Daily Headlines for October 4, 2012
Fact check: On Education, Gains Difficult To Demonstrate
Los Angeles Times, CA, October 3, 2012
On education, President Obama correctly noted that his ideas for reform have been drawn from ideas championed by Democrats and Republicans, an overlap that also has drawn criticism in some quarters from allies of the president such as teacher unions.
Obama Declines To Support School Choice In Debate
Daily Caller, DC, October 4, 2012
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney reiterated his support for school choice when asked about education reform during Wednesday night’s debate with President Obama.
Why Teacher Training Fails — And How We Can Correct That
Washington Post, DC, October 3, 2012
American public elementary and secondary schools spend about $20 billion a year on what is called professional development — helping teachers do their jobs better. Many teachers will tell you much of that is a waste of time and money.
Former State Senator Addresses Charter School Bill and Military Families
WRWR, GA, October 3, 2012
Ember Reichgott Junge is a Former State Senator from Minnesota , she also is the author of the first bill in the nation addressing charter schools.
FROM THE STATES
ALABAMA
Questions Raised Over Tuition At Tech School
News Courier, AL, October 4, 2012
Limestone County School Board faced questions at Tuesday’s regular meeting as to why private and home-school students have to pay tuition to attend Limestone County Career Technical Center .
CALIFORNIA
A Missed Opportunity To Reform Teacher Evaluations
Ed Source, CA, October 3rd, 2012
Though not the only issue in Chicago , how to evaluate teachers and the role of standardized tests in that process has been at the core of the contentiousness in the Windy City . In California , we recently saw our own version of the teacher evaluation debate turn toxic with the demise of AB 5.
Chico School Board Votes To Have Inspire Share Campus With Chico High
Chico Enterprise-Record, CA, October 4, 2012
Inspire School of Arts and Sciences, the only charter school in the area directly tied to the Chico school district, has finally got a home.
‘Parent Trigger’ Law Divides Struggling School, Community
California Watch, CA, October 4, 2012
“The movie makes it look a lot easier than it really is,” said Diaz, who started drumming up support to overhaul her local public school more than a year ago.
Inglewood High Grad Takes Over City’s Troubled School District
Los Angeles Times, CA, October 4, 2012
Kent Taylor, who graduated from Inglewood High in 1982 and was recently an education official in Kern County , steps in to lead the state-controlled district.
CONNECTICUT
Wrong On School Vouchers
Hartford Courant , CT, October 4, 2012
In her op-ed “Dipping SAT Scores Show Need For Choice,” Lindsey Burke of the Heritage Foundation opines about low reading scores on the SAT [Sept 29, Opinion]. She mistakenly believes that vouchers will improve SAT scores.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Considers Neighborhood Admissions Preference For Charter Schools
Washington Post Blog, DC, October 3, 2012
Should charter schools give admissions preference to families who live nearby? A D.C. task force convened Tuesday to begin studying that question, which has been made more urgent by the looming closure of an unknown number of traditional public schools.
FLORIDA
Lehigh Charter School Grows
Lehigh Acres Citizen, FL, October 4, 2012
Dr. Timothy J. Butts is the principal of the Lee Alternative Charter High School in Lehigh Acres (LACHS) where 167 students are studying daily and according to Butts, most of the student body is doing very well and the school is continuing to grow.
Amendment 8 Pits Religious Groups Against Backers Of Church-State Separation
Orlando Sentinel, FL, October 3, 2012
When voters go to the polls in November, they will be asked if they want to delete the so-called Blaine Amendment from Florida’s constitution. Also called the “no aid provision,” it prohibits state aid to religious institutions.
GEORGIA
Choice, Charters And The Children
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, October 4, 2012
With less than 40 days to the Nov. 6 elections, passions, tempers and misinformation are on the rise regarding a school choice question on the ballot in Georgia .
Read, Chapman Think Barge Firm On Charter Issue
Cherokee Tribune, GA, October 4, 2012
The Cherokee County school board chairman and vice chairwoman said they still believe State Superintendent Dr. John Barge is sticking to his opposition of the charter amendment, but local charter supporters remain mum following the Georgia Department of Education’s declaration of neutrality on the Nov. 6 vote
Choice On Charter School Amendment Is About Local Or State Control
Cherokee Tribune, GA, October 4, 2012
Charter schools are touted as the answer to the deficiencies in our public schools. But since supporters don’t trust local school boards or the state board of education to do the right thing, they want to amend the Georgia Constitution and empower a state commission to override local school boards.
