Daily Headlines for September 26, 2013
Click here for Newswire, 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
A Report Card on Education Reform
New York Times Blog, NY, September 25, 2013
I sat down last week in Washington with Arne Duncan, the secretary of education, and Mitch Daniels, the former Indiana governor and current Purdue University president, after they had met with several dozen chief executives of big companies to talk about education.
Test scores flat, raising concerns about students’ readiness
USA Today, September 26, 2013
Average scores on the nation’s most widely used college entrance exams barely budged this year, raising anew concerns that today’s high school graduates will be unprepared to compete in a global marketplace.
The Charter School Difference: Not Quite What We Imagined
Opinion, TC Columbia University, NY, September 25, 2013
Twenty-one years after the first charter schools opened in Minnesota, what do we know about charter school performance in the United States?
STATE COVERAGE
COLORADO
Douglas County school board leads the way
Opinion, Denver Post, CO, September 25, 2013
The way the political game is played in most urban and suburban school districts, teachers unions recruit, endorse and bankroll candidates who will reliably support the union and its liberal agenda.
DELAWARE
Capital school district balks at Delaware teacher-evaluation system
News Journal, DE, September 26, 2013
The Capital School Board is pushing back against the state’s teacher evaluation system, marking another protest among local school boards against tying teacher ratings to student test scores.
Moyer Academy clears one hurdle with purchase of Wilmington building
News Journal, DE, September 26, 2013
The New Moyer Academy charter school has inked a deal to buy its building, a move school leaders hope will put to rest concerns among some state officials that the school’s finances are not in order.
FLORIDA
Charter school drops bid following School Board criticism
Herald Tribune, FL, September 25, 2013
The list of potential charter schools has been whittled down following a virtual roast of the applications recently by the Sarasota County School Board.
INDIANA
20,047 students apply for school vouchers
Indianapolis Recorder, IN, September 25, 2013
A total of 20,047 students applied for school vouchers for the 2013-2014 school year as of the Sept. 1 deadline, according to data released by the Indiana Department of Education.
LOUISIANA
Common Core a conservative win for La.
Opinion, Shreveport Times, LA, September 25, 2013
Over the past few years, Louisiana has been a leader in education reform. Policies related to the expansion of school choice, higher standards, and workforce development will undoubtedly make a difference for children in the Bayou State.
Hypocrisy runs amok in Louisiana
Letter, Houma Today, LA, September 25, 2013
Governor Bobby Jindal and Superintendent John White, along with U.S. Republican leaders, have sold us a false bill of goods.
Jindal surprises educators with hesitation over Common Core
Monroe News Star, LA, September 25, 2013
Former Board of Elementary and Secondary Education members and current district superintendents say Gov. Bobby Jindal’s recent move regarding the implementation of Common Core are “surprising” in light of his past support.
MASSACHUSETTS
Somerville’s trial and error over teacher evaluations
Editorial, Boston Globe, MA, September 26, 2013
Boston SCHOOL DISTRICTS across the country have been coming under increased political pressure to ratchet up the intensity of their teacher-evaluation process. But as a recent episode in Somerville showed, an overly critical rating process can be as ineffective as a lax one.
MICHIGAN
A middle ground on teacher evaluations
Opinion, Detroit News, MI, September 26, 2013
When I first taught in a high school outside of Flint, I didn’t know I was getting a small taste of what it was like to be the linchpin of American public education.
House education panel delays hearing, vote on Common Core funding
Detroit News, MI, September 25, 2013
A House education committee hearing on resuming funding for Michigan’s Common Core State Standards was canceled Wednesday, after a second resolution was introduced.
MISSISSIPPI
First woman chosen as Mississippi’s permanent education chief
Clarion Ledger, MS, September 26, 2013
The first woman chosen as Mississippi’s permanent state superintendent of education in March left an urban district sullied by an investigation that revealed some teachers cheated to raise students’ test scores.
MISSOURI
Springfield public schools’ innovative programs, higher graduation rate earn praise
Springfield News Leader, MO, September 26, 2013
Following a lesson on how a dam changes the ecosystem of a river, Springfield fifth-graders spent the morning Wednesday at Lake Springfield. They learned about water safety and how to paddle a canoe, a kayak and a paddle board — because that’s how scientists have to sometimes travel to study animals or nature.
