The Center for Education Reform, Author at The Center for Education Reform

NC School Vouchers on Hold

February 25, 2014 By The Center for Education Reform

Mary C. Tilloston, Watchdog.org

About 4,000 North Carolina families must wait for the courts to untangle a legal challenge involving the state’s voucher program before they’ll know what schools their children can attend next year.

“While we respect the court’s decision, we are deeply disappointed on behalf of the thousands of working-class families who desired this educational option,” said Darrell Allison, president of Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, in a statement. “We will not yield until every parent and child from a poor or working-class background has the same educational opportunities that many of their wealthier peers have.”

Wake County Superior Court Judge Robert Hobgood put a temporary stop to the voucher program Feb. 21, after refusing to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the North Carolina Association of Educators and 25 other plaintiffs.

The lawsuit alleges the voucher program shortchanges public schools, diverting funds from public schools to private schools.

But the program is perfectly legal, according to Richard Komer, senior attorney for the Institute for Justice, which is intervening in the lawsuit on behalf of affected families.

The state’s constitution designates certain money for public education, and that money must be spent on public education, Komer said. But that doesn’t prohibit the state from spending on school vouchers.

The program allows 2,400 students to receive scholarships of $4,200 each. Tens of thousands of students are eligible for the program, and about 4,000 applied, saidTerry Stoops, director of research for the John Locke Foundation.

North Carolina public schools, in contrast, require $8,195 to educate each student, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.

The Center for Education Reform called the decision “appalling.”

“This injunction represents a shameful preservation of an unacceptable status quo,”Kara Kerwin, president of CER, said in a statement. “The blocking of Opportunity Scholarships when only 30 percent of low-income children in North Carolina demonstrate proficiency on state tests is egregious.”

Attorneys representing parents plan to appeal, according to Carolina Journal Online.

Filed Under: CER in the News

Tennessee Has Chance to Bolster Educational Options Through Charter School Law Improvements

February 25, 2014 By The Center for Education Reform

Lawmakers Should Replicate Proven Charter School Policies

CER Press Release
Washington, DC
February 25, 2014

Tennessee lawmakers today have an incredible opportunity to help expand educational options to families and students in their state by improving the state’s charter school law.

“Opening the door to multiple, independent authorizers would increase the chance and opportunity for quality schools to flourish,” said Kara Kerwin, president of The Center for Education Reform.

“The Volunteer state still has a lot of work to do to meet parental demand and support the proliferation of quality charter schools. Public-private partnerships and for-profit entities in the charter sector have proven to be highly successful models in other states, providing not just a quality educational option for the community, but the capital and business acumen needed to run a successful school.”

Tennessee’s charter school law ranks 22^nd out of 42 states and the District of Columbia because it does not allow for multiple, independent authorizers, whereas top-ranking states allow for multiple authorizing pathways.

States that allow for multiple, independent charter school authorizers have a strong, vibrant charter school sector. Tennessee lawmakers should take note of these best practices and open up the law to give parents and families greater access to educational options that best meet their needs.

Filed Under: Press Releases

Daily Headlines for February 24, 2014

February 24, 2014 By The Center for Education Reform

Click here for Newswire, 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 Standards
Letter, New York Times, NY, February 23, 2014
“The Common Core in New York” (editorial, Feb. 15) criticizes teachers for raising legitimate concerns, in concert with parents, about the state’s botched job in carrying out the Common Core standards.

School choice — Good for students, good for America
Opinion, Washington Times, DC, February 23, 2014
The idea that parents have no control over where their children go to school sounds unthinkable, but America’s public education system is exactly that. Children must go to a school based not on choice, but on five numbers — their ZIP code.

STATE COVERAGE

CALIFORNIA

‘No Child’ waiver creates rift among Fresno education leaders
Fresno Bee, CA, February 23, 2014
Nearly seven months after Fresno Unified and seven other California school districts got one year of relief from strict federal accountability rules for student academic performance, administrators are now looking to reapply for flexibility from the much-maligned No Child Left Behind law.

CONNECTICUT

Without fail: Greenwich teachers get passing grade — all of them
Greenwich Times, CT, February 22, 2014
Greenwich public-school teachers received excellent “report cards” last year. They did so well that none of them recorded a failing grade, according to a human-resources report recently released by the school district.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. charter board adopts new way to judge alternative schools
Washington Post, DC, February 23, 2014
The D.C. Public Charter School Board has adopted a new way to define “alternative schools” and judge their performance, taking an important step toward plugging a hole in the board’s system for identifying which city charter schools are serving students well and which need to either improve or be closed.

FLORIDA

Florida lawmakers review school standards
Florida Today, FL, February 24, 2014
If the Legislature adjourns after its upcoming session without passing a single education-related bill, big changes still will be coming to Florida classrooms this fall.

Give every kid a fighting chance to succeed in school
Opinion, Miami Herald, FL, February 23, 2014
That landmark decision 60 years ago opened the pathway to better schools for all children. It gave parents, especially black parents, opportunities that were previously unavailable, and gave students like me an increased sense of hope and excitement about the future. It was a huge step forward, but in many ways we are still fighting for equality in education six decades later.

Scholarship Bill Introduced in Florida House
The Ledger, FL, February 23, 2014
The “massive expansion” of Florida’s de facto voucher system promised by House Speaker Will Weatherford was filed last week, setting up what is expected to be one of the most contentious education battles of the 2014 legislative session.

ILLINOIS

Charters eye closed CPS schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 24, 2014
A charter school’s efforts to win support to take over the building of a school closed by Chicago Public Schools last year was instantly criticized by a community leader, illustrating one hurdle the district faces as it tries to find new uses for shuttered facilities.

LOUISIANA

Monroe judge again rules Jindal teacher tenure law unconstitutional
Times-Picayune, LA, February 21, 2014
Parts of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s controversial teacher tenure law passed in 2012 are unconstitutional, a Monroe judge ruled Friday (Feb. 21). Fourth Judicial District Judge Benjamin Jones upheld a decision he made in Augustthat said the law violates the constitutional rights of teachers facing dismissal.

KANSAS

Kan. charter school bill up for debate
Wichita Eagle, KS, February 24, 2014
Senate Education Committee members are expected this week to continue their discussion of a proposal to expand Kansas laws regarding charter schools.

MAINE

If we’re going to reform education in Maine, vague-sounding reforms won’t help
Opinion, Bangor Daily News, ME, February 23, 2014
“High schools are transitioning.” Students will have more “choices about how they acquire and demonstrate learning.” “Students will join integrated learning communities.” “Students will contribute to online discussion boards.” “This move is sending a powerful message.” “We get it, but not only do we get it, we’re rewarding it.”

MINNESOTA

State, Faribault fail to meet target goals to close achievement gap
Faribalt Daily News, MN, February 21, 2014
New data released by the Minnesota Department of Education shows that less than half of districts statewide are on track to close the achievement gap, with Faribault among those not reaching target goals.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Charter school focusing on leadership coming to Manchester
Union Leader, NH, February 24, 2014
A new charter school focused on developing leaders plans to open near the airport in September, one of four new charter schools in New Hampshire.

NEW JERSEY

Administration cautiously oks two charters, passes on two more
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, February 24, 2014
A pair of charter school networks get the nod to open in Camden and Newark, but DOE approach continues to be decidedly slower than in earlier years.

Newark schools chief wants teacher performance included in layoff criteria
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, February 24, 2014
Union leaders leap to defense of long-established contractual practice of basing job cuts on years of experience.

