Daily Headlines for September 19, 2012
School Choice Options May Suffer When Profit Becomes A Motive For Education
Hamilton Journal News, OH, September 18, 2012
One of the most prominent K-12 education reform movements in recent decades has been the idea of “educational choice,” allowing parents to use their child’s portion of state-allocated funds to send students to private and charter schools.
State Chiefs’ Vacancies Crack Window on Policy
Education Week, September 18, 2012
In Florida, Mississippi, Ohio, and Utah, in particular, governors and state education boards will be vetting candidates with an eye toward advancing politically sensitive policy initiatives both underway and on the horizon.
Black Male H.S. Graduation Rates Lag Behind Whites
Associated Press, September 19, 2012
More than half the young black men who graduated high school in 2010 earned their diploma in four years, an improved graduation rate that still lagged behind that of their white counterparts, according to an education group’s report released Wednesday.
Parents Shouldn’t Wait Around For Better Schools
Detroit News, MI, September 19, 2012
It’s one of the most stirring messages in the film. While education departments and local school boards figure out how to turn around a failing school, too many children are lost in the process.
Strike Did Raise Valid Topic
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 19, 2012
Perhaps Chicago ‘s teachers felt they were doing the rest of the country a favor by trying to force a debate on student tests with their strike.
Young, Gifted and Neglected
New York Times, NY, September 19, 2012
Every motivated, high-potential young American deserves a similar opportunity. But the majority of very smart kids lack the wherewithal to enroll in rigorous private schools. They depend on public education to prepare them for life. Yet that system is failing to create enough opportunities for hundreds of thousands of these high-potential girls and boys.
Oliver: Test Scores Belong In Evaluation Equation
Northwest Herald, IL, September 19, 2012
The strike by Chicago’s public school teachers offers an interesting lesson in a controversy that is being played out in school districts throughout the nation.
Do Scores Go Up When Teachers Return Bonuses?
NPR, September 19, 2012
In Chicago , parents were fuming over a weeklong strike by teachers. Around the rest of the country, in the face of growing evidence that many U.S. students are falling behind, administrators have tried to devise different ways to motivate teachers.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
How Best To Rate California Teachers?
Orange County Register , CA, September 18, 2012
With kids back in school, the need for reforming California ‘s education system is evident to many parents. The state’s students continue to perform near the bottom on most national rankings. For example, on the November 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress, California ranked 47th of 50 states on fourth-grade reading and math and on eighth-grade math.
Clayton Council To Seek Clarification Of Whether Its Members Can Also Sit On Charter School Board
Contra Costa Times, CA, September 18, 2012
The City Council on Tuesday voted unanimously to seek the advice of the state Attorney General’s Office on whether council members can also sit on the new Clayton Valley Charter High School executive board.
COLORADO
Alternatives Offered For Charter Co-Location
Ed News Colorado, CO, September 19, 2012
A new charter high school could open by next fall at the Lake campus if the Denver school board pursues the top choice of a committee formed to find a suitable Northwest Denver location for STRIVE Prep, formerly known as West Denver Prep.
Expeditionary School Proponents Renew Charter Push
Glenwood Springs Post-Independent, CO, September 19, 2012
Proponents of the Two Rivers Expeditionary School (TRES) have reapplied with the Colorado Charter School Institute to open a new charter school in Glenwood Springs that would serve students in grades K-8 from Glenwood Springs to Rifle.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Schools Set New Achievement Targets For Students By Race And Income
Washington Post, DC, September 18, 2012
Every public school in the United States has aimed for the same goal over the past decade: that all students be proficient in math and reading by 2014.
FLORIDA
New Charter School Opens At Former Brooks Debartolo Site
Tampa Bay Tribune, FL, September 19, 2012
The new charter school, for students ages 16 to 21 who otherwise might drop out of school or who have not received high school diplomas, leases space at 11602 N. 15th St. The site previously was Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School.
