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

NATIONAL COVERAGE

National Science Standards Likely To Raise ‘Ruckus’
USA Today, April 10, 2013
Academic standards out Tuesday promise to revive simmering debates about how to teach science in the USA’s public schools.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

Teacher Pay Raise Moves Forward In Alabama Legislature
Anniston Star, AL, April 10, 2013
A 2 percent pay raise for Alabama’s teachers moved a step forward Tuesday, with a crucial House committee voting to send the raise to the full House for a vote as early as Wednesday.

CALIFORNIA

Carlsbad Parent Group Asking County Board Of Education To Overturn Decision On Charter School
10News, CA, April 10, 2013
A group of Carlsbad parents refuses to take no for an answer. The Carlsbad Unified School Board voted against the charter school they were trying to start, so the parents appealed the decision to the San Diego County Board of Education, which will take up the matter Wednesday evening.

CONNECTICUT

State Gets Seven Applications For New Charter Schools; Two Proposals Have Teacher Union Support
The Hartford Courant, CT, April 9, 2013
Teachers unions aren’t generally known for support of charter schools, but two of the seven new schools proposed for Connecticut have strong union support.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Neighborhood Preference In D.C. Charter Schools Would Be Allowed Under Bill
Washington Post, DC, April 9, 2013
New D.C. public charter schools would be allowed to give admissions preference to neighborhood children under a bill introduced Tuesday by D.C. Council Member David Grosso (I-At Large).

FLORIDA

Pinellas Wary Of Setting Precedent With Pending Charter School Deal
St. Petersburg Tribune, FL, April 10, 2013
After weeks of discussion, Pinellas County School Board members were set to vote Tuesday on selling the abandoned Southside Fundamental Middle School building to a charter company.

GEORGIA

About 60 Come Out Hear Charter School Plans At Macon Forum
Macon Telegraph, GA, April 10, 2013
When friends Shawn Maanao, Dawn Willis and Anissa Coleman discuss the issues of the day during conversations in the hallway of Martha Bowman Church, the topic usually turns to their displeasure with Bibb County schools.

HAWAII

Private Schools Fill Gap For Hawaii’s Dyslexic Kids — But At High Cost
Honolulu Civil Beat, HI, April 10, 2013
Just as her grandson B.J. was gearing up for high school, Carol Mikasobe decided she was fed up. No more exasperating meetings with B.J.’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) team. No more stonewalling from the schools. No more expensive outside tutoring. No more seeing B.J. suffer.

IDAHO

Charter Schools Look Forward to Facilities Aid
Magic Valley Times-News, ID, April 10, 2013
The charter school has been a boon to its students, the co-founder said, because they are educated in an environment of American patriotism and mutual respect. And the school gives parents an alternative for their children’s education, she said.

INDIANA

Sponsor For Charter Not In EACS Future
The Journal Gazette, IN, April 10, 2013
The East Allen County Schools board announced Tuesday it will not sponsor the charter of Timothy L. Johnson Academy, but board members said the district needs to improve its offerings in the area.

education committee still split on school vouchers
YNN, IN, April 9, 2013
The school voucher debate was once again revived at the State Capitol Tuesday, where the Senate’s Education Committee heard public testimony on the contested issue.

IOWA

Fast Action Promised On Education Bill
Des Moines Register, IA, April 10, 2013
Lawmakers working out a compromise education reform bill promised Tuesday to move quickly as the April 15 deadline looms for school districts around the state to certify their budgets.

LOUISIANA

Community Groups Could Charter Failing Schools
Shreveport Times, LA, April 10, 2013
Caddo’s lowest-performing schools could be converted to charter schools to take them off of the state takeover chopping block.

MAINE

Bowen Presents New Idea For Funding Public Charter Schools
Bangor Daily News, ME, April 9, 2013
Lawmakers reacted warmly Tuesday to a concept presented by Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen that would drastically change how charter schools in Maine are funded, spreading the financial responsibility to every school district in the state.

MICHIGAN

Working To Learn, Learning To Work
Detroit News, MI, April 10, 2013
When Jonathan Hernandez checks in at Detroit’s Cristo Rey High School, he gets both a report card and a time card.

MISSISSIPPI

Analysis: Education Focus Shifts To Implementation
Hattiesburg American, MS, April 10, 2013
If 2013 was the education session for Mississippi’s Legislature, it will be followed by the implementation season.

NEVADA

Legislators Hear Pros, Cons Of Sandoval’s School Choice Bill
Las Vegas Sun, NV, April 9, 2013
Gov. Brian Sandoval’s bill to give tax breaks to companies that donate to private and religious schools was applauded by school choice advocates Tuesday but opposed by the state’s teachers union and school boards.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Senate Panel Votes 3-2 To Keep Education Tax Credit
Union Leader, NH, April 9, 2013
A bill to repeal the state’s newly established education tax credit program did not find favor with the Senate Health, Education and Human Services Committee Tuesday.

NEW YORK

Rally For NY Tax Credit For School Donations
Wall Street Journal, April 10, 2013
Educators, elected officials and schoolchildren are expected to rally in support of a state tax credit they say is needed to encourage private donations to public schools.

