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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. 

STATE COVERAGE

ALABAMA

Below the belt — High dropout rates in the South are old news, but huge problem
Editorial
Anniston Star, AL, 
December 20, 2013
For lifelong Southerners, thick skin is a must. The South’s inherent traits, faults and culinary habits — some that are, as we say, fine eatin’ — often are punchlines for comedians and social pundits nationwide.

 CONNECTICUT

School board homes in on achievement gap
Greenwich Times, CT, December 20, 2013
The Board of Education on Thursday night approved a recommendation for the school district to spend as much as approximately $93,000 next year to help underachieving elementary students, as it neared a vote on Superintendent of Schools William McKersie’s proposed $143.9 million operating budget for the 2014-15 fiscal year.

DC

DOJ’s Louisiana voucher challenge could segregate schools further
The Daily Caller, DC, December 19, 2013
Sometimes history reverses itself rather than repeats itself. Such is the case in Louisiana, where the U.S. Department of Justice is pushing for oversight over the Pelican State’s private school voucher program out of fears that it will violate federal desegregation orders.

FLORIDA

Success comes with a caution
Miami Herald, FL, December 19, 2013
Students in Miami-Dade and Broward counties hit it out of the park, academically speaking. Not only were there no F schools in South Florida, there were hardly any C and D schools, either. A and B schools mostly ruled, even among several inner-city schools that had been plagued by low test scores and school grades in past years 

 IDAHO

Enrollment climbing at new charter school
Idaho Mountain Express & Guide, ID, December 20, 2013
About midway through its enrollment period, Syringa Mountain School, the new state-funded charter school in Blaine County, already has about 90 students lined up to attend the school when it opens next fall.

Boise charter school plans to expand
Idaho Statesman, ID, December 20, 2013
Sage International School is planning an expansion that could make room for an additional 145 elementary students beginning next fall.

ILLINOIS

Cost analysis questions wisdom of opening more charter schools
WBEZ, IL, December 19, 2013
A new cost analysis questions the wisdom of opening more charter schools in Chicago. The analysis, calculated by Communities United for Quality Education (CUQE), finds that approving all 21 charter schools that have applied to open would cost Chicago $21 million dollars the first year and $225 million over the next decade.

 LOUISIANA

Vouchers ignite new arguments
The Advocate, LA, December 19, 2013
Parents of voucher students need more information to ensure their choice of private schools is better than the public schools they fled, several members of a state legislative committee said Thursday.

Recovery School District will be country’s first all-charter district in September 2014
The Times-Picayune, LA, December 19, 2013
The great educational experiment in New Orleans is taking a dramatic, albeit long-awaited, turn. New Orleans’ Recovery School District will become the country’s first all-charter system in September 2014, a year earlier than planned.

MASSACHUSETTS

Boston School Superintendent Slot May Take Time To Fill For Mayor-Elect Walsh
WGBH NEWS, MA, December 20, 2013
Boston’s new mayor will have three major appointments to make after his inauguration on January 6: Police and fire commissioners, and a school superintendent. That last position has been open the longest, and may take the longest to fill.

MICHIGAN

$52M federal grant will benefit education of 182,000 low-income Michigan children
Detroit Free Press, MI, December 19, 2013
Michigan has won a $51.7-million grant in a national competition focused on improving early learning and closing the school readiness gap, federal and state officials announced today.

NEW YORK

3-school plan lacks stakeholder input as teachers, parents fault Brown over insularity
Buffalo News, NY, December 19, 2013
Superintendent Pamela C. Brown’s latest proposal to turn around three of Buffalo’s most struggling schools is being met by criticism from two influential stakeholder groups.

Task force to review rollout
Albany Times Union, NY, December 19, 2013
Amid heavy criticism of the state’s implementation of the new Common Core learning standards, Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch has appointed a task force to review those complaints and report back by February with recommendations for improvement.

NORTH CAROLINA

NC schools bracing for impact of Read to Achieve law
News & Observer, NC, December 19, 2013
As many as 50,000 North Carolina third-grade students might be in danger of having to attend a six-week summer reading camp to get promoted next year.

