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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

5 Innovative Ideas for School Choice Reforms
Christian Post, DC, January 31, 2014
Education experts proposed five innovative ideas for reforming K-12 education to free up the system for dynamic growth through the small government “School Choice” movement.

For school choice-loving Democrats to consider
Washington Post Blog, DC, January 31, 2014
Given that charter schools on average don’t do any better than traditional public schools and that there is no evidence that voucher programs in the United States have lifted the achievement of large groups of students, it is fair to wonder why there is so much enthusiasm for school choice among people who genuinely believe in public education (while it is easy to understand among people who don’t). There is far more hype about the virtues of school choice than there is reality.

Public hearings to spotlight proposed charter schools
Portland Press Herald, ME, February 3, 2014
Each of three charter schools hoping to open in Maine will be the focus of its own hearing this week.

STATE COVERAGE

ARIZONA

Legislature must support education reform
Opinion, Arizona Republic, AZ, February 2, 2014
Over the past few years, many entities, including The Arizona Republic, along with business and education leaders, have called for significant reforms to our K-12 education system. Central to any reform effort is the development of a quality accountability infrastructure.

CALIFORNIA

Deasy provides fodder for both sides in lawsuit
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 3, 2014
In Vergara vs. California, a groundbreaking trial over teacher job protections, L.A. schools Supt. John Deasy was a star witness — for both sides.

Tenure isn’t the real teacher problem
Letter, Los Angeles Times, CA, February 1, 2014
Re “Trial over teacher protections opens,” Jan. 28, and “Lawsuit targets teacher job security,” Jan. 26, and “Judging teachers, helping teachers”.

COLORADO

Lawsuit against SB 191 seeks to save good teachers
Commentary, Denver Post, CO, February 1, 2014
Some laws have loopholes to fix, but in the case of Senate Bill 191, an enormous sinkhole was exposed by Denver Public Schools. The district abused a key provision in Colorado’s educator effectiveness law, and more than 100 good teachers were swallowed up in the sinkhole, removed from their classrooms without cause.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Getting past rumors to see KIPP DC in motion
Column, Washington Post, DC, February 2, 2014
Look for references to KIPP charter schools on the Internet, and you will find critics saying they are akin to military schools or concentration camps. That is far from the truth.

FLORIDA

School choice politics could hurt Scott’s reach out on public schools
Palm Beach Post Blog, FL, February 2, 2014
After slashing $1.3 billion from schools his first year as governor, Rick Scott has struggled to convince public school advocates that he is on their side by pouring money into classrooms and teacher raises during subsequent years of his term.

Special help for low-income private-school students to end abruptly
Florida Times Union, FL, February 2, 2014
Hundreds of low-income students at private or parochial schools in Duval County will likely lose tutoring and other academic help about 12 weeks before school ends because the federal money paying for it is drying up.

IDAHO

Renee McKenzie: Idaho’s public schools deserve to be funded equally
Opinion, Idaho Statesman, ID, February 2, 2014
Leaders in the Idaho Statehouse recently convened a series of listening sessions and hearings on education reform policy. School choice advocates gathered at rallies across the county to advocate for expanded school choice for every student as part of National School Choice Week, which is just concluding. Our parent members who testified will carry this message as they advocate for specific reforms in Idaho.

ILLINOIS

Charter school wars
Editorial, Chicago Tribune, IL, February 3, 2014
Illinois lawmakers created a special board in 2011 to encourage education choice. The Illinois State Charter School Commission has the power to override local school districts that reject efforts to open innovative public schools in their communities.

MASSACHUSETTS

Charter school’s success found in quality of the grads
Opinion, South Coast Today, MA, February 1, 2014
Everyone here at GiftsToGive is supporting City on a Hill Charter Public School opening in New Bedford. We feel that they deserve a chance for two reasons. One is that they inherently understand that most urban middle school students are simply not ready for high school, and most importantly, because New Bedford children deserve a chance.

School fair shows parents, kids have educational options
South Coast Today, MA, February 2, 2014
Thirteen schools from New Bedford and surrounding towns schools were represented Jan. 25 for the second annual School Choice Fair which highlighted educational options.

MICHIGAN

Charter schools offer choice for students
Column, Dearborn Press and Guide, MI, February 2, 2014
If there were no Trillium Academy, fewer students in the Taylor area would have the opportunity for instruction in the performing arts.

School choice makes a difference for children
Opinion, Detroit News, MI, February 1, 2014
It’s a new year in Lansing and lawmakers are busy proposing bills, debating hot topics and, most importantly to parents like us, talking about how to make sure every Michigan child gets the best possible education.

School funding equality needed
Editorial, Detroit News, MI, February 3, 2014
It’s hard to believe anyone would think Rayvon Dean is worth less than any other high school student in Michigan. A senior at University Prep Academy (UPA) public charter school in Detroit, Rayvon, 17, is the star of the school’s nationally-ranked debate team and is headed to the University of Southern California on a full ride scholarship for debate. He’s smart, poised and has an incomparable work ethic.

