Daily Headlines for July 10, 2012
On Cherry-Picking and Charters
Wall Street Journal, July 9, 2012
If it was Deborah Kenny’s intent to demonstrate the effectiveness of charter schools, she misses her mark (“Why Charter Schools Work,” op-ed, June 25).
The Opportunity Gap
New York Times, NY, July 10, 2012
Over the past few months, writers from Charles Murray to Timothy Noah have produced alarming work on the growing bifurcation of American society. Now the eminent Harvard political scientist Robert Putnam and his team are coming out with research that’s more horrifying.
School Is Too Easy, Students Report
USA Today, July 10, 2012
Millions of kids simply don’t find school very challenging, a new analysis of federal survey data suggests. The report could spark a debate about whether new academic standards being piloted nationwide might make a difference.
Pensions at Charter Schools Hot Topic With IRS
Washington Times, DC, July 9, 2012
Charter school supporters are continuing to pressure the Internal Revenue Service to change proposed regulations that could disqualify teachers at charter schools from public pension systems.
Flexibility With Accountability
The Virginian-Pilot, VA, July 10, 2012
Efforts to overhaul the federal No Child Left Behind Act should have little trouble gaining traction now that more than half the states have sought and received waivers from some of its most onerous requirements.
Retooling Teach For America
Los Angeles Times, CA, July 10, 2012
When I meet new people, I like to do a small social experiment. When asked what I do for a living, I sometimes say “I work with Teach For America.” Other times, I leave that out entirely, and just say “I’m a teacher.”
Obama Avoids Conflicts By Dispatching Stand-Ins
Washington Times, DC, July 9, 2012
Despite the early NEA endorsement, the president and the teachers union have not always seen eye to eye.
FROM THE STATES
ALABAMA
Our New Model For Education
Anniston Star, AL, July 10, 2012
The No Child Left Behind law was created in a bipartisan effort to bring every U.S. student up to grade level by 2014. Instead, the well-intended act created a flurry of standardized testing that demanded yearly improvement (Adequate Yearly Progress) without considering the variables that are inherent in students, classes and schools.
State Shouldn’t Give Up Charter School Proposal
Press Register, AL, July 10, 2012
IT’S UNFORTUNATE that Gov. Robert Bentley has already given up on charter schools this far out from the 2013 legislative session. We hope the Republican majority will persevere.
CALIFORNIA
Woodland Charter School Earns Accreditation
Daily Democrat, CA, July 10, 2012
Woodland Polytechnic Academy school officials announced that they have been granted initial accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Accrediting Commission through June 30, 2015.
Green Valley Set To Open At Verde Vale Campus
Anderson Valley Post, CA, July 10, 2012
A new public charter school is opening in the Anderson area. The Green Valley School of Academics, located on the former Verde Vale Elementary School campus, is currently accepting enrollment for the upcoming school year.
COLORADO
Rocky Mountain Deaf School’s Rezoning Fought By Lakewood Residents
Denver Post, CO, July 10, 2012
A group of Lakewood residents will continue to fight the city over a proposed charter school they don’t want built.
School District, Union Once Had Harmony
Highland Ranch Herald, CO, July 9, 2012
Today, that partnership is in shambles, with the two groups in the spotlight for the dissolution of the long-held collective bargaining agreement that expired June 30.
FLORIDA
Charter High Schools Owe Lee School District
News Press, FL, July 10, 2012
The Lee County School District is owed hundreds of thousands of dollars following an audit that revealed mistakes in the number of students counted at two charter high schools.
GEORGIA
Drew Charter Expansion Expected To Win Approval
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, July 9, 2012
A prominent Atlanta charter school was expected to win approval Monday to add more students and build a high school despite early opposition from district Superintendent Erroll Davis.
LOUISIANA
Stakes Rising Over Voucher Option
The Advocate, LA, July 10, 2012
Single mother Valerie Evans said Monday she backs Gov. Bobby Jindal’s recent expansion of the school voucher program because it allowed her to move her 11-year-old son out of a failing New Orleans public school and into a safer Catholic school.
State Voucher Program Gets First Court Hearing Today
Alexandria Town Talk, LA, July 10, 2012
Attorneys for the state and for school groups opposed to using education dollars to fund private school vouchers square off at 9 a.m. today in the first round of a fight over the Jindal administration’s new statewide voucher program.
MARYLAND
Schools to Tweak Teacher Reviews
Fredrick News Post, MD, July 10, 2012
Student test scores have not been a factor in teacher evaluations, but that is about to change as part of a pilot program in six county schools this year.
MICHIGAN
Muskegon Heights Charter School Company’s Plans, Goals Receive Some Favorable Reaction
The Muskegon Chronicle, MI, July 9, 2012
Mosaica Education’s generalized plan and goals for the new Muskegon Heights charter school system are receiving some fairly positive reaction initially.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Manchester Charter School Busing Costs Must Be Paid, State Says
Union Leader, NH, July 10, 2012
State education officials say the school district must pay charter school busing costs, forcing the Board of School Committee to reconsider an item in its recently approved budget.
