Daily Headlines for September 26, 2012
Romney, Obama Clash Over Education
Wall Street Journal, September 25, 2012
The presidential candidates offered clashing views on education, with Republican Mitt Romney delivering some of his harshest judgments on teacher unions and President Barack Obama defending them.
Romney: Bar Teachers Unions From Giving To Political Campaigns
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 25, 2012
Mitt Romney said Tuesday that teachers unions should not be allowed to contribute to political campaigns, because their financial backing tips the negotiation process away from the interests of students.
Obama A ‘Big Proponent Of Charter Schools’
NBC News Video, September 25, 2012
In an interview with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, President Obama said he was frustrated at ‘teacher bashing’ and renewed his call to focus on early childhood education and transform schools that are underperforming.
Thriving in School
New York Times, NY, September 26, 2012
Re “How to Fix the Schools” (column, Sept. 18):Joe Nocera is right: the answer to how to fix the schools lies in a different approach to teaching.
FROM THE STATES
Choose Choice
Naples News, FL, September 26, 2012
I am writing to express my support to the Collier County School Board to approve the Charter School Application for Mason Classical Academy .
School Board Addresses Charter School Needs
Panama City News Herald, FL, September 25, 2012
The Bay District School Board on Tuesday approved a North Bay Haven Charter School contract amendment and on-site health clinic but denied Bay Haven Charter Virtual School applications.
Tampa Charter School Withdraws
St. Augustine Record, FL, September 25, 2012
Board chair says charters that are ‘just after a dollar’ aren’t welcome in county. A Tampa-based charter school organization seeking to come into St. Johns County withdrew its application Tuesday morning, mirroring the decision made Monday by another charter school organization.
GEORGIA
Leader Refutes Charter Claims
Dawson News, GA, September 26, 2012
With the vote on the charter school amendment just over a month away, the heat is getting intense. I know. I have felt it.
Supporters, Opponents Plan Public Forum For Ga. Charter School Amendment
WRDW-TV, GA, September 25, 2012
Georgia voters head to the polls in just six weeks to cast their ballots for big decisions on the local and national level. One state issue on the ballot is the amendment involving charter schools in the state.
Senate Campaign: Candidates Weigh In On Charter School Amendment
Douglas County Sentinel, GA, September 26, 2012
All five candidates seeking the District 30 Georgia Senate seat vacated by Bill Hamrick emphasized their conservative credentials Tuesday, but had some differences on the issue of a charter school amendment.
Unelected Yet Appointed Group Trying To Gain Public School Funds
LaGrange Daily News, GA, September 25, 2012
There are several aspects of one proposed Constitutional Amendment that will be put to Georgia voters in November that worry me. The subject of the question concerns “charter schools.”
Elite Scholars Academy on Top School List Again
Clayton News Daily, GA, September 26, 2012
Elite Scholars Academy, one of two charter schools in the Clayton County Public Schools System, has been selected as a Top 100 Middle School in Georgia . This is the second consecutive year that the school has earned the honor.
Area Schools Prepare To Install School Governance Councils As Part Of Charter System
North Fulton Revue & News, GA, September 25, 2012
Nine schools in North Fulton will take their first step toward increased local control in the coming months as they prepare to elect school governance councils to guide them through the process.
SACS Sends Warning Letter to Clayton Schools
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, September 25, 2012
Clayton County school officials were warned Tuesday that their system’s accreditation could be back in jeopardy because of school board infighting, micromanaging and grandstanding.
IDAHO
Boise School District Takes A Stand Against Education Reform Laws
NWCN, ID, September 26, 2012
The Boise School Board is getting political. With the November election fast approaching, the Board of Trustees decided to hold a special meeting Tuesday to take a stance on the education propositions that will be on the ballot, Propositions 1, 2 and 3.
ILLINOIS
CPS, Teachers End Legal Battles In New Contract
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 26, 2012
A tentative contract between the Chicago Teachers Union and Chicago Public Schools brings with it closure on lawsuits and labor grievances filed by both sides before and during the seven-day strike, according to a copy of the agreement posted online by the union.