The unaccountability movement in education
Jefferson Post, NC, December 19, 2013
The recent filing of a lawsuit against the state’s new private school voucher scheme by the NCAE and the N.C. Justice Center on behalf of 25 plaintiffs received a flurry of media attention – and it should have.

 OHIO

Cleveland schools are showing successes — just not enough of them, yet:
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, December 19, 2013
No one doubts that the Cleveland schools have a ways to go. The concentration of poverty – virtually all the students attending the Cleveland public schools are disadvantaged economically – along with the sapping of public-school resources because of defections to charter schools and the years of lackluster academic results have all taken their toll.

Some hits, some misses in last CPS union contract
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, December 19, 2013
In December 2010, Cincinnati Public Schools and its teachers union announced a new labor contract – one more than a year in the making.

PENNSYLVANIA 

Group challenges scope of Chester charter school
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, December 20, 2013
Over the last 15 years, Chester Community Charter School has grown so rapidly that it educates more students – about 3,000 – than the cash-strapped traditional classrooms in the surrounding Chester Upland School District.

Union hits Aspira Olney Charter High School with a third unfair-labor-practice charge
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, December 20, 2013
IMAGINE A SCHOOL where teachers could be suspended, even terminated, for talking to one another. That school exists and it’s called Aspira Olney Charter High School, according to an unfairlabor-practice charge filed against the school and its operator, Aspira of Pennsylvania.

Allentown School Board rejects two proposed charter schools
Lehigh Valley Express-Times, PA, December 19, 2013
The Allentown School Board tonight rejected two charter school applications for a lack of community support.

Preposterous: The new city school board is off to a bad start
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, December 20, 2013
The disturbing moves will have long-term, negative effects, and they trigger worries that this panel won’t use the sound judgment necessary to keep the Pittsburgh Public Schools from going the way of failed urban districts.

 TENNESSEE 

Pinkston to mayor: There are ‘real costs’ with charter school growth
The Tennessean Blog, TN, December 19, 2013
Anyone who watched Mayor Karl Dean hit Metro Nashville Public Schools in his unexpected in-your-face speech on Monday knew a response from Will Pinkston would be coming.

Andre Agassi group to bankroll new charter school in Nashville
The Tennessean, TN, December 19, 2013
Former tennis great Andre Agassi’s charter school facilities organization is making Nashville one of its latest financial plays, with plans to cover the entire $7 million in construction costs for a new charter school in North Nashville.

 TEXAS

Texas orders Dallas-based charter and five others to close next year
Dallas Morning News, TX, December 19, 2013
The state on Thursday ordered a Dallas-based charter school and five others to close under a new law that cracks down on charter operators with chronic problems.

 ONLINE LEARNING

Special report: York County school districts combat cyber schools with own online options
York Dispatch, PA, December 19, 2013
School districts across York County are combating fund-draining cyber charter schools with online programs of their own, a move that allows schools to keep money inside the district.

Florida Virtual School’s high school gets first grade, a B
Orlando Sentinel Blog, FL, December 19, 2013
Florida Virtual School’s full-time high school earned a B this year, the first time the online school qualified for a grade under Florida’s annual A-to-F report card. The school got its first grade this year because 2012-13 was the first time it had enough students for the state to run its grading calculations.

WIVA shares achievements, challenges
The Mcfarland Thistle, WI, December 19, 2013
It was a banner year for the Wisconsin Virtual Academy (WIVA) with the largest graduating class since its inception and a substantial increase in the number of enrollees. Head of school Leslye Erickson attended Monday’s school board meeting to share the school’s successes and challenges.

KCPS digital rollout hits a snag when it comes to the internet
KSHB, MO, December 19, 2013
The Kansas City Public Schools District said it will roll out more laptops to students in January 2014 as part of their Digital Learning Initiative. But some kids may face a significant challenge when they the laptops home.

Idaho online tech high school plans 2014 opening
Idaho Statesman, ID, December 19, 2013
A new online charter high school aimed at technical and specialty trade education is coming to Idaho in fall 2014 in a partnership between K12 Inc. and the Idaho College and Career Readiness Academy.

 POLITICAL/LEGISLATIVE COVERAGE

Bill would bar bonuses tied to special education limit
Asbury Park Press, NJ, December 20, 2013
The state Senate on Thursday passed a bill that would prohibit payment of bonuses to schools superintendents for keeping special-education students in district programs instead of sending them to out-of-district schools.

