Daily Headlines for October 11, 2012
School Film’s Flaws
New York Post, NY, October 10, 2012
The Post has a right to endorse the movie “Won’t Back Down” (“ Hollywood ’s Teachable Moment,” Editorial, Oct. 7) and its anti-union message. But why not step back and consider the near-universal criticism by movie critics who noted the film’s significant flaws, rather than scapegoat the American Federation of Teachers and the United Federation of Teachers?
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
L.A. Schools Chief Gets One-Year Contract Extension
Los Angeles Times, CA, October 10, 2012
Supt. John Deasy did not achieve ambitious goals regarding third-grade reading scores, graduation rates and ninth-grade algebra that would have earned him a bonus. His salary remains at $330,000.
Woodland School Board To Consider Expansion Of Woodland Poly Charter
Daily Democrat, CA, October 10, 2012
The Woodland school district’s board of trustees will hear from the public Thursday regarding a proposed K-8 expansion of Woodland Poly – and supporters have been encouraged to show up en masse.
Yvonne Chan’s Charter School Empire Flourishes In Pacoima
Contra Costa Times, CA, October 12, 2012
Her empire stretches from the aging Vaughn Elementary School at one end to the state-of-the-art Global and Green Generation campus at the other.
At-Risk Students Deserve Our Help
San Francisco Examiner, CA, October 10, 2012
On Election Day, be sure to let Kelly and the union officials know that bullying has no place in our schools or at our school board meetings. Their attempt to railroad the Board of Education members who stood up to stop the teacher churn in underperforming schools is immoral, it is divisive, it will not be forgotten, it will not be forgiven.
FLORIDA
Florida’s Charter School Movement Gets Boost From State Leaders
WJHG, FL, October 10, 2012
With close to 180,000 students enrolled in charter school statewide this year, there’s no denying the charter school movement is growing. And with a new State Board of Education plan released Tuesday, it appears that trend will continue.
Charter Schools Costly To Taxpayers
Florida Times Union Blog, FL, October 11, 2012
Duval County School Board member Becki Couch recently raised a question that underscores yet another reason why charter schools, as good as some may be, can wind up undermining traditional public schools.
Poinciana Charter School Proposal Denied By School Board
The Ledger, FL, October 10, 2012
The Polk County School Board turned down a proposed K-8 charter school in the Poinciana area.
What’s in a Name?
Gainesville Sun, FL, October 11, 2012
Don’t be fooled about proposed state Constitutional Amendment No. 8. Or, as it has been grandly titled, the “Religious Freedom” amendment. It ought to be called the “Robbing Public Schools to Pay Private Religious Schools” amendment.
GEORGIA
Judge Allows School Officials’ Charter School Campaign Activity
Athens Banner-Herald, GA, October 10, 2012
A lawsuit alleging illegal campaigning by public education authorities opposed to a constitutional amendment on charter schools unraveled Wednesday in a Fulton County courtroom.
PTA Ejects Man At Anti-Charter School Summit
Cherokee Tribune, GA, October 11, 2012
One parent was asked to leave after distributing pro-amendment brochures at Tuesday night’s summit held by Georgia PTA to urge voters to say no to the proposed charter amendment.
Amendment Vote Involves Weighing The Unpopular
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, GA, October 10, 2012
Muscogee County school board members have made no secret of their opposition to the Georgia charter schools amendment that’s on the November ballot. The amendment would authorize state leaders to appoint a commission that can bypass local school boards to establish charter schools receiving state tax dollars.
State Charter Schools: Viable Option Or Plot?
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, GA, October 10, 2012
Charter schools established by the state over the objections of local school boards either are a way to offer poor parents an alternative to failing public schools or a plot to divert public education funds to private interests.
Charter School Referendum Not About Charters
Mariette Daily Journal, GA, October 10, 2012
Charter schools are all the buzz these days in Georgia because of the proposed constitutional amendment that is supposed to be about them. These public schools operate under negotiated rules in exchange for producing results; educational management companies and individuals petition local school boards to open charter schools which are then open to all students and funded with public monies.
Supporters Misinformed
Augusta Chronicle, GA, October 10, 2012
Despite the rhetoric, state Amendment 1 in the November election, regarding charter schools, does not authorize parental involvement, choice, certified teachers, better academic performance or a beautiful school with preppy uniforms.
LGC: Charter School Enrollment Tops 1,000
Cherokee Ledge, GA, October 10, 2012
According to information presented by Principal Vanessa Suarez, Cherokee Charter Academy reached 1,007 students on Sept. 26, which puts the school over the 995-pupil threshold that it used to budget the upcoming year. The school recently added a class of kindergarten students, and the waitlist stands at 117 students.
