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Maryland Still Isn’t Number One

January 10, 2013 By

January 10, 2013

This year’s report from an education news publisher ranks Maryland as number one yet again , and yet again we feel like screaming at the top of our lungs “Wake Up, Maryland! Your schools aren’t No.1!”

In the “Wake Up!” piece, CER President Jeanne Allen points out how the ratings that put Maryland at No. 1 are based on inputs, like funding, and fail to consider student outputs. Last year, the Nation’s Report card “revealed that average proficiency is only 50 percent in math and reading — hardly an achievement.”

Not only that, but “even the federal government knows Maryland isn’t No. 1. Last [year], the state’s application for charter school funding was rejected because its law is not strong enough.”

Maryland’s ranking on the Parent Power Index, which rates states based on cumulative progress on all reforms and lets parents know how much power they have when it comes to their child’s education, is 38 out of the 50 states and DC — hardly near the top!

Until we start thinking in terms of outputs, as today’s Wall Street Journal piece on grading schools addresses, parents and lawmakers will continue to go on believing that their schools are just fine, when the reality is that schools and the system at large could be doing so much more for our kids.

Filed Under: Commentary, Edspresso

Daily Headlines for January 10, 2013

January 10, 2013 By

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

NATIONAL COVERAGE

Schools Get Taste of Own Medicine
Wall Street Journal, January 10, 2013
Schools long have graded students. Now they are being graded themselves, as a growing number of states assign them A-to-F scores to evaluate their performance.

FROM THE STATES

ARIZONA

Charter Schools Want Purchasing Policies To Stand
Arizona Republic, AZ, January 10, 2013
The Arizona State Board for Charter Schools will not change its school procurement policies after school officials told the board Wednesday that they like having more flexibility than district schools when making purchases.

CALIFORNIA

Charter School Advocacy Group Endorse LAUSD School Board Candidates
KPCC, CA, January 9, 2013
The Coalition for School Reform –an advocate for charter schools– has picked its horses in the three Los Angeles Unified school board races. It’s placing its bets on Monica Garcia in District 2, Kate Anderson in District 4, and Antonio Sanchez in District 6.

CONNECTICUT

Schools Sought in Bridgeport, Stamford, Danbury
CT Post, CT, January 9, 2013
Two Bridgeport ministers, including one who serves on the city’s school board, are among two dozen people interested in running state-funded charter schools.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. Charter Board Proposes Closing Imagine Southeast For Poor Performance
Washington Post Blog, DC, January 9, 2013
The D.C. Public Charter School Board is proposing to shutter a Ward 8 school for poor performance and will vote on the measure Thursday night.

GEORGIA

Gainesville School Board Mulls Proposal To Join Charter Systems Group
Gainesville Times, GA, January 10, 2013
A group headed by a former state lawmaker is attempting to rally charter school systems throughout the state to band together under one flag to share ideas and petition legislators.

INDIANA

Bill Would Expand School Vouchers
Post Tribune, IN, January 9, 2013
A bill proposed in the state Senate would make it easier for the siblings of a student attending private school through a voucher system to be approved for a voucher as well.

Might Let The Courts Finish First On Gay Marriage, School Vouchers
Journal and Courier, IN, January 10, 2013
Some legislators seem determined to press forward on two controversial issues — a gay marriage ban and Indiana’s school voucher program — even as the high courts weigh matters that could change the landscape on both.

KANSAS

Education Deans, KSDE To Meet On Teacher Prep Programs
Kansas City Kansan, KS, January 10, 2013
Officials at the Kansas State Department of Education will meet in March with deans from various schools of education to discuss a recent report calling for big changes in the way colleges prepare new teachers for entering the profession.

KENTUCKY

Kentucky Charter School Bill Returns To Legislature, Unlikely To Pass In 2013
Louisville Courier-Journal, KY, January 10, 2013
A scaled-down version of a controversial bill to allow charter schools in Kentucky is returning to the General Assembly this year, but supporters and opponents say it has little chance of winning approval in the House.

LOUISIANA

School Choice Offers Quality Education To Poor
Opelousas Daily World, LA, January 10, 2013
Politicians are quick to talk about equal opportunity — especially when it comes to our children.

MAINE

LePage To Charter School Commission Members: ‘Please Go Away’
Bangor Daily News, ME, January 10, 2013
Gov. Paul LePage on Wednesday called on the members of Maine’s charter school commission to resign, a day after the seven-member panel rejected four out of five applications for new charter schools.

Paths Forward Tough For Both Winners And Losers In Charter School Decisions
Bangor Daily News, ME, January 10, 2013
Concerns that a state commission’s rejection of four out of five charter school applications Tuesday would have a chilling effect on future applications already has proven true for at least one would-be charter school.

MARYLAND

Maryland Schools Rank No. 1 For Fifth Year In A Row
The Baltimore Sun, MD, January 10, 2013
For the fifth year in a row, Maryland has the best public school system in America, according to rankings published Thursday by a leading education publication that gave the state high marks for post-graduation outcomes, state funding levels and overall student achievement.

St. Mary’s, Calvert School Unions Push Legislators For Answers
Southern Maryland Newspaper, MD, January 9, 2013
Top on the list of concerns from the St. Mary’s and Calvert education unions was adequate funding for schools, addressing whether to require teachers to join unions, and the impact of shifting a part of the state’s share of teacher pensions to county governments.

