Daily Headlines for September 28, 2012
Traditional Or Charter Schools? Actually, They Help Each Other, Study Says.
Christian Science Monitor, MA, September 27, 2012
A new study suggests that best practices from charter schools can help student achievement at underperforming public schools. The issue is getting the two to cooperate.
Chicago Teachers Strike Underscores Shift Among Democrats
Washington Post, DC, September 27, 2012
I’m a Democrat because I believe in the party’s basic principles, particularly the idea that we have to look after one another and stand up for those who need help. I believe in fighting for the civil rights of all Americans, especially children and those facing injustices.
‘Won’t Back Down’ Has Teachers Unions Running Scared
Washington Times, DC, September 27, 2012
For more than half a century, in Hollywood message movies from “Blackboard Jungle” to “Lean on Me,” Stand and Deliver” and “Dangerous Minds,” academic failure and juvenile crime have haunted the corridors of failing inner-city schools that were little better than war zones.
High Marks For Class Act
New York Post, NY, September 28, 2012
The rousing school-choice movie “Won’t Back Down” is (already!) inspiring teachers’ unions to protest it with its standard dial-a-mob tactics, but the film makes a serious effort to present the other side’s points.
Parent-Trigger Laws: A Bold Plan To Save Schools
NPR, September 27, 2012
Several states have passed what are known as parent-trigger laws, which give parents a path to make operational changes in failing schools. Education Week reporter Sean Cavanagh talks about where parent-trigger laws are in place and what we know about whether or not they are working.
Money Isn’t Answer For Schools
Sun Sentinel, FL, September 28, 2012
A well-known definition of insanity is, “Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting difference results.” For decades, the United States threw money at a public education system that had turned sclerotic in many parts of the country, only to see it spiral downward in quality. Yet, many in the public school establishment still insist more money is needed to reverse the deterioration. That prescription is just plain nuts.
FROM THE STATES
ARKANSAS
JHS Officials Explain What’s Next To Become Conversion Charter School
Kait8, AR, September 27, 2012
That implementation has put JHS on track for their next big move, turning JHS into a conversion charter school. Thursday night, school officials met with parents to break down what they’re looking to do and why.
CALIFORNIA
LAUSD, Charters Win $98 Million In Grants To Boost Teacher, Administrator Pay
Los Angeles Daily News, CA, September 27, 2012
Los Angeles Unified and three local charter school networks were among 35 recipients of $290 million in federal grants awarded to boost the pay of effective teachers and administrators, officials said today.
Fresno Unified Board Clashes Over New Millennium Charter School
The Fresno Bee, CA, September 27, 2012
The Fresno Unified School Board erupted with accusations Wednesday night over the district’s handling of the troubled New Millennium charter school, prompting one trustee to say the board had shirked its duty to investigate possible staff misconduct.
Livermore School Board Considers New Portola Academy Charter Petition
Livermore Independent, CA, September 28, 2012
The Livermore School Board held a hearing on Tues., Sept. 17, on a new petition for the Portola Academy charter school, submitted by the Tri-Valley Learning Corporation (TVLC) last month. In July, the State Board of Education (SBE) denied the original Portola Academy petition, which was also denied by the Alameda County Board of Education (ACBOE) and the Livermore School Board earlier in the year.
End Union Control of California Politics
Desert Sun, CA, September 28, 2012
Some of the arguments against Proposition 32 are particularly egregious examples of the misleading rhetoric that tends to surround California ballot propositions.
COLORADO
Students Take Alternative Road to Success
KREX News Channel 5, CO, September 27, 2012
Unlike an equation, the answers to how young adults should be educated can vary. Vista Charter School offers an alternative solution to the traditional method of education.
Re-1 Board To Consider TRES Charter Application
Glenwood Springs Post Independent, CO, September 28, 2012
Organizers of the Two Rivers Expeditionary School have formally applied with the Roaring Fork Re-1 school board to have the proposed Glenwood Springs-based school operate as a charter school within the Re-1 system.