Rigorous Schools Put College Dreams Into Practice
New York Times, NY, April 10, 2013
Across the country in communities like Newark, the early college high school model is being lauded as a way to provide low-income students with a road map to and through college.

Here Comes the Common Core
New York Daily News, NY, April 10, 2013
Yes, test scores will fall. That’s necessary as we prepare students for college and career.

School Reform in Syracuse
New York Times, NY, April 10, 2013
Re “Criticism of Cuomo Over Plight of Cities Raises Syracuse Mayor’s Profile” (news article, April 2):

Hundreds Try For Charter School Lottery
WIVB 4, NY, April 9, 2013
Hundreds of parents waited Tuesday night to find out if their child would be one of 29 selected in the Elmwood Village Charter School lottery.

NORTH CAROLINA

Charter School Appeals Committee Formed
News & Observer, NC, April 9, 2013
The Public Charter School Advisory Council voted Tuesday to form a subcommittee to consider potential appeals from 27 applicants who were rejected for opening in the 2014-15 school year.

OHIO

Columbus School Board Halts Superintendent Search
Columbus Dispatch, OH, April 10, 2013
In an about-face, a divided Columbus school board dropped its plan to hire a permanent superintendent by the end of this month, falling into line with Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman’s wishes.

School Funding Plan Gets Overhaul From Ohio House
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, April 9, 2013
State legislative leaders tossed out a major part of Gov. John Kasich’s school funding plan Tuesday and significantly shifted the dollars that individual districts would receive from the state.

OKLAHOMA

Teacher Quality Is An Issue Oklahoma City School Board Should Delve Into
The Oklahoman, OK, April 10, 2013
A principal stood before the Oklahoma City School Board last week and, under intense questioning, spoke a simple but profoundly important truth: Status quo isn’t good enough.

PENNSYLVANIA

Philly Area’s Teach For America Unit To Celebrate Its 10th Anniversary
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 10, 2013
Talk to a Teach For America teacher, and you’ll hear a lot about grit and getting things done.

TENNESSEE

Rich Republicans Stage Faux Media Event for School Vouchers
Nashville Scene, TN, April 9, 2013
Rich Republicans who fund the American Federation for Children staged a media event today at the legislature to try to revive a school voucher bill in Tennessee this session.

Charter Authorizer Bill Hits Slowdown In Senate
The Tennessean, TN, April 10, 2013
Lawmakers questioned a proposal to create a special panel to authorize charter schools in several Tennessee counties during debate Tuesday in the legislature, while a nonprofit group criticized the governor’s decision to withdraw his school voucher program.

Critics Fear TN Bill Tying Welfare To Grades Puts Kids In Harm’s Way
The Tennessean, TN, April 10, 2013
Children in Tennessee could become the first in the nation to determine whether their families receive full welfare benefits — they fail a grade, and the state yanks 30 percent of their cash payouts under a bill the state Senate will take up Thursday.

TEXAS

Tax Incentives For Private Schooling Face Dim Prospects
Austin American-Statesman, TX, April 9, 2013
The prospects are dim for legislative proposals creating tax incentives to help public school students pay for private school, but that did not dampen the fervor of “school choice” supporters at the Texas Capitol on Tuesday.

Does It Take A Katrina-Like Disaster For A Large Charter School Shift?
KERA NPR, TX, April 9, 2013
After Katrina, New Orleans not only needed entire neighborhoods rebuilt. Its schools underwent a complete makeover too.

WASHINGTON

Information Being Gathered On Charter Schools For PSD Board
News Tribune, WA, April 10, 2013
The Peninsula School District is taking it slow as it looks into the possibility of becoming a charter school authorizer, with Superintendent Chuck Cuzzetto gathering information on the subject for the school board.

ONLINE LEARNING

Will Teachers Unions Kill Virtual Learning?
Slate, April 9, 2013
New educational technologies could be great for kids—if regulations and politics don’t get in the way.
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2013/04/seat_time_requirements_and_other_regulations_could_hurt_the_virtual_learning.html

D-427 Rejects Online Charter School Proposal
DeKalb Daily Chronicle, IL, April 9, 2013
Sycamore School District 427 board members unanimously rejected a proposal to allow an online charter school to operate within its boundaries.
http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2013/04/10/d-427-rejects-online-charter-school-proposal/a1u1nx0/

Eight Fox Valley Districts Unanimously Vote Down Virtual Charter School
Aurora Beacon News, IL, April 9, 2013
West Aurora was one of eight school boards Monday night that unanimously denied the proposal to establish an 18-district virtual charter school in the Fox Valley area this fall.
http://beaconnews.suntimes.com/news/19381027-418/eight-fox-valley-districts-unanimously-vote-down-virtual-charter-school.html

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

To Transform the U.S. Education System, Focus on Teacher Effectiveness
Forbes, April 9, 2013
Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned, when I was Director of Education at University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), that one day I’d be known as a social entrepreneur, a founder and CEO of a nonprofit organization that supports 20,000 new teachers each year with plans to triple that impact over the next four years.

