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NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

NATIONAL COVERAGE

G.O.P. Bill on Schools Would Set Fewer Rules
New York Times, June 6, 2013
Signaling a preference for a much smaller role for the federal government in public schooling, Senator Lamar Alexander, Republican of Tennessee, is introducing legislation on Thursday to revise No Child Left Behind, the Bush-era education law.

Jumble of education topics facing Congress
Associated Press, June 6, 2013
From pre-kindergarten to No Child Left Behind to college loans, students in every age group are suddenly finding the spotlight on Capitol Hill.

‘Hope Against Hope’: A community’s painful struggle over school reform
Book Review, Washington Post, June 5, 2013
In her new book, veteran education journalist Sarah Carr attempts to tell the controversial story of New Orleans schools post-Hurricane Katrina from the ground up, focusing primarily on affected families and educators.

STATE COVERAGE

ARIZONA

Vail schools may convert to charters
Arizona Daily Star, June 6, 2013
Vail School District is considering converting some of its schools to charter schools in a move to bring in more state funding.

CALIFORNIA

Oakland charter school seeks court order to stay open
KTVU, June 6, 2013
An Oakland charter school that has high-achieving students but allegedly engaged in financial improprieties has gone to court to try to keep its doors open.

Time to make Brown’s school funding reforms work: Editorial
Los Angeles Daily News, June 5, 2013
The new school funding formula proposed by Gov. Jerry Brown is a thoughtful approach, more logical and democratic than its predecessor, and a good start on reforming a broken system.

New leader for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s schools
Los Angeles Times, June 5, 2013
One of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s closest advisors will become the new leader of the nonprofit overseeing public schools under the mayor’s control.

CONNECTICUT

Study shows school suspensions still too high
Republican American, June 6, 2013
In Connecticut, boys are twice as likely to be suspended from public schools as girls. Black and Hispanic boys are two to three times more likely to be suspended than white peers.

Education funding fares well in state budget
Greenwich Times, June 5, 2013
Education reform efforts advanced last year by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy appeared to have survived a struggling economy.

DELAWARE

Charter school reform bill advances in state House
News Journal, June 6, 2013
A bill aimed at reforming the state’s charter school system is headed to full House, despite objections that the measure needs public input and will hurt traditional schools.

FLORIDA

Rowlett parents bullish on charter conversion
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, June 5, 2013
Parents set on converting Rowlett Elementary to a charter operation say their proposed budget shows the magnet school will not only be viable, but capable of bringing in extra funding for fine arts programs many want to preserve.

LOUISIANA

Rules governing funding formula for public schools confirmed by Louisiana House
Times-Picayune, June 5, 2013
Louisiana’s public school funding formula will have to jump through all the same legislative hoops that a regular bill does, under a resolution given final approval by the House on Wednesday. The move is meant to avoid further costly litigation after the state Supreme Court ruled the process by which the formula was passed last year unconstitutional.

MASSACHUSETTS

Parker Charter School graduates 14th class
Lowell Sun, June 6, 2013
The processional was as about as traditional as it gets: 55 senior high school students in robes and mortarboards marching across the grass and onto an outdoor stage to the strains of “Pomp and Circumstance.” The processional was as about as traditional as it gets: 55 senior high school students in robes and mortarboards marching across the grass and onto an outdoor stage to the strains of “Pomp and Circumstance.”

NEVADA

New star rating system rises over Nevada’s struggling schools
Las Vegas Review-Journal, June 5, 2013
Less than 19 percent of Clark County high school students passed the Algebra I spring semester exam in 2012. Not even half of eighth-graders passed the pre-algebra exam. About one of two students in elementary and middle school earned the minimum score for grade-level proficiency on the state’s reading, writing and science tests.

Silver State Charter High School graduates look back and forward
Nevada Appeal, June 6, 2013
While high school graduation can feel like stepping into the great unknown, Joshua Carmicheal knows exactly where his path is leading.

NEW JERSEY

Camden schools takeover gets OK
Cherry Hill Courier Post, June 6, 2013
New Jersey is about three weeks away from taking control of Camden schools after the state Board of Education approved the intervention Wednesday.

New Teachers Should ‘B’ Ready for Tougher Standards
New Jersey Spotlight, June 6, 2013
State proposes hiking minimum college GPA from 2.75 to 3.0 in attempt to improve quality of new educators

Performing arts school expands to fit new students
Press of Atlantic City, June 5, 2013
When Charter Tech High School for the Performing Arts opened in September 1999, after a two-year battle that moved the fledgling charter school from Ocean City to Linwood, this year’s graduates had not yet even started school.