GreenTek Charter School Still Has No Place In Rockford
Rockford Register Star, IL, September 25, 2012
The Rockford School Board unanimously agreed tonight that GreenTek Career Academy isn’t ready to become part of the Rockford School District .
INDIANA
State Schools Chief Wants Authority To Run Failing Systems
Evansville Courier Press, IN, September 26, 2012
State schools chief Tony Bennett is calling for new authority for his Indiana Department of Education to take over entire school districts that are failing, rather than just individual schools.
KENTUCKY
Brian Cooney: Too-Big-To-Fail Banks Still Threaten Economy
Lexington Herald Leader, KY, September 26, 2012
Of more importance in this regard is freeing schools from onerous rules and allowing parents choice among schools. Charter schools are an example of this. With charters, money follows the children, giving schools a strong financial incentive to adopt practices that parents value. Though Chicago has quite a few charters, Kentucky has none.
LOUISIANA
Value-Added Model Rating System Unfair To Teachers
American Press, LA, September 25, 2012
Contemplate this scenario: The CEO of the company you work for decides to implement an employee evaluation system in which only about 10 percent of the total employees will receive annually the highest level of evaluation possible. Job security and some employee compensation is based on that rating system.
New Orleans School Officials Push Holdout Charters To Join Single-Application Process
Times-Picayune, LA, September 25, 2012
After years of complaints from parents over how complicated it can be to register a student in New Orleans public schools, the city’s top education officials have come tantalizingly close to bringing every school within one streamlined enrollment system.
Teachers’ Organization Director Resigns
Baton Rouge Advocate, LA, September 26, 2012
The executive director of a teachers’ organization resigned suddenly, officials said Tuesday.
MASSACHUSETTS
MCAS Prep, Improvement Is Yearlong Process at Atlantis Charter School in Fall River
Herald News, MA, September 26, 2012
At the Atlantis Charter School, Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System exam success is a yearlong process.
MICHIGAN
Attorney: Repeal Of Emergency Manager Law Would Have Little Impact On Muskegon Heights Schools
Muskegon Chronicle, MI, September 26, 2012
While politicians were haggling over ballot language challenging the state’s emergency manager law, Donald Weatherspoon was busy composing a new chapter for the beleagured Muskegon Heights school district.
MISSOURI
‘Parent Trigger’ Approach To School Reform Isn’t Just Stuff Of Hollywood
St. Louis Beacon, MO, September 26, 2012
The trigger is pulled when a majority of parents in an underperforming school signs a petition to require the school to be drastically changed in one of a number of ways. In some cases, as the movie portrays, teachers are part of the petition process as well.
MONTANA
Candidates Seeking To Run State Schools Square Off
Montana Standard, MT, September 26, 2012
Superintendent of Public Instruction Denise Juneau said in a debate Tuesday that charter schools would not work in Montana, while Republican opponent Sandy Welch said she would consider a properly designed charter school system.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Charter School Moratorium Could Be Lifted
Union Leader, NH, September 25, 2012
The charter school moratorium could be lifted as soon as November if legislative budget writers approve an additional $5 million next month.
NEW JERSEY
NJ To Pilot Early Testing for Kindergarten
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, September 26, 2012
As part of the Christie administration’s latest push for early literacy, the state is launching a pilot program for testing children as they enter kindergarten.
Charter School Opens With Exorbitant Waiting List
North Brunswick Sentinel, NJ, September 26, 2012
After three years of planning and paperwork, the Thomas Edison EnergySmart Charter School (TEECS) opened its doors in September for children in kindergarten through fourth grade.
NEW YORK
Growing Pains: Union , Teachers And Students Complain About Crush Of 6,620 Oversized Classes In City Schools
New York Daily News, NY, September 25, 2012
Classes routinely exceed limits set by Department of Education and union. Two most packed schools are Benjamin N. Cardozo HS and Forest Hills HS, where some students are forced to sit on the windowsill or FLOOR, to get an education
Mount Vernon Files Another Legal Challenge Over Charter School
Newsday, NY, September 25, 2012
Mount Vernon is mounting yet another legal challenge against the New York Department of Education for approving the Amani Charter School , which city officials argue is “financially irresponsible” and will negatively impact the district’s budget.
