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NATIONAL COVERAGE

Biggest Study Ever Says KIPP Gains Substantial
Washington Post Blog, DC, February 27, 2013
KIPP, previously known as the Knowledge Is Power Program, has had more success than any other large educational organization in raising the achievement of low-income students, both nationally and in the District. But many good educators, burned by similarly hopeful stories in the past, have wondered whether KIPP were for real.

KIPP Students Show Major Improvement, Study Finds
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 27, 2013
A Princeton-based research firm’s analysis of the KIPP national network of charter schools found KIPP middle-school students made substantial gains in core subjects over a three-year span.

Choice In Education
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 27, 2013
America’s public schools have played a role in reducing inequality and increasing the bonds between people of diverse backgrounds.

Colo. Democrat Visits Miss. To Offer Insights On Charter Schools
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, February 27, 2013
Peter Groff is likely a name few have heard, but back in Colorado he was one of the state’s leaders for education reform. The former Colorado lawmaker was a strong voice for school choice, equitable funding and providing more freedom for individual districts and schools.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Deasy Group Aids 3 School Board Candidates
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 26, 2013
A coalition that wants to bolster support for the L.A. schools superintendent has raised more than $3.2 million on behalf of its preferred candidates. Teachers oppose two of them.

Short-Sited: How Horizon Charter School’s $800,000 Investment Went Wrong
Auburn Journal, CA, February 27, 2013
But this blemish on one of the state’s longest running charter schools, one of the largest nonprofits in Placer County – its $19 million revenue stream funded by more than 99 percent of public money – is still fresh in the minds of some parents and teachers who invested themselves in one of Horizon’s more popular programs.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Board Votes To Allow California Nonprofit To Open Up To 8 DC Charter Schools By 2019
Washington Post, DC, February 27, 2013
A Washington charter school board has voted to allow a California nonprofit to open up to eight charter schools in the district.

D.C. Clamps Down On Low-Performing Charter Schools, Approves Rocketship
Washington Post, DC, February 26, 2013
One struggling D.C. charter school will shrink at the end of this academic year, another will be acquired by a high-performing school and a third will close if it fails to show improvement over the next several months, the D.C. Public Charter School Board decided Monday.

FLORIDA

Somerset Parents, Neighbors Unhappy With School’s Plans To Move Campus To Kendall
Miami Herald, FL, February 26, 2013
Somerset Academy is drawing the ire of both parents and neighbors in Coral Gables and Kendall as it expands its charter school empire.

IDAHO

Things To Think About Before Starting A Charter School
Magic Valley Times-News, ID, February 27, 2013
Charter schools are an interesting idea. They form because a dedicated group of parents and teachers decide that a certain model of education is worth exploring. From the moment they open their doors, they benefit from something typical public schools lack: automatic parent and student buy-in. They are blessed with students who chose to attend the school and teachers who believe in the mission.

Committee Advances Charter School Funding Bill
Idaho Statesman, ID, February 26, 2013
Idaho charter schools would be eligible for state funding to cover a portion of their facilities and maintenance costs under a bill advanced by the House Education committee.

ILLINOIS

Measuring Up: How Should A Charter School’s Success Be Measured?
Medill Reports: Chicago, February 26, 2013
Walk through Auburn Gresham just north of the Dan Ryan Woods and you’ll find a striking building that looks as if it was imported from Rome a century or so ago – four columns facing 80th Street.

INDIANA

New Charter Met With Opposition At Meeting
The Journal Gazette, IN, February 27, 2013
Officials from a charter school hoping to locate south of downtown were met with hostility Tuesday during a public hearing.

Fort Wayne Needs To Move ‘Debate’ About Charter Schools To More Productive Area
News-Sentinel, IN, February 27, 2013
Fort Wayne Community Schools board president Mark GiaQuinta asked, during his time to speak during a public meeting about a potential charter school that would be located on the former campus of Taylor University, that the Indiana Charter Schools Board delay its potential authorization vote scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday.

KANSAS

Committee Rejects Plan To Hold Back Third-Graders
Topeka Capital-Journal, KS, February 26, 2013
Two Topeka legislators joined four colleagues on the Senate Education Committee in rejecting Gov. Sam Brownback’s plan to hold back third-graders who struggle with reading.

KENTUCKY

Persistently Low-Acheiving Schools Could Become Charters Under Kentucky Senate Bill
WKYU, KY, February 26, 2013
Kentucky’s persistently low-achieving schools would be able to become charter schools to improve performance and test scores under a bill discussed Tuesday in the state Senate Education Committee.

MASSACHUSETTTS

Charter Schools See Big Surge In Mass.
Boston Globe, MA, February 27, 2013
State education officials this week approved five new charter schools and expansion of 11 existing schools, extending an enrollment surge since the state passed a landmark education ¬reform bill in 2010.

State Approves Controversial Charter School
Salem News, MA, February 27, 2013
The state education board yesterday approved a controversial new charter school in Saugus whose district will include Salem, Peabody, Danvers and Lynn.

MICHIGAN

Grading Detroit Schools: Volunteers Make Mark On Classrooms
Detroit News, MI, February 27, 2013
Wells was leading a team of reviewers from Excellent Schools Detroit, a coalition of Detroit’s education and community leaders that has developed a citywide education plan for all Detroit children to be in “excellent” schools by 2020.