N.J. teachers union reviewing legislation to include parental involvement in educator evaluations
New Jersey News, NJ, February 23, 2-14
A state lawmaker has introduced legislation that would make parental involvement part of the new public school teacher evaluations created under New Jersey’s recently enacted tenure reform law.

NEW YORK

Educators say evaluation system is ‘broken,’ but Cuomo isn’t convinced
Journal News, NY, February 23, 2014
So, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s shiny, new Common Core implementation panel had its first meeting Wednesday and there was hardly any mention of perhaps the most divisive issue in our Common Core stew: teacher evaluations.

Fariña Meets With Charter School Leader
Wall Street Journal Blog, February 22, 2014
New York City Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña, meeting Saturday morning for the first time since she took office with charter school leaders, said the discussion was positive and engendered good will.

Keep the Charters Coming!
Opinion, Democrat and Chronicle, NY, February 21, 2014
Educational reform has taken a great leap forward with the recently announced new charter school openings and existing charter expansions within the city.

Save these schools
Editorial, New York Daily News, NY, February 22, 2014
New York City’s innovative, high-performing charter schools are bracing for impact as Chancellor Carmen Fariña, due to meet with school leaders Saturday, gets set to determine their fate under Mayor de Blasio.

NORTH CAROLINA

Taking the long view on raising teacher pay
Opinion, Charlotte Observer, NC, February 22, 2014
Public school teacher pay is too low. The governor’s plan to increase pay in the early years is a good start, but like nearly all proposals so far, is a partial approach disconnected from the realities of today’s workplace. What is needed is a comprehensive approach.

Voucher effort misplaced
Editorial, Greenville Daily Reflector, NC, February 22, 2014
In Friday’s ruling to grant a preliminary injunction halting the state’s Opportunity Scholarship program, Wake County Superior Court Judge Robert H. Hobgood found that not doing so would “cause irreparable harm.” That same argument helps build the case for a lawsuit filed against the voucher program by the N.C. Association of Educators and the N.C. Justice Center.

Judge halts private school vouchers
Winston-Salem Journal, NC, February 22, 2014
Thousands of North Carolina students’ plans to attend private school next year were put on hold Friday when a judge halted the state’s controversial private school voucher program.

OHIO

Franklin Elementary reform plan excites teachers
Chronicle-Telegram, OH, February 23, 2014
Franklin Elementary School teacher Amy Yates said she listened to the ideas school officials were proposing — preschool, arts-based learning, combining technology and curriculum — when she heard about the “New Beginnings” proposal several weeks ago.

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma Legislature may rescind Common Core education standards
Tulsa World, OK, February 24, 2014
Opposition to national K-12 curriculum standards among Oklahomans persists, and may be rising, as a new measure to eliminate the Common Core appears ready to make its way to the House calendar this session.

PENNSYLVANIA

Future of New Hope Academy in York City to have court hearing March 10
York Dispatch, PA, February 23, 2014
The future of a York City charter school will be the subject of a courtroom hearing next month in Harrisburg.

Mastery wins right operate charter schools in Camden
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 23, 2014
CAMDEN Philadelphia charter school powerhouse Mastery Schools was given the green light Friday to operate in Camden, where the organization also hopes to open a “Renaissance” school through a separate application process.

Phila. revamps its charter school policy
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 22, 2014
PHILADELPHIA Amid mounting financial pressure from charter schools, the Philadelphia School District Friday unveiled a revised charter policy proposal that uses a carrot-and-stick approach.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Private school choice program for students with disabilities awards more than $600K in scholarships
Post and Courier, SC, February 22, 2014
Aiden was the first student in the Lowcountry to receive a $10,000 scholarship to the $27,000 per year school as a result of the state’s new private school choice program.

TENNESSEE

For-profit charter school operators watch TN
The Tennessean, TN, February 24, 2014
Out-of-state companies that bring in millions in revenue by managing charter schools have their eyes set on Tennessee, an epicenter of education reform.

Kingsport teacher pay plan shifts weight from degrees to performance
Kingsport Times-News, TN, February 23, 2014
Kingsport City Schools’ new differentiated compensation policy for teachers will result in a pay increase for every teacher.

WASHINGTON

State Senate fails on teacher evaluations
Editorial, Seattle Times, WA, February 22, 2014
The state Senate’s failure to improve teacher evaluation standards comes with professional and financial risks for Washington school districts.

Political center crumbles on state education reforms
Column, News Tribune, WA, February 20, 2014
It’s probably risky business to make assumptions about how politicians in political bodies will behave, although I’ve usually been safe assuming that legislators will vote yes on their own bills.

ONLINE LEARNING

Expand access to online learning for all Maine students
Opinion, Bangor Daily News, ME, February 23, 2014
In 2012, Gov. Paul LePage issued an executive order requiring the Department of Education to expand access to online learning opportunities for Maine’s students. Two years have passed, and the greater community of 185,000 Maine students is still missing the real promise of digital learning.

OG ‘flips’ over new teaching method
Hancock County Reporter, OH, February 22, 2014
In the topsy-turvy world of Mat Deveany’s math classrooms, “homework” is done in school and lectures are watched online at home.

Still no deal between Greenfield schools, virtual school
Greenfield Recorder, NH, February 22, 2014
The Greenfield Commonwealth Virtual School’s contract with the Greenfield School Department is set to terminate next Saturday, and the two sides still haven’t reached agreement on a new deal.

Students, say goodbye to snow days — and say hello to school at home
CNN, February 24, 2014
Earlier this month, Zak Terzini roused himself about five minutes before his English class began and didn’t panic. Instead, the high school sophomore grabbed his iPod and checked on a class discussion of “The Autobiography of Malcolm X” without even getting out of bed.

Filed Under: Daily Headlines

NC Opportunity Scholarship Injunction Violates Parent, Student Rights

February 21, 2014 By The Center for Education Reform

Despite Demand for Education Options, Judge Halts Vouchers

CER Press Release
Washington, DC
February 21, 2014

WASHINGTON, DC – In an appalling decision, a Superior Court judge in North Carolina issued an injunction against the North Carolina Opportunity Scholarship Program.

“This injunction represents a shameful preservation of an unacceptable status quo,” said Kara Kerwin, president of The Center for Education Reform. “The blocking of Opportunity Scholarships when only 30 percent of low-income children in North Carolina demonstrate proficiency on state tests is egregious.”

Over 4,000 low-income parents have already applied for an Opportunity Scholarship in the hopes of choosing a better education for their child. Choice through scholarships has a proven track record of giving kids the chance to escape failing systems and obtain the education that is right for them.

“Any obstacle to the ability of families to access more and better education options is an abject violation of their civil rights, and flies in the face of the 74 percent of Americans that support school choice,” Kerwin said. “It’s critical that the people of North Carolina continue to fight for Opportunity Scholarships, and the benefits they create for students most in need of quality education options.”

Filed Under: Press Releases

Questions Raised About Teacher Quality Report

February 21, 2014 By The Center for Education Reform

Mary Faddoul, Southern Maryland Online

The National Council on Teacher Quality — which advocates reforming how teachers are evaluated — gave Maryland a D+ for teacher effectiveness in a recent report, a grade that stands in stark contrast to other ratings of the state’s schools.

The council’s report says Maryland’s schools have work to do in terms of enhancing teacher requirements and changing tenure and performance policies.

But Education Week and others consistently say the state has one of the best education systems in the country. And some researchers who study teacher effectiveness argue the report does not evaluate the correct criteria because it focuses on policies instead of teacher performance.

