Daily Headlines for May 6, 2013
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NATIONAL COVERAGE
Expanded Options Are the Best Justification for School Choice
Reason Blog, May 3, 2013
Opponents of school choice often act as if the eternal chase after standardized test scores is the only purpose of any scheme for educating kids.
Closing the Social Gap in Schools
New York Times, NY, May 5, 2013
In “No Rich Child Left Behind” (Sunday Review, April 28), Sean F. Reardon reminds us of the growing educational divide not only between the poor and the middle class but increasingly between the middle class and the very rich. Only a significant infusion of federal money for early childhood programs will address this issue.
Wall Street ♥ Charter Schools
Muckety, May 5, 2013
Call them cynical, but the widespread involvement of financial firms in the charter school movement raises suspicion among many public school advocates.
STATE COVERAGE
ALABAMA
‘School Choice’ Law Fiscally Reckless
Decatur Daily, AL, May 5, 2013
I’m tired of writing about the Alabama Accountability Act. You’re probably tired of reading about it. Issues surrounding the law keep changing, though, and legislative actions this week likely will decide whether it remains on the books. Whether to salvage their political stature or because they finally read the law, lawmakers who voted for it suddenly are expressing concerns.
ARIZONA
Coming Charter School to be an Open Model for Districts
Tucson Citizen, AZ, May 5, 2013
Depending on who you talk to, Charter schools in Arizona were enabled for the purpose of innovating and improving education; or for destroying the public school system.
DELAWARE
In High-Stakes School Elections, A Few Rule The Many In Delaware
Delaware News Journal, DE, May 6, 2013
Low interest in Delaware school board elections has helped create a dynamic where a relative handful of voters decides the outcome of races with millions in educational dollars at stake.
FLORIDA
State Lawmakers Increased Education Budget By $1 Billion
Bradenton Herald, FL, May 6, 2013
Teachers won raises. School districts got a boost in per-pupil funding. Charter schools nearly doubled construction and maintenance dollars.
Orange Schools Creates Position To Help Close Achievement Gap
Orlando Sentinel, FL, May 5, 2013
In an attempt to “super-accelerate” the academic achievement of minorities, Orange County public school leaders plan to dedicate a senior administrator to the task.
Teacher Evaluations Take Time, Offer More Feedback
Gainesville Times, FL, May 5, 2013
When the new teacher evaluation system first rolled out, there was a lot of apprehension as state leaders talked about tying the evaluations to how teachers are paid.
Teachers At Failing Schools Eligible For $2,000 Bonuses
Sun Sentinel, FL, May 5, 2013
More than 700 teachers at Broward County’s low-performing schools could be eligible for $2,000 bonuses this year if they fare well on their evaluations.
IDAHO
North Star Charter School Gets Money To Stay Open
Idaho Statesman, ID, May 4, 2013
The financially strapped institution has secured $133,000 in loans and reimbursements to pay its bills through the end of the year.
INDIANA
How Indiana’s Grass-Root Activists Took Down The Common Core
Indianapolis Star, IN, May 4, 2013
The Common Core academic standards looked like a mighty Goliath when opponents began their opposition last year.
IOWA
Division Lingers In Iowa Legislature On How Best To Evaluate Teachers
Des Moines Register, IA, May 6, 2013
Proposed changes to Iowa’s teacher evaluation system have halted progress at the Statehouse on a sweeping education bill aimed at improving instruction in Iowa’s 1,434 public schools.
MAINE
Maine Charter School Funding Is A Lesson In Controversy
Orlando Sentinel, FL, May 3, 2013
Some raise concerns as the Education Committee looks at making this a line item in the state budget.
MASSACHUSETTS
Public School Districts Recruiting Students
Worcester Telegram, MA, May 5, 2013
With public school enrollments flat, some school districts are stepping up efforts to recruit students through school choice to generate revenue. Others are recruiting students from other countries.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Nashua Charter School Still In The Works Despite State Funding Issues
Nashua Telegraph, NH, May 6, 2013
It takes a lot more than a little uncertainty to derail Cheryl Bean’s dream to found a new school in the city.
NEW JERSEY
Special Report: Born In Hope, Newark Charter School Now Embroiled In Controversy
Star-Ledger, NJ, May 5, 2013
Linda Newton enrolled her 8-year-old son at Adelaide L. Sanford Charter School to shield him from the ills that afflict many of Newark’s regular public schools.