Common Core Is the Next Bandwagon
National Review Online, April 8, 2013
If money talks, then Bill Gates’s money talks louder. This is one way to explain why the best and brightest in the educational-policy arena would rush to endorse a harmful program like Common Core Standards (CCS), which aspires to be a nationwide set of educational guidelines. Common Core is heavily promoted and subsidized by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and its proponents often cite Gates-funded academic organizations.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Parent Group Picks LAUSD To Take Over Failing School
San Bernardino Sun, CA, April 8, 2013
A Los Angeles-based parent group that has won the right to remake their failing Los Angeles Unified school wants the district to run the school after it reopens its doors.

Firing The Worst Teachers
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 7, 2013
A bill in the California legislature would help streamline the tortuous procedure for getting rid of the states worst teachers.

COLORADO

District Cuts 80 Teachers For 2013-14; Cites Charter Expansion And Federal Budget Cuts
Greely Tribune, CO, April 9, 2013
“While these are tough and difficult decisions in any year, the recent impact of charter school expansions and federal sequestration have the potential to produce a significant negative impact on our budget,” wrote Superintendent Ranelle Lang in a brief to the board of education concerning the issue.

FLORIDA

Maxwell: All-Black School, All Going To College
Tampa Bay Times, FL, April 6, 2013
No, this is not a column about black history. It’s about history repeating itself and about what education can be for black schoolchildren today when caring, wise, dedicated adults are in charge.

ILLINOIS

Racist? No.
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 9, 2013
The debate over Chicago school closings has taken an ugly turn in recent weeks with the charge that city and school leaders are motivated not by economics, not by education needs, but by racism.

INDIANA

Fighting School Voucher Program
Northwest Times, IN, April 9, 2013
The Lake Central School Board unanimously approved a resolution against House Bill 1003 on Monday, noting that the new voucher program will put an unfair economic burden on the school system.

IOWA

Education Reform Package May Stall School Budget Process
Sioux City Journal, IA, April 8, 2013
Gov. Terry Branstad said school administrators should lobby lawmakers to speed up passage of his education reform package if they’re worried about completing their budgets soon.

LOUISIANA

Despite Legal Issues, Voucher Program’s Popularity Growing
American Press, LA, April 9, 2013
While the constitutionality of the state’s voucher program for public school students remains to be determined, statistics show that it is gaining in popularity.

MAINE

Embattled Baxter Academy Wins Approval, Praise From Charter School Commission
Maine Sun Journal, ME, April 8, 2013
But the final member of the commission voted the same as all the others, giving the Baxter Academy the unanimous go-ahead to open this September for some 160 students from as many as 48 towns in southern and central Maine.

Lawmakers Reject LePage Plan For $1M Charter School Defense Fund
Portland Press Herald, ME, April 8, 2013
The Education Committee votes 10-2 against the proposal, which would have taken $1 million from public schools

MARYLAND

Montgomery County Council Wants More Counselors, Other Support Staff In Schools
Washington Post, DC, April 8, 2013
Members of the Montgomery County Council , concerned about the student achievement gap, focused Monday on how to ensure that the number of non-teaching public school staff keeps pace with rising student enrollment during budget talks with the Board of Education.

MICHIGAN

Who Grades The Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager?
Detroit News, MI, April 9, 2013
If we were to construct a report card for the emergency management of the Detroit Public Schools since it began in 2009, what would it include?

School District Planning Marketing Campaign To Attract School-Of-Choice Students
Milan News-Leader, MI, April 9, 2013
Milan Area Schools will launch a marketing campaign to try to draw more students to the district and combat declining enrollment.

NEW JERSEY

New Charter School Applications Include Three In Cumberland County
Press of Atlantic City, NJ, April 8, 2013
Three applications from Cumberland County are among 38 proposals for new public charter schools submitted to the state Department of Education by the March 31 deadline in the first round of 2013 applications.

Be Careful With School Application’s ‘Unchartered’ Waters
South Jersey Times, NJ, April 9, 2013
Put a new spin on the old saw “Those who can’t do … teach.” These days, it’s “Those who can’t teach … apply to open charter schools.”

The DOE’s Teacher Evaluation System Has Obvious Flaws That Ought to Be Corrected Before Initial Implementation
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, April 8, 2013
The Department of Education states that the goal of its proposed teacher evaluation system, dubbed “AchieveNJ,” is to move “from a compliance-based, low-impact, and mostly perfunctory [evaluation system] to focus on educators as career professionals who receive meaningful feedback and opportunities for growth.”

Camden School Takeover Brings With It a City’s Worth of Problems
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, April 8, 2013
A state assumption of local school districts is no longer uncharted territory, but the decision by the Christie Administration to take control of the chronically underperforming Camden school district presents challenges that extend beyond the classroom and the quality of teachers and administrators.

NEW YORK

Gifted, Talented—Squeezed
Wall Street Journal, April 9, 2013
One of New York City’s most elite institutions became more exclusive this year.
Fewer children scored high enough for a shot at a coveted seat in a citywide gifted-and-talented program this year after the Department of Education changed the main test it uses.