School Board Voices Strong Opposition To Amendment 8
Gainesville Sun, FL, September 18, 2012
The Alachua County School Board at its meeting Tuesday took a stance against an upcoming controversial amendment to the state constitution, rewarded several schools for keeping utility bills low and approved a contract for a solar panel array at another school.
GEORGIA
Beware Of The Constitutional Amendment Rope-A-Dope
Macon Telegraph, GA, September 19, 2012
“Shall the Constitution of Georgia be amended to allow state or local approval of public charter schools upon the request of local communities.” Aside from the other races for president and vice president, this seemingly benign constitutional amendment will also be on the ballot. It is not what it seems to be.
Rockdale School Board Passes Resolution Opposing State Control
Rockdale Citizen, GA, September 18, 2012
The Rockdale County Board of Education has passed a resolution to oppose the constitutional amendment for charter schools that will be on the November election ballot.
IDAHO
School Awarded For Innovative Mixing Of Arts And Academics
KVUE, ID, September 18, 2012
As one of six ID21 Award winners, The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation is awarding Idaho Arts Charter with a $50,000 prize. The awards come after the 2011-2012 ED Sessions speaker series, and each award-winner exemplifies topics from the series.
ILLINOIS
Bring On The Charter Schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 19, 2012
Wednesday will be another school day for 566 students at Fuentes Elementary charter school on Chicago ‘s Northwest Side. Fuentes isn’t a traditional Chicago public school, but part of the United Neighborhood Organization network of charter schools, run under different rules without union teachers.
Strike Lessons Learned
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 19, 2012
What are the lessons learned from the Chicago Teachers Union strike and its battle with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and what does the future look like going forward?
Union Vote Ends Strike by Teachers in Chicago
Wall Street Journal, September 19, 2012
Chicago teachers union officials voted Tuesday to end a strike that halted classes for 350,000 students and illustrated the intensifying national debate over how teachers are evaluated, hired and fired.
CTU Chief Karen Lewis Is Wrong On Charter Schools
Chicago Sun-Times, IL, September 18, 2012
What do 52,000 Chicago parents of charter school students understand that Karen Lewis doesn’t?
Attack on Urban Prep Charter Harms Students And Teachers
Chicago Sun-Times, IL, September 18, 2012
Last week, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis wrote an op-ed in the Chicago Sun Times titled “School closings open door to charters.” Ms. Lewis criticized Urban Prep Academies, a nonprofit organization operating a network of charter public high schools serving mostly economically disadvantaged African-American boys.
Chicago Teachers Strike Highlights ‘Societal Problem’
National Journal, September 18, 2012
There is a bright spot to the Chicago Teachers Union strike that had ended Tuesday, which kept the city’s kids at home and its public-school teachers picketing the streets: People are actually talking about education.
Chicago Teachers Strike Ends With A Vote
Christian Science Monitor, MA, September 19, 2012
Public school doors in Chicago will open on Wednesday following a settlement between the city and its teachers. Chicago ‘s mayor Rahm Emanuel called the agreement, ‘an honest compromise.’
INDIANA
Indiana Charter School Board To Take Input On 2 Proposals
Munster Times, IN, September 18, 2012
The Indiana Charter School Board will host public hearings in communities throughout the state in September and October to collect input on proposals to open charter schools.
Education Experiments Radiate Out Of Capital
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, September 19, 2012
John Harris Loflin’s agenda is pretty simple. He’s not asking to take over any schools. He doesn’t want to replace entire teaching staffs. He’s not even looking for a contract to offer virtual courses.
MARYLAND
Plugging Gaps In Montgomery School Achievement
Maryland Gazette, MD, September 19, 2012
For years, Montgomery County Public Schools has been talking about narrowing the so-called achievement gap, and it appears, sadly, the school system will have to talk about it for years more.