NEVADA

Fixing Teacher Evaluations Key
Reno Gazette-Journal, NV, February 27, 2013
Every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves to be treated like a professional. To realize these goals in Clark County, we have to do more to support our teachers. The first step is implementing a useful teacher evaluation system — one that gives teachers clear expectations, regular feedback, chances for professional growth and recognition of exceptional work.

NEW JERSEY

NJ Pilot Program Would Offer Choice Of Better School
Asbury Park Press, NJ, February 27, 2013
Sidestepping the ongoing legislative battle to pass the Opportunity Scholarship Act, Gov. Chris Christie announced he would publicly fund a $2 million pilot program to offer students from failing school districts a chance to attend a better school.

Christie Won’t Give Up on School Voucher Program
NJ Spotlight, NJ, February 27, 2013
Despite coming close to being passed on occasion, a school voucher program is the one major piece of Gov. Chris Christie’s education agenda that he’s never been able to push through — unlike tenure reform, charter schools, and performance pay for teachers.

Christie Budget Includes $97M More For N.J. Schools, But Critics Warn It’s Far From Enough
The Record, NJ, February 26, 2013
But the New Jersey Education Association — the state’s largest teachers union — and other critics immediately complained that the increase was insufficient and would result in cuts to programs, staff and services at a time when schools face costly mandates for updating teacher evaluations and gearing up for new standardized tests.

NEW MEXICO

Panel To Challenge Skandera’s Authority Over Charter Schools In Court
The New Mexican, NM, February 26, 2013
The state Public Education Commission voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon to appeal Secretary of Education-designate Hanna Skandera’s recent approval of two charter schools to District Court.

NEW YORK

Union-Run School Wins Short Reprieve
Wall Street Journal, February 27, 2013
February The New York City teachers union has two years to fix academic and administrative problems in its Brooklyn charter school or it will be shut down, state officials said Tuesday.

A Charter Snowball
New York Post, NY, February 27, 2013
A whopping one-third of the children enrolled in kindergarten in Harlem these days attend charter schools — an under-appreciated yet critical fact, and perhaps the hinge upon which the future of public-school choice in New York City swings.

NORTH CAROLINA

Bill Would Have State Treat Charter Schools As Governments For Land Transactions
WRAL, NC, February 26, 2013
County governments and school districts would be able to sell or lease buildings for less than fair-market value to charter schools under a bill that cleared the Senate State and Local Government Committee Tuesday.

Superintendents Speak Out On Privatization, Grading Schools
News & Observer, NC, February 26, 2013
School superintendents oppose any plan that would use public money to support private K-12 education, and warned legislators Tuesday that privatization would set up a two-tiered education system based on class, both funded with taxpayer money.

PENNSYLVANIA

Expand Charters To Help Those In Closing Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 27, 2013
In light of the concerns raised by the announcement of school closings in the city, our colleagues at Philadelphia Charters for Excellence (PCE) want School District officials and families to know that we are here, standing by to welcome more students into our schools.

Harrisburg School Board Approves CASA Charter Application
Patriot News, PA, February 26, 2013
Right now, Harrisburg has an $11 million budget deficit and is expecting its charter school tuition payments to more than double from $6 million to $14 million next year.

Best Practices: Pittsburgh’s Schools Can Learn From Each Other
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, February 27, 2013
Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Linda Lane is a realist. The latest demonstration of her straightforward approach to leading the region’s largest public school district is her decision to hold a meeting with officials from city charter schools.

TENNESSEE

Test-Based Teacher Pay Considered
The Dickson Herald, TN, February 26, 2013
Research conducted by a new analytics team within the Tennessee Department of Education reveals that teachers with multiple degrees do no better at teaching than those with less experience and education.

Tennesseans Split On School Voucher Plan
The Tennessean, TN, February 27, 2013
Tennesseans remain split on Gov. Bill Haslam’s plan to spend state money on private schooling for poor children in failing public schools, but views differ sharply by race, according to a new poll from Middle Tennessee State University.

Democrats Push To Improve Education
The Tennessean, TN, February 26, 2013
Like many of you, we firmly believe that a first-rate system of public education is the cornerstone of a prosperous, free and just society. But we are all too aware that thousands of children in Tennessee are trapped in persistently failing schools that are part of troubled school systems.

TEXAS

GOP Leaders Of Texas House, Senate Underscore Divide In School-Voucher Debate
Dallas Morning News, TX, February 26, 2013
House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst painted a clear contrast in their stances on school choice Tuesday, with Straus warning that a school voucher bill is unlikely to pass the House.

VIRGINIA

Loudoun County Rejects Proposal For Math, IT Charter School
Washington Post, DC, February 26, 2013
Loudoun County School Board members, many of whom campaigned to expand school choice, turned down their only pending charter school application Tuesday night after months of scrutiny and a storm of allegations that the applicants have hidden ties to a Muslim preacher.

WASHINGTON

State Schools Chief Talks Charter Schools, Education Funding
Q13 FOX, WA, February 26, 2013
Charter schools were approved by voters last fall and many supporters had hoped they would start as soon as this fall. But, it’s now clear things are moving slower than planned. In fact, the first charter schools won’t open until the fall of 2014 at the earliest.

WEST VIRGINIA

Legislators Should Pass The School Reform Bill
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, February 27, 2013
As state Senate President Jeff Kessler pointed out to Mannix Porterfield of the Register-Herald in Beckley, the state has devoted 60 percent to 65 percent of its general revenue budget to education for 30 years.

