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Click here for Newswire, 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

Arne Duncan schooled in limits of power
Politico, November 27, 2013
Arne Duncan brought the most ambitious reform agenda in years to the Department of Education — and a determination to use every lever of power to accomplish it.

Jindal v. Obama: The new school choice battle; La. voucher fight revives reform led by conservatives
Washington Times, DC, November 26, 2013
Two decades ago, while George H.W. Bush was still president, Republican governors like Tommy Thompson in Wisconsin began in earnest their long-brewing war on underperforming public schools.

Merit Pay For Teachers Is Only Fair
Forbes, November 26, 2013
Business has long been accustomed to rewarding good performance with salary increases, but the birth of merit pay for teachers is proving both protracted and painful.

Pulling a More Diverse Group of Achievers Into the Advanced Placement Pool
New York Times, NY, November 27, 2013
Every year, more than 600,000 academically promising high school students — most of them poor, Latino or black — fail to enroll in Advanced Placement courses, often viewed as head starts for the college-bound.

STATE COVERAGE

CALIFORNIA

Oakland Needs a Moratorium on Charter Schools
Opinion, East Bay Express, CA, November 26, 2013
The proliferation of charters in the city has left traditional public schools without enough money to educate children with special needs.

DELAWARE

Reach Academy suing to stay open
WDDE, DE, November 26, 2013
Reach Academy for Girls charter school is heading to court in an effort to remain open. The school has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Delaware against the state’s Department of Education and Education Secretary Mark Murphy over the decision earlier this month not to renew the school’s charter, forcing it to close at the end of the academic year in June.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

A troubled school improves — without relying on suspensions
Washington Post Blog, DC, November 26, 2013
Four years ago, Stanton Elementary School in Anacostia was the lowest-performing elementary school in the District and in danger of being closed. But partly thanks to an innovative alternative to suspensions, Stanton is now on the rise.

In Fairfax, a lengthy battle over school funding
Washington Post, DC, November 26, 2013
When new Fairfax County Schools Superintendent Karen Garza recently warned that a $140.7 million budget shortfall might lead to layoffs and devastating program cuts, several veteran county officials couldn’t help but think of a classic children’s fable: “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.”

FLORIDA

Southwest Florida parents push teaching over tests
News-Press, FL, November 26, 2013
Southwest Florida parents are fed up with feeling they don’t have a voice in their child’s classroom.

INDIANA

Graysville’s RCA lauded as successful rural charter school
The Tribune-Star, IN, November 25, 2013
As they examined paintings in their school, students in the pre-algebra class of teacher Tracey Drappo were seeking “unintentional geometry” on Monday as they looked for rectangles, rotation and degrees.

ILLINOIS

CPS plans to relocate two schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, November 27, 2013
Chicago Public Schools officials say they won’t be closing any schools this summer, but plan to relocate two schools. Under a 2011 state law, CPS must announce any planned school closings or relocations by Dec. 1. The proposals still need to be voted on by the Board of Education after public hearings are held in January.

School turmoil not on the menu
Editorial, Chicago Sun Times, IL, November 27, 2013
Consider Wednesday’s announcement, then, the first course of a meal that we expect will go down much more easily than last year’s. After the 2012-13 closing earthquake, CPS is in desperate need of this down time to focus on the basics — improved teaching and learning.

KANSAS

District north of Topeka lessens ties to teachers’ union
Topeka Capital-Journal, KS, November 26, 2013
A group of teachers from a district about 70 miles north of Topeka has voted to lessen their ties to the state’s main teachers’ union, becoming the second district to do so in 2013.

LOUISIANA

Organizers say charter school plans on track in Lafayette
The Advocate, LA, November 26, 2013
Two groups approved to start three charter schools in Lafayette Parish say they are on track to open schools as planned in August and one is already starting to look for key staff to run its schools.

MASSACHUSETTS

Milford area teachers making the grade
Milford Daily News, MA, November 27, 2013
Of the teachers in the Milford area rated under the state’s new teacher evaluation system during the 2012-2013 school year, the majority received a passing grade, according to data from the state.

