Daily Headlines for November 15, 2012
Race, Class and Schools
Huffington Post Blog by Kevin P. Chavous
November 14, 2012
We must ensure that integrated schools and integrated classrooms are available to all students no matter their race or their class, and we must also start embracing and learning from our differences.
The Suburban Education Gap
Wall Street Journal, November 15, 2012
Parents nationwide are familiar with the wide academic achievement gaps separating American students of different races, family incomes and ZIP Codes. But a second crucial achievement gap receives far less attention. It is the disparity between children in America ‘s top suburban schools and their peers in the highest-performing school systems elsewhere in the world.
New Measures Demand Attention
Daily Trojan, CA, November 14, 2012
Last week voters across the country approved measures that will change the face of American education.
How Education Could Plunge Off The ‘Fiscal Cliff’
CNN Blog, November 15, 2012
Sequestration: The word strikes fear in the hearts of school boards and administrators nationwide, and with good reason.
STATE COVERAGE
ALABAMA
Charter Schools Unlikely In Alabama’s Future
Sand Mountain Reporter, AL, November 14, 2012
Gov. Robert Bentley said he doesn’t plan to propose the legalization of charter schools again in the 2013 session of the Legislature.
ARIZONA
Arizona Charter-School Enrollment Is On Rise
Arizona Republic, AZ, November 14, 2012
The number of students enrolled in charter schools has increased in Arizona , with many school districts feeling the impact as they lose more students to charters.
CALIFORNIA
Not All Desert Trails Parents Happy With Charter Choice
High Desert Daily Press, CA, November 14, 2012
The decision to convert Desert Trails Elementary School in Adelanto to a charter was decided by a mere 53 votes — a sign many say underscores the controversy surrounding the “parent trigger” movement at the struggling school.
L.A. School Board Rejects Charter Oversight Measure
Los Angeles Times Blog, CA, November 14, 2012
A majority on the Los Angeles Board of Education wanted no part of a resolution that sought to impose more oversight on charter schools.
Twenty-one California School Districts Apply For Controversial Federal Grant
Los Angeles Times Blog, CA, November 14, 2012
Twenty-one California school districts and educational consortiums have applied for a $400 million federal grant program that has been strongly opposed by many teachers unions.
COLORADO
Reviewers: D-11 Charter Applicants Meet Requirements
Colorado Springs Gazette, CO, November 14, 2012
Parents, teachers and community members spent about two hours during a public hearing Wednesday praising three charter schools seeking to open in Colorado Springs School District 11.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
After D.C. School-Closure Proposal, A Flurry Of Activity
Washington Post, DC, November 14, 2012
A day after D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson announced her plan to close 20 schools, parents across the city signaled their intent to protest, labor leaders said they would push to unionize charter schools and charter-school advocates vowed to fight for control of vacated buildings.
D.C. Schools Chief, Watch Your Back
Washington Times, DC, November 14, 2012
While it seems as though Ms. Henderson is trying to clear out schoolhouses to help make way for the two things that matter most — teaching and learning — it’s clear not all stakeholders are on the same school-reform road.
D.C. Teachers Union Wants To Unionize City’s Charter Schools
Washington Post, DC, November 14, 2012
Washington Teachers’ Union President Nathan Saunders said Wednesday that he wants to unionize the city’s charter schools and will push for legislative changes to make it easier to organize their teachers, who educate a growing number of D.C. students.
FLORIDA
Superintendent Address Exodus To Charter Schools
ActionNewsJax, FL, November 14, 2012
Among the topics discussed, Duval County’s fight against the student exodus to Charter Schools.
Education Panel Backs Property-Tax Hike
News-Press, FL, November 14, 2012
A state-appointed education task force is recommending increasing property taxes in an attempt to make funding more equitable between charter and traditional schools.
GEORGIA
Sometimes It’s Not Just A Matter of ‘Perception’
Columbus Ledger Inquirer, GA, November 14, 2012
To state the quantifiably obvious: Georgia voters’ resounding approval of the charter schools amendment was unmistakable evidence of dissatisfaction with the status quo in public education.
ILLINOIS
Charters Not Immune From Closings, CPS Says
Chicago Tribune, IL, November 15, 2012
Chicago Public Schools officials say they plan to get tough with privately run charter schools that are failing academically this year and could shut down those that aren’t making the grade.
