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NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Vacaville Unified School District Leader Not Worried About California’s Waiver Loss
The Reporter, CA, January 4, 2013
A prominent Vacaville Unified School District leader does not fear the likely rejection by federal officials of a California waiver request to the No Child Left Behind law, which some believe may prompt radical reforms, including state takeovers and charter school conversions.

CONNECTICUT

Sibs Get An Edge In Public School Admissions
New Haven Independent, CT, January 3, 2013
A kid with an older sister at Edgewood, Hooker or Nathan Hale schools will get a leg up in this year’s admission lottery, according to a new policy unveiled Thursday.

DELAWARE

Del. Officials Discuss Troubled Charter School
News Times, DE, January 4, 2013
State education officials are meeting with representatives from a troubled charter school in New Castle County to discuss a path forward.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Advice For Parents Facing School Closures In The District
Washington Post, DC, January 3, 2013
Parents are not happy about the proposal, either. They have been especially vocal about plans to close five schools in Ward 7, saying it will push more students into public charter schools and further erode the traditional public schools.

Charter School Ruled Private Entity For Labor Relations
Washington Post Blog, DC, January 4, 2013
The question of just how public charter schools really are has been further muddied by a ruling by the National Labor Relations Board in a case involving a Chicago charter school.

Michelle Rhee Proud Of Controversial School Reform Efforts In D.C
Washington Examiner, DC, January 3, 2013,
Former DC Public Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee says in a new documentary that she is proud of the reform efforts she initiated in 2007, measures that have been heavily criticized since before she left the District in fall 2010.

FLORIDA

Symbiotic Relationship: Campuses Combining Schools Strive for Peaceful Coexistence
The Ledger, FL, January 4, 2013
Benjamin Stewart may be a Summerlin Academy student, but when it comes to all of the classes and extracurricular activities he participates in, he’d rather be known as a Yellow Jacket.

ILLINOIS

Chicago Charter Schools Rake In Thousands In ‘Disciplinary Fees’
MSNBC, January 3, 2013
As public funding for Chicago charter schools increases, so do questions about accountability and governance within these publicly-funded–but privately-run–institutions.

LOUISIANA

Orleans Board Rejects Schools
The Advocate, LA, January 4, 2013
Dwight D. Eisenhower Academy, Martin Behrman Charter School and O. Perry Walker College and Preparatory High Schools will not be returning to Orleans Parish School Board governance, as decided in a 5-2 cast by the board at an Algiers Charter School Association meeting Thursday.

MASSACHUSETTS

Gloucester School Will Close Early
Boston Globe, MA, January 4, 2013
The Gloucester Community Arts Charter School’s brief and turbulent existence will come to a halt next Friday afternoon when the school will officially close.

MISSISSIPPI

Charter School Fight Looms as 2013 Session Nears
Mississippi Public Broadcasting, MS, January 3, 2013
Mississippi lawmakers will gavel in the 2013 legislative session this Tuesday, and the debate over charter schools is likely to be one of the hottest issues of the session. MPB’s Daniel Cherry has more…

NEW YORK

Better Teaching, Beyond Evaluations
New York Daily News, NY, January 4, 2013
Faced with a Jan. 17 deadline, New York City may soon have a new teacher evaluation system to help identify those educators who are excelling and those who need extra support. This focus on teacher performance and accountability is essential.

Left Out Of The Gov’s Schools Rx
New York Post, NY, January 4, 2013
Hang on to your hats, folks: Those of us who favor serious, overhaul-minded education reforms actually agree with the bullhorn of the “just spend more” crowd, the Campaign for Educational Equity’s Michael Rebell, when he says that the big problem with Gov. Cuomo’s education-reform commission’s report is “what’s not in there.”

NORTH CAROLINA

McCrory Completes Cabinet, Names Tata In Another Surprising Pick
News & Observer, NC, January 4, 2013
Gov.-elect Pat McCrory finalized his Cabinet Thursday, naming Wake County’s ousted schools leader Tony Tata to head the Department of Transportation – another surprising pick for his administration

OHIO

Colleges Set Bar For Remedial Classes
Columbus Dispatch, OH, January 4, 2013
Ohio’s public colleges and universities have agreed to minimum ACT and SAT scores that will guarantee students don’t have to take remedial courses that cost them money but don’t count for credit.

OKLAHOMA

Improve Schools By Training Principals And Superintendents
The Oklahoman, OK, January 4, 2013
Ed Allen (Point of View, Dec. 14) made some good points about deficiencies of Oklahoma City Public School administrators which can be applied statewide.

OREGON

Legislature Should Tweak Charter Rules
Albany Democrat Herald, OR, January 3, 2013
It looks as if there are some chapters left to write in the controversy surrounding a proposal to launch a new charter school in Albany.

PENNSYVLVANIA

Hite Will Present His Blueprint For Schools Monday
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 4, 2013
Coming Monday: a blueprint for the William R. Hite Jr.-era Philadelphia School District. Expect a focus on early literacy, a call for more art and music classes, more students in advanced math by middle school, and more and higher-quality spots in vocational programs.

TEXAS

School Choice Legislation Introduced This Week
Hays Free Press, TX, January 3, 2013
As of press time, Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Sen. Dan Patrick were expected to announce education legislation this week that would allow more school choice. The Texas Tribune reported that the bill would likely spark a major battle in the upcoming legislative session.

Public Schools Can Achieve Success, Even With Voucher System Looming
The Courier, TX, January 4, 2013
With the tide turning toward more ultraconservative Republicans in Austin, the state Legislature is preparing for yet another battle over school choice, better known as a voucher system.

Reforming Our Education
Anniston Star, TX, January 3, 2013
Former Republican gubernatorial candidate Bradley Byrne spoke this week to The Star about his plans for the nonprofit group Reform Alabama, which has dropped out of sight.

VIRGINIA

Governor Bob McDonnell Adds To School Plans
Roanoke Times, VA, January 4, 2013
Gov. Bob McDonnell announced plans Thursday to pursue legislation that would bring Teach for America staffers to Virginia, establish an A-F grading system for schools, bolster third-grade reading proficiency and allow school divisions to request waivers from the State Board of Education from certain state requirements.

WISCONSIN

Wisconsin Republicans Expected To Push Private-School Vouchers, Charter-School Expansion In 2013 Session
Isthmus Paper, WI, January 3, 2013
Gov. Scott Walker’s second most controversial move, after ending collective bargaining rights for public employees, was a package of school-choice proposals and budget cuts that aim to remake public education in the state.

Wisconsinites Lose Ability To See Performance Records Of Principals Under New System
WTAQ, WI, January 3, 2013
Wisconsinites are about to lose the right to see how their public school principals are performing. Governor Scott Walker and state lawmakers approved a new system last year for evaluating teachers and principals.

ONLINE LEARNING

NJ Teachers Union Moves to Block ‘Blended’ Learning at Newark Charter
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, January 4, 2013
NJEA argues that blending online technology with traditional teaching has to be cleared by Legislature before it can be used in school

Blended Learning: Teachers Plus Computers Equal Success
Desert News, UT, January 3, 2013
Carpe Diem Collegiate High School in Yuma, Ariz., looks more like a call center than a high school. It features a huge room full of rows and rows of cubicles where students, who attend classes four days a week, work for half a day at computers that track their daily progress.

Understanding Online Charter Schools
Contra Costa Times, CA, January 3, 2013
The number of students enrolled in virtual charter schools continues to grow around the country, including in California and the Bay Area.

More Bay Area Students Opting For Cyberclassrooms
Contra Costa Times, CA, January 3, 2013
While many parents struggle to get their kids out from under the covers, dressed and off to school, Erinn Watson’s daughters are always on time for class.

NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

NATIONAL COVERAGE

Education Should Be Customized To Meet Students’ Needs
Washington Times, DC, January 1, 2013
America has become the great nation it is because of its traditions, its values and its constitutional foundations. It is also great because, though the Constitution does not specifically mention it, the people decided at one point to make a priority out of giving every child access to education.

FROM THE STATES

ARIZONA

Expansion Of State’s School-Voucher System Takes Effect Today
The Republic, AZ, January 1, 2013
One out of every five Arizona students in public schools becomes eligible today to apply for public money to attend private schools this fall under an expansion of a controversial voucher-type program.