MICHIGAN

Charter offer chafes residents
Daily Press & Argus, MI, November 27, 2013
The Brighton Area Schools Board of Education decided to sell the vacant Lindbom Elementary School to a residential builder for $1.35 million, but it also faced an onslaught of emotional criticism before making its decision.

Michigan leads in number of charter schools operated by for-profit companies
Detroit News, MI, November 26, 2013
Michigan has the highest number of charter schools managed by for-profit companies, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Education Policy Center.

MINNESOTA

New charter school in Willmar will be turning to area businesses for support, assistance
West Central Tribune, MN, November 26, 2013
Collaboration with area businesses will be a key to the success of a charter school planning to open next fall in Willmar, its organizers said last week.

Strongest schools in Minneapolis shouldn’t be sacrificed
Commentary, Star Tribune, MN
November 26, 2013
Yes, there’s an achievement gap and a perception of privilege, but the city needs a foothold.

MISSISSIPPI

Application released for Miss. charter schools
Hattiesburg American, MS, November 27, 2013
Groups seeking to establish a charter school in Mississippi have until March 14 to submit their applications. But the target may move a little for the groups.

MISSOURI

Washington University partnership boosts science performance at Hazelwood
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, November 26, 2013
The enthusiasm for science is up, and so are test scores across Hazelwood schools, where teachers such as Berghoff are crediting a district partnership with Washington University.

NEW JERSEY

Majority of Newark charter schools agree to district’s universal enrollment plan
Star-Ledger, NJ, November 27, 2013
Fifteen charter schools said yes, five have declined and one has yet to decide whether join the effort to create one application for enrollment in Newark’s public and charter schools, officials said yesterday.

NJ’s school-choice program might be too popular for its own good
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, November 27, 2013
Rising costs and enrollment prompt state to order spending caps, limits on pupil transfers

OREGON

Administration stands by Oregon ‘high risk’ label
Register-Guard, OR, November 27, 2013
The Obama administration is standing by its determination that Oregon is at risk of failing to comply with its waiver from the federal “No Child Left Behind” education law.

PENNSYLVANIA

Pa. senator plans to unveil education-reform bills
WHTM-TV, PA, November 26, 2013
A Pennsylvania lawmaker plans to introduce a package of legislation to address issues involving charter schools, teacher certification, and the need for high-quality prekindergarten.

Pittsburgh schools board votes to sell Moningside, votes against sale of Columbus
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, November 26, 2013
Pittsburgh Public Schools board tonight voted against selling Columbus on the North Side for use as a charter school but in favor of selling Morningside for purchase by the Urban Redevelopment Authority.

The on-going experiment
Letter, The Daily Review, PA, November 27, 2013
Charter schools are a permanent and permanently controversial part of public education in Pennsylvania.

RHODE ISLAND

A welcome change of climate at Central Falls High
Providence Journal, RI, November 27, 2013
Central Falls High School, once the poster child of failed school reform, has turned a corner. Math scores have improved. Students say teachers treat them with respect and inspire them to do their best work. Teachers say their voices are heard and their input respected. And parents are a daily presence in the hallways.

TENNESSEE

Charter schools must grow wisely
Opinion, The Tennessean, TN, November 27, 2013
By a 7-to-1 vote, the Metro Board of Education has established strategic priorities for approving charter schools in 2014. These priorities offer common-sense guidelines for Metro Nashville Public Schools to consider quality charters while advancing academic achievement in a way that doesn’t undermine the progress we’re making in other schools.

Merit-based teacher pay plan offered for Nashville schools
The Tennessean, TN, November 27, 2013
Nashville teachers could earn more money for performing better in the classroom under a new teacher pay structure put before the Metro school board Tuesday night.

TEXAS

Open enrollment charter serves all who come
Commentary, San Antonio Express News, TX, November 27, 2013
Great Hearts Texas is a sister network to Great Hearts Arizona and its 16 academies in Phoenix. We enjoy a decade long track record of educational excellence on a national level. We were honored to be approved for San Antonio schools by the State Board of Education (SBOE) last year.

State education board limits charter school options
Editorial, Dallas Morning News, TX, November 26, 2013
Call us confused. One year ago, the State Board of Education approved an application for Great Hearts Academies of Arizona to open a charter school in San Antonio. But last week that same panel denied the same charter organization the right to open campuses in North Texas.

