Daily Headlines: January 6, 2012
Big Study Links Good Teachers to Lasting Gain
New York Times, NY, January 6, 2012
Elementary- and middle-school teachers who help raise their students’ standardized-test scores seem to have a wide-ranging, lasting positive effect on those students’ lives beyond academics, including lower teenage-pregnancy rates and greater college matriculation and adult earnings, according to a new study that tracked 2.5 million students over 20 years.
Report: Education Management Sector Expanding
Associated Press, January 6, 2012
A new report finds that even in a tough economy, companies that are contracted to manage charter schools and other public schools are expanding.
STATE COVERAGE
Big Crowd Turns Out For Providence Charter-School Hearing
Providence Journal, RI, January 5, 2012
Fifty-five people signed up to submit testimony at Thursday’s Board of Regents hearing on an application to open a mayoral academy in Providence, George Caruolo, the board’s chairman, said.
Judge Rightly Nixes Demand For Charter School Rent
New York Daily News, NY, January 6, 2012
A Manhattan judge has struck a blow for sanity against those who will say and do anything to oppose charter schools.
Success Academy Blitzes Cobble Hill
New York Times Schoolbook, NY, January 5, 2012
Cobble Hill residents strolling down Atlantic Avenue near Clinton Street this week can see a new bus shelter ad for a charter school opening in their neighborhood this fall.
Christie Administration Divvies Up Its Race to the Top Winnings
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, January 6, 2012
Now that New Jersey has finally won some federal Race to the Top money, how exactly does it plan to spend its long-sought check for $37,848,434 (more or less).
Christie All Wrong On Education Reforms
Daily Record, NJ, January 5, 2012
Worst of all, few of the governor’s suggestions for reform will have any positive impact on the delivery of instruction, even in those schools most in need of help. Ask yourself: which New Jersey public school would be improved by giving public money to a private school through the backdoor voucher system proposed by the governor?
Archdiocesan Ax Falls Today
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, January 6, 2012
MONTHS of speculation and rumor among area Catholics end this afternoon when Archbishop Charles Chaput and a 16-member Blue Ribbon Commission are expected to announce which Catholic schools the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will shut down.
Charters Challenge Fairness Of $21 Million to DCPS
Washington Post Blog, DC, January 5, 2012
DCPS got an early Christmas present last month when District Chief Financial Officer Natwar Gandhi revised his revenue forecast to include an additional $42.2 million.
Charter School Growth Planned
News Journal, DE, January 6, 2012
Newark Charter’s plan is welcome news for some parents, who say they struggle to find a suitable high school option after their children finish eighth grade.
In Making Needed Fixes, Pencader Charter Has Elevated Itself
News Journal, DE, January 5, 2012
It’s six months later, and the Pencader community has proved that the “mountain” was not “too high.” Pencader Charter has overcome incredible odds and continues to progress at an excellent rate.
Eddie Goodall’s New Charter School Group: Is This Sour Grapes Or High Standards?
News & Record Blog, NC, January 5, 2012
The charter school front got more interesting last month when the N.C. Alliance for Public Charter Schools split into two groups, apparently a result of internal disagreements between Eddie Goodall, the former president, and Paul Norcross, who chairs the alliance’s board of directors
Drayton Hall Elementary Loses Charter Bid
Charleston Post Courier, SC, January 6, 2012
Drayton Hall Elementary has lost its three-year battle to become a charter school, leaving parents and faculty disappointed but determined to do the best they can for the school’s children.
Take Careful Approach To Charter Schools
Mississippi Press, MS, January 6, 2012
MISSISSIPPI AND Alabama can’t afford to exclude charter schools as an alternative for families whose neighborhood schools don’t measure up. Charter schools can offer flexibility not seen in traditional public schools — flexibility that can invite parental input and improve student performance.
Charter School Ready To Get Started
The Herald Bulletin, IN, January 5, 2012
The Anderson Impact Center and Excel Center plan to open their doors in late July or early August.
Quest Charter Academy Asks County For Funding
Peoria Journal Star, IL, January 5, 2012
Facing the need to make $750,000 in mandatory health, life and safety facility improvements at the same time it is continuing to grow, officials at Quest Charter Academy are turning to the Peoria County Board for some aid.
Competition for Madison School Board Seats Is Healthy
Capital Times, WI, January 6, 2012
The intense debate over the Madison Preparatory Academy, a proposed charter school, as well as the challenges facing all Wisconsin school districts in an era of cuts in state aid, promise to make the 2012 Madison School Board election one of the most seriously contested campaigns the city has seen in a number of years.