MISSISSIPPI

Lawmakers want more options for special education students, better pay for their teachers
Opinion, Clarion Ledger, MS, February 2, 2014
State lawmakers outraged by Mississippi’s low graduation rate among special-needs youth say the state must do more for the one in 10 public school students with a disability and already have introduced measures they hope will help.

NEVADA

Agassi school fund makes first investment in Las Vegas
Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV, February 2, 2014
The school campus at 9625 W. Saddle Ave. just got sent back a few grades. Thanks to a funding assist from tennis great and native Las Vegan Andre Agassi, the vacant, former University of Phoenix site has been remodeled as Doral Academy West.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Half of scholarship cash from business tax credit donations returned
Union Leader, NH, February 2, 2014
Half of the money donated by New Hampshire businesses to a scholarship fund for schoolchildren last year went unused and had to be returned because of a state court decision barring scholarships for families who choose to send children to church-related schools.

NEW MEXICO

House panel may nix money for governor’s school reforms
Santa Fe New Mexican, NM January 31, 2014
The House Appropriations and Finance Committee is considering an education spending bill that strips funding for many of Gov. Susana Martinez’s signature public school reforms.

NEW YORK

De Blasio administration’s education budget yanks $210M from charter schools, boosts prekindergarten programs
New York Daily News, NY, February 2, 2014
The new five-year capital budget for city schools has been boosted to $12.8 billion and makes some significant changes to plans the Bloomberg administration had to aid charter schools.

Healing the charter-district divide
Opinion, New York Daily News, NY, February 3, 2014
On Friday, Mayor de Blasio made his first move against charter schools as his chancellor vowed to transfer $210 million slated for charter classroom space into pre-K programs. Likely next actions: halting charter co-locations and charging rent to charters.

How to Evaluate a Public School?
Letter, New York Times, NY, February 2, 2014
Re “Getting an Accurate Fix on Schools” (editorial, Jan. 27): We are in the throes of the intimidating middle-school choice process for our son, and unlike you, we find the A-to-F school grades a helpful
factor among many in our search, especially now with seven years’ worth of data behind them.

Parents blast De Blasio’s war on charter schools
New York Post, NY, February 2, 2014
Advocates and parents are outraged over Mayor de Blasio’s opening salvo in his war on charter schools, which they fear will inflict collateral damage on hundreds of thousands of city schoolchildren.

NORTH CAROLINA

Charter schools press Durham’s district schools
Opinion, News & Observer, NC, February 1, 2014
Charter schools were supposed to be laboratories for change in public schools, but in Durham County the experiment is spinning out of control.

Private School Vouchers Become Available, Despite Lawsuits
WUNC, NC, February 1, 2014
A new program that will help low-income families afford to send their children to private schools has started accepting applications, despite harsh criticisms and legal challenges that have plagued it.

OKLAHOMA

School choice isn’t a new concept in Oklahoma
Editorial, The Oklahoman, OK, January 31, 2014
FEW phrases in public education create as much simultaneous hope and angst as “school choice.” And yet for thousands of schoolchildren, choice represents a great opportunity — maybe even the best one — for a high-quality education that meets their needs.

TENNESSEE

TN state board reconsiders role of learning gains in teacher licenses
The Tennessean, TN, February 1, 2014
Tennessee’s education leaders have been collecting national accolades since August, after the state board of education adopted a rare policy that ties teacher licensing to learning gains.

WASHINGTON

Good charter schools have role when innovation is needed
Column, Seattle Times, WA, February 2, 2014
Washington was smart to set up a process for weeding through charter applications and picking only the ones most likely to benefit the children they hope to serve.

ONLINE LEARNING

Bill Aims For Digital Learning In All Alabama Classrooms
WHNT, AL, January 31, 2014
State lawmakers are now reviewing HB1, which aims to equip every school in Alabama with an array of high-tech gear ranging from laptops and iPads to infrastructure like wi-fi and ethernet networks. The borrowed funds would be raised via bond issue, and would be distributed in proportion to a school system’s total enrollment.

Bridges Virtual Academy evolves to ease state concerns
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, February 2, 2014
Administrators of a popular charter school that provides educational services to families across the state say they will make needed changes to ensure the school meets legal requirements to exist.

Dare secondary schools moving toward digital learning
Outer Banks Voice, NC, February 3, 2014
Heavy backpacks filled with textbooks may be a thing of the past when Dare County secondary students begin school next September. Instead, a laptop serving as a portal to their academic world may be all they need to engage in a new wave of learning.

Lawmakers to consider banning biometrics in schools
Miami Herald, FL, February 2, 2014
Lawmakers will take up a proposal that would prohibit school districts from collecting biometric information on students.

Legislation would give Missouri students more digital education offerings
Missouri Net, MO, February 3, 2014
The state Chamber says Missouri needs to offer more digital learning opportunities to its K-12 students. It released a study last week that makes that case.

School choice: Family chooses Aiken over home schooling
Alexandria Town Talk, LA, February 2, 2014
One Alexandria family made a switch when it came to education after discovering another option in Rapides Parish.