CALIFORNIA

School Uses Laptops To Enable Learning
Stockton Record, CA, January 2, 2013
On a normal day at the Academy of Business, Law and Education charter school in Stockton, students will enter their classrooms and perform a 10-minute warm up assignment as part of a 90-minute course block.

Why California Must Lead The Way In Closing Underperforming Charter Schools
Ed Source, CA, January 1, 2013
Many of California’s charter schools are among the best public schools in the state, if not the nation, but some are also among the worst. It is time for the charter community to fix the failings in the sector so that more children have the chance to attend a great school.

Brown Plans Extensive Changes For School Funding In 2013
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 2, 2013
He says he wants more of the state’s dollars to benefit low-income and non-English-speaking students. ‪‪He would also scale back dozens of rules that districts must abide by to receive state funds.

CONNECTICUT

Input Sought From Parents On City Schools
CT Post, CT, January 1, 2013
For the first time since Bridgeport jumped headfirst into the national debate over school reform, parents will have a chance to tell Mayor Bill Finch what changes they would like to see.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. Parents Develop Alternatives To Chancellor’s School-Closure Plan
Washington Post, DC, January 1, 2013
When D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson outlined a plan this fall to close 20 city schools, she did not call it a plan. Instead she said it was a proposal, a pliable draft meant to be refined with input from parents, teachers and community members.

Charters And Traditional Public Schools Compared
Washington Post, DC, December 31, 2012
I read with interest Mark Schneider and Robert Cane’s Dec. 30 Local Opinions commentary, “Why charters shouldn’t be ‘neighborhood schools.’ ” What has been missing is a study on the differences between the families of the children who are successful in charter schools and those of children failing in traditional D.C. public schools.

FLORIDA

Charter High School Closes, Dreams End
News Press, FL, January 1, 2013
The grade 9-12 charter school has 149 enrolled students ranging in age from 15 to 21 years old. The seniors were just a few credits from getting their high school diploma. Open for five years, the school has gotten a bad rap, according to Principal Tim Butts, who’d only worked there since the beginning of this school year.

Less Than 5 Months In, Charter School Closes, Upending Parents, District and County
Flager Live, FL, January 1, 2013
Open less than five months, Global Outreach Academy, the charter school at the Flagler County Airport, won’t open its doors when school resumes Wednesday morning. The school is short of money, and is behind on its rent due Flagler County government, which owns the building it’s occupying.

Charter, Voucher, Online Schools Campaigning For Bigger Role In Florida
Palm Beach Post, FL, January 1, 2013
Charter school, voucher and online education companies poured more than $2 million into this fall’s political campaigns, primarily those of Republicans who are again demanding more alternatives to traditional public schools.

GEORGIA

New Year Brings In New Laws
My Fox Atlanta, GA, January 1, 2013
Last November, charter school supporters celebrated the passage of a new constitutional amendment. That amendment goes into effect on Tuesday. It calls on the governor and lawmakers to establish an independent committee to oversee state sponsored charter schools.

KENTUCKY

Congressman John Yarmuth Previews Spot on House Education and Workforce Committee
WFPL, KY, January 1, 2013
Democratic Congressman John Yarmuth says reauthorizing the expired No Child Left Behind Act should be a priority of the incoming Congress.

MARYLAND

On Charter Schools
Star Democrat, MD, January 1, 2013
On Sunday, Dec. 28 in The Star Democrat there was an editorial, “Research Makes Clear Value of Charter Schools,” that is, to establish that Charter Schools bring more success than the Public Schools. The study was done by a group at Stanford University.

MASSACHUSETTS

More Boston Schools Need Flexible ‘Turnaround’ Rules
Boston Globe, MA, January 2, 2013
MAYOR MENINO may appear to be using his 2013 legislative agenda to pick an unnecessary fight with the city’s teachers’ union. But the mayor, in calling for a dramatic increase in the number of schools with flexible staffing rules, is making a strong statement by choosing school improvement over labor peace.

MICHIGAN

Parents File Suit Over School District Fees
Detroit News, MI, January 2, 2013
A class-action lawsuit filed by the parents of a Birmingham sixth-grader alleges the Oakland County district is violating state policy by requiring students’ families to buy specific items for use at school.

2013 Is The Time For Year-Round School
Detroit News, MI, January 2, 2013
Gov. Rick Snyder is looking at legislation to replace the School Aid Act of 1979. The proposed Michigan Public Education Finance Act includes a number of education reforms: broader online learning opportunities, more flexibility for students, and scholarships to students who graduate early. It also has language to encourage year-round schooling.

MISSISSIPPI

Gov. Phil Bryant Says Education Is Top Issue
Hattiesburg American, MS, January 2, 2013
Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant said education dominates his 2013 legislative agenda, from merit pay for teachers to charter schools that will receive public funding but be free of some state regulations.

Charter Schools At Issue
Desoto Times Tribune, MS, January 1, 2013
Lobbyists ranging from powerful Washington D.C. area law firms, former Gov. Haley Barbour and others who have been pushing hard to get charter school legislation passed in the upcoming 2013 Mississippi legislative session are gearing up for another fight.

Public Education For Sale? Big Money Pushing Charter School Legislation
Clarion Ledger, MS, December 31, 2012
Is our children’s education for sale to the highest bidder? Indications are that it could be.

NEW JERSEY

The Coming Year in Education — Bigger Questions, Higher Stakes
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, January 1, 2013
Tenure reform, teacher evaluation, charters, school turnarounds, state oversight . . . There was no shortage of education news in 2012, but it’s the coming calendar year that will see those issues put to their first real tests.

NEW MEXICO

School Overhaul Results Mixed
Albuquerque Journal, NM, January 2, 2013
In fall 2009 — when Arciniega was starting her freshman year — Albuquerque Public Schools began an effort to turn around the two historically under-performing South Valley schools.

NEW YORK

Deadline Nears For Teacher Evaluation Plans
Utica Observer Dispatch, NY, January 1, 2013
School districts statewide were given homework. It’s due Jan. 17.

OREGON

Teacher Evaluations: Plenty Of Potential For Oregon In 2013
The Oregonian, OR, January 1, 2013
Mildred Rogers, an Oregon teacher about 40 years ago, was said to have been fired for ridiculing her young students, failing to provide lesson plans and ignoring years of advice to improve. Her case, formally known as “In the Matter of the Dismissal of Mildred Rogers, “joined educational lore and helped form Oregon’s legal notions of bad teaching.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Grading Teachers: Plan Stirs Protests
Hilton Head Island Packet, SC, January 1, 2013
State education superintendent Mick Zais and educators are fighting bitterly over a proposal to give letter grades to teachers based, in part, on how students improve on standardized testing.

Education Superintendent Mick Zais Should Stand His Ground
Anderson Independent Mail, SC, January 2, 2013
I strongly support teachers. However, the recent fervor about State Superintendent of Education Zais’ proposed teacher evaluation system, I suspect, is primarily promoted by unions for teachers and administrators. Dr. Zais should stand his ground.

WEST VIRGINIA

State Must Develop, Reward, Retain Great Educators
Montgomery Herald, WV, January 2, 2013
The research is clear: Teachers matter most when it comes to improving student learning. The most effective teachers can teach even the most disadvantaged students up to high standards. Facilities, technology, work experiences, extracurricular activities and many other school-based factors are important, but nothing surpasses the teacher — nothing.

ONLINE LEARNING

‘Virtual Classrooms’ Close To Reality In NH
New Hampshire Union Leader, NH, January 1, 2013
School officials are confident their plans for “virtual classrooms” in the high schools will be ready in time for the Jan. 22 start of the winter quarter.

State Should Call Time-Out On Cyber Charters
Patriot News, PA, January 1, 2013
The Department of Education has the opportunity to make a meaningful New Year’s resolution in raising standards for performance and accountability

NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

The Flaws In The NRA’s School-Security Proposal
Washington Post, DC, December 30, 2012
Politicians, political commentators and many others greeted with derision the National Rifle Association’s proposal that armed security guards be posted in all U.S. schools.