CONNECTICUT
Waterford School Board Gets Details On New Teacher Evaluation System
The Day, CT, September 28, 2012
The Board of Education on Thursday learned more about the district’s new teacher and administrator evaluation system, which went into effect this school year.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
New Plan Will Allow Merit Raises For D.C. School Principals
Washington Post, DC, September 27, 2012
D.C. Public Schools officials plan to offer performance raises to principals and assistant principals who score well on annual evaluations, expanding the merit pay system already in place for teachers.
FLORIDA
6 of 7 Charter School Applicants Fail Committee Approval Test
The Ledger, FL, September 27, 2012
Only one of seven charter school applications submitted to the Polk County School District in August has been approved by an advisory committee.
State Task Force Proposal Would Require School Districts To Fund Charter School Facilities
NPR StateImpact , FL, September 27, 2012
A state task force is considering a proposal which would require local school districts to give money to charter schools for facilities.
GEORGIA
Education Officials: Vote No To State-Controlled Schools
Rome News-Tribune, GA, September 28, 2012
Education officials across Northwest Georgia are urging constituents to “Vote Smart” come Nov. 6 regarding the constitutional amendment on the ballot that would create a commission with the power to approve charter schools in local communities across the state.
Local Dems Blast Charter School Amendment
Athens Banner Herald, GA, September 27, 2012
Democratic candidate for the Georgia House of Representatives Spencer Frye summed up his feelings toward the proposed charter school amendment with an analogy: “If your house is on fire, you put the fire out. You don’t go right next door and build a house the same exact way.”
Smokescreen On Charter Schools?
Athens Banner Herald, GA, September 27, 2012
Is anyone tempted to ask if the Heartland Institute’s position on charter schools is “extremist” or outside the educational mainstream? I hope so.
Charter Column Relied On Scare Tactics
Athens Banner Herald, GA, September 27, 2012
Athens Banner-Herald guest columnist Russell Edwards rehashes silly, worn-out progressive slogans against charter schools in an attempt to scare voters away from what, if it happens in Georgia as it has in 41 other states, would benefit them and their children (Column, “Amendment would hurt public schools,” Sept. 19).
IDAHO
Index Ranks Idaho Education 15th In The Country Based On Options For Students
Idaho Reporter, ID, September 27, 2012
The Center for Education Reform (CER), a Washington, D.C.-based organization dedicated to assisting states with education concerns geared toward choice in education and accountability, has released what it calls the “Parent Power Index,” ranking states on parents’ ability to choose a quality education for their children.
Parents OK With Low School Rating
Idaho Mountain Express, ID, September 28, 2012
Members of the Bellevue Elementary School Parent Auxiliary organization don’t seem overly concerned that the school only received two stars out of a maximum of five in the Idaho State Department of Education’s newly released rating system.
ILLINOIS
A Gold Star for Chicago Teachers Strike? We Think Not
Wall Street Journal, September 28, 2012
The Sep. 24 op-ed “A Gold Star for the Chicago Teachers Strike” by Karen Lewis and Randi Weingarten is a wonderful display of self-congratulatory patting of each other’s backs. However, it is a resounding kick in the pants to the budget of the Chicago Public School (CPS) system.
Charter Reform Time
Chicago Now Blog, IL, September 27, 2012
But the also article reminds me that that there’s a second, behind-the-scenes battle going on over charter schools in addition to the public one going on out in the open between districts and charters. It may be more important than the one going on out in public.
INDIANA
Despite Legislation, Test Shows Students Getting Left Behind
Evansville Courier Post, IN, September 27, 2012
The high school class of 2012 has taken its College Board exams and the results are not good, showing the nation still hasn’t cracked the code of how to deliver a quality secondary education to large numbers of students from diverse backgrounds.
IOWA
2 School Districts Get Head Start On Reform
Des Moines Register, IA, September 28, 2012
Two Iowa school districts are getting a head start on creating career ladders and new compensation systems for teachers.
LOUISIANA
Neville Move Surprises Board
Monroe News Star, LA, September 28, 2012
Monroe City School Board Vice President Mickey Traweek said Thursday he will encourage Neville High School to seek its charter from the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, not Monroe City Schools, if the school district continues to prioritize its spending based on the lack of academic success in schools.
