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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

Latest voucher bill draws opposition
Beloit Daily News, WI, January 22, 2014
Republican state lawmakers are making another push to extend taxpayer subsidies to help students with special needs attend private schools, unveiling a bill Tuesday that they said would help families trapped in public schools that can’t meet their children’s needs.

Teacher’s Column On Education Reform Goes Viral
Hartford Courant, CT, January 22, 2014
When Elizabeth Natale wrote an opinion piece for the Courant last Sunday venting her frustrations with education reform, she didn’t expect it to go viral, resulting in emails of support from teachers and parents across Connecticut and the country.

STATE COVERAGE

ALASKA

Parnell State of the State calls for ‘education session’ of Alaska Legislature
Alaska Dispatch, AK, January 22, 2014
Saying he wants lawmakers to come together to make 2014 the “education session,” Gov. Sean Parnell, delivering his 2014 State of the State Address in Juneau on Wednesday night, proposed raising the base student allocation for the first time in three years, an idea that would increase the main source of funding for schools.

COLORADO

House Republicans Introduce Three Education Reform Bills
KREX-TV, CO, January 22, 2014
House Republicans have introduced three education bills they hope will spur the discussion of education reform in the state. The Charter School Capital Construction Funding Bill would provide equity for charter schools from the capital construction fund.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. officials in talks to operate Options public charter
Washington Post, DC, January 22, 2014
The District’s traditional public school system is in negotiations to run Options Public Charter, a school for at-risk youth that faces possible closure in the wake of allegations that its former managers diverted millions of tax dollars meant for students.

FLORIDA

Pasco school board considers new policy for charter school application review
Tampa Bay Times Blog, FL, January 22, 2014
The Pasco County School Board is considering a change to the way district staff reviews charter school proposals.

Southwest Ranches, Pembroke Pines in legal battle over charter school
Sun Sentinel, FL, January 23, 2014
Plans for a 2,600-student charter school in Pembroke Pines could be put on hold, thanks to a brewing legal battle between the city and neighboring Southwest Ranches.

GEORGIA

It’s time to sign up for Georgia’s private school tax credit
Savannah Morning News, GA, January 22, 2014
The Georgia qualified education expense tax credit — sometimes referred to as the private school tax credit law — allows individuals, trusts, C corporations and owners of pass-through entities such as S corps and partnerships to receive tax credits for donations to student scholarship organizations that provide scholarships to eligible students to attend private schools.

ILLINOIS

Charter critics still not pleased
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 23, 2014
The Chicago Board of Education’s decision Wednesday to scale back the number of new charter school approvals may have tempered the tone of some of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s school policy critics, but the political dynamic of the issue remains the same.

CPS right to keep lid on charter-school expansion
Editorial, Chicago Sun-Times, IL, January 22, 2014
One month ago we urged the Chicago Board of Education to tread lightly with charter schools.

MAINE

Portland mayor calls for citywide minimum wage, moratorium on charter schools during annual address
Bangor Daily News, ME, January 23, 2014
Portland Mayor Michael Brennan said Monday night he plans to pursue a citywide minimum wage as part of a wide-ranging slate of initiatives aimed at growing the economy, increasing educational opportunities, driving down substance abuse and creating more housing.

MICHIGAN

Teacher evaluation changes could cost Michigan school districts up to $42 million
The Ann Arbor News, MI, January 22, 2014
Proposed changes to Michigan’s teacher evaluation system could cost local school districts and intermediate school districts as much as $42 million, but the sponsors of the proposed changes say most of the expenses are one-time costs the state could reimburse through the budget surplus.

MISSISSIPPI

30 hopefuls file papers to operate charter schools
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, January 23, 2014
Just days before the Wednesday deadline, only two educational organizations had filed letters of intent to open the state’s first public charter schools. But by the final bell, the number stood at 30, including plans for eight in the Jackson school district and others scattered statewide.

Raising teacher pay just one part of improving education
Column, Clarion Leger, MS, January 23, 2014
The topic was Mississippi’s largest (and perhaps only) multi-year package of increases in compensation for the state’s public school teachers.

