Daily Headlines for June 14, 2011
Education Secretary Tells Congress: Change No Child Left Behind – or I Will
Christian Science Monitor, MA, June 13, 2011
Education Secretary Arne Duncan says time is running out to reauthorize No Child Left Behind. If Congress doesn’t move soon, he said he’ll take matters into his own hands
Bridge to Reform for No Child Law
Denver Post, CO, June 14, 2011
While giving states more time to meet the act’s requirements, Arne Duncan is pressing Congress to make long-term fixes.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
Progress on Charter Schools Is Threatened
Sacramento Bee, CA, June 14, 2011
From the spate of anti-charter school legislation coming out of the state Assembly, you wouldn’t know that California once was on the leading edge of the public charter school movement.
GEORGIA
An Easier Way To Fix Charter Schools
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, June 13, 2011
Many people have reacted to the decision by the Georgia Supreme Court regarding charter schools as though it were the end of the world, but there is a simple way out that expands school choice without harming our traditional public schools.
Two Charter Schools In Dekalb Get School Board Reprieve
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, June 13, 2011
DeKalb County Schools decided Monday to offer a reprieve to two charter schools, granting them one-year waivers to remain open while those schools seek long-term authority to operate.
Pataula Charter Determined To Stay Open
WALB, GA, June 14, 2011
The Georgia Supreme Court refused to reconsider a landmark ruling Monday that will take away public funding for some charter schools.
IDAHO
Luna Moves On Reforms Even As Referendums Make Ballot
Spokesman-Review, ID, June 13, 2011
Idaho state schools chief Tom Luna opened the deliberations of a 39-member task force Monday that’ll help determine how to implement big new school technology investments, even as the Idaho Secretary of State’s office issued certificates officially placing three referendums on the November 2012 ballot to overturn the reforms.
ILLINOIS
Give State an ‘A’ for Ed Reform
State Journal Register, IL, June 14, 2011
It’s not often that Illinois is hailed as an example of how to do things right in lawmaking. Gov. Pat Quinn’s signing into law Monday of a sweeping package of education reforms gave Illinois a leadership role in addressing arguably the most difficult issue facing state governments nationwide.
MICHIGAN
Charter School Students Faring Better Than Public
WLNS, MI, June 13, 2011
A new report suggests Lansing charter schools are outperforming traditional public schools in the city, but Lansing schools say, not so fast.
Give Individual Detroit Schools More Freedom
Detroit News, MI, June 14, 2011
More flexibility, along with accountability for results, could benefit schoolchildren
NEW JERSEY
Is Gov. Christie’s Charter School Proposal Losing Steam?
New Jersey Newsroom, NJ, June 13, 2011
A large part of Governor Chris Christie’s long running battle for education reform is the expansion of charter schools. But as time has passed, the idea has slowly been losing steam.
NORTH CAROLINA
Charter School Cap To Be Lifted
Richmond County Daily Journal, NC, June 14, 2011
Parents and students in Richmond County could see more choices in the type of educational setting they want in the coming years with the General Assembly poised to lift the ban on the number of charter schools in the state.
PENNSYLVANIA
Measure Would Shift Charter School Costs To State
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, June 14, 2011
Charter school tuition has long been a sore point for school districts, but a bill introduced Monday in Pennsylvania’s House of Representatives would change that, shifting the cost to the state.
Pennsylvania’s School Voucher Legislation Isn’t About Low-Income Students
Patriot News, PA, June 14, 2011
Proponents of tuition vouchers, including legislative leaders and Gov. Tom Corbett, often promote the idea as one needed to help children from low-income families “escape” from struggling schools to attend private or religious schools.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Thank the ‘ Spartanburg Six’
Spartanburg Herald Journal, SC, June 14, 2011
It’s an odd assertion that a “true conservative” is someone who wants the government to subsidize private education and that those who want to protect the public schools are somehow phony conservatives.
VIRGINIA
Richmond Charter School: Growing Pains
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, June 14, 2011
The recent finding that no deliberate fraud has occurred at the Patrick Henry charter school in Richmond is reassuring. But the disarray in the school’s financial controls calls out for redress.
WISCONSIN
Public School Educators In Racine Say No To School Choice
Fox6 Now, WI, June 13, 2011
Educators at Racine public schools are saying no to school choice as a vote on the state budget inches closer and closer. A coalition put together by the Racine Unified School District says school vouchers will reduce the total state aid coming to the district and increase local taxes.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
Education Board Nixes Virtual School Expansion
Arkansas News, AR, June 13, 2011
The state Board of Education voted today to deny a request to expand the Arkansas Virtual Academy in Little Rock.
Schools Weigh Benefits Of Digital Textbooks
Tampa Tribune, FL, June 14, 2011
The books Florida students study from today could become artifacts they only see in pictures on the e-readers of tomorrow.
iSucceed Virtual High School Grads Celebrate
Idaho Press Tribune, ID, June 13, 2011
Seniors and their families gathered in Boise from across the state on Saturday night to receive their diplomas and celebrate their graduation from iSucceed Virtual High School , a statewide, online public high school. This is iSucceed’s third graduation since the school’s founding in 2008.