Download or print your PDF copy of CER Position on NC Charter Law Amendment (SB 337)
CER Position on NC Charter Law Amendment (SB 337)
July 11, 2013 By
Daily Headlines for July 11, 2013
July 11, 2013 By
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
Teach For America critics gathering to organize resistance
Washington Post, July 10, 2013
Teach For America alumni and students of corps members who are critical of TFA are holding this weekend what amounts to the first national assembly aimed at organizing resistance to the organization that is popular with school reformers.
STATE COVERAGE
ALABAMA
Technology only a tool, not the final solution
Editorial
Tuscaloosa News, July 11, 2013
In a sense, the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education’s response to Davis-Emerson Middle School’s failing grade was predictable. Education professionals usually view student transfers out of district for any reason as a nuisance.
ARIZONA
MUSD’s six charter schools to evolve over next year
In Maricopa, July 10, 2013
The largest change, though, is the conversion of five of the district’s six elementary schools and one of the two middle schools into charter schools. Only, it won’t really be noticeable.
COLORADO
Convert all of Denver’s public schools to charter schools
Letter
Denver Post, July 10, 2013
It’s time to change, Denver. Time to elect people to the school board who have the strength of character to change our outdated, union-controlled school system.
CONNECTICUT
Bridgeport Superintendent Is Ordered to Step Down
Wall Street Journal, July 11, 2013
A Connecticut Superior Court judge on Wednesday ordered that Paul Vallas must immediately step down as Bridgeport’s school superintendent while the city appeals a ruling that found him unqualified for the job.
Malloy would spare students a standardized test double-whammy
The Day, July 11, 2013
The governor is working to prevent students from having to take two standardized tests next year and to stop students’ test scores from being included in teachers’ evaluations next school year.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Finding charter and traditional public school successes
Letter
Washington Post, July 11, 2013
The July 7 editorial “A gold star for charters” was right to note the significant performance of the District’s charter schools vs. those in the rest of the country. Kudos to the D.C. Public Charter School Board and the schools for their achievement.
FLORIDA
Dual-enrollment costs go to districts
Pensacola News Journal, July 11, 2013
When Tristan Dopyera graduated from Gulf Breeze High School in May, he left with more than a diploma. He received an associate’s degree from Pensacola State College at the same time, thanks to dual-enrollment courses that award high school and college credit.
Schools anticipate FCAT woes
Tampa Tribune, July 11, 2013
The Pasco County school district – and other districts statewide – are bracing for bad news this month when the Florida Department of Education releases the annual school grades.
GEORGIA
A rare day in education when we can say something’s working
Atlanta Journal Constitution Blog, July 11, 2013
Several recent high-profile reports give rise to a seldom-heard statement in the education community: Something’s working.
ILLINOIS
CPS releasing more money to schools
Chicago Tribune, July 11, 2013
After weeks of complaints from principals and parents about budget cuts, Chicago Public Schools released an additional $36 million to schools Wednesday.
MAINE
Legislative session ends with mixed reviews
Portland Daily Sun, July 10, 2013
These bills were aimed at stopping Maine’s fledgling charter school community and all were vetoed by Governor Paul LePage,” the group reported.
MARYLAND
Board of Education denies public charter school applicationM
Carroll County Times, July 11, 2013
The group that applied to open a public charter school in Carroll County must now regroup after its proposal to open the school in 2014 was struck down Wednesday.
MICHIGAN
Michigan schools again barred from collecting union dues
Detroit News, July 10, 2013
A Michigan law that prohibits school districts from helping unions collect dues is back on the books.
Severing with seniority
Lansing City Pulse, July 10, 2013
Lansing School District teacher layoffs will likely no longer be based solely on seniority
MISSOURI
Mehlville cites class sizes to block transfers
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 11, 2013
When faced with the prospect of accepting busloads of students transferring from Riverview Gardens schools, the response from the Mehlville district has been to essentially light a “no vacancy” sign.
NEW YORK
Parents Protest Proposal To Expand Charter School Into Harlem Special Education Building
NY1, July 11, 2013
The plan would give Success Academy three classrooms at P.S. 811 in Harlem.
The school serves autistic and developmentally disabled students from Harlem and Washington Heights.
Bronx Charter School Gives Students Hands-On Learning In Extra School Days
NY1, July 11, 2013
School is finally out for the summer at Mott Hall Charter, a new school with an extended school year. But even though classes stretched into July, students weren’t necessarily in classrooms.
NORTH CAROLINA
Senate rejects version of legislation for charter schools
Henderson Daily Dispatch, July 10, 2013
The state Senate is rejecting legislation that creates more rules to govern North Carolina’s growing number of public charter schools but scraps plans to set up a separate panel to oversee them.
PENNSYLVANIA
Improving schools for (their own) future kids
Philadelphia Daily News, July 11, 2013
SHORTLY AFTER former Philadelphia public-school teacher Megan Rosenbach bought her house in Point Breeze in June 2011, she began mobilizing around her neighborhood elementary school.
District’s tough sell to charter parents
Editorial
York Dispatch, July 10, 2013
Teams of York City School District staffers are taking to the streets, knocking on doors in hopes of luring back students who fled the financially and academically troubled district for charter schools.
School districts show their stuff on TV
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 11, 2013
The Woodland Hills and Penn Hills school districts have taken to the airwaves in an attempt to lure students back from charter schools and improve the way the public perceives the districts.
TENNESSEE
Merit pay plan for teachers is unfair
Letter
Knoxville News Sentinel, July 11, 2013
The Tennessee State Board of Education should be ashamed of moving our state education system closer to low-achieving states like Louisiana and Florida instead of toward higher-achieving states.
TEXAS
More Texas schools to fail U.S. education standards
American-Statesman Staff, July 11, 2013
The taint of failure could sully a majority of Texas public schools this summer under increasingly onerous federal education standards that no longer apply in most other states.
VIRGINIA
Norfolk discusses public charter schools
WAVY-TV, July 10, 2013
A Norfolk superintendent is proposing a plan to convert 10 public schools into charter schools.