MISSOURI

Fix, don’t abandon, our neighborhood public schools
Column, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, January 23, 2014
Every child deserves a great, well-resourced, safe neighborhood public school. That’s what parents say they want, and that’s what experience tells us works to prepare all children, not just some, for the next grade and for college, career and life.

Local education leaders say transfer debate could affect Springfield area in future
New-Leader, MO, January 23, 2014
Changing Missouri’s school transfer law — one of the top priorities for lawmakers this year — will not immediately affect Springfield, but local educational leaders say the law has the potential to have a future impact.

NEW JERSEY

N.J. lawmakers discuss school choice bills during education summit
Star-Ledger, NJ, January 22, 2014
Discussing school choice options at the New Jersey School Choice Summit this morning, Democratic state Sen. Raymond Lesniak and Republican colleagues Sen. Tom Kean and Steven Oroho found common ground on several fronts, including the need to revise the current charter school law.

No time for nostalgia: Cami Anderson’s Newark school reforms should go foward
Editorial, Star-Ledger, NJ, January 22, 2014
Newark’s student population is only a fraction of its former self — shrinking from 80,000 in 1970 to fewer than 40,000 in public schools today. Yet the number of schools in the city has hardly changed, meaning many buildings sit half-empty.

NEW YORK

Explaining New Roots Graduation Rates
Opinion, Ithaca Times, NY, January 22, 2014
According to recent articles in the Ithaca Journal, a few members of the Ithaca City Schools Board of Education say they have serious concerns about the integrity of New Roots Charter School’s graduation data and the ethical standards of our board and administration. They suggest that we are purposefully inflating our graduation rates and percentages of students who have passed required Regents exams.

NORTH CAROLINA

Charter school moves forward
Lexington Dispatch, NC, January 22, 2104
What would be Davidson County’s first charter school progressed through an initial review and will now be scrutinized by a new state board comprised of charter school proponents.

SOUTH DAKOTA

SD lawmakers approve more Common Core bills
Capital Journal, SD, January 22, 2014
South Dakota lawmakers took another step Wednesday to prevent further expansion of Common Core standards while a study is done to determine whether the state’s schools should continue using the academic benchmarks that establish what students should know in each grade level.

TENNESSEE

Education Committee Chairs Carrying For-Profit Charter Bill
Nashville Scene, TN, January 22, 2014
The chairwoman of the Senate Education Committee is sponsoring bill allowing charter schools to hire for-profit operators.

Parents camp out to save spot in optional program
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, January 22, 2014
Despite bitter cold temperatures expected through Friday, parents began setting up camp at the Shelby County Board of Education to insure their place at the front of the queue for cherished places in some of the county’s top optional school programs.

Tennessee senators Gresham, Kelsey offer alternative voucher bill
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, January 22, 2014
Senate Education Committee Chairman Dolores Gresham and Sen. Brian Kelsey Thursday will introduce a compromise to Gov. Bill Haslam’s plan for vouchers that would allow income-eligible students from the bottom 10 percent of schools to get taxpayer help to attend private schools.

TEXAS

Strange bedfellows to unite at school choice event
Houston Chronicle Blog, TX, January 22, 2014
Who said Republicans and Democrats can’t come together? Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, of Houston, both are scheduled to speak Saturday at a rally for school
choice at Minute Maid Park.

VIRGINIA

Homeschool sports bill moves forward in Va. House
The Virginian-Pilot, VA, January 23, 2014
Maybe the sixth time’s the charm. Del. Rob Bell, an Albemarle Republican, is trying once more for legislation allowing homeschooled students to participate in interscholastic sports and activities. The bill cleared its first hurdle Wednesday, making it out of a House subcommittee.

WASHINGTON

Officials hear pros, cons of charter schools in Tacoma
News Tribune, WA, January 22, 2014
Supporters and opponents of charter schools spoke to members of the state Charter School Commission in Tacoma on Wednesday night, offering their visions for what the independently operated public schools could mean in Washington state.

Spokane school board approves first charter application
Spokesman Review, WA, January 23, 2014
Spokane will be home to Washington’s first charter school. The state’s second-largest school district made the leap Wednesday in a historic school board vote to unanimously approve one of three charter school applicants: Pride Prep, a grass-roots effort led by former Garry Middle School Principal Brenda McDonald.