Parents Call For More School Options As CPS Mulls Neighborhood Campus Closings
Medill Reports: Chicago, November 14, 2012
As Chicago Public Schools officials consider closing up to 100 schools, a group of parents and community leaders called on the district to offer more alternative educational options like charter campuses.
INDIANA
New Superintendent Glenda Ritz Likely To Face Obstacles From GOP Foes
Journal Courier, IN, November 14, 2012
Glenda Ritz didn’t take it personally when, less than 24 hours after she won the Nov. 6 election, Republican lawmakers felt the need to announce that they wouldn’t try to eliminate the position of elected state superintendent — for now.
IOWA
Board Looks For Ways To Bolster Teacher Preparation Programs
Des Moines Register, IA, November 15, 2012
A tiered accreditation program and more rigorous student teaching requirements are two reforms being considered by the state Board of Education as it searches for ways to strengthen Iowa ’s teacher preparation programs.
LOUISIANA
Voucher Funding Provisions Challenged
The Advocate, LA, November 15, 2012
The state Department of Education’s attempt to avoid a Nov. 26 hearing in federal court ignores a century of U.S. Supreme Court rulings confirming that a federal court can take action to ensure state officials comply with federal law, Tangipahoa Parish School Board attorneys say.
BESE Gives Preliminary OK To Expanding Unified Enrollment System In New Orleans
Times Picayune, LA, November 14, 2012
The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, meeting in New Orleans on Wednesday evening, gave preliminary approval to policy changes touching on two of the more pressing issues facing the state-run Recovery School District: the push for a unified enrollment system that encompasses all of the city’s public schools, and the possibility that some of the district’s schools may return to the local School Board for the first time since Hurricane Katrina.
MARYLAND
College Park Academy Opening Date In Flux Despite Location Choice
Maryland Gazette, MD, November 15, 2012
A new charter school in College Park initially planned to have classrooms filled by next school year may not be ready until 2014, officials said.
MICHIGAN
State Lays Out Plans For New EM Law
Detroit News, MI, November 15, 2012
The race to find a workable replacement for the controversial emergency manager law is bearing down on a six-letter word — choice.
Teachers Union Sues DPS Over Layoffs
Detroit News, MI, November 15, 2012
The union representing Detroit Public Schools teachers sued the district Wednesday over what it calls improper layoffs based on performance evaluations.
Can Detroit’s Schools Be Fixed?
Detroit News, MI, November 15, 2012
The Detroit News’ Nov. 14 report, “Detroit Public Schools board votes to cut ties to educational authority”: As far as I’m concerned it’s now time for them to break the ties with all the things that cloak their incompetence and stupidity.
Bashing Of Current Schools By Backers Of Proposed Charter School Hurts Community As A Whole, Jackson County Superintendents Say
Jackson Citizen Patriot, MI, November 14, 2012
The bashing of current K-12 school districts by proponents of a new charter school is disappointing and unnecessary, Jackson County school superintendents say.
Focus On Achievement Gap Hurts Students
Eastern Echo, MI, November 14, 2012
While it is certainly undesirable that black and Latino students consistently score significantly lower than their white classmates on standardized tests, the hyper-focus on closing this gap is a waste of time and is causing far more harm than good.
MISSISSIPPI
Lawmakers Renew Charter School Fight
Desoto Times Tribune, MS, November 15, 2012
Last Legislative session, the House Education Committee, with votes as narrow as 16-15 at times, killed a bill to expand charter schools, led in part by three DeSoto County lawmakers who serve on the House Education Committee, State Rep. Wanda Jennings, R-Southaven, Rep. Pat Nelson, R-Southaven and Rep. Forrest Hamilton, R-Olive Branch.
MISSOURI
Charter Schools Thrive In St. Louis
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, November 15, 2012
St. Louis was one of the top five districts in the nation for highest percentage charter school enrollment in the 2011-12 school year, according to a new report.
NEBRASKA
Explain Grading System Clearly
Omaha World-Herald, NE. November 15, 2012
More school systems are moving to adopt standards-based grading. The Westside and Council Bluffs school districts have it in place. So does Omaha Public Schools, which is adjusting it this year.
NEVADA
Report: Clark County’s Charter Schools Fastest-Growing In Country
Las Vegas Sun, NV, November 15, 2012
The number of Clark County students enrolled in public charter schools grew by 64 percent from the 2010-11 to 2011-12 school years, according to a national report released Wednesday.
NEW JERSEY
Teachers Clear Newark Pact
Wall Street Journal, November 15, 2012
The Newark Teachers Union approved a groundbreaking contract Wednesday that introduces a form of merit pay and gives teachers input into each others’ annual performance evaluations.