Charter Schools Now Big Business Nationwide
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, December 30, 2012
The early charter schools in Pennsylvania were largely the product of passionate parents or community groups, who sometimes planned their dream schools around the kitchen table.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

California Misses School Improvement Opportunity
San Francisco Chronicle, CA, December 31, 2012
It is now almost certain that more than half of California’s low-income schools will be labeled “failing” by the U.S. Department of Education. Federal officials have signaled in a conversation that the agency will reject the state’s bid for a waiver from the No Child Left Behind requirements.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

DC School Documents Reveal Expulsion Gap In Charter System
Washington Post, DC, December 29, 2012
An analysis of documents by the Washington Post shows the District’s charter schools expel dramatically more students than its traditional public schools.

FLORIDA

Education in 2013: Merit Pay Outlook Unknown
Tallahassee Democrat, FL, December 30, 2012
Next year could be the year teachers in Leon County Schools get a raise. The district and the Leon County Classroom Teachers Association, the local teachers union, are negotiating the details now, schools superintendent Jackie Pons said.

INDIANA

Charter School Won’t Take Bank Building
Post-Tribune, IN, December 30, 2012
A local charter school operator has turned down the donation of the former Gary State Bank building at 504 Broadway.

During 2012, School Districts Work To Developing Marketing Plans
Evansville Courier Press, IN, December 28, 2012
Something different this year for the Evansville Vanderburgh School Corp. was developing a marketing strategy to promote the school district. It was in response to Indiana’s school voucher program, which allows parents to receive tax money to supplement the cost of sending their children to private schools.

MICHIGAN

Unfunded Mandates Could Cripple State
Detroit News, MI, December 31, 2012
State lawmakers are rightfully proud the state enters 2013 relieved of about one-third of an estimated $45 billion in unfunded liability for post-retirement benefits it has promised to teachers and other public school employees.

MISSISSIPPI

Charter School Column Misleading
Clarion Ledger, MS, December 31, 2012
Jackson Public Schools teacher Darien Spann wrote an opinion article recently (“Governor’s plan bold first step, but certain ideas questionable,” Dec. 17) in which he made the vague claim that statistics he had seen “show that only 17 percent of charter schools in the country work.” Mr. Spann went on to insinuate that 83 percent of charter schools nationwide are failing.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

School Choice Tax Credits: Scrap Or Expand?
New Hampshire Public Radio, NH, December 29, 2012
On January 1st businesses can start getting tax breaks for donating to organizations that give public school students money toward going to a private school. But before that law has even taken effect, there are proposals to change it.

NEW YORK

Staten Islanders Concerned As UFT, City At Impasse In Negotiations
Staten Island Advance, NY, December 30, 2012
The so-called fiscal cliff isn’t the only big deadline facing government. If the city’s teachers’ union and the Department of Education don’t come to an agreement on teacher evaluations by Jan. 17, city schools could lose $250 million in state education aid.

Teachers Union Spends Millions From Membership Dues On Parties And Conferences
New York Post, NY, December 31, 2012
At least their union dues are working overtime. While city public-school teachers have gone without a new contract or regular pay raises for three straight years, their union, its staffers and political cronies have been living large off their union dues, a Post review found.

NORTH CAROLINA

Wake Continues To Weigh Role Of Year-Round Schools
News & Observer, NC, December 30, 2012
Year-round schools were the most controversial part of the last Wake County school-construction bond referendum and will likely be just as contentious in the proposal that could go before voters in late 2013.

NORTH DAKOTA

Let Massachusetts Be Model For N.D. School Reforms
Grand Forks Herald, ND, December 30, 2012
North Dakota schools remain very good. But once upon a time, North Dakota schools ranked more often than not as America’s best. They no longer occupy that top spot; in a number of other states, achievement has surged, while in North Dakota, students’ performance has remained relatively flat.

OHIO

A Waiting List? Catholic Schools Shout Hallelujah
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, December 28, 2012
The revelation struck Sister Anne Schulz last year on a day she had to turn away 90 students who wanted to attend Mother Teresa Catholic Elementary School.

OREGON

Charter Schools Can Be A Welcome Alternative
The Oregonian, OR, December 29, 2012
“More than anything, it’s taking the resources that are already so meager and spreading them to other places,” said Ellen Joslin for a November story in The Oregonian. She’s a critic of Washington’s new charter school law and the president of the Battle Ground Education Association. Initiative 1240 just authorized formation of 40 pilot charter schools in the state.

PENNSYLVANIA

Philadelphia School District Plans to Close Dozens of Schools
New York Times, NY, December 31, 2012
Facing deep financial problems, Philadelphia’s school district proposed an unprecedented downsizing and other changes that would affect 17,000 students.

Catholic School Year Of Transition
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, December 30, 2012
Janet Dollard was a few months into her first year as president of Conwell-Egan High School in Fairless Hills when the Archdiocese of Philadelphia announced in January it planned to close the school as part of a broad restructuring of Catholic education.

Pittsburgh Schools Readying Teacher Evaluation Plan
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, December 31, 2012
Pittsburgh Public Schools is poised to become the first district to seek state approval for its teacher evaluation plan under a new state law.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Lead Charter Making A Difference
Greenville News, SC, December 28, 2012
Charter schools are one way our government gives parents free educational choices for their children. Unlike a “typical” neighborhood public school, a public charter school is organized around certain key principles, and parents who embrace those values support the school by enrolling their children and volunteering their time, and maybe even donating money.
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20121231/OPINION/312310010/Lead-Charter-making-difference?gcheck=1

TENNESSEE

Education Tops 2012 Newsmaker List As State, Metro Grapple Over Schools
Nashville City Paper, TN, December 30, 2012
Between high-stakes elections, an epic brawl over a charter school and a never-ending battle with state education officials, the Metro Nashville school board at the center of the city’s politics this year.

ONLINE LEARNING

Education Collaborative Exploring Idea For Virtual School
Metro West Daily News, MA, December 29, 2012
With a new law on the way opening the door for more virtual schools in the state, a local education collaborative could be among the first to try to start one.

Info Sessions Planned About Lake Virtual School
Central Florida News 13, FL, December 30, 2012
School leaders in Lake County are reaching out to homeschool families with information about online classes.

More Schools Add Online Courses
Dayton Daily News, OH, December 28, 2012
More Miami Valley school districts are offering blended learning, a combination of traditional classes and online learning.

More Creative Thinking About Oklahoma’s A-F Grading System For Schools
The Oklahoman, OK, December 31, 2012
RELEASE of A through F grades for state schools has led to some creative thinking. Sadly, much of that creativity has been expended explaining away bad grades rather than improving school performance.

Online Academy Classes To Be Tested In ID Schools
KTVB, ID, December 29, 2012
A worldwide online education academy may soon be offering classes in a few select Idaho public schools.

NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

Reforming American Public Education in 2013: The States to Watch
Dropout Nation, December 27, 2012
There will be plenty of talk in Washington in the coming year about the unlikely possibility of reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act, as well as about the consequences of sequestration-related reductions in spending increases based on assumed — and not actual — rates of inflation (also poorly characterized breathlessly as “budget cuts”).

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

Alabama Lawmaker Plans Bill To Put Guns In Schools
Montgomery Advertiser, AL, December 27, 2012
A state lawmaker plans to introduce legislation that would allow schools to arm certain employees.

CALIFORNIA

Face of Los Banos School District Changing
Los Banos Enterprise, CA, December 27, 2012
Los Banos became home to Merced County’s first independent Waldorf inspired public school in 2012 and parents can expect another traditional public school to open next year as educational opportunities expand in the city.

COLORADO

Denver Schools Seek Restorative Solution To Age-Old Truancy Problem
Denver Post, CO, December 28, 2012
In typical truancy hearings, there isn’t much time for the “why” of school-skipping. But, typically, the hearings take place in a court, not in a school library. Both the off-site location and the off-the-record counseling sessions are part of a new program, launched this fall by Denver Juvenile Court and DPS to combat the old, often-intractable problem of truancy.

DELAWARE

3 Charter Schools Won’t Open In 2013
News Journal, DE, December 27, 2012
Three new charter schools have opted not to begin classes next year, citing challenges related to finances, finding a suitable location and a school leader.

IDAHO

Otter Sets Ed Reforms Target Date as 2014
Idaho Statesman, ID, December 27, 2012
Idaho StateGov. Butch Otter asked the state Board of Education to shepherd a statewide discussion about improving schools after voters rejected the Students Come First laws touted by the governor.

ILLINOIS

Chicago Charter School Prepares Students For Legal Studies
State Journal Register, IL, December 27, 2012
The school principal has a law degree. There are field trips to law firms. And a biology class is inspired by the science of crime scene investigations.