OHIO
Don’t Blame Boards, Superintendents
Tribune-Chronicle, OH, May 5, 2013
Charter schools and vouchers take money from public school districts. Almost $800 million in state funding went to charter schools last year. Why increase public tax dollars to charter schools when most earned a failing grade from the last year?
PENNSYLVANIA
Phila. School Staff Paint A Doomsday Budget Picture
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, May 6, 2013
If the doomsday budget being floated by the nearly broke Philadelphia School District comes to pass, this is what school will look like in September:
District Moves To Shut Down Pocono Mountain Charter School
Pocono Record, PA, May 5, 2013
Pocono Mountain School District has filed an “emergency motion” seeking a state shutdown of the embattled Pocono Mountain Charter School on the strength of new allegations.
Are Charter Schools Actually Better?
Lancaster Newspapers, PA, May 5, 2013
In theory, I like the idea of charter schools. I like that students who don’t do well in a traditional classroom setting might have an alternative, like at-home learning on the computer
York City School Reform: Why The Committee Chose An Internal Plan Over Charter Schools
York Daily Record, PA, May 4, 2013
After months of deliberation, members of the York City schools advisory committee and its chief recovery officer opted for giving the district a chance to turn things around.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Get Rid Of School Attendance Loophole In S.C. Law
Rock Hill Herald, SC, May 4, 2013
South Carolina students ought to have a wider choice of which schools they attend within the state’s public school system. But an antiquated loophole that allows privileged families to game the system is not the way to accomplish that.
TENNESSEE
Common Core Lifts TN’s Chances
The Tennessean, TN, May 5, 2013
There is really just one main question for the throngs of upset parents who have spoken out against the Common Core State Standards at public meetings over the past week:
TEXAS
Whites Flock To Private Schools While Minorities More Likely In Charters
Dallas Morning News, TX, May 4, 2013
The search for a way out of underfunded and underperforming public schools has led hundreds of thousands of Texas students into an alternative education.
WISCONSIN
Debate: School Voucher Issue On Its Own Bill Vs. Within State Budget
FoxNews 6, WI, May 5, 2013
Does the school voucher debate belong on its own bill, or within the state budget? The Wisconsin Senate’s top Democrat is demanding a stand-alone bill, but Gov. Walker calls that idea “ridiculous.”
Amid Reform Fatigue, A Crying Need For Leadership On Education
Journal Sentinel, WI, May 4, 2013
But a certain fatigue, and with it skepticism of new education “solutions,” may be setting in. Both, certainly, are pervasive in the city that takes the prize for educational experimentalism: Milwaukee.
Vouchers A Boon For Private Schools In Milwaukee, Racine Counties
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, May 4, 2013
Inside a sprawling building a few blocks from Mitchell International Airport, the first class of seniors who grew up in the country’s largest K-8 Catholic school will graduate this spring.
ONLINE LEARNING
‘Blended Learning’ Win Win Situation: Column
USA Today, May 5, 2013
By all rights, Wendy Chaves’ Algebra II class should be a zoo. She’s charged with teaching nearly 50 teenagers at a time at the Alliance Tennenbaum Family Technology High School in Los Angeles. Yet Chaves has never felt more effective. “I don’t have to worry about classroom management,” she reports. “The kids are engaged.”
Virtual Shout-Out For Cyber Schools
Philadelphia Enquirer, PA, May 5, 2013
As it turns out, I spent four years, from 2008 through 2012, observing a cyber high school in action. I watched my kids interact with their teachers. I kept an eye on their progress; I looked over the comments that teachers wrote on their papers.
Enrollment Up At Embattled Bluesky Charter School
Minnesota Public Radio, MN, May 4, 2013
An online charter school that faced closure just last year is now seeing an increase in enrollment.
Cost To Expand Texas ‘Virtual Schools’ Puts Bill In Legislature At Risk
Dallas Morning News, TX, May 5, 2013
Legislative efforts to dramatically boost the number of Texas students taking online courses have been sidetracked by strong opposition from public education groups and a hefty price tag that stunned supporters.
Online K-12 Learning On The Rise In Iowa
Quad City Times, IA, May 5, 2013
Rhavon Cox-Bey doesn’t consider cyber-learning as home school. Rather, it’s school at home. Last year, the Davenport woman enrolled her children De-Andria, 18, Jhavon, 15, Anaiaha, 10, and niece Alesia, 17, in the newly launched Iowa Connections Academy, a tuition-free online public school for students K-12.