NORTH CAROLINA

Uncertainty on 2014 Charter Schools Continues
Charlotte Observer, NC, April 8, 2013
RALEIGH A charter school advisory council Monday added a Mecklenburg County charter-school application to a long list of proposals that could be sidelined by flawed paperwork.

NC Senate Bill Could End Tenure For K-12 Teachers
Daily Tar Heel, NC, April 8, 2013
The N.C. General Assembly will debate a bill this week that could affect every public school educator in the state.

OHIO

Cleveland School District Avoids State Control Based On Cleveland Plan Already In Place
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, April 8, 2013
The Cleveland schools will not fall under the control of a state academic distress commission.

PENNSYLVANIA

Parents Plead To Keep 2 Schools Open
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 9, 2013
PARENTS, STUDENTS and staff from two schools slated for closure pleaded their cases Monday night to the School Reform Commission in an effort to keep the schools open.

TENNESSEE

Former Mayor, Several Others Seek To Open Charters In Memphis
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, April 8, 2013
More than 20 groups have applied to run charter schools here in 2014, including former Memphis mayor Willie Herenton, who sees Memphis as the nucleus of a push for a national charter network.

Charter School Stakeholders Rally Around Authorizer Reform Bill
The Chattanoogan, TN, April 8, 2013
Stakeholders in the quest for education reform in Tennessee have closely followed House Bill 702/Senate Bill 830, the charter school authorizer reform bill, while it travels through House and Senate committees. Recent amendments have altered the scope, though not the intent, of the bill as a floor vote draws near.

A Visit to Tennessee’s Education Bill Graveyard
Nashville Public Radio, TN, April 8, 2013
Tennessee lawmakers bit off more than they could chew this session when it comes to classroom reform.

TEXAS

State Senate Panel Hears School Choice Bill
CBS Dallas, TX, April 9, 2013
A Texas Senate education panel is set to discuss a high-profile voucher bill — even though the House has already said it opposes using public money to fund private schools.

UTAH

Charter Vs. Public Schools: New Models Or More Money?
Deseret News, UT, April 8, 2013
Bring up the topic of charter schools and you are usually asking for a fight. This is a sensitive topic, with critics on both sides of the aisle who all have the education of our children on the forefront of their minds.

VIRGINIA

Fairfax County Teachers Say New Evaluations Are Excessive
Washington Examiner, DC, April 8, 2013
Fairfax County school leaders are taking a second look at a new teacher evaluation system after teachers said it is overly burdensome.

WASHINGTON

State’s New Math Test May Keep Many Seniors From Graduating
Seattle Times, WA, April 8, 2013
With graduation approaching, many high-school students have fewer and fewer chances to meet the state’s new graduation requirement in math. This is the first year that seniors must pass a state math exam, or one of a few alternatives, to earn a diploma.

WISCONSIN

Impact Of Private-School Vouchers
Tomah Journal, WI, April 9, 2013
My last article focused on the complexities of school finance and the potential impact of the proposed biennial budget on the Tomah Area School District. As a follow-up, I think it is important to share information on a controversial aspect of the 2013-15 biennial budget — increased taxpayer funding for private school voucher program expansion in Wisconsin.

School Voucher Backers, Foes Argue Their Cases To Lawmakers
Green Bay Press Gazette, WI, April 9, 2013
Those on both sides of a proposed expansion of a school voucher program to Green Bay took center stage Monday during a state budget hearing at the Lambeau Field Atrium.

ONLINE LEARNING

Cyber Charter Schools A Pox On Public Education
Chambersburg Public Opinion, PA, April 8, 2013
With the stroke of a pen, our area legislators could save Franklin County school districts millions of dollars each year by fixing a broken funding formula and eliminating wasteful spending on cyber charter schools.

Florida Virtual Learning Bills Gain Momentum In Legislature
Examiner, FL, April 8, 2013
Florida schoolchildren and college students will soon have greater access to online learning programs, if Republican lawmakers have their way.

Districts U-46, 300 Deny Virtual Charter School Proposal
Chicago Daily Herald, IL, April 8, 2013
The school boards in Elgin Area School District U-46 and Community Unit District 300 unanimously denied a charter proposal during their meetings Monday night that would have allowed a virtual charter school to open in the coming school year.

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.

The Tests Made Them Do It
Wall Street Journal, April 8, 2013
The great Georgia teacher cheating scandal is by now well known, but we can’t let it pass without noting the reaction of the teachers unions and public-school bureaucracy. They say the fault lies less with the teachers than with the testing.

The Pitfalls of Evaluating Teachers
New York Times, NY, April 8, 2013
Re “Curious Grade for Teachers: Nearly All Pass” (front page, March 31): What your article calls “curious” is, sadly, not very surprising.

Why There’s a Backlash Against Common Core
National Review Online, April 8, 2013
The federal government has spent billions to move Common Core forward, and it has put billions more on the line. Unfortunately, parents, teachers, tea-party activists, and governors have every reason to believe Common Core represents major, unprecedented federal intervention into education.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

The Basics Of Better Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 7, 2013
The bile flowed freely in the first round of L.A.’s school board elections in March, fueled by unprecedented sums of campaign money. To what end?