WISCONSIN

School voucher program has outlived its promises and potential
Opinion, On Milwaukee, WI, January 23, 2014
The latest disclosure of what looks like a rip-off of Wisconsin taxpayer money used for the school voucher system has got to be another nail in the coffin of the entire system.

ONLINE LEARNING

Adequate technology lacking in schools as online tests loom
Chillicothe Gazette, OH, January 23, 2014
With impending new state tests planned for the next school year, some Ohio districts are concerned their students — and their classrooms — won’t be ready for the technology-centered exams.

Arkansas Virtual Academy offers students, parents more control over education
Log Cabin Democrat, AR, January 22, 2014
Seven-year-old William Boucher enjoys reading from his big book of Dr. Seuss at his Nana’s house. He can sound out the words and read the stories, which is a change from how things were going a year ago.

Former NC Gov. Bev Perdue launches digital learning nonprofit
Charlotte Observer, NC, January 22, 2014
Former Democrat Gov. Bev Perdue had a few kind words for the GOP-led state legislature and her successor Wednesday as she launched DigiLEARN, a nonprofit that wants to enhance education through digital learning.

Franklin Regional, union agree to start online learning academy
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, January 23, 2014
Starting this fall, students can earn a Franklin Regional diploma online. On Monday, officials of the district and its teachers union reached an agreement to form the Franklin Regional Online Learning Academy.

GUHSD’s online learning academy near going up
Glendale Star, AZ, January 23, 2014
Glendale Union High School District has begun construction on the expansion of its online learning academy at Apollo High School.

Online charter school continues fight for release of A-F report Card
Tulsa World, OK, January 23, 2014
Epic One on One, an online charter school, is still fighting to get the Oklahoma State Department of Education to release its A-F report card.

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

GOP touts school choice to woo minority vote
Politico, January 22, 2014
Republicans eager to attract black and Latino voters believe they have hit on an ideal magnet: school choice.

Why school choice opens a door to the American Dream
FoxNews, January 22, 2013
In America, a good education is the great equalizer, something that gives our children the chance to fulfill their potential no matter how they fared in the lottery of life. That’s why the more we can do to empower parents to pick and choose the schools that best meet their kids’ needs, the better. It’s one way for us to live up to our billing as the “Land of Opportunity.”

STATE COVERAGE

ARIZONA

Charters vs District schools: From the teachers’ view
Prescott Daily Courier, AZ
January 21, 2014
There is a constant when it comes to teaching in charter and district schools and that’s a desire to enrich the lives of students and leave them a little better off than they were when class began.

CALIFORNIA

Proposed changes at Salinas charter school has parents riled
Monterey County Herald, CA, January 21, 2014
Middle school age students have different developmental needs, says Principal Juanita Perea. It’s one of the reasons she’s proposing to eliminate seventh and eighth grades from Oasis starting next school year.

Morgan Hill School children Lose in Battle against Charter Schools
Opinion, San Jose Inside, CA, January 21, 2014
The creation of a Navigator charter school in Morgan Hill met serious opposition, but test scores show that the achievement gap is getting worse.

The Charter School Tipping Point
Opinion, San Diego Voice, CA, January 21, 2014
The San Diego Unified School board recently shot down a proposed charter school, opening the door to questions about how many charter schools are too many, and whether the district is on the road to creating a parallel school system.

COLORADO

Douglas schools seek to opt out of federal, state standardized testing
The Denver Post, CO, January 22, 2014
The Douglas County School Board, the teachers union and school administrators don’t usually agree. But they do agree on one thing — there is too much U.S.- and state-mandated standardize testing, and it is adversely affecting students.

DELAWARE

Common Core may delay evaluation tie-in with teacher evaluations
News Journal, DE, January 21, 2014
With the state set to move to a new statewide test, teachers could see that test temporarily removed from their evaluations next year.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. teachers union files grievance with school system over erroneous evaluations
Washington Post, DC, January 21, 2014
The Washington Teachers’ Union has filed a class-action grievance with D.C. Public Schools in the wake of the recent disclosure that 44 teachers received erroneous performance ratings last year, including one who was wrongly fired as a result.

