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

NATIONAL COVERAGE

Education Programs Are Bad For Education
Washington Examiner, DC, March 12, 2013
Schools of education, whether graduate or undergraduate, tend to represent the academic slums of most college campuses. They tend to be home to students who have the lowest academic achievement test scores when they enter college, such as SAT scores.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

New Poll Finds Strong Overall Support For School Choice, Support Slips When Tax Dollars Go To Private Schools
Alabama Blog, AL, March 12, 2013
A poll commissioned and paid for by Republicans has found solid support for a school choice plan passed by the Legislature Feb. 28.

ARKANSAS

Changes Could Come To The Charter School Process
THV11, AR, March 12, 2013
A House committee has approved legislation that would change the way Arkansas approves charter schools applications.

CALIFORNIA

L.A. Charter School Aims To Toss Out Students With Fake Addresses
Los Angeles Times, CA, March 13, 2013
Officials at Carpenter Community Charter, a top-notch elementary, think 120 children are enrolled fraudulently. They want to make room for students who live in the neighborhood.

Divided over L.A. Unified
Los Angeles Times, CA, March 12, 2013
One nasty election later, there is no sign that the divisiveness in the Los Angeles Unified School District will abate. If anything, it looks likely to increase, with activists in United Teachers Los Angeles announcing that teachers will vote on a passel of anti-reform positions.

Parent Trigger Group Gets Proposals To Remake LAUSD School
Contra Costa Times, CA, March 12, 2013
A group of Los Angeles parents who successfully invoked a state law to take over their failing school have received four proposals on how to remake the school, including one from the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Manteca Unified, Charter Schools Compete For Pupils
Manteca Bulletin, CA, March 13, 2013
Manteca Unified School District’s competition was fairly small just a few years ago. Primarily Christian schools such as St. Anthony’s, Plumfield Academy, Ripon Christian Schools, and Manteca Christian Schools competed with the district for students. And given parents had to come up with the tuition, the numbers of students who opted out of public school was small.

Students, Parents, Teachers Voice Support Of Imagine Imperial Valley To Local School Board
Imperial Press, CA, March 13, 2013
In an effort to ensure Imagine Imperial Valley stays open for years to come, parents and students alike pledged the charter school’s good work to the El Centro Elementary School District board of trustees at a meeting Tuesday.

COLORADO

Double Talk On Lobato Case Before The Colorado Supreme Court
Denver Post, CO, March 13, 2013
So if the Colorado Supreme Court upholds a district judge’s ruling that we grossly underfund our public schools, how long will judges, rather than elected lawmakers, dictate funding decisions?

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Median D.C. Charter School Outperforms Median Traditional, Study Finds
Washington Post, DC, March 13, 2013
Student proficiency in math and reading improved at the median D.C. public charter school over the past five years, while student proficiency at the city’s median traditional school declined, according to a new analysis of school data.

GEORGIA

Regional Charter School Idea Floated
Jackson Progress-Argus, GA, March 13, 2013
Area school officials are considering establishing a regional charter academy that would serve students from multiple counties, delivering a curriculum at least partly based around area business and industry needs.

Evaluation Process For Teachers Gaining Momentum Through Legislation
North Fulton, GA, March 12, 2013
State legislators are getting serious about the competency of teachers and administrators in local schools, and are putting political clout behind the drive. However, the legislation leaves more questions than answers for local school systems as they move toward full implementation.

INDIANA

Left In Dark On Charter Appeals
Journal Gazette, IN, March 13, 2013
Charter schools are public schools, financed with your tax dollars. Yet when Ball State University – a public, taxpayer-subsidized school – hears appeals from three local charter schools trying to save their Ball State-authorized charters, the hearings will be secret.

MASSACHUSETTS

Charter School’s Debt Shows Need For State Reforms
Gloucester Daily Times, MA, March 13, 2013
And the truth is, the schools debts once again point, more than anything else, to a dire lack of oversight on the part of the state’s Department of Education, and the need to reform the manner in which the state funds and then tends to its charter schools.

MICHIGAN

Charter School Boards Need More Training, Guidance
Bridge Magazine, MI, March 13, 2013
Since the new Legislature convened in January, more than 40 bills related to public education have been introduced. These bills cover a wide range of topics, from funding for pre-kindergarten programs to high school graduation requirements.