Interim Superintendent Says Of KC Schools: ‘We Are NOT The Worst District’
Kansas City Star, MO, January 5, 2012
James, who is lobbying state legislators for mayoral control of the district, said he did not intend for that data point to become political, and he made the same point as Green did: that wrestling over such statistics of past poor performance drives the community focus in the wrong direction.
Two Colorado Middle Schools Offer College-Level Remedial Math Class
Denver Post, CO, January 6, 2012
Twelve school districts in Colorado are sharing a seven-year, $35 million federal grant aimed at increasing college attendance.
School Districts Wrap Up Changes to Merit-pay Plans
Magic Valley Times-News, ID, January 6, 2012
A few months ago, the Castleford School District thought its plan for awarding merit bonuses was ready to go. The Idaho State Department of Education, though, had a different opinion.
High Court: State Isn’t Fully Funding Education
Seattle Times, WA, January 5, 2012
Education advocates are hoping a new decision by the Washington State Supreme Court will send a signal to state lawmakers that education funding should be taken off the chopping block.
North Clackamas School Board Member Blasts Open Enrollment Law
The Oregonian, OR, January 5, 2012
Board member Sam Gillispie called House Bill 3681, which strips districts of the right to refuse transfer requests from outgoing students and allows districts to opt into a transfer system that accepts any student, “one of the worst bills that the state of Oregon has ever passed.”
Gov. Jerry Brown’s New Budget Plan Targets Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 6, 2012
Public education funds would be cut by $4.8 billion if voters reject a proposed tax hike the governor hopes to place on ballot.
Union Proposal Doesn’t Go Far Enough
Connecticut Post, CT, January 5, 2012
Thank you for highlighting the Connecticut Education Association’s “education reform plan,” (“Teachers union to release education proposes reforms,” 1/3/12). While a story showcasing a union’s attempt at accepting reforms is yielding countless headlines, a simple examination of the plan and the union’s history of fighting these policies tell a much different story.
Proctor: Merit Pay On Track
St. Augustine Record, FL, January 6, 2012
Statewide resistance by superintendents of schools, school boards, teachers and teachers unions will not derail the Florida Legislature’s implementation of Senate Bill 736, a law mandating teacher merit pay, state Rep. Bill Proctor, R-St. Augustine, said Thursday.
Public Schools Feel Threatened By Bill
Northwest Signal, OH, January 5, 2012
The public education system has paved the way in America for decades, however there are many who believe it’s now under attack by House Bill 136, which would expand eligibility for Ohio ’s current school voucher program significantly.
House Panel Is Retooled With Eye on Reform in Public Schools
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, January 6, 2012
Missouri House Speaker Steve Tilley has quietly packed the committee that will write this year’s legislation on K-12 schools with lawmakers who are friendly or open to his agenda of shaking up public education.
Quinn Signs Law to End Pension Double-Dipping in Illinois Teacher Unions
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, January 5, 2012
Gov. Pat Quinn has signed into law a pension-reform measure to close loopholes that have allowed public union officials to secure inflated public pensions for themselves.
Idaho Charter School Backers Eye Legislative Change
Idaho Statesman, ID, January 6, 2012
Strategies for helping charter schools build or improve facilities and a renewed effort to lift the cap on how many schools can be created each year are among the issues expected to surface during the legislative session that starts Monday.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
Students of Online Schools Are Lagging
New York Times, NY, January 6, 2012
The number of students in virtual schools run by educational management organizations rose sharply last year, according to a new report being published Friday, and far fewer of them are proving proficient on standardized tests compared with their peers in other privately managed charter schools and in traditional public schools.
Virtual Charters Lag Other Public Schools’ Performance, Report Says
Detroit Free Press, January 6, 2012
Virtual charter schools are one of the fastest-growing segments of the charter school industry, but a report released today raises questions about how well they educate students.
School District Cooperation Evident In Creation of Treasure Coast Virtual School
TC Palm, FL, January 6, 2012
Creation of a Web-based regional school to allow students to take online courses taught by local teachers represents a welcome milestone for cooperation among the school districts of the Treasure Coast .
WAPS Proposes Some Virtual Classes For Next Year
Winona Daily News, MN, January 6, 2012
Next year, students at Winona Senior High School may be able to attend some classes from the comfort of home — or anywhere with a computer and an Internet connection.