Blurred Lines: Conservatives On Education Policy
The Chattanoogan, TN, December 19, 2013
In a nutshell, most conservative orthodoxy in education and other policy areas is that of devolution. What devolution means is that the power to make decisions is returned to those closest to the people. Taxpayer money is spent for the needs at the local level, rather than at the national level.

Charter schools changing education
Alice Echo-News Journal, TX, December 20, 2013
One of my top priorities in the Legislature is education. We have many good schools, eager students and hard-working school personnel in South Texas and I am proud to advocate for them. Communities like ours recognize the importance of giving students a good foundation for building a career and a life as a productive adult. That’s why I was honored to accept an invitation to tour St. Mary’s Academy Charter School in Beeville recently.

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

Urban schools improving faster than the rest of us
Associated Press, December 18, 2013
Public school students in the nation’s largest cities are improving their performance in reading and math faster than their counterparts in suburban and rural schools, according to federal data released Wednesday. The biggest gains by far were in the nation’s capital.

Is American Culture to Blame for Failing Schools?
New York Times, NY, December 18, 2013
“Americans do not support an egalitarian society.” That was the response of one reader, Jay David of New Mexico, to the final editorial in our series on science and math education, and in many ways it summed up the bitterness that many others expressed when the American school system was compared to those of other countries.

STATE COVERAGE

ALABAMA

Birmingham Schools, Takeover To Today
WBHM, AL, 
December 18, 2013
The Alabama State Department of Education’s intervention team has left Birmingham City Schools. ALSDE staff are approving local board agendas and monitoring finances from Montgomery. A year and a half after the state first took the reins, the local board is quietly going about its business.

ARIZONA

Longer school days tested to boost learning
Arizona Republic, AZ, December 19, 2013
Mesa’s lowest-performing school has joined the ranks of dozens of schools nationwide that are extending their school days with the goal of boosting test scores.

CALIFORNIA

Who’s watching the local charter schools?
Orange County Register, CA, December 18, 2013
Orange County’s recent charter school growth spurt has brought with it a shift in who oversees local programs: More than a third of Orange County’s 25 charter school programs are now run by agencies based dozens or even hundreds of miles away.

 D.C.

Despite D.C. public school gains, system trails behind large-city average
Washington Post, DC
December 18, 2013
D.C. Public Schools posted larger gains on 2013 national math and reading tests than any other major urban school system, but the District’s performance continues to trail the large-city average, according to a federal study released Wednesday.

Teachers finally get a chance to speak out on D.C.’s school reform
Washington Post, DC, December 18, 2013
The Dec. 12 editorial “Boo to the naysayers” got one thing right: Teachers, parents and public-education stakeholders are angry about the way mayoral control and the Rhee-Henderson school reform experiment with our kids have gone.

Leftist lawsuit says helping poor kids escape failing public schools is unconstitutional
Daily Caller, DC, December 19, 2013
In North Carolina, a group of over two dozen plaintiffs filed a lawsuit this week challenging the constitutionality of the Opportunity Scholarship Program, a new vouchers program designed to provide a way out of failing schools for the state’s poorest children.

 FLORIDA

High school graduation rate up
Gainesville Sun, FL, December 18, 2013
Graduation rates increased at six of Alachua County’s seven public high schools during the 2012-2013 school year, according to a report released last Wednesday by the Florida Department of Education.

Pasco charter school sees its contract reduced
Tampa Bay Times Blog, FL
December 18, 2013
On Tuesday, the Pasco School Board reduced Athenian Academy’s contract from 15 years to three years, ending June 30, 2016. The reason? Athenian Academy no longer qualified for the state’s “high performing” designation that allowed for the longer term.

INDIANA

Charter school puts ‘expeditionary learning’ on display
Muncie Star Press, IN, December 18, 2013
Inspire Academy will open its doors to the public tonight, offering a glimpse of its expeditionary approach to learning.

LOUISIANA

More money for school vouchers coming to Louisiana
Times-Picayune, LA, December 18, 2013
The national Alliance for School Choice will use part of a $6 million Walton Family Foundation donation to expand school voucher enrollment in Louisiana.