Coke, Rhudy Differ On Charter School Issue
Times-Georgian, GA, October 4, 2012
The two Republican incumbents running for re-election to their Georgia House seats favor the charter school amendment that will be on the Nov. 6 general election, but the Democrat running against state District 18 Rep. Kevin Cooke sees the issue differently.
Olens Says School Boards Can’t Use Taxpayer Money To Oppose Charter Amendment
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, October 3, 2012
School boards are not permitted to use taxpayer money to oppose the charter schools amendment, Georgia Attorney General Sam Olens wrote in a letter to Superintendent John Barge Wednesday.
IDAHO
New Idaho Schools Ad Launched
Spokesman Review, WA, October 4, 2012
The latest statewide TV commercial to air in the battle over Idaho’s controversial school reform laws comes from opponents of the laws and focuses on what may be their toughest sell in the right-to-work state: Proposition 1, which restricts collective bargaining rights for teachers.
ILLINOIS
Teachers Give Contract Big Thumbs Up
Chicago Tribune, IL, October 4, 2012
Chicago’s public school teachers overwhelmingly approved a contract agreement in a vote taken earlier this week.
Testing, Graduation, and the Numbers Behind Charter Schools in Chicago
Chicago Magazine, IL, October 3, 2012
The Chicago teachers strike was settled relatively quickly, but it’s almost certain that it was merely a preview of issues to come: school closings, pensions, and the expansion of charter schools, for example. Ben Joravsky has been writing about the last of these for awhile, and he takes another shot across the bow this week on what’s certain to be a point of contention in the coming years.
LOUISIANA
School Board Must Act
Monroe News Star, LA, October 4, 2012
It’s amazing that some school board members were surprised by the Neville charter group’s intention to move forward with its charter application and to seek a Type 2 charter from the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Louisiana Education Department Turns Down Records Request For Second Time
Alexandria Town Talk, LA, October 4, 2012
After saying last August that a public records request would be fulfilled, Louisiana’s education department is again refusing to provide The Associated Press with records on how schools were chosen to participate in Gov. Bobby Jindal’s new statewide voucher program.
Jefferson Parish School Board Changes Admissions Testing Procedures For Advanced Academies
Times Picayune, LA, October 3, 2012
The Jefferson Parish School Board on Wednesday approved a new slate of adjustments to its advanced academy admissions policy, changing entrance testing procedures for young students, students new to the district and students who narrowly missed the cutoff on their first testing attempts.
MASSACHUSETTS
Proposed Brockton Charter School Enters Final Round Of Review
Boston Globe, MA, October 4, 2012
The proposal for the International Charter School of Brockton is one of 12 statewide that will now progress to the final round of review by the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
MICHIGAN
Former Gov. John Engler On Panel Discussing Role Of Business In Public Education
The Grand Rapids Press, MI, October 3, 2012
Former Michigan Gov. John Engler is part of a panel discussion debating whether schools can be run as a business but stay true to their humanitarian vision.
Metro Detroit School Districts Offer Incentives For Fall Count Day
Detroit News, MI, October 4, 2012
Public school districts across Michigan offered a variety of incentives Wednesday to persuade students to show up for the fall Count Day.
Student Counts Increase At Area Charter Schools, Steady At Traditional Schools
The Muskegon Chronicle, MI, October 3, 2012
Enrollment at some Muskegon County charter schools has increased substantially this year, while student populations at traditional school districts have remained more or less steady, Wednesday’s student counts show.
MISSISSIPPI
Nelson Kicks Off State Senate Run
Desoto Times Tribune, MS, October 4, 2012
In his bid for the open State Senate District 19 seat, State Rep. Pat Nelson, R-Southaven, said he will make education funding a major cornerstone of his campaign.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Nashua School Board Eyes Grant To Revamp Curriculum, Upgrade Evaluations, Make Data Accessible
Nashua Telegraph, NH, October 4, 2012
If awarded a federal Race to the Top grant, the district would focus on revamping school curriculum, creating more effective teacher-evaluation systems and making data more accessible to teachers.
NEW MEXICO
Governor Still Pushing Education Reform Bill
New Mexican, NM, October 4, 2012
Gov. Susana Martinez said Wednesday that she intends to continue to push the Legislature for a “no social promotion” bill as part of her educational reform platform for New Mexico.
NEW YORK
Schools Eyed for Possible Closure
Wall Street Journal, October 3, 2012
New York City has put a record number of elementary and middle schools on a watch list for closure, as Mayor Michael Bloomberg attempts to make a lasting impact during his last full year in charge of city schools.
Syracuse School District Poised To Experiment With Bonus Pay For Teachers
Post-Standard, NY, October 3, 2012
Teacher pay, always a hot topic, is poised for a trial change in the Syracuse school district, bankrolled by millions of federal dollars.