WASHINGTON
Ahead of the Curve
Pacific Northwest Inlander, July 10, 2013
There are 295 school districts across the state of Washington. And so far only one, Spokane Public Schools, has opted to become a charter school authorizer. One reason, Superintendent Shelley Redinger says, is because local district leadership has experience in the charter school world.
City officials should care about schools
Editorial
Seattle Times, July 11, 2013
Seattle mayoral candidates are right to include the Seattle Public Schools in their vision for the city.
ONLINE LEARNING
Idea virtually expels in-school interaction
Opinion
Hutchinson News, July 10, 2013
The new virtual classes will be offered in partnership with the Southwest Kansas Education Center, also know as Greenbush. Greenbush? In southwest Kansas? I guess it is a virtual name.
Daily Headlines for July 10, 2013
July 10, 2013 By
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
American education works
Letter
Los Angeles Times, July 9, 2013
Eli Broad’s criticism of American schools of education, as well as the letters commenting on his Op-Ed article, missed an important but apparently little-known fact: Our educational system has been highly successful.
Common Core vs. great literature
Opinion
New York Daily News, July 10, 2013
Fresh reason to fear that works of fiction, poetry and theater may get short shrift when new standards arrive.
STATE COVERAGE
ALABAMA
Beyond No Child Left Behind: State Board of Education examines post-NCLB standards
Montgomery Advertiser, July 10, 2013
The State Board of Education got a look at the world beyond No Child Left Behind on Tuesday morning, and state education officials said they hoped it would be one where schools and school officials would be better equipped to improve student achievement.
ARIZONA
TUSD OKs $1M for teacher pay plan
Arizona Daily Star, July 10, 2013
The TUSD Governing Board unanimously voted to spend $1 million on salary adjustments to a targeted group of longtime teachers whose pay has stagnated.
ARKANSAS
Redfield group hopes for new charter school in 2014
Pine Bluff Commercial, July 9, 2013
A non-profit corporation supported by a group of residents from Redfield and surrounding communities hopes to open the Redfield Tri-County Charter School in time for the start of the 2014-2015 school year.
DELAWARE
Moyer Academy for at-risk students again fights to survive
News Journal, July 10, 2013
A Wilmington charter school that serves many at-risk students and has battled slim enrollment and low test scores is asking the state for permission to reduce its required student count and overhaul its curriculum.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Closed DCPS school to reopen as a charter
Washington Post, July 9, 2013
M.C. Terrell-McGogney Elementary, one of 13 traditional D.C. schools that closed in June for low enrollment, is slated to reopen in the fall as Somerset Preparatory Academy Public Charter School.
Progress for D.C.’s ninth-graders raises the question: Why wait so late?
Washington Post, July 9, 2013
When the District’s newly constructed Dunbar High opens next month, Principal Stephen Jackson will use the same hard-line student segregation policy that worked for him at the old school building.
D.C. parents, activists offer mixed reaction to Catania’s bills
Washington Post, July 9, 2013
D.C. Council Member David Catania (I-At Large) scheduled four hearings this month to give the public a chance to weigh in on legislation that aims to lift student achievement across the city.
GEORGIA
New Education Lobby Comes To Georgia
Opinion
Times-Herald, July 10, 2013
A new organization aims to change the dynamics of Georgia’s education politics, StudentsFirst, led by the charismatic former head of the District of Columbia schools.
ILLINOIS
Proof the charter school model is working
Opinion
Chicago Tribune, July 9, 2013
In Chicago, there has been a lot of public debate on the direction of our public education system and how best to improve education for all our students. While there are no quick fixes, one thing is clear: We need to do a better job of investing in and prioritizing high-quality educational options that work.
LOUISIANA
7 schools barred from Louisiana voucher program most reliant on public money
Times-Picayune, July 10, 2013
The seven private schools that Louisiana barred for academic reasons from accepting new voucher students were among the most dependent of all voucher schools on state money, according to newly released state data.
Former Boucher principal head to N.O. charter school
The Advertiser, July 10, 2013
Keith Bartlett, the former principal of Alice Boucher Elementary School, has been named CEO and principal of Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans charter school in New Orleans.
Charter school’s fate could rest with court
Monroe News Star, July 9, 2013
The only recourse a local church has after being denied approval by the Monroe Board of Adjustment is to appeal the decision to the 4th Judicial District Court.
Teachers retiring in high numbers
The Advocate, July 10, 2013
Teachers are continuing to retire at higher-than-usual numbers — more than 7,500 in the last two years.
MARYLAND
New charter school planned in Anne Arundel County
Capital Gazette, July 9, 2013
With more than 800 students on a waiting list for Monarch Academy Public Charter School in Glen Burnie, the school’s governing board has applied to open a second campus in Anne Arundel County.
MICHIGAN
A School of Their Own
Detroit Metro Times, July 9, 2013
Some seeds take longer than others to germinate. The ones that grew into the Jimmy & Grace Lee Boggs School, a charter school that will open its doors on Detroit’s east side in September, were planted more than 20 years ago.
MISSOURI
School transfer plan jolts legislators
Letter
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 10, 2013
It is interesting and important to note that when the unaccredited Wellston School District students were transferred to the Normandy public schools, there was no objection or outcry heard from the state Legislature.
NEW JERSEY
Alternative Grad School Raises Concerns About Who’s Teaching NJ’s Teachers
New Jersey Spotlight, July 10, 2013
Founded by three charter school networks, Relay stresses skills-based modules over academic theory.
NEW YORK
Farash Foundation offering $1 million for charter school sites
Democrat & Chronicle, July 9, 2013
A local foundation is awarding up to $1 million in seed money for new charter school sites in Monroe and Ontario counties.
District Forced to Accommodate Students Seeking Transfer from Failing Schools
WKBW, July 9, 2013
Parents have had the legal right to transfer their student out of a failing school and in to a successful one since 2002. It was part of the ‘No Child Left Behind’ initiative under President George W. Bush.
NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina school board weighs self-expanding charter
WTVD-TV, July 10, 2013
North Carolina’s state school board will decide whether a charter school can expand its student enrollment before it’s even opened for classes.