INDIANA

Charters Given Warning On Performance
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, December 28, 2012
Two recent developments could spell bad news for the future of three local charter schools.

MASSACHUSETTS

City Should Move Cautiously On Added School Funds
Gloucester Daily Times, MA, December 28, 2012
It’s understandable that the Gloucester Public School District will need some additional dollars to cover costs from an influx of students from the sadly doomed Gloucester Community Arts Charter School.

MISSISSIPPI

State Superintendent Not Ready To Give Up On Public Schools
Sun Herald, MS, December 27, 2012
Let’s compare this ancient story to the pledge Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves, Gov. Phil Bryant and leaders in the Legislature have taken, insisting that charter schools legislation will pass in Mississippi in 2013.

MISSOURI

Francis Howell Denies Teacher Unpaid Leave To Serve In Legislature
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, December 28, 2012
Bryan Spencer, who has taught in the Francis Howell School District for 22 years, embarks on a new career next month as a state legislator.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

School Choice A Tricky Equation
The Hooksett Banner, NH, December 27, 2012
With Hooksett looking for a new high school arrangement after declaring the city in breach of its high school contract, one of the most discussed and debated proposals is the so-called choice or multi-school option.

NEW YORK

UFT Won’t Sign New Teacher Evaluation Agreement Without Wage Increase Guarantee, City Officials Claim
New York Post, NY, December 27, 2012
The teachers’ union has refused to sign a long-awaited agreement with the city on a new teacher evaluation system unless it gets a guarantee of wage increases in the next contract, Department of Education officials charged today.

PENNSYLVANIA

No Double Standard For Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, December 28, 2012
Auditor General Jack Wagner claims that Pennsylvania’s charter schools, which educate more than 105,000 students across the commonwealth, are overfunded. Is he right?

ASD Gets Input On Charter School Plans From Proponents
Tribune-Review, PA, December 28, 2012
Armstrong School District had plenty of questions about Everlasting Elderton Charter School but few were met with direct answers during a hearing Thursday night at Lenape Elementary School.

Elderton Charter School Grilled by ASD Admin
Kittanning Paper, PA, December 28, 2012
If Everlasting Elderton Charter School is approved by the Armstrong School District in less than two months, founding board members may have a lot more work to do.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Teaching Every Child, Every Day
The State, SC, December 28, 2012
Despite stacks of research that show poverty’s negative impact on student achievement, many school districts in South Carolina are proving that success is possible amid challenging circumstances.

TEXAS

What Education Doesn’t Need Is More Tax Dollars
Seguin Gazette, TX, December 28, 2012
With the current state budget short fall, liberal state legislators are asking for money to keep education funding at the highest levels or increase it.

ONLINE LEARNING

Online Classes Skyrocket In Popularity For Montana Students
KBZK Bozeman News, MT, December 27, 2012
More high school students are taking online courses, so the Montana Office of Public Instruction is asking for more funding to help meet the growing demand for internet instruction.

NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

Securing America’s Schools
Washington Times, DC, December 26, 2012
Though the benefits of creating maximum-security schools is questionable, the negative impact on young minds is undeniable.

FROM THE STATES

ALASKA

State School Board Wants Teacher Evals Based On Student Performance
Homer Tribune, AK, December 26, 2012
A controversial move by the Alaska State Board of Education last week to incorporate student performance into teachers’ job evaluations has educators bristling at what feels to them to be an attempt to fit unstandardizable qualities into a standardized system of evaluation.

CALIFORNIA

Five Local Schools Earn Statewide Excellence Awards
Vail Daily, CA, December 26, 2012
Five Eagle County schools are being recognized as among the state’s best. Brush Creek Elementary School and the Eagle County Charter Academy are two of 151 Colorado schools tabbed for this year’s John Irwin Award.

Upfront: Un-chartered Territory
Pacific Sun, CA, December 26, 2012
It’s been easy to get lost in the weeds during the debate over a proposal to open a new charter school in Novato. The issues that touch Novato parents have a visceral resonance. They also echo larger issues that affect the education system throughout the state.

‘F’ for ‘No Child Left Behind’ Act
Press Telegram, CA, December 26, 2012
The federal government last week denied California’s request to get a waiver from the increasingly impossible-to-meet goals of the old No Child Left Behind Act. That means a really lousy grade for education throughout the Golden State.

INDIANA

Charter Schools Will Succeed, Show Public System’s Failure
Evansville Courier & Press, IN, December 27, 2012
I am writing this in response to Michael J. Kuhn’s comment on Nov. 28, “Conflict of interest colors Neal’s opinion.”

IOWA

Iowa Business Leaders Will Target Education Reform At Summit
Des Moines Register, IA, December 27, 2012
Education reform could get some high-powered lobbyists next session: the state’s top CEOs.

KANSAS

Rural Life Fuels Kansas School’s Revival
Wichita Eagle, KS, December 26, 2012
In 2007, it re-established itself as a charter school focused on agriculture and project-based learning, one of only 17 charter schools in Kansas. Since then its enrollment has more than doubled, and the Walton Rural Life Center – “Fresh eggs for sale,” says a sign near the entrance – has become an example of charter school success.

MARYLAND

‘Classical’ Charter School Closer To Reality
Maryland Gazette, MD, December 27, 2012
It took one rejection by the school board, one unexpected delay and almost three years of planning and advocacy, but the Frederick Classical Charter School is finally starting to take shape.

Dorchester BOE Denies Application For Charter School
Star Democrat, MD, December 26, 2012
By a 4-0 vote Thursday, the Dorchester County Board of Education accepted Dorchester School Superintendent Dr. Henry Wagner’s recommendation to deny the application to create the Dorchester Preparatory Public Charter School.

MASSACHUSETTS

Starkly Different Views On Charter School’s Demise
Boston Globe, MA, December 27, 2012
Two starkly different views are emerging from proponents and critics of a Gloucester charter school set to close at the end of the school year.

Education Reform: The Battle Ahead
The Boston Phoenix, MA, December 26, 2012
Five years ago, as George W. Bush was pushing No Child Left Behind, his younger, even sleazier sibling Neil was picking the initiative’s pockets. Before Dubya left office, his brother’s education-software company, Ignite, sold more than $1 million worth of products to schools, encouraging districts to make the purchases with NCLB funding.

Schools Seek Cash For Exiting Charter Kids
Gloucester Times, MA, December 27, 2012
The Gloucester School District has requested their own chunk of cash from the city’s pot of leftover fiscal 2012 dollars, seeking help not only with repairs and upgrades, but also for “unanticipated special education expenses and plus tutoring,” with the school noting that “coming changes” could increase the district’s financial needs.

Mass. Lawmakers OK Bill Allowing “Virtual Schools”
News Times, CT, December 27, 2012
Some Massachusetts children could begin attending virtual schools under a bill approved by state lawmakers and sent to Gov. Deval Patrick’s desk.

MICHIGAN

Verizon, Samsung Donate 60 Tablets To Detroit School
Detroit News, MI, December 27, 2012
The Milky Way Galaxy just got a little closer for some students at one Detroit charter school. Earlier this month, 60 seven-inch computer tablets were delivered to students at Washington-Parks Academy, a K-8th grade school operated by Cornerstone Schools. The portable computers came compliments of the Verizon Foundation and Samsung.

MISSOURI

Parent Trigger Is Not The Answer
St. Louis American, MO, December 27, 2012
It is disappointing that Senator-Elect Jamilah Nasheed wants to bring the parent trigger law to Missouri. It is interesting that she did not explain what parent trigger does. Parent trigger laws are the fad du jour of right wing enemies of public education. It is another scheme for expanding the tentacles of charter schools in our community.

NEVADA

‘Teacher Evaluations’ Won’t Help In Classroom
Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV, December 27, 2012
Having taught in Clark County School District high schools for 25 years, I read the Review-Journal’s Dec. 24 story about new teacher evaluations with bewilderment.

NORTH CAROLINA

Outgoing Senator Wants Charter School Process Reviewed
News & Observer, NC, December 27, 2012
Republican State Sen. Wes Westmoreland, a Shelby businessman, served one year in the legislature. He was appointed to replace the retiring Sen. Debbie Clary and didn’t seek re-election. But before he left, the Republican lawmaker made sure to get one more pet cause on a legislative study list.