WISCONSIN

Hold all ‘public’ schools accountable
Journal Sentinel, WI, November 26, 2013
The Legislature is tiptoeing closer to the idea that all schools in Wisconsin — even private schools that accepted state-funded vouchers — should be subject to a single state report card. It’s a good idea, as long as there are consequences for poor performance.

ONLINE LEARNING

Registration now open for Virtual School at LSMSA
The Daily News, LA, November 26, 2013
Students from across the state can register now through Wednesday, Jan. 15, for the Virtual School at the Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts.

Click here for Newswire, 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

School Improvement Grants Need Some Work
Opinion, US News & World Report, November 25, 2013
Last week, the U.S. Department of Education released an analysis of the School Improvement Grant program, and the results merit some concern.

What Happens When Great Teachers Get $20,000 to Work in Low-Income Schools?
Slate Magazine, November 25, 2013
Teacher merit pay. It’s one of those perennially popular policy ideas that, historically, hasn’t worked very well.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. Council committee approves bill to give schools more money for “at risk” students
Washington Post, DC, November 25, 2013
The D.C. Council’s education committee on Monday unanimously approved a bill that aims to provide the city’s public schools with additional money to help low-income students and others at risk of academic failure.

FLORIDA

Florida NEA’s $15 Million Spree
Dropout Nation, November 25, 2013
Slowly but surely, the annual financial disclosures provided by affiliates of the National Education Association to the U.S. Department of Labor are coming available for public consumption. And in the case of the nation’s largest teachers’ union’s Florida affiliate, the spending on preserving influence is quite sizable.

LOUISIANA

State recommends charter extensions, renewals for 25 schools
Times-Picayune, LA, November 25, 2013
Fourteen New Orleans and Baton Rouge charter schools are getting contract renewals of three to 10 years. In addition, 11 New Orleans charters that opened in 2009 could get one-year extensions.

NEW MEXICO

Awards given for charters
Column, Albuquerque Journal, NM, November 26, 2013
One of the best things about my job is that I get to travel the state visiting charter schools. I am always astounded by the positive vision for education and the passion for teaching that I find.

NEW JERSEY

Common Core Standards, online testing continue to gain ground in NJ
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, November 26, 2013
While a few states are getting cold feet about the new Common Core State Standards and the online testing they entail, most New Jersey politicians are concerned chiefly about costs and are waiting — none too patiently — for more details from the Christie administration.

N.J. lawmakers look to prevent school dropouts with new government office
Star-Ledger, NJ, November 25, 2013
The Assembly Education Committee is expected to vote on a bill to establish an office in the Department of Education focused on dropout prevention and outreach to out-of-school youth.

School Choice districts that ‘swap’ students may lose targeted tuition aid in 2014-15
Hunterdon County Democrat, NJ, November 25, 2013
School Choice districts that “swap” students could lose state tuition aid for those students next year, as part of a move by Department of Education officials to stem the growing cost of the program.

NEW YORK

Education reform backed by the wealthy
Albany Times Union, NY, November 25, 2013
A team of two dozen well-paid analysts embedded in the State Education Department is having a dramatic impact on a reform agenda that’s causing controversy throughout New York.

Take a lesson, Bill
Opinion, New York Daily News, NY, November 26, 2013
In his first policy speech since his big win, Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio vowed to fight like hell to live up to his signature promise of providing universal pre-k and expanded after school-programs, and paying for them through a tax on the wealthy.

NORTH CAROLINA

N.C. teachers see legislative changes as harmful, survey finds
Star News, NC, November 25, 2013
“North Carolina is hurting itself by not treating teachers better.” “For the first time in my career, I find myself exploring other options. And I love teaching.” “Education in North Carolina is broken.”

PENNSYLVANIA

Improve both reform bills
Editorial, Scranton Times-Tribune, PA, November 26, 2013
Charter schools are a permanent and permanently controversial part of public education in Pennsylvania.

The state Senate should reject flawed charter school bill: Susan Spicka
Op-Ed, Patriot News, PA, November 25, 2013
The Pennsylvania Senate is poised to vote on a bill that would weaken our local public schools and gut taxpayer control over how our school tax dollars are spent.