FLORIDA

School grades to stay, Florida education chief says
Miami Herald, FL, January 21, 2014
Public school superintendents hoping for a reprieve from the state’s polarizing school grading system won’t get any support from Florida’s education commissioner.

GEORGIA

Governor Deal: A better school shouldn’t be a privilege
Opinion, Savannah Morning News, GA, January 22, 2014
This is the time of year when parents of some students await midterm progress reports. Others await news whether their sons or daughters will earn admission to college. Underlying both of these common scenes is the desire of parents to ensure their child is getting an excellent education to compete in today’s world.

ILLINOIS

Bring on more charter schools
Commentary, Chicago Tribune, IL, January 22, 2014
Public education is at a crossroads in Chicago. The Chicago Board of Education will vote Wednesday on proposals to establish as many as 17 new charter school campuses.

Protesters sleep outside CPS HQ to oppose charter school expansion
Chicago Sun-Times, IL, January 21, 2014
Near subzero temperatures were sure to test the mettle of about 25 protesters who planned to sleep on the sidewalk Tuesday night in the Loop before attending a school board meeting in the morning to oppose the expansion of charter schools.

MASSACHUSETTS

In embracing charter schools, let’s get away from ‘us vs. them’ mentality
Letter, Boston Globe, MA, January 22, 2014
Kevin Andrews writes: Mayor Walsh is a conciliator who sees value in diverse views. By including both district and charter school children in his inauguration ceremonies, he is saying that all ideas on how to improve public education for all Boston children are welcome.

MICHIGAN

Teachers get help to boost kids’ reading
Detroit News, MI, January 22, 2014
Markita Gaines showed up for first grade unable to read or write. She didn’t know certain letters of the alphabet and she didn’t recognize her written name.

MISSOURI

Nixon wants more money for schools, spurns GOP tax cut
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, January 22, 2014
With state revenue growing at a healthy clip, Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon implored legislators Tuesday to make a massive investment in public education rather than parcel out surplus money as a tax cut.

Under a cloud of possible state takeover, nine file for KC school board seats
Kansas City Star, MO, January 21, 2014
The Kansas City school board as we know it may not survive the year, but it won’t go down without a fight. Or at least a good election race.

NEW JERSEY

Assemblyman unveils much-anticipated final draft of charter legislation
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, January 22, 2014
A new bill will soon be added to the debate over how – and how much – to revise the state’s nearly 20-year-old charter school law.

NEW YORK

Cuomo 1, de Blasio 0
Editorial, New York Post, NY, January 22, 2014
In another pointed slap at de Blasio, Cuomo took the advice of his education commission to declare that “charter schools will be eligible for pre-K funding.” Right now, charters are forbidden by law from providing pre-K, and de Blasio is threatening to make it more difficult for these public schools by charging them rent.

NORTH CAROLINA

A troubling charter school approved for Harnett County
Editorial, News & Observer, NC, January 21, 2014
Golf, swimming, walking trails, security and, yes, for your educational pleasure and convenience, a charter school! That’s pretty close to the description that a Harnett County developer can offer for the Anderson Creek Club, 45 miles south of Raleigh.

OHIO

No more snow days for private school; administrator flexibly restructures learning
Akron Beacon Journal, OH, January 21, 2014
When public schools closed for winter weather this month, the bus services they provided to private schools were also canceled.

OKLAHOMA

Tulsa school board OKs new compact with charter schools
Tulsa World, OK, January 21, 2014
The Tulsa school board scrapped its old agreement with the three charter schools it sponsors and adopted a new one Tuesday.

PENNSYLVANIA

Bill Green is a difficult man for a difficult job
Column, Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 22, 2014
Bill Green is a smart but difficult man. He does not play well with others, and the difficulty often arises when he shows them how smart he is.

Is Nutter changing his tune on charters?
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, January 22, 2014
IS MAYOR NUTTER changing his tune on charter schools? In June, as the School District of Philadelphia was readying to close 24 traditional schools while students fled to charters, Mayor Nutter went on national TV to defend the decision.

TENNESSEE

Common Core delay bid comes just too late
Opinion, Daily News Journal, TN, January 22, 2014
Tennessee adopted Common Core standards four years ago, but as the 2014-15 start date approaches, some legislators are having second thoughts.