NEW YORK

Better Teachers for New York City
Editorial, New York Times, June 6, 2013
The new teacher evaluation system that the New York State education commissioner, John King Jr., has imposed on New York City represents an important and necessary step toward carrying out the rigorous new Common Core education reforms.

Criticism of charter school is bogus
Letter, Riverdale Press, June 6, 2013
Re: “Did new charter fake community outreach?” May 30: I have never been a supporter of charter schools and voted in the Assembly against expanding the number of such schools. But they are coming and it is vitally important that the new schools be top notch schools with excellent leadership.

Councilmember Levin demands moratorium on charter schools
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, June 5, 2013
Charter school spending is “out of control” Councilmember Stephen Levin (D-Brooklyn Heights, Greenpoint, Boerum Hill) said on Wednesday as he called for a moratorium on the opening of all charter schools in New York City.

NORTH CAROLINA

Gov. McCrory: Public school students take too many tests
News & Observer, June 5, 2013
Public school students take too many tests, Gov. Pat McCrory told education leaders Wednesday, and the state needs to figure out how to lighten the load.

NC needs to realize Common Core is a conservative victory
Opinion, News & Observer, June 5, 2013
For some time now, outside groups have been vigorously spreading misinformation about the Common Core State Standards. The effort has been relentless, and North Carolina has not been immune to the falsehoods.

PENNSYLVANIA

Charter school teachers vote in union
Pocono Record, June 6, 2013
Pocono Mountain Charter School teachers, crowded into the school’s dance studio Wednesday afternoon, broke into applaus

Make charter schools fully accountable
Opinion, Scranton Times-Tribune, June 6, 2013
Charter schools are publicly funded but, compared with conventional public schools, they operate off the grid.

Pa. House bill could save York City schools $375K
York Dispatch, June 5,, 2013
Legislation that would overhaul some of the longstanding and much-criticized aspects of the charter school law is awaiting a state House vote.

RHODE ISLAND

Education Is Rhode Island’s Political Football
Opinion, Go Local Prov, June 6, 2013
By now, most every Rhode Islander knows (or should know) that The Commissioner of Elementary and Secondary Education’s contract is up for renewal.

TENNESSEE

Education Pioneers opening office in Memphis
Memphis Commercial Appeal, June 6, 2013
The latest confirmation of the starring role Memphis is playing in education reform is Education Pioneers, a national nonprofit setting up shop here to provide high-caliber fellows for the growing list of charters, nonprofits and foundations looking for strategic talent

VIRGINIA

Chesterfield lawmaker working to help lighten load of mandates pressing on schools
Richmond Times-Dispatch, June 6, 2013
A state requirement that high school students pass a financial literacy class in order to graduate went into effect in 2011, much to the delight of its supporters.

WEST VIRGINIA

Legislators must keep track of new evaluations
Editorial, Journal-News, June 6, 2013
Good school principals have been coaching teachers for many years. Now, such coaching is official policy in West Virginia public schools. A new system of evaluating teachers is based heavily on principals’ views of them.

WISCONSIN

State public education decisions create stir
Shawano Leader, June 5, 2013
Public school representatives were shaking their heads Wednesday at the state budget proposal that the Wisconsin Assembly will begin debating in two weeks. The final elements of the bill, which expands the state’s voucher program and increases per pupil spending in public schools, were approved early Wednesday by the state Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee.

ONLINE LEARNING

Obama to visit NC school, fundraise in California
Associated Press, June 6, 2013
President Barack Obama wants to see the nation’s classrooms transformed into digital learning centers and he is ready to ask federal regulators to use billions of dollars to pay for the broadband and high-speed Internet connections that will be needed to make it happen.

Morning talker: Are cyber schools real schools?
Column, Patriot News, June 6, 2013
Earlier this week Suzanne D. Hair penned a piece on why she sends her son to Commonwealth Connections Academy and arguing that cyber schools are public schools and deserve equal funding. It was in response to another article from a parent insisting that lawmakers stop “overpaying” for charter and cyber schools.