MASSACHUSETTS

Charter Kids, Parents Deserved Better Than Sudden Shutdown
Gloucester Daily Times, MA, January 10, 2013
Wednesday’s final collapse — and that’s just what it was — of the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School rings down a painful and shameful final curtain on a three-year venture aimed at helping many students and their families find educational success where many had not in the past.

MICHIGAN

Michigan AG Wants Detroit School Board Ouster Today
Detroit News, MI, January 10, 2013
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette is continuing his quest to unseat seven members of the Detroit Board of Education and plans to persuade a judge to order their removal today.

Jackson’s daVinci Institute Charter School Rated an Academic State Champion by Bridge Magazine
Jackson Citizen Patriot, MI, January 10, 2013
A Jackson charter school with its fair share of economically struggling students is an “Academic State Champ,” according to a study done by Bridge Magazine.

MISSISSIPPI

Fast Push Eyed For Charter Schools
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, January 10, 2013
The House Education Committee is ground zero for charter schools and other key legislation this year, and dozens of education advocates, lobbyists and lawmakers anxiously packed like sardines into a small committee room for the panel’s first meeting of 2013.

Advocate: Focus On Teacher Training
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, January 10, 2013
Despite the heavy focus on charter schools this legislative session, the head of one of the state’s largest education advocacy groups is pushing for more focused reforms that would reach more students.

NEVADA

Nevada Democrats Announce Education Agenda
Mohave Daily News, NV, January 10, 2013
Nevada Democrats unveiled their education priorities for the upcoming legislative session Wednesday, calling for early development programs for at-risk students and expansion of all-day kindergarten.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Suit Challenges School Tax Credit
Nashua Telegraph, NH, January 10, 2013
Calling it a “backdoor voucher,” three civil liberties groups claim a new education tax credit violates the state constitution and should be struck down.

NORTH CAROLINA

State Sees 154 Proposals For New Charter Schools
Huntersville Herald, NC, January 13, 2013
Mecklenburg County received more charter school requests for the 2014-15 school year than any other county in the state.

OHIO

Teacher Education Programs At Public, Private State Colleges Can Now Be Compared
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, January 9, 2013
Prospective teachers, school superintendents and parents can now judge the quality of teacher education programs in Ohio’s public and private colleges.

Some Charter Schools Dodge State’s Closure Law
Columbus Dispatch Blog, OH, January 9, 2013
A report released today found that 7 of the 20 tax-funded charter schools ordered by the state to close because their students are failing are still operating in the same location under new names and with many of the same teachers and staff.

Report: Charter Schools Evade Closure Laws
Cincinnati CityBeat, OH, January 9, 2013
When an Ohio charter school consistently fails to meet academic standards, the state automatically shuts it down. It’s an aspect of Ohio law that’s touted as one of the toughest standards for charter schools in the nation, but a report from Policy Matters Ohio found some charter schools may be evading the rule altogether.

OKLAHOMA

Education Reforms Require Adequate Funding, Activist Says In Tulsa
Tulsa World, OK, January 10, 2013
A national education activist speaking in Tulsa on Wednesday said his organization is coming to Oklahoma to lobby for adequate funding immediately for existing, research-based reforms and to systematically engage parents over the long term.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Is Deliver-Ology Coming to South Dakota Schools?
Capital Journal, SD, January 9, 2013
What is “deliver-ology”? This is the “new focus” state Education Secretary Melody Schopp said she and her staff are taking for K-12 public schools, as South Dakota moves away from No Child Left Behind. The secretary spent two hours Wednesday with the House Education Committee explaining the changes under way.

TENNESSEE

Like It Or Not, Students First Has Merit
The Tennessean, TN, January 10, 2013
“We don’t grade on a curve,” Michele Rhee said of the C-minus grade that her organization, Students First, gave Tennessee on its first State Policy Report Card.

UTAH

Charter Schools Have Some Of The Lowest, Highest Graduation Rates
The Salt Lake Tribune, UT, January 9, 2013
The high school graduation rate in charter schools improved slightly from last year, but several schools posted some of the worst rates in Utah, state officials said on Wednesday.

ONLINE LEARNING

State To Vote On Proposal For Online Charter Schools
News & Observer, NC, January 10, 2013
North Carolina children as young as 5 may soon be able to receive their public school education online from for-profit companies.

Coweta Schools To Explore Virtual Learning
Times-Herald, GA, January 10, 2013
Coweta County high-schoolers may have the option of completing some coursework online as early as next year.

Filed Under: Daily Headlines

Posse Scholarships Awarded to Friendship Charter Students

January 9, 2013 By

Washington Informer
January 8, 2013

Three students from Friendship Public Charter School have been awarded Posse Scholarships. This year’s winnersn — Kendra Spruill, Phillip Pride, and Kirk Murphy — will receive full four-year tuition scholarships from colleges that partner with the Posse Foundation.

Spruill will attend Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., while Pride and Murphy are will enroll at Sewanee: The University of the South, located in Tennessee.

Since 1989, the Foundation has identified, recruited and trained 4,237 public high school students with extraordinary academic and leadership potential to become Posse Scholars. Posse Scholars graduate at a rate of 90 percent and make a visible difference on campus and throughout their professional careers.

In 2011, the Foundation received more than 14,000 nominations for 560 scholarship slots nationally.

Filed Under: Choice & Charter Schools Tagged With: ,

Yes, Effective Teaching Can Be Identified

January 9, 2013 By

“Good Teachers Linked to Test Success”
by Stephanie Banchero
Wall Street Journal
January 9, 2013

A study found that effective teachers can boost the test scores of students who had struggled under low-performing instructors, marking a new salvo in the national debate over teacher performance.