Angela Minnici, principal researcher at the American Institutes for Research, a behavioral and social science organization, found the council’s assessment of teacher effectiveness lacking in substance.

“I think it tells you something about the data used, the way in which the information was reviewed or even the kinds of questions that each organization might have been trying to answer in its review,” Minnici said. “It doesn’t really make sense.”

Minnici said the council does not support the claims in the report with evidence. Also, she does not see a relationship between such items as performance pay and having good teachers, one of the aspects the council studies in ranking a state’s teacher effectiveness.

But the council defends its report, saying its grades are based on criteria such as teacher preparation, performance pay, tenure policies and alternative routes to certification.

The Council’s Managing Director Sandi Jacobs explained the measures of the study.

“We’re not looking at teachers,” Jacobs said. “We’re looking at the policy framework that governs the teacher profession.”

The council’s report focuses on 31 different areas, separating them into five categories, Jacobs said.

“I think this is a very comprehensive report,” she said, explaining that the study depends on a review of each state’s policies.

The Center for Education Reform, a think-tank that supports charter schools, agrees with the council’s report.

Kara Kerwin, the center’s president, said the council’s report reflects what Maryland policymakers need to address to enhance teacher quality and is consistent with their own evaluation.

“The problem in Maryland is that there’s this sense that everything’s fine,” Kerwin said.

A union representative from the Montgomery County Education Association disagreed with the report’s findings. Executive Director Tom Israel pointed out inconsistencies between the issues the report addresses and Maryland policies.

“What strikes me is, one, at many levels what they assert is actually wrong when it comes to Montgomery County,” Israel said.

The report claims that schools in the state make tenure decisions after three years and fail to dismiss ineffective teachers. Additionally, the council suggests having secondary school teachers in Maryland pass subject tests.

Montgomery County decides on teacher tenure based on standards, not just three years of teaching, Israel said. Secondary education teachers are also required to pass the Praxis tests for their respective subjects.

Israel and Montgomery County have been dealing with questions about teacher effectiveness since early February because of widespread exam failures, which teachers in the district attributed to studying habits and the grading system.

Teachers explained exam failures in Montgomery County by arguing that students knew the exam would not affect their final grades, Israel said.

Israel said the exam failures have nothing to do with teacher effectiveness, especially because the results were systematic across the county. But education reform groups attribute the failures to teacher quality.

Although Maryland jumped from a D in 2009, there remains much improvement needed, according to the council’s report.

But Israel argues that the report is agenda driven.

“The so-called grades are in alliance to a particular agenda,” Israel said about the report. “It’s just like the NRA putting out grades on gun rights.”

Filed Under: CER in the News

Daily Headlines for February 21, 2014

February 21, 2014 By The Center for Education Reform

NATIONAL COVERAGE

Questions Raised About Teacher Quality Report
Southern Maryland Online, MD, February 20, 2014
The National Council on Teacher Quality — which advocates reforming how teachers are evaluated — gave Maryland a D+ for teacher effectiveness in a recent report, a grade that stands in stark contrast to other ratings of the state’s schools.

STATE COVERAGE

ALABAMA

Panel defeats bill to stop Alabama common core goals
Montgomery Advertiser, AL, February 21, 2014
Alabama’s common core standards for public schools survived a legislative challenge Wednesday.

ALASKA

Democrats offer education legislation
Kenai Peninsula Clarion, AK, February 20, 2014
Minority Democrats on Thursday pitched an education package that includes an increase in the per-pupil funding formula and allows charter schools to be located within neighborhood schools when space is available.

COLORADO

Lawmakers propose $263M in new education spending
Denver Post, CO, February 21, 2014
A bipartisan group of Colorado lawmakers are proposing $263 million more in funding for various education initiatives.

DELAWARE

Delaware dropout rate hits 30 year low
WDDE, DE, February 20, 2014
Delaware student dropout rate fell to a 30-year low during the 2012-13 academic year, according to a Delaware Department of Education report released Thursday.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Perry Street Prep’s high school to close; KIPP DC to take over Arts and Technology Academy
Washington Post, DC, February 20, 2014
The D.C. Public Charter School Board has decided to allow Perry Street Prep’s elementary and middle school grades to continue operating but to close its high school, making Perry Street the latest in a string of charter schools to face sanctions for poor academic performance.

FLORIDA

Get grades right
Editorial, Gainesville Sun, FL, February 21, 2014
State Education Commissioner Pam Stewart presented her newly revamped school grading system Tuesday to the Florida Board of Education in Orlando.

How Much Trouble Will Common Core Cause for Rick Scott’s Campaign?
Sunshine State News, FL, February 21, 2014
Forces opposing Common Core State Standards, Florida Standards or whatever the new, national education assessment standards are called, showed Thursday they weren’t blowing smoke when they promised to “sit this election out” if Gov. Rick Scott doesn’t reject the standards for Florida.

“Massive Expansion” of School Vouchers Would Fund Private Education at Public Expense
Flager Live, FL, February 20, 2014
The “massive expansion” of Florida’s de facto voucher system promised by House Speaker Will Weatherford was filed Thursday, setting up what is expected to be one of the most-contentious education battles of the 2014 legislative session.

Race to the Top Funds Ending for Bay District Schools
WMBB, FL, February 20, 2014
Notebook after notebook labeled with “Race to the Top” line Dawn Capes’ bookshelf. President Obama’s Race to the Top school improvement effort has been her focus at Bay District Schools for the past three years.

ILLINOIS

Run, Karen, run!
Chicago Tribune Blog, February 21, 2014
The Chicago Teachers Union boss should enter the 2015 race for mayor, as an increasingly vocal number of her allies are urging her to do.

KANSAS

Charter school CEO addresses lawmakers
Topeka Capital Journal, KS, February 20, 2014
The CEO of a for-profit charter school management company on Thursday urged members of the House and Senate to consider a nontraditional, technology-rich approach to schooling.

MASSACHUSETTS

Dorchester charter school faces probation
Boston Globe, MA, February 21, 2014
Less than five years after Dorchester Collegiate Academy Charter School opened its doors, it is facing possible probation for low MCAS scores and inadequate financial oversight, a rare recommendation by state education officials that could lead to the school’s closing.

MICHIGAN

Divisive Grosse Pointes school bond nears decision day
Detroit News, MI, February 21, 2014
Voters in the Grosse Pointe Public Schools will decide Tuesday whether to approve a $50 million bond issue that has sparked fierce debate over technology needs and spending in one of the state’s most upscale districts.

MINNESOTA

Measure the charter schools
Opinion, Owatonna Peoples Press, February 20, 2014
A legislative proposal would turn up the consequences for Minnesota’s charter schools. A bill offered by Sen. Terri Bonoff, DFL-Minnetonka, would require charter school authorizers — the sponsors — to offer a defense for those schools whose test scores consistently rank in the bottom quarter of the state rankings.

MISSOURI

Missouri Senate panel moves closer on school transfer law bill
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, February 21, 2014
After hearing nine bills addressing the school transfer law debacle, Senate Education Committee members have agreed on a single measure.

NEW YORK

Pro-charter pol asks for state help against de Blasio’s plan
New York Post, NY, February 21, 2014
An influential Brooklyn legislator is calling on the state to step in if Mayor de Blasio follows through on his plan to limit charter-school expansion in the city.

The Left shuns progressive charter schools
Opinion, New York Post, NY, February 21, 2014
A progressive might see in charters the beginnings of a new structure for public education that abandons the highly centralized, top-down, one-size-fits-all system of the traditional schools in favor of a concept that offers citizens more options for their children and more accountability for those who provide them. Instead, we have a mayor who’s going to keep failing schools going so long as they are traditionals and curtail the expansion of the successful if they are alternatives.