National group seeks N.C. teacher reform
Charlotte Observer, NC
July 9, 2013
Former presidential adviser and CNN political analyst David Gergen will lead a push for changes in teacher pay, evaluations and tenure in North Carolina.
OREGON
A fast track to college
Mail Tribune, July 9, 2013
A Logos Public Charter School dual-credit program allows high school students to get a head start on their higher-education goals
TENNESSEE
Career, technical magnet school deserves approval
Editorial
Knoxville News Sentinel, July 10, 2013
The Knox County Board of Education is scheduled to vote today on establishing a career and technical education magnet school in partnership with Pellissippi State Community College.
StudentsFirst wants new report card, teacher retention policy
The Tennessean, July 9, 2013
A nonprofit education reform group that’s focused its attention in Tennessee wants a school-by-school report card that makes sense to parents and more job security for teachers who perform well, not just those around a long time.
UTAH
New charter school
Opinion
Salt Lake Tribune, July 9, 2013
The primary purposes of public education are to provide students with the knowledge they need to understand and participate in their world, together with the skills they need to make a living.
VIRGINIA
Virginia’s only charter elementary school is expanding
WWBT, July 9, 2013
Virginia’s only charter elementary school is now expanding. Richmond School Board members approved a five-year renewal for Patrick Henry Charter School in Richmond’s Southside.
WASHINGTON
Lawsuit serves to limit students’ chances for success
Opinion
News Tribune, July 10, 2013
The education obstructionists are back. The establishment forces aligned against reform filed suit in King County Superior Court July 3 to block the charter school law approved by the voters last November. Losers litigating has become a staple of initiative battles here.
Spokane Public Schools step closer to charter schools
The Spokesman-Review, July 10, 2013
Spokane Public Schools is on its way to establishing the first charter school in Washington. That should come as no surprise: Superintendent Shelley Redinger announced the district’s desire for a charter school before final votes were tallied on the initiative in November.
WISCONSIN
Work to improve all schools in Milwaukee
Opinion
Journal Sentinel, July 9, 2013
Charter. Choice. Public. In recent weeks, these words became more politically charged than ever before. They are emblematic of the divisive debate surrounding school funding and policy changes included in the new state budget.
ONLINE LEARNING
SC education board being briefed on online program
WCIV, July 10, 2013
A new law allows seventh- through 12th-graders to take more courses through South Carolina’s virtual education program.
C3 Academy planned this school year
The Cherokee Ledger-News, July 10, 2013
Digital and virtual coursework options will become a regular part of Cherokee County School District offerings with the opening of the Cherokee Cyber Connection Academy (C3 Academy) for the 2013-2014 school year.
Newswire: July 9, 2013
July 10, 2013 By
Vol. 15, No. 27
ALWAYS ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT. The Education Committee of the DC City Council deliberated today about Mayor Gray’s “Increasing Access to High Quality Educational Opportunities Act of 2013.” The proposal seeks to reinstate charter authorizing for DC Public Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson. In her testimony, CER founder and president Jeanne Allen said, “The real issue shouldn’t be whether the Chancellor or the district would be a great authorizer but whether the environment for chartering here needs to be more expansive. And we think the answer to that is yes. In fact, we think the authorizing in DC actually needs a little bit more competition, not less.” With nearly 45% of all public school students enrolled in charters across the nation’s capital and thousands more on waiting lists, the Council need not amend the DC School Reform Act, but designate, as the law currently permits, additional entities like universities to become authorizers. And while DC continues to hold the top seat on CER’s Charter Law Rankings, Allen continued, “the reality is that we’re starting to see a regulatory creep that’s affecting even the best people. Bureaucracy has this pernicious way of getting to even the best people in the best circumstances.”
IF IT AIN’T BROKE, DON’T FIX IT. Last night, the NC House passed a charter school bill that strips the University of North Carolina (UNC) of its chartering authority. Although UNC has not stepped up to the plate in 18 years to be a leader in chartering like its counterparts in NY, MI, IN, MO and MN have, closing the door to that option now – as the strike-out provisions in SB 337 do – sends the message that North Carolina doesn’t even want the opportunity to join these states as national reform leaders. Simply leaving the provisions currently in law that allows UNC contingent institutions to be charter school authorizers, if they so choose, allows the Tar Heel State to remain among the leaders of creating as many pathways as possible for the creation good schools. Its up to leadership in NC’s Senate to do so.
IT CREEPS, IT SEAPS, IT GLIDES AND SLIDES… News of a lawsuit filed by the BLOB in Washington State challenging the constitutionality of its charter school law comes as no surprise this week. Last November when voters made it clear they wanted to bring these innovative public schools to the Evergreen State, opponents vowed to take action. But what the opposition does not realize is that their claim that charters divert public funds to private organizations is inaccurate and will not hold up in court. While interpretations may vary, courts have consistently ruled that wherever a state legislature is tasked with the authority to establish and fund public education, it may create systems for the establishment of other public schools without violating the Constitution. Charter schools’ constitutionality has been upheld by courts in more than a dozen states, including California, Colorado, Michigan, New Jersey and Ohio.
While Washington’s charter school law is modest at best, allowing only 40 schools to open, it is constitutional. In addition to the newly formed Charter Commission, local school districts can apply to become authorizers. Earlier this year thirteen districts in Washington expressed interest in becoming authorizers. Seattle chose not to and Tacoma voted to delay its application. Spokane is the only district that stepped up to the plate. Spokane Superintendent Shelley Redinger said, “When I first started in Spokane, we did a parent and community survey. It came out loud and clear — before charters passed — that they wanted more options.” November’s election is proof that voters in Washington demand better. More leaders should be listening to their electorate.
REAL LEADERSHIP. At the NEA Conference last week, BLOB delegates honored Gov. Jerry Brown of California as “America’s Greatest Education Governor.” In addition to raising the amount for individual union dues next year (which they did) the NEA reps clearly need to raise their standards for who they consider as the greatest education governor. In recent years, more and more state executives have responded to the growing consensus behind parent empowerment and access to quality educational choices. Not surprisingly, in states such as Indiana, Florida and Louisiana where there is high Parent Power, teacher accountability and choice programs, there is almost always a governor interested in creating more and better opportunities for students. The NEA can increase membership fees all they want, but should really consider changing what they recognize as real leadership in education.
