley Unified School District to Aid Local Charter School
Daily Californian, CA, September 23, 2012
After just one year of operation, Berkeley Unified School District ’s first and only charter school is facing financial troubles from significant deferrals in state funding.
Brown Signs Bill Spelling Out Evaluations (For Principals)
Ed Source, September 23, 2012
Without the acrimony and fanfare that doomed a teacher evaluation bill last month, the Legislature with near unanimity passed and Gov. Brown has now signed a milestone principal and teacher evaluation bill.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C.’S Test-Score Fantasyland
Washington Post, DC, September 23, 2012
D.C. schools’ new five-year plan says the 40 lowest-performing schools need to increase their collective math and reading proficiency rate from 23 percent in 2011 to 63 percent by 2017. It is hard to understand how intelligent adults could believe that that target has any connection to reality.
Talks Underway For New D.C. Teachers Contract
Washington Post, DC, September 22, 2012
The contract for D.C. Public Schools teachers is set to expire in less than two weeks, and labor leaders and school officials said negotiations about a new agreement are well underway and should conclude smoothly and soon.
Charter Schools Suspend, Expel Students At Widely Varying Rates
Washington Post Blog, DC, September 21, 2012
D.C. charter schools suspended and expelled students at widely varying rates in 2011-12, according to data released Thursday by the D.C. Public Charter School Board.
FLORIDA
School Board Advised To Reject All 9 New Charter Applications
Daytona Beach News Journal, FL, September 23, 2012
None of the nine applications to open new charter schools in Volusia County next year measure up to state standards for approval, according to a school district staff review.
Letter: Inflexible Evaluation System Doesn’t Fit Exceptional Students Or Their Teachers
TC Palm, FL, September 24, 2012
Unfortunately, the state of Florida has chosen to focus on the teacher evaluation system as a way to improve student achievement.
GEORGIA
Reason to Cheer
Savannah Morning News, GA, September 23, 2012
IT’S ENCOURAGING to know that Savannah-area public school students will soon have more of a good thing — a larger Oglethorpe Charter School.
Explaining The Charter School Amendment On The Ballot
WSAV-TV, GA, September 23, 2012
With the general election just months away the NAACP wants to make sure voters know exactly what they are casting their ballot for. The organization said there has been some confusion over the proposed constitutional amendment dealing with charter schools.
Attorney: Ga. Superintendent Illegally Campaigning
WRDW, GA, September 23, 2012
An Atlanta attorney says Georgia ‘s school superintendent and local officials are illegally using taxpayer money to lobby against a proposed constitutional amendment on charter schools.
Do The Math On Charter Amendment
Athens Banner-Herald, GA, September 23, 2012
I support public education. I support charter schools. I oppose the proposed so-called charter school amendment to the Georgia constitution, which the state’s voters will consider in November.
IDAHO
Talk to Each Other! Please
Magic Valley Times News, ID, September 23, 2012
We’ve spent dozens of column inches over the past several months questioning how teacher merit pay earned in the past school year could be withheld based upon a Proposition I vote this November.
Ad Slams Idaho School Reform Laws
Spokesman Review, WA, September 23, 2012
The hottest election issue of the season in Idaho – possible repeal of the state’s controversial new school reform laws – has yielded the first statewide TV campaign commercial, and it makes some questionable claims.
What Do Teachers Deserve? In Idaho, Referendum May Offer Answer
New York Times, NY, September 24, 2012
Chicago’s fight may be over, but in Idaho, the debate over schools has morphed into a harsh discussion about whom the voters should trust.
ILLINOIS
Emanuel’s Push For More Charter Schools Is In Full Swing
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 24, 2012
With Chicago students back in the classroom, Mayor Rahm Emanuel is free to push ahead with a key component in his effort to reform the city’s public education system — the aggressive expansion of charter schools.
Striking A Blow For Choice
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 23, 2012
On Monday, Sept. 10, the first day the Chicago Teachers Union was out on strike, 350,000 public school students — and their parents — were left high and dry. But for 52,000 other youngsters enrolled in public schools, it was just another day of learning.
Don’t Shy Away From Reforming Chicago Schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 23, 2012
Many children wake up with a view of our glittering skyline, but the economic opportunity in those buildings might as well be a world away. Social, economic and family dysfunctions create a divide between their dreams and the tools they have to achieve them.
Greentek School Can Fill Important Need In Rockford
Rockford Register Star, IL, September 22, 2012
Charter schools are an option for parents who may be dissatisfied with the education their children receive in regular public schools. But what about students who have run out of options?