NEW JERSEY
Buono, Christie far apart on education
The Record, NJ, September 25, 2013
Governor Christie joined Newark Mayor Cory Booker — the Democrat running for U.S. Senate and the biggest name backing the governor’s opponent for reelection — to celebrate the building of a mixed development of charter schools, retail and housing.
NEW MEXICO
Groups work to keep kids in school
Albuquerque Journal, NM
September 25, 2013
In a room full of well-educated community leaders at the Zona del Sol youth and family center on Wednesday, it was a 19-year-old high school dropout who stole the show.
NEW YORK
Failed promises at 2 schools
Albany Times Union, NY, September 26, 2013
A few years since they were founded, the city’s two charter high schools have mixed results that ultimately are not better than Albany High School.
The charter school showdown ahead
Opinion, New York Daily News, NY, September 26, 2013
The high stakes in the race for mayor will rise further when an estimated 10,000 charter school parents, teachers and kids march across the Brooklyn Bridge in early October. Their message to the next mayor: Stop bashing charters, many of which are delivering high-quality education to 70,000 kids who might otherwise end up in low-performing schools.
OHIO
Ohio schools need to focus on chronic absenteeism: editorial
Editorial, Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, September 25, 2013
If Ohio schools want to raise high school graduation rates, they have to work with families to reduce students’ absenteeism rate, according to a study by Attendance Works, found, not surprisingly, that kids who miss school often have trouble reading and graduating from high school.
PENNSYLVANIA
Pa. lawmaker proposes to create website to increase transparency of school spending
Patriot News, PA, September 25, 2013
Citing the charges filed against officials associated with the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter Schools as a call for action, Rep. Jim Christiana, R-Beaver, wants public schools to put be more transparent about how they handle taxpayer dollars.
RHODE ISLAND
The Highest + Lowest Performing Charter Schools in RI
Go Local Prov, RI, September 26, 2013
Charter schools vary widely in the performance of their students, with some soaring far above the statewide average while others lag behind their peers and even other public schools, data from a local education advocate shows.
TENNESSEE
Charter schools a challenge
Column, The Tennessean, TN, September 26, 2013
The Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools (MNPS) Board has begun discussions of potential cost-saving measures for next year, including the possibility of closing or combining underutilized schools, cutting staff or increasing class sizes. Looming in the background of these discussions are increased expenses for expanding and adding new charter schools.
Director Jesse Register can’t quell parents’ fears of broken promises over MLK Magnet
The Tennessean, TN, September 26, 2013
Nashville’s top school administrator took the microphone for Wednesday’s public hearing on slicing two grades from popular Martin Luther King Jr. Academic Magnet, but his facts and projections did little to soothe parents, teachers and former students angry with the plan.
MNPS board member Elissa Kim on why she’s not the charter-school zealot people expected
Nashville Scene, TN, September 26, 2013
At this time last year, Elissa Kim was a freshly elected member of the Metro Nashville school board representing East Nashville, seated amid turmoil surrounding the high-profile denial of an out-of-state charter school.
TEXAS
5 Texas charter school proposals contain striking similarities
Dallas Morning News, TX, September 25, 2013
Texas’ charter schools are supposed to be innovative. But once again, some nonprofit groups seeking to open new schools have submitted proposals with striking similarities.
WASHINGTON
State charter school chief to step into education spotlight
Column, Everett Daily Herald, WA, September 26, 2013
Joshua Halsey is about to become one of the most important people in public education in Washington.
ONLINE LEARNING
Batavia School District 101 joining online consortium
Kane County Chronicle, IL, September 26, 2013
Batavia School District 101 is joining with other districts in exploring how to expand online learning opportunities for students.
Cyber schools flunk, but tax money keeps flowing
Politico, September 25, 2013
Taxpayers send nearly $2 billion a year to cyber schools that let students from kindergarten through 12th grade receive a free public education entirely online.
Middle Schools Pilot Virtual Math Class
Diamondbar-Walnut Patch, CA, September 25, 2013
The virtual honors algebra II class is for advanced students who have already taken algebra I and geometry.
Moyer Academy clears one hurdle with purchase of Wilmington building
News Journal, DE, September 26, 2013
The New Moyer Academy charter school has inked a deal to buy its building, a move school leaders hope will put to rest concerns among some state officials that the school’s finances are not in order.
Who pays if L.A. Unified students lose or break iPads
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 25, 2013
L.A. Unified board grapples with the question of whether to force parents to pay for damaged or lost iPads. It’s uncertain whether responsibility was made clear to all parents.