NC Bill to Change State Charter School Law, is “Step Backward”
July 10, 2013 By
CER Press Release
Washington, D.C.
July 10, 2013
Jeanne Allen, founder and president, The Center for Education Reform, who has been instrumental in the original passage – and subsequent adjustments to – charter school laws in states across the country over the past 20 years, today issued the following statement regarding North Carolina (NC) SB 337, which was approved by the NC House of Representatives last evening, and awaits final passage in the NC State Senate:
“NC SB 337 is at risk of becoming a step backward for the national charter school movement, which prides itself on creating more choices for students and parents. While the bill contains many positive provisions, it also contains unfortunate language forbidding the University of North Carolina (UNC) System from being a charter school ‘authorizer.’
Our experience at The Center for Education Reform (CER) is that states with strong, multiple chartering authorities, including universities and/or their systems have usually proven to be exceptional authorizers, combining the infrastructure of existing higher education institutions (financial, legal, human resources, educational, etc.), a very high degree of public and legislative scrutiny, and a compelling interest in decreasing the exorbitant costs of remedial education while improving the pipeline for their students.
It’s no wonder then, that the states which lead the national rankings for having successful charters have independent, multiple authorizers, almost all with universities as part of their portfolio. For example:
· The State University of New York has authorized 117 schools across the state from Buffalo to Long Island. SUNY-authorized charter schools are the highest quality ones in the state, and now serve over 35,000 New York students.
· Any public university in Michigan may authorize charter schools. Eleven major universities are now responsible for authorizing the majority of the state’s nearly 350 charter schools, including one university that authorized 59 charter schools serving more than 30,000 students.
· Indiana followed Michigan’s model and authorized public universities in its state charter law, and since then Ball State University has authorized nearly half of the state’s 78 schools.
Although the UNC System has not yet stepped-up to the charter-school plate, to close the door to that option now – per the current strike-out provision in SB 337 – would send the message that North Carolina doesn’t even want the opportunity to join these states as national reform leaders. Simply leaving the provisions currently in law that allow UNC contingent institutions to be charter school authorizers, if they so choose, is far more promising for North Carolina to become a leader in creating as many pathways as possible for parents to have access to better educational opportunities for their children.”
Daily Headlines for July 9, 2013
July 9, 2013 By
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
Scott urges more local control over education spending
Detroit Free Press, July 9, 2013
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of Charleston used his maiden speech on the Senate floor Monday to promote more local control over public education, the focus of the first piece of education-related legislation he is co-sponsoring.
STATE COVERAGE
CALIFORNIA
Judge lets controversial Oakland schools stay open
San Francisco Chronicle, July 8, 2013
Three controversial Oakland charter schools will be allowed to stay open during a months-long appeal to the state Board of Education, an Alameda County Superior Court judge ruled Monday.
FLORIDA
Charter school going to year-round schedule
Gainesville Sun, July 9, 2013
So long for summer; see you in September? Not at the One Room School House, Gainesville’s oldest charter school.
Charter school seeks out Jefferson
Tallahassee Democrat, July 9, 2013
The operator of a South Florida charter school made a pitch to the Jefferson County School Board Monday.
Voucher Program Growing Rapidly, Report Shows
Sunshine State News, July 9, 2013
The state’s voucher-like system that allows students to attend private schools experienced record enrollment growth in the 2012-13 school year, according to a state report, and a spokesman said the program expects to add even more students for the upcoming year.
WPB pushes to be district’s first city-run charter school
Sun Sentinel, July 8, 2013
Alarmed by their students’ poor reading scores, West Palm Beach commissioners have taken the first steps to open the first city-run charter in Palm Beach County.
GEORGIA
Students can exercise school choice with transfers
Newton Citizen, July 8, 2013
Some students may be able to transfer to a different school than their zoned one next school year under a state law.
ILLINOIS
More than 1 million respond to first statewide education survey
Chicago Tribune, July 9, 2013
More than 1.1 million students, teachers and parents filled out Illinois’ first statewide education survey, offering an unprecedented peek into thousands of classrooms.
District 300 charter school operator accused of discrimination
Chicago Daily Herald, July 8, 2013
A former principal at Cambridge Lakes Charter School in Pingree Grove accused school operators of discrimination when they fired her in October 2011.
LOUISIANA
Zoning board blocks school
Monroe News Star, July 8, 2013
Excellence Academy Charter School spokesman the Rev. Roosevelt Wright said Monday the charter school will exhaust all legal measures to ensure its Sept. 30 opening despite a denial by the Monroe’s Board of Adjustments.
Lafayette charter school application being reviewed
The Advocate, July 8, 2013
A local nonprofit group’s application to open a charter school in Lafayette Parish may depend upon how well its students in St. Landry Parish did on state standardized tests.
Charter assoc. plans training seminars for boards
WXVT, July 8, 2013
With charter schools increasing their presence in public education in recent years, an organization that supports charters is holding training sessions for members of the boards that govern the schools.
MASSACHUSETTS
Room to spare in city schools — so make better use of it
Editorial
Boston Globe, July 9, 2013
Boston’s public schools are strapped for space at the elementary school level and swimming in seats at the upper grades where several high schools, including the Jeremiah Burke and English High, are operating at less than 50 percent capacity.
Michigan schools chief proposes consolidating services to save districts money
Detroit News, July 9, 2013
Michigan’s schools chief on Monday proposed countywide consolidation of business and educational support services for local school districts in an effort to save millions of dollars that could be redirected to classrooms.
NEVADA
Supes need to support new campus for Yuba River Charter School
Letter
The Union of Grass Valley, July 8, 2013
The Nevada County Board of Supervisors needs to support the new campus for Yuba River Charter School at its July 16 meeting. A few neighbors to the project on Adams Avenue and Rough and Ready Highway have appealed the planning commission’s recommendation.
NEW JERSEY
Appeals Court Upholds State Control of Newark Schools
New Jersey Spotlight, July 9, 2013
A state appellate court yesterday gave a big boost to the Christie administration – and future administrations – when it comes to control of the state’s most troubled school districts.
