Daily Headlines for June 5, 2012
Peterson, Howell and West: Teachers Unions Have a Popularity Problem
Wall Street Journal, June 5, 2012
However Wisconsin’s recall election turns out on Tuesday, teachers unions already appear to be losing a larger political fight—in public opinion. In our latest annual national survey, we found that the share of the public with a positive view of union impact on local schools has dropped by seven percentage points in the past year. Among teachers, the decline was an even more remarkable 16 points.
Melinda Gates on the Importance of Evaluations in Shaping Effective Teachers
PBS Newshour, June 4, 2012
Part of the American Graduate project addressing the country’s high school dropout crisis, teachers across the nation have weighed in at town halls on what’s working and what’s not. Hari Sreenivasan and Melinda Gates discuss how the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation hopes to best tackle education reform.
FROM THE STATES
ARIZONA
BASIS Tucson Tops High School Rankings
Tucson Sentinel, AZ, June 4, 2012
Walk into a BASIS school and you will realize within five minutes that something is different, says John Hillis.
CONNECTICUT
Norwalk Set To Be Teacher Evaluation Pilot District
The Hour, CT, June 4, 2012
Norwalk and nine other cities have been selected as to pilot the new, education reform-mandated teacher evaluation program next school year.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Budget: Charter Facilities Pay In Flux
Washington Post Blog, DC, June 4, 2012
Less than 24 hours before the D.C. Council’s final vote on the fiscal 2013 budget, funding for part of the $3,000 per-student charter school facilities allowance is looking a little wobbly.
FLORIDA
Flagler Charter School Files Appeal To Remain Open
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL, June 5, 2012
As time runs out for a failing Bunnell charter school, school leaders are asking for more time. Heritage Academy leaders filed an emergency motion Friday with the 5th District Court of Appeal in Daytona Beach asking that the school be allowed to remain open while they appeal a Flagler County School Board decision to close it. The school is slated to be closed this week.
Report Says Charter Schools Should Diversify For The Sake of The Students
StateImpact Florida , FL, June 4, 2012
Charter schools tend to be less diverse than traditional public schools, according to a new report, and federal and state officials should consider rules that give charter schools more flexibility in choosing students.
IDAHO
Records Reveal Conflict At Heritage Community Charter School
Idaho Press-Tribune, ID, June 5, 2012
Documents released Monday by the Idaho Public Charter School Commission reveal conflict during the past school year among parents, staff and the board of Heritage Community Charter School in Caldwell .
ILLINOIS
Charter Network Says School For Troubled Youth Is Not Closing
Chicago Tribune, IL, June 4, 2012
The network that had said last week it was considering the closing of a Chicago charter school for troubled youths on Monday said the school will stay open.
Idea Of Teacher Strike No Longer Farfetched, But For Now It’s Only A Vote
Chicago Sun Times, IL, June 4, 2012
To fully appreciate the delicious irony surrounding the strike authorization vote Chicago teachers will commence Wednesday, you need to turn back the clocks just one year.
Group Airs Radio Ads Against Teachers Union Strike Authorization Vote
Chicago Sun Times, IL, June 4, 2012
A major advertising campaign hit Chicago rush-hour radio Monday, urging parents to “text’’ in their opposition to the timing of a Chicago Teachers Union strike authorization vote that begins Wednesday.
Pols Continue Gutless Governing
Chicago Tribune, IL, June 5, 2012
If that seems unfair, you’re right. If a suburban school board has the power to negotiate pension benefits for its teachers and staff, then the district ought to eat those costs and the members of its school board should be held accountable for any giveaways in the next election. Instead, under Illinois law, costs of those negotiated benefits in suburban and Downstate districts are borne by the state.
INDIANA
Early Success For Indiana’s School Voucher Program
Fort Wayne News-Sentinel , IN, June 5, 2012
School choice supporters are right to point the sheer number of participants as evidence of the success of Indiana ’s voucher program after one year. Already 4,800 students have signed up to move from public to private schools this fall – that’s about 800 more vouchers than obtained the first year, and the deadline is still months away.
IPS Will Appeal State Funding Affecting Takeover Schools
Indianapolis Star, IN, June 5, 2012
The Indianapolis Public School Board voted unanimously Monday to appeal a state Board of Education ruling that could siphon significant funds from IPS when the state takes over four troubled schools next month.
Proposed All-Boys Charter Turns To Existing Buildings
The Journal Gazette, IN, June 5, 2012
The founders of a proposed all-boys charter school say they won’t be able to construct a new school building by the time classes start in August and have now focused their attention on another location.
MASSACHUSETTS
Barnstable School To Drop Its Charter
Cape Cod Times, MA, June 5, 2012
The Barnstable Horace Mann Charter School board of trustees has voted to rescind the school’s 12-year-old charter and revert to the public school system
Lawrence Turnaround Plan Could Serve As Road Map For Other Districts
The Standard-Times, MA, June 5, 2012
About 90 miles north of here, the Lawrence public school district is launching an ambitious campaign to turn its performance around — a campaign that could serve as a road map for other districts facing the same challenges.