Set new, clear standards for La. Vouchers
The Advertiser, LA, December 18, 2013
The Student Scholarships for Education Excellence Program — Louisiana’s public school vouchers — is in its second year of operation. And we still can’t say whether the program works or not, and whether it will be a useful tool as we try to improve Louisiana’s substandard public school performance.

Charter schools enemy of Caddo public schools
Shreveport Times, LA, December 19, 2013
It disturbs me that companies from outside our state are circling the public education system like vultures waiting to land by building nine more charter schools in our state including two more in Shreveport and further erode the resources of our already-strained public system.

Only 26 La. teachers gained national certification in 2013, down significantly
The Advocate, LA, December 18, 2013
Continuing a long decline, only 26 Louisiana teachers achieved certification in 2013 from a well-regarded national teaching organization, a fraction as many as when the program was at its peak in this state.

MARYLAND

Union-area school district, teachers OK incentive pay plan
Bangor Daily News, ME, December 18, 2013
A labor contract worked out between the Regional School Unit 40 Board and its approximately 200 teachers includes a provision for pay based partially on student performance.

MICHIGAN

New charter high school for at-risk, homeless youth graduates 8 in first class
Grand Rapids Press, MI, December 18, 2013
Earlier this year, Christopher Hernandez was ready to give up on getting his high school diploma. On Wednesday, Dec. 18, he became the first valedictorian of a new charter high school for at-risk and homeless young people.

 MINNESOTA

The long road to alternative licensure in Minnesota
Twin Cities Daily Planet, MN, December 18, 2013
In 2011, a legislative battle was fought over what is known as alternative teacher certification or “alt cert.” Its passage was supposed to create programs that would allow teacher candidates to run their own classrooms before they graduate from their education program.

MISSISSIPPI

Bryant Wants to Retain State Control of Schools
Jackson Free Press, MS, December 18, 2013
Gov. Phil Bryant wants to ensure that the State of Mississippi is the only entity educating Mississippi kids.

NEW YORK

NYC Student Test Scores Rise Slower Than Other Cities
Wall Street Journal, December 18, 2013
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s reign as head of the nation’s largest school system resulted in greatly improved graduation rates, but test scores that lagged behind the pace of other large American cities.

Charter school not the answer to better education
Elmira Star-Gazette, NY, December 18, 2013
As a retired career educator in the Elmira City School District, the continued rhetoric concerning the establishment of a charter school in our community is very alarming.

In One NYC School, A Snapshot Of Bloomberg’s Education Legacy
NPR, December 18, 2013
Washington Irving High used to be a large school of 4,000 students. But today, the elegant, century-old building, its walls painted with murals depicting scenes from New York history, is home to seven separate schools.

Mayor Bloomberg doubled education budget, but reform efforts yielded little improvement
New York Daily News, NY, December 19, 2013
Hizzoner’s efforts to overhaul the city’s schools have brought about a slight increase in graduation rates, but test scores remain largely unchanged and class sizes have increased slightly.

NEW JERSEY

Newark school restructuring includes plans to put charters in district buildings
Star-Ledger, NJ, December 18, 2013
As part of a comprehensive plan to overhaul the state’s largest school district, Newark Schools Superintendent Cami Anderson wants to increase access to charter schools by expanding them into district-owned buildings.

Only 3 students scored college-ready in Camden, NJ
The Trentonian, NJ, December 18, 2013
The new school superintendent in Camden says it was a “kick-in-the-stomach moment” when he learned that only three district high school students who took the SAT in the 2011-12 school year scored as college-ready.

 NORTH CAROLINA

The debate over teacher tenure
Times News, NC, December 18, 2013
The Alamance-Burlington School System faced a lot of mandates from the state and federal governments this year.

OHIO

Charter enrollment costs district funds ‘Alarming’ financial facts regarding charter schools reported
Morgan County Herald, OH, December 18, 2013
“The Morgan Local School District lost approximately $420,000 directly from our general fund last year because 69 Morgan County students enrolled in electronic on-line charter schools,” said Superintendent Lori Lowe. “Our schools are funded by the number of students attending our schools. When we lose students to charter schools, we lose funds.”