The three-year study by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, published Tuesday, is the first large-scale research to show, using random student assignment, that some teachers can produce test-score gains regardless of the past performance of their students, according to foundation officials.

Tom Kane, a professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education and leader of the research project, said the data provide the best evidence yet that some teachers can “cause student achievement to happen, and this is a really big deal.”

Education officials increasingly emphasize the need to evaluate, pay and fire teachers based on performance. More than two dozen states have passed laws to evaluate teachers, in part, on test scores, prodded by the Obama administration’s Race to the Top education initiative, which offered money to states that began the process.

The Gates Foundation said its study found that a combination of student surveys of teacher quality, well-crafted observations of classroom teaching and test scores is the best predictor of teacher effectiveness. Mr. Kane said combining all three is the best predictor of teacher quality.

Critics say the Gates effort is flawed because it begins in part with the assumption that test scores are a good measure of teacher effectiveness, and then seeks to prove it by using test scores. Some teachers unions and parents say tests are a crude measure of teacher effectiveness.

Jay P. Green, a professor of education policy at the University of Arkansas, called the Gates research a “political document and not a research document.” He said the research doesn’t support that classroom observations are a strong predictor of quality teaching.

“But the Gates Foundation knows that teachers and others are resistant to a system that is based too heavily on student test scores, so they combined them with other measures to find something that was more agreeable to them,” he said.

Critics of the study also say the formulas used to adjust student scores for race and poverty are problematic because they cause teachers’ scores to jump around too much.

The three-year Gates study videotaped 3,000 teachers and their students in Charlotte, N.C.; Dallas; Denver; Hillsborough County, Fla.; Memphis, Tenn.; New York City and Pittsburgh. Dozens of researchers studied the results.

In the most recent update to the study, the Gates Foundation analyzed students’ 2010 test scores for about 1,600 of the 3,000 teachers and ranked the instructors using a formula, known as value added, that adjusts scores based on students’ race, family income and past performance on state exams. The ranking also included scores from student surveys and classroom observations.

The next year, students were randomly assigned to classrooms. The study found that the teachers who were ranked the highest on average produced the highest student achievement the following year. These students also scored well on other exams that measured deeper, conceptual knowledge of math and reading, the report said.

Ryan Kinser, who participated in the study and teaches eighth grade English at Walker Middle School in the Hillsborough district, said he watched videos of himself in the classroom and noticed he “looked wooden” and “talked too much.” Once, he spent 10 minutes teaching his students the meaning of “hierarchy” and saw on the video that students appeared bored, and one remarked, “This is stupid, man.”

“It forced me to reflect and better prepare for my kids,” said Mr. Kinser, who is rated highly effective by his district.

Filed Under: Breaking News

D.C. charter school board objects to Rhee’s report card

January 9, 2013 By

by Emma Brown
Washington Post
January 8, 2013

When Michelle Rhee’s Students First lobbying organization released its first state policy “report cards” this week, one of the fiercest critics to emerge was an important policy player from her old backyard: The D.C. Public Charter School Board.

Scott Pearson, the charter board’s executive director, released a strongly worded statement calling Rhee’s report cards error-ridden and fundamentally flawed.

“Ms. Rhee’s service as Chancellor of DC Public Schools was largely characterized by ambivalence towards the DC charter sector. That ambivalence appears to rear its head in this report,” Pearson’s statement said.

“Unfortunately, and despite repeated attempts by PCSB to correct the record with Students First, the Report Card issued for the District of Columbia grossly mischaracterizes the educational policy environment in DC, particularly when it comes to charter schools.”

Students First rated the District fourth in the nation for reform-minded education policies — but that was only good enough for a C+.

Eric Lerum, vice president of national policy for Students First, stood by the organization’s work.

“We understand the PCSB’s concerns and we believe we have taken them into account in our grading of DC’s state policies,”Lerum said. “D.C. should be recognized for having a robust charter movement that encourages growth of high performing charter schools.”

Among the D.C. charter leaders’ complaints: The report dings charters and DCPS for failing to publish standardized school report cards that grade each school on an A through F scale. The charter school board does publish report cards via its “Performance Management Framework,” which grades each school on a 100-point scale and places each school into one of three performance tiers.

Charter leaders were also galled by the high marks — four out of four points — Rhee assigned for “equitable access to facilities.” One of the charter sector’s biggest complaints is that the city has made it overly difficult for charters, which are constantly challenged to find suitable real estate, to move into old public school buildings.

Pearson also objected to the low scores Rhee assigned for “charter school accountability” in the city, pointing to the charter board’s record of closing schools that don’t pass muster. (Just today, the charter board announced that it will vote Thursday on whether to revoke the charter belonging to Imagine Southeast, a chronically low-performing school.)

The Students First report does praise the charter board’s record on school closures and other measures, but says that city law ought to require more accountability — including a requirement that charters come up for renewal every 15 years instead of every 5.

Full statements from Pearson and Lerum are below.

Pearson:

Unfortunately, and despite repeated attempts by PCSB to correct the record with Students First, the Report Card issued for the District of Columbia grossly mischaracterizes the educational policy environment in DC, particularly when it comes to charter schools.

Significantly, the report never mentions that 43% of DC public school students attend charter schools. This is emblematic of the fundamental flaws in this report, where the significant and fast-growing DC charter sector is ignored when ratings are given to the state.