Cutting funds to Pa. charter schools puts students at risk
Letter, Lehigh Valley Express-Times, June 6, 2013
On Monday, House Bill 618, sponsored by state Rep. Joe Emrick, R-Northampton, narrowly passed the House Education Committee by a vote of 13-12. This bill drastically cuts funding to Pennsylvania cyber/charter schools and unfairly creates a double dip for school districts across the state, possibly forcing schools to “virtually close their lids” on our students.

Charter schools remain a hot topic in Harrisburg
The Reporter, June 5, 2013
As the state legislature works towards finalizing a budget for the 2013-14 fiscal year, other pieces of legislation are also being considered, including several focusing on education, most notably H.B. 618 , which made it through the committee by a narrow 13-12 vote and calls for charter and cyber charter school reform.

PA Cyber Charter School to graduate 1,500
PRNewswire, June 6, 2013
The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School will graduate 1,500 members of the Class of 2013, its 13th and largest graduating class ever, announced CEO Dr. Michael J. Conti .

Turner Co. will launch new online school in fall
WALB, June 5, 2013
Turner County is now giving home schooled and private school students another choice for their education. The system is ready to launch a learn at home online school.

Florida Virtual School commencement points to new education trend
Seminole Chronicle, June 5, 2013
When seniors from across the state of Florida came together Saturday at Rosen Plaza Hotel in Orlando, they did so for a graduation that was the first of its kind here in the Sunshine State.

Lee school’s Virtual Instruction Program culls national recognition
Fort Myers Beach Bulletin, June 5, 2013
Lee Virtual Instruction Program, the School District of Lee County’s high-quality, fully online school for students, was recently awarded the Bronze ranking in US News & World Report’s rating of America’s Best High Schools.

NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

NATIONAL COVERAGE

Bill to Alter Bush-Era Education Law Gives States More Room
New York Times, June 5, 2013
Renewing the effort to revise No Child Left Behind, the signature Bush-era federal education law, Senator Tom Harkin, Democrat of Iowa, introduced a new version on Tuesday that he said would “replace the failed tenets” of the law.

Grading teachers on test scores: Column
USA Today, June 4, 2013
Signs exhorting students have been springing up at T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Va., where I teach English. “Keep Calm and Crush the Test” is my favorite.

Ind. charter school group head takes US-wide post
WTHI, June 5, 2013
A leader among Indiana’s public charter schools is moving into a national advocacy post.

STATE COVERAGE

ARIZONA

Arizona court refuses to stop state’s voucher-like ’empowerment savings account’ program now
East Valley Tribune, June 5, 2013
The Court of Appeals won’t stop the state from continuing to fund a controversial voucher program, at least not now. In a brief order Tuesday, the judges rejected a request by foes of what are called “empowerment scholarship accounts” to block continued payments while the legality of the program is litigated.

CALIFORNIA

Kudos for Great Valley Academy described as ‘model charter school’
Manteca Bulletin, June 5, 2013
Great Valley Academy in Manteca was described as one of the “few (charter school) models that exist” by the Center for Educational Reform.

Charter money grab should end
Opinion, The Record, June 5, 2013
California slipped a notch in spending per public school pupil in 2011, falling to 35th among states in a year that marked the first overall drop across the nation in nearly four decades, the U.S. Census Bureau reported last month.

COLORADO

When the good guys in education reform prevailed
Column, Denver Post, June 5, 2013
Twenty years ago this week, Gov. Roy Romer signed the single most significant piece of school reform legislation of the past generation. As a result, 97,000 students will enroll this fall in charter schools, a number larger than the attendance in any single school district.

Dougco teacher plan innovative
Editorial, Denver Post, June 5, 2013
The school system’s ideas on teacher salaries may not be perfect, but they are on the right track.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Henderson not convinced that D.C. education plan will help schools
Washington Post, June 4, 2013
D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson said she is not convinced that a wide-ranging package of education legislation introduced Tuesday will improve educational outcomes for the city’s children.

Failing schools should be converted to charters
Editorial, Washington Examiner, June 4, 2013
David Catania, chairman of the D.C. Council’s Education Committee, wants to increase DC Public Schools’ accountability and academic results. Catania has the right idea but the wrong approach, one that is as doomed as other past attempts at school reform. But he’s not bold enough to propose the one thing that just might work.

FLORIDA

Teachers union not ‘dragging feet’
Tampa Tribune, June 5, 2013
The union that represents Pasco County school employees is as eager as anyone to start contract negotiations for the 2013-14 school year, but needs more information from the school district before that can happen, its leader said Tuesday.