NORTH CAROLINA

Teacher pay plan only addresses part of problem
Opinion, Burlington Times News, NC
February 20, 2014
North Carolina leaders want to give teachers raises. Why not? It’s the right thing to do. In fact, we’re for it.

OREGON

Proficiency-based education bill advances to full Senate
Statesman Journal, OR, February 21, 2014
Corvallis Democrat Rep. Sara Gelser realized something was amiss with a new education law when she was sitting in a library chatting with a principal.

School district money at stake as Washington continues to defy feds
Editorial, Spokesman Review, OR, February 21, 2014
The rollout of a new Washington teacher and principal evaluation system may not come in time to satisfy the U.S. Department of Education and preserve school district control over $44 million that pays for tutors, preschool and other programs intended to improve test results among disadvantaged students.

PENNSYLVANIA

Green’s first SRC meeting: High drama, big plans
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 21, 2014
Dozens of cameras clicked as Bill Green walked into the room to begin his first School Reform Commission meeting. More than 100 people rose to their feet.

North Penn School Board unanimously rejects charter school application
Times Herald, PA, February 20, 2014
At Thursday night’s action meeting, the North Penn School District Board of School Directors unanimously voted to reject an application from the Collaborative North Penn Charter School. The application was submitted at the end of last year by Wendy Ormsby and Jennifer Arevalo, also co-founders of the Souderton Charter School Collaborative.

VIRGINIA

Senate panel again defeats ‘Tebow bill’
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, February 21, 2014
Like the NFL career of the formerly home-schooled football player for whom it is named, the “Tebow Bill” has been sacked in the Virginia Senate.

WASHINGTON

Washington schools returning expelled students
Seattle Times, WA, February 20, 2014
Students indefinitely removed from school have trouble continuing their education through other methods, fall behind in their studies and often drop out of school, the report shows.

WISCONSIN

State Superintendent and GOP lawmakers clash over Common Core standards
Madison Daily Cardinal, WI, February 21, 2014
Two Wisconsin state Senators publicly voiced displeasure Thursday over State Superintendent Tony Evers’ disapproval of legislation aimed to revamp the state’s educational standards.

ONLINE LEARNING

Facing deficit, Northwest Area raps charter cybers
Huntington Times Leader, PA, February 20, 2014
With a preliminary budget deficit of $790,000 staring them in the face, Northwest Area School Board members on Wednesday questioned the legality of $113,500 in bills from charter cyber schools.

Hybrid classes provide options
Column, Lexington Dispatch, NC, February 20, 2014
If your child was a student in my college writing course, it might alarm you to know that I’ve seen your student in class only eight days so far this semester, and mid-term is a scant two weeks away.

Impact Academy growing rapidly
Henry County Times, GA, February 20, 2014
More than 400 Henry County public school students have not had a single snow day this year.

Schools look for ways, money to put computers in hands of all students
Tallahassee Democrat, FL, February 21, 2014
The state Department of Education has set a goal of having one computer for every student in Florida public schools within five years. As they work toward that goal, school districts are beginning to realize the potential of putting a computer in every student’s hands, and the obstacles they will have to clear to make that happen.

Virtual school days / The next step
Editorial, Press of Atlantic City, NJ, February 21, 2014
Last Friday, when accidents caused by a winter storm shut down the Pennsylvania Turnpike, a teacher at Princeton’s Hun School who was stuck for hours in the traffic mess turned to her tablet.

Filed Under: Daily Headlines

Daily Headlines for February 20, 2013

February 20, 2014 By The Center for Education Reform

NATIONAL COVERAGE

Michelle Rhee: School Choice and Common Core Cheerleader
American Thinker, February 20, 2014
Who would have thought the champion of charters and school choice, the foe of teachers unions, was connected to Common Core before most people had even heard the term?

Public schools are the worst — except for all the others
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, February 19, 2014
Educating all children is the mission of public education. Educating all children is a complex problem, but, to paraphrase H.L. Mencken, the privatization of public education is the clear, simple and wrong answer.

Teachers union head calls for Core ‘course correction’
Washington Post, DC, February 19, 2013
The head of the nation’s largest teachers union said the rollout of the new Common Core academic standards has been “completely botched” in many states and that wholesale changes taking place in U.S. classrooms need an immediate “course correction.”

The education reform compromise heard round the US
Christian Science Monitor, MA, February 19, 2014
To fix New Haven’s failing schools, the teachers union and mayor forged a rare compromise – a model for school districts and unions across the country in how to confront major challenges facing public education, without blaming each other, resisting change, or fighting in the streets.

STATE COVERAGE

ARIZONA

Non-profit disputes Grijalva’s claim about Huppenthal’s private-school robocalls
Arizona Republic, AZ, February 19, 2014
A non-profit organization that promotes taxpayer-paid scholarships to private schools says it got the phone numbers of families it targeted with robocalls last week from a private vendor, not the state Department of Education.

Proliferation of charter schools sweeps Arizona
Coolidge Examiner, AZ, February 20, 2014
If it seems there has been a steady influx of charter schools into the public school-dominated education system of Pinal County in the past decade, it’s because there has been.

COLORADO

After a legacy of conflict, a rural charter and its district learn to get along
Chalkbeat, CO, February 19, 2014
The school, which was one of the first charters in the state, has been a testing ground for statewide charter school debates, including school autonomy and funding issues.

CONNECTICUT

Gov. Malloy expands safety grants to public charter schools
West Hartford News, CT, February 20, 2014
Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy recently announced a proposal to expand the School Security Grant Program as part of his legislative agenda for 2014.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. charter board postpones vote to close Options school
Washington Post, DC, February 19, 2014
The D.C. Public Charter School Board has postponed its decision about whether to close Options Public Charter School in order to accommodate a request for a public hearing on the matter.

Very few D.C. students attend assigned schools, data show
Washington Post Blog, DC, February 19, 2014
Start with the District’s enormous range of public school quality and reputation, add the city’s enthusiastic embrace of school choice, and here is what you get: Very few D.C. students attend their assigned public school, particularly outside of a few pockets west of Rock Creek Park and on Capitol Hill.

FLORIDA

Broward school district may pay $1.5 million tab for charter schools’ errors
Miami Herald, FL, February 19, 2014
A state of Florida audit that uncovered sloppy paperwork at some Broward schools could force the district to absorb a $1.7 million budget penalty — even though it was charter schools that had the most serious audit findings.

Florida Should Dump School Grade System
Opinion, Bradenton Times, FL, February 20, 2014
Most of the hub-bub at Tuesday’s state board of education meeting focused on the adoption of the Common Core Curriculum, for which more than 70 people signed up to give public comment. However, the board also heard a presentation from Education Commissioner Pam Stewart, who once again plans on amending Florida’s bedeviled school grading system, which has been so ineffective and oft changed that it lacks even a hint of credibility.

ILLINOIS

A way forward to equal opportunity: charter schools
Opinion, Chicago Sun-Times, IL, February 20, 2014
Precision and clarity have never been the hallmarks of campaign speeches or political slogans. So President Obama’s recent State of the Union speech was a welcome contribution to the debate about whether equality of income should be a policy objective of government.

INDIANA

Where voucher dollars flow
The Journal Gazette, IN, February 19, 2014
Mark GiaQuinta, a Fort Wayne attorney and president of the Fort Wayne Community Schools board, isn’t happy with the “tuition reconfiguration” proposal a local Catholic school has pitched to its parishioners.