Fate Of New Millennium Charter School Rests With Fresno Unified
Fresno Bee, CA, April 6, 2013
The future of a southwest Fresno charter school that the county grand jury says has “failed miserably” to educate students now rests with Fresno Unified officials who have been criticized for inadequate oversight of the school.

CONNECTICUT

State Receives Proposals For New Charter Schools
Stamford Advocate, CT, April 8, 2013
The state received seven applications for new charter schools last week, including one for a Montessori school in Bridgeport that would be run in conjunction with the city school board.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

District Of Columbia Student Achievers Poised For Success
Washington Examiner, DC, April 7, 2013
At the D.C. public charter high school which my organization founded, we take college preparation — and college graduation — very seriously. Some 74 percent of our students are eligible for federal school lunch subsidies. In total, our students have earned nearly $40 million in college scholarships.

FLORIDA

Parent Trigger Bill On Failing Schools A National Trend
Tampa Tribune, FL, April 7, 2013
Passed last week by the Florida House, the bill would allow the parents of a failing school, one graded F by the state Department of Education, to petition the school district to allow a charter school to take over.

Empowerment Bill Works for Kids
The Leger, FL, April 8, 2013
I have the greatest respect for parents who get involved in education issues — especially the ones now engaged in the debate over parent-empowerment legislation [also known as the Parent Trigger bill].

Limit Big Private Charter Schools To Failing Districts
St. Augustine Record, FL, April 6, 2013
This is a missed opportunity if the Legislature doesn’t do something to ensure that the big privately run charter schools go to struggling districts that might benefit from them and not go to successful districts, like St. Johns and Flagler. In districts like these, the big for-profit charter school companies would only drain resources from public schools, and do nothing to help the struggling school districts.

GEORGIA

Petitions Bring State Charter School Association To Macon
Macon Telegraph, GA, April 7, 2013
After receiving a bevy of charter school petitions from the Middle Georgia region, the Georgia Charter Schools Association will hold meetings in April to educate the public about charter schools.
The organization has received six charter school petitions from the area, and representatives will be in Macon April 22 and April 25 to discuss charter schools and the process of opening them, according to a news release.

IOWA

Closing The Achievement Gap In Iowa Schools
Des Moines Register, IA, April 7, 2013
Every child, regardless of ZIP code, deserves a quality public school education. Unfortunately, for our state’s children growing up in low-income neighborhoods, far too often this is not the case. On average, children in low-income neighborhoods are two to two-and-a-half grade levels behind their peers in higher income areas by the time they get to eighth grade.

MAINE

SAD 54 Superintendent Blames Budget Woes On Charter Schools
Portland Press Herald, ME, April 6, 2013
Meanwhile, he hopes the Legislature will act on three proposed bills that aim to shift the funding.

Unlink Charter School Funds From Public Schools
Kennebec Journal, ME, April 7, 2013
If the charter school movement is going to succeed in Maine, it will be as a supplement to traditional public schools, not as an enemy of them.

MARYLAND

Md. House Passes Partial Takeover Of Troubled Prince George’s Schools
Baltimore Sun, MD, April 6, 2013
The House of Delegates passed a bill Saturday that would give the Prince George’s County executive an unprecedented responsibility for the county’s troubled school system.

MASSACHUSETTS

Charter School Demand In Mass. Disputed
Boston Globe, MA, April 8, 2013
A state tally showing more than 53,000 students on charter school waiting lists is overstating demand, according to a Globe review of state data.

MINNESOTA

St. Paul School Choice A Hit — For Those Who Got Their Choice
Pioneer Press, MN, April 7, 2013
OThis school choice season in St. Paul, getting into kindergarten was a breeze. In the upper grades, not everyone got their wish. Space was tight in preschool.

NEW JERSEY

N.J. Department Of Education Gets 38 Applications To Start New Charter Schools
Star-Ledger, NJ, April 7, 2013
The state has received 38 applications for new charter schools, including some that would specialize in math, science and technology instruction and others that would focus on more obscure themes, according to a list released by state education officials.

Christie Tackles School Reform
New York Post, NY, April 5, 2013
NJ Gov. Chris Christie announced last week that the state will take over Camden’s long-troubled school system. The courageous move, the latest piece of Christie’s impressive education-reform agenda, could signal a turnaround for one of the country’s most dangerous and depressed cities.

NEW MEXICO

APS Bucks State Teacher Evaluations
Albuquerque Journal, NM, April 8, 2013
Albuquerque school board members are getting ready to defy the state’s teacher evaluation system, unanimously saying the district should instead move forward with its own plan.

NEW YORK

Data Shows Teachers Stay in Job Longer
Wall Street Journal, April 8, 2013
A host of internal efforts and a tough economy have pushed New York City schools considerably closer to a long-sought goal: Teachers are staying in the job longer.

