Daily Headlines for June 13, 2012
School Choice Would Help Weed Out Predators
Washington Times, DC, June 12, 2012
Ben Wolfgang’s article “Student-teacher sex: Where does it end?” (Page 1, Tuesday) not only sheds light on the disgusting crimes of some American teachers, but also reveals a tragic failure of the public school system: a complete lack of parental involvement in public-school teacher hirings and firings, which could root out some of these predators, and having a choice in which school a child attends.
George Will Strikes Out On School Reform
Denver Post, CO, June 13, 2012
As always, conservative journalist and baseball connoisseur George Will participated in the “round table discussion” about a number of pressing political issues. I became particularly interested, though, when Mr. Will decided to offer his opinions on school reform. He summarized the problem with public schools in the following statement:
FROM THE STATES
ARIZONA
Survey Supports Crane Charter School
Yuma Sun, AZ, June 12, 2012
Results from a recent survey showed that the Yuma community mostly favored opening a K-12 public charter school in the Crane Elementary School District , according to a presentation to the governing board Tuesday.
ARKANSAS
Vilonia Board Holding Off on Transfer Apps In Wake of Ruling
Log Cabin Democrat, AR, June 12, 2012
The School Board is placing school transfer applications on the shelf for the time being in the wake of last week’s federal court ruling striking down the state’s school choice law.
Beebe: Legislature Needs To Revisit School Choice
Arkansas News, AR, June 12, 2012
A federal judge’s ruling striking down Arkansas’ school choice law means the Legislature will have to revisit the issue, Gov. Mike Beebe said today.
CALIFORNIA
Stanislaus Ed Board Rejects Charter School Expansion
Modesto Bee, CA, June 12, 2012
The Stanislaus County Board of Education on Tuesday unanimously voted down an innovative charter program’s plan to expand to a second Modesto site and into home schooling.
It Took A Court Ruling to Instill Some Common Sense Into the Evaluation of Public School Teachers
Press Telegram, CA, June 12, 2012
The forces aligned against school reform suffered a loss this week when a judge ruled that of course student test scores must be a factor in evaluating the performance of public school teachers.
Less Pay for Teachers
Los Angeles Times, CA, June 13, 2012
The article states that “teachers would lose pay for five instructional days plus four holidays and one training day.” As a teacher, I think it’s important for the public to know that we receive an annual salary based on 180 days of instruction, which do not include holidays.
COLORADO
Douglas County Teachers Face Deadline To Sign Contract
Denver Post, CO, June 13, 2012
After weeks of often-contentious negotiations that produced no bargaining agreement, Douglas County teachers face a Friday deadline to sign an employment contract issued by the district — or risk losing their jobs.
Councilwoman Asks DPS for a More Inclusive Process in Citing Charter at North High
North Denver News, CO, June 12, 2012
The process of forcing charter schools into existing neighborhood public schools is getting more focus and a little heat.
A plan fast-tracked by Denver Public Schools Superintendent Tom Boasberg to “co-locate” a charter school into North High School has spawned a petition campaign and political opposition
ILLINOIS
Quest Academy Juggles Budget
Peoria Journal Star, IL, June 12, 2012
Quest Charter Academy’s board of education staved off money problems Tuesday night by approving a $300,000 loan from board President Glen Barton, along with a new $3.6 million budget with enough cuts to cover $200,000 in unexpected losses in general state aid.
LOUISIANA
In Line For Vouchers, DeRidder School Linked To Financial Woes
Shreveport Times, LA, June 13, 2012
A small private school in DeRidder in line to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars through Louisiana’s newly expanded voucher program experienced financial trouble in its previous incarnation, The Town Talk and Gannett Louisiana have learned.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
School Choice Deadline in Nashua is July 20
Nashua Telegraph, NH, June 13, 2012
Parents have about a month to take advantage of the district’s choice option for schools failing to meet standards of the federal No Child Left Behind law for two consecutive years.
NEW YORK
Invitation to a Dialogue: A School Plan
New York Times, NY, June 13, 2012
If we really want to achieve educational equity, we should focus our efforts on sending poor, middle-class and wealthy children to the same schools.
Kids, Parents May Soon Be Able To Choose Their Middle School
Queens Courier, NY, June 12, 2012
Mohamed is a PTA member of P.S. 135, which her son currently attends, and is leery of the middle school, because she has heard negative rumors about it from fellow parents, as well as her older son, a current seventh grader there. However, because of district rules she doesn’t have much of a choice.
Teacher Evals, Disabled Care In Albany’s Late Mix
Wall Street Journal, June 12, 2012
New Yorkers can expect to see the job evaluations of their children’s teachers as lawmakers rush toward the end of their session in Albany , but can just about forget about any increase in the minimum wage or a moratorium on controversial natural gas-drilling process.
NORTH CAROLINA
Public Education, Private Profit Do Not Mix
Ashville Citizen Times, NC, June 12, 2012
I don’t care if a charter school is virtual or physical (”Virtual school worries districts,” AC-T, June 11, A1). I do care, however, if a for-profit company receives tax funds to educate school-age children in North Carolina .
The Message Teachers Get
News & Observer, NC, June 13, 2012
If we want to protect our children, our democracy and our future, we must stop the dismantling of public education and strengthen our schools. Treating teaching as a respected profession and giving educators the support they need is a good place to start.