Christie wins endorsement of black ministers, who call for school vouchers
Star-Ledger, July 8, 2013
Gov. Chris Christie’s strong support of school vouchers today earned him the endorsement of Bishop Reginald Jackson, one of New Jersey’s most influential black ministers.
NORTH CAROLINA
Charter school bill changes pass NC House
Daily Reflector, July 9, 2013
A bill creating more rules to govern a growing number of public charter schools in North Carolina but omitting the creation of a powerful panel to oversee them has passed the House.
PENNSYLVANIA
Recruiting visits aim to attract charter students back to York City schools
York Dispatch, July 8, 2013
Seven people focused their eyes on the door of a Hartley Street home, waiting to see if someone would respond to an enthusiastic knock.
TENNESSEE
Haslam stands by beleaguered education chief
The Tennessean, July 9, 2013
Gov. Bill Haslam defended his top education adviser amid a petition drive calling for his ouster.
VIRGINIA
Richmond School Board approves 5-year charter school renewal
Richmond Post-Dispatch, July 9, 2013
Patrick Henry is in better shape than ever. On an 8-0 vote Monday, the Richmond School Board approved a five-year renewal of the agreement allowing the city’s only charter school to operate.
WISCONSIN
School districts banter merit pay
Coeur d’Alene Press, July 9, 2013
School districts must submit plans to the state by Oct. 1 on how they plan to divvy up “differential pay” funds to employees based on student achievement results.
A huge tax break for rich kids at private schools
Opinion
Capital Times, July 9, 2013
The new state income tax deduction for parents of private school children is the most generous in the nation, according to Governing Magazine, a respected national publication covering state and local government.
WYOMING
Wyoming delays request for No Child waiver
Casper Star-Tribune, July 9, 2013
Wyoming is holding off a year in its request for a waiver that allows the state relief from the federal No Child Left Behind Act in exchange for state educational reform efforts, because the state isn’t ready to meet the waiver’s required timeline.
ONLINE LEARNING
Virtual board’s 1st meeting tonight
The Recorder, July 9, 2013
The five-member board that will run Greenfield’s cyber school from now on will meet officially for the first time tonight at 6 at the Greenfield School Department’s administrative offices on Davis Street.
Online academy graduates six Tucson students
Arizona Daily Star Blog, July 8, 2013
A group of Tucson area high school students received their diplomas from an online learning program based in Gilbert last week.
Merit Prep’s Great Gains
July 8, 2013 By
In its first year, Merit Prep, a Newark, New Jersey charter school managed by Touchstone, helped students gain 2 years of growth in reading and 1.25 years of growth in science. 90% of Merit Prep’s students are low income.
Read more about how this charter school boosted student success in Public Impact’s latest Opportunity Culture case study.
Daily Headlines for July 8, 2013
July 8, 2013 By
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
Charting New Frontiers for Charter Schools
By Jeanne Allen
Huffington Post, July 3, 2013
As leaders of the charter school movement gather in Washington, D.C. this week for their annual meeting, they do so in a decidedly mixed frame of mind. Charles Dickens’ famous words in A Tale of Two Cities — “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times” — could never be more appropriate for this sector of American K-12 education.
Report notes shortage of high-quality STEM teachers
Desert News, July 5, 2013
While American colleges and universities train twice as many teachers overall as there are open positions, a new report by the National Council on Teacher Quality says only a small number are qualified to teach math or science.
Brown named Governor of the Year by National Education Association
Daily Californian, July 7 2013
Gov. Jerry Brown was named Education Governor of the Year by the National Education Association, a nationwide labor union that represents public school teachers and other education staff, on Thursday.
Teachers union: The good news is we are losing fewer members than expected
Washington Examiner, July 3, 20013
National Education Association Secretary-Treasurer Becky Pringle told the assembled delegates at the union’s annual assembly in Atlanta this week what passes for good news in the organized labor movement these days.
STATE COVERAGE
ALABAMA
100 percent proficiency is goal of state
Column
Tuscaloosa News, July 8, 2013
On June 21, the United States Department of Education approved Alabama’s Plan 2020 as our state-specific plan for assessing our students’ readiness for college, work and adulthood in the 21st century.
ARKANSAS
9 groups file charter-school letters in Arkansas
Northwest Arkansas News, July 6, 2013
Nine organizations have notified the Arkansas Department of Education of their tentative plans to open new charter school campuses in 2014.
ARIZONA
Other half of charter-school funding story
Opinion
Arizona Republic, July 7, 2013
Let’s get the facts straight. Public charter-school students are underfunded on average, $1,578 per pupil, when compared with their district peers. That amount is verified by Arizona’s Joint Legislative Budget Committee, a bipartisan fiscal oversight committee.
CALIFORNIA
Charter school waitlists grow steadily
Lodi News-Sentinel, July 5, 2013
The names of thousands of students whose families want them to attend charter schools remain on waiting lists throughout San Joaquin County.
Centinela Valley high school district to open two charter schools for wayward adults
Daily Breeze, July 7, 2013
The Centinela Valley Union High School District, serving Hawthorne, Lennox and Lawndale, is opening two charter schools that will cater to adults — one for inmates of the Los Angeles County jail system and the other for people who have dropped out of high school.
Don Brann’s biggest challenge yet: saving Inglewood schools
Los Angeles Times, July 7, 2013
The former administrator has revitalized struggling school districts before, but he has never faced the massive financial burdens of Inglewood Unified.
COLORADO
Denver charter schools show strong improvement in math, reading
Denver Post, July 5, 2013
Slow and steady sometimes wins the race. But not in the national scheme of charter school improvement, and Denver charter schools are playing the hare.
CONNECTICUT
Charter School Group Gears Up To Lower Suspension Rate
The Hartford Courant, July 6, 2013
Six-year-old Christopher Tate is fidgeting in his chair and looking around — but not at the teacher — when Brandon Clark, a behavior interventionist, sidles up to him at Achievement First Bridgeport Academy.