NEW JERSEY
State Has Questions for Regis Academy
Courier Post, NJ, June 5, 2012
State officials have raised questions about a planned charter school in Cherry Hill .
NEW YORK
Judge Dismisses Cases Against Success Charter Schools In Williamsburg And Cobble Hill
Brooklyn Paper, NY, June 5, 2012
They’re successful in court, too. The Success Charter Network will open a school in Williamsburg and an elementary in Cobble Hill this fall after a Manhattan judge dismissed a pair of lawsuits seeking to block the politically connected and high-performing charter chain.
Top Ed Official Tells NY to Keep Up Reforms
New York Times Schoolbook, NY, June 4, 2012
He told an audience of foundation leaders that he supports revisions to teacher evaluation systems, new learning standards and the tests to assess them, all to ensure students leave high school with “21st century skills.”
Future of Albany’s Charters Needs Review
Albany Times Union , NY, June 4, 2012
In a recent editorial, “Charter schools face a new test,” the Times Union correctly praised a new state law requiring charter schools to enroll larger numbers of students with special needs to reflect the population of the community. The state moved in the right direction by addressing some of the problems with charter schools’ enrollment. However, much more remains to be done to address the impact of taxpayer-funded charter schools on our community.
NORTH CAROLINA
NC Public School Changes Approved By Senate
News Observer, NC, June 4, 2012
The Republican-led North Carolina Senate gave its final approval Monday evening to a public school overhaul bill after a Democratic amendment was defeated that would have deleted the measure’s proposed end to teacher tenure and weakened merit pay requirements.
OHIO
A Fair Approach To Charter Schools
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, June 4, 2012
No wonder Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson wants the Ohio General Assembly to allow his city to impose some quality control on charter school sponsors.
Hold The ‘Dropout Schools’ Accountable: Editorial
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, June 4, 2012
Republican leaders in the Ohio House should stop resisting the tougher performance standards being sought by Gov. John Kasich for charter schools that teach at-risk students. These so-called dropout-recovery schools serve students who have left another school or are at risk of dropping out.
Ohio Needs To Do More Oversight Of Charter Schools
The Marietta Times, OH, June 5, 2012
State oversight of private charter schools in Ohio has increased during the past few years, but it is clear more needs to be done to prevent fraud.
OKLAHOMA
Oklahoma City School Board Renews Charter Contracts
The Oklahoman, OK, June 5, 2012
The Oklahoma City School Board gave seven charter schools another three years to operate within the district.
Oklahoma Graduation Law Waivers By State Education Board Should Be Last Resort
The Oklahoman, OK, June 5, 2012
Come Tuesday, reality will take center stage. The state Board of Education will hold a special meeting to hear appeals from students denied diplomas under the ACE rules.
OREGON
Castillo Moves On
Register-Guard, OR, June 5, 2012
Susan Castillo is leaving her fast-fading position as superintendent of public instruction before it vanishes entirely. Castillo thus spares herself the fate of being eclipsed by Oregon ’s new education chief, and relieves the state of an increasingly redundant official.
PENNSYLVANIA
Pa. Bill Would Place Curbs On Charter Schools
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, June 5, 2012
A proposal to increase oversight of charter schools and place new limits on the tuition charged to school districts has won support from Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives but not from the charters.
TENNESSEE
State Approves Five Charter School Groups To Run More Memphis Schools
Commercial Appeal, TN, June 4, 2012
Five charter organizations Monday got the green light to expand their brands in Memphis City Schools, including two West Coast operators moving for the first time outside California.
TN To Convert 10 Failing Schools In Nashville To Charters
The Tennessean, TN, June 5, 2012
The state plans to convert 10 failing Nashville schools into charter schools that will serve about 5,000 students by 2020, the Tennessee Achievement School District announced Monday.
Keep, Reward Local Teachers in Metro
The Tennessean, TN, June 5, 2012
When I talk to our best and brightest new teachers, I am impressed by their strong desire to serve where they are truly needed. For them, it’s all about outcomes, not income.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
School Board Against New Charter School
Salisbury Post, NC, June 5, 2012
The Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education joined at least 45 school districts across the state, including Kannapolis City , in fighting a proposed virtual charter school Monday.
Local Families Try K-12 Virtual Charter School
Palladium-Item, IN, June 5, 2012
Gwendolyn Blackstone’s daughter was a successful kindergarten student, but Blackstone was never satisfied with the experiences her daughter was having in Richmond’s public schools.
Blended School Concept Could Change Indy Education
10TV, IN, June 4, 2012
Blended learning is about to shake up public schools in Indianapolis. Three organizations have been approved to open 19 charter schools here that combine online technology and face-to-face instruction. The strategy allows schools to save money by employing fewer teachers, yet also can produce impressive student results.