Online learning, career focused classes helping students excel
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, IA, February 2, 2014
This is the fifth year the online curriculum has also been available for core subjects and some electives at East and West high schools through their Performance Based Diploma Academies. Each school has about 130 students enrolled.

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

A way to get more kids into better schools
Editorial, Orange County Register, CA, January 31, 2014
Against that backdrop, Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., introduced legislation that would allow states to use federal education dollars to create $2,100 tuition vouchers to follow some 11 million low-income children to any accredited school, public or private, that their parents choose.

Louisiana moves up to third in national charter ranking
Times-Picayune, LA, January 30, 2014
It’s National School Choice Week, and several organizations have released reports examining the state of the country’s charter schools. Louisiana remains a leader in the charter school movement, placing third in the National Association of Public Charter Schools’ annual charter law ranking.

Obama touts Tenn. education
Columbia Daily Herald, TN, January 30, 2014
President Barack Obama visited Nashville Thursday and touted Tennessee’s educational advancements while praising McGavock High School’s teaching methods.

School Choice Defies Fed Ed
National Review Online, January 31, 2014
Every family in America deserves maximized, customized choices in education. It is the ultimate key to closing that “income inequality” gap the politicos are always gabbling about. Yet, the White House and Democrats beholden to public-school unions and their money are the ones blocking the school-choice door.

Some state rebrand controversial Common Core education standards
Washington Post, DC, January 30, 2014
Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer (R) used an executive order to strip the name “Common Core” from the state’s new math and reading standards for public schools. In the Hawkeye State, the same standards are now called “The Iowa Core.”

STATE COVERAGE

CALIFORNIA

Franklin-McKinley agreement with charters an example for Silicon Valley and the nation
Editorial, San Jose Mercury News, CA, January 30, 2014
San Jose’s Franklin-McKinley School District already has uncommonly healthy relationships with its charter schools. Now the district and charters have agreed to share campuses, data and training programs for teachers and administrators.

CONNECTICUT

Blazing a new attitude, a new path at Dunbar
CT Post, CT, January 31, 2014
Being part of the state network means extra funding and state support in exchange for implementing changes meant to bring about a quick turnaround in school culture and test scores; Dunbar’s scores have been among the lowest in the city.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

NYC school cuts popular gifted program over lack of diversity: report
Washington Times, DC, January 30, 2014
A popular gifted-student program at a New York City elementary school is getting the ax after school officials decided it lacked diversity.

FLORIDA

Scott smart to increase school funding
Editorial, News-Press, FL, January 31, 2014
Gov. Rick Scott, who last year hoped to silence critics of his previous stand about bloated education spending by requesting an extra $1.2 billion in last year’s budget, returned Monday with an ambitious request seeking an additional $542 million in spending tied directly to students.

INDIANA

Apples to apples, tests and voucher schools
Editorial, Journal and Courier, IN, January 30, 2014
It was good to see an Indiana Senate committee see through an effort to scrap ISTEP test requirements for private schools that accept state voucher money in this era of school choice.

Voucher system creating two education classes
Editorial, Star-Press, IN, January 31, 2014
School vouchers, heralded by proponents as a way to give parents more flexibility in how and where their children are educated — using public dollars — are slowly creating two education classes.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

‘School choice’ in New Hampshire a label that barely scrapes surface
Opinion, Nashua Telegraph, NH, January 31, 2014
As the country recognizes School Choice Week, Nashua school officials are discussing what to do with students whose parents chose to send them to a different school in the district.

NEW JERSEY

Senate Committee passes bill giving schools boards a say in school closings
Star-Ledger, NJ, January 30, 2014
Parents and community activists from Newark, Montclair and Camden testified before a state senate committee this morning in favor of a bill that requires local school boards to approve the closing of schools.

Two renaissance projects advance in Camden
Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ, January 31, 2014
A renaissance is coming to Camden, literally. School Superintendent Paymon Rouhanifard announced his support Thursday for two new renaissance schools, charter-type facilities that would be run by nonprofits in communities with high numbers of at-risk youth.

NEW MEXICO

Bill that gives school districts more spending power advances
Santa Fe New Mexican, NM, January 30, 2014
School superintendents and educational leaders want lawmakers to give them more freedom in how they spend millions of dollars in public school funding.

NEW YORK

Parents vs. Progressives
Editorial, New York Post, NY, January 31, 2014
As New York parents increasingly demand better — or at least, different — schools for their kids, the city’s “progressive” mayor is digging in his heels in favor of the same old failing model of the past.

Thousands of students may lose charter school seats if Mayor de Blasio kills plans
New York Daily News, NY, January 30, 2014
Families for Excellent Schools says the students would be at a loss if the plans to open or expand 30 charter schools do not go ahead.

OREGON

Portland Public Schools vs. charters, the sequel:
Editorial, The Oregonian, OR, January 30, 2014
Portland Mayor Charlie Hales has used the brevity of this year’s soon-to-begin legislative session as an excuse not to pursue a sidewalk-civility bill, but the folks at Portland Public Schools are made of sterner stuff.