NORTH DAKOTA

Make Sure Teachers’ Grades Matter
Grand Forks Herald, ND, December 26, 2012
Congratulations to the Grand Forks School District for setting up a stronger evaluation system for teachers. Now, the challenge for the district will be to make sure the evaluations count.

PENNSYLVANIA

Philly Shows How Charter, Public Schools Can Collaborate
Erie Times-News, PA, December 27, 2012
Committed to improving American education and competitiveness, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded $25 million in grants to encourage additional cooperation and collaboration between traditional public schools and charter public schools.

Increasing Number Of Students Opting For Charter Schools
Tribune-Review, PA, December 26, 2012
A growing number of Western Pennsylvania students attending taxpayer-funded charter schools is changing public education, as parents take advantage of school choice.

TENNESSEE

Charter Wants To Talk
Commercial Appeal, TN, December 27, 2012
The Achievement School District is a statewide initiative committed to improving the education of every student, regardless of ZIP code, race or family income. Its goal is to transform the bottom 5 percent of schools into the top 25 percent.

TEXAS

Clash Over Vouchers Comes Down To Vastly Different Views On Texas Schools
Dallas Morning News, TX, December 26, 2012
The brewing fight between conservative legislators and education groups over efforts to send tax dollars to private schools offers a sharp contrast in the debate over how best to fund Texas’ public schools.

WYOMING

Test Scores Improving Quickly at Charter School
KGWN, WY, December 26, 2012
Cheyenne’s charter school is proving to be beneficial to students when it comes to test scores.

ONLINE LEARNING

The Hidden Revolution in Online Learning
Wall Street Journal, December 27, 2012
Few people believe that online instruction will ever completely replace the college campus experience or substitute for the social, psychological and recreational benefits of a K-12 education. But the current thrust of academic innovation is clearly in the direction of “blended learning,” where a student taking five courses in a semester might take one, two or even three of them online.

NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

California Fails To Win Waivers From Restrictive No Child Left Behind Education Law
Marin Independent-Journal, CA, December 25, 2012
Signaling that California again is marching to its own drum — perhaps trailing the parade — the federal government has denied the state’s request for a waiver from a key U.S. education law, thus assuring that schools will have to keep striving to meet what’s generally accepted as unachievable goals, then be punished for missing them.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Charters Should Accommodate Students Of Closing DCPS Schools
The Washington Examiner, DC, December 25, 2012
A task force of city and school leaders is recommending that District charter schools reserve seats next year for students who attend neighboring DC Public Schools campuses that have been recommended for closure.

FLORIDA

Florida Schools To Adopt Common Core Standards
News Chief, FL, December 26, 2012
Common Core State Standards, which are designed to help American children compete with their peers around the world, are getting mostly high marks from Florida’s teachers, administrators and politicians alike. Forty-five states, the District of Columbia and three territories are adopting the standards, which cover kindergarten through high school.

GEORGIA

As Legislature Gets Ready To Convene, Education Leaders Offer Their Wish List.
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, December 26, 2012
Whenever the General Assembly makes decisions affecting schools, educators complain their views are overlooked.

INDIANA

Charter Schools Embrace Change
Evansville Courier Press, IN, December 25, 2012
The opportunity to make quick changes is an advantage charter schools have over traditional public schools, according to Evansville’s two charter school executive directors.

A Sensible Ruling For Public Schools
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, December 26, 2012
Allen Superior Court Judge Nancy Boyer restored some common sense to the state’s misguided and conflicting policy affecting how traditional public school districts treat closed school buildings. The policy had conflicted with other state laws, was bad for taxpayers and – in at least one case involving East Allen County Schools – had the opposite effect of its goal of broadening school choice for parents.

IOWA

Failure To Reform Means No NCLB Waiver For State
Press-Citizen, IA, December 26, 2012
Earlier this year, the Press-Citizen Editorial Board identified 10 issues to watch in 2012. Here is one in a series of editorials analyzing how those issues look nearly 12 months later.

MICHIGAN

Michigan On Right Track With Education
Detroit News, MI, December 26, 2012
Much like last year, education proved a topic of debate and action throughout 2012 — with the Legislature and Gov. Rick Snyder moving forward with their education agenda for Michigan.

Fewer Students Means More Money Woes For State’s School Districts
Detroit Free Press, MI, December 26, 2012
Swift declines in school enrollment across metro Detroit are increasingly driving school districts into debt and forcing administrators to sharpen their knives to make the cuts needed to avoid greater financial disaster — or a state takeover.

MINNESOTA

Bakk Wants Education Funding Overhaul
Duluth News Tribune, MN, December 26, 2012
A key Northland lawmaker is calling for changes in education funding that would make Minnesota school districts less reliant on local property taxes. Incoming Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, said he thinks the current referendum system has driven up property taxes and created unequal funding for schools across the state.

MISSISSIPPI

State Board Adopts Charter School Principles
Sun Herald, MS, December 25, 2012
The state Board of Education believes only it should be allowed to authorize charter schools in low-performing (D and F) school districts.

MISSOURI

Hiring Practices In Fox Schools Upset Some Residents, Spark Interest In Union
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, December 26, 2012
Anger about recent hires in the Fox School District, including a school board member’s daughter-in-law who worked at McDonald’s and now heads the district’s food program, has prompted a union to push for broader employee representation.

NEW JERSEY

Cory Booker Releases Secret Emails On $100M Facebook Gift To Newark Schools
Star-Ledger, NJ, December 25, 2012
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, gave $100 million to the Newark public schools in hopes of encouraging contributions as small as $5 and $10 from everyday people, but that never happened.

NEW MEXICO

Replication Reforms Education
Albuquerque Journal, NM, December 25, 2012
One of the guiding tenets behind charter schools as education reformers has to do with the concept of replication. Replication means taking a model or program that has proven to be successful in a charter school, copying that model or program, and putting it back into the traditional schools.

NEW YORK

Catholic Schools Open Doors to Storm-Tossed Students
New York Times, NY, December 26, 2012
Over 200 public school students from the Rockaways were absorbed by Roman Catholic schools in Brooklyn after the storm, offering some semblance of normalcy and, so far, free tuition.

Residency Of Troy Charter School Students Questioned
Troy Record, NY, December 25, 2012
School District officials believe they have been overpaying for alleged district students that attend private, parochial and charter schools in the area. Due to this, an agreement has been extended to a firm to look into residency issues.

OHIO

Charter School On Move – Again
Cincinnati Inquirer, OH, December 26, 2012
A troubled charter school that was launched then offloaded by the Cincinnati Public Schools district a decade ago has moved back into a CPS-owned building.

Cooked Books
Columbus Dispatch, OH, December 26, 2012
For months, Columbus City Schools Superintendent Gene Harris and Board of Education members have said they want to get to the bottom of the allegations that employees rigged data to cheat on state performance evaluations.

PENNSYLVANIA

City Student Overcomes The Odds On His Way To College
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, December 25, 2012
Doors that Manuel Rosado never knew existed are now opening to him.
Manny – who dropped out of high school at 14 but now is a high-achieving student on track to be valedictorian of his class at Olney ASPIRA Charter School – was profiled in The Inquirer last month.

SOUTH CAROLINA

State Superintendent, Teachers Feud Over Evaluation Plan
The Herald, SC, December 25, 2012
State education superintendent Mick Zais and educators are fighting bitterly over a proposal to give letter grades to teachers based, in part, on how students improve on standardized testing.

TEXAS

UT, A&M Piloting Early High School Graduation Program
American Statesman, TX, December 25, 2012
Under a program thought to be the first of its kind in the nation, some of the highest-achieving students at Texas high schools will be able to graduate a year early with a very good chance of admission to the state’s two public flagship universities.

Editorial: Texan Of The Year Finalist YES Prep
Dallas Morning News, TX, December 25, 2012
Imagine this: A high school where every student earning a diploma has been admitted into a four-year college. You may think that would be possible only at some fancy prep school, but the students at Houston’s YES Prep high schools have proven that ZIP code is not destiny.

Choice Program Is A Suicide Pact For Schools
San Antonio, TX, December 26, 2012
Over and above the merits or demerits of “school choice,” Texas’ euphemism for “let’s abandon public schools,” there is a certain disconnect in purely fiscal terms.