OHIO
Skewed Priorities
Columbus Dispatch, OH, October 4, 2012
An interim report from Ohio Auditor Dave Yost confirms that officials at 10 Columbus middle schools altered school-attendance records without explanation, bolstering suspicions that school officials cooked the books to falsely improve attendance numbers and the schools’ academic performance scores.
OKLAHOMA
In Oklahoma Education Debate, Funding And Reform Must Be Included
The Oklahoman, OK, October 4, 2012
DUE to the recession, state education spending has taken a hit and there are legitimate arguments for increasing appropriations in the coming year. Unfortunately, many of those urging greater funding are the same people who oppose sensible reforms that benefit students, thus hurting their cause.
PENNSYLVANIA
Teachers In The State’s Public Schools Have Higher Targets To Meet And Less Money To Do It
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, October 4, 2012
The release of the 2012 Pennsylvania System of School Assessment scores last week provided some shocking results: The number of districts making adequate yearly progress, known as AYP, statewide fell from 94 to 60.9 percent and the number of districts in Allegheny County that failed to make the mark increased from four in 2011 to 17 in 2012.
Group Files Claim Against Philly School Closings, Charging Bias
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, October 4, 2012
Charging that the Philadelphia School District’s school closings have disproportionately targeted African American students, a group of parents and community members has filed a federal claim hoping to temporarily halt further closures.
RHODE ISLAND
Funds To Charter School, Kids, Do Benefit Lincoln
Valley Breeze, RI, October 3, 2012
I was very disappointed to read that Lincoln School Department’s Business Manager, Lori Miller, described the money following Lincoln students to charter schools was, “$1 million out of the district not benefitting the kids in the district.”
R.I. Launches New System For Teacher Evaluations
Brown Daily Herald, RI, October 4, 2012
The Rhode Island Board of Regents had already mandated that every district in the state develop a teacher evaluation system similar to the one desired by Obama.
TENNESSEE
Study Up On School Choices
The Tennessean, TN, October 4, 2012
And, these days, parents have a growing array of options. In Middle Tennessee, public, private, charter, magnet and home schooling are all possible selections, making the process even more complex.
Online Petition Started Against Metro School’s $3.4M Penalty
NewsChannel5, TN, October 3, 2012
A online petition has been created to ask The Tennessee Department of Education not to withhold the $3.4 million in funding from Metro Nashville Public Schools because of the district’s decision to deny charter status to Great Hearts Academy.
Rick Smith Says No To Vouchers
Times Free Press, TN, October 4, 2012
Superintendent Rick Smith doesn’t support public school vouchers or efforts to take public charter school approval away from local school boards, the Hamilton County Schools chief told parents and educators Wednesday.
TEXAS
IDEA’s Records Show Kids From Across District
Austin Chronicle, TX, October 4, 2012
With the first class seated, IDEA Allan teachers know what kids they are teaching this year. New figures show that the campus is serving fewer East Austin students than planned, but the charter school group argues that it’s bringing college opportunities to an underserved population.
UTAH
Three Finalists Vying To Become Utah’s Next Schools Boss
Salt Lake Tribune, UT, October 3, 2012
Three finalists have been named as candidates to replace retiring State Superintendent Larry Shumway as Utah’s top education official, the State Board of Education announced on Wednesday.
WASHINGTON
Plan For Innovative Schools In Seattle Approved, Again
Seattle Times Blog, WA, October 3, 2012
The Seattle School Board approved an amendment Wednesday that board members believe will address legal problems with the district’s plan to allow a number of schools to pursue new, innovative approaches to learning. The vote was 5-2.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
Wallington Students Will Have Chance To Take Online Classes
The Record, NJ, October 4, 2012
Wallington High School has found ways to diversify its available courses by offering students the chance to take online classes, according to Superintendent Albert Pecora.
Online Schools Face Backlash As States Question Results
Reuters, October 3, 2012
Virtual public schools, which allow students to take all their classes online, have exploded in popularity across the United States , offering what supporters view as innovative and affordable alternatives to the conventional classroom.
‘Virtual Academy ‘ Shows Promise
Herald Argus, IN, October 3, 2012
A new online class program at La Porte High School is already starting to show promise, said program coordinator Jamie Ulmer during a school board meeting last night.
Virtual Academy Students Love to Learn
KTXL, CA, October 3, 2012
About 50 students at the El Dorado Unified High School District are learning their lessons on-line rather than a typical classroom. It’s the Virtual Academy at Shenandoah.