WISCONSIN

Fix School Funding Rather Than Expanding Vouchers
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, February 27, 2013
Education is getting next to nothing in Gov. Scott Walker’s budget. To the governor’s credit, the budget targets extra money for some schools rather than just throwing money in the pot. Only he missed the target by pumping state money into unaccountable private voucher schools.

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

Report: Low Graduation Rates Mean Billions In Missed Income For Dropouts, State Budgets
Washington Post, DC, February 25, 2013
High school dropouts are costing some $1.8 billion in lost tax revenue every year, education advocates said in a report released Monday.

Teachers Not Gung-Ho On Guns At School
USA Today, February 26, 2013
The online survey of 10,661 teachers and administrators from all 50 states, due out Wednesday, was conducted in late January by the School Improvement Network.

FROM THE STATES

ALASKA

Three ‘Maybes’ And Two ‘Maybe Nots’
Juneau Empire, AK, February 26, 2013
The discussion on school choice or education vouchers has me wondering if, maybe, I should embrace this idea.

ARIZONA

Online Tool Shows How Proposed Performance Funding Affects AZ Schools
Capital Times, AZ, February 26, 2013
A new online tool is designed to help parents, students, teachers and school leaders around Arizona see how newly-proposed performance funding will benefit their local schools.

CALIFORNIA

Black Students’ Learning Gaps Start Early, Report Says
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 26, 2013
African American pupils are far less likely to take college prep classes and more likely to miss school because of suspensions, a group finds, calling for strong intervention.

Parents Claim Families Breaking Residency Rules To Enroll Kids In Popular Studio City School
CBS Los Angeles, CA, February 25, 2013
Some parents claim families are breaking residency rules in order to enroll their children in a popular Studio City charter school.

FLORIDA

Cape Charter Schools Asking For Lee Co. Money
NBC2 News, FL, February 25, 2013
Cape Coral Charter Schools’ top boss is asking for what he calls a “fair share” of district money. Monday night he took his case to city leaders in hopes they’ll back him.

IDAHO

Why Idaho May Be Headed For A Fight Between School Districts And Charter Schools
Boise State Public Radio, ID, February 25, 2013
Tuesday lawmakers in Idaho’s House Education Committee hear from the public and vote on a bill to give more money to charter schools.

ILLINOIS

Chicago Public Schools Under The Wire With Increasing Charter Schools
Examiner.com, February 25, 2013
During President Obama’s recent visit to Chicago he spent much time, publicly touting the ways, and even the possible means, to address the physical safety of the nation’s children, “When a child opens fire on another child, there is a hole in that child’s heart that government can’t fill.

INDIANA

FWCS Draws Line On New Charters
The Journal Gazette, IN, February 26, 2013
With one member objecting, the Fort Wayne Community Schools board Monday approved a resolution in opposition to any new charter schools planning to conduct classes within the district’s boundaries.

State’s Voucher Bill Devalues Sacrifice
The Journal Gazette, IN , February 26, 2013
The Indiana school voucher program is unfair to thousands of Hoosier parents who are getting hosed.

LOUISIANA

KIPP Leaders Track Recent 70-Student Loss
The Lens, LA, February 25, 2013
KIPP’s New Orleans enrollment has dropped by 70 students, with an estimated half of those moving out of the area and others moving to other local schools.

MAINE

LePage Voucher Plan For Low-Income Pupils Is Met With Concerns
Portland Press Herald, ME, February 26, 2013
Some lawmakers say Maine is already cutting school funding, so it doesn’t make sense to siphon off more money.

MARYLAND

Montgomery County Teachers Union Might Fight State About Evaluations
Maryland Gazette, MD, February 25, 2013
Montgomery County’s teachers union might be preparing to fight the Maryland State Department of Education regarding the department’s new requirements for teacher evaluations.

Board Members Seek Input, Expertise During Process To Open Carroll’s First Public Charter School
Carroll County Times, MD, February 26, 2013
Board members from the nonprofit Sustainable Futures, Inc. made a request for expertise at its first public meeting Monday night. The group is working on an application to open a Montessori public charter school in Carroll County, the first of its kind.

MASSACHUSETTS

Renaissance Charter School On Probation
Boston Globe, MA, February 26, 2013
State officials placed the Boston Renaissance Charter School on probation Monday, formally putting the school on notice that it must improve student academic performance or risk closure when its charter comes up for renewal in two years.

Committee Approves A Plan That Would Restrict Choice
Boston Globe, MA, February 25, 2013
After a year of deliberations, a special committee convened by the mayor proposed a new student-assignment system in Boston that would allow more children to attend school in their own neighborhoods while still allowing an element of choice.

NEBRASKA

Nebraska Education Chief Slams Charter School Bill
World-Herald, NE, February 26, 2013
Nebraska Education Commissioner Roger Breed came out swinging Monday against a bill that would allow limited charter schools to be created in Omaha.

NEW MEXICO

Dispelling Charter School Myths
Albuquerque Journal, NM, February 26, 2013
For the next couple of months in this column, I am going to focus on dispelling some of the myths about charter schools. Although charter schools have been in existence in many states for many years, and in New Mexico since 1999, they remain somewhat of a mystery to many people.