NORTH CAROLINA

Charter School Applicants Ask For A Second Chance
News & Observer, NC, April 7, 2013
More than two dozen rejected charter-school applicants want a second chance, prompting a fight over how state education leaders should handle growth of these non-traditional public schools.

U.S. Group Criticizes N.C. Charter Oversight Plan
News & Observer, NC, April 7, 2013
A national organization devoted to oversight of charter schools says North Carolina is missing an opportunity by proposing to set up a new charter school commission without insisting that it follow best practices.

OHIO

Charters Don’t Deserve State Windfall
Columbus Dispatch, OH, April 6, 2013
History seems to be repeating itself in the Statehouse. Once again, legislators are poised to pass a state budget bill that continues to take billions of our tax dollars out of traditional public schools to fund for-profit charters that have produced dismal results after two decades of experimentation in our state.

Value-Added Rankings Compare Students’ Academic Growth In Northeast Ohio Schools
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, April 6, 2013
For the first time, 832 Ohio school districts and charter schools have been ranked on their value-added scores, providing one more lens for viewing academic progress across the state.

PENNSYLVANIA

Pocono Mountain Won’t Sell Buildings To Charter Schools
Pocono Record, PA, April 7, 2013
If a charter school is thinking about buying shuttered Pocono Mountain School District buildings, then forget about it. The district will impose deed restrictions preventing three old schools listed for sale from being used for K-12 education.

Are Charter Schools Working? It’s Anybody’s Guess
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 7, 2013
We are in the middle of a grand experiment in public education. Charter schools are opening everywhere, including ones specializing in the arts, sciences, and technology. Outsource programs such as Renaissance Schools and Knowledge Is Power are taking over large segments of inner-city systems. Private, not-for-profit organizations have become the “savior” of our “failing school systems.”

SOUTH CAROLINA

Interest In Charter Schools In SC Spikes Despite Challenges
The Herald, SC, April 6, 2013
Li-Jenkins plans to be among the first students to attend the S.C. Science Academy, one of nine charter schools set to open across the state this fall. Despite the uncertainty facing fledgling charter schools, statewide interest in opening them is growing quickly, and much of that interest is in the Midlands.

TENNESSEE

For-Profit Charter Schools’ Hopes Get New Life
The Tennessean, TN, April 8, 2013
Even though for-profit charter school companies targeted the Tennessee legislature with several lobbyists this year, their agenda appeared dead until a last-minute bid slid through last week.

School Voucher Fight Sinks Parental-Choice Options
The Tennessean, TN, April 7, 2013
Frustrated by attempts to morph his limited school voucher program into a full-fledged platform for parental school choice, Gov. Bill Haslam pulled his proposal (Senate Bill 0196) on Wednesday, leaving proponents for the school choice movement contemplating — their options.

TEXAS

Voucher Fight Politically Significant
San Antonio Express, TX, April 7, 2013
No sooner had Texas House members voted to ban state spending on vouchers than they got a taste of the political stakes, courtesy of the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s David Guenthner.

Opposition To Private School Vouchers Runs Deep In Texas House
American-Statesman, TX, April 7, 2013
The people change. The politics change. But the opposition to private school vouchers in the Texas House stays the same year after year.

Let’s Do What Works For Texas Schools
Dallas Morning News, TX, April 8, 2013
Far too many Texas students have been trapped in academically unacceptable or failing schools for far too long. These students are on a path to long-term failure with tremendous societal implications if we fail to dramatically improve our schools.

Amid Fierce Competition, IDEA Hosts Annual Lottery
Valley Morning Star, TX, April 6, 2013
The competition for spots is as fierce as ever. IDEA Public Schools was set to hold its annual lottery Saturday with an overwhelming number of applications for spots at its Rio Grande Valley campuses during the 2013-2014 academic year.

WASHINGTON

Fix Education By Keeping, Rewarding Good Teachers
Bellingham Herald, WA, April 8, 2013
Are elected officials doing enough to retain and reward good teachers? Do they understand, for example, that student attendance (not poor teaching) is the No. 1 factor in school achievement?

WISCONSIN

Education Reforms Sweep Up Principals, Too
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, April 7, 2013
The schools of the four largest school districts in north central Wisconsin are led by competent, knowledgeable principals, according to their official evaluations.

Trying To Make Sense Of Voucher Debate
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, April 7, 2013
If not for the fact that Wisconsin’s voucher program hasn’t yet been the fix for whatever combination of poverty, social dysfunction and questionable teaching that produces low-performing public schools, Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed expansion of the program might, oddly enough, make sense.

ONLINE LEARNING

Greenfield Administrators Pursue New Virtual School
Daily Hampshire Gazette, NH, April 8, 2013
The school district’s innovation subcommittee intends to apply for a five-year certificate for a new state-authorized virtual school that would use the Internet to serve as many as 1,750 students across the state by 2017.

Hybrid Learning Coming to Scranton
Scranton Times-Tribune, PA, April 7, 2013
A Scranton School District education could soon mean taking core academic courses at home on a computer and attending school only for a chemistry lab or gym class.