ILLINOIS
Charter Networks Being Urged To Take Over Troubled Schools In City
Chicago Tribune, IL, October 11, 2012
Chicago Public Schools officials have asked several charter networks if they would take over failing schools, for the first time making a direct connection between the city’s plan to shut down neighborhood schools while increasing the number of privately run charters.
INDIANA
Gary School Board Backs Charter School
Post Tribune, IN, October 10, 2012
The Gary Community Public School Corp. is working with Ball State University to establish a charter school. The School Board approved a resolution Tuesday that paves the way for the first district-sponsored charter in Northwest Indiana.
LOUISIANA
300 St. Tammany Parents, Teachers Attend School Board Forum To Rail Against Education Changes
Times Picayune, LA, October 10, 2012
About 300 parents and teachers attended a forum at Slidell High School on Wednesday to hear from their School Board members about how decreased state dollars and recent laws enacted by the state Legislature, including Gov. Bobby Jindal’s voucher system, have placed serious burdens on the school district.
Orleans Parish School Board Candidate Sarah Usdin Laps The Field In Fund-Raising
Times-Picayune, LA, October 10, 2012
It’s just not what you expect to see in a local school board election: generous donations from Joel Klein, the former New York City schools chief; Reed Hastings, the founder of Netflix; and New Orleans ‘ own Walter Isaacson, the former Time magazine editor and author of a recent best-selling biography of Steve Jobs.
MARYLAND
State Chiefs’ Races Blend K-12 Issues, State Politics
Education Week, MD, October 10, 2012
School finance, the role of standardized tests, and local control of education policy are among the hot issues as candidates vie for the top school leadership spot in four states next month, with three incumbent state superintendents running hard on their records as they seek another term in office.
City To Pilot New Evaluations For All Teachers
The Baltimore Sun, MD, October 10, 2012
All 6,000 Baltimore educators will take part this year in testing a new teacher evaluation system that ties their effectiveness more closely to student performance, school officials announced this week. This system, tested in the city last year for 309 teachers, comes as preparation for the state’s implementation of more rigorous evaluations next year.
MICHIGAN
Poll: Detroit Parents Embrace School Choice
Detroit News, MI, October 11, 2012
Turner is not alone in her displeasure with DPS. Confidence in the city’s public school district has dropped so low that only one in five Detroiters believes DPS is the best educational option for their children, according to a comprehensive poll of residents’ attitudes about the city’s educational landscape and its leadership.
MISSOURI
Word Hard. Be Nice. Good Motto For Improving Schools.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, October 11, 2012
Charter school proponents, be they connected to the successful KIPP model, or the parochial ACCESS Academies model, are working hard. Lawmakers, some of them at least, are working hard at making sure state laws allow kids to have access to schools that are better than the ones near their homes that sometimes don’t meet state standards.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Committee Hears Charter School Denials About Money
Union Leader, NH, October 10, 2012
Without additional state money, the State Board of Education has been advised to deny all charter schools applications, the House Education Committee was told Wednesday.
Assuming Revenue Shortfall For Charter School Funding Is Wrong
Laconia Daily Sun, NH, October 10, 2012
The N.H. Board of Education has been turning down new charter schools on the basis of an assumed shortfall of funding. Charlie Arlinghaus’s recent op-ed did a very good job of explaining why this was not true.
NEW YORK
The UFT Proves A Point
New York Post, NY, October 11, 2012
File this under “TP” for Totally Predictable: A charter school run by the United Federation of Teachers isn’t cutting it — and may soon be shut down.
NORTH CAROLINA
Schools Await Funding Case Ruling
Shelby Star, NC, October 10, 2012
A judge heard closing arguments late Wednesday afternoon in the trial of a lawsuit between three area charter schools and the Cleveland County Schools system.
OHIO
Role Reversal
Columbus Dispatch, OH, October 11, 2012
Recent developments in Ohio ’s public schools make it clear that school boards should be more independent and watchful, not less, to guard against potential problems. More diligence by board members might head off problems such as the attendance-rigging scandal that has put all Ohio school districts, including honest ones, under a cloud of suspicion.
Grades Mixed On School-Choice Push
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, October 10, 2012
Cincinnati Public Schools has been working for more than two years to bring successful charter schools into its portfolio. But to date it has zero partnerships to show for it.
PENNSYLVANIA
We Need More Info, Not Less, About Pa. Charter Schools
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, October 11, 2012
SINCE ACT 22 enabled charter schools in the state 15 years ago, charters have expanded exponentially; Pennsylvania taxpayers now spend about $1 billion a year on 73,000 students enrolled in “bricks and mortar” and cyber-charter schools. With charters championed by lawmakers as a key alternative to traditional public schools, expect even more.