TN education official’s remarks on charter school diversity draw criticism
The Tennessean, TN, January 22, 2014
Comments a top state education official made about charter school diversity drew a sharp rebuke from a Metro school board member Tuesday and prompted House Democrats to ask Gov. Bill Haslam to “disavow” the remarks.

VIRGINIA

100 Va. school boards oppose state takeover board
Washington Post, DC, January 21, 2014
One hundred school boards across Virginia — more than 75 percent of the total — have passed resolutions in support of a lawsuit challenging a state board approved by the General Assembly last year to take over the most chronically struggling schools in the state.

WASHINGTON

Proposed Spokane charter schools raise red flags
The Spokesman-Review, WA, January 22, 2014
A national organization is recommending Spokane Public Schools’ board reject two of the three charter school applicants up for approval tonight.

WISCONSIN

Lawmakers introduce new proposal to extend vouchers to special-needs students
Oshkosh Northwestern, WI, January 21, 2014
Republican lawmakers released their latest proposal Tuesday to extend taxpayer subsidies to help students with special needs attend private schools.

Molly Carey: Law pushing more charter schools a bad idea
Letter, Capital Times, WI, January 21, 2014
Wisconsin Assembly Bill 549 is a poor idea. AB 549 is modeled after ALEC’s Next Generation Charter Schools Act, which seeks to claim charter schools are public schools. It allows multiple agencies to authorize charter schools, increases the pace of privatization and undermines local control of schools. The backers of charter schools are right-wing organizations, wealthy individuals and Wall Street.

ONLINE LEARNING

Hallsville ISD adds virtual high school
Longview News-Journal, TX, January 22, 2014
Starting in the fall, any high school student in Texas will be able to graduate from Hallsville ISD through a new, tuition-free, virtual academy that the district plans to launch online in time for the 2014-15 academic year.

Virtual-charter kids in sports clears panel
Journal Gazette, IN, January 22, 2014
The House Education Committee on Tuesday cleared the way for Hoosier students attending virtual charter schools to play sports at public high schools.

Wauwatosa Virtual Academy attracts nearly 100 students
Wauwatosa Now, WI, January 21, 2014
The Wauwatosa Virtual Academy is about halfway through its first year, and learning as it goes. It has attracted almost 100 students of various kinds; provided a powerful option for kids under court jurisdiction in the district; and finds itself dealing with a relatively fluid student body as Open Enrollment students from around the state seek it out.

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

California dreaming on education reform
Editorial, New York Post, NY, January 18, 2014
The case is Vergara v. California, and it aims to overturn several state laws that make it hard, if not impossible, to sack bad teachers.

Dr. King and the Common Core
Opinion, New York Daily News, NY, January 20, 2014
In the speech, King laments the disparity between African-Americans and white Americans in every aspect of society. He asserts that there is only one way to commemorate the Emancipation Proclamation, and that is “to make its declaration of freedom real.”

Why We Can’t Wait to Close the School Achievement Gap
Huffington Post, January 19, 2014
As we mark the federal holiday that celebrates the life and work and sacrifice of Dr. King, the words of a young transformative leader in the making have been muted. A growing achievement gap affecting students of color threatens our communities.

STATE COVERAGE

ALABAMA

Backdoor charter schools
Letter, The Birmingham News, AL, January 19, 2014
It is apparent that the current Birmingham Board of Education does not plan to seek reelection. After working behind closed and negotiating with other business leaders in the Woodlawn area, they are planning to initiate a process to change Woodlawn to something just short of a charter school.

Takeover of Selma City School System immiment, unavoidable
The Selma Times-Journal, AL, January 18, 2014
In an effort to help The Selma Times-Journal readers better understand the Alabama State Board of Education’s resolution to notify Selma City Schools of its intentions to take over the system, we have translated it into terms that everyone can understand.