Online Education Companies Poised To Spring Forward With Receptive Lawmakers
Palm Beach Post, FL, April 6, 2013
After spending heavily on ruling Republicans last election, charter schools and online education companies are poised to gain a major push forward this spring from the Legislature.

Virtual Apple A Bad Reality
Northwest Herald, IL, April 7, 2013
On the surface, the proposal to create the Illinois Virtual Charter School at Fox River Valley appears as shiny as an apple on a teacher’s desk.

Districts Face Tough Questions With Virtual Charter Schools
DeKalb Daily Chronicle, IL, April 6, 2013
Doug Moeller believes DeKalb School District 428 is looking at a roughly $480,000 question. Moeller, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and student services, said the multidistrict virtual charter school would take about 60 students from DeKalb if its charter is approved.

Online Classes Likely To Become More Common
Times Daily, AL, April 8, 2013
Alabama educators have long known that online classes provide experience and preparation students need for life after high school, either for college or the workforce.

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NATIONAL COVERAGE

Chavous: Congress Is Getting it Wrong on Parental School Choice
Roll Call, DC, April 5, 2013
If Congress and the administration are really serious about ensuring every child, regardless of ZIP code or family income, gets a quality education, the delivery system shouldn’t matter. Whether it is a public, charter, private, magnet, virtual or home school — parents should be able to choose the school that best fits their child’s needs.

Catholic Schools Failing To Keep Up Enrollment
USA Today, April 5, 2013
The nation’s Catholic schools, facing increasing competition, rising costs and a diminishing core of potential pupils, continue to struggle to keep students and find new ones. But there are some signs of growth in cities including Los Angeles and Indianapolis.

The Right Response To The Atlanta Cheating Scandal
New York Daily News, NY, April 4, 2013
For those of us who support academic standards, testing and accountability as strategies to improve public education, the Atlanta cheating indictments are sobering. Here was a system where dozens of employees, over the course of almost a decade, racketeered to rig results (or so it is alleged).

Atlanta Test Scores: Cheating Is Cheating
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 4, 2013
Standardized testing may be overstressed, but that’s no excuse for educators to tamper with scores.

FROM THE STATES

ALASKA

House Passes Measure To Postpone Tenure Availability For Teachers
Daily News Miner, AK, April 5, 2013
The House on Thursday approved a bill that would extend the probationary period for public school teachers from three years to five years, a move that unions say will hurt the state’s ability to recruit new educators.

CALIFORNIA

Rocketship Charter School Litigation Battles Highlight Community Tensions
Peninsula Press, CA, April 4, 2013
Lawsuits questioning the Santa Clara County Board of Education’s authority to exempt Rocketship Education from local land-use requirements for a new countywide charter school in San Jose’s Tamien neighborhood highlight deep community tensions over the proposed project.

Parents With Power Over L.A. School Weigh Their Options
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 4, 2013
About 50 parents on Thursday attended a presentation to help them decide who should run 24th Street Elementary School, a campus whose fate is in the hands of families who are trying to change the management of the school under the controversial parent trigger law.

CONNECTICUT

State Receives Proposals For New Charter Schools
CT Post, CT, April 4, 2013
The state received seven applications for new charter schools this week, including one for a Montessori school in Bridgeport that would be run in conjunction with the city school board.

FLORIDA

Florida House Bolsters Charter School Growth, Over Teacher, Union Objections
Palm Beach Post, FL, April 4, 2013
A “parent-trigger” bill pushed by former Gov. Jeb Bush was among several classroom measures Thursday that cleared the Florida House over opposition from Democrats who warned against the expanding role of for-profit schools and online companies.

Fla. House Passes ‘Parent Trigger’ Bill On Schools
Herald Tribune, FL, April 5, 2013
The Florida House on Thursday passed a bill to give parents a vote on turnaround options for failing public schools, despite a last-ditch effort to portray it as a backdoor measure to let for-profit companies take over public schools.

Misguided School-Choice Reform Will Backfire On Kids
Orlando Sentinel, FL, April 4, 2013
Supporters of the parent-trigger bill will argue that the plan is about nothing more than giving parents control over their child’s education. That it is about giving parents a choice. But there is much these advocates do not tell you.

GEORGIA

Georgia About To Roll Out New Grading System For Schools And Districts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, April 4, 2013
Parents know their child’s grades. Later this month, they’ll learn whether that child’s school is making the grade.

ILLINOIS

The Tribune Backs Away From An Estimate Of The Charter Schools Waiting List
Chicago Reader Blog, IL, April 4, 2013
The Chicago Tribune is sticking to its guns—kind of. And kind of not.

Emanuel Fires Back At Critics Who Say CPS Closings Racist
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 4, 2013
Mayor Rahm Emanuel backed his public schools chief Thursday amid charges that the plan to close 54 schools is racist, and leveled criticism at the Chicago Teachers Union for what he said was its inability to articulate an alternative to continuing with a failed status quo.