Idaho college leaders back Common Core
Idaho Statesman, June 5, 2013
University presidents say the more rigorous standards will make for better students.

Teachers union worried about jobs with upcoming CPS budget
Chicago Tribune, June 5, 2013
As Chicago Public Schools prepares to issue budgets for individual schools to principals, the Chicago Teachers Union is predicting that hundreds of its members could be laid off because of the district’s ongoing budget woes.

LOUISIANA

John McDonogh High charter group will not manage Cohen in the fall
Times-Picayune, June 4,, 2013
The charter school group in charge of the John McDonogh High takeover that was chronicled in a recent Oprah Winfrey television series is relinquishing its limited management of another high school, citing budget problems.

Bills put religion in Louisiana schools
Letter, The Advocate, June 4, 2013
Regarding the letter to the editor May 25, “Evolution is its own religion,” by Larry Miller:
There is no doubt that the “Science Education Act” (House Bill 116) and the school voucher program are intended to introduce a religion (Christianity) into public schools.

MAINE

Commission considers moratorium on new charter school applications
Kennebec Journal, June 5, 2013
The Maine Charter School Commission is considering a one-year moratorium on new charter school applications after staff and several commissioners noted the time-consuming work of monitoring the five schools they’ve already approved and creating a raft of new rules to govern the two-year-old commission’s work.

MASSACHUSETTS

Barros proposes single application for city, charter schools
Boston Globe, June 5, 2013
Mayoral hopeful John Barros, in an effort to simplify the process of registering for school, is calling for a single application that can be used in Boston’s school system and at independently-run charter schools.

Lynn CFO says charter school costs ‘a killer’
The Daily Item, June 5, 2013
It has a hilltop view of Lynn from its perch in the Highlands, and the Knowledge Is Power Program academy is starting to figure prominently in city budget calculations as elected officials start the annual process of crafting a municipal budget.

Blackstone Valley Boasts a ‘Kick Butt’ School
Column, Go Local Worcester, June 5, 2013
Like many urban teens, Jessica Coello was obviously smart and capable, but totally turned off from school. When she was in grade school, thinking about high school, someone suggested she visit Blackstone Academy Charter School–recently recognized as 1 of 12 schools “Commended” by the state.

MICHIGAN

Grand Rapids schools’ statistical model for teacher evaluation pushes it ahead of the rest of the state
Grand Rapid Press, June 4, 2013
The old system of evaluating a teacher’s performance – a principal observing in a classroom – was not particularly effective, school administrators and teacher union leaders agree.

Financially troubled Michigan school districts may be forced to close
Detroit News, June 5, 2013
Insolvent school districts could be shut down and their students sent to neighboring districts within three weeks under bipartisan legislation proposed by two Michigan lawmakers.

MINNESOTA

Apple Valley charter school’s teacher terminations spark frustration
Star Tribune, June 4, 2013
At Apple Valley charter school Paideia Academy, tensions are running high among parents and students after the contracts of five teachers weren’t renewed for next school year.

MISSOURI

Reality of school funding in Missouri? It gets worse ever year.
Editorial, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, June 5, 2013
When Missouri House budget chairman Rick Stream, a Kirkwood Republican, bragged last month that lawmakers approved K-12 education funding at the “highest level in the history of Missouri,” he was telling the truth.

NEW JERSEY

Creating successful charter schools for New Jersey
The Record, June 5, 2013
NEW JERSEYANS have sadly never had an opportunity to witness the benefit of a truly statewide charter school environment that helps children succeed, all schools improve and educators thrive. Unlike most other states, New Jersey law rests all authority to approve and vet charter school applications with the state Commissioner of Education.

NEW YORK

A win for NYC’s kids
Column, New York Post, June 4, 2013
This weekend, we made history. After months of uncertainty and years of grappling with special interests, state Education Commissioner John King announced a landmark teacher-evaluation system that continues us down the path toward ensuring all 1.1 million New York City school children have great teachers in their classrooms.

School district struggles over state ruling on students’ right to transfer
Buffalo News, June 4, 2013
Buffalo school administrators are struggling with a state Education Department ruling that says the district must find space for every student who wants to be transferred out of a failing school and into a better one.