MISSISSIPPI

Senate Oks Ed Reform Bill In Close Vote
Clarion Ledger, MS, March 13, 2013
The Senate on Tuesday passed a comprehensive education reform bill that includes charter schools, but the vote was closer than expected and its fate in the House is uncertain.

NEVADA

Grants Save Rainshadow Community Charter School In Reno From Closing
Reno Gazette-Journal, NV, March 12, 2013
When news of the closing of Rainshadow Community Charter School came out last month, the community stepped up.

NEW JERSEY

Hatikvah Accuses E.B. Board Of Misusing Taxpayer Dollars
East Brunswick Sentinel, NJ, March 13, 2013
The Hatikvah International Academy Charter School’s board of trustees last week called upon the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office and the state commissioner of education to probe the East Brunswick Board of Education for what the charter school board described as a “gross misuse of taxpayer dollars to fund its ongoing campaign against the dual-language charter school.”

Student Achievement, The Real Goal of Educator Evaluation
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, March 13, 2013
On March 6, the New Jersey Department of Education submitted to the State Board new teacher and principal evaluation regulations, which will be required to be fully implemented beginning in September 2013. Before we begin a spirited debate on the details of the department’s proscriptive approach in the code, we should take a moment to focus on the goals of educator effectiveness and the realities of implementing school reforms, on the ground-floor level, in New Jersey schools.

NEW MEXICO

Charter School Sex Case Is Shrouded In Secrecy
Albuquerque Journal, NM, March 13, 2013
The people running Bataan Military Academy seem to forget that it is a public school using taxpayer dollars to keep it in operation.

NEW YORK

Walcott Urges Principals To Engage Parents On New Academic Standards
New York Daily News, NY, March 12, 2013
Principals should do a better job engaging parents, city Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott admitted Tuesday.

OHIO

Kasich’s Pick Is Named State Schools Chief
Columbus Dispatch, OH, March 13, 2013
A divided state Board of Education yesterday named Gov. John Kasich’s top education adviser as Ohio school superintendent.

Court Orders Charter-School Manager To Open Books
Columbus Dispatch, OH, March 13, 2013
The Franklin County Court of Appeals upheld an order requiring Ohio’s largest for-profit manager of charter schools to share detailed financial records.

Gov. John Kasich’s School Funding Formula Would Increase Charter School Aid By 4.5 Percent
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, March 12, 2013
Charter schools would receive about $35 million more from the state — a 4.5 percent increase — under Gov. John Kasich’s proposed school funding formula than they have over the last two years, according to an analysis by the Legislative Service Commission.

OREGON

Supporters Of Kids Unlimited’s Charter School Proposal Pack House At Hearing
Mail Tribune, OR, March 13, 2013
The Medford School Board meeting room overflowed Monday night with supporters of Kids Unlimited’s proposed charter school, VIBES.

PENNSYLVANIA

Philly Charter School Lottery Shows Effects Of District Closures
6abc, PA, March 12, 2013
A thousand kids applied to get in, but there’s only room for a little more than 100. On Tuesday night, GLA, Global Leadership Academy Charter School in West Philadelphia, held its lottery for grades kindergarten through 8.

TENNESSEE

Charters Drain Funds From Other Students, Board Chairwoman Says
The Tennessean, TN, March 13, 2013
Charter schools are expected to siphon about $40 million from the Metro Nashville school budget next year, school board Chairwoman Cheryl Mayes said, leaving the district with a shortfall close to $30 million.

Tennessee House Committee OKs Voucher Bill
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, March 12, 2013
With heated discussion on both sides, a school-voucher bill passed 9-4 Tuesday in the House Education committee, moving Tennessee a step closer to allowing income-eligible children in failing schools to attend private schools with tax dollars in the fall.

WEST VIRGINIA

Education Bill Clears Senate Education Committee
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, March 12, 2013
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and supporters of his education initiatives won the first round on Tuesday as the Senate Education Committee approved a moderately altered version of his massive bill.

WISCONSIN

Arnold, Carstensen, Arnesen And Brien: Keep Public In Public Education
Capital Times, WI, March 13, 2013
Gov. Walker’s budget proposals for K-12 education continue to undermine local control of public education, while elevating private schools.