NEW YORK

City Revises Figures for Parent Involvement
Wall Street Journal, February 26, 2013
In September, it seemed that the Department of Education wasn’t living up to its promise to get parents more involved in schools: An annual statistical report from Mayor Michael Bloomberg showed steep drop-offs in the number of parents attending meetings and workshops, and administration critics said it reflected deep dissatisfaction among parents.

UFT’s Own Charter In Trouble
New York Post, NY, February 26, 2013
A charter school run solely by the city teachers union could be shut down after state education officials identified a slew of serious academic, financial and management failures.

Citing ‘Urgency,’ Georgia Governor Ousts 6 Members of DeKalb County School Board
New York Times, NY, February 26, 2013
Gov. Nathan Deal removed six members of the DeKalb County School Board on Monday, trying to save the state’s third-largest school system by exercising a relatively new power in Georgia that allows him to supersede the choice of voters.

OHIO

Panel Selects 4 State Superintendent Finalists
Columbus Dispatch, OH, February 26, 2013
A State Board of Education subcommittee yesterday named four finalists for state school superintendent.

PENNSYLVANIA

Pittsburgh Charter And City Schools To Meet
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, February 26, 2013
Pittsburgh Public Schools superintendent Linda Lane is trying to thaw the deep freeze in relations between the school district and charter schools.

Bear Creek Charter Fleshes Out Details Of Project
Times Leader, PA, February 25, 2013
It was another lengthy meeting for the Bear Creek Community Charter School board of trustees on Monday as it continued to drill down on the details of a $10 million new-school project.

Millcreek School Board Rejects Biosciences School
Erie Times-News, PA, February 26, 2013
The members of the Millcreek School Board turned down plans for a proposed new school in Millcreek Township, saying organizers did not have an adequate site and their curriculum was too similar to the Millcreek Township School District’s.

TENNESSEE

Herenton Says School Board Delaying On His Memphis Charter Requests
Commercial Appeal, TN, February 25, 2013
Former mayor Willie Herenton says the school board is purposefully dragging its feet on a decision to allow him to turn Northside High and Orleans Elementary into charter schools.

TEXAS

Not So Fast On More Charter Schools
Austin American-Statesman, TX, February 25, 2013
It was the “say what?” provision in the ambitious bill filed last week by state Sen. Dan Patrick to overhaul Texas’ charter school law: require public school districts to lease unused or underused buildings to charter operators for $1. By week’s end, Patrick, deflecting the backlash by blaming the provision on a clerical error, promised a rewrite.

Trustee: School Vouchers Hurting HCISD Funding
Valley Morning Star, TX, February 25, 2013
When the Harlingen School Board voted recently to oppose vouchers for private school attendance, they said they were trying to protect an already underfunded public school system.

School Districts Expanding Choices Of Students, Parents
Star-Telegram, TX, February 25, 2013
Public school districts are mobilizing to show that “school choice” is more than private-school vouchers and charter school startups.

Grand Prairie School-Choice Program’s Applications Double In Second Year
Dallas Morning News, TX, February 25, 2013
As Texas school funding is squeezed, districts like Grand Prairie ISD are using creative ways to address the problem by expanding educational choice.

WEST VIRGINIA

Teachers Unions Blast Tomblin School Reform Bill
Charleston Gazette, WV, February 25, 2013
West Virginia teachers union leaders swiftly denounced Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s sprawling education reform bill Monday, saying the legislation punishes teachers and does little to raise student achievement.

ONLINE LEARNING

Hill Recognized For Support Of Online Learning
Redmond Reporter, WA, February 25, 2013
Members of Washington state’s Digital Public Schools Alliance, who gathered at the state Capitol to lobby on behalf of online public schools, honored state Sen. Andy Hill with their “Pioneer Award” for his work on behalf of digital schools.

‘Flipped’ Classroom Boosts Achievement In St. Charles County Schools
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, February 25, 2013
Not many days will you find April Burton lecturing to her French classroom at Francis Howell Central High School. Instead, she gives students lessons at home, via videos posted online.

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.

Capitol Hill Education Consultant Helps Parents Navigate D.C. School Choice
Washington Post, DC, February 24, 2013
When Capitol Hill mom E.V. Downey went into business as an education consultant, she thought she’d cater to parents angling for advice on admission to private schools.

Ms. Rhee Is Tied to the Wrong Party
Wall Street Journal, February 24, 2013
Regarding Naomi Schaefer Riley’s review of Michelle Rhee’s “Radical” (Bookshelf, Feb. 19): Michelle Rhee is to be commended on her efforts to right the wrongs of our nation’s failing school system, but her largest impediment to ultimate success is her inability to make a clean break from the Democratic Party that she is so at odds with.

FROM THE STATES

ALASKA

Alaska School ‘Choice’ Amendment Is Legislative Malpractice
Alaska Dispatch, AK, February 24, 2013
Apparently before any real conversation is allowed on the flow of public money to private and religious education, the case is closed.

CALIFORNIA

Bloomberg’s Meddling In L.A. Unified Races Is Paying For Junk Ads
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 23, 2013
The wealthy New York mayor’s $1-million contribution to the Coalition for School Reform is helping fund attack ads in L.A. that distort the truth and misinform voters.

Bill Would Open The Door To Undergraduate Teaching Credentials
Ed Source, CA, February 25, 2013
For the first time in decades, aspiring teachers in California would be able to major in education as undergraduates and get both a preliminary teaching credential and a baccalaureate degree in four years if a bill in the Legislature becomes law.