PENNSYLVANIA

Charter school seeks Erie School Board support
Erie Times-News, PA, December 19, 2013
An application for a proposed new charter school lists prominent local organizations as potential partners should the school be approved.

Two charter schools pitched to Allentown School Board
Allentown Morning Call, PA, December 18, 2013
Plans for schools on Union Boulevard, Hamilton Street draw lukewarm response from some school board members.

Pittsburgh school board reverses on Teach for America contract
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette PA, December 18, 2013
New members of the Pittsburgh public school board flexed their muscles at a Wednesday night meeting, reversing previously passed actions by voting to dissolve a contract with Teach for America and to keep doors open at Pittsburgh Woolslair K-5 on the Bloomfield-Lawrenceville border.

TENNESSEE

Camille Benbow: Education remained a hot topic in 2013
The Tennessean, TN, December 19, 2013
As 2013 nears its close, let’s take a look back at the year in education. It’s a safe bet that many of the topics energetically discussed over the past 12 months will continue to surface in the year ahead.

 TEXAS

Facing the achievement gap
Houston Chronicle, TX, December 18, 2013
Regarding “Address the achievement gap” (Page B7, Monday), nowhere is the miracle of the American experiment more tested than in the education of today’s children. Elisa Villanueva Beard of Teach for America proposes an interesting change.

 WASHINGTON

Charting a New Course
The Columbian, WA, December 18, 2013
Although it’s likely the state Supreme Court eventually will have to weigh in, Washington’s budding charter school system received a green light last week from King County Judge Jean Rietschel.

WEST VIRGINIA

BOE writes draft school-reform report
Charleston Gazette, WV, December 18, 2013
It’s been nearly a year since Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin challenged the West Virginia Board of Education to tackle six major initiatives alongside his education reform bill. State education officials say the board has made progress, but there’s still work to be done.

 ONLINE LEARNING

Special report: Pa. cybers still falling short of York County schools on state standards
York Dispatch, PA, December 18, 2013
School performance reports might be on a new website and in a different format, but Pennsylvania cyber schools still fall short of the standards set by their public school counterparts in York County.

District exploring new virtual education options
Aiken Standard, SC, December 19, 2013
The S.C. Virtual School Program is providing online opportunities for students in grades 7-12, and now Aiken County School District administrators are exploring a similar approach at the District level.

Governor to review digital learning proposals
WRCB-TV, GA, December 19, 2013
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal says his office is going to review a task force’s recommendations to use digitally-based programs to improve student achievement.

Ann Arbor schools’ A2 Virtual+ Academy website goes live
The Ann Arbor News, MI, December 18, 2013
Ann Arbor Public Schools launched the website for its A2 Virtual+ Academy Monday—a program that the district is opening to students on a limited basis for the spring semester.

POLITICAL / LEGISLATIVE COVERAGE

Results vs. tenure
The York Dispatch, PA, December 18, 2013
If one of three competing state House bills become law, financially strapped Pennsylvania school districts soon could furlough teachers based on poor performance rather than on the length of time they’ve been on the job.

Bill To Expand Charter Schools Now Limited To Milwaukee Area
Wisconsin Public Radio, WI, December 18, 2013
The original version of the bill would have allowed high-performing charter schools statewide to expand; however, the substitute amendment narrows the bill down to independent charter schools in the Milwaukee area.

Jindal no friend of education
Houma Today, LA, December 18, 2013
As a long-standing advocate for excellence in public education, I’ve spent quite a few years as a public official focusing on and investing in what works for school turnaround and individual student success.

California measure would replace seniority with performance for teacher layoffs
Sacramento Bee, CA
, December 18, 2013
A ballot measure submitted by a political consultant for education advocate Michelle Rhee seeks to remove seniority as a factor when California school districts lay off teachers, requiring instead that decisions be based on performance and student test scores.

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

Education Dept. award $120 million to districts
Associated Press, December 17, 2013
Students will earn an associate’s degree and a high school diploma at the same time. Every student will have a laptop to take home at night. And teachers will be retrained to let students move at their own pace.