State Law Allows Unaccredited Voucher Schools To Stay In Program
Journal Sentinel Blog, WI, March 12, 2013
Three private schools in Milwaukee that have accepted millions of dollars from taxpayers through the voucher program are no longer accredited, but may continue accepting students because of a loophole in state law, records show.

ONLINE LEARNING

As I See It: A Solution To Cyber-Charter School Funding
Patriot News, PA, March 13, 2013
Next year, Pennsylvania’s public school districts will send $1 billion to charter and cyber-charter schools across the state. But what if Pennsylvania taxpayers could save $1 billion next year and every year after that. A bill now before the state Senate would do just that.

Cyber School Funding Reform Urged
The Sentinel, PA, March 12, 2013
Legislators can save $4.6 million in taxpayer dollars just by fixing the formula school districts use to fund cyber-charter schools, says a report from Education Matters in the Cumberland Valley.

Caution In Authorizing Online Schools Makes Sense
Jackson Sun, TN, March 13, 2013
A proposal by Gov. Bill Haslam to put limits on privately-run online schools in Tennessee is set to be taken up in a Senate committee this week. Better known as “virtual schools,” online education is a new approach to education that has potential, but still is in the developmental stage. Haslam is right to take a go-slow approach to bringing online education to Tennessee.

Fox Valley Districts Set Hearings On Proposed ‘Virtual’ Education Effort
Aurora Beacon News, IL, March 12, 2013
Residents of 17 Fox Valley school districts will get their chance to ask questions about a proposed charter school that would serve students online, rather than in a classroom.

Online Charter School Proposed for District 427
Daily Chronicle, IL, March 13, 2013
Sycamore School District 427 could add an online charter school next school year if the Board of Education approves.

BDHS Expands Virtual Classes
Beaver Dam Daily Citizen, WI, March 12, 2013
Beaver Dam High School principal Mark DiStefano said the Virtual Academy program at the school will expand next semester.

Virtual Charter School Enrolling Students
KNOE, LA, March 12, 2013
There’s no need to wait for the bell to ring to start learning, a group of educators have a different way to help students learn and they don’t have to go far to do it.

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

NATIONAL COVERAGE

AFT’s Weingarten On Why She Got Arrested, ‘The Gall’ Of Reformers, Etc.
Washington Post Blog, DC, March 12, 2013
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten was arrested last week in Philadelphia while protesting a hearing of the School Reform Commission that voted to close 23 public schools. Here’s a Q & A with her about why she went to Philadelphia, what teachers are worried about, and more.

Report: Half Trillion Needed To Update Schools
Associated Press, March 12, 2013
America’s schools are in such disrepair that it would cost more than $270 billion just to get elementary and secondary buildings back to their original conditions and twice that to get them up to date, a report released Tuesday estimated.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

Scofield Responds To Alabama Education Association’s ‘Betrayal Ad
Sand Mountain Reporter, AL, March 11, 2013
State Sen. Clay Scofield, R- Red Hill, recently found himself in the crosshairs of an ad placed by the Alabama Education Association, which claimed he betrayed his constituents with his support of the recently passed Alabama Accountability Act.

Alabama School-Choice Decision as Theater of the Absurd
National Review Online, March 11, 2013
No claim was too ridiculous. But farce doesn’t seem to capture what happened last week in Alabama.

ALASKA

Bill Increases Time Required For Teacher Tenure
Alaska Public Radio, AK, March 11, 2013
Public school teachers might have to wait a couple years longer to acquire tenure rights if a bill proposed in the Alaska House is passed.

CALIFORNIA

Parent Group Receives Proposals To Remake Failing LAUSD Elementary
San Bernardino Sun, CA, March 11, 2013
A group of Los Angeles parents who successfully invoked a state law to take over their failing school have received four proposals on how to remake the school, including one from the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Educators Gathering For Charter School Confab
San Diego Union Tribune, CA, March 12, 2013
Educators from across the state are in San Diego this week for the 20th annual California Charter School Conference.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

KIPP DC Proposes New High School in Southwest Washington
Washington Post, DC, March 11, 2013
One of the District’s highest-performing charter schools is proposing to build a high school on public land in Southwest, drawing mixed reviews from those with a stake in that part of the city.