LOUISIANA

Nonprofit presents plan for charter in Opelousas
Opelousas Daily World, LA, February 20, 2014
A nonprofit is seeking funding to bring a second charter school to Opelousas.Deshina Buck, founder and CEO-hopeful of S.T.A.R. (School of Technology, Arts and Readiness) Education for Life Inc., made a presentation to the Opelousas City Council during its regular meeting Tuesday.

MARYLAND

Md. schools superintendent supports delay of teacher evaluations based on Common Core tests
Maryland Reporter, MD, February 19, 2014
Maryland’s superintendent of schools told lawmakers Wednesday that she supports legislation that would delay evaluating teachers on new Common Core student assessments for two years until the 2016-2017 school year.

MASSACHUSETTS

More public schools try out student uniforms
Boston Globe, MA, February 20, 2014
At the Huntington School in Brockton, students arrive to class each morning dressed smartly in navy blue, khaki, and white. The uniforms make for a familiar scene, now for the fourth year.

STEAM Studio plans stymied
Andover Townsman, MA, February 20, 2014
The team behind the proposed STEAM Studio charter school may have been passionate, but it failed to fully develop its plan for a new high school in

MICHIGAN

Michigan cancels EAA’s exclusive responsibility for state’s failing schools
Detroit News, MI, February 19, 2014
State school superintendent Mike Flanagan has pulled the plug on the Education Achievement Authority’s 15-year contract to be the only operator of Michigan’s failing schools.

NEW JERSEY

Parents hear of Camden Renaissance school plans
Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ, February 20, 2014
Eric Knight stood in front of a crowd of about 100 anxious Camden parents Wednesday night at the first of four community meetings the district is holding to hear feedback on Renaissance schools.

NORTH CAROLINA

Students enter lottery for seats at Columbus Charter School
WECT, NC, February 19, 2014
Officials at Columbus Charter School near Whiteville don’t have enough seats for all the students who want to go there, so as spelled out by state law, the school held a lottery Wednesday to determine which children to accept in grades where the number of applications exceeded available seats.

Trapped by poverty and underfunded schools
Column, Jefferson Post, NC, February 19, 2014
Supporters of privatizing public education with a voucher program say that parents need vouchers to give them more educational choices because many low income students are “trapped in failing public schools.”

PENNSYLVANIA

Erie School Board hears charter pros, cons
Erie Times-News, PA, February 20, 2014
Erie schools Superintendent Jay Badams called an application for a proposed charter school “ill-prepared,” full of inconsistencies, and a waste of time and taxpayers’ money.

Hite wants $320M in new aid annually for schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 20, 2014
PHILADELPHIA Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. wants $320 million in new money annually to begin to execute his ambitious blueprint for Philadelphia schools, and fully carrying it out could double that amount, he said Wednesday.

Phila. charter schools turn to bonds for financing
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 20, 2014
As the Philadelphia School District’s money struggles continue with no end in sight, the city’s charter schools are becoming financially bolder, taking on significant debt.

York City charter school applicant undiscouraged by rejection
York Dispatch, PA, February 20, 2014
The woman behind an application for a York City charter school — denied for the third time Wednesday — said she’s not going away.

TENNESSEE

Chamber pushing for closure of worst charter schools
The Tennessean, TN, February 20, 2014
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce reiterated Tuesday its support for state legislation that would require charter schools that are among the lowest-performing 5 percent of public schools in Tennessee to close automatically at the end of the school year.

TEXAS

Teacher pay: Salary almost certainly tied to higher turnover
Editorial, Longview News-Journal, TX, February 19, 2014
So when teacher turnover within a school district is higher by 5 percent, 10 percent or even double the state average, that justifies looking deeper. Is this mere happenstance? Perhaps, but administrators and parents should know the answer. That is the situation in many East Texas school districts — enough that high turnover rates cannot be passed off as coincidence.

WASHINGTON

Are weak teaching evaluations worth $44 million?
The News Tribune, WA, February 20, 2014
Thousand-dollar bills must be piled up like snow drifts around the state Capitol this year. Why else would Olympia’s Democrats — and at least a few of its Republicans — be willing to kiss off up to $44 million a year in federal funding for Washington’s schools?

On education reform, the political center crumbles
Column, The Olympian, WA, February 20, 2014
Until Tuesday, that is, when five state senators who had sponsored bills to fix a gap in the teacher and principal evaluation program voted no. Their votes, combined with senators from the far left and the far right who have traditionally opposed education reform measures, let Senate Bill 5246 die.

ONLINE LEARNING

Commission recommends virtual charter ban extension
Aurora Beacon News, IL, February 19, 2014
CA state charter school commission has recommended that legislators extend a ban on new virtual schools up to two and a half years while new policies are developed and existing laws amended.

How One LA School is Becoming a “Titan” of Blended Learning
Ed Surge, CA, February 19, 2014
When asked about the biggest benefit of introducing technology in the classroom, Aspire Titan principal Kim Benaraw said, “Our kids are reading more.”

Iowa Virtual Academy seeks students for success
WQAD, IA, February 19, 2014
There’s a new way of learning in Iowa. It’s a twist on home schooling called Iowa Virtual Academy.

States Struggle to Hash Out Funding Formulas for Virtual Charter Schools
Education Week, February 19, 2014
Several issues complicate the creation of funding formulas for virtual charter schools, such as the lack of a designated enrollment area for the schools, says a new primer on the subject published by the Education Commission on the States.

The chance to succeed in the digital age
Commentary, Chicago Tribune, IL, February 20, 2014
The Illinois legislature will tackle a bill that allows students to take the Advanced Placement computer science course as part of their math and science graduation requirements. If the bill passes, the AP course would no longer be just an elective but an attractive option at the core of the education we give top students.

Filed Under: Daily Headlines

Daily Headlines for February 19, 2014

February 19, 2014 By The Center for Education Reform

NATIONAL COVERAGE

Winning the War on Charter Schools
National Review Online, February 18, 2014
The public charter school movement is entering a new phase. To put it bluntly, charter schools are finally becoming genuinely frightening to the powers-that-be in traditional public education, and for good reason.

STATE COVERAGE

ARIZONA

Rep. Grijalva asks US if Huppenthal’s calls violated student privacy
Arizona Daily Star, AZ, February 18, 2014
Congressman Raúl Grijalva wants the U.S. Department of Education to investigate a series of recorded calls in which the state school superintendent promoted a voucherlike program for private schools.

DELAWARE

Appo approves nearly 800 school choice applications for 2014-2015
Middletown Transcript, DE, February 18, 2014
The Appoquinimink school board voted unanimously last week to extend invitations to nearly 800 “school choice” students. About a quarter of those students live outside the district’s feeder area and are currently attending schools elsewhere, district officials said.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Shallal criticizes D.C. school reform efforts, saying he would chart a different course
Washington Post, DC, February 18, 2014
The District’s high-profile efforts to improve public schools have largely failed, said restaurateur Andy Shallal, the first mayoral candidate to challenge the fundamental policies that have driven D.C. education reform under Mayor Vincent C. Gray and his predecessor, Adrian M. Fenty.

FLORIDA

State Board of Education Denies Lakeland Group’s Charter Appeal
The Ledger, FL, February 18, 2014
The State Board of Education denied a Lakeland group’s proposal for a charter school Tuesday, upholding a decision by the Polk County School District.