COLORADO

Charter School: What Is It Really?
Reporter Herald, CO, February 23, 2013
Colorado, more than 80,000 students are enrolled in the state’s 190 charter school campuses this school year.

FLORIDA

Remedial Lessons On Charter School Expansion In Florida
Tampa Bay Times, FL, February 23, 2013
Theoretically, the role of a state legislator is simple. You are in Tallahassee to look out for the people back home. Special interest groups, lobbyists, political parties? In a perfect world, that’s just drama and noise.

Parent Trigger Bill Not Needed if Parents Got Involved in Schools
News Chief, FL, February 24, 2013
Sometimes a really nice person comes up with a really crazy idea. Such is the case of one state senator, Kelly Stargel, [R-Lakeland], and her idea of the Parent Trigger bill. This concept in effect believes that the parents of a child attending a school that receives a grade of F for two straight years is able to have a say in the specific turnaround option for that school. What?

County Issues $10.5 Million In Bonds For Charter School
Palm Beach Post, FL, February 25, 2013
Palm Beach County has pledged to help a nonprofit charter school sell $10.5 million in mostly tax-exempt bonds so it can open a new campus in Juno Beach — a move that has upset County Commissioner Paulette Burdick, who questions whether the county should aid privately run charters that pull students away from the public school district.

Cape Coral Charter Schools: Send Money
News-Press, FL, February 25, 2013
Cape Coral charter school parents have been sending emails to Lee County school board members for an urgent need: more money.

GEORGIA

Parents Pitch Charter School For Languages
Forsyth News, GA, February 25, 2013
A group hoping to launch a multi-language charter school in Forsyth County is holding a town hall meeting Tuesday night at Fowler Park.

ILLINOIS

CPS Countdown
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 25, 2013
Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and her staff have taken an earful from concerned — OK, irate — parents, teachers, students and community leaders across the city. At public meeting after meeting on school closures, there has been emotional testimony about why a particular half-empty school should not be closed. Why students didn’t get a fair break. Why it would be dangerous to move kids. And so on.

School Closings: Combining CPS Schools Could Pose Security Challenge
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 25, 2013
When KIPP charter school was given space inside Penn elementary in North Lawndale nearly four years ago, charter students were bused from all over the West Side to a school in the heart of the “Holy City,” home turf of the Vice Lords street gang.

UNO Charter Schools Backers Support House Speaker Madigan With Campaign Cash
Chicago Sun Times, IL, February 25, 2013
Illinois House Speaker and state Democratic Party leader Michael Madigan — long a friend to Chicago’s United Neighborhood Organization — had a campaign fund-raiser last Oct. 30 hosted by the influential group’s chief executive, Juan Rangel, and its lobbyist, attorney Victor Reyes.

MASSACHUSETTS

Everett School Serves All And Isn’t Guided By Any Religious Network
Boston Globe, MA, February 25, 2013
THE GLOBE’S article (“Turkish charter schools growing,” Metro, Feb. 21) created inferences about the Pioneer Charter School of Science that are without merit.

Charter School Proposal Passed Over By State
Boston Globe, MA, February 23, 2013
A proposal to build a charter school in Brockton has failed to make the short list being recommended to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for approval on Tuesday.

MICHIGAN

EMU Official Criticizes Report Ranking Charter School Authorizers; State Official Calls For More Oversight
Ypsilanti Reporter, MI, February 25, 2013
The president of the Michigan State Board of Education is calling for more oversight of charter schools after a report said Eastern Michigan University-authorized charter schools are the second-worst performing in the state.

NEVADA

Audit Finds Suspicious Spending at Quest Academy
Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV, February 24, 2013
Quest Academy has cleaned house after substantiating complaints of corruption by those at the charter school’s helm, but the punishment could continue for recently fired Principal Connie Jordan.

A Missed Opportunity For State’s Schools
Las Vegas Sun, NV, February 24, 2013
On Monday, education advocates and activists from across the state will meet at the Legislature for Education Awareness Day. Organized by the Nevada Education Coalition, the day is branded as a chance to bring attention to the idea that “a great education for all is the most effective means of ensuring equal opportunities for everyone.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Charter Schools, Vouchers Financially Linked by Gov. Hassan
Portsmouth Herald, NH, February 25, 2013
When it comes to education policy in New Hampshire, little is cut and dry and there is no shortage of interconnected budget complications.

NEW YORK

Silver Calls for Reversing Cuomo’s Cut in School Aid
New York Times, NY, February 25, 2013
In a rebuke to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s plan to withhold $260 million in school aid from New York City because it missed a deadline to finalize a system to evaluate teachers, the Legislature’s top Democrat said on Sunday that he would push to restore the money.

Better Charter Schools in New York City
New York Times, NY, February 23, 2013
From a national standpoint, the 20-year-old charter school movement has been a disappointment. More than a third of these independently run, publicly funded schools are actually worse than the traditional public schools they were meant to replace.

NORTH CAROLINA

Wake Commissioners Bid For School Ownership Heads To Legislature
News & Observer, NC, February 25, 2013
A push by the Wake County Board of Commissioners to take over school ownership and construction from the county school board will make its way to the state Capitol on Monday when county representatives meet with potential sponsors, including state Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam.

Legislature Focused On Education Reform
Winston-Salem-Journal, NC, February 25, 2013
Just one month into its general session, North Carolina’s state legislature has already proposed more than 30 bills related to education.