For example, the report grades DC a “0 out of 4” points for “School Report Cards,” ignoring the significant contribution made by PCSB’s School Performance Management Framework, that grades every charter school on a clear and transparent 100-point scale and assigns schools based on that score to Tier 1, 2 or 3 status. The report makes no mention of charter schools in such areas as fiscal transparency, alternative certification, pensions, and teacher pay.

When the report does look specifically at charters, it usually gets it wrong. For example, the report grades DC a “0 out of 4” points for “Charter School Accountability”, ignoring that fact that PCSB was recognized last year by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers for its aggressive policy towards closing low-performing charter schools. Indeed, of the 82 charter schools that have opened in DC since 1998, 25 have closed, a rate of over 30%. Most of these closed under pressure from PCSB. Similarly, the Center for Education Reform, which annually ranks state charter school laws rated DC first in the nation in 2012, noting “[DC] once again took the top spot in the rankings because of their strong independent authorizer [PCSB], charter autonomy and nearly equitable funding.”

The report also erroneously gives the district high marks for “Equitable Access to Facilities”, ignoring the enormous obstacles that Ms. Rhee herself, as DCPS Chancellor, placed to charters gaining access to closed DCPS buildings. The District has made significant improvement in this regard during the tenure of Mayor Vincent Gray and DCPS Chancellor Kaya Henderson, but still has more to do to ensure equitable access to facilities for charters.

Ms. Rhee’s service as Chancellor of DC Public Schools was largely characterized by ambivalence towards the DC charter sector. That ambivalence appears to rear its head in this report, yielding a disconcerting disconnection from the facts on the ground. DC public schools are in fact on the move, evidenced by a growing enrollment and improving accountability and performance, led by a charter sector now educating nearly half of the public school students in the city. It’s a shame that Students First and Ms. Rhee have chosen to avert their eyes from that progress in this misleading “Report Card.”

Lerum:

We share their desire to create high quality options for parents. DC should be recognized for having a robust charter movement that encourages growth of high performing charter schools. The PCSB also has worked to ensure accountability with its Performance Management Framework, despite having a weak state law in place to support that work.

Filed Under: CER in the News

Daily Headlines for January 9, 2013

January 9, 2013 By

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

NATIONAL COVERAGE

Good Teachers Linked to Test Success
Wall Street Journal, January 9, 2013
A study found that effective teachers can boost the test scores of students who had struggled under low-performing instructors, marking a new salvo in the national debate over teacher performance.

Denver Schools, Gates Foundation Identify What Makes Effective Teacher
Denver Post, CO, January 8, 2013
After investing three years and millions of dollars and scrutinizing thousands of teachers, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has determined that, yes, you can measure effective teaching.

The Education of Michelle Rhee
Frontline PBS, January 8, 2013
FRONTLINE examines the legacy of one of America’s most controversial school reformers.

How Home Schooling Threatens Monopoly Education
USA Today, January 8, 2013
“What about home schooling? You know, it’s not just for scary religious people any more.” That’s a line from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, and it should strike fear into the hearts, not of vampires, but of public-school administrators everywhere.

School Choice Won’t Mean All Choices Are Equal
Huffington Post, January 8, 2013
To many in the pundit and policy class, education reform comes down to one idea — school choice.

No Child Left Behind Is Still A Flawed Policy
The Reporter, VA, January 9, 2013
If the No Child Left Behind law were a public school student, it would be halfway through its sophomore year by now and still getting Ds.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

No ‘Badge Of Honor’ For Backing Education Status Quo
San Diego Union Tribune, CA, January 8, 2013
It is not exactly news that California is cool to education reform. School districts routinely ignore a 1971 state law that says student performance must be a factor in teacher evaluations. Especially when crafting budgets, many school boards routinely place the interests of teachers and other adult employees above those of students.

Parent Trigger Group Wins Charter School Approval From Adelanto School Board
San Bernardino Sun, CA, January 8, 2013
After 21 months of battling their local school district over the future of a failing elementary school, Adelanto parents definitively won Tuesday night, when the board voted to approve a charter school taking over the campus of the school.

State Schools Chief Urges Cut In Number Of Tests Next Year
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 9, 2013
Supt. of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson says second-graders would not be tested in math and English, and most high school tests would be dropped. L.A. Unified chief expresses reservations.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Should We Just Let DC Public Schools Expel Anyone?
Greater Greater Washington, DC, January 8, 2013
Charter schools thus get rid of the problem students and often boost their own average test scores in the process. DCPS schools cannot expel elementary students and must convince judges to expel older students. Charters have no such restrictions.

D.C. Charter School Board Objects To Rhee’s Report Card
Washington Post Blog, DC, January 8, 2013
When Michelle Rhee’s Students First lobbying organization released its first state policy “report cards” this week, one of the fiercest critics to emerge was an important policy player from her old backyard: The D.C. Public Charter School Board

How One STEM School Aims to Lower the Achievement Gap
PBS Newshour, January 8, 2013
The achievement gap between low-income and high-income students has been a persistent problem in American public education system. The problem is exacerbated as technology becomes more integral to 21st century professions, and urban American schools struggle to prepare students for this new job market.

IDAHO

Experts Offer Education Reform Ideas in Boise
Idaho Statesman, ID, January 9, 2013
As Idaho lawmakers and educators regroup after repeal of the state’s education reform package, national experts visited Boise Tuesday to offer suggestions for improving education.