RHODE ISLAND

At R.I.’s urban schools, graduation rates are rising
Providence Journal, RI, November 26, 2013
High school graduation rates in Rhode Island’s poorest cities improved at more than twice the rate of the rest of the state during the last five years, according to a report released Monday by Rhode Island KidsCount.

TENNESSEE

Kevin Huffman ‘surprised’ by amount of time MNPS board devotes to charters
The Tennessean Blog, TN, November 25, 2013
I was unable to squeeze in Huffman’s thoughts on the Metro school board, which has increasingly raised concerns over the financial toll of charter school expansion in Nashville.

School turnaround requires a village
The Tennessean, TN, November 26, 2013
In the picture she shows teachers who come to work for her, Tammy Garrett is a third-grader on roller skates, hamming it up for the camera in front of the trailer park where she grew up.

VIRGINIA

Virginia’s K-12 reform initiatives
Commentary, Suffolk News Herald, VA, November 25, 2013
The time is now to end the excuses for chronically under-performing and unaccredited schools. This year we took decisive action to challenge the status quo. We created the Opportunity Education Institution to turn around failing schools and provide high quality alternatives for these children. We also passed legislation to bring Teach For America to Virginia to focus on closing the achievement gaps among students in low-income areas.

WASHINGTON

Three groups seek charter schools in Spokane, with one proposed for 2014
Spokesman-Review, WA, November 26, 2013
The first is Pride Prep, a grass-roots effort led by former Garry Middle School principal Brenda McDonald. The proposed college preparatory school for sixth through 12th grades would include several years of a foreign language, extra math and science, nine-hour school days and an extended school year. Pride Prep would use a four-“T” philosophy: time, technology, targets and talent.

School district defers charter onus
News-Tribune, WA, November 26, 2013
Under the charter school law approved by Washington voters last year, the schools can be authorized and overseen either by a newly created statewide charter commission or by local school districts. Charters are publicly funded but operated by private nonprofit groups rather than local school boards.

Yakima, Sunnyside proposals among 22 vying for 8 charter school slots in state
Yakima Herald-Republic, WA, November 26, 2013
And then there were two. Proposals in Yakima and Sunnyside are two of 22 submitted by nonprofit groups intent on launching charter schools in Washington — possibly in the Valley — starting next school year. These groups will know which eight grabbed the coveted first slots no later than Feb. 24.

WISCONSIN

Revised Voucher School Accountability Bill May Soon Be Ready
Wisconsin Public Radio, WI, November 25, 2013
State Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon) says a revised version of a bill that would bring publicly funded voucher schools under the same accountability system may be ready as soon as mid-December.

ONLINE LEARNING

Audit finds problems with NC virtual school
News & Observer, NC, November 25, 2013
The N.C. Virtual Public School had lax standards when it came to enrolling, tracking and reporting the thousands of students it educated in online classes, a state audit has found.

Click here for Newswire, 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

Hasten: Both sides claim victory in La. voucher case
Alexandria Town Talk, LA, November 24, 2013
It’s been a fairly good week in court for Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. The U.S. Department of Justice pretty much dropped its lawsuit challenging Jindal’s voucher program on the grounds that it might violate desegregation orders that seek racial balances in Louisiana’s public schools.

More states delay Common Core testing as concerns grow
Washington Post Blog, DC, November 24, 2013
Massachusetts and Louisiana, both seen as important in the world of school reform, have decided to delay the implementation of high-stakes standardized tests aligned to the Common Core State Standards in the face of growing concern about the initiative.

Needs to Choose School Choice
Michigan Capitol Confidential, MI, November 23, 2013
This fall, Michigan received disappointing, but expected news: The Center for Education Reform gave the state a score of ‘0’ for its school choice policies.

STATE COVERAGE

CALIFORNIA

Don’t let lax rules sabotage school-funding reforms
Editorial, Press Enterprise, CA, November 24, 2013
California should prevent flawed implementation from sabotaging school-funding reforms. The state Board of Education needs to strengthen proposed rules for the state’s new school financing formula. The regulations should ensure that money to aid educationally needy students actually goes for that purpose.