Chicago Schools Strike Incites Teachers Unions
Washington Times, DC, September 23, 2012
With Chicago’s ugly strike behind them, teachers unions are regrouping with a public relations blitz, meant to both repair a tarnished image and rally members who are under more fire than ever.
KANSAS
Highland Park High School: Challenging Opportunity Gap Anew
Topeka Capital Journal, KS, September 23, 2012
September Less than 10 years ago, Highland Park High School in Topeka was the sixth-lowest performing high school in Kansas .
LOUISIANA
Parochial Schools Working Hard To Improve: Letter
Times Picayune, LA, September 24, 2012
Re: “Making voucher schools more accountable,” Other Opinions, Sept. 13.
It is understandable for a segment of the general public to be concerned about voucher/scholarship students.
Louisiana Federation Of Teachers Wants Lawmakers To Reconsider Education Package
Times Picayune, LA, September 22, 2012
The Louisiana Federation of Teachers has issued its own call for a special session of the Legislature, just days after Rep. Jerome “Dee” Richard, I-Thibodaux called on his colleagues to reconvene in Baton Rouge to discuss budget cuts by Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration.
MASSACHUSETTS
5 New Plans To Assign Boston Students
Boston Globe, MA, September 24, 2012
Boston school officials are expected to unveil five proposals Monday night for allowing students to attend schools closer to their homes, a move that potentially could end four decades of cross-city busing.
Union Influence Declining At Mass. Charter Schools
Boston Globe, MA, September 24, 2012
When teachers at a Brighton charter school unionized four years ago, the first such move in the state, people took notice.
Charter’s Survival Can Teach Us All
Sentinel and Enterprise, MA, September 23, 2012
Earlier this year, the North Central Charter Essential School in Fitchburg was fighting for its very existence. In January, it was nearly placed on probation by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education because of low test scores. Probation would have threatened the renewal of its five-year charter.
Charters’ Limits Keenly Felt In Some Boston Schools
Boston Globe, MA, September 24, 2012
This is one Boston Public Schools teacher who, like Scot Lehigh (“Way to better schools is around unions,” Op-ed, Sept. 14), hopes that there will be some legislative remedies to Boston ’s charter school enrollment numbers. On a recent Friday alone, I proudly worked with five special needs students who were once enrolled in Boston ’s charter schools.
MISSOURI
Fights Over Accreditation Obscure Growing Achievement Gap
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, September 23, 2012
The poor scores are one of the reasons why the state Board of Education voted this week to remove “provisional accreditation” status from the Normandy schools. That means that if Normandy doesn’t improve in the next two years, the state will, in effect, take over the district.
NEVADA
Some Labor Unions Question Dividends Of Helping To Elect Democrats
Las Vegas Sun, NV, September 24, 2012
For Nevada’s unions, election season is business time. There are phone banks to run. Voters to register. Doors to knock on.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Charter School Planners Left Wondering
Union Leader, NH, September 23, 2012
Last week, however, after the New Hampshire Board of Education voted to suspend the charter school approval process, the Exeter resident — founder of Friends of the Seacoast High School for the Arts — felt something different.
Nashua Charter Schools Moving Forward Despite Moratorium Vote
Nashua Telegraph, NH, September 23, 2012
She and a group of other local parents are working to bring the Southern New Hampshire MicroSociety Charter School to the Gate City . And despite a vote by the state Board of Education on Wednesday that places a moratorium on new charter schools, the group plans to forge ahead and hold a parent information session about the school at the Nashua Public Library from 7-8 p.m. Tuesday.
NEW JERSEY
First Day Of School…Again
Hudson Reporter, NJ, September 23, 2012
Hoboken Charter School students finally got their first full day of school on Tuesday at the St. Anne’s School building, a former Catholic School at 255 Congress St. in nearby Jersey City Heights .
Overblown Reform
The Trentonian, NJ, September 23, 2012
It’s the hot new fashion in school reform. One state after another is seeking to link teacher merit pay to student performance. A much diluted version will now be concocted in the educational disaster area of Chicago after a nasty teachers’ strike there.
A Report on the Education Transformation Report
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, September 24, 2012
The Education Transformation Task Force has published its final report, replete with some victories but more omissions
West Milford School District Teams Up With Local University To Train Teachers
North Jersey, NJ, September 24, 2012
The school district has teamed up with an area university to train teachers in specialized reading instruction.