35% Of Gates Foundation Scholarships Go To Friendship Charter Students
Washington Examiner, DC, March 11, 2013
More than 300 District public school students have received full college scholarships for next year through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

GEORGIA

‘Parent-Trigger’ Bill Bad For Schools
Savannah Morning News, GA, March 12, 2013
House Bill 123, which passed the House and is now awaiting a Senate hearing, is aptly nicknamed the “parent-trigger” bill because it may “trigger” anything from the firing of a principal, switching faculty all over the place or (the real reason) so that a public school could be converted to a charter school.

Byron Council Votes To Transfer Building For Proposed Charter School
Macon Telegraph, GA, March 12, 2013
City Council voted unanimously Monday to give a former elementary school building the city owns to a group working to start a charter school in Byron.

Deal, NAACP In Heated Talks Over DeKalb School Board
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, March 11, 2013
A meeting between Gov. Nathan Deal and leaders of several civil rights organizations took a fiery turn on Monday during discussions on whether Deal should be specifically seeking black candidates to replace DeKalb County’s ousted school board members.

ILLINOIS

A Promise Worth Breaking
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 10, 2013
Chicago Public Schools officials are trying to unload 24 school sites that have been vacant at least 10 years. Soon, they’ll likely have a lot more properties to move in their vast real estate portfolio.

CPS Changing How It Gives Money To Schools
WBEZ, IL, March 11, 2013
Chicago Public Schools is fundamentally changing how it will fund schools next year—giving principals the power to decide how many teachers to hire and what programs to offer.

INDIANA

School Choice Advocates Step Out
The Journal Gazette, IN, March 12, 2013
Supporters of alternatives to traditional public education took to the Statehouse on Monday to encourage lawmakers to continue the fight for school choice.

Gov. Mike Pence: Indiana Needs More Education Reform
Indianapolis Star, IN, March 11, 2013
Indiana needs to keep pushing for more education reform to build on the momentum of the past two years, Gov. Mike Pence told a Statehouse education reform rally on Monday.

MAINE

Portland Charter School Sues Its Founder
Portland Press Herald, ME, March 11, 2013
he board of Portland’s first charter school is suing fired founder John Jaques, demanding that he turn over all school property that he still controls online.

MARYLAND

Montgomery County Report To Focus On Progress In Narrowing Achievement Gap In Schools
Washington Post, DC, March 12, 2013
The Montgomery County Council will be receiving an update on how well county schools are narrowing the achievement gap.

MICHIGAN

Michigan Education Panel Outlines School Reforms At Pioneer High School Event
Ann Arbor News, MI, March 12, 2013
A forum at Ann Arbor’s Pioneer High School to discuss the future of public education in Michigan drew a standing-room-only crowd of nearly 300 people Monday night.

Detroit School Board Seeks Contempt Order Today Against Roberts
Detroit News, MI, March 12, 2013
The Detroit Board of Education is asking a Wayne County judge on Tuesday to hold Emergency Manager Roy Roberts in contempt of a court order that requires both the board and Roberts to work cooperatively in operating Detroit Public Schools.

MINNESOTA

Charter Schools For ‘At-Risk’ Kids: What Are Fair Standards?
MinnPost, MN, March 11, 2013
The school is one of about 25 charter high schools in Minnesota that serve academically at-risk students. This can mean students who are behind in credits, perform well below their grade level, have dropped out of or been expelled from school, are pregnant, have mental health problems or — an increasing problem since the recession — are homeless.

MISSISSIPPI

Miss. House Rejects Appointed Superintendents Bill
Clarion Ledger, MS, March 11, 2013
House members want Mississippians to keep their elected school superintendents.

NEBRASKA

National Common Core Academic Standards Get A Closer Look From State
Omaha World Herald, NE, March 12, 2013
Nebraska’s refusal to adopt the Common Core academic standards in math and language arts could cost students, teachers and taxpayers as 45 other states press full steam ahead to implement them, some educators say.

NEW JERSEY

Matter of Principals: School Administrators Also Getting New Grading System
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, March 12, 2013
Revamped evaluations, which don’t apply only to teachers, prompt questions from principals association about criteria

Poll: N.J. Teacher Evaluations Too Heavy On Testing
Daily Record, NJ, March 12, 2013
Readers overwhelmingly said they think the state is relying too heavily on standardized testing in its newly proposed plans for assessing the state’s educators, but most also said the evaluations should include test scores, according to a New Jersey Press Media online survey this month.

