Daily Headlines for April 23, 2013
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
When Schools Cheat, Don’t Blame Tests: Our View
USA Today, April 22, 2013
The cheating scandal in Atlanta, which led to the indictment of 35 teachers and school officials last month, is breathtaking in its scope.
The False Promise Of ‘Education Reform’
Everett Daily Herald, WA, April 23, 2013
Since her time as District of Columbia schools chancellor, Michelle Rhee has been the face of “education reform.” Regimenting testing for D.C. kids, she fired 241 teachers in one day alone in 2010 for low test scores. She fired a principal on camera. In turn, D.C. voters fired her mayoral patron in 2010 and she resigned.
STATE COVERAGE
CONNECTICUT
School Board Considers Charter School Plan
CT Post, CT, April 23, 2013
The public will have to wait until May 7 to weigh in on a plan to create a district-run charter school, but the city school board got to sound off Monday on the plan for a Montessori elementary school on the West End of town.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C., Montgomery Schools Named National Green Ribbon Schools
Washington Post, DC, April 23, 2013
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Monday honored five Washington-area schools and the Montgomery County school system as National Green Ribbon Schools for their exemplary environmental education programs and sustainable facilities.
Evidence Of Widespread Cheating Leads To Probe At D.C. Charter School
Washington Examiner, DC, April 22, 2013
Meridian Public Charter School has begun an internal investigation into cheating on standardized tests after a District investigation found “strong circumstantial evidence” that cheating efforts were orchestrated throughout the school, officials announced Monday.
Council Questions Push For Special-Ed Students In D.C. Public Schools
Washington Post, DC, April 22, 2013
D.C. Council members, advocates and parents raised questions Monday about Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s push to reduce the number of special-education students who attend private schools at public expense.
FLORIDA
Hernando Teacher Of Year Illustrates Flaws In Evaluation System
Tampa Bay Times, FL, April 23, 2013
So, it seems, the teachers unions have found the ideal poster person to illustrate the craziness of the state’s new teacher evaluation system.
US Education Secretary Urges Fla. To Work On Teacher Evals
Tallahassee Democrat, FL, April 23, 2013
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is urging Florida to quickly address any problems with its new teacher evaluation system, which grades instructors in large part on students’ standardized test scores.
Parent Trigger: Who’s For It And Who’s Against It Tells The Story
Washington Post Blog, DC, April 23, 2013
You can learn pretty much everything you need to know about the controversial “parent trigger” legislation now before the Florida Legislature by looking at who is for it and who is against it.
Lawmakers Want Teacher Raises Based On Merit; Not Scott’s $2,500 Plan
ActionNewsJax, FL, April 22, 2013
Fla. Gov. Rick Scott isn’t going to succeed in getting $2,500 pay raises for the state’s teachers. Florida legislators meeting over the weekend have settled on setting aside nearly $500 million to boost teacher pay. But House and Senate budget negotiators made it clear they will not hand out raises the way Scott wanted.
Scott Signs Bill Revamping Schools, Universities
Miami Herald, FL, April 22, 2013
On Monday, Gov. Rick Scott signed a sweeping education bill that will revamp the state’s high school graduation requirements and place new emphasis on coursework that prepares students for high-tech careers.
ILLINOIS
Charter School Parents Form Advocacy Group
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 23, 2013
Cast by critics including the Chicago Teachers Union as villains in the ongoing school closings controversy, privately run charter schools and their advocates are fighting back with efforts that include plans for a downtown rally by a newly formed parents group.
Chicago Charter School Teachers Push To Form Union
CBS2 Chicago, IL, April 22, 2013
One of the things that makes charter schools different may be starting to change.
INDIANA
Bill Easing School Chief Rules Passes
Journal Gazette, IN, April 23, 2013
A bill allowing school districts to hire superintendents without an educator’s license is headed to Gov. Mike Pence for his signature.
Revoked Charter Schools In Indiana Could Be Forgiven
Courier Journal, IN, April 22, 2013
Indiana lawmakers are considering forgiving $12 million in loans that “failing” charter schools accepted from the state, as part of a broader package of state aid for charters.
KANSAS
Kansas Flunks School Choice Study
Kansas Watchdog, KS, April 22, 2013
When it comes to school choice and giving parents the power to control their child’s education, Kansas earns a failing grade.
LOUISIANA
Education Groups Join To Oppose Jindal-Backed Bills
News Star, LA, April 23, 2013
Five education groups are joining to present unified opposition to the Legislature trying to re-approve elements of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s 2012 education package that ran into problems in court.
MICHIGAN
Michigan School Chief: End Project By Secret Group
Detroit News, MI, April 23, 2013
Michigan’s school chief on Monday urged the disbanding of a work group that has been secretly developing ways to lower the cost of public education through technology and a funding mechanism that resembles vouchers.
Eastern Michigan University Regents Authorize 5-Year Contracts With 3 New Charter Schools
Ann Arbor, MI, April 22, 2013
The Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents recently voted to enter a five-year contract with new Ypsilanti-based charter school Global Tech Academy.