Most of NCLB’s ‘Failing’ Schools Were Not Targeted the Following Year
US News & World Report, 
December 17, 2013
Most of the schools that were deemed as failing under the sweeping education law known as No Child Left Behind were no longer identified as such one year later, once several states received waivers that increased their flexibility in developing school accountability systems.

STATE COVERAGE

ARIZONA

The whole truth on charter school funding
Arizona Daily Star, AZ, December 18, 2013
The recent article (“Charter schools seek fund hike,” Dec. 2) regarding charter schools asking for $135 million in additional funding missed the mark. It told only half the truth.

Tax-credit program helping rich Ariz. schools get richer
Arizona Republic, AZ, December 18, 2013
There are certain inescapable signs that the holidays are upon us: lights on saguaros, bell-ringers at the malls and Arizona public schools soliciting last-minute tax-credit donations to fund after-school sports, the arts and field trips for children.

CALIFORNIA

Lennox academy wins conditional independence from new school board
Daily Breeze, CA, December 17, 2013
In the first clear sign that the November election will have a direct effect on school policy in Lennox, the newly sworn-in school board has already reversed a recent decision by the former board to deny independence to the district’s charter high school.

LASD narrows options for BCS facilities next year
Los Altos Town Crier, CA, December 18, 2013
Los Altos School District trustees continued to weigh possible options for Bullis Charter School’s 2014-2015 facilities and whittled the list down to two.

Lennox academy wins conditional independence from new school board
Daily Breeze, CA, December 17, 2013
In the first clear sign that the November election will have a direct effect on school policy in Lennox, the newly sworn-in school board has already reversed a recent decision by the former board to deny independence to the district’s charter high school.

FLORIDA

Miami-Dade schools, North Miami at odds over proposed charter school
Miami Herald, FL, December 17, 2013
To North Miami city leaders, the proposed 1,300-seat charter high school on the city’s west side would be a key addition to a community that has long desired greater access and control over public education.

Duval school district shows improvement in class size compliance
Florida Times-Union, FL, December 17, 2013
Duval County Superintendent Nikolai Vitti believes the school district will pay less than a million dollars this year for its oversized classrooms.

ILLINOIS

Tread lightly with charter schools
Chicago Sun-Times, IL, December 17, 2013
Six months after Chicago voted to close a record 50 schools, charter school opening season is upon us in Chicago.

Can improvement districts help save Chicago schools?
Chicago Tribune, IL, December 18, 2013
Struggling public schools in some Chicago neighborhoods only provide further incentive for middle-class families to choose suburban enclaves.

MARYLAND

City board votes to close six schools in 2014
Baltimore Sun Blog, MD, December 17, 2013
The Baltimore school board voted Tuesday to close six schools at the end of the school year but spared two other schools from immediate closure after passionate protests from the community.

MASSACHUSETTS

Fall River Chamber supports city charter schools
South Coast Today, MA, December 18, 2013
The addition and expansion of charter schools in our area may prove to be one of the most important educational initiatives undertaken by this community. With so much at stake, the Chamber asks that we all do our part to collectively “EdUp” Fall River through the establishment and expansion of charter schools.

NEW JERSEY

“One Newark” reform plan proves divisive even before official release
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, December 18, 2013
Superintendent’s plan calls for sweeping changes to address poor academic performance and exodus to charter schools

Trenton schools may face funding difficulties next year as charters open
Times of Trenton, NJ, December 17, 2013
The school district’s accountant warned that the district could face some funding challenges next school year as two charter schools are set to open in the district, which would likely draw funding away from the district’s public schools.

Hoboken forced to hold lottery for school choice program due to limited seats
Star-Ledger, NJ, December 17, 2013
A lottery will determine what students outside Hoboken can attend city public schools, due in part to a recent cap on a state program that allows students to swap schools. The district saw an influx of applications this year, forcing it to leave selection up to chance.

NEW YORK

Wanted: Schools Chief Who Has Never Crossed de Blasio on Education
New York Times, NY, December 18, 2013
With a populist pitch forged by his own experiences as a public school parent, Bill de Blasio surged to victory in New York’s mayoral race thanks, in part, to his vow to shift away from Michael R. Bloomberg’s education policies.