Orleans Parish School Board race pits Heidi Lovett Daniels, Ira Thomas for 1st District
Times-Picayune, LA, September 27, 2012
Voters in eastern New Orleans and the Lower 9th Ward have two starkly different resumes to ponder as they consider whom to support in this year’s 1st District race for the Orleans Parish School Board. On the one hand, a veteran of the New Orleans Police Department argues that he and his fellow incumbents have cleaned up the district and deserve another four years to continue the job.
MASSACHUSETTS
Charter Head Calls It Quits
Gloucester Times, MA, September 28, 2012
With a stiff budget cut hanging over Gloucester Community Arts Charter School, Executive Director Tony Blackman slashed his own job to keep the teaching staff intact.
MICHIGAN
Michigan’s ‘Parent Trigger’ Legislation Has Right Goal, But Important Flaws
Detroit Free Press, MI, September 28, 2012
Those of us who conceived Parent Trigger three years ago, and have been working on its implementation in California and across the country since, applaud those legislators in Lansing who are joining parents in creating better schools for their kids.
MINNESOTA
Pre-Kindergarten Program Helping Close Achievement Gap
CBS Local, MN, September 27, 2012
In most school districts, children start school at age 5 when they go to kindergarten. But in Minneapolis, an increasing number of kids are going at age 4 as part of a program called High Five. It targets Native American kids, and it’s also a good example of what’s working in local schools.
MISSISSIPPI
Gov. Bryant Continues Push for Charter Schools
Mississippi Public Broadcasting, MS, September 27, 2012
Governor Phil Bryant is continuing his push to bring charter schools to Mississippi. As MPB’s Daniel Cherry reports, Bryant is looking to private schools for ideas on education reform.
NEVADA
District Faces Tough Task In Lifting Underperforming Students
Las Vegas Sun, NV, September 28, 2012
The Clark County School District struggles to remediate nonproficient students, according to last year’s school-level “growth” data released Thursday.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Charter School Moratorium Was Avoidable
Nashua Telegraph, NH, September 28, 2012
Bud Abbott and Lou Costello have made a lot of people laugh over the years with their famous “Who’s on First” comedy routine from the late 1930s, but few bothered to crack a smile last week over a more serious breakdown in communication that led to a moratorium on new charter schools in New Hampshire.
NEW JERSEY
City Should Host An Urban Hope School
Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ, September 28, 2012
If Camden school board members want detailed information about how opening more charter schools will impact the district’s budget, that’s understandable.
School Rejection Leaves Camden Neighborhood At A Loss
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 28, 2012
Charlie Marrero had hoped that by the time his son reached third grade in 2014, he would be attending a brand-new school just down the block from his Royden Street home.
Camden Board Rejects Urban Hope Act School Proposals
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, September 28, 2012
Camden’s surprise decision this week to block any new schools under the controversial Urban Hope Act has left local officials — and maybe even the Christie administration itself — with a difficult decision about what happens next in a drama that has become as much about politics as education.
NEW YORK
East Ramapo Charter School Backers Tout Alternative For Students; District Cites Costs
The Journal News, NY, September 28, 2012
Supporters of a proposed charter school are touting the need to give parents in the East Ramapo school district an alternative to the fast-growing, deficit-plagued public schools.
East Ramapo Charter School Makes Community Pitch
Newsday, NY, September 27, 2012
Supporters of a proposed charter school in the East Ramapo Central School District made their case for fiscal responsibility and academic accountability Thursday night at a public hearing in Spring Valley .
Evaluate Teachers, But Not By Tests
Newsday, NY, September 27, 2012
What makes teaching any different from every other job [“Get moving on evaluations,” Editorial, Sept. 21]? It seems obvious to me that, just like any other employee, teachers should be evaluated by their supervisors.
NORTH CAROLINA
The School Board From Another Planet
News & Observer, NC, September 27, 2012
Barring some undisclosed gross malfeasance on Tata’s part, getting rid of the superintendent at this critical moment is just destructive. The board is in the middle of creating a third student assignment plan in three years and getting ready to try to sell to the public a $1.2 billion bond issue for school construction needs.