Charter School Officials Not Greeted Warmly In Utica
Utica Observer-Dispatch, NY, September 25, 2012
The people behind two proposed Utica charter schools saw only a handful of friendly faces at public hearings Tuesday night.
NORTH CAROLINA
Wake School Board Fires Superintendent Tata
News & Observer, NC, September 26, 2012
The Wake County school board voted Tuesday to fire Superintendent Tony Tata after less than 20 months on the job, with some of the board’s majority Democrats calling him a polarizing figure who couldn’t bridge the board’s political divisions. The move points to the panel’s partisan divide and leaves its administration without a permanent leader as it faces pressing issues of growth, achievement, student assignment and financial support.
OHIO
State Issues Schools’ Slimmer Report Cards
Columbus Dispatch, OH, September 26, 2012
The slim version of Ohio’s school report cards that will go public today is like a hamburger without the bun: There won’t be attendance rates or an overall grade.
OREGON
Kids Unlimited Hoping to Start Charter School
NBC52, OR, September 25, 2012
Tom Cole, Executive Director at Kids Unlimited in Medford said he’s been hard at work. “We’ve submitted an application to the Medford School District based on a program ideology that we hope will someday land a school,” said Cole.
PENNSYLVANIA
Philly District Seeks Input On Which Schools To Close
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 26, 2012
The Philadelphia School District is preparing to close roughly 40 schools in June, and officials want your opinion on how they should pick which ones to shutter. Really.
York’s Charter Schools Struggle To Improve
York Dispatch, PA, September 25, 2012
Helen Thackston Middle and New Hope Academy charter schools have asked to expand their schools in the past year, as families have been clamoring to get students enrolled.
TENNESSEE
New Diversity Policy Won’t Close Any Nashville Schools
The Tennessean, TN, September 26, 2012
While Metro Nashville school officials grapple with how best to define school diversity for a system that has no majority race or ethnicity, on Tuesday they promised no school would be closed as a result of a new plan.
Nashville Democrats Slam Charter Fine
The Tennessean, TN, September 26, 2012
Nashville Democrats said they will oppose any effort to impose a statewide chartering authority, and they said Metro Nashville Public Schools may have grounds to sue the state after it withheld $3.4 million for rejecting Great Hearts Academies’ charter school application.
WASHINGTON
Why Charter Schools Are Not Enough
Ballard News Tribune, WA, September 26, 2012
This editorial is by Demian Godon, an opponent of I-1240 — an initiative that would allow charter schools in Washington — and a parent of two kids at Ballard High School . It’s no secret that we need to improve education in this state. But a charter schools measure on this year’s ballot is the wrong move.
No Need Here For Charter Schools
Issaquah Press, WA, September 25, 2012
Once again, Washington voters are being asked whether charter schools should be allowed here, as they are in 41 other states.
Under Initiative 1240, Local Charter School Is Unlikely
Issaquah Press, WA, September 25, 2012
On Nov. 6, people across the state will cast their vote whether to allow charter schools in Washington , and locals stand on both sides of the argument.
WISCONSIN
Program Targets Achievement Gap
Badger Herald, WI, September 25, 2012
Dane County announced plans to launch an education program addressing the area’s achievement gap that focuses on children before they begin kindergarten.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
Online Holdouts No More
Wall Street Journal, September 26, 2012
As online learning has been incorporated into nearly every aspect of U.S. education—from prestigious universities to struggling public systems—one type of school has largely resisted the trend: elite private academies.
School Board Denies Application For Charter School
Ocala Star Banner, FL, September 25, 2012
A nonprofit group’s application to launch a Marion County online charter school was denied by the School Board on Tuesday.
School Politics
Santa Fe Reporter, NM, September 25, 2012
Virtual charter schools, which allow kids to learn online from home, may be the wave of the future in a rural state like New Mexico . But they’re also unproven and politically contentious, as a recent decision by the state’s Public Education Commission illustrates.