NEW YORK

Panel Rejects Proposal to Stop School Closings
New York Times, NY, March 12, 2013
A city panel on Monday night rejected a proposal to stop city-mandated school closings in a tense, often raucous meeting, effectively putting any hopes of reversing Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s education policy into the next mayor’s hands.

NORTH CAROLINA

N.C. Charter School Review Board May Be Cut
News & Record, NC, March 12, 2013
The 15-member group that reviews state charter school applications could soon be disbanded. Senate Bill 10, or the Government Reorganization and Efficiency Act, would eliminate a host of state boards and commissions, including the Charter School Advisory Council.

For Better North Carolina Schools, Link Teacher Pay To Effectiveness
News & Observer, NC, March 11, 2013
Thirty years after being warned that America is “A Nation At Risk,” our schools are still not where they need to be. Gov. Pat McCrory says the school system is broken. Teachers complain that they are disrespected and underpaid. Parents wonder whether their kids are getting the education they need for a global economy.

OREGON

Kids Unlimited Charter School Hangs in the Balance
KOBI-TV, OR, March 11, 2013
The Kids Unlimited Charter School, which would serve vulnerable kids in the community, has been five years in the making. But now, there are concerns about a potential conflict of interest.

PENNSYLVANIA

Parents Tell School Board They Plan To Open A Charter School
Sun Gazette, PA, March 12, 2013
Southern Tioga School District board members got an earful from a large contingent of Liberty area residents upset that the board closed their school and will bus their children to North Penn in the fall.

Charter School Controversy Here
Lancaster New Era, PA, March 12, 2013
The School District of Lancaster school board is expected to vote March 19 on whether to approve a charter school application that has generated a lot of hard feelings.

ASD Denies Elderton Charter School’ Application
The Kittanning Paper, PA, March 12, 2013
The Armstrong School District Board of Directors formally voted 8-1 to deny the application of the founding board members to create Everlasting Elderton Charter School.

Pa. Must End ‘Double Dip’ Reimbursement Of Charter School Pension Costs
Allentown Morning Call, PA, March 11, 2013
As our school districts prepare their budgets for next school year, we must account for cyber charter school tuition payments for students who do not attend district schools that divert significant resources from our budgets. When it comes to cyber charter school tuition, our school districts and taxpayers are overpaying these schools, and we must address this issue now.

TENNESSEE

Charter School Authorizer Debate Begins To Heat Up
The Tennessean, TN, March 12, 2013
Both supporters and naysayers of a statewide charter school authorizer are taking their pleas to the streets and asking for support.

Memphis Board Members To Consider Cutting Seniority Pay For Teachers
Commercial Appeal, TN, March 11, 2013
School boards for years have affirmed the value of seniority and advanced degrees by paying teachers more for both. Next week, the board is expected to approve policy changes to ditch them both except for math and science teachers.

TEXAS

Texas Tutoring System Provides A Lesson In Dysfunction
Star-Telegram, TX, March 11, 2013
As with many good intentions, No Child Left Behind meant well with its tutoring mandate: low-income students at consistently struggling schools are eligible for tutoring paid by federal funds.

Teachers Rally In Capitol Over School Reform, Funding, Vouchers
Houston Chronicle, TX, March 12, 2013
Hundreds of Texas public school teachers, rallying Monday at the Capitol, left state lawmakers with some homework for the rest of the year’s legislative session: Allocate more money for schools. Require less testing. And say no to vouchers.

UTAH

Left Behind
Salt Lake Tribune, UT, March 11, 2013
But, despite problems with No Child Left Behind, the concept of leaving no child behind as state lawmakers divvy up revenue for public education is well worth keeping in mind. Some education bills under discussion as the legislative session winds down have lost that focus.

WISCONSIN

Every Child Deserves A Great School
Baraboo News Republic, WI, March 12, 2013
If you’ve been listening to the arguments offered by supporters and opponents of Wisconsin’s school voucher program over the years, you’ve probably noticed each side has a very different focus. Supporters speak up for poor kids. Opponents speak up for the public school system.

A Crash Course On The Constitutionality Of School Choice
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, March 12, 2013
Now that Gov. Walker has announced plans to expand the school choice program, we are hearing gravely intoned “concerns” about the program’s constitutionality. These are expressed, not as claims that school choice violates the state or federal constitution, but as the vague raising of “questions” and identification of “issues.”