Newark Teachers Vote ‘Yes’ on Precedent-Setting Contract
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, November 15, 2012
After a year of negotiations and three weeks of sometimes-brutal internal debate, Newark public school teachers and other staff ratified a historic labor agreement yesterday that will reshape pay and many rules for New Jersey’s largest school district.
OHIO
Quarter of Youngstown’s Students Attend Charter School
Youngstown Vindicator, OH, November 15, 2012
A quarter of the students living within the city school district attend public charter schools.
Nine Schools Held Up For Praise
Columbus Dispatch, OH, November 15, 2012
Eastmoor was one of nine Ohio schools highlighted in a report released yesterday that examined the attributes and practices of high-performing schools serving large populations of poor students.
Local Charter School Wins Six-Figure Counseling Grant
Springfield News Sun, OH, November 14, 2012
The K-6 charter school this fall won a competitive grant from the U.S. Department of Education for $504,713 to dramatically expand its limited school counseling program.
PENNSYLVANIA
CU Road To Recovery Is Going To Be Rocky
Delaware County Times, PA, November 14, 2012
Call it Rocky Road. The Chester Upland School District did not get into its current dismal state — annually among the worst-performing school districts in Pennsylvania — overnight. It will not dig out of this morass anytime soon.
SOUTH CAROLINA
S.C. Education Board: Teacher Letter Grades Won’t Happen
The Herald, SC, November 14, 2012
State education board members assured teachers Wednesday that the Education Department’s proposal to give teachers letter grades will not be part of South Carolina’s performance-based evaluation system, which is set to start statewide in 2014-15.
New Charter School Has Environmental Approach To Learning
Georgetown Times, SC, November 14, 2012
For students at the new Cape Romain Environmental Education Charter School, the Lowcountry’s newest charter school, the earth is the biggest classroom.
TENNESSEE
Great Hearts Charter Won’t Reapply With Metro Nashville Schools
The Tennessean, TN, November 15, 2012
Great Hearts Academies will not reapply to operate a charter school in Nashville until Tennessee has a statewide charter school authorizer, a company official said Wednesday.
Memphis Charter School Growth Ranks Nationally
Memphis Daily News, TN, November 14, 2012
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools ranks Memphis City Schools as having the ninth-highest growth rate for charter school enrollment in the country.
Vouching for Education
Commercial Appeal, TN, November 15, 2012
No doubt there will be hand-wringing in some quarters over the idea of offering vouchers to low-income families in Memphis so their kids can go to high quality private schools.
UTAH
Lawmaker Looking At Ways To Bring New Charter Schools To State
Deseret News, UT, November 14, 2012
With the number of students in Utah’s charter schools growing steadily, a Utah legislator is considering a law that would allow educators to pursue new types of charter schools, rather than wait for them to be proposed.
School Finance Transparency Proposal Gets Mixed Reaction
Salt Lake Tribune, UT, November 14, 2012
Lawmakers should take action to ensure parents and taxpayers are able to see exactly how much their schools are spending, Sen. Daniel Thatcher, R-West Valley City , told fellow Education Interim Committee members Wednesday.
I-1240’s Excruciatingly Close Vote: Money Can’t Buy You a Landslide
Seattle Weekly Blog, WA, November 14, 2012
While charter school Initiative 1240 supporters declared victory over the weekend, opponents have refused to concede. “Not until every vote is counted,” Marianne Bischel, People for Our Public Schools spokesperson tells Seattle Weekly.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
Georgia Cyber Academy: Is Virtual Charter Ignoring Real Problems With Special Ed Services?
Atlanta Journal Constitution Blog, GA, November 14, 2012
The last time we discussed Georgia Cyber Academy was in response to parent comments about their significant roles as academic coaches under the online school’s instructional model.
State Education Board Criticizes Online School
WTVC, GA, November 14, 2012
State education officials are criticizing the Georgia Cyber Academy , saying the online school is failing to meet the needs of its special education students.
Schools Look To Add Virtual Course Options
Gainesville Times, FL, November 14, 2012
With more students, fewer teachers and less money, school systems are searching for ways to stay competitive with what they offer students.
Students Take Lesson Home, Do Work In Class
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, November 15, 2012
Zoller is one of a small but growing cadre of teachers nationwide who are “flipping” classroom lessons to better engage students and deepen their learning.