NORTH CAROLINA

Charter school request heavily scrutinized
Daily Dispatch, June 4, 2013
A request from Henderson Collegiate to expand onto more county-owned property hit a snag Monday.
The Vance County board of commissioners, in its regular monthly meeting, asked the charter school for a detailed plan and opponents cited concerns with the proposed expansion.

New voices supporting vouchers emerge
Opinion, Elkin Tribune, June 5, 2013
There’s something exciting happening in North Carolina: Young, liberal African-American politicians are breaking away from teachers’ unions to support school choice.

OHIO

More students qualify for vouchers under Senate budget changes
Columbus Dispatch, June 4, 2013
The Ohio Senate would further expand who qualifies for Ohio’s voucher program, the tax-funded tuition for private schools, under its latest batch of major changes to the new two-year budget.

OREGON

Clackamas Web Academy’s Annie Sharpe builds up college credits during high school
The Oregonian, June 4, 2013
Though Annie Sharpe graduated from high school this week, she’s already intimately familiar with college life.

PENNSYLVANIA

Nutter, Butkovitz push Pa. for more school funding
Philadelphia Inquirer, June 5, 2013
Philadelphia leaders launched a full-court press Tuesday on the General Assembly, seeking support for funding to cover the projected $304 million school budget shortfall.

Charter school teachers will vote today on unionizing
Pocono Record, June 5, 2013
Teachers at the charter school fighting for its survival will vote today on whether to unionize.
The Pocono Mountain Charter School has warred for years with the Pocono Mountain School District over the status of its charter and seen scandal and contention among its leaders.

WISCONSIN

Deal announced on income tax cuts, school vouchers
Chippewa Herald, June 5, 2013
Republican legislative leaders announced an agreement shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday that would nearly double Gov. Scott Walker’s income tax cut over the next two years, expand private school vouchers statewide and allow public school funding to increase.

School choice must be expanded
Opinion, Appleton Post-Crescent, June 5, 2013
Nearly 25 years ago, business leaders in Milwaukee came to me, deeply concerned that they couldn’t find enough qualified workers among the students leaving the Milwaukee public schools. At the same time, African-American parents came to me, worried about their children’s future in a school system that wasn’t meeting their needs.

ONLINE LEARNING

Cerf Pulls Plug on Online Charter Schools
New Jersey Spotlight, June 5, 2013
Growing opposition to virtual charters, legal challenges and gray areas help inform commissioner’s decision

State wants to revoke charter of Philadelphia-based cyber school
Philadelphia Notebook Blog, June 4, 2013
Pennsylvania Secretary of Education Ronald Tomalis wants to close down the Solomon Charter School in Philadelphia, which opened just months ago.

Local to graduate from online public school
Elko Daily Free Press, June 5, 2013
The Nevada Connections Academy class of 2013 graduates Friday in Reno and Las Vegas. Hornback will be among the graduates in Reno.

California Virtual Academies graduates celebrate in Vacaville
The Reporter, June 5, 2013
The cliché image is that these students attend class in their pajamas. But one thing is clear about seniors enrolled in California Virtual Academies: They do not graduate in them.

NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

NATIONAL COVERAGE

Getting at the Core
Worcester Telegram, June 3, 2013
Perhaps no issue is as important to parents as their children’s education. But too little attention has been paid to the advent of the Common Core State Standards Initiative, an effort to bring education curricula across the nation into alignment with one another by adopting a single set of academic standards.

STATE COVERAGE

CALIFORNIA

Leader of charter school appointed to vacant Pasadena Unified seat
Pasadena Sun, June 2, 2013
Mikala Rahn, the head of Learning Works Charter School in Pasadena, was appointed Saturday to fill a vacant seat on the Pasadena Unified school board.

Charters are jackpot for district
Stockton Record, June 2, 2013
Deep in the southeastern reaches of Tracy, surrounded by spacious plots of rich San Joaquin County farmland, sits a school district that this academic year served a grand total of 16 kindergarten students.

Newton: In a hurry to pull the ‘parent trigger’
Commentary, Los Angeles Times, June 3, 2013
The ouster of a Watts principal is wrenching but hardly surprising. Parents lack patience for incremental improvement.

The ‘parent trigger’ trap
Editorial, Los Angeles Times, June 2, 2013
As the most recent example at Weigand Avenue Elementary School in Watts shows, parents need more information before taking such drastic action.