Sarasota board talks with charter school stall
Sarasota Herald Tribune, FL, February 18, 2014
On paper, renewing a charter school — especially one that’s deemed high performing by the state — isn’t supposed to be controversial. Not so Tuesday in Sarasota.

Florida Students of All Races Continue to Meet Higher Standards in Education
Opinion, Sunshine State News, FL, February 19, 2014
Traditionally, the annual celebration of Black History Month is a time for Floridians to look back on the progress made in the half-century since the Civil Rights Act became law. But it is also an opportunity to look ahead, and nowhere is the future of African-Americans in our state being shaped more clearly than in the area of education.

ILLINOIS

Does teacher tenure trap kids?
Editorial, Chicago Tribune, IL, February 19, 2014
Policy disputes in the public education industry typically pit adults against other adults — often teachers unions arrayed against school boards, often with parents and the occasional fretful mayor prominently taking sides. But not this time.

INDIANA

IPS, teachers union at odds over legislation
Indianapolis Star, IN, February 18, 2014
Legislation that would let Indianapolis Public Schools convert low-performing schools into charter schools or allow other charters to use the district’s vacant buildings is causing concern for teachers union representatives.

MAINE

School Choices in Maine: Charter Schools
WABI, ME, February 18, 2014
The TV 5 Morning Show is using school vacation week to take a closer look at school choices in Maine. Tuesday we talked about charter schools, in 2011, Maine became the 41st state to allow them.

MASSACHUSETTS

House panel eyes tweaks to charter school bill
Gloucester Times, MA, February 19, 2014
With unfinished priorities for legislative leaders piling up, a key House Democrat Tuesday said her Education Committee hopes to advance a bill this session to update the 2010 reform law that expanded access to charter schools, but said the measure would likely be limited in scope.

State denies Lynn charter school bid
The Daily Item, MA, February 19, 2014
KIPP Academy Lynn will remain the city’s only charter school, at least for the time being.

MICHIGAN

Students find meaning in Common Core curriculum
Detroit News, MI, February 19, 2014
These new standards, a more rigorous set of curriculum guidelines adopted by 45 states, including Michigan, are near full implementation in classrooms across the state, despite significant pushback last year by lawmakers who said they intruded on local control. At one point last year, lawmakers blocked funding to implement the standards, then relented.

MINNESOTA

Northfield charter school relies on collaboration from school district
Letter, Northfield News, MN, February 18, 2014
In the article “Charter Schools Keep an Eye on Possible Policy Changes at State Level,” in your Feb. 15 edition, the journalist states charter schools receive funding from their authorizers.

MISSISSIPPI

Lawmakers need to unburden charter schools board
Editorial, Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, February 19, 2014
Despite one’s stance on charter schools, Mississippi now has a law that allows them in select districts. However, funding and administrative deficiencies exist in the law and need immediate attention.

MISSOURI

Missouri intervention plan pleases Kansas City school district
The Kansas City Star, MO, February 18, 2014
All of the options for the future of Kansas City Public Schools remain on the table in a proposed state intervention plan that was presented Tuesday to the state school board.

State surprises Normandy schools by taking financial control
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, February 19, 2014
The Missouri Board of Education voted unanimously Tuesday to take financial control of the unaccredited Normandy School District, which is buckling under the financial weight of Missouri’s school transfer law.

NEW YORK

Common Core critics, what are you for?
Opinion, New York Daily News, NY, February 19, 2014
For almost two decades, the U.S. has been working to improve its public schools by holding them accountable for results on standardized tests. And there’s been some success, with America’s lowest-performing students showing marked gains.

NY eighth-graders’ math scores trail peers in Japan, Russia
New York Post, NY, February 19, 2014
New York students trail their counterparts in several Asian countries and Russia on math tests — and their competitiveness on science exams is even worse.

NORTH CAROLINA

Carrboro school fighting to keep charter
WNCN, NC, February 18, 2014
By the time school starts for the 2014-15 academic year, North Carolina will have more than 150 operating charter schools. That number has grown more than 50 percent over the last two years.

NC Court of Appeals overturns rulings giving more money to charter schools
News & Observer, NC, February 18, 2014
The N.C. Court of Appeals has overturned a pair of lower-court rulings requiring the Wake County and New Hanover County school systems to turn over extra money to two charter schools.

Teachers protest tenure law
Durham Herald Sun, NC, February 18, 2014
Continuing their offensive against a state law abolishing teacher tenure, Durham educators on Monday asked the school board to join their counterparts in Guilford County and not complying with the controversial legislation.

Voucher lawsuits needed to proceed
Editorial, Charlotte Observer, NC, February 18, 2014
North Carolina’s wrongheaded voucher program is rightly headed to court, despite the state’s lawyers push on Monday to get lawsuits against the program dismissed.

OHIO

Less than two thirds of Cleveland parents have met their kids’ teacher this school year
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, February 18, 2014
Less than two thirds of Cleveland’s parents have met their kids’ teachers this school year, even when extending a state “deadline” for those meetings to happen by almost a month.

Union leader to be Coleman’s education czar
Columbus Dispatch, OH, February 19, 2014
Mayor Michael B. Coleman will name the longtime union leader of teachers in Columbus City Schools as his new education czar during his State of the City speech today.

OKLAHOMA

With parental choice, focus should be on students, not buildings
Opinion, The Oklahoman, OK, February 19, 2014
COMPUTERS may have largely replaced chalk and erasers, but in other ways the public school system is little changed from decades ago, particularly when it comes to parental empowerment and funding design.

OREGON

No Portland teachers strike: Tentative agreement signed
KATU, OR, February 18, 2014
Portland Public Schools and the Portland Association of Teachers have signed a tentative agreement to avoid a strike, according to the school district in a statement late Tuesday night.

PENNSYLVANIA

Green, Hite challenge teachers union to alter work rules
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, February 19, 2014
PHILADELPHIA schools Superintendent William Hite threw down a challenge to the teachers union yesterday, saying he’s run out of patience with the rules governing how employees are assigned to public schools.

Regent Square Environmental Charter School conducts admissions lottery
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, February 19, 2014
Most of the families who filled about 70 chairs and the spaces between left with the same results. The privately run but publicly financed school received more than 500 applications. After awarding seats to siblings of current students, it had only 28 spots available for the lottery.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Common Core ‘fix’ could leave standards in SC classrooms
The State, SC, February 18, 2014
An increasingly divisive, political debate over Common Core could produce a compromise that backs off of asking S.C. teachers to throw out the academic standards.

Pay-for-performance bill stalls in SC House
Morning News, SC, February 18, 2014
A bill creating a statewide evaluation system for teachers that ties their pay to students’ performance stalled Tuesday in the House, with opponents arguing it creates unnecessary confusion.

TENNESSEE

Nashville Chamber pushing for closure of worst charter schools
WBIR-TV, TN, February 18, 2014
The Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce reiterated Tuesday its support for state legislation that would require charter schools that are among the lowest-performing 5 percent of public schools in Tennessee to close automatically at the end of the school year.

Metro schools budget shortfall $8 million less than forecast
The Tennessean, TN, February 19, 2014
Metro Nashville Public Schools overestimated charter school enrollment next year by 875 students, meaning what was once projected to be a $23 million budget shortfall has been reduced to $15 million, officials say.

Teacher evaluations are key driver in Metro Schools pay proposal
The Tennessean, TN, February 19, 2014
Where teachers land on a 1-through-5 evaluation scoring scale that remains controversial could soon become the dominant driver to determine their pay at Metro Nashville Public Schools.