COLORADO

With midyear review, Colorado’s new teacher evaluations take shape
Denver Post, CO, January 19, 2014
In her midyear review, part of the new process of educator evaluation in Colorado, high school English teacher Kimba Rael struggles to address how she incorporates math into instruction that generally emphasizes literature.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Dunbar High autonomy proposal stirs debate in D.C.
Washington Post, DC, January 18, 2014
A proposal to improve Dunbar High School by converting it to an autonomous and selective school has generated widespread debate among teachers, students, alumni and community members. It’s a debate not only about the future of Dunbar, one of the District’s most storied public schools, but also about the city’s ability to serve all students.

More than a quarter of state-funded preschool seats went unfilled this year
Washington Post, DC, January 19, 2014
Prince William County qualified for enough state funding this year to provide pre-kindergarten classes to more than 1,600 children from low-income families. But the county turned down nearly all of that money and instead serves just 72 children in four classrooms.

GEORGIA

School board to tackle funding, Common Core, charter status
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, January 19, 2014
Newly elected Cobb Board of Education Chairwoman Kathleen Angelucci and Vice Chair Randy Scamihorn said they have a long year ahead of them.

ILLINOIS

It’s time for school choice in Illinois
Opinion, Chicago Tribune, IL, January 19, 2014
Four years ago, the Illinois General Assembly came close to approving a school voucher program for Chicago Public Schools. Close, but lawmakers failed.

INDIANA

Preschool bill offers poor lesson
Editorial, Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette, IN, January 19, 2014
Indiana House members pushed a preschool bill forward last week, but look for their Senate colleagues to take a more skeptical approach to legislation that is more about expanding school vouchers than educating preschoolers.

LOUISIANA

Louisiana begins accepting voucher applications
Alexandria Town Talk, LA, January 20, 2014
The Department of Education is taking applications for students who wish to participate in the Louisiana Scholarship Program, which offers vouchers for some students to attend private and parochial schools at state expense.

MASSACHUSETTS

Atlantis, New Heights charter schools forming partnership
Herald News, MA, January 20, 2014
One is a charter school that has long been a city presence, seeking to expand. The other is a proposed charter school awaiting approval from the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Boston Public Schools seeks more diverse teaching force
Boston Globe, MA, January 20, 2014
The Boston Public Schools, facing a decline in the number of black teachers that puts the school system in violation of a federal court order, is stepping up efforts to recruit and retain teachers of color.

MICHIGAN

Michigan teacher evaluation requirements set for changes under bipartisan legislation
The Ann Arbor News, MI, January 19, 2014
Michigan’s teachers are still going to be graded on how effective they are in the classroom, but lawmakers are considering changing how those grades are determined.

NEW JERSEY

Education reform may have broadest partisan appeal
Commentary, Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ, January 19, 2014
After a bumpy start to the political year, everyone is wondering what will come of Gov. Chris Christie’s ambitions for himself and for the state. Where exactly will the governor use the political capital from his landslide victory in November?

NJEA: New evals scare teachers
Daily Record, NJ, January 20, 2014
Throughout New Jersey, teachers and administrators are bracing for the first set of evaluations that tie staff reviews to student performance.

NEW YORK

Charter lie debunked
Opinion, New York Post, NY, January 19, 2014
To undermine the credibility of charter school success, opponents claim that they churn through their students at a rapid clip, attracting high-performing youngsters while casting off those who cause trouble or drag down test scores.

NORTH CAROLINA

Choice plan leaves low-income students at the bottom
Winston-Salem Journal, NC, January 19, 2014
As schools became less diverse, test scores at some of those schools suffered. While not all schools that saw an increase in low-income and minority students saw drops in their test scores, those that did had one thing in common: a diversity problem.

Local Leaders Rally To Keep PACE Academy Open
WCHL, NC, January 19, 2014
Lisa Gangarosa is the mother of a ninth grader at PACE Academy. She says her family was shocked to hear the Carrboro-based charter school might have to close its doors this summer.

School choice: Program has merit, but it needs us all to make it work
Editorial, Winston-Salem Journal, NC, January 18, 2014
Despite its well-intentioned societal objectives, busing to achieve court-ordered integration in public schools was never a good idea. And while school choice, the program that replaced forced busing in Forsyth County in the 1990s, is not perfect, the foundation on which it is built is closer to our values.