PENNSYLVANIA

Democrats unveil proposals for more money for schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 30, 2014
Democrats from Philadelphia’s state Senate delegation unveiled a plan Thursday to provide $300 million more for education across the state.

WASHINGTON

Charter schools in Yakima Valley officially denied
Yakima Herald-Republic, WA, January 31, 2014
Following recommendations from education experts, charter school proposals in Yakima and Sunnyside were denied by the state Charter School Commission at a meeting Thursday in Seattle.

State’s first charter school to open next fall in Seattle
Seattle Times, WA, January 31, 2014
The State Charter School Commission has approved seven new charter schools to open in the Seattle-Tacoma area. Most will open in 2015, but one in Seattle will open in the fall.

Tacoma will have three charter schools by fall 2015
Tacoma News Tribune, WA, January 30, 2014
It appears that Tacoma is poised to become the charter school capital of Washington state, following action Thursday by the state Charter School Commission.

WISCONSIN

MPS board stalls decision on converting struggling schools to charters
Journal Sentinel, WI, January 30, 2014
A proposal to convert some persistently low-performing schools in Milwaukee to charter schools while targeting others for different reforms was sent back to committee for further discussion Thursday by the Milwaukee School Board amid opposition from teachers and parallel efforts by Republican state legislators.

ONLINE LEARNING

Charters Make Case To Group Devising Rules To Evaluate Them
WFAE, NC, January 30, 2014
Two virtual charter schools run by for-profit companies are trying to open schools in North Carolina. In the past, the state board of education has refused to consider these schools. But this year the board appointed a group to figure out how to evaluate virtual charters.

Cultivate learning through school choice
Letter, Augusta Chronicle, GA, January 30, 2014
Several years ago, an eager fourth-grade student named James and his parents walked into my office and inquired about enrolling in South Carolina Connections Academy. I listened intently as James and his sister described the life-threatening food allergies that forced them to seek a school other than the one they were zoned for.

Despite snow days, GAC students learn in cyber school
Gwinnett Daily Post, GA, January 30, 2014
For some Greater Atlanta Christian students, this week’s snow days didn’t mean an unscheduled vacation. Thanks to the school’s web-based communication portal, they continued with assignments.

First two Maine virtual schools get initial approval
Portland Press Herald, ME, January 30, 2014
The schools, whose previous proposals were rejected, will take the next step forward, as will a school operated by followers of a Turkish imam. A Montessori school is rejected.

How Florida Lawmakers Want To Help Schools Get Ready For Digital Lessons
StateImpact NPR, FL, January 31, 2014
Florida schools could get more money to upgrade classrooms, purchase new computers, tablets and other technology and train teachers and staff how to use them.

Online program enables Baldwin students to learn at their own pace
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, January 30, 2014
An online game of “Escapade through British Literature” has allowed high school seniors in Daniel Harrold’s college-preparatory English class at Baldwin High School to take charge.

Maine’s charter school process needs chance to work — not be shut down for virtual schools
Editorial, Bangor Daily News, ME, January 30, 2014
Virtual charter schools have proven an especially contentious flashpoint in Maine’s charter school debate over the past three years. The controversy has erupted even though none of the five charter schools currently open in Maine is a virtual school providing most of its instruction online.

Online charter school denied in Banning
Record Gazette, CA, January 31, 2014
The initial online charter school petition for Web-Based Academy for California was turned down by the Banning school board last week, based on several technicalities that were deemed unmet by a committee.

Pittsburgh principals share $114,979 in bonuses
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, January 31, 2014
All eligible Pittsburgh Public Schools principals except one who retired have been awarded performance-based bonuses for 2012-13, totaling $114,979.

Study: Missouri Has ‘Fallen Behind’ In Providing Digital Learning To K-12 Students
KRCU, MO, January 30, 2014
A study released Thursday by the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry states that Missouri is “falling behind” when it comes to providing digital learning for K-12 students.

Suburban Cyber-Charter Students Attend ‘Virtual’ Rally For School Choice
CBS Philly, PA, January 30, 2014
Students at a Pennsylvania cyber-charter school logged onto a “virtual rally” yesterday to celebrate School Choice Week.Students at a Pennsylvania cyber-charter school logged onto a “virtual rally” yesterday to celebrate School Choice Week.

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

Children are at the forefront of civil rights fights, including school choice
Opinion by Kevin Chavous, Daily Caller, DC, January 29, 2014
This week is National School Choice Week, an opportunity to celebrate educational choice in all forms and the positive impact choice has had on so many children. Throughout this week, thousands of kids who benefit from a variety of choice programs will be attending rallies all over America.

Education Dept. allows public charter schools to hold weighted lottery
Washington Post, DC, January 29, 2014
The Education Department on Wednesday reversed a long-standing policy and will now allow public charter schools that receive federal grants to give admissions preference to low-income children, minorities and other disadvantaged students.

President’s visit is nod to TN education
Editorial, The Tennessean, TN, January 30, 2014
Today, President Barack Obama makes his first visit to Nashville since 2008, when he was presidential nominee Obama debating Republican contender John McCain on the campus of Belmont University.