MAINE

On-Campus Living May Not Stay Free For Charter School’s Students
Morning Sentinel, ME, April 4, 2013
Legislative bills that could potentially take funding away from charter schools and a bill that would end or reduce state funds for boarding at the Good Will-Hinckley campus played a role in the decision, said school spokeswoman Rebecca Pollard.

MASSACHUSETTS

Charter School Offers Ideal Home For City Preschool
Gloucester Daily Times, MA, April 5, 2013
Yes, the city of Gloucester is required to put out a formal “request for proposals” in its search to find a new home for its preschool, along with its Fuller School mates, the school administration offices and bus transportation operation.

MICHIGAN

Michigan Education Achievement Authority Still Has To Prove Itself
Detroit News, MI, April 5, 2013
When faced with bad news from our schools, whether it is academic or behavioral, we’ve grown accustomed to a common response from administrators.

MINNESOTA

Minnesota Bill Includes Teacher Evaluation Funding
Pioneer Press, MN, April 4, 2013
Minnesota lawmakers passed a law two years ago to better evaluate teachers, putting in place a system of more-rigorous reviews based on classroom observations and improved student performance.

MISSOURI

Mo. Charter Public School Association Receives $100,000 Grant
St. Louis Business Journal, MO, April 4, 2013
The Missouri Charter Public School Association (MCPSA) received a $100,000 grant from the St. Louis Social Venture Partners to assist charter schools in their business operations management.

NEW JERSEY

Four North Jersey Applicants Among 38 Applying To Open Charter Schools
The Record, NJ, April 4, 2013
A range of applicants hope to open 38 charter schools in New Jersey, including two in Bergen County and two in Passaic County.

NEW YORK

School Choice – For Some
New York Post, NY, April 5, 2013
Guess who sends her kids to private school when they reach highschool age? That’s right: longtime public school parent-activist Leonie Haimson.

Charges Over Charters Fly As Eva Enters Wash. Irving
The Villager, NY, April 4, 2013
A new 500-seat charter school is planned to open this August in the Washington Irving High School building, and — as has frequently happened elsewhere when charter schools come in — a battle is brewing to block it.

NORTH CAROLINA

Wright Wrong On Teacher Tenure
Daily Advance, NC, April 4, 2013
I am a frequent reader of your opinion page and appreciate reading both sides of the political spectrum. However, based on a column by Mr. Bud Wright in the March 29 edition regarding teacher tenure, I believe you do many other columnists a disservice by listing him as a columnist.

OHIO

Charter School Under Scrutiny
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, April 4, 2013
So many financial and student records are missing from the now shuttered International College Preparatory Academy in Bond Hill that Ohio State Auditor Dave Yost says he questions how nearly $1 million in federal funds was spent in the school’s final full year in 2008.

PENNSYLVANIA

Ex-Charter Official Testifies On School’s Shortcomings
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 5, 2013
During a hearing to determine whether Truebright deserves to have its charter renewed, Susan Farley-Ellison detailed the North Philadelphia school’s academic shortcomings.

TENNESSEE

For-Profit Charters Won’t Give Up
Nashville Public Radio, TN, April 4, 2013
An effort to lift the ban on for-profit companies running charter schools in Tennessee has been resurrected in a legislative Hail Mary. The change in law has been tacked onto a bill of minor tweaks to charter school regulations.

Tennessee School-Voucher Bill Failure Pinned On Germantown’s Kelsey
Commercial Appeal, TN, April 4, 2013
There was finger-pointing Thursday about who’s responsible for the likely death of Tennessee school voucher legislation for this year.

Campfield’s Bill Silent On Students Above Poverty Line
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, April 5, 2013
Take, for example, the proposal (SB132) by state Sen. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, to reduce the welfare benefits of low-income families if their children do not perform well in school.

TEXAS

Vouchers Dealth Big Blow In Texas House Budget Vote
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, TX, April 5, 2013
A new Texas budget inched toward passage late Thursday in the House, where Republicans and Democrats during a marathon debate brokered deals to defuse volatile ideological battles and stifled tea party newcomers still craving influence.

WASHINGTON

GOP Irked As Gov. Inslee Shifts Stance On Grading Schools
Seattle Times, WA, April 4, 2013
Gov. Jay Inslee told Republican lawmakers this week he thinks their proposal to grade schools A-F needs further study, a blow to a concept Inslee fully embraced during the campaign.

WISCONSIN

Expand Charter Schools
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, April 4, 2013
The proposed expansion of independent charter schools in Assembly Bill 40 to communities such as Green Bay and Madison has the potential to throw open the doors of opportunity for children trapped in struggling schools.

ONLINE LEARNING

Penn. Family Group Warns Homeschooling Families May Be Subject to Investigation Under Proposed Bill
Christian News Network, April 4, 2013
A pro-family organization in Pennsylvania is expressing concern over a proposed bill that would require an investigation into homeschooling families in certain situations.

House Sends Digital Ed, Charter School Overhaul And Parent Trigger To Senate
WFSU, FL, April 4, 2013
The Florida House has signed off on proposals giving kids more access to online courses and charter schools, while cracking down on charter abuses and paving the way for parents to have a greater say in the fate of failing public schools.