ILLINOIS

Chicago Largest Recipient Of Walton Family Foundation Money For Charter Schools
Chicago Sun Times, IL, January 8, 2013
The Walton Family Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Wal-Mart’s founder, gave more money to Chicago to start new charter schools last year than it did to any other city —¬ $3.8 million.

INDIANA

Put Brakes On Vouchers Until High Court Rules
Star Press, IN, January 9, 2013
For instance, lawmakers this week have filed bills to expand the Indiana School Choice Program, informally known as the voucher system. Bills have been filed to waive a requirement that a student attend a public school for at least one year before seeking a voucher to attend a private school — likely to be affiliated with a church.

IOWA

Education Reform Demands Open-Mindedness
Sioux City Journal, IA, January 9, 2013
Iowans, particularly those charged with delivering public education, can take one of two positions with respect to an “F” grade our state’s education policies were given by StudentsFirst.

KENTUCKY

Charter School Legislation Filed For 2013 Session
Bluegrass Institute, KY, January 9, 2013
January 8th proved to be an auspicious day for Kentucky’s 2013 legislative session. That’s because January 8th was the day Rep. Brad Montell, R-Shelbyville filed a bill that might finally bring school choice and real opportunity for those most in need in the commonwealth – underprivileged kids.

Advocates Support Toned-Down Kentucky Charter School Law
WFPL, KY, January 8, 2013
A charter school bill has been filed in the Kentucky House and supporters hope the less aggressive approach will help get it passed this year.

LOUISIANA

Charter School Changes Outlined
The Advocate, LA, January 9, 2013
A meeting held for parents Monday night at Crocker Arts and Technology School promised a brighter future for the students with a new charter operator but left some parents and education activists saddened by the staff upheaval and wary of an educational landscape where they see change as the only constant.

MAINE

Augusta Panel Rejects 4 of 5 Proposals for New Charter Schools
Portland Press Herald, ME, January 8, 2013
Maine’s Charter School Commission has rejected four of the five charter school applications under consideration for 2013, including both proposals for virtual schools.

Baxter Academy Reports 119 Applications In First Week
Portland Daily Sun, ME, January 8, 2013
Baxter Academy for Technology & Science, Maine’s first charter school for science, technology, engineering and math, began enrolling students on Jan. 1, and in just the first week, received 119 applications, reported the new charter school’s executive director, John Jaques.

MISSISSIPPI

Capitol Abuzz About Charter Schools
Desoto Times Tribune, MS, January 8, 2013
The gavel at the State Capitol will sound in the hallowed halls of the State Capitol on Wednesday, and charter schools will be on the lips and minds of most state lawmakers, according to members of DeSoto County’s delegation.

Racial Divide Seen In Mississippi Debate Over Charter Schools, Reform
MSNBC, January 8, 2013
Mississippi lawmaker Kenneth Wayne Jones, a Democrat, briefly became a political pariah last winter when he voted in favor of a proposal to expand charter schools in his state. He was the only African-American state senator to support the bill, which most members of Mississippi’s legislative Black Caucus disavowed. Jones liked the idea of expanded school options for families, but he also understood his colleagues’ mistrust.

New World Needs Close Attention
Natchez Democrat, MS, January 9, 2013
The seemingly inevitable opening of the Delta Charter School in Ferriday likely won’t change life forever in the Miss-Lou. The school will probably be small for years to come and will draw from only a portion of the population.

NEVADA

Troubled Charter School Board President Resigns; Principal Ordered To Repay Bonuses
Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV, January 8, 2013
Allegations of mismanagement at Quest Academy have led to the resignation of charter school President Christina Fuentes and prompted other board members to order Principal Connie Jordan to repay $15,000 in unmerited bonuses awarded to her by Fuentes.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

State Hopes To Have Charter School Start Up Grant Funds, Lost In 2011, Restored Next Year
Nashua Telegraph, NH, January 9, 2013
Since the state Board of Education voted to place a moratorium on new charter schools in September, school founders around the state have

NEW MEXICO

Gov. Spells Out Education Plans
Albuquerque Journal, NM, January 9, 2013
Gov. Susana Martinez on Tuesday laid out her education plans for the coming legislative session, including linking teacher pay to the state’s new evaluation system and creating an early-warning system to catch signs a student might drop out.

NEW YORK

26 Schools on City’s List
Wall Street Journal, January 9, 2013
New York City will try to shut down or shrink 26 schools this year, including six it unsuccessfully tried to close in the summer, officials said Tuesday.

The UFT Takes Offense
New York Observer, NY, January 8, 2013
Mayor Mike Bloomberg does not always parse his thoughts with the care of a diplomat. Sometimes he lets it rip, and, well, those who are quick to take offense do just that.

Elmira Charter School Group May Reconsider Boys-Only Plan
Elmira Star-Gazette, NY, January 8, 2013
The group seeking to open a charter school in Elmira hopes to decide in just over a week whether to keep it boys only or include girls.

What to Expect From the Utica Academy of Science Charter School
YNN, NY, January 8, 2013
Plans to open a new charter school in Utica are moving forward. Despite some protest, the Utica Academy of Science had its application granted and they plan to open in the fall. Our Andrew Sorensen takes a look at their parent school in Syracuse and tells us what they hope to accomplish with their new school.

Yonkers Schools Submit Teacher-Evaluation Plan, Hope Approval Comes In Time
The Journal News, NY, January 9, 2013
The clock is ticking for the Yonkers school system, which hopes the state will approve its last-minute teacher evaluation plan in time to save $17 million in much-needed aid.