DELAWARE

New school offerings showcased at Delaware charter expo
News Journal, DE, November 23, 2013
Charter schools from all over New Castle County packed a room above The Grand Opera House in Wilmington on Saturday morning, trying to get the word out to potential parents and students.

FLORIDA

BPS to expel more teachers
Boston Herald, FL, November 24, 2013
Boston Public Schools officials are moving to fire more teachers who aren’t making the grade, even as poor-performing teachers who already have been terminated under the new evaluation process are fighting to get their jobs back.

Charter Schools Meet the Challenge
Column, The Ledger, FL, November 23, 2013
This is in response to Dr. William Hahn’s op-ed column “School Grading Favors Charter Schools,” published Nov. 9. Hahn was critical of a “one-size-fits-all” school grading standard when “charter schools” are in the mix. He used Lake Wales as his example.

Pinellas schools looking to attract more students with magnet programs
Tampa Bay Times, FL, November 23, 2013
It used to be that they didn’t have to work so hard. Pinellas County would open a school, and students would enroll.

KANSAS

Chris Christie pushes teacher tenure reform to the top
Opinion, Kansas City Star, KS, November 23, 2013
There is a puzzling nugget hidden in all the bragging by Republican New Jersey’s governor, Chris Christie, re-elected by a landslide in a “blue” state. It’s a doozy.

LOUISIANA

Former voucher foe heads pro-voucher group
The Advocate, LA
November 24, 2013
The new president of a group that supports school vouchers once fought against them — a change in views sparked in part by the murder of her father.

Our schools, not that great
Editorial, The Advocate, LA, November 24, 2013
It’s always fun to see politicians get into trouble for saying what they really think. Look at the latest from Arne Duncan, the head of the U.S. Department of Education.

MARYLAND

Bill would subject voucher schools to report cards by 2015
Journal Sentinel, WI
November 23, 2013
A new version of a bill is in the works in the Legislature that could bring all the state’s publicly funded students — including those in private voucher schools — into the same accountability system in 2015.

MICHIGAN

Charters, choice are strangling our public schools
Editorial, Battle Creek Enquirer, MI, November 23, 2013
The people behind the charter school and privatization movement are intent on destroying public schools, and they are succeeding. In so doing, they are literally depriving children of the promise of a quality education and doing immeasurable harm to our democracy.

MISSOURI

Embattled superintendent had spoken out on school choice

St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, November 25, 2013
Art McCoy stood in front of legislators a few months ago in a small auditorium at St. Charles Community College, offering a controversial idea to help kids in failing schools — choice.

NEW JERSEY

Charter school parents clash with school board
Hudson Reporter, NJ, November 23, 2013
Parents poured into a Board of Education meeting Tuesday night after it was revealed that Superintendent of Schools Mark Toback intended to send a letter to the state education commissioner opposing the expansion of Hoboken’s Dual Language Charter School (HoLa) to eighth grade, and expressing concerns about charter schools in general.

NEW MEXICO

Bid denied to halt teacher eval system
Albuquerque Journal, NM, November 24, 2013
A state district court judge has denied a petition filed by state legislators, teachers unions and an individual teacher that aimed to stop the state’s new teacher-evaluation system, because the judge said that the state education chief was well within her power to unilaterally overhaul the process for evaluating New Mexico educators.

Superintendent Boyd on school reform: ‘Our children cannot wait’
Santa Fe New Mexican, NM, November 23, 2013
Santa Fe Public Schools Superintendent Joel Boyd abandoned his prepared script for the annual State of the Schools speech Thursday and instead spoke off the cuff for about 15 minutes to about 150 people — mostly district employees — at the Roundhouse.

NEW YORK

Bill de Blasio gives cold shoulder to education reformers as he prepares to choose a chancellor
New York Daily News, NY, November 24, 2013
De Blasio chose to place high-profile critics of Bloomberg’s policies on his 60-member transition team, troubling education reformers and advocates for charter schools

In the Classroom, Learning for Today and Tomorrow
Letters, New York Times, NY, November 25, 2013
Re “Advertisements for the Common Core” (editorial, Nov. 20): A writing-intensive curriculum is linked with reading; all understand that, and most will applaud.