OHIO

Catching Charter-School Cheaters
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, February 23, 2013
Recent criminal charges filed against officials at Cleveland’s Lion of Judah Academy charter school for allegedly shifting $1.2 million in federal and state money to a personal business suggest Ohio’s monitoring of charter-school cheaters is as leaky as ever.

PENNSYLVANIA

Proposed West Easton School Lacks Defined Partners
The Morning Call, PA, February 25, 2013
When the founders of the first charter school proposed in the Wilson Area School District started searching for partners with an entrepreneurial spirit, they didn’t need to look far to find Tony D’Angelo.

Status Quo Can’t Continue
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 25, 2013
WE ALREADY know what will happen to the School District of Philadelphia if no school closures happen this year.

Nine More Philadelphia School Face Overhauls Or Conversion To Charter Status
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 24, 2013
Three more low-performing city schools will be given to charter school operators in the fall, and six more will be overhauled under Philadelphia School District management, officials said Friday.

Listen And Change
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, February 25, 2013
Regarding the Feb. 19 article “Wilkinsburg School Board Discusses Borrowing $3 Million to Maintain Cash Flow,” it’s unfortunate that some school district officials chose to blame charter schools for their own mismanagement.

Pennsylvania Invests In Training School Administrators
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, February 23, 2013
A new state law requires that public school teachers be evaluated based on uniform standards, so the Department of Education is spending about $2 million to use an online system to train and assess administrators who would do so.

TENNESSEE

California-Based Charter School System Works To Win Over Parents Ahead Of Memphis Opening
Commercial Appeal, TN, February 24, 2013
Game night Friday was a church carnival collection of photo booth, sack races, musical chairs and treats in the cavernous Hanley Elementary. Children frolicked between stations, then turned their tickets in for prizes. Winners got purple Hanley ASD T-shirts. The rest got school supplies.

Capitol Hill Conversation – Voucher Time
Nashville Public Radio, TN, February 25, 2013
Governor Bill Haslam vaguely referenced school vouchers in his State of the State speech last month, and now his limited proposal is up for debate in the legislature. Committees begin their work on the bill this week.

Does More Choice Absolve Our Responsibility?
The Tennessean, TN, February 24, 2013
The Tennessee legislature is considering the latest in our fad cures: vouchers for families to spend tax dollars at an educational institution of their choice, and also an end run around the local school boards that have not embraced the full measure of what charter schools can do for us.

UTAH

Lawmakers Tackle Utah’s Large Class Sizes
Salt Lake Tribune, UT, February 25, 2013
Proposal » With no new funds, schools fear smaller K-3 class sizes would result in sacrifices elsewhere.

VIRGINIA

Va. Budget Funds State Takeovers Of Failing Schools
Virginian-Pilot, VA, February 24, 2013
The state budget adopted Saturday by the General Assembly includes start-up money for a new state entity that would be empowered to take over failing local schools – potentially including three in Norfolk.

WASHINGTON

Activists, Teachers Apply For Charter Schools Panel
The Columbian, WA, February 24, 2013
Education activists, teachers, lawyers, a PTA leader and a woman who used to work with charter schools in California are among the applicants to the new state commission that is expected to approve some of Washington’s first charter schools.

WISCONSIN

Scott Walker’s Budget Proposal Could Increase Charter School Growth
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, February 23, 2013
Just what is a charter school? That’s the question I get most often when I talk to people in the general public. It’s a good question. What’s going on with charter schools around here is both important and tough to grasp.

Vouchers Provide Important Choice
La Crosse Tribune, WI, February 25, 2013
In Thursday’s Tribune, there were articles from Sen. Jennifer Shilling and Rep. Jill Billings complaining about the state’s school voucher program.

Some Approve Of School Choice
Beloit Daily News, WI, February 23, 2013
Not surprisingly some parents whose children attend Rock County Christian School are in strong support of school choice, and not just for academic reasons.

WYOMING

In Wyoming, A Bare-Knuckle Fight For Control Of Education
WTAQ, WY, February 24, 2013
Thinly populated Wyoming is embroiled in debate over how to manage a school system that has achieved only moderate gains in test scores despite having one of the top five highest rates of education spending in the nation.

ONLINE LEARNING

Disputes Editorial, Defends Charter Schools
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA, February 24, 2013
The Feb. 17 editorial, “Cyber schools and charter schools hurt local districts,” presents misperceptions on public charter schools in Pennsylvania.

Cyber School Plans Teaching Center In Dickson City
Scranton Times-Tribune, PA, February 25, 2013
Cyber charter school students will soon be able to leave their computer and go to a dedicated space for club meetings, science experiments and tutoring.

Online Education Creates Another Option For Students
Midland Daily News, MI, February 24, 2013
Although virtual coursework is nothing new in Midland County, the offerings have recently provided expanded opportunities for students across districts.

New ‘Flipped Classroom’ Learning Model Catching On In Wisconsin Schools
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, February 25, 2013
On a typical school night, while most chemistry students are solving homework problems, Verona High School junior Alison Ford is watching her teacher lecture on her iPod Touch.

Virtual Learning Will Open Doors
Albuquerque Journal, NM, February 24, 2013
Mexico families deserve the opportunity to choose virtual public education options for their children that are available to families in 30 other states.