Teachers speak on tenure, 25 percent
Asheville Citizen-Times, NC, January 19, 2014
Those two arguments have framed North Carolina’s debate over tenure for public school teachers for years, though the arguments will take a new turn in coming months.

OHIO

A glut of school vouchers
Marion Star, OH, January 19, 2014
Ohio repeatedly has moved to expand school choice throughout the state, but it appears the Legislature is well ahead of demand.

Charter-school program needs an overhaul
Letter, Columbus Dispatch, OH, January 19, 2014
The Dispatch has performed a great public service by illuminating the raid on the state treasury by charter-school operators who have no educational expertise, no business acumen and no interest in transparency or accountability (“ Charter failure,” article, last Sunday).

Legislation sparks debate over expulsions
Dayton Daily News, OH, January 20, 2014
Republican-backed legislation would allow public school superintendents to expel students for longer and require administrators to develop assessments and action plans each time a student is expelled.

Local grads less ready for college
Columbus Dispatch, OH, January 19, 2014
Graduates of central Ohio high schools were less prepared to enter college in 2012 than the class of 2011, according to new statewide data.

OKLAHOMA

Charter schools make their mark on OKC district
The Oklahoman, OK, January 20, 2014
Despite some mixed results, charter schools in the Oklahoma City school district generally are outperforming their traditional public school counterparts.

Oklahoma teacher need reaches crisis point
Tulsa World, OK, January 20, 2014
Oklahoma’s teacher shortage is worsening as salaries remain among the nation’s lowest and workplace pressures mount, prompting school districts statewide to implement strategies to retain and recruit educators.

PENNSYLVANIA

Media NAACP addresses charter school legislation
Delaware County Times, PA, January 19, 2014
Community members joined Saturday afternoon to delve into concerns surrounding proposed state legislation that could potentially give charter schools more latitude and funding despite their lack of accountability.

North Philly charter school’s wellness center helps students to be well
New York Daily News, NY, January 20, 2014
NURSE JULIA Rodriguez loves at least two aspects of her job working at the Pan American Academy Charter School.

Praise and reproach from Nutter on SRC nominations
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 18, 2014
Gov. Corbett on Friday remade the School Reform Commission – and possibly the Philadelphia School District – in announcing two new choices for the panel.

TENNESSEE

Metro set to spend $560,000 on schools audit
The Tennessean, TN, January 20, 2014
Metro government would spend $560,000 on a highly anticipated audit of Nashville’s public school system under a preliminary agreement reached this month with a Houston-based auditor.

VIRGINIA

Patrick Henry school expanding into once-sealed classrooms
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, January 20, 2014
Richmond’s charter school has more room than ever to spread out. The staff, parents and community members are spending a few days sprucing up the Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts after four classrooms and the auditorium were finally opened for use after extensive renovations.

WISCONSIN

Charter schools work when controlled locally
Letter, Wisconsin State Journal, WI, January 18, 2014
I was dismayed by last Saturday’s guest column by Jarett Fields, “Phony attacks on charter school expansion.” The bill he supports would take away control of charter schools from local school boards, who understand the needs of their communities.

Private schools hope voucher program expands
Green Bay Press Gazette, WI, January 19, 2014
Administrators of area private schools participating in the expanded Wisconsin voucher program call it a success in its first year and already are working on plans to attract more students through the program in 2014-15.

Small but mighty: Private school enrollments decline, but rural school thrives
Green Bay Press Gazette, WI, January 19, 2014
As private schools weeks kicks off on Jan. 26, leaders of Green Bay area private or parochial schools acknowledge the challenges of declining enrollments, but remain hopeful trends will turn around. Catholic and Lutheran educators say rural schools can survive if congregations remain supportive.

ONLINE LEARNING

Push continues for local online learning options
Naperville Sun, IL, January 19, 2014
The push by local schools for more learning options outside the traditional classroom will have to continue with one less school district.

River Forest offers virtual academy
Muncie Times, IN, January 19, 2014
The River Forest School Corp. has created a virtual online academy to retain students and attract new ones.

Sawyer Academy growing
Pratt Tribune, KS, January 18, 2014
For a school with no building, Sawyer Academy, a virtual school operated through USD 438 Skyline, is doing quite well, thank you.