TEXAS

Some Texas Charter Schools Push Their Appeals As State Pursues Closure
KERA News, TX, February 18, 2014
The six charter schools were warned in December they weren’t meeting academic or financial standards. John Dodd heads up Honors Academy in Farmers Branch and says the Texas Education Agency has it wrong. And his parents are mad.

UTAH

Charter school bill harks back to alleged legislative shakedown
Opinion, Salt Lake Tribune, UT, February 19, 2014
The Salt Lake Tribune’s story Monday about Rep. Rich Cunningham’s allegations that pro-charter-school measure in 2005 was more about financially benefiting three legislators than good governance reminded me of a 2006 incident that some Alpine residents pointed to as a legislative shakedown.

WASHINGTON

State Senate rejects teacher-evaluation bill
Seattle Times, WA, February 18, 2014
A proposal that would require statewide student tests be used as part of teacher and principal evaluations was defeated in the Senate — the first time the Senate Majority Coalition Caucus has lost a bill.

WISCONSIN

Senate adopts narrow voucher school accountability bill
Journal Sentinel, WI, February 18, 2014
The state would better track the performance of taxpayer-funded private voucher schools and expand the fight against heroin abuse, under bills passed by the Senate Tuesday.

ONLINE LEARNING

Cyber-Charter Applicants Face Tougher Times in Pa.
Education Week, February 19, 2014
In rejecting a recent group of applications to open cyber charter schools in Pennsylvania, state officials cited a litany of shortcomings, and one overriding concern: Who, ultimately, would be running the show?

Belchertown High School students embrace ‘virtual’ classes
Daily Hampshire Gazette, NH, February 18, 2014
Belchertown High School students had more than 100 new courses to choose from this year. They just aren’t taught in a classroom.

Digital learning program boosts stay at home students
Arizona Daily Star, AZ, February 19, 2014
The program, which now has over 100 full-time students and about 65 part-time students statewide, offers a “rigorous online curriculum,” said John Roberts, Vail’s digital learning coordinator. It allows students like Austin to take higher level or extra credit courses.

Snowbound Bonner-Prendie students go cyber
Editorial, Delaware County Times, PA, February 18, 2014
Computers have been used in schools for the better part of the last 20 years. Some schools even provide them for the students.

Snow forces students into cyber school
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 19, 2014
Last week, when a foot of snow piled up and kept buses off slippery streets, some schools plowed ahead and stayed open, using the one road that wasn’t shut down.

Filed Under: Daily Headlines

NEWSWIRE: February 18, 2014

February 18, 2014 By The Center for Education Reform

Vol. 16, No. 7

SOME STATES JUST GETTING STARTED. Last week saw a victory for Parent Power in Mississippi, where state lawmakers passed legislation that, once reconciled, will establish education savings accounts (ESAs) for students with special needs. Early estimates show that as many as 11 percent of Magnolia State students could benefit from having their parents make financial decisions to secure the best education possible for their child. Unfortunately, ESAs have not taken hold in the vast majority of states, meaning far too many parents lack the ability to customize their child’s educational experience to give them the necessary tools to excel beyond the traditional system. Hopefully, lawmakers can maintain this momentum, because if Mississippi’s weak charter school law, along with other deficiencies in choice and accountability, are any judge, there’s still a lot more work to do in a state that ranks 41st on the Parent Power Index.

YELLOWHAMMER STATE HAMMERS AHEAD. As Mississippi works to get its ESA program off the ground, Arizona is reaffirming its status as the ESA pioneer, seeking to expand an already popular program. Initially set up for students with special needs, Empowerment Scholarship Accounts, as they are formally called in Arizona, can now be obtained by students in failing schools, as well as those who come from military families or are in foster care. Now, proposals are underway to extend eligibility to more underserved students. The beauty of Arizona ESAs is that they put 90 percent of a child’s per-pupil funding directly into the hands of parents, who know best how to use it according to their child’s unique educational needs. Although there are still many other states where parents lack power and influence over their child’s education, it’s heartening to see when states are moving in the right direction.

DIGITAL DENIAL. In an unfortunate vote, a Maine legislative committee approved a moratorium on virtual charter schools to make way for a state-run option. We can’t help but think that the media misreporting and underreporting information on digital learning options has something to do with lawmakers making these sorts of decisions. Online learning has the potential to thrive, provided charter schools receive the proper oversight and support and ‘digiformers’ know how to convey the benefits of innovative learning. The state governor has promised to veto the moratorium, meaning Parent Power could avoid taking a step back in a state desperate to move forward. Do your part to dispel myths about digital learning and get the latest information with The Facts About Digital and Blended Learning Toolkit.

DON’T FORGET K-12. In the ongoing national debate surrounding education, the folks on Capitol Hill and in the White House continue to be distracted by the wrong issues. Instead of advocating solutions based in choice and accountability to solve the education crisis in the U.S., outlying recommendations continue their stranglehold on the conversation. Early education and higher education are admirable “book ends” to focus on, but there’s nearly 55 million students in K-12 schools that are not even 34% proficient in basic reading and math by 8th grade. Opening doors at an early age will have no lasting impact if we do not address the crisis in K-12. Two proposals in the Senate represent an attempt at promoting school choice, but they’re on the periphery of federal priorities. As long as elected officials keep turning a blind eye towards meaningful and substantive K-12 reform, much of the national dialogue will remain unproductive.

THREE DAYS LEFT on The School of Choice Tour led by the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO) and Marvin Sapp. The Tour has been full steam ahead since last week, and will conclude on February 20 in Memphis, TN. Join BAEO and Pastor Sapp as they continue the discussion on how families can get involved in supporting school choice. Click here for more information and follow the hashtag #SchoolofChoiceTour on Twitter.

Filed Under: Newswire Weekly, Newswire

Daily Headlines for February 18, 2014

February 18, 2014 By The Center for Education Reform

NATIONAL COVERAGE

A Conservative Cure for Sick Schools
American Thinker, February 18, 2014
While most Republicans have no problem dismissing Democratic claims that misidentify perceived problems and ignore the reality of proposed solutions, our party continues to tout school vouchers as the cure for our sick education system based on political expediency and anecdotal evidence.

The American Public School Under Siege
Opinion, Huffington Post, February 17, 2014
A feature of the Obama presidency has been his campaign against the American public school system, eating way at the foundations of elementary education.

STATE COVERAGE

ALASKA

Parnell has it backwards; proponents of school choice constitutional amendment must detail costs
Opinion, Alaska Dispatch, AK, February 17, 2014
Those who want to change the Alaska Constitution and allow public money to be spent on private schools still say it’s not about money. They continue to say they can’t attach a dollar figure to the proposed amendment because, as Sen. Mike Dunleavy puts it, “It is a language change only.”

ARIZONA

Bills would expand program for private schools
Arizona Daily Star, AZ, February 18, 2014
A House committee on Monday approved one of two small expansions of a voucher-like program that allows students to use public funds for a private education.

CALIFORNIA

Gloria Romero: Charter schools surging in U.S., California
Opinion, Orange County Register, CA, February 17, 2014
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools just announced a milestone achievement for the operation of public charter schools in the United States: There now are more than 2.5 million students, attending nearly 6,500 charter schools.

DELAWARE

Eric Cantor could learn a thing or two from Delaware’s charter school success
Opinion, Daily Caller, DC, February 17, 2014
Currently, Delaware has 22 operating charter schools with more on the way. This is impressive for a little state that has twice as many U.S. Senators than Congressmen (do the math) and one area code (302).