Schools Chief in Bridgeport Is Under Fire
Wall Street Journal, July 5, 2013
Paul Vallas, schools superintendent in Connecticut’s largest city, is no stranger to confrontation. He faced off with critics of his policies while leading high-profile districts such as Chicago, Philadelphia and New Orleans.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C.’s charter schools get a gold star
Editorial
Washington Post, July 7, 2013
Students who attend charter schools in the District gained an extra 72 days in reading and an additional 101 days in math over the course of a year compared to their counterparts in traditional public schools.
FLORIDA
Charter school enrollment expected to grow again in Pinellas County
Tampa Bay Times, July 6, 2013
As enrollment in traditional public schools remains flat, charter schools are becoming an increasingly popular choice in Pinellas County, according to school district projections for the coming academic year.
Palm Beach County School District rates every teacher as effective
Sun Sentinel, July 6, 2013
There were no bad teachers in the Palm Beach County School District last year, at least according to their evaluations.
GEORGIA
New education lobby aims to change political dynamic in Ga.
Rome News-Tribune, July 8, 2013
A new organization aims to change the dynamics of Georgia’s education politics, StudentsFirst, led by the charismatic former head of the District of Columbia schools.
IDAHO
Making a Case for Idaho Core Standards
Twin Falls Times-News, July 7, 2013
American public education seems to be riding a see-saw of political experimentation, rocking from one administration to the next in the name of “reform.”
ILLINOIS
More than 1 million respond to first statewide education survey
Chicago Tribune, July 8, 2013
More than 1.1 million students, teachers and parents filled out Illinois’ first statewide education survey, offering an unprecedented peek into thousands of classrooms.
Rahm Emanuel’s battle with teachers union souring his political future
Washington Examiner, July 7, 2013
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel has been locked in an escalating grudge match with the Chicago Teachers Union over his efforts to close and consolidate several underutilized schools in the city.
Anxious CPS parents, push for change
Editorial
Chicago Tribune, July 8, 2013
Chicago’s schools have closed for the summer, but many principals aren’t feeling any relief. They’re grappling with huge budget cuts because the system faces a $1 billion deficit. Parents and teachers are anxious and angry about what they’ll find when schools open in the fall.
LOUISIANA
Where is state voucher money actually going?
Op-Ed
Times-Picayune, July 7, 2013
Would you pay $6,300 in tuition to send your child to a private school with uncertified teachers, insufficient computers and no proper classrooms, and at which the “teaching” occurred mostly by plopping students in front of televisions to watch lessons on DVDs? Of course you wouldn’t. But the Louisiana Department of Education would.
New Living Word vouchers were a waste of Louisiana taxpayers’ education dollars
Editorial
Times-Picayune, July 5, 2013
The Louisiana Department of Education should never have approved New Living Word School in Ruston to take voucher students transferring from public schools.
A workable balance for teacher evaluation?
Editorial
American Press, July 5, 2013
The state Department of Education continues to seek common ground between classroom teachers, their union leaders and education reformers on the prickly subject of teacher evaluation.
New Orleans school officials worry about families who miss Monday registration deadline
Times-Picayune, July 4, 2013
As the deadline looms for new students to register at the five Orleans Parish School Board conventional schools, the Recovery School District and several community groups are angry about what they consider a nasty surprise sprung on families at the last minute.
MINNESOTA
Encouraging but limited view of charter public school progress
Opinion
Mille Lacs County Times, July 4, 2013
Families and educators may be interested in a new national report about charter and district public schools
MISSISSIPPI
Launching charter school in Miss. a grueling process
Clarion Ledger, July 6, 2013
The first public charter school in Mississippi could open in less than two years.
District money follows students to charter schools
Clarion Ledger, July 6, 2013
When public charter schools open in Mississippi, most of the per-pupil state and federal funding from the local school district will walk in the door with the student.
MISSOURI
Rural Schools talk local control, evaluations
Missouri Times, July 5, 2013
Rural school districts across the state are lamenting what they see as a loss of local control of their processes and are continuing to search for the best way to evaluate teachers and school administrators.
NEVADA
System to track new teacher performance is long overdue
Editorial
Reno Gazette-Journal, July 7, 2013
A recently issued report found colleges in Nevada and across the nation lack programs needed to graduate teachers ready to instruct students in reading, math and science at the level needed to compete in the global economy. Rebuttals and arguments aside, this is worthy of broad discussion and action.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Four new charter schools seek approval
Concord Monitor, July 5, 2013
Four new charter schools will seek approval from the state Board of Education this month after nearly a year of waiting during a moratorium.
NCLB waiver good news in NH
Editorial
Nashua Telegraph, July 7, 2013
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was born of the best bipartisan intentions to improve public education in America by requiring schools to reach measurable levels of proficiency.
NEW JERSEY
Cost of Catholic high schools driving students to public schools
Press of Atlantic City, July 4, 2013
Twenty-two eighth-graders graduated from St. Vincent de Paul Catholic School in Mays Landing in June, but only 15 will go on to a Catholic high school. The rest will attend their local public high school or the county vocational school.
NEW YORK
Botched effort to evaluate Brown just the latest failure for School Board
Opinion
Buffalo News, July 5, 2013
It’s impossible to know if the rating given to Buffalo School Superintendent Pamela C. Brown is legitimate or not. The School Board that conducted the evaluation of her first year on the job messed it up so badly as to make its favorable rating all but meaningless.
A New Education Mayor
Editorial
New York Times, July 7, 2013
The next mayor of New York City will assume control of the country’s largest school system at an especially challenging moment. That person will oversee installation of the rigorous new Common Core learning standards.
Charter Schools and Their Enemies
City Journal, July 7, 2013
Among the many educational reforms that New York mayor Michael Bloomberg adopted or expanded, charter schools—public schools that enjoy autonomy from many district restrictions, such as the salary schedule for teachers and the length of the school day—are perhaps the biggest success story.
NORTH CAROLINA
New teachers arrive on charter school campus
Daily Southerner, July 4, 2013
The expansion of North East Carolina Prep School (NECP) is bringing new faces to Edgecombe County. The charter school’s new teachers arrived on campus this week and began training for the upcoming school year.