OHIO
Teacher Evaluations Coming, Much Work To Prepare, Implement
Lima News, OH, September 27, 2012
While the coming teacher evaluation system is state mandated, much of the work will be done at the local level, with decisions needed to be made by next summer.
Cleveland Schools Chief Eric Gordon: ‘It’s Do Or Die Time’ For District
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, September 27, 2012
The Cleveland schools are in a position to greatly improve the education of the city’s children, district chief Eric Gordon told a City Club of Cleveland audience Thursday. But he said the district needs community support in November for a new school tax to carry out its plans.
OKLAHOMA
Money Talks And Education Will Listen
Tulsa World, OK, September 28, 2012
The last thing education in this state needs is more lip service. Unfortunately, that’s mostly what politicians supply. It was no exception Wednesday from Gov. Mary Fallin.
Oklahoma Schools to Receive A-F Grades Oct. 8
The Oklahoman, OK, September 28, 2012
Oklahoma education workers are finalizing data that will be used to assign an A through F letter grade to Oklahoma’s 1,761 schools. The grades will be announced Oct. 8.
PENNSYLVANIA
Parents From Two Charters Urge SRC To Keep Schools Open
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 27, 2012
Parents from two charter schools whose founder and former top administrators are under federal indictment urged the Philadelphia School Reform Commission on Thursday to keep their schools open.
Helen Thackston Charter School Breaks Ground For Expansion Project
York Daily Record, PA, September 27, 2012
Many of those speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony for an expansion project at Helen Thackston Charter School said the day was a long time coming.
Pa. Special-Ed Funding Linked To Charter Law Changes
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 28, 2012
A long-awaited overhaul of Pennsylvania’s special-education funding system is on hold this fall, awaiting agreement on proposed charter law changes, according to the chairman of the House Democratic Policy Committee.
TENNESSEE
Parents Can’t Trust School System
The Tennessean, TN, September 28, 2012
There is no substitute for parental involvement in the education of their children; few other factors weigh so heavily in success.
VIRGINIA
A Better Plan For Closing The Gap
The Virginian-Pilot, VA, September 28, 2012
State education officials appear to have finally found the right track with their latest approach for setting educational goals in public schools.
WASHINGTON
New PAC Forms, Starts Advertising In Favor Of School Reform Measures
Spokesman Review, WA, September 27, 2012
A new PAC called “Parents for Education Reform” has filed paperwork with the Idaho Secretary of State’s office, and is running a new TV commercial in favor of Propositions 1, 2 and 3, the education reform referenda.
Tacoma School Board Opposes Nov. 6 Ballot’s Charter Initiative
News Tribune, WA, September 27, 2012
The Tacoma School Board voted 5-0 Thursday to oppose Initiative 1240, the charter school measure that will appear on the Nov. 6 ballot.
Community Grapples With Charter School Initiative
Sammamish Review, WA, September 27, 2012
On Nov. 6, people across the state will cast their vote whether or not to allow charter schools in Washington , and locals stand on both sides of the argument.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
‘ Virtual Academy ’ Offers Educational Diversity In Bernardsville
Bernardsville News, NJ, September 28, 2012
In its second year, the Virtual Academy, funded by a grant from the Somerset Hills Education Foundation (SHEF), offers students the opportunity to study a subject, via the Internet, that is not offered at the high school.
Pasco Officials Moving Carefully Toward Virtual School
Bay News 9, FL, September 27, 2012
Plans for a new charter school in Pasco County are moving forward, despite an investigation into the company’s parent organization.
Joe Robertson | Few Takers For Free Online Classes
Kansas City Star, MO, September 27, 2012
For all those wondering whether legions of families really would transfer out of Kansas City Public Schools if they had a free option, here’s a way to find out. Or at least get a hint.
Internet School Seeks State Charter
Westminster News, CO, September 27, 2012
Colorado Virtual Academy (COVA) may be one step closer to distancing itself from the Adams 12 Five Star School district after the district school board waived its right to retain an exclusive charter to the state’s largest K-12 online school.