ONLINE LEARNING

Really Alternative Schools Rising
New York Post, NY, December 26, 2012
Regardless, change is coming in the K-12 world. It’s a knowledge industry, after all — and how many knowledge industries are the same in the 21st century as they were in the 19th?

Blended Learning Helps Students Prepare For The Real World, Educators Say
Streetsboro Gateway News, OH, December 26, 2012
Online learning is here to stay. So says Maureen Haska, the instructional technology specialist for Streetsboro City Schools

Virtual Schools: A Day In The Life
Contra Costa Times, CA, December 24, 2012
After hearing about virtual public schools, many may be left with questions. Do children still get recess? What about homework?

NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

NATIONAL

Unions Lambaste Proposal To Arm More Teachers
Washington Times, DC, December 21, 2012
The nation’s leading teachers unions Thursday slammed the idea of arming more teachers, a proposal floated in the wake of last week’s Sandy Hook school shooting by Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell and others and already in place in some Texas schools.

Do School ‘Reformers’ Need to Keep Two or Three Sets of Books?
Huffington Post Blog, December 20, 2012
My old joke about No Child Left Behind (NCLB) always prompted groans. The only way that NCLB could work was if districts kept two sets of books — one for accountability reports and a private, accurate and meaningful set of data for decision-making purposes. The worst case scenario, however, would occur when districts convinced themselves that their NCLB numbers weren’t meaningless.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Education Reform Needs To Be Grounded In Reality
Venture County Star, CA, December 20, 2012
Thirteen years ago, the California Legislature — spurred by then-Gov. Gray Davis — made one of its periodic forays into educational reform, or so we were told.

San Jose’s Franklin-McKinley School Board Approves New KIPP Middle School
Mercury News, CA, December 20, 2012
Another KIPP middle school, the high-achieving charter school, is coming to East San Jose.

County Rejects Portola Academy Bid
Livermore Independent, CA, December 21, 2012
The Alameda County Board of Education has voted down the Tri-Valley Learning Corporation’s request to start Portola Academy.

COLORADO

Firestone Charter School Has Its Own Marine Guard
The Longmont Times-Call, CO, December 20, 2012
As he stands by the Imagine Charter School flagpole, Jared Vejrostek collects a high-five from a student. A “thank you” from one parent. A smile from another.

FLORIDA

Don’t Force Counties To Subsidize Charter Schools
Palm Beach Post, FL, December 21, 2012
How much do tax-cutting Republicans in Tallahassee love charter schools? So much that they might be willing to raise property taxes to help charter schools.

Board Gets Earful On Eval System From Stellar Teacher
The Pasco Tribune, FL, December 21, 2012
Teacher Eric Johnson was honored at this week’s school board meeting for two teaching awards he recently received. But he did not earn the top rating under new evaluation guidelines.

GEORGIA

Judge Bars APS From Withholding Funding To Charter Schools
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, December 20, 2012
Atlanta Public Schools must stop withholding local property tax revenue from charter schools it had demanded help from in paying for the district’s pension program, a Fulton County Superior Court judge ruled.

ILLINOIS

The Reckoning for CPS
Chicago Tribune, IL, December 21, 2012
Chicago Public Schools officials won a four-month reprieve from state lawmakers recently so they won’t have to produce a list of proposed school closings until March 31. That brings to mind boxer Joe Louis’ famous taunt aimed at challenger Billy Conn: He can run, but he can’t hide.

INDIANA

Report Says Our Charter Schools Are Delivering
News Sentinel, IN, December 21, 2012
Because they can dispense with many of the rules and regulations regular public schools must cope with, charter schools offer the promise of a better education to our children, especially the ones who would otherwise be stuck in poorly performing schools.

LOUISIANA

RSD Announces Latest Management Changes; Moves Toward All-Charter System
Times-Picayune, LA, December 20, 2012
New Orleans’ Recovery School District will become a nearly 100 percent charter system in the 2013-2014 academic year, with the district running only five or six schools directly, down from 12 this year, superintendent Patrick Dobard announced Thursday.

Debating Vouchers In Louisiana, Where Public Schools Are Already Devalued:
Times-Picayune, LA, December 20, 2012
Whether Tim Kelley’s ruling will be upheld remains to be seen, but it’s already clear that having a debate about private school vouchers in Louisiana begins with a different set of assumptions. Here private schools are routinely viewed as the natural choice, public schools the place for those who lack the means to go anywhere else.

MASSACHUSETTS

Mayor’s School Plan Upsets Union
Boston Herald, MA, December 21, 2012
The Boston Teachers Union fired back last night over Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s plan to strip the union of some of its powers as he moves to promote more charter schools in the city and push for longer school days as part of a plan to boost student achievement.

Charter School Would Take Money From Woburn District
Woburn Advocate, MA, December 20, 2012
Supporters say it will offer students and parents more opportunities and choices when it comes to schools, but at what cost?

MICHIGAN

Power Struggle Between Detroit School Board, Roy Roberts At Issue In Court
Detroit News, MI, December 21, 201
The resolution of a power struggle between the Detroit Board of Education and Emergency Financial Manager Roy Roberts is to be the focus of a court hearing Friday morning.

NEW MEXICO

Accountability, Results Justify School Spending
Albuquerque Journal, NM, December 21, 2012
That’s why Gov. Susana Martinez’s plan to ask legislators for $4.74 million in targeted funding for programs that train principals and district leaders to make data-driven decisions, that encourage businesslike efficiency and that have principals at higher-performing schools mentor those at lower-performing schools, makes sense.

NEW YORK

Closing The Socio-Economic And Racial Gaps In NYC Schools
Amsterdam News, NY, December 20, 2012
Explore Schools hosted a panel discussion last Thursday to discuss closing the achievement gap in New York City schools.

Teacher Union Flap Still Nails On A Chalkboard
New York Daily News, NY, December 20, 2012
The deadline that schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott set to settle a contentious dispute with the teachers union was expected to come and go Friday without progress.

Yonkers Teacher-Evaluation Deal Hits Deadline Today
The Journal News, NY, December 21, 2012
Time is about up for the schools chief and the teachers union to agree on a new evaluation plan tied to millions of dollars in desperately needed state aid.

NORTH CAROLINA

Morrison: New State Tests Waste Tax Dollars
Charlotte Observer, NC, December 21, 2012
The barrage of new state tests being rolled out this year is “an egregious waste of taxpayer dollars” that won’t help kids, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Superintendent Heath Morrison said Thursday.

OHIO

Data Changes Raised Scores
Columbus Dispatch, OH, December 21, 2012
Columbus City Schools’ internal auditor confirmed yesterday that district officials changed student data and thereby improved the district’s state report-card results.

PENNSYLVANIA

Marchers Take Their Case To SRC
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, December 21, 2012
A shouting and chanting crowd of hundreds told officials Thursday night exactly what they thought of a Philadelphia School District plan to close 37 schools and change grades and shut programs at dozens more.

Bioscience School Presented To Millcreek School Board
Erie Times-News, PA, December 21, 2012
Supporters of the proposed Erie Biosciences Academy charter school made their case before the Millcreek School Board on Thursday night, saying the new school would provide students with a career pathway before finishing middle school.

Two Charter Schools Proposed In Chester
Delaware County Daily Times, PA, December 20, 2012
A county businessman is proposing to start two new charter schools within the Chester Upland School District, which already has lost more than half of its students to charter schools.

RHODE ISLAND

Unions Protesting New Teacher Evaluation System
Go Local Prov, RI, December 21, 2012
Thousands of Rhode Island teachers have signed an online petition calling for the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE) to delay the implementation of the state’s new teacher evaluation system.

TENNESSEE

ASD Pay Plan Will Favor Best Teachers
Commercial Appeal, TN, December 21, 2012
The state’s Achievement School District is embarking on a teacher-pay schedule that has had teachers’ unions and their advocates at odds with school administrators for years.

TEXAS

With IDEA Resolved, Trustees Can Focus On Improving High School Graduation Rates
Austin American-Statesman, TX, December 20, 2012
Austin school district trustees opted for a quick divorce with IDEA Public Schools rather than a compromise that would have allowed mutual custody of the students.

Battle Brewing Over School Choice Option
KERA News, TX, December 20, 2012
The battle lines are already being drawn over proposed legislation that would help low-income Texas students pay for private schooling.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Delegate Wants Some School Personnel Armed
Washington Times, DC, December 20, 2012
A Virginia lawmaker who wants to arm teachers and school personnel in the wake of last week’s mass shooting in Newtown, Conn., is one of many officials throughout the country who are calling for new laws to keep such a tragedy from happening in their home states.