Bill Changes Charter School Expansion
WUNC, July 5, 2013
Charter schools in North Carolina may soon be able to expand without getting approval from the State Board of Education.
OHIO
Reading scores at many local schools miss new 3rd-grade mark
Columbus Dispatch, July 5, 2013
As many as one-fifth of the children who just completed third grade in Columbus City Schools would be facing a return to that grade this fall if Ohio’s “third-grade reading guarantee” were in full effect, an analysis reveals.
Cleveland school district plans staff changes, training and new approaches for 13 ‘Investment Schools’
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH
July 5, 2013
The Cleveland school district’s improvement plan for 13 schools this upcoming school year will bring major changes for some and smaller, but substantial, ones for others.
White Hat Management’s Ohio charter schools in the midst of upheaval
Cleveland Plain Dealer, July 7, 2013
David Brennan’s White Hat Management has been the most powerful and influential of Ohio’s charter school operators since state money started flowing to the privately run public schools 15 years ago.
PENNSYLVANIA
Pa. charter students’ skills fall far short, study reveals
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, July 7, 2013
Nationally, charter school students surpass gains made on standardized tests by students at traditional public schools but, on average, Pennsylvania’s charter students fall behind their public school peers, according to a recent study of charter schools by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes at Stanford University.
Changing Skyline: Bolstering school for the neighborhood
Column
Philadelphia Inquirer, July 5, 2013
The problem is, you like living in the city: There’s the diverse mix of neighbors; the summer block party; the sleek, new cafe; the great playground; the riverfront trail; the museums. It’s nice being able to walk to everything. If only there were a way to make the school thing work.
YouthBuild Charter School to expand services, thanks to grant
York Daily Record, July 8, 2013
A $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor will bring relief to the YouthBuild Charter School and its operator, the Crispus Attucks Association.
York City schools reach out to charter parents
York Daily Record, July 3, 2013
McKinley Elementary School teachers knocked on a door on Locust Street and asked why students living there wanted to attend charter schools.
TENNESSEE
Teacher salary plan sparks ouster call
Times Free Press, July 8, 2013
A decision by the state Board of Education to change how teachers are paid has led to a social media push to remove Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman.
New TN teacher pay plan is hybrid of other states’ plans
The Tennessean, July 7, 2013
With the recent adoption of a controversial teacher pay plan, Tennessee has moved closer to three states that have carved out reputations for dramatically overhauling their pay policies.
WASHINGTON
Coalition’s suit challenges state’s charter-schools law
Seattle Times, July 4, 2013
A coalition led by the state teachers union filed a long-awaited challenge to the constitutionality of charter schools on Wednesday, turning to the courts after state voters narrowly approved the schools on supporters’ fourth attempt last November.
Charter Schools Association an ally in shaping new schools
Editorial
Seattle Times, July 6, 2013
SKEPTICS and proponents of charter schools have a new ally. The Charter Schools Association sees the potential of innovative nontraditional public schools, but is smartly branding itself as an incubator for quality efforts and a watchdog ensuring those efforts yield results.
Suit flunks charter schools before exam
Editorial
The Spokesman Review, July 6, 2013
The Washington Education Association clearly doesn’t like the idea of charter schools, but it would be nice if they’d let a couple open and operate before hauling out the ruler and rapping knuckles.
WISCONSIN
DPI dealing with short timeline on voucher expansion
Wisconsin Radio Network, July 5, 2013
The first stage of a statewide expansion of the private school voucher program is set to begin in the next school year, and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Evers says that means his staff has to work quickly to be ready. Evers says they need to get information out to schools, before they will start taking in applications and determining which schools receive the most.
Voucher schools don’t always take special needs students
Wisconsin State Journal, July 7, 2013
With choice programs poised to go statewide, some lawmakers have voiced concern that students with disabilities will be left behind.
Private, parochial schools begin voucher application process
Green Bay Press-Gazette, July 4, 2013
Some private and parochial schools in the Green Bay area are laying groundwork to apply to be part of the expanded state school voucher program.
ONLINE LEARNING
Maine should not rush virtual charter schools
Editorial
Portland Press Herald, July 5, 2013
There is enough history in other states to cause regulators to proceed with caution.
Cyber lifelines
Letter
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, July 8, 2013
The PG report on a new, largely positive charter school study by Stanford University takes an odd swipe at Pennsylvania cyber schools, blaming them for the state’s poor charter school performance (“Study: Pa. in Bottom 3 for Charter Schools Scores,” June 26).
Schools readying for online education expansion
Tampa Tribune, July 4, 2013
A new law aims to offer more online classes to Florida students than ever before, but making sure it works as intended will take lots of time and planning, school officials say.
Hutch district will offer online virtual schooling
Hutchinson News, July 5, 2013
The Hutchinson school district this week rolled out a new program that will make online school available to virtually any student within district boundaries – kindergarten through 12th grade – for the upcoming school year.
Online remedial classes get an A for effort but need work
Los Angeles Times, July 6, 2013
As colleges experiment with online remedial classes to save money and serve more students, they’re finding the concept isn’t as straightforward as it might seem.
The Birthplace of Freedom
July 3, 2013 By
We say it over and over again, see it in writing, hear it in the words of politicians and patriots, read it in the tens of thousands of documents that make up our libraries, and are spread down through the electronic world.
It means a lot to most of us, despite maybe not appreciating fully the depth of the statement that the US is “The Birthplace of Freedom.”
I owe several great professors in college a debt for teaching me what it means in a way that I’d never really fully understood. While I had every reason to understand, being the daughter of a very proud “new” American who had come over on the boat from Italy, it turns out I knew very little about the purpose and struggle that really ensued back in the 1700s when the people who came to America to claim property for their King soon recognized that a new culture of life was possible by starting from scratch.
In his book “America the Beautiful“, Dr. Ben Carson writes of this struggle and how those who dare to challenge the kind of governmental intrusion that the first patriots fought are dismissed as radical or fringe. It turns out he says, that the criticism of people who push back on conventional politicians these days sounds a lot like what the how the British elite considered our nation’s founders, too.