Lawmakers divided on school tax liability distribution plan
Journal News, NY, November 23, 2013
Fractures have emerged among leading state Senate Democrats supporting the school-choice movement’s ambitious proposal to allow New York taxpayers to target up to 75 percent of their state tax liability to private school scholarship funds, individual public schools or public-school foundations.

NY only state still on board with school data plan

Wall Street Journal, November 23, 2013
After months of debate about the risks of storing student data in the cloud, New York is pressing ahead with a plan to create a statewide database for every public school student’s grades, tests scores and attendance records — a tech startup proposal that drew interest from several other states that have now reconsidered.

Teachers union failing charter schools
Editorial, New York Post, NY
November 23, 2013
Anyone notice a pattern here? Our city’s traditional public schools are doing a dismal job of preparing New York’s children for life and college.

NORTH CAROLINA

Questions about charter schools linger as numbers grow
Star News, NC
November 23, 2013
For Annie and her family, the environment at Charter Day makes it a better choice. But some say choice is all charters offer, deviating from the original goals of creating innovative ways to teach all students.

OHIO

Just who is minding the charter schools?
Letter, Columbus Dispatch, OH, November 24, 2013
I read in awe about the house of cards that made up the McCord family’s second failed charter school (“Ohio’s $1.2M propped up owner’s 2nd charter bust,” Dispatch article, Tuesday). While this was a masterpiece of investigative reporting, it raised many more questions.

PENNSYLVANIA

Busing to other schools burdens districts

Allentown Morning Call, PA, November 25, 2013
Salisbury Township School District consists of two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school. But it buses students to 46 schools.

Novice teachers are not the solution
Opinion, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, November 24, 2013
In an effort to keep educational costs in check, America’s cash-strapped states, local school districts and charter schools are hiring less costly novice teachers. I understand that Pittsburgh Public Schools may soon be among them.

Senate bill causes uproar, could authorize expansion of charter schools in Cumberland County
The Sentinel, PA, November 25, 2013
Senate Bill 1085 could authorize the “unprecedented” expansion of charter schools in Cumberland County — and public school advocates want to know why Midstate officials, including Sen. Pat Vance, R-31, support it.

SOUTH CAROLINA

D.P. Cooper granted $300,000 for charter conversion
Weekly Observer, SC, November 24, 2013
D.P. Cooper Elementary School, which became approved for charter conversion earlier in the fall, received notification recently it would be the recipient of a $300,000 grant.

TENNESSEE

Charters disrupt Metro school board’s plans
Column, The Tennessean, TN, November 24, 2013
Disruptive innovation is the most difficult challenge that entrenched organizations face. They struggle to recognize why their constituencies are abandoning them for what they, with strong reasoning, perceive to be lower-quality solutions.

Chorus of criticism doesn’t stop reform-minded TN education chief Huffman
The Tennessean, TN, November 25, 2013
On the ninth floor of a state building on Nashville’s James Robertson Parkway, Tennessee’s much-celebrated yet much-maligned education commissioner doesn’t work from his own office.

Reformers, politicians quick to tie TN test gains to new policies
The Tennessean, TN, November 24, 2013
At the high point of the choreographed celebration, Gov. Bill Haslam turned to a video that let kids count down to the big winner. Which state had outperformed all others in education gains?

TEXAS

Arizona charter operator’s bid to start Dallas school rejected by State Board of Education
Dallas Morning News, TX, November 23, 2013
The Texas Board of Education has rejected Great Hearts Academies’ charter school application to operate in Dallas.

WASHINGTON

Charter school proposals target range of students
Yakima Herald, WA, November 25, 2013
Dropouts, gang members, kids who love sports, children with disabilities and creative youngsters who can’t sit still are among the children charter school developers say they’ll teach in the new public schools they want to open in Washington state next year.

Charter schools can be important part of education’s future
Editorial, Spokesman Review, WA, November 24, 2013
Implementation of Washington’s charter school law advanced another step forward Friday while its opponents were in court insisting the state look backward.

Judge to decide fate of new charter school law
Seattle Times, WA, November 23, 2013
A judge will soon decide whether the state’s new charter school law is an innovative tool for educating Washington’s children or violates the state Constitution’s mandate for an equal education for all.