STATE COVERAGE

ALASKA

Backers of private ‘school choice’ are pushing hard
Anchorage Daily News, AK, January 29, 2014
Conservative leaders pushing a constitutional amendment to restructure public education in Alaska told a crowd at a South Anchorage Catholic church on Tuesday night that the time is right.

ARIZONA

Arizona charter schools want bigger share of state funds
Arizona Star, AZ, January 30, 2014
Attorneys for the state schools chief are defending the decision by lawmakers to provide more per-pupil aid to traditional public schools than to charter schools.

CALIFORNIA

Few L.A. teachers get bad ratings, trial documents show
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 29, 2014
More instructors than ever are being evaluated in detail in the Los Angeles Unified School District and only a small percentage are being rated as substandard, according to testimony Wednesday in litigation aimed at reducing teacher job protections.

Salinas charter school impresses California schools chief
Monterey County Herald, CA, January 29, 2014
A week after announcing a fund to help support career education, California Superintendent of Schools Tom Torlakson praised Millennium Charter High School in Salinas for exemplifying what he means.

COLORADO

Colorado Education Association’s lawsuit is bad for education
Editorial, Denver Post, CO, January 29, 2014
No one who witnessed the Colorado Education Association’s no-holds-barred effort to stop the passage of a tenure reform bill in 2010 will be surprised by the lawsuit filed Wednesday by the CEA.

Denver teachers challenge law over forced placement of teachers
Denver Post, CO, January 29, 2014
A class-action lawsuit filed by the Colorado Education Association on Wednesday challenges the state’s teacher effectiveness law, citing concerns with a provision that it says has allowed Denver Public Schools to edge out qualified teachers.

CONNECTICUT

Malloy Calls For Slowdown Of Teacher Evaluation Program
The Hartford Courant, CT, January 29, 2013
Faced with growing criticism of the roll-out of new academic standards and other school reforms this year, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy Tuesday called for a significant slowdown of a new teacher evaluation program, a major component of his education strategy.

DELAWARE

More charter growth coming, applications show
News Journal, DE, January 29, 2014
With five charters schools set to open this fall and five more seeking approval, Delaware is set to add thousands of students to a rapidly growing charter network.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

A push for D.C. Public Schools to share space with charter schools, nonprofits
Washington Post, DC, January 29, 2014
Many of the District’s traditional schools have fewer children than they were originally designed to hold, driving up the cost of maintenance. Meanwhile, the city’s fast-growing charter schools often struggle to find suitable real estate.

DCPS gets to clean up a charter school mess
Opinion, Washington Post, DC, January 29, 2014
It’s enough that they face enormous educational challenges, including blindness, dyslexia and severe emotional disorders. Now, the more than 350 special-needs children at Options Public Charter School must suffer cavalier charter officials who apparently have little regard for their academic futures.

FLORIDA

Manatee school choice piques parent, student interests
Bradenton Herald, FL, January 30, 2014
More than 3,000 parents and prospective students crowded into the Bradenton Area Convention Center for Manatee County School District’s first school choice fair Monday.

School choice gives Florida a leg up on quality
Column, Orlando Sentinel, FL, January 30, 2014
Battles over public education often remind me of those once-popular “less filling” versus “tastes great” Miller Lite commercials. Because in education debates, we are often given a false choice between “higher quality” and “affordable costs.”

ILLINOIS

Teachers union vows to fight pension cuts
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 29, 2014
Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said Wednesday that negotiations over a pension overhaul with the school district are at a stalemate, and her members are ready to aggressively fight proposed cuts to their retirement benefits.

INDIANA

Bill would let voucher schools opt out of ISTEP testing
Indianapolis Star, IN, January 29, 2014
An Indianapolis lawmaker today is touting legislation that would allow private schools accepting vouchers to use standardized tests other than Indiana’s ISTEP to assess students.

MICHIGAN

Choosing school of choice
Letter, Detroit News, MI,
January 30, 2014
Education and learning styles of students has evolved over the past 10 years. The students of this generation and the generations we are raising up do not learn as the students of my, or possibly your generation.

EAA alternative? Struggling public schools would be overseen by ISDs in legislative proposal
The Ann Arbor News, MI, January 29, 2014
With a proposal to expand the Education Achievement Authority languishing in the Michigan House, one lawmaker has introduced an alternative that would give intermediate school districts more control over reforming struggling schools.

MISSOURI

Parents sound off to state board about the future of KC schools
The Kansas City Star, MO, January 30, 2014
Kansas City parent Patrick Bustos took his turn at the microphone, facing out at the more than 500 people who came to see Wednesday night’s passionate debate on the future of the Kansas City Public Schools.

NEBRASKA

Sen. Scott Lautenbaugh: Omaha fertile ground for charter schools
The Omaha World Herald, NE, January 30, 2014
Omaha’s poorest neighborhoods would be a good place to open charter schools, an Omaha lawmaker said.

NEW JERSEY

Bill would restore some control to school districts run by state
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, January 30, 2014
As tensions mount over the state’s control of its largest school systems, a bill gaining attention in Trenton would return at least some local say to major decisions in those districts.