NEW YORK
NY’s Teachers Start Year Under Heightened Scrutiny
Wall Street Journal, September 23, 2012
The new school year brought back-to-school jitters for some New York teachers anticipating the state’s new teacher evaluation law, knowing their “grades” at the end of the school year will be partly tied to student progress and test scores.
PENNSYLVANIA
Test Scores Raise New Doubt At Chester Charter
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 23, 2012
Standardized-test scores have dropped precipitously at Chester Community Charter School , the state’s largest charter, after an investigation of possible past cheating brought new scrutiny to the school’s testing practices.
Charter School Reform Leads Pre-Election Legislative To-Do List
Patriot News, PA, September 23, 2012
For the GOP-controlled Legislature and Republican Gov. Tom Corbett, reforms to Pennsylvania’s charter school law will top the agenda for the short pre-election session starting today.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Upstate Educators Have Concerns About Proposed Evaluation System
Spartanburg Herald-Journal, SC, September 23, 2012
A proposed evaluation system that could give teachers and principals letter grades based partially on student performance has local educators seeking answers and criticizing the way state leaders developed it.
Myrtle Beach Area Parents Turn To Alternative Education Options
Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC, September 23, 2012
More and more families are looking outside traditional public schools for alternative ways to educate their children. Experts say about one in four students attend some type of school of choice, which encompasses a range of options from private, magnet and charter schools to programs administered at home.
TENNESSEE
State Won’t Revoke $3.4M Great Hearts Penalty
The Tennessean, TN, September 24, 2012
A meeting Friday afternoon between state and local school officials didn’t result in any immediate action, but talks will continue as Metro schools try to deflect a potential $3.4 million penalty by the state.
Trigger Law Intrigues Nashville Parents Feeling ‘Metro Fatigue’
The Tennessean, TN, September 23, 2012
Tennessee doesn’t have a trigger law as strong as in other states, but Dean said there’s good reason for local parents to watch “Won’t Back Down.”
TEXAS
Legislature Should Reform Teacher Evaluations
Dallas Morning News, TX, September 21, 2012
Texas legislators should remember his example as they prepare for next year’s session. In 2011, GOP state Sen. Florence Shapiro of Plano developed a bill that would have helped instructors receive better development, including working with their principals on a career plan. SB 4 also would have required districts to include classroom performance in their teacher evaluations.
WASHINGTON
Band Together To Improve Education In Washington State
Seattle Times, WA, September 23, 2012
The greatest breakthroughs in education will happen when we join hands instead of pointing fingers, according to guest columnists
Charter Schools Offer State A Fresh Approach To Education
The Olympian, WA, September 24, 2012
The Washington public school system needs more innovation, especially to meet the needs of low-income, high-risk children from communities of color struggling in traditional public schools.
Initiative 1240: Approve To Advance Options For The Children
Spokesman Review, WA, September 23, 2012
Washington schools are improving. Dropout rates are coming down. Student test scores are rising. But it’s time, finally, for Washington voters to approve charter schools by saying yes to Initiative 1240.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
Virtual School Reaching Out To Local Districts
Greenville Daily News, SC, September 21, 2012
After partnering with Greenville Public Schools in August to offer high school drop-outs a chance to earn their diploma via a virtual school, Berrien Springs Virtual Academy is now reaching out to neighboring school districts.
Virtual Charter Schools Coming Soon To South Florida
Sun Sentinel, FL, September 22, 2012
Now that the Florida Legislature has authorized “virtual charter schools” for kids as young as kindergarten, brace yourself for a strange new world of online education run by private companies.
EVSC’s Virtual Academy Offers Online Option For Students
Evansville Courier Press, IN, September 23, 2012
The key to success for the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. Virtual Academy is constant communication between teacher and student, said its director, Janet Leistner.
RHS Principal: Online Education ‘Possibilities Are Endless’
Palladium-Item, IN, September 21, 2012
Hundreds of Richmond High School students are earning credits toward a diploma over the Internet instead of inside a traditional classroom.
Gltiches Aside, Huntsville School Students On Way To New Frontier With Computer-Based Teaching
Huntsville Times, AL, September 23, 2012
Something dramatic and exciting is happening in Huntsville. In the city that helped put men on the moon, our public schools are making one giant leap to an incredible, interactive digital learning environment that will challenge our students’ minds like never before and transform the traditional classroom.
Online School Offers Flexibility, Convenience
Hanford Sentinel, CA, September 22, 2012
As an actress and dancer, she goes back and forth between her home in Hanford and the L.A. area, where she attends auditions, acting and dancing lessons. This doesn’t leave her a lot of time for schoolwork, which is where Central California Connections Academy comes in.