New Mexico Teachers Resist a State Official’s Plan for Evaluating Them
New York Times, NY, December 18, 2013
On a recent night in this southeastern New Mexico town, Hanna Skandera, the state’s education secretary-designate, told a crowd gathered in a school auditorium about her encounter with a veteran teacher.

NORTH CAROLINA

2 Forsyth teachers among plaintiffs in suit over tenure
Winston-Salem Journal, NC, December 17, 2013

Two Forsyth County teachers are among six plaintiffs suing the state, challenging the constitutionality of the repeal of career status, or tenure, by the General Assembly.

OHIO

A single rating for schools would help parents, but the city’s school choice panel isn’t sure how to give one
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, December 17, 2103
The Cleveland Transformation Alliance hasn’t figured out how to show school quality to parents since the state’s not giving schools an overall grade on state report cards.

Leading the way
Columbus Dispatch, OH, December 18, 2013
Central Ohio’s third-grade reading test scores are, in many districts, miserable: Roughly 6 in 10 students in Columbus, Whitehall and Groveport Madison schools face being held back under a new law meant to remediate this deficiency and enable kids to succeed in upper grades — and in life.

PENNSYLVANIA

Proposed charter school questions abound
Williamsport Sun-Gazette, PA, December 18, 2013
Questions abounded after a proposal for a charter school was presented to the Jersey Shore Area School Board Monday night.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Merit pay scheme for Charleston teachers could be delayed
Charleston City Paper, SC, December 17, 2013
Following an outcry from teacher organizations, Charleston County School District officials have asked the Department of Education for a slowed-down timetable on a controversial program that will use student standardized test performance to evaluate teachers. The Department of Education has not yet replied to the request. 

TENNESSEE

Mayor Dean lays down gauntlet on school funding issue
The Tennessean, TN, December 18, 2013
Nashville’s mayor has only one power when it comes to Metro public schools: funding.

Achievement School District has momentum
The Tennessean, TN, December 17, 2013
At the core of Tennesseans’ mixed emotions over school reform has to be the realization that children, not grown-ups, are the ones who bear the brunt of change.

Suburban schools’ rise means other projects will fall
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, December 18, 2013
That was the mantra of some suburban parents who viewed the merger of Memphis and Shelby County Schools as a takeover of SCS by what they perceived as a bloated, inefficient and ineffective Memphis municipal school system. Whatever it takes to break away from that system, they said, they were willing to give.

 WASHINGTON

Rathdrum charter school to add high school grades
Spokesman Review, WA, December 18, 2013
A popular charter school in Rathdrum has been approved to expand from its current K-8 focus into high school grades – over the objections of the local school district, which says the move will siphon away money that now provides more course choices for students in its regular high schools.

ONLINE LEARNING

Dykema supports virtual school proposal
Metro West Daily, MA, December 18, 2013
Just one person – state Rep. Carolyn Dykema – testified at the state’s public hearing Monday for a new public virtual school proposed by an educational collaborative representing several towns in the region.

Barresi wants legislation to strengthen virtual charter school standards
Tulsa World, OK, December 18, 2013
State Superintendent Janet Barresi is calling for legislation to strengthen academic and financial standards for the state’s virtual charter schools.

Virtual academy adds staff based on growth
Lodi News-Sentinel, CA, December 18, 2013
A San Joaquin County virtual school has recently added eight new credentialed teachers to serve students in the Lodi and Galt area.

POLITICAL / LEGISLATIVE COVERAGE

Common Core education standards get legislative scrutiny
News & Observer, NC, December 17, 2013
A joint legislative committee charged with scrutinizing the new Common Core standards used in North Carolina schools for math and English held its first meeting Tuesday and the talk quickly turned to overhauling or dumping them.

By relabeling charter schools, legislator seeks to allow for creation of independent schools
Leader-Telegram, WI, December 18, 2013
A Republican-backed bill would redefine charter schools in Wisconsin and allow for the creation of independent charter schools throughout the state.

California measure would replace seniority with performance for teacher layoffs
The San Luis Obispo Tribune, CA, December 17, 2013
A ballot measure submitted by a political consultant for education advocate Michelle Rhee seeks to remove seniority as a factor when California school districts lay off teachers, requiring instead that decisions be based on performance and student test scores.