COLORADO

Disparities in Douglas County schools teacher evaluations draw fire
Denver Post, June 3, 2013
Fourth-grade teacher Cheryl Murphy is among the educators at Trailblazer Elementary School being re-evaluated after the Douglas County School District determined that the high marks she got on her job review may not be valid.

DELAWARE

Charters focus of House legislation
News Journal, May 31, 2013
bill that would toughen oversight of charter schools would also award more money to charters with proven track records and allow them to access capital funding from the state.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Yes to more charters, but let’s head off the unions
Column, Washington Times, June 2, 2013
When you dance to the music, sooner or later you’ve got to pay the piper.
D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray announced Sunday that he will send legislation to the D.C. Council to grant the city’s schools chancellor the power to authorize charter schools.

Legislation Would Give DCPS Chancellor Power to Authorize Charters
CBS Local, June 2, 2013
“One of my top priorities as mayor has been ensuring that every child in the District has access to a top-quality public education,” D.C. Mayor Vincent Gray said in his weekly Sunday morning radio address on All-News 99.1.

FLORIDA

Record charter school closings prompt calls for more accountability
Sun Sentinel, June 1, 2013
When Next Generation Charter School in Lauderdale Lakes abruptly closed its doors in April, the Broward School district was left scrambling to find classrooms for the 160 students that suddenly had no place to learn.

Pasco charter school sues district over enrollment cap
Tampa Bay Times, May 31, 2013
A charter school has sued the school district over a refusal to let the school expand its enrollment. Athenian Academy wants to increase its student body from 390 to 472 for the fall. School officials say it needs to grow to remain financially viable and argue their contract with the district allows the added numbers.

IDAHO

Common Core reform only common sense
Editorial, Idaho Statesman, June 2, 2013
Have you ever noticed that education reform initiatives are unrated by actuaries and untouched as sure bets in Las Vegas? They exist in bubble dimensions until they pop on the sharp edges of the classroom and life.

INDIANA

No easy path for charter schools
The Journal Gazette, IN
June 2, 2013
Clearing the hurdle of receiving a charter from the state authorizing board isn’t always enough to actually open a charter school.

IOWA

Education Reform One Step Away in Iowa
KWQC, June 2, 2013
It’s been a bill in the works for several years – but now education reform in Iowa is just the Governor’s signature away from being signed into law.

LOUISIANA

Fifth-grade test scores could hurt Singleton’s academic standing, principal warns
The Lens, May 31, 2013
A drastic decrease in iLEAP state test scores for fifth graders at James Singleton Charter School could have a significant impact on the school’s 2013 school performance score, according to school leaders.

Voucher amendment fails
The Advocate, June 2, 2013
State senators defeated an effort to strip money for school vouchers out of the $25 billion state budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.

School return bill clears Senate
The Advocate, June 2, 2013
The state Senate unanimously backed a bill Saturday that would set up a “parent trigger” law for poor-performing schools in the Recovery School District, moving the proposal one step from final passage.

MAINE

Bangor charter school’s failed bid sparks moratorium debate
Bangor Daily News, June 2, 2013
Bangor city councilors will consider a citywide moratorium on charter schools, arguing that having one in the city would create unnecessary competition and put a financial strain on an already strong public school system.

MARYLAND

Prince George’s County school reform law takes effect
Washington Post, June 2, 2013
After the Maryland General Assembly approved legislation to overhaul the Prince George’s County public schools two months ago, residents were left wondering what changes would be in store for the 123,000-student system.

MASSACHUSETTS

Charter School Advocates Eye Investment In Mayor’s Race
WBUR, May 31, 2013
Sensing a rare opportunity to shape policy here and beyond, charter school advocates are weighing significant investments in Boston’s first competitive mayoral race in a generation.

MICHIGAN

Snyder’s merit pay idea fails the test
Detroit News Blog, MI
June 2, 2013
Adding to an already impressive list of legislative “solutions” that don’t actually solve any problems, Rick Snyder and the Michigan legislature have decided to consider “merit pay” for public educators.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Charter school kindergarten students show they are ready to serve in Manchester
Union Leader, June 3, 2013
Those are the numbers behind a “service learning” trip to New Hampshire Food Bank on Friday for students from Mill Falls Charter School. But math wasn’t the important lesson of the day.

NEW JERSEY

Christie’s Proposed School Voucher Program At Latest Crossroads
New Jersey Spotlight, June 3, 2013
Democrats claim Opportunity Scholarship Grants will never make it to the final budget, but can they deliver?