ONLINE LEARNING

Before state officials expand cyber-charters, take a look at the data
Op-Ed, Patriot-News, PA, November 24, 2013
If it was viewed as a single school district, Pennsylvania’s expansive cyber charter sector would represent Pennsylvania’s second-largest district, with more than 35,000 students attending 16 schools statewide. Cyber charters received approximately $366 million in taxpayer funds in 2012-13—drawing payments from 498 of the state’s 500 school districts.

Cy-buried Education
Editorial, Philadelphia Daily News, PA, November 25, 2013
WITHIN the herd of public-education options, cyber charter schools are clearly the black sheep. From the time they first appeared on the scene soon after Pennsylvania legalized charters in 1997, cyber charters have been subject to lawsuits, pushback from districts that have refused to pay for cyber students and, more recently, federal probes and grand-jury indictments of some cyber operators.

Opponents say cyber schools fail
Pocono Record, PA, November 23, 2013
Cyber charter schools are providing Pennsylvania students with a below average education at above average cost, public education advocates say.

Transparency is best for all schools — Scott Brown
Opinion, Wisconsin State Journal, WI, November 25, 2013
Legislation that aims to reform the accountability provisions for statewide online charter schools will create more transparency and accountability for online schools and districts that operate them.

Click here for Newswire, 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

Federal analysis of school grants shows mixed results
Washington Post, DC, November 21, 2013
A federal program that pumped a record $5 billion into failing schools is showing mixed results, with students at more than one-third of the targeted schools doing the same or worse after the schools received the funding, according to government data released Thursday.

The impact of high-achieving charter schools on non-test score outcomes
Journalist’s Resource, November 21, 2013
Are charter schools better for children? The answer depends on context. And it’s not an unequivocal “yes,” at least based on evidence from test scores:

STATE COVERAGE

CONNECTICUT

State Must Smooth Path To School Reform
Column, Hartford Courant, CT, November 22, 2013
Connecticut’s conundrum in dealing with its tops-in-the-nation academic achievement gap is summed up by the saga of Bridgeport School Superintendent Paul Vallas.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Is DCPS ready to outsource middle schools to charters?
Washington Post Blog, DC, November 21, 2013
Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson told a D.C. Council committee last week that DCPS hasn’t succeeded in attracting families to its middle schools and suggested that the District should just funnel middle school students to charter schools. What was she thinking?

FLORIDA

Hillsborough superintendent pushes back on MacDill charter school plan
Tampa Bay Times, FL, November 21, 2013
Responding to a charter group’s pitch for a new school at MacDill Air Force Base, Hillsborough superintendent MaryEllen Elia said Thursday that she has reservations about the for-profit company that would run the school.

Pinellas schools bolstering magnet programs
Sun Coast News, FL, November 21, 2013
Parents in Pinellas County often scramble each year to enroll their students in the few desired magnet and fundamental programs, coming to School Board members, district staff and public meetings to voice their frustrations when things don’t go their way.

Vitti asks state lawmakers to push his education agenda
Florida Times-Union, FL, November 21, 2013
For the second straight year, top decision-makers for Duval County Public Schools corralled state lawmakers to a local high school Thursday and sought changes in state education laws. Superintendent Nikolai Vitti and School Board Chairwoman Becki Couch discussed six items during the one-hour meeting at Lee High School.

LOUISIANA

Hoffmann: Data in evaluating Louisiana teachers is flawed
Monroe News Star, LA, November 21, 2013
The Louisiana Department of Education will delay the punitive effects of accountability as the state ramps up to more rigorous standards, but one area representative believes some labels connected to this year’s testing and evaluations should also be thrown out.

MASSACHUSETTS

BTU blames the test
Editorial, Boston Herald, MA, November 22, 2012
When all else fails hurl accusations of discrimination. That seems to be the strategy of the Boston Teachers Union, which fought the launch of a new teacher evaluation system hammer and tongs — and now that the results are in is deeming it a failure and an example of discrimination against minority teachers.