WASHINGTON

State Supreme Court: Legislature Failing At Funding Of Education
Seattle Times, WA, December 20, 2012
The Washington Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that the state Legislature isn’t making enough progress toward finding more money for K-12 education in answer to the court’s decision in the McCleary school-funding lawsuit.

ONLINE LEARNING

Online Schooling Drawing Contentious Reviews Across State
South Coast Today, MA, December 21, 2012
Students at a privately operated online school that is costing Massachusetts taxpayers almost $2.5 million a year are falling far behind other students in the state based on their assessment-test scores, and half of them are quitting during the academic year or failing to return the next year.

NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

FROM THE STATES

COLORADO

3 New Charter Schools OK’d Within D-11 Boundaries
Colorado Springs Gazette, CO, December 19, 2012
The board of the state Charter School Institute gave the green light to three new schools in Colorado Springs.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. Charter Schools Band Together To Form New High School With Focus On Foreign Language
Washington Post Blog, DC, December 19, 2012
The D.C. Public Charter School Board offered support this week for a plan to open a new middle/high school that would offer International Baccalaureate programs and intensive foreign-language instruction.

D.C. Charter Schools Eye City’s First Pre-K-12 Language Immersion
Washington Examiner, DC, December 19, 2012
D.C. charter schools are set to offer students language immersion from prekindergarten through graduation for the first time, as four schools join forces to create an international secondary school.

School, In
Washington City Paper, DC, December 19, 2012
In late October, D.C. officials proudly announced that enrollment in nonprivate schools had ticked up 5 percent over the course of a year, putting the overall number of students in public schools at a level not seen in more than a decade.

ILLINOIS

A Charter Gut Check
Chicago Sun-Times, IL, December 19, 2012
The Chicago Board of Education earned some credibility points on Wednesday. At the request of Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett, the board approved only three of five recommended charter school proposals for fall 2013. The other two were deferred to an unknown date.

CPS Insists There Is No School-Closings List
Chicago Tribune, IL, December 20, 2012
Chicago Public Schools officials on Wednesday again said they don’t have a list of schools slated for closing, but board President David Vitale acknowledged the district has completed significant analysis of the issue.

LOUISIANA

Board Makes Charters Participate
The Advocate, LA, December 20, 2012
At the year’s final meeting for the sitting New Orleans Parish School Board, the board approved multiple amendments, including items requiring charter schools to participate in the universal enrollment process and adding stricter policies on bullying.

Neville Turns Again to BESE
The News Star, LA, December 20, 2012
Neville High School will apply to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education for its charter after the Monroe City School Board failed to approve its application Tuesday night.

MASSACHUSETTS

Surgis Ranks 3rd In National Charter School List
Cape Cod Times, MA, December 20, 2012
Sturgis Charter Public School was ranked third in a U.S. News & World Report list of best charter schools in America.

MICHIGAN

Flint School Board Launches Committee To Explore Charter School Approval
Flint Journal, MI, December 19, 2012
The Flint school board Wednesday approved launching a committee to further explore the possibility of the district authorizing a charter school to open.

MISSISSIPPI

Charter Schools Will Help Mississippi Students
Hattiesburg American, MS, December 20, 2012
It’s good for Mississippi kids that lawmakers are gearing up to consider allowing charter schools in the state.

MISSOURI

KC Lawmakers, Educators Hope To Break Out Of Divisive Reform Issues
Kansas City Star, MO, December 19, 2012
Inevitably, Kansas City teachers and principals turn to anxious talk of a state takeover.
It’s an understandable phenomenon when the state’s regional education supervisor is in the room.

NEVADA

New Electronic-Based Teacher Observation Program Unveiled
Reno Gazette Journal, NV, December 19, 2012
With legislation from the 2011 Nevada Legislature requiring a new formal evaluation component, the Lyon County School District has been working toward compliance, and a recent report by Deputy Superintendent Wayne Workman focused on the electronic-based tool the district has chosen to use for its evaluation model, “iObservation.”

NEW JERSEY

Newark Teacher Wins First Contested Case Under Tenure Law
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, December 20, 2012
State arbitrator cites glaring contradictions between ratings by school’s principal and written comments

NORTH DAKOTA

More In-Depth Evaluations for Grand Forks Teachers
Grand Forks Herald, ND, December 19, 2012
Grand Forks teachers will now be assessed under a more rigorous evaluation system, marking its first significant change to the approach in at least 20 years.

PENNSYLVANIA

Western Pennsylvania Charter School Commemorates Diverse Traditions
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, December 20, 2012
Although the school opened only 15 months ago, students at Young Scholars of Western Pennsylvania Charter School have found time to establish a holiday tradition — one that honors other holiday traditions.

School Lane Wants to Merge Bensalem and Neshaminy Charters
Courier Times, PA, December 20, 2012
School Lane Charter School and School Lane Charter School-Neshaminy are looking to create a regional charter school.

TENNESSEE

Honoring Christina McDonald and Adam Taylor — A Charter-School Teacher And A District-School Teacher Who Represent The Best Of Both Worlds
Nashville Scene, TN, December 20, 2012
Nashville already has 14 charter schools in operation, and the role of charters in the public school system deserves careful consideration and measured implementation.

TEXAS

Report: Irving Charter School Funds Benefited Superintendent, Family
Dallas Morning News, TX, December 19, 2012
At an Irving-based charter school, taxpayer dollars flowed freely to benefit the superintendent and her family while needy students received a subpar education, a state investigation alleges.

Powerful Push in Austin for More Charter Schools
MyFox Houston, TX, December 19, 2012
Close to half of Texas’ ninth graders could not pass the state’s end of course exam for basic writing. It’s a fact worthy of alarm and a figure certain to draw legislative action in the months to come.

Choice Key in Senate School Plan
San Antonio Express Times, TX, December 19, 2012
Texas Senate leaders outlined a public education reform plan Wednesday that emphasizes school choice and more competition but stops short of pushing controversial private school vouchers.

WASHINGTON

Planning for Washington State Charter Schools
Seattle Times, WA, December 19, 2012
I read, with mounting frustration, the sanctimonious and often misinformed op-ed “Getting charter schools right” [Opinion, Dec. 12].

District Won’t Expand K-5 Charter Enrollment
Ripon Commonwealth Press, WI, December 19, 2012
After several discussions over the past few months — and 45 minutes of closing arguments to boot Monday — the Ripon Area School Board opted not to allow K-5 charter schools to grow according to demand.

ONLINE LEARNING

Board Amends Virtual School Contract
The Record, MA, December 19, 2012
The Greenfield School Committee voted Tuesday night to clarify its agreement and amend its three-year contract with K12 — a Virginia-based online company that provides teachers, curriculum, online learning tools and physical course materials for Greenfield’s Massachusetts Virtual Academy.

Board Backs Online Tutoring
The Advocate, LA, December 19, 2012
The West Feliciana Parish School Board approved a one-year contract Tuesday with a company that provides online tutoring and other services designed to keep students from dropping out of school.

NEW NEWSWIRE TODAY! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.

How Do We Change the Dropout Factories in America?
Huffington Post Blog by Kevin P. Chavous, December 18, 2012
By now, we know why many of our kids drop out of school. Reasons ranging from family and other social challenges, poor instruction, a well-intentioned principal oblivious to student behavior problems, apathetic teachers or some who simply don’t have the capacity or the interest in controlling disruptive students.

A Springboard to Higher Ed
Wall Street Journal, December 19, 2012
Ms. Perez is one of a growing number of students taking community-college courses at their high schools. These “dual-enrollment” classes are a low- or no-cost way for students to gain college credits, helping smooth their way to a college degree.

McDonnell: It’s Time To Discuss Arming Teachers
Washington Times, DC, December 19, 2012
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell said Tuesday that policymakers should not overreact to the Connecticut school shooting but should discuss allowing school officials to carry firearms on campus.

Coalition Aims to Move Beyond ‘Old Dialogue’ for School Reform
WUMN, WI, December 18, 2012
Lost in the talk of fiscal cliff negotiations is the direction of federal education policy, as President Obama prepares to start his second term in office.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Proposed Adelanto Charter School Gets Warmer Reception From School Board
San Bernardino Sun, CA, December 18, 2012
The charter school operator chosen by parents to take over their struggling elementary school got a warmer reception on Tuesday than the last time they appeared before the local school board.