Digital Learning Has Arrived For Bay Area Students, Teachers
San Jose Mercury News, CA, February 24, 2013
As politicians and academics debate the future of higher education, it is already happening — in dorm rooms, off-campus apartments and living rooms around the world.

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

Test Scores of Hispanics Vary Widely Across 5 Most Populous States, Analysis Shows
New York Times, NY, February 22, 2013
Of all the changes sweeping through the American public education system, one of the most significant is simply demographic: the growing population of Hispanic students.

Education Secretary Decries Sequestration
USA Today, February 21, 2013
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan came out swinging Thursday, directing his harshest words at congressional lawmakers before what he calls “increasingly likely” mandatory spending cuts for “real kids, real teachers and real classrooms” from sequestration this March.

Charter Schools, Through The Prism Of Economics
Detroit News, MI, February 22, 2013
How long would an organization stay in business if it continually produced a product that failed to meet standards of quality? For too long has our nation’s educational system been insulated from competition and has stagnated, failing our most marginalized children.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Charter School’s Appeal Rejected
Merced Sun-Star, CA, February 22, 2013
Almond Grove Charter School proponents are pondering their next move. Earlier this week, the Merced County Board of Education denied an appeal of a plan previously rejected by McSwain trustees to allow a charter school in their area.

Most Closed Schools Don’t Stay That Way For Long
Sacramento Bee, CA, February 21, 2013
If the Sacramento City Unified school board votes to close 10 schools tonight, chances are many will reopen soon as specialty or charter schools.

COLORADO

Charter School Wants ‘Fair Share’ Of Mill Levy Override Money
9 News, CO, February 21, 2013
When Principal Jay Cerny was asked by Cherry Creek School District leaders to support the passage of a $25 million mill levy last fall, he says he thought his school would receive more funding if successful. The measure passed. The money didn’t come.

CONNECTICUT

New Haven Charter Panel Urged Not To Endorse Elected School Board
New Haven Register, CT, February 21, 2013
One of the largest and most dividing proposed changes put forth in public hearings is to elect members to the Board of Education. They are currently appointed by the mayor. The mayor also serves as a member on the Board of Education.

DELAWARE

State Monitors Flunk Pencader, Revoke School’s Charter
News Journal, DE, February 22, 2013
Although parents and students had urged state officials to give them one more chance, the state Board of Education voted unanimously Thursday to close Pencader Business and Finance Charter School.

FLORIDA

Decision In T-U Lawsuit Over Teacher Evaluations At Least Two Weeks Away
Florida Times Union, FL, February 21, 2013
The judge hearing The Florida Times-Union’s lawsuit to obtain the state’s controversial value-added teacher performance data won’t make a decision for at least two weeks.

Somerset Kindergartners in Coral Gables in Limbo for Next School Year
Miami Herald, FL, February 21, 2013
A month into the school year, when Somerset Academy Gables called to say a coveted seat had opened up, Jorge Guerra pulled his 5-year-old son George out of South Miami K-8 Center and placed him in the charter school’s kindergarten campus.

Two Florida Civil Rights Groups Oppose Parent Trigger Bill
State Impact, FL, February 21, 2013
Two civil right groups have teamed up to write resolutions against the proposed Parent Empowerment in Education bill in Florida.

IDAHO

Charter School Funding Bill Introduced
Magic Valley Times News, ID, February 22, 2013
Idaho charter schools would be eligible for state funding to help pay for building improvements and operations under a bill making its way through the House.

Don’t Look At Them As ‘Education’ Bills
Coeur d’Alene Press, ID, February 22, 2013
When Idaho voters roundly rejected Propositions 1, 2 and 3 – Superintendent Tom Luna’s “Students Come First” education reforms – it was a stinging blow to both Luna and Gov. Butch Otter. After having their proverbial hats handed to them, both promised to start over and gather professionals from a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives to craft a plan to improve K-12 education in Idaho that would have broad support.

ILLINOIS

New Schools Meet Old School Cronyism …
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 22, 2013
The United Neighborhood Organization runs some of the more innovative and effective charter schools in Chicago. UNO schools offer students, many from working-class Hispanic families, a choice, an alternative to lackluster neighborhood schools.

Chicago Public Schools Proposes Closing 2 Charter High Schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 21, 2013
Chicago Public Schools officials will recommend that two charter high schools be closed this year because of poor performance, officials said Thursday.

INDIANA

Failing Grade For The State’s New Grading System
News-Sentinel, IN, February 22, 2013
What a difference a year makes. Gov. Mitch Daniels and Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett are gone, and the reforms they pushed through aren’t safe even with their fellow Republicans having a supermajority in both the House and Senate.

Mayoral Charter Fees Are Fair, Says Councilman
Indianapolis Recorder, IN, February 21, 2013
In his Feb. 15 opinion piece, Abdul-Hakim Shabazz criticized my recent proposal for the Indianapolis mayor to collect a nominal administrative fee from charter schools he authorizes. Unfortunately, he omitted some very important information.

Schools Chief To Keep Voucher Power
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, February 22, 2013
GOP House Speaker Brian Bosma killed a bill Thursday that would have cut the Democratic superintendent of public instruction out of the state voucher program.

Voucher Squabble Doing Disservice To Hoosier Families
Evansville Courier Press, IN, February 22, 2013
The Indiana House Education Committee voted along party lines on Wednesday 7-4 to take oversight of the state voucher program away from the state’s new superintendent of public instruction, Democrat Glenda Ritz, and turn it over to the state’s Office of Management and Budget, which is controlled by Republican Gov. Mike Pence.