NORTH CAROLINA

State May Consider 11 New Charter Schools in Durham
Herald Sun, NC, January 8, 2013
Public charter schools in Durham could more than double in the next two years.
As of last week, the state Department of Public Instruction had received 161 letters of intent for new charters. Of those, 11 are in Durham, including one virtual school.

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma City School Board Denies Charter Schools, Declines To Reveal Reasons
The Oklahoman, OK, January 9, 2013
The Oklahoma City School Board on Monday night denied applications from two charter schools but kept the reasons for the denials secret.

OREGON

Medford District Faces Charter Student Payouts After Oversight
Mail Tribune, OR, January 9, 2013
The Medford School District is paying out more than $500,000 after realizing it is obligated to give money to nearby districts whose students attend Medford charter schools.

PENNSYLVANIA

Charter School Of Excellence Reacts to Need for Chart Schools
WSEE, PA, January 8, 2013
On Tuesday, one of the oldest charter schools in the city, the Charter School of Excellence, held their Open House. It gave both parents and students an up-close look at what they have to offer. It also gave us a chance to talk to faculty about the possibility of more charter schools in the area.

Catasauqua Schools Chief: Medical Academy Charter School Isn’t Delivering
The Morning Call, PA, January 8, 2013
The Catasauqua Area School Board said Tuesday night it might move to revoke the Medical Academy Charter School’s charter in 30 days if the school doesn’t prove it’s offering what it promised.

The Reality Of Charter Schools In North Penn
The Reporter, PA, January 8, 2013
Since before I was a candidate for school board in 2011, I have been following the finances and operations of the North Penn School District for the last three years.

RHODE ISLAND

Chafee Nominates 10 for Education Board
GoLocalProv, RI, January 8, 2013
Governor Lincoln D. Chafee today announced ten nominees for the Rhode Island Board of Education. The Governor’s nominee for Board Chair is Eva-Marie Mancuso, Esq., a Managing Partner with law firm Hamel, Waxler, Allen & Collins.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Charter, Magnet, And Private Schools Harm Public Education
Charleston City Paper, SC, January 9, 2013
Imagine you are riding on a train and the conductor comes into your car and informs you and your fellow passengers that something is terribly wrong with the engine and the train is in trouble. It might not crash, but it certainly is not going to reach its destination in good shape.

TENNESSEE

Education Reform Leader Michelle Rhee Lists Goals in TN
The Tennessean, TN, January 9, 2013
National education reform movement leader and part-time Tennessee resident Michelle Rhee is urging state lawmakers to create a statewide charter school authorizer, adopt a parent trigger law and give vouchers to some students.

Charters’ Role Limited
Commercial Appeal, TN, January 9, 2013
Your Jan. 6 article “Battle over charter schools grows heated,” about the charter schools issue in Mississippi, misrepresents the position of The Parents’ Campaign, an organization I serve as executive director.

WASHINGTON

Teachers Union Should Withdraw Suit To Block Charter Schools
Seattle Times, WA, January 8, 2013
The Washington Education Association should accept the November vote that created charter schools in this state.

State Schools Chief Wants To Oversee Charters
Bellingham Herald, WA, January 9, 2013
State schools chief Randy Dorn has sent a letter to legislative leaders asking them to revise the voter-approved charter school law to give his office jurisdiction over the new schools.

ONLINE LEARNING

High Schools, Take The Online Course
USA Today, January 8, 2013
Thankfully, there is one initiative in Alexandria and in a growing number of school systems nationwide that is revolutionizing the way kids learn: online classes. This approach not only helps potential dropouts keep working toward diplomas, but also allows the most motivated students to seek courses not often offered in a traditional school setting.

Virtual Classrooms Coming to County, City Schools
The Charlottesville Newsplex, VA, January 8, 2013
The classroom of the future may come in the form of a computer. Charlottesville City schools already offer eight online courses, and now Albemarle County schools are jumping on the virtual bandwagon, offering its first online course this semester.

‘Virtual’ Public Schools Draw Interest Of Religious Families
Washington Post Blog, DC, January 8, 2013
Worried about exposure to foul language, immodest dress, peer pressure, and other inappropriate behavior, Susan Brown didn’t want her two daughters attending public schools — even though she’s a substitute teacher in a public school in Minnesota.

Filed Under: Daily Headlines

Rejections in Maine Not a Surprise

January 9, 2013 By

January 9, 2013

No, we don’t have the ability to tell the future, we just know what solid chartering practices look like, and Maine does not have them. Yesterday’s Newswire noted the Governor’s attempts to improve Maine’s charter school law, but we suggested he go further and consider real multiple authorizers not tied to the state.

Which is why news of the rejection of 4 out of 5 brick and mortar charter schools, as well as two virtual charter schools, unfortunately doesn’t come as much of a surprise.

Check out The Essential Guide to Charter School Lawmaking – Model Legislation for States for more on what constitutes an effective charter school law.

Filed Under: Commentary, Edspresso Tagged With:

Battle Over Maine Charter Schools

January 8, 2013 By

“Battle over Maine charter schools smoldering”
by Robert Long
Bangor Daily News
January 7, 2013

Maine public school administrators lodged a new complaint Monday about the state’s two new charter schools: They won’t feel any impact of $12.6 million in education aid cuts Gov. Paul LePage ordered late last month to close a $35.5 million hole in the current state budget.

Public school officials say that’s not fair, and it reflects a pattern of inequity that marks the LePage administration’s push for charter schools. Maine Department of Education officials say the fraction of state aid that follows students to charter schools didn’t warrant action as part of this year’s emergency, budget-balancing cuts.