Two Propel Charter Schools Offer Constitutional Law Class
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, October 11, 2012
Jennifer Saint-Preux, a third-year student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, positioned her phone in front of her face and told the Propel Braddock Hills high school students in the constitutional law class that she’d be recording their mock argument.
Pa. Education Secretary Should Stop Accusations And Do His Job
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, October 11, 2012
Regarding “Pa. Districts Show Steep Drop in Test Scores” (Sept. 22): How dare Ron Tomalis, Pennsylvania secretary of education, accuse schools of cheating on previous PSSA tests due to a drop in 2012 results!
SOUTH DAKOTA
Education Reform: Take It From The Top
Aberdeen News, SD, October 10, 2012
When teachers complain about top-down education reforms, those outside the teaching profession often have little sympathy. My conservative friends in particular think that merit pay, standardized teaching assessments, uniform national standards and “accountability” are just what our schools need.
TENNESSEE
Petition Asks State To Reconsider $3.4 Penalty
NewsChannel5, TN, October 10, 2012
A petition with hundreds of signatures has been circulating on the internet asking the state not to penalize Metro School students after the school board’s decision against Great Hearts Academy .
Obstacles To Education Reform
Commercial Appeal, TN, October 10, 2012
Memphis needs passion and commitment to effect positive and lasting change in its public education system, members of a panel on education reform suggested Wednesday.
TEXAS
Vocabulary-Building Is Key To Closing Achievement Gap
Star Telegram, TX, October 10, 2012
Part of the value of big, thick government reports isn’t that they can double as doorstops but the hope that someone will read beyond their recommendations to the fine details. Deep into a recent audit of the Fort Worth schools’ curriculum are some findings that aren’t so much surprising as they are frustrating.
VIRGINIA
90 Area Schools Getting Help Improving Academics
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, October 11, 2012
A total of 90 schools in central Virginia are among 593 statewide that will get extra help achieving academic goals, the Virginia Department of Education announced Wednesday.
WASHINGTON
School Reform Ad’s Donors Undisclosed
Spokesman Review, WA, October 11, 2012
Idaho’s campaign finance disclosure deadline came and went Wednesday without any word on who funded a statewide TV ad campaign in favor of controversial school reform measures – and backers say they don’t plan to disclose their donors.
We Must Give Our Trust To Educators – But We Must Verify The Results
News Tribune, WA, October 11, 2012
What President Ronald Reagan liked to say about our relations with the Soviet Union – “Trust, but verify” – is also true of education. This is why I think the charter school initiative, I-1240, is a good idea: It strengthens our trust in schools, and it provides new ways to verify that this trust is deserved.
Group Behind Charter School Initiative Goes After Mcauliffe
Everett Herald, WA, October 11, 2012
Stand for Children is a national organization out to reshape how students are taught and how public schools are run in this country.
Academy In Federal Way District Is Similar To A Charter School
Seattle Times, WA, October 10, 2012
Supporters of Initiative 1240 often point to the success stories among the 6,000 charter schools that now exist in 41 states, when the reality is that high-performing charters are more the exception than the rule.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
Can Online Education Tackle Achievement Gap?
NPR, October 10, 2012
The Khan Academy is a leading online education tool. Founder Salman Khan started the company after tutoring his niece who was struggling with middle school math. His new book is The One World Schoolhouse and he speaks with host Michel Martin.
Dallas District Will Partner With Cyber Charter School
Citizen Voice, PA, October 10, 2012
Dallas School District officials hope to expand students’ educational options through a partnership with a Western Pennsylvania cyber charter school.
Enrollment Increases At St. James Virtual School
Baton Rouge Advocate, LA, October 11, 2012
Enrollment in St. James Parish’s online Virtual Academy not only has increased rapidly since its July opening, but school officials are fielding phone calls from parents outside the parish who are interested in the program.
District Up 612 Students, Mostly From Virtual Academy
Clarkston News, MI, October 10, 2012
After the Oct. 3 student count, Oxford Community Schools are up by 612 students from a year ago, making the total number of students 5,688.
Amphi’s Blended Learning Mixes Online, Classroom Instruction
Arizona Daily Star, AZ, October 11, 2012
Amphitheater Unified School District has implemented blended learning – in which students attend class two days a week and learn online the other three days – at Donaldson and El Hogar de la Paz Alternative Program. The district hired a teacher at Donaldson to coordinate the program there, and four teachers at El Hogar who tutor blended learning students at that school.