LOUISIANA

Lawmaker, Union Blast Education Changes
The Advocate, LA, February 22, 2013
State lawmakers should substitute teach for at least 40 hours a year in a school rated a “C” or lower to understand the plight of classroom teachers amid sweeping state educational reforms, a state representative said Thursday.

MASSACHUSETTS

Boston Charter School Faces Probation
Boston Globe, MA, February 22, 2013
One of Boston’s oldest and largest charter schools is facing possible probation because of declining academic achievement, a rarely ¬imposed sanction that could lead to the school’s closing.

MONTANA

Changes Could Derail School Bill
Great Falls Tribune, MT, February 21, 2013
Proposed last-minute amendments to an education funding bill by state Sen. Llew Jones, R-Conrad, before it hits the Senate floor today or Saturday could mean the death of a bill that has received broad bipartisan support early in Montana’s legislative session.

NEW JERSEY

Majority of NJ Schools Opt for Widely Used Teacher-Evaluation Method
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, February 22, 2013
As New Jersey public schools get ready for next school year’s newly mandated teacher-evaluation system, a majority of them are opting to use a system created by a Princeton-based firm.

Fort Lee Board of Education Objects to Charter Schools
Fort Lee Suburbanite, NJ, February 22, 2013
Prompted by years of parental prodding, the Board of Education agreed Feb. 11 to draft a resolution that would formally object to the formation of charter schools in Fort Lee.

NEW YORK

Judge Blocks Cuomo Cuts for Schools
Wall Street Journal, February 22, 2013
A judge temporarily blocked Gov. Andrew Cuomo from withholding $260 million in state aid from New York City, saying students shouldn’t be punished for the failure of the city and its teachers union to reach a deal on a new evaluation system.

Schools Fix Is In
New York Post, NY, February 22, 2013
So now it’s up to state Education Commissioner John King and his band of Albany bureaucrats to chum up an effective New York City teacher-evaluation system?

Brownsville Academy Co-Location Plan Withdrawn
News 12 Brooklyn, NY, February 21, 2013
The Department of Education (DOE) has withdrawn its plans to co-locate a charter school with another charter school, after months of fighting between the school and the DOE.

NORTH CAROLINA

Study Up on School Choice
Carolina Journal, NC, February 22, 2013
North Carolina conservatives have embraced parental choice and competition as indispensable elements of education reform for decades. Now that conservatives are in the majority in state government, you can expect more proposals to expand choice and competition as part of a larger reform strategy that includes higher academic standards, rigorous testing, and greater autonomy for local schools and districts to hire, retain, and compensate educators on the basis of performance.

OHIO

Ohio Federation Of Teachers Members Take Concerns About Teacher Evaluations To State Legislators
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, February 21, 2013
Members of the Ohio Federation of Teachers fanned out across the offices of state legislators today to air their concerns about new teacher evaluations and other changes in Gov. John Kasich’s proposed budget.

Charter School Opposition Flawed
Tribune Chronicle, OH, February 22, 2013
I found the recent article about the League of Women Voters forum on the costs of charter schools interesting but was disappointed that while the forum included those against charter schools, it did not include charter school proponents or parents who have chosen charter schools. The public really needs to hear all the facts before coming to a conclusion that charter schools are negative for our community.

PENNSYLVANIA

Harrisburg School District Expenses Could Grow To $180 Million
Patriot News, PA, February 22, 2013
And it means a student body down by 762, or 11 percent, in traditional classrooms citywide as 1,099 more opt to attend charter schools.

Boarding School Group Will Bring Charter Back To Erie School Board
Erie Times-News, PA, February 22, 2013
Bishop Dwane Brock’s proposed Eagle’s Nest College Preparatory Charter School was unanimously voted down by the Erie School Board Wednesday, but Brock is still optimistic his school will open in the fall.

Protesters Interrupt A Meeting To Decry Proposed Philadelphia School Closings
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 22, 2013
As the march toward the largest mass school closing in Philadelphia history continues, the voices of detractors grow louder.

TEXAS

Patrick’s Bill Could Improve Charter Schools
Dallas Morning News, TX, February 21, 2013
Let’s make this clear at the outset: There’s no magic formula for raising the achievement levels of Texas’ 5 million students, but state legislators and school districts can take various steps to give young Texans greater opportunities for a better education. One way is providing enough high-performing charter schools.

Charter School Proposal Is Being Studied
San Antonio Express, TX, February 21, 2013
Lawmakers heard hours of testimony Thursday on a bill to expand the charter school system that was introduced this week by the Senate Education Committee chairman, Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston.

Education Is Under Attack In Our State
El Pasco Times, TX, February 22, 2013
On Saturday, Texans will march down Austin’s Congress Avenue converging upon the State Capitol to advocate in the Save Texas Schools Rally.

WISCONSIN

State Superintendent Opposes Walker’s School Voucher Plan
WTAQ, WI, February 22, 2013
The state superintendent of schools says Governor Walker’s proposal to expand a voucher program needs to be reined in.

ONLINE LEARNING

West Aurora Questions Plan For Online Charter School
The Beacon-News, IL, February 21, 2013
An online charter school based in St. Charles has approached several area school district’s about the program it plans to launch in the fall.