The dispute further fuels a contentious debate between public school officials, generally supported by Democrats, and the Republican governor about funding public education in Maine.

The curtailment fairness questions accompany news that the governor plans to propose legislation that would lift the limit on the number of charter schools in Maine. The law that allowed charter schools to begin operating in Maine in 2012 stipulated that only 10 charter schools could be created within the first decade of the law’s enactment.

The Maine Education Association, the union that represents Maine public school teachers, flunked that proposal as a “shortsighted plan which allows state funding to follow the student to a charter school, operated by a company not held to the same standards as public schools.”

In a release issued Monday, the MEA suggested that an expansion of charter schools could force the closure of small rural Maine schools and approached “taxation without representation,” according to MEA President Lois Kilby-Chesley, because boards that oversee charter schools are not “democratically elected.”

As a new Legislature, led by Democrats who reclaimed majorities in both chambers after two years of GOP control, convenes Tuesday, charter schools likely will return as a flashpoint in the ideological wrangling over how to get the best return on public education spending.

Democrats question the fairness of shifting public K-12 education dollars to charter schools, arguing it strips public schools of resources they need to meet rising educational demands. The LePage administration counters that charter schools create healthy competition, which better serves students.

Under a GOP-sponsored 2011 law that made Maine the 41st state to allow publicly funded charter schools, local districts pay tuition for students who live in their jurisdiction to attend a charter school of their choice. State education aid and school funding raised locally pay that tuition, which this year is roughly $9,000 per student, according to the Maine School Management Association. As school administrators scramble to cope with new projected state aid cuts for the fiscal year that ends June 30, some bristle because Maine’s first two charter schools won’t lose state funding.

“The state says charter schools are public schools, but they don’t live by the same rules,” Maine School Board Association President Kristin Malin of Georgetown said in a release Monday. “This is just the latest example of that. When every public school district in the state has to cut back under the curtailment order, charter schools have been automatically exempt. How is that fair?”

State Rep. Mike Carey, D-Lewiston, first raised the issue Friday in a question to Deputy Education Commissioner Jim Rier during an Appropriations Committee meeting on the governor’s curtailment order. The Legislature can alter the temporary cuts included in LePage’s curtailment order as part of a supplemental budget required to balance the current state budget.

“What was the policy decision made to kind of hold [charter school] students harmless from this cut?” Carey asked. Rier replied that the timing of quarterly payments to charter schools and the small number of students — roughly 85 in all — who attend the state’s two charter schools, Cornville Regional Charter School and the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences in Hinckley, led Maine Department of Education officials not to target those schools for aid cuts as part of the curtailment.

The proposed state education aid cuts to local school districts under LePage’s curtailment order also don’t affect funding for about 5,000 students who attend private academies with tuition paid by local school districts.

“It’s important to see that the impact of this curtailment is 0.6 percent,” Rier said Monday. “If you applied a similar percentage to charter schools, it would have been roughly $50 out $9,000.”

The bulk of that impact will be felt by School Administrative District 54 in the Skowhegan area, which sends 42 students to the charter school in Cornville and eight to the Maine Academy of Natural Sciences. For a school district that had to find more than $400,000 to pay charter school tuition after it had passed its 2012-13 budget, the curtailment exemption for charter schools simply adds to the inequity of the charter school law, SAD 54 Superintendent Brent Colbry said.

“It’s a fairness issue for me at this point,” Colbry said. “All our kids are going to feel this, and to isolate charters just doesn’t seem right. If my six towns receive less subsidy, then it seems reasonable those cuts should flow through to the charters.”

SAD 54 already had reduced spending on staff development, field trips, book purchases and other expenses to come up with money in this year’s budget for charter school tuition. Finding an additional $180,000 in response to the curtailment order exacerbates the district’s immediate financial dilemma, Colbry said, but that pales in comparison to a larger problem he believes the possible expansion of charter schools in Maine will pose.

“We lose 50 kids, but the costs to the local district do not change,” Colbry said, citing transportation and curriculum as two areas where funding must be maintained. “That money has to come out of kids’ programs or new taxes or a combination of both.”

The Maine Charter School Commission, which approved applications for two new charter schools to open this fall in Portland and Gray, is scheduled to meet Tuesday at the Cross Office Building in Augusta to determine whether five other applications, including two virtual charter schools, can move forward.

Filed Under: Breaking News

Newswire: January 8, 2013

January 8, 2013 By

Vol. 15, No. 1

Happy New Year! The first half of the first month of 2013 is not even finished and already the momentum — and opposition — around education reform is building. To wit:

STATE POLICY MATTERS. Kudos to StudentsFirst for their new report card, which offers some different perspective on the issues facing policymakers and parents. If Ed Reform is a College Student, this is akin to yet another professor weighing in on his competency in particular areas. But it’s the cumulative GPA that really matters in the end. CER comments today.