Crowd packs library for charter discussion
Eagle Tribune, MA, November 21, 2013
It was a sharply divided crowd that testified on a proposed charter high school in Andover yesterday, with such a large turnout that the hearing was paused at one point to clear aisles for fire safety reasons.

Expert wary of teacher evaluations
Boston Herald, MA, November 22, 2012
A school reform expert is questioning the state’s new teacher evaluation system after most Bay State teachers got glowing performance reviews in results released yesterday — much as Boston teachers got high marks from their administrators in a report released a day earlier.

MICHIGAN

Michigan’s Education Achievement Authority sees 24 percent drop in students
Detroit News, MI, November 22, 2013
Michigan’s Education Achievement Authority has lost nearly a quarter of its students in the past year, a dramatic dip in its second year of operating 15 low-performing schools in Detroit.

MINNESOTA

New state funding could push teacher raises
Minnesota Public Radio, MN, November 22, 2013
A nearly $500 million increase in state education funding approved by lawmakers this spring seems to be clearing the way for teacher pay raises, at least in some parts of the state.

NEW JERSEY

State releases first results from pilot trials of teacher evaluation systems
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, November 22, 2013
Initial report correlates data collected from 25 districts participating in pilot for at least a year.

NORTH CAROLINA

Push those raises through, governor
Editorial, Winston-Salem Journal, NC, November 21, 2013
Teachers aren’t happy with their salaries and they’re protesting statewide. It’s good to note that Gov. Pat McCrory hears them.

OREGON

City View Charter School’s poverty data on state report cards is misleading
The Oregonian, OR, November 21, 2013
In its school report card data, the Oregon Department of Education said City View Charter School had, by a significant margin, the lowest poverty rate in the Hillsboro School District. Only 6 percent of students there are economically disadvantaged, the state said. The next-lowest poverty rate in the district is Jackson Elementary School’s 16 percent.

PENNSYLVANIA

Charter school funding leaves Allentown School District ‘bleeding,’ board member says
Express-Times, PA, November 21, 2013
Facing the loss of thousands of students and millions of tuition dollars to charter schools, the Allentown School District is asking the state to give it a break.

Kids Pay The Price In Fight Over Fixing Philadelphia Schools
NPR, November 21, 2013
But has there really been a lack of investment in Philadelphia’s public schools? Private foundations, after all, have poured millions of dollars into schools here; much of that money has gone to the city’s 86 privately run charter schools. But in terms of public funds, the district says it’s broke.

SRC doesn’t renew 2 charters founded by Dorothy June Brown
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, November 22, 2013
Two schools founded by Dorothy June Brown failed to have their charters renewed Thursday, as Philadelphia School District officials voiced concerns about both.

RHODE ISLAND

Changes coming for struggling school reform org in Providence
WPRI-TV, RI, November 21, 2013
The future of the taxpayer-supported nonprofit created to oversee three low-performing Providence public schools is uncertain as district and union officials scramble to restructure an organization that has been mired in turmoil for the better part of a year.

TENNESSEE

Memphis voters turn down sales-tax referendum
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, November 21, 2013
The Memphis sales-tax referendum failed Thursday by an overwhelming margin of 60 percent to 40 percent, or 17,636 votes to 11,659, in the evening’s final unofficial tally.

VIRGINIA

State board puts off vote on all-boys charter school in Richmond
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, November 22, 2013
The Virginia Board of Education deferred action on an application for an all-boys charter school in the city of Richmond during its meeting Thursday, sending the idea back to committee after serious questions were raised about the financial soundness of the plan.

ONLINE LEARNING

Academic success of virtual charter schools largely unknown
WITI-TV, WI, November 21, 213
There’s no doubt education in Wisconsin isn’t what it used to be. As technology has changed, so have our classrooms. And for about 7,000 Wisconsin students — they never step foot in one.

Ann Arbor schools to launch virtual academy
The Ann Arbor News, MI, November 21, 2013
As the state of Michigan expands online learning opportunities to younger students, Ann Arbor Public Schools is preparing to launch its own virtual academy.

Nonprofit calls for moratorium on charters
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, November 22, 2013
The Education Law Center on Thursday urged the Pennsylvania Department of Education to deny applications for six new cyber charter schools, saying the cyber charter model doesn’t work.