MICHIGAN
Michigan House Committee Taking Up Bill That Would Allow Parents To Convert Struggling Schools To Charter Schools
The Grand Rapids Press, MI, September 18, 2012
State House leaders are taking up the “parent trigger” bill that supporters say could offer more opportunities to parents with children in chronically failing schools.
MISSOURI
State Acts Against Normandy Schools
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, September 19, 2012
The Missouri State Board of Education on Tuesday put the Normandy School District on notice — either reverse years of poor student performance, or face sanctions as severe as a state takeover similar to those in St. Louis and Riverview Gardens.
NEW JERSEY
City Shouldn’t Back More Charter Schools
Courier Post, NJ, September 18, 2012
On Sept. 18 Camden’s board of education (BOE) will receive a report from the committee charged with evaluating applications received in accordance with the Urban Hope Act (UHA). The board must determine if the addition of more charter schools will enhance the district’s fiscal viability and its capacity to operate efficiently.
Newly Enacted Tenure Reform Widely Supported
Tri-Town News, NJ, September 19, 2012
Described as a “win-win” for students and educators alike, a bill implementing tenure reform for New Jersey’s teachers was recently signed into law after months of bipartisan debate.
PENNSYLVANIA
At Lincoln Charter School, Candidates Talk School Choice
York Daily Record, PA, September 18, 2012
Three Libertarians and five Democratic candidates participated in an event, described as a panel discussion, Tuesday night organized by the Citizens for a Better York Coalition.
Officials Fail To Support Public Schools
Pocono Record, PA, September 19, 2012
On Main Street at Stroudfest, someone said, “There goes our tax dollars.” It was a huge, really orange bus covered in advertising for a cyber school.
RHODE ISLAND
No Need For ‘Us Vs. Them’ With Charter School Funds
Valley Breeze, RI, September 18, 2012
It’s discouraging to hear Lincoln School Department Business Manager Lori Miller tell her School Committee last week, “That’s $1 million out of district not benefitting kids in this district” when speaking about town students headed to the Blackstone Valley Prep Charter School.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Why S.C. Teachers Won’t Go On Strike
The State, SC, September 19, 2012
Public school critics love to complain about how much damage the “teachers’ unions” do to our schools. But the fact is that the only schools in South Carolina that could possibly have to deal with a teachers’ union are those private schools that our most anti-union lawmakers want us to subsidize.
TENNESSEE
Partisan Battle Intensifies Feud Over Charter School
The Tennessean, TN, September 19, 2012
A decision by the state to withhold almost $3.4 million from Metro Nashville Public Schools for defying an order to approve a charter school escalated an already simmering partisan battle over whose political philosophy will shape public schools.
Politics Isn’t Behind Metro’s Refusal of Great Hearts
The Tennessean, TN, September 19, 2012
While the whole escapade regarding Great Hearts and its application to open charters in Nashville has been extremely convoluted, it really is not so complicated.
Students Will Take Brunt Of School Board’s Blunder
The Tennessean, TN, September 19, 2012
The true victims in this ongoing spitting contest between the Metro School Board and the state Department of Education? Children.
UTAH
Charter School Sees More Stability In Students, Faculty As School Matures
Tooele Transcript Bulletin, UT, September 18, 2012
After a tumultuous start four years ago, Tooele County ’s only charter school is finding stability.
WISCONSIN
Neenah Extends Partnership With Alliance
Appleton Post Crescent, WI, September 19, 2012
The Montessori-based Alliance Charter School — Neenah’s only charter school — will continue to operate through June 30, 2019.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
Pa. Cyber Charter School Fires Most Top Managers
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, September 19, 2012
The Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School board has axed its director, finance director, personnel director, compliance officer and a longtime lawyer, in a near-sweep of its top management that education experts on Tuesday characterized as highly unusual and potentially damaging in the long term.
D7 Discusses Online Classes
Dearborn Press and Guide, MI, September 18, 2012
Dearborn Heights District 7 may start offering online classes at O.W. Best as a way to help middle school students catch up.