UNION POWER?? It’s like Randi Weingarten was suddenly Captain Renault in Casablanca: “I’m shocked, shocked to find gambling going on here!” Her line to Mayor Bloomberg’s characterization of the union being as powerful as the NRA might as well have been: “I’m shocked, shocked that anyone thinks we have as much power as the NRA!” The union was offended and tied the remark to the recent tragedies in Newton. For shame! Whether one likes it or not, the NRA is a powerful political lobby for a cause and members, and that’s what “Hizoner” was saying when the union decided to once again stand in the way of a new teacher evaluation law from being implemented. That law got the union and the Governor of NY and Bloomberg great press TWO YEARS AGO and is STILL NOT IMPLEMENTED, and is one of those laws that US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan attributes to Race to the Top pressure. Ah, but as we predicted, there is more to getting policy changed than getting a law passed, and like so many places, the initial oohhs and aahhs that surround the union becoming progressive turns out to be all about the talk, not the walk. Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson said :”As the mayor has said before, the union is a special-interest group focused on advancing its agenda, whether it’s in the public interest or not. Their refusal to agree to a fair evaluation deal is just the latest example of this.” Ya think?

PROMISES PROMISES. Does anyone else find it odd that Sec. Duncan won’t approve California’s waiver request because it fails to promise the state will adopt a teacher evaluation component tied to test scores, while states that have been approved – or given federal monies on the condition of doing so, like NY – have yet to have more than some smoke and mirror proposals that use words like “evaluation” and “student growth” but in reality, leaves it all up to the unions to approve? At least Gov Brown isn’t gaming the system by simply promising to do something that won’t result in performance pay anyway!

OUT WITH THE OLD. The above piece on New York is an example of why real reformers not only don’t eat quiche, but they fight to keep authentic, substantive education reform in play. Oh sure, it’s much more popular to say we compromised and everyone got a win, but that doesn’t happen when kids continue to be mis-educated. Here’s what we had to say about this in the Huffington Post.

A GOV WHO GETS IT. A governor resolved to fight for reform, no holes barred; that’s Maine’s Paul LePage, a tough talking leader who was willing to take a rolled back charter law to get the reform started but got no reward from oppositional board members and the Blob, who have continued to throw obstacles in the way of new proposals. But rather than back down, the Maine Gov not only announced he’d be moving to lift the 10 in 10 years cap, but that the two new charters opening would not see their budgets reduced in their opening year. Some see that as wrong, since all districts are experiencing cuts, but then the districts actually get 30% more in costs to begin with, plus facilities support, so really, it’s still not equity, for charters, but it’s a start. The state’s charter commission is meeting today to consider additional charter applications, plus a virtual school proposal they tabled out of some kind of fear of new innovations. Let’s hope they’ve come around, and Gov, while you’re at it, you might consider real multiple authorizers not tied to the state. The commission model is not effective.

HITE’S HYPE. A big announcement, bold words, lengthy blueprint. That’s the talk in Philly where Superintendent Bill Hite is trying his best to turn around a bankrupt, failed school system. Closing failing schools is part of it, creating his own blended learning model, more accountability — these are all good things to be sure, but there’s no mention of consequences for adults who don’t reform or real expansion of school choice. See for yourself.

GEORGIA IS JUST PEACHY. According to a new report released by the state education department, fewer than 1% of teachers in the state (including typically low performers like DeKalb County) are unsatisfactory. In another Race to the Top state which promised major improvements in exchange for money, reformers may want to pause to consider whether the infusion is being used as a game changer, or simply funding the system.

PRE-K-3. AppleTree is one of those great charter schools that Washington DC leaders talked about in their Washington Post opinion piece last week, which is why anyone in town on Monday, January 14th should consider learning what AppleTree knows about educating the very young. For more info on the event click here.

LOTS MORE NEWS….Albeit without the commentary, available here every day.

Filed Under: Newswire Weekly Tagged With: , , ,

All About CREDO

January 8, 2013 By

In 2009, a research report from CREDO (Center for Research on Education Outcomes) on national charter school achievement prompted a critical look at charter school research and what research conclusions can tell us about policy.

Four years after the controversial 2009 report, CREDO releases a 2013 report on national charter school achievement. While state-by-state extrapolation of data is a valid exercise, it is hardly the foundation upon which to set forth sweeping national solutions. A critical look at the research can be found in the documents below:

New CREDO Study Fails Test of Sound Research

Reviewing the Conclusions of CREDO’s National Charter School Study 2013

Response to CREDO’s 2013 National Charter Study Rebuttal of CER Methodology Concerns

In July 2009, CREDO (Center for Research on Education Outcomes) published a national report on charter school achievement. The Center for Education Reform and Dr. Caroline Hoxby, among others, have critiqued the report’s results and methodology:

A Statistical Mistake in the CREDO Study of Charter Schools
A report from researcher Caroline M. Hoxby explaining the statistical mistake in the CREDO report on charter school achievement.

Understanding Charter Achievement Research: The CREDO Report
CER provides brief talking points on the 2009 CREDO report on charter school achievement across 15 states and the District of Columbia.

Fact-Checking Charter School Achievement
Why some are saying only 1 in 5 charter schools perform, and why it’s wrong. Insight on the widely cited CREDO study.

CER Summary Hoxby New York Charters 2009
The most comprehensive study on charter school achievement at the time of the 2009 CREDO study comes from Caroline M. Hoxby and demonstrates quality charter school research methodology.

The Center for Research on Education Outcomes continues to research charter school achievement in various states. Below you will find analysis on some of the CREDO state reports:

New Jersey
CER’s research team breaks down differences between the controversial 2009 report and the New Jersey charter school achievement report.

Michigan
New state-level studies demonstrate more rigorous standard of research than national study.

Illinois
Continuing its research series on state charter school achievement, CREDO releases a report finding that Illinois charter school students outperform their traditional public school counterparts, especially in Chicago where the majority of Illinois charter students live.

Filed Under: Choice & Charter Schools
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