NEW YORK

Charter school group pushes forward with ambitious expansion
Democrat & Chronicle, June 1, 2013
Its demographics match those of most city schools, but the performance of students at True North Rochester Prep far outpaces their peers in the district.

Teacher Plan Uncertain
Wall Street Journal, June 3, 2013
A bitterly contested teacher-evaluation system imposed on New York City by state officials could be upended as soon as a new mayor takes office next year.

UFT gets schooled
New York Post, June 3, 2013
The teachers union lost out on nearly all of its key demands during the bitter war over a new evaluation system that makes it easier to oust inept educators, city officials said.

Mayor’s education legacy an issue in NYC race
Wall Street Journal, June 1, 2013
Mayor Michael Bloomberg has sought during his three terms to make the city’s sprawling public school system a showcase for get-tough policies such as closing schools deemed to be failing and using student test scores to measure teacher effectiveness.

NORTH CAROLINA

Charter school will be reviewed, director says
The Dispatch, June 3, 2013
Despite having its application and appeal denied for incomplete information, the proposed Davidson Charter Academy will be reviewed by a state council, state education officials said recently.

OHIO

Schools push merit pay for teachers
Dayton Daily News, June 3, 2013
More districts across the state may soon follow the lead of Oakwood schools and pay teachers based on their performance in the classroom, experts say.

State should provide equally for charters
Letter
Columbus Dispatch, June 1, 2013
I am a parent of a charter-school student. The proposed state budget discriminates against my daughter and creates a separate and unequal funding system for all Ohio charter students.

PENNSYLVANIA

Charter school case moving to court
Montgomery News, June 2, 2013
The petition signed by members of the public in support of North Penn Charter School Collaborative and submitted to the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas is “fatally defective” because it doesn’t include certain pieces of information, according to a brief filed by the North Penn School District’s legal counsel.

Private schools hope Pa. tax-credit program will grow larger
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, June 3, 2013
After a slow start, money is starting to come in to a tax-credit scholarship program aimed at providing scholarships for students who live within the attendance areas of the state’s lowest-performing schools to transfer to other higher performing schools.

Charter schools advocate accountability
Opinion, Observer-Reporter, June 2, 2013
Clarifications need to be made in response to the misleading and oversimplified statements in the Observer-Reporter’s May 21 editorial, “Wanting public money, but not the accountability.”

TENNESSEE

Knox County superintendent recommends denial of charter school application
Knoxville News Sentinel, June 2, 2013
Knox County Schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre is recommending that the school board deny an application for a charter school that would be located in Northwest Knoxville.

WASHINGTON

Bad teachers shouldn’t be forced on our kids
Column, Seattle Times, June 2, 2013
Editorial staff columnist Jonathan Martin wonders why is it so hard is it to get a poor teacher out of the classroom.

WISCONSIN

Voucher schools should be more open
Opinion, Appleton Post-Crescent , June 3, 2013
Back in 1990, when Milwaukee launched the nation’s first publicly funded voucher program, participating schools could enroll no more than 49 percent voucher students. These schools were considered private, because the majority of their students paid private tuition.

Governor’s voucher plan makes no sense
Letter, Fond du Lac Reporter , June 2, 2013
I am writing to show how illogical Gov. Walker’s voucher school expansion in the state budget is. The governor’s justification for this expansion has been to offer parents “choice” to avoid “failing” schools.

ONLINE LEARNING

Why K-12 online learning isn’t really revolutionizing teaching
Washington Post Blog, June 3, 2013
Online learning is our present and our future, or so many school reformers and entrepreneurs say. Here in the first of a few pieces on the subject is Larry Cuban, a high school social studies teacher for 14 years, a district superintendent (seven years in Arlington, VA), and professor emeritus of education at Stanford University, where he has taught for more than 20 years.

Enrollment growing at Virtual Learning Academy
Fosters Daily Democrat, June 2, 2013
With each year that passes, more and more people across the state are turning to internet-based programs to further their education. This rising trend can be found locally as well, as hundreds of Seacoast residents have enrolled at the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School based in Exeter.

Online learning works for student
Shelbyville Times-Gazette, June 2, 2013
Trace Marshall has enjoyed many of the aspects of a normal high school senior year — having senior pictures made, buying a senior ring, ordering his graduation cap and gown, making plans for college — but he is not your traditional high school graduate.