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Middle schools present vexing problem for D.C. leaders as parents choose other options
Washington Post, DC, February 17, 2014
Dupont Circle’s Ross Elementary has undergone a transformation in recent years, morphing from a school that neighbors dismissed into one so highly sought-after that there is a near-hopeless waiting list for pre-kindergarten classes.

FLORIDA

Another school grading folly
Editorial, Ocala Star Banner, FL, February 18, 2014
State Education Commissioner Pam Stewart will present her newly revamped school grading system to the Florida Board of Education today in Orlando. The board should summarily reject it.

Private School Scholarships Could Come With New State Testing Requirement
StateImpact NPR, FL, February 17, 2014
The debate over whether to require students using one of the state’s private school scholarship programs take state standardized tests is flaring up again.

Remedial College Courses Face a New Test
Wall Street Journal, February 18, 2014
A new state law here is trying a novel approach to determine whether incoming students are prepared to move on to college-level coursework: let them decide for themselves.

ILLINOIS

Officials differ over need for second charter school in Springfield
State Journal Register, IL, February 17, 2014
Charter School isn’t what Bob Hill expected when he backed the controversial effort to create the school in 1998. Hill said last week he would not support the creation of a second charter school in Springfield based on results at the first.

LOUISIANA

New Orleans’ two school systems close to agreement to transfer shared services
Time-Picayune, LA, February 17, 2014
The Orleans Parish School Board and state Recovery School District are close to completing a cooperative agreement spelling out which of the two public systems handles various citywide education services — and potentially shifting a number of those functions to the local board.

MARYLAND

Bill for elected school board in Anne Arundel fails
The Baltimore Sun, MD, February 17, 2014
Efforts to create an elected school board for Anne Arundel County are likely dead for 2014.

Gregory Thornton to be named new city schools CEO
Baltimore Sun, MD, February 18, 2014
The Baltimore school board will announce Tuesday that Gregory E. Thornton, the superintendent of Milwaukee’s public schools, will be the next CEO of the city school system, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

MINNESOTA

Catholic leaders, public school supporters disagree on tax credit proposal
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, February 18, 2014
Roman Catholic leaders and Missouri public school officials are butting heads over a potential constitutional amendment that would allow tax credit scholarships to benefit private education.

Showdown looms for St. Paul schools, teachers
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN, February 17, 2014
St. Paul’s teachers enter a pivotal week of contract talks with a possible strike-authorization vote looming and with growing support from parents and others in their push to take their next labor agreement beyond traditional wage-and-benefit issues.

MISSISSIPPI

New charter schools crunch public efforts
Editorial, Natchez Democrat, MS, February 18, 2014
If a charter school is approved for Adams County, the financial impact on the existing public school district could be profound.

NEW YORK

New city charters lead district exodus
Democrat & Chronicle, NY, February 17, 2014
Four new charter schools will open in Rochester in the fall, creating a new set of opportunities for children in the city and a further setback for the City School District in its quest to retain students and the state dollars that come with them.

NEW JERSEY

Newark mayoral candidate Ras Baraka outlines education plan
Star-Ledger, NJ, February 18, 2014
Positioning himself as the Education Mayor, Newark councilman and mayoral candidate Ras Baraka today detailed a broad plan for the city’s schools, including keeping neighborhood schools open, strengthening pre-school programs and fighting for the return of local control.

NORTH CAROLINA

Constitution likely to sink voucher plan
Editorial, Fayetteville Observer, NC, February 17, 2014
It’s no surprise that a Superior Court judge in Raleigh refused Monday to dismiss a lawsuit against the state’s new school-voucher program.

New charter schools bring excitement, tension
Asheville Citizen-Times, NC, February 17, 2014
Two charter schools will open their doors in Buncombe County come August, opening with them greater tension over whether they will help or detract from public education.

OKLAHOMA

New bills would boost pay for Oklahoma’s public school teachers
The Oklahoman, OK, February 18, 2014
Oklahoma’s average annual salary for teachers in the 2011-12 school year was $44,156, while the regional average was $48,222, said state Rep. Mike Brown, D-Tahlequah.

PENNSYLVANIA

Charter networks to discuss new Camden schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 18, 2014
CAMDEN Two charter school networks looking to open “Renaissance” schools in the city will present their plans and answer questions at a series of community meetings this week.

TENNESSEE

Basing part of teacher evaluations on student test scores is reasonable
Editorial, Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, February 17, 2014
The effort by Tennessee education officials to get the best teachers in the state’s public school classrooms continues to be fraught with controversy and angst among teachers.

Bill would automatically close low-performing charter schools
Opinion, The Tennessean, TN, February 18, 2014
Innovation is an important component of the way that businesses and organizations operate to remain competitive. In Tennessee, our state has embraced innovation in how we deliver public education to ensure that we are preparing our students for their lives after high school.

Hamilton County’s newest charter school finds early success — here’s why
Times Free Press, TN, February 18, 2014
Three years ago, Marcia Griffin went door to door in the inner city, meeting with dozens of parents to pitch her idea for a new charter school in Chattanooga. She quibbled with the Hamilton County Board of Education for approval and finally opened her elementary school in the Eastgate Town Center, between a call center and a nightclub.

Common Core testing costs strain rural Tennessee schools
The Tennessean, TN, February 18, 2014
Curtains make do as doors and lockers form walls of makeshift classrooms inside cramped, cash-strapped DeKalb Middle School in the wooded hills of the Upper Cumberland region.

VIRGINIA

Williams: Proposal for Chesterfield to take over Petersburg schools lacks buy-in, research
Column, Richmond Time-Dispatch, VA, February 18, 2014
The Virginia Senate, dangling a dowry as bait, is proposing an arranged marriage between the school districts of Chesterfield County and the city of Petersburg.

WISCONSIN

Milwaukee Schools Use Assets Well
Letter, Wall Street Journal, February 17, 2014
Regarding C.J. Szafir’s “The Vacant School Buildings That Made Milwaukee Infamous”(Cross Country, Jan. 25): Milwaukee Public Schools are using facilities strategically to grow successful neighborhood, specialty and charter schools as we work to accelerate achievement.

ONLINE LEARNING

4 Ways Digital Technology has Changed K-12 Learning
Huffington Post, February 17, 2014
Digital technology has taken the world by storm – particularly in the past decade. It makes sense that this trend would have an impact on K-12 learning because there is nothing in modern American society that digital technology has not touched.

Cyber days are better than make-up days
Editorial, South Jersey Times, NJ, February 18, 2014
Just as online higher learning hasn’t made much of a dent in demand for seats at brick-and-mortar colleges, it’ll be a long time before K-12 school buildings are rendered obsolete by laptops and tablets at home.

Delco high school holds cyber classes to avoid snow day
Main Line Times, PA, February 18, 2014
The doors at Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast High School were closed Thursday, just like the rest of the schools in Delaware County due to the latest snow storm to slam the area.

Seven reasons the ‘digital classrooms’ concept may not take off
Letter, Baltimore Sun, MD, February 17, 2014
Your recent editorial highlighted some serious concerns raised by Baltimore County’s plan to “revolutionize classroom instruction” (“Digital classrooms,” Feb. 11).

‘Virtual school day’ gets high marks from Pascack Valley Regional superintendent
The Record, NJ, February 17, 2014
The initial results are in and according to P. Erik Gundersen, the superintendent of the Pascack Valley Regional High School District, the first “virtual school day” last Thursday was a success. Students and teachers interacted virtually from their respective homes on what for the rest of the schools in the Pascack Valley was a snow day.

Filed Under: Daily Headlines

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