“In the days of the old Tea Party, the British government and American Loyalists attempted to establish and maintain control of the colonies. When the Patriots first began to resist such efforts, those in power tended to deny that there was any real resistance from anyone except extremist, fringe individuals… Unfortunately for those in control, ignoring the movement did nothing to lesson its intensity and, in fact, gave it time to grow even more powerful. “
The agitators of the 1770s are like the grassroots of today. Thomas Paine was not extraordinary; he was actually a self-described failure. But in his new start in America, he went on to give a voice to extraordinary thoughts and distributed Common Sense to nearly a third of all people living in the colonies, and it accelerated the thirst for independence. Such “radicals” today are calling for the right to other freedoms – like in education – and are dismissed as fringe, or anti-American, like their forefathers were dismissed as anti-British.
By reading the works of and about those dead, white men emerges a theme that continues through today, especially among people of color, who are represented in education reform circles by such notable and accomplished leaders as DC’s Kent Amos, Milwaukee’s Howard Fuller and Louisiana’s Ken Campbell to name but a few (a comprehensive list would produce thousands). They demand power and freedom for communities that are historically oppressed and currently the most hurt by bad schools. They demand freedom for families from oppressive educational environments and challenge the status quo and the government rules that consequently give life to mediocrity and failed policies. Recently the NEA’s leadership led their annual conventional attendees to “Raise your hand if you’re tired of others thinking they know what’s best for our students. It is time to reclaim our profession, our schools, and public education,” declared Pringle. “It is time, NEA, to storm the castle.” “Our students” suggests that they, not parents, are in charge of the kids. Such unions work hard to keep the agitators out of their business and to convince others that empowering parents with the freedom in education to determine the best education for their child is an un-American ideal. Yet our reform agitators persist.
Like our founding fathers, there are some reformers today in education who are more interested in getting along with the proverbial “King”. They lead discussions about compromise and upon receiving promises from the authorities that they will respect what we do, they give great license to governments to involve themselves in parent and education affairs even as they are voicing support for dismantling such government controls. It reminds me of the namesake of my alma mater, John Dickinson, who was one of the last hold outs to sign the Declaration of Independence, more concerned that by upsetting the King there would be no future for America. “He hoped that an appeal to reason might remind the King of that contractual obligation to his American subjects and thereby restore good relations. Only when King George publicly sided with his ministers and ordered a Royal army to New York did Dickinson consider the social contract dissolved. Although he refused to sign the Declaration, Dickinson was among the first to don uniform to defend the new nation.”
It sounds all too familiar to what we see today. When those who work to advance freedom for parents in by enacting strong charter school laws, opportunity scholarships, teacher performance laws and clear measurement and evaluation, they are often met by resistance or calls for acquiescence by members of their own “flock” who want us to appeal to the reason of our opponents, or government officials who have a vested interest in the status quo.
It’s time for a history lesson. We must delve deeply into our nation’s founding and read intensively the documents that help us understand our rich foundation of agitation and revolution, that which is done in the name of principal and about which freedom is the central theme. Perhaps had my high school imparted such detailed instruction, I and my fellow students and the educators who taught us along the way might not be among the majority who turn a blind eye to the cause of educational freedom for parents. Imagine if all schools instilled in our students a deep and abiding knowledge of the Birthplace of Freedom! The results would likely be extraordinary, starting with an increase in the kind of paltry knowledge our students demonstrate in history with each national assessment. They might also not just have knowledge but demonstrate its use in public policy battles, resulting in laws that respect the fights we once waged for this freedom. And it might also make people recognize that agitators and revolutionaries for freedom today are not the fringe but the very fabric of our democracy.
On this Fourth of July, 2013, 237 years after our founding, let’s restore the language and learning around our Birthplace of Freedom, to the benefit of today’s children; tomorrow’s leaders.
Annie Bennett: Policymakers’ Role In Helping All Students Succeed
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting my representative, Congressman Kevin Yoder from the 3rd district in Kansas, and a few members of his staff. To begin with, Rep. Yoder was extremely kind to take the time to meet with me. It is a testament to our representative government that he and his staff went out of their way to get to know my interests, hear about my experience in D.C. this summer, and offer to help and connect me in any way they could. I was impressed with the level of concern both for me as an individual and for my area. Sitting in a Congressional office makes you realize how intensely focused a Congressman must be on the needs of his or her district, requiring everything from reflecting their constituents’ policy interests to meeting with individual students who are spending the summer in the Capitol.
Coming away from the meeting, however, I couldn’t help reflecting on the unique landscape of my district and how that relates to education and Rep. Yoder. The 3rd district encompasses Kansas City, the largest urban area in the state, and the surrounding suburbs. Consequently, a representative of the area has to balance the often contrasting needs of an urban area and a more affluent suburban area. Nowhere is this more evident than in education.
Comparing Johnson County and Wyandotte County gives a clear picture of the contradictory nature of the district. Wyandotte County, where Kansas City, KS is located, has an annual per capita income of $17,750 and large minority populations. The Kansas City School District, where 89% of students are classified as “economically disadvantaged” on their website, has often received negative attention for low achievement- the high-school graduation rate was just 62% in the 2011 school year. The reality in next-door Johnson County is far different. The suburban county has an annual per capita income of $35,492, and students benefit from attending some of the top public schools in the state.
I am a life-long resident of Johnson County and a proud graduate of the public school system. My high school routinely sends students to the top universities in the nation, offers both a variety of AP classes and a strong IB program, and has wonderful extracurricular and sports programs. Yet I consider myself a native of Kansas City, not just my suburb, and as such, I am deeply troubled by the inequalities I see in educational opportunities. Realizing that not all children have access to the kind of education I received is what initially sparked my passion for education reform.
All children, regardless of their zip code, deserve a high-quality education. All children, regardless of their socioeconomic status, have the ability to succeed if placed in the right environment. I hope that our Congressman and all policymakers work hard to create this environment and move toward making the success of ALL students a reality because, after all, our government functions on the principal of representing the well-being of each and every constituent.
Annie Bennett is a rising senior at Vanderbilt University majoring in Public Policy. She is originally from Kansas City, and we’re excited she’s working with the Center for Education Reform as an intern this summer.