Novato School Officials Reject Charter School Proposal
Marin Independent Journal, December 18, 2012
The Novato Unified School District board voted unanimously Tuesday to reject a petition for a new charter school, paving the way for a possible appeal to the Marin County Office of Education.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

What’s The Rush To Close D.C. Schools?
Washington Post, DC, December 18, 2012
Regarding the Dec. 2 Local Opinions commentary “Do school closings knock kids off course?” by Umut Özek and Michael Hansen:

FLORIDA

Lake Wales Charter Schools Look For Way to Improve Teacher Pay and Benefits
News Chief, FL, December 19, 2012
The Charter System still needs a plan for better pay and benefits to retain teachers.

GEORGIA

DeKalb Leaders React To School Board Probation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, December 18, 2012
Others across DeKalb were also expressing alarm and doubts that the school board would correct itself. Some promised action aimed at policing the board or even starting a new school system. Others took a measured approach.

ILLINOIS

Teachers Union Marches On Loop Office Of Mayor’s Pal And Charter Schools Booster
Chicago Sun Times, IL, December 18, 2012
A day before the Chicago Board of Education is set to approve new charter schools even as it considers closing traditional schools, the Chicago Teachers Union blasted a wealthy charter supporter and friend of the mayor.

Document Shows Emanuel Administration Had Detailed School Closing Plans
Chicago Tribune, IL, December 19, 2012
An internal Chicago Public Schools document obtained by the Tribune shows for the first time that the Emanuel administration has weighed how many elementary and high schools to close in which neighborhoods and how to manage the public fallout.

Guns in Schools, Concealed Carry and Veterans
Chicago Now, IL, December 18, 2012
I simply can’t get on board with the idea of taking after Israel and arming every teacher. We can’t get enough qualified teachers in our schools as it is. Now we are going to add marksmanship to the requirements for a teaching certificate?

INDIANA

Charter School OKs Lease
The Journal Gazette, IN, December 19, 2012
The Imagine Schools on Broadway board approve a lease-related agreement that protects its tenancy in the former Emmaus Lutheran Church at 2320 Broadway.

Judge OKs Sale of 2 Vacant Public Schools
The Journal Gazette, IN, December 19, 2012
An Allen Superior Court judge ruled two local public school districts can sell two vacant schools without letting the buildings languish for four years in case a future charter school wants to use them.

Research Makes Clear Value Of Charter Schools
Indianapolis Star, IN, December 19, 2012
Let’s finally put to rest the tiresome arguments over whether charter schools have been beneficial to children and families in this city. Time and again, independent analysts have found that, on the whole, charters have performed exceptionally well in Indy and elsewhere in the state.

IOWA

Aide: Branstad Education Reform Plan Will Move Beyond Status Quo
Mason City Globe Gazette, IA, December 19, 2012
Gov. Terry Branstad’s education plan will “draw a really bright line” between the status quo and reforms the governor believes will lead to higher student achievement, his chief of staff said Tuesday.

LOUISIANA

Judge Splits Tenure, School Board Law
The Daily Advertiser, LA, December 19, 2012
A district judge has thrown out as unconstitutional part of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s legislation dealing with teacher tenure and school board authority.

Orleans Parish School Board Requires Charters To Join Unified Enrollment System
Times-Picayune, LA, December 18, 2012
The current Orleans Parish School Board closed out its term Tuesday with a decision that puts every public school in the city into the OneApp unified enrollment system — but possibly not until 2021. A policy amendment requires the district’s charter schools to join OneApp upon renewal of their current contracts, and all new OPSB charters will have to join the system starting in 2014.

MASSACHUSETTS

Charter Surrenders
Gloucester Times, MA, December 19, 2012
Leaders of the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School agreed to forfeit their charter at the end of June 2013, and the state, in turn, will fund the school with monthly payments and retain the privilege to shut down the facility if the state education commissioner determines that the health, safety or education of the school’s students is “at immediate risk.”

NEW JERSEY

Head Of Teachers Union Refuses To Sign Race To The Top Application, Says Its A Contract: Report
Jersey Journal, NJ, December 18, 2012
Jersey City Educational Association head, Ronald Greco, was supposed to sign the district’s application for the $40 million Race to the Top grants, but ultimately did not, saying the application read more like a contract, NJ Spotlight reported.

NEW YORK

Union-Run Charter School In Fight for Survival
WNYC Schoolbook, NY, December 19, 2012
When the United Federation of Teachers opened its own charter school in 2005, then-teachers union president Randi Weingarten called it “an oasis.” At a time when privately-run charter schools were springing up all over the city – without unionized teachers – Weingarten wanted to prove that a charter could succeed with the cooperation and expertise of labor.

200 NY School Districts Lack Teacher Evaluations
Wall Street Journal, December 18, 2012
About 200 school districts, including New York City’s and Buffalo’s, have no teacher evaluation system in place and face the loss of millions of dollars in state aid that could force deep mid-year cuts.

NORTH CAROLINA

Wake Schools Defend Dropping Choice Plan For Student Assignments
News Observer, NC, December 18, 2012
The Wake County school system is telling an accrediting organization that the school board’s Democratic majority scrapped the choice-based student assignment plan based on “reasonable beliefs that there were demonstrable and substantial problems.”

PENNSYLVANIA

Coalition Proposes Alternative Solutions For Philly Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, December 18, 2012
The solution for avoiding school closings and continued, painful budget cuts in the Philadelphia School District?

ASD Plans Hearing On Elderton Charter School
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, December 19, 2012
Elderton is one step closer to breathing life into its proposed charter school.

I-LEAD Backers Plead Case For Middle School
Reading Eagle, PA, December 19, 2012
City school board hears personal stories of lives changed by charter school program

School Board Grills Charter School Applicant
Allentown Morning Call, PA, December 18, 2012
Director addresses ‘elephant in the room,’ asks if applicant has ties to Gulen Movement.

TENNESSEE

TN Legislators Consider Giving State More Authority Over Charter Schools Applications
The Tennessean, TN, December 19, 2012
Spurred by Metro’s repeated resistance to approve Great Hearts Academies this year, Tennessee House Speaker Beth Harwell has confirmed an outcome many had predicted, if not assumed: impending legislation to form a statewide charter authorizer that would trump local school boards.

Haslam Backs Away From Quick Action On Higher Education, School Vouchers
Knox News Sentinel, TN, December 19, 2012
Gov. Bill Haslam, whose administration has been studying creation of a Tennessee voucher system and potential changes to the state’s higher education system for months, said Tuesday he may not propose any significant changes in either of the two areas next year.

TEXAS

IDEA Making New Plans For Austin After ISD Cancels Contract
The Monitor, TX, December 18, 2012
Leaders of IDEA Public Schools said Tuesday they are making plans to continue serving about 550 Central Texas students after the board of the Austin Independent School District voted to terminate its contract with the charter network.

Dewhurst, Patrick to Announce School Reform Legislation
Texas Tribune, TX, December 19, 2012
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and state Sen. Dan Patrick on Wednesday at an Austin parochial school will reveal education legislation that some expect will spark a major battle of the upcoming legislative session.

WASHINGTON

Gregoire’s Budget Plan Would Send Another $1 Billion To Schools
Seattle Times, WA, December 18, 2012
Gov. Gregoire offered her blueprint for state spending during the next two years, providing her successor a plan that she says allows him to keep campaign promises

ONLINE LEARNING

Manchester, N.H., Online Classes Aren’t Just A Way To Save Money
Boston Globe, MA, December 19, 2012
STRAPPED FOR financial resources and suffering from teacher layoffs, the school department in Manchester, N.H., is turning to technology. The district plans to offer a variety of online and on-screen classes at its three high schools next semester. Under Manchester’s plan, some students would take online courses through New Hampshire’s “virtual” charter school, while “remote classrooms” would let students at any one of the high schools participate in courses offered at the other two.

Online Charter School Lets Students Set The Pace
The Oregonian, OR, December 19, 2012
On any given school day brothers Andrew and Robert Cousineau get out of bed and head for their dining room table, where they will stay for about seven hours, working on their computers. The boys are both enrolled in an online public charter school.