NEW YORK

Brooklyn school cutting gifted program to boost diversity
New York Daily News, NY, January 30, 2014
Ditmas Park’s P.S. 139 Principal Mary McDonald told parents the elementary school would no longer accept kindergartners applications for the SOAR program. Future classes will be ‘heterogeneously grouped.’

Charter schools swamped with applications despite criticism
New York Post, NY, January 30, 2014
Parents are swamping charter schools with applications — even as the de Blasio administration casts a critical eye at the charters and is looking to slow their growth.

OHIO

No delays on the Common Core
Editorial, Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, January 29, 2014
The Ohio Senate has to reject House Bill 193, an ill-conceived measure that would delay Common Core testing for a year, likely derailing this promising and long-planned effort to prepare Ohio’s students more effectively for jobs and careers.

OKLAHOMA

Tulsa Public Schools gets Gates grant to improve charter collaboration
Tulsa World, OK, January 30, 2014
Tulsa Public Schools is among five districts nationwide selected for a partnership that officials say should help improve collaboration with charter schools.

PENNSYLVANIA

Education, economics fueled Delta Program decision Education, economics fueled Delta Program decision
Editorial, Centre Daily Times, PA, January 30, 2014
We take no issue with the State College Area School District’s move to expand its Delta Program to include fifth- and sixth-grade students. And we were pleasantly surprised that the district acknowledged that the move was motivated by both educational and economic opportunities

TENNESSEE

County Schools Weighs Charter Rent Waiver
Memphis Daily News, TN, January 30, 2014
Shelby County Schools superintendent Dorsey Hopson is considering waiving rent payments by charter schools that lease the school system’s old buildings in return for them taking all children in an area and coordinating their location with Shelby County Schools.

WASHINGTON

S’side charter school likely won’t be OK’d
Daily Sun News, WA, January 29, 2014
The news is looking bleak for Charter Schools of Sunnyside, but the grassroots effort is encouraged, according to Brittany Weaver, a founding member of the organization.

WISCONSIN

Increase accountability for voucher schools
Opinion, La Crosse Tribune, WI, January 30, 2014
At least one private voucher school won’t be touting its record as part of this year’s National Voucher School Week.

Scott Walker wants to salvage school accountability bill
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, January 30, 2014
Gov. Scott Walker said Wednesday he is working to salvage a school accountability bill that has been pulled from a scheduled vote after encountering resistance from both public and private school advocates.

ONLINE LEARNING

Mom lets teen try Florida Virtual School after all
Column, Tampa Bay Times, FL, January 29, 2014
For the past two years, Kourtnie, my now 16-year-old daughter, has been begging me to enroll her in the Florida Virtual School Program. I repeatedly responded with a decisive no. Until now.

Ohio Blended Learning Network an innovative approach in classroom
The Morning Journal, OH, January 29, 2014
Thirteen Ohio school districts created a statewide network to help teachers use technology to increase productivity in the classroom.

Tennessee Virtual Academy Facing Tough Questions about Student Achievement
WZTV, TN, January 29, 2014
There are big questions about your money being spent on the Tennessee Virtual Academy. Students have scored below average the last two years on standardized testing. But millions of taxpayer dollars are still funding the program.

York students log on to cyber school
Fox43, PA, January 29, 2014
Hundreds of students logged onto their computers for a web chat Wednesday. It was part of a virtual rally in schools across the state.

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

Minnesota Clings Onto Top Spot in NAPCS Charter Law Rankings; Ind., Miss. Rise
Education Week, January 28, 2014
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools has released its rankings and evaluations of state charter-school laws for 2014, and the top-10 list looks very much like the rankings the group released last year—only one jurisdiction on that list, the District of Columbia, is new (D.C. moved up from 17 to 10 this year).

Stop the feds’ Common Core for schools
Letter, Washington Times, DC, January 28, 2014
If the central planners and progressive bureaucrats get their way, teaching the Constitution to American schoolchildren will be a thing of the past.

The hype and reality of ‘school choice’
Washington Post Blog, DC, January 28, 2014
In case you missed any of the endless streams of announcements, it’s National School Choice Week, and advocates are staging thousands of events across the country to talk it up. There is even a school choice train making a whistle-stop tour across the country for rallies and other such goings-on to draw attention to a movement that has been hailed as “the” or “an” answer to what ails public education today. The only problem is this: It isn’t. Not by a long shot.

STATE COVERAGE

CALIFORNIA

California Kids Go to Court to Demand a Good Education
Opinion, Wall Street Journal, January 29, 2014
The trial began this week in a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court aimed at bringing meaningful and badly needed change to California’s public schools. The suit could have far-reaching effects in American education—in particular on teacher-tenure policies that too often work to the detriment of students.

LASD: Talks over charter school facilities hit a snag
Los Altos Town Crier, CA, January 29, 2014
After meeting twice in the past seven weeks with a professional mediator behind closed doors, Los Altos School District officials said their negotiations with Bullis Charter School have hit an impasse.