OHIO
Columbus District Could Offer $12 Million In Grants For Charters, Private Schools
Columbus Dispatch, OH, June 13, 2012
Columbus City Schools could pay up to $12 million in local tax dollars to high-performing charter and private schools under a plan detailed by the district yesterday.
Bill Gives Cleveland Mayor Stronger Control Over Schools
Columbus Dispatch, OH, June 13, 2012
Ohio legislators yesterday overwhelmingly approved Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson’s plan to improve his ailing school district.
PENNSYLVANIA
Lawmakers Need To Find Compromise
Patriot News, PA, June 13, 2012
While many school districts this year face cutting programs, boosting taxes and laying off teachers, none is being hit as severely as the districts that educate our poorest students.
State Proposal To Control Distressed Schools Needs Scrutiny
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, June 13, 2012
A PROPOSAL recently passed by the Senate Education Committee that would allow immediate state takeover of four distressed school districts — Chester-Upland, Duquesne, Harrisburg and York — could be interpreted as the state taking last-ditch responsibility for the educational lives of students.
Anger, Frustration Envelop Philadelphia Schools
Associated Press, June 12, 2012
Like many other cash-strapped urban districts, Philadelphia is trying desperately to emerge from a quagmire of red ink and underachievement. A state takeover in 2002 did little to eradicate the financial, academic and violence problems that have plagued the schools for years.
Philadelphia Performing Arts Charter School Passes 1st Year with iPads
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, June 13, 2012
THE FIRST DAY of classes at the Philadelphia Performing Arts Charter School last fall had “kind of an Oprah moment,” recalled Jason Corosanite. All 250 of the school’s sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders were gathered at its Broad and Oregon location. Each was presented with an iPad to use throughout the school year. “You could hear the shrieks for blocks,” said Corosanite.
Everything New is Old in Philadelphia Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, June 13, 2012
On the brink of insolvency, Philadelphia ‘s School Reform Commission is proposing a “portfolio management” plan that calls for slashing the district’s central office, closing dozens of traditional public schools, and expanding charters. It’s a way of handing more schools over to private operators.
Fixing The Schools: We’ve Just Begin
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, June 13, 2012
IN THE WAKE of the impassioned protest and long night of testimony about the now-official public-education budget, it’s important to take a collective breath and begin to look forward to the even-bigger job ahead. The kind of reform being discussed at the school and the system level is dramatic. The many decisions to be made about how to better serve our students must be based on accurate information and inclusive of diverse community voices.
Obama Meets, Praises Seniors From Science Leadership Academy
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, June 13, 2012
To Antoine Smith, graduating from Science Leadership Academy on Monday night and then being in the same room with President Obama on Tuesday night was “surreal.”
School Of Second Chances Holds First Graduation
Reading Eagle, PA, June 13, 2012
Sitting in a line across the stage in the Berks Catholic High School auditorium, their glossy blue caps and gowns shimmering beneath the stage lights, they couldn’t help but smile ear to ear.
TENNESSEE
SCORE Puts Ball In Educators’ Court
The Tennessean, TN, June 13, 2012
Kudos to Gov. Bill Haslam for getting the State Collaboration on Reforming Education (SCORE) to make a first pass at Tennessee’s new teacher evaluation system; and we applaud the team for not making simplistic suggestions, as it will take significant iterative effort to make this complex initiative work.
Montgomery Right On Target About Teacher Evaluations
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, June 13, 2012
A report on Tennessee’s innovative teacher evaluation system released this week by the State Collaborative on Reforming Education, an outfit founded by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, came as no surprise to a high-ranking Sevier County legislator.
TEXAS
Rawlings To Push For Tough Teacher Standards
Dallas Morning News, TX, June 12, 2012
Mayor Mike Rawlings plans to call for tougher teacher evaluation standards this week as he joins many of the nation’s mayors at an annual conference in Orlando, Fla.
WISCONSIN
Vetting Schools Is A Good Idea
Journal Times, WI, June 13, 2012
Parents who are considering using school vouchers to move their child into a private school should use the closing of St. John Fisher Academy , after just one school year, as a cautionary tale.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
The Teacher You’ve Never Met: Inside an Online High School
TIME, June 13, 2012
Teacher Jane Good hurries around her kitchen on a recent morning in her Denver suburb, preparing breakfast in what will serve as her work attire for the day: black exercise pants, a black, long-sleeved running shirt and white slipper booties.
Jenkins Hopes To Start Online Charter School Next Year
Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal, ME, June 13, 2012
John Jenkins’ plan to create a new charter school on the Internet is on hold.
However, the former mayor of Lewiston and Auburn said he still hopes to enroll kids in a version of the John Jenkins Leadership Academy when school begins in the fall.
Pittsburgh Public Schools Mulls Online Education
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, June 13, 2012
Pittsburgh Public Schools may start its own online school serving grades 6-12 as a way to win back students who have chosen cyber charter schools.
Local ‘Virtual Schools’ An Expanding Option For Families
SWRNN, CA, June 13, 2012
With the proliferation of computers, educational websites and a host of Internet resources a mouse click away, attending class with 32 other kids in a brick-and-mortar building is certainly not the only way to go to school.