NEW JERSEY
Newark Charter School, If Corrupt, Is A Blemish On The Movement
Star Ledger, NJ, July 9, 2012
The state sent hundreds of thousands of dollars to a Newark charter, known as Adelaide Sanford, which is accused of paying rent on a property it didn’t use. The kids were all being educated elsewhere.
NEW MEXICO
Santa Fe Public Schools Score Higher In State’s New Grading System
Santa Fe New Mexican, NM, July 9, 2012
Santa Fe Public Schools received slightly higher grades Monday when Gov. Susana Martinez released official scores under the state’s new A-F system.
NEW YORK
Veto The Special Ed Bill
Newsday, NY, July 9, 2012
School districts generally shouldn’t be forced to pay private school tuition for special education students if the private schools don’t offer state-approved classes for them.
NORTH CAROLINA
Wake’s Renaissance Schools See Academic Gains
News & Observer, NC, July 10, 2012
Four Wake County elementary schools that have gotten an infusion of federal dollars for extra teacher pay, new technology and small class sizes were lauded Monday for test score gains this past school year.
Martin Board Refuses to Lease Vacant Building to Charter School
Carolina Journal, NC, July 10, 2012
Newly created Bear Grass Charter School planned to open its doors this August in an abandoned high school building, but the Martin County Board of Education said the building is not for sale or rent.
As School Begins, Some Parents Still Confused By ‘Choice’
WRAL, NC, July 9, 2012
As students enrolled in year-round schools returned to the classroom Monday, some parents still didn’t know what school their children were supposed to attend, and that created some tense moments at the headquarters of the Wake County Public School System.
OHIO
A School Fix Without a Fight
Wall Street Journal, July 9, 2012
The Republican governor of Ohio , the Democratic mayor of Cleveland and the local teachers union have united to overhaul how teachers are hired, fired and paid, a rare example of cooperation in education that some critics warn could still face challenges in the implementation.
SB316 Brings Right Idea To Schools
Advertiser Tribune, OH, July 10, 2012
The “No Child Left Behind” federal school reform law has been a dismal failure in many ways. One is that, with its focus on “adequate yearly progress” at schools, it left too many individual children behind.
PENNSYLVANIA
Rock Hill Charter School Leader Leaves After Complaints, ‘Morale Issues’
The Herald, PA, July 9, 2012
Following teacher complaints and a state warning, Thomas Graves is stepping down as York Preparatory Academy ‘s interim managing director.
Don’t Exempt Charters From Evaluations
Scranton Times-Tribune, PA, July 10, 2012
Tougher evaluation standards for Pennsylvania public school teachers are a good idea because the current standards provide little insight into the actual effectiveness of educators.
TEXAS
New IDEA Charter Leader Gears Up For School, Hopes To Mend Fences
Austin Statesman, TX, July 9, 2012
IDEA Public Schools, the South Texas charter school organization teaming up with the Austin school district to open a new campus this fall, has hired a Washington transplant with Austin ties to be the new founding executive director for the Austin area.
WASHINGTON
Charter Schools Aren’t The Answer To State’s Education Problems
News Tribune, WA, July 10, 2012
In the mid-1990s, two issues that captured my attention were bullying and increasing the number of counselors in elementary schools. I urged my fellow PTA members attending Legislative Assembly to make “my issues” the Washington State PTA’s priority issues.
After Battle Over Charter Schools, We Can Focus On Real Reforms
News Tribune, WA, July 10, 2012
It appears backers of the latest charter schools initiative have submitted enough signatures to place it on the November ballot.
WISCONSIN
Wisconsin Rapids School Board Approves Shifts In Administrator Duties
Wisconsin Rapids Tribune, WI, July 9, 2012
The lead teachers at two Wisconsin Rapids School District charter schools will split the duties of a former administrator who previously served as principal of both schools and the district’s virtual school program.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
NJ’s First Online Charters Could Be Just Days Away
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, July 10, 2012
As New Jersey awaits a decision on its first online charter schools, the operator of three of those proposed schools isn’t taking any chances.
13 Ligonier Valley Students Pick Cyber
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, July 10, 2012
Another exodus of students from the Ligonier Valley School District to cyber schools is bringing unforeseen costs into the 2012-13 budget, just approved by school directors last month.
State Approves 4 New Cyber Charter Schools
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, July 10, 2012
This fall, students will be able to choose from four new cyber charter schools, bringing the statewide total to 16, thanks to approvals by the state Department of Education.
Online School Offers A Choice For Athletes, Others
Summit Daily, CO, July 10, 2012
Sockett, who is going into her junior year, attends the Colorado Connections Academy , a tuition-free, fully accredited virtual public school. The school is available to students in grades K-12 who reside anywhere in Colorado.