Vergara v. California: Do state laws protect teacher jobs over students?
Christian Science Monitor, MA, January 28, 2014
The case of Vergara v. California takes up whether five state laws make it too hard to fire poor teachers. Students say their education is suffering. Teachers unions say the need is more resources.

COLORADO

Bill seeks to bridge data gap in district, school ratings
Denver Post Blog, CO, January 28, 2014
A bill expected to be introduced this week would allow school and district performance ratings earned in the 2014-15 school year to be carried over into the following year.

Colorado Education Association lawsuit seeks to undo reforms
Colorado Springs Gazette, CO, January 28, 2014
The Colorado Education Association is announcing a highly anticipated lawsuit Wednesday that will challenge parts of education reforms put into place by lawmakers in 2010.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

What happens to Options’s students when the school shuts down?
Editorial, Washington Post, DC, January 28, 2014
THE STUDENTS who ended up at the Options Public Charter School are the ones no other school wanted. That probably explains why the shortcomings of the school, the city’s oldest public charter, were so long overlooked.

IDAHO

School choice growin in relevance
Idaho Press Tribune, ID, January 29, 2014
School choice has become a given for an increasing number of Idaho families and children. This is good. It means families in the Gem State have the freedom to choose the best educational environments and options for their children.

ILLINOIS

Emanuel defends new charter schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 28, 2014
Mayor Rahm Emanuel on Tuesday dismissed criticism aimed at his hand-picked school board’s decision to approve seven new charter schools after it shuttered 47 neighborhood schools last year, saying they’re two separate issues.

INDIANA

Voucher schools invite public scrutiny in accepting public dollars
Editorial, Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, January 29, 2014
What does school choice mean in Indiana? It means taxpayer-supported schools that can choose:

MARYLAND

Don’t leave charter schools behind
Op-Ed, Baltimore Sun, MD, January 29, 2014
The people of Baltimore care about inequity. We think about what is fair and right, and together, we have come up with some great solutions to some of the disparities we see in our city.

MICHIGAN

Charting success
Grand Haven Tribune, MI, January 28, 2014
The Michigan charter school law celebrates its 20th anniversary this month, and local charter schools are thriving under it.

Melody Manwell: Charters provoke competition
Opinion, Battle Creek Enquirer, MI, January 29, 2014
Education should be about one thing only: what’s best for the kids. Every child, no matter their income level, language, or race should not have an inferior education that may hinder their options for life.

Some Unintended Effects For Indiana’s School Voucher Program.
WIBQ, MI, January 29, 2014
In an Indiana Department of Education report released this week; four in 10 students using vouchers never attended an Indiana public school, even though the original 2011 law that authorized the program required it.

West Michigan charter school ranked worst in state in new report
Grand Rapids Press, MI, January 29, 2014
Grattan Academy, a West Michigan K-12 charter school, is the state’s worst school in raising student achievement above expected scores for its student body’s income level, according to a new report released today.

MINNESOTA

Duluth charter schools now enroll 14% of district’s students
Duluth News Tribune, MN, January 29, 2014
The share of Duluth school district students attending charter schools in the city has grown from 9 percent to 14 percent in seven years, according to a recent report.

MISSISSIPPI

Committee OKs teacher pay bill
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, January 29, 2014
The Senate Education Committee has approved a House bill to ensure teachers get a full pay check for August.

MISSOURI

Parents should have say in where kids go to school in Missouri, expert says
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, January 28, 2014
Rich or poor, parents should have a choice in where their child goes to school. At least, that’s what James Shuls, the Show-Me Institute’s Education Policy director, believes.

NEVADA

Home schooling ultimate education choice
Editorial, Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV, January 29, 2014
It’s National School Choice Week, and while magnet and charter schools and vouchers get a lot of attention from proponents of expanded educational opportunities, another popular option gets fewer headlines: home schooling. The ability to remove a child from public schooling altogether is the ultimate choice for parents — and it’s under attack, despite its strong record of success.

NEW JERSEY

Camden protesters oppose superintendent’s plan
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 29, 2014
About 60 teachers, parents, and community members protested proposed changes in the Camden School District in freezing temperatures before a school board meeting Tuesday night.

National teachers union leader joins protest of Newark school makeover
Star-Ledger, NJ, January 28, 2014
American Federation of Teachers president Randi Weingarten returns to Newark tonight to join community members, parents and teachers to protest Superintendent Cami Anderson’s reorganization plan for the city’s schools.

NJ School Reports feature arts enrollment, advanced course work
Star-Ledger, NJ, January 29, 2014
The latest version of the state’s annual school report card continues efforts begun last year to measure student performance by looking beyond test scores.

NEW YORK

No reason for de Blasio to give more cash into failing schools
New York Post, NY, January 29, 2014
It also happens to be Mayor de Blasio’s formula for city education: It’s not very good, so let’s pay more for it.

What now for Eva Moskowitz?
Capital New York, NY, January 29, 2014
In his short time as mayor, Bill de Blasio made it abundantly clear that he thinks charter-school operators like Eva Moskowitz got a sweetheart deal under Michael Bloomberg.