MINNESOTA
Higher Ground Academy In St. Paul: Succeeding At Math And Reading, Tackling Science And Art
Twin Cities Daily Planet, MN, April 22, 2013
Here’s an unusual high school graduation requirement: students must be accepted into college before they are allowed to graduate. That’s the rule at St. Paul’s Higher Ground Academy, according to Executive Director Bill Wilson.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Great Bay Charter School Expands, Adds Grade 7
Portsmouth Herald, NH, April 23, 2013
The New Hampshire Board of Education approved the Great Bay Charter School’s request to expand to include Grade 7 for the 2013—14 school year. This award-winning school is located on the Tuck Learning Campus in Exeter. Charter schools are public schools of choice and all students in New Hampshire are eligible for admission.
Something Which Is Well Worth The Fight
Fosters Daily Democrat, NH, April 23, 2013
Last week the New Hampshire Senate, by a vote of 13-11, decided to let stand a school voucher bill that allows businesses to take a tax credit if they donate to a school education fund. In turn the money is used for school vouchers that can be used at private and parochial schools.
NEW MEXICO
Charter Money Flow Is Clarified
Albuquerque Journal, NM, April 23, 2013
In my two previous monthly columns, I discussed a number of myths about public charter schools. Those myths included charters “cherry-picking” students; operating without proper oversight; not servicing special needs students and not being accountable for results
NEW YORK
New, More Demanding State Tests Aren’t The Problem For School Kids
New York Daily News, NY, April 22, 2013
All over New York, parents — some of them — are up in arms over the new state English exam students took last week. The most outraged of the lot had their children boycott the test.
The Teacher-Rating Charade
New York Post, NY, April 23, 2013
Gov. Cuomo likes to boast that “99 percent” of state school districts struck teacher-evaluation deals with their unions, attributing it to funding he offered if they did. A report yesterday suggests a different reason: The deals are shams.
NORTH CAROLINA
Advocate For Rural Public Charter Schools
Daily Tar Heel, NC, April 23, 2013
Public charter schools in rural North Carolina present an opportunity for more school choice options and economic development in the state’s 85 rural counties.
Ending Teacher Tenure: An Invitation To Control Young NC Minds
News & Observer, NC, April 22, 2013
Teachers and professors in all grade levels and types of learning institutions are charged to develop critical thinking skills in their students.
Ending Teacher Tenure: A Chance To Raise Standards In NC
News & Observer, NC, April 22, 2013
There is little doubt that teacher quality is important. High-quality teachers produce superior academic outcomes for students, regardless of a child’s challenges and circumstances. Like most states, the quality of North Carolina’s teacher work force varies from school to school and district to district, but the overall quality of the state’s teacher work force is alarmingly low.
OHIO
Boardman Schools Oppose State Expansion Of Voucher Program
Youngstown Vindicator, OH, April 23, 2013
The board of education approved a resolution Monday in opposition to two voucher programs included in Gov. John Kasich’s biennial budget.
PENNSYLVANIA
Shouting Match Interrupts MWCDC Forum On Possible Charter School
South Pittsburgh Reporter, PA, April 23, 2013
The Mount Washington Community Development Corporation (MWCDC) held its regular monthly forum meeting last Thursday, where the topics of energy efficiency and public education were not the only things raised; several voices were raised, too.
Founder Of Two Area Arts Charter Schools Creating Autism Charter Facility
Lehigh Valley Express-Times, PA, April 22, 2013
There are about 13 charter schools for children diagnosed with autism nationally but none have a curriculum that blends applied behavioral analysis with Montesorri techniques like the charter proposal does, Hickey said.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Interest In Charter Schools In South Carolina Spikes Despite Challenges
Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC, April 22, 2013
Charter school families in Horry County will rejoice in August when Coastal Leadership Academy opens its doors, providing a charter high school option for students who now attend charter schools that only provide instruction through grade eight.
TENNESSEE
How Tennessee Voucher Momentum Splintered
Heartland Institute, April 23, 2013
Years of voucher proposals, polls showing parent support for vouchers, and a governor-sponsored voucher bill did not culminate in a new Tennessee voucher law this spring.
Charter School Applications Decline
The Tennessean, TN, April 23, 2013
Applications to start new charter schools in Metro are at their lowest level in three years, and a school board member believes charter operators may be stepping back and reassessing their place in the Nashville market.
WISCONSIN
Wisconsin Voucher Students Lag In Latest State Test
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, April 23, 2013
Students attending private voucher schools in Milwaukee and Racine scored lower than their public-school counterparts in Milwaukee Public Schools and the Racine Unified School District on the latest state standardized achievement test, according to results released by the state Tuesday.
ONLINE LEARNING
All Fox Valley-Area Districts Nix Virtual Charter School Plan
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 22, 2013
All 18 districts affected by a proposed Fox Valley-area virtual charter school have denied the concept and now await an appeal process.
Dubois School District Loses $2.7 Million With Cyber Schools
Courier Express, PA, April 22, 2013
The DuBois Area School District has lost more than $2.7 million in basic education money over the last five years and directors plan to consider a resolution that calls for the reform of the state’s funding formula at Wednesday’s regular board meeting.