NORTH CAROLINA

PACE expects ‘tough fight’ for charter renewal
Herald Sun, NC, January 29, 2014
PACE Academy officials are acknowledging that the troubled charter school faces a “tough fight” to keep its doors open.

OHIO

Columbus, Ohio, School District Hit By Cheating Allegations
Wall Street Journal, January 29, 2014
A state investigation of Columbus, Ohio, public schools found a “top-down culture of data manipulation and employee intimidation” in connection with changes to test scores and student grades, officials said Tuesday, in the latest testing scandal to engulf a school district.

OKLAHOMA

Statewide online school testing system tryout mostly successful
Tulsa World, OK, January 29, 2014
The statewide test of public schools’ online testing capabilities Tuesday saw a few hiccups but generally went smoothly, according to state officials and area school districts.

PENNSYLVANIA

Gillingham students celebrate their choice of school
Republican Herald, PA, January 29, 2014
Students at Gillingham Charter School celebrated their choice to attend the county’s first brick-and-mortar charter school during a pep rally Tuesday in honor of National School Choice Week.

Phila. parents make deal over enrollment in suburban school
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 29, 2014
A case that became a national cause célèbre for public school choice ended Tuesday in Montgomery County Court with lesser charges, dismissed charges, and a restitution agreement. But there was no jail time for the mother and father of a child who attended a Lower Moreland school even though they lived in Philadelphia.

Senate Bill Would Give Colleges Authority To Approve Charter Schools In Pennsylvania
KYW-TV, PA, January 29, 2014
Part of a bill pending in the Pennsylvania senate would give universities the authority to approve new charter schools. But one non-profit says there’s no evidence that would improvestudent performance.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Teachers raise concerns about pay-for-performance at Charleston school board meeting
Post & Courier, SC, January 28, 2014
Lindsay Egloff was one of a handful of teachers who cautioned the Charleston County School Board Monday against adopting a pay-for-performance system, which would tie teachers’ evaluations and pay to how well their students perform on standardized tests.

TENNESSEE

Haslam, Ramsey strike different chord on vouchers at ‘school choice’ event
The Tennessean, TN, January 29, 2014
Gov. Bill Haslam took the podium in front of Tennessee’s most ardent “school choice” supporters but barely alluded to the item they covet most — a state voucher system that would allow public dollars to go toward private schooling.

On charters, Shelby Schools board looks at tighter rules
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, January 29, 2014
It’s possible the Shelby County Schools board will be bearing down on low-performing charter schools, including closing them or imposing sanctions. It’s also possible that by next year all board-authorized charters will no longer pay rent to the school board but instead would pay an administrative fee to cover overhead of services such as school buses, lunch, even special education services.

TEXAS

Studying school choice
Letters, Houston Chronicle, TX, January 29, 2014
As I read Robert Enslow’s essay “Better education options can help stem income inequality,” (Page B7, Saturday), I could not help wondering how he proposed to pay for “tax credit scholarships” or vouchers.

ONLINE LEARNING

Arbitrary cuts to cyber charters will undermine school choice
Letter, Patriot News, PA, January 28, 2014
As a teacher for a virtual public school, Commonwealth Connections Academy, I see firsthand every day the benefits of choice and technology in learning.

Area students thrive in online school environment
Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV, January 28, 2014
Each of the fourth- and fifth-graders attending the virtual charter school’s annual fair also seemed more than happy to explain — at length, without prompting — how pink dolphins get their hue or how planes disappear in the Bermuda Triangle.

Arkansas Virtual Academy Gives Kids New Way to Learn
KARK, AR, January 28, 2014
There is a new way for students to get an education by way of virtual learning. The Arkansas Virtual Academy or ARVA gives kids in grades K – 8 a chance to learn in a way that’s convenient for them.

Baton Rouge school brings classes to the kitchen table
The Advocate, LA, January 29, 2014
The classrooms at St. Joseph Academy in Baton Rouge were empty Tuesday morning, but a mile west in the dining room of a home in Capital Heights, sisters Elizabeth and Lauren Foshee were still in school, virtually speaking.

Cyber Day Test a Success for Students on Snow Day
WTRF, WV, January 28, 2014
With students out of school for such a long period of time, one local high school has successfully found a way to get school work to their students on a snow day.

Hilliard Schools To Use ‘Blizzard Bag’ Method To Make Up Calamity Days
WBNS-TV, OH, January 28, 2014
Hilliard City Schools will use the “blizzard bag” method for making up calamity days if necessary. That means lessons will be posted online and students will have up to two weeks to complete the work.

Pa. denies all applications for cyber-charter schools in 2014
Philadelphia Notebook Blog, PA, January 29, 2014
There will be no new cyber-charter schools opening this year in Pennsylvania.
The state Department of Education rejected proposals from each of the six operators that applied last November.

Stamford High Students Join Others Worldwide In Virtual School
Stamford Daily Voice, CT, January 29, 2014
Students at the high school’s computer lab are taking courses online together with kids in other parts of the world on Jan. 29 as part of a partnership with The Virtual High School.