State Withholding About $1.3 Million From 5 Milwaukee Voucher Schools
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, March 11, 2013
Five private schools in Milwaukee’s voucher program are operating on fumes this semester as the state Department of Public Instruction continues to hold back about $1.3 million in payments to them.

ONLINE LEARNING

District 304 Holds Hearing On Virtual Online Charter School
Kane County Chronicle, IL, March 12, 2013
What if they gave a party and the guest of honor did not show up? That is kind of what happened Monday at Geneva School District 304’s public hearing on an application to establish an online charter school: Virtual Learning Solutions, which made the application, was a no-show at the hearing.

La. Online Program Chooses To Register
The Advocate, LA, March 12, 2013
Despite legal questions the state is taking applications for online and other courses that will be offered by private firms and colleges, state Superintendent of Education John White said Monday.

Virtual Schools Respond
Albuquerque Journal, NM, March 11, 2013
The basic quarrel is whether charter schools should be able to contract with for-profit companies to provide fully online curriculum. Opponents of such schools say that New Mexico law does not allow for-profit entities to manage charter schools, and that these online companies are essentially managing the schools. Proponents say the charters are locally managed by their governing boards, and the online companies are just providing curriculum, like any for-profit textbook publisher.

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

New Front in Charter Schools
Wall Street Journal, March 11, 2013
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering eliminating a cap on the number of charter schools that can operate in the lowest-performing school districts, including here in the capital city.

States Draw A Hard Line On Third-Graders, Holding Some Back Over Reading
Washington Post, DC, March 10, 2013
A growing number of states are drawing a hard line in elementary school, requiring children to pass a reading test in third grade or be held back from fourth grade.

The Education Reforms We’ve Been Arguing About? Mostly, They Go Nowhere.
Washington Post, DC, March 10, 2013
Those of us arguing about the latest reforms — rating teachers by student test scores, switching to the Common Core standards, opening more charter schools — should read Cuban’s masterful book, “Inside the Black Box of Classroom Practice: Change Without Reform in American Education.” He listens and watches quietly in classrooms. He sifts through the research. Then he reveals how little the reforms have added, no matter what their promoters or critics say about them.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

Vouchers: It’s Our Money
Decatur Daily, AL, March 10, 2013
Legislators, consumed with the desire to keep HB84 secret, failed to get the input they needed to create a bill that benefits the state. It drains money from the Education Trust Fund and funnels it to private entities. Some in Alabama resent their tax dollars going to public schools. They may find they are even less comfortable financing the schools allowed by HB84.

How The HB84 Private-School Tax Credit Could Affect Alabama Families
Anniston Star, AL, March 10, 2013
Jan Hurd has been waiting a long time for Alabama to set up a school choice program.

CALIFORNIA

Local Families Try Their Luck In Charter School Lottery
Lodi News Sentinel, CA, March 10, 2013
Inside were the names of 230 children. There was little conversation as the minutes ticked toward 9 a.m. when a volunteer would begin to call out names. A class list printed on five huge sheets of paper was tacked on the far wall. More than half the class was already full from students with family at the school. Only 29 places remained for the parents who filed in, filling the air with tension.

Charter District Outgrowing Space
San Diego Union-Tribune, CA, March 10, 2013
Popular charter schools run by Dennis “Coach” Snyder on the northeast side of the city are experiencing growing pains.

The Wrong Fight Over Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, March 11, 2013
The politics of education need to shift from who controls governance to building the system’s capacity.

FLORIDA

Should School District Save Charter Schools?
Palm Beach Post, FL, March 11, 2013
As they discussed the fates of three struggling charter schools last week, an interesting — and to some, surprising — debate erupted among Palm Beach County School Board members over the district’s responsibility to help quasi-public schools when they’re faltering.

For Escambia Students, School Choice No Longer Limited By Location
Pensacola News Journal, FL, March 11, 2013
Next school year, Escambia County parents will have more choices where to send their children to school.

Educated, Informed Choice Is Vital
News Chief, FL, March 11, 2013
The hundreds of millions of dollars that are being funneled into private, for-profit programs would surely help fix our public schools.

Schools Chief Warns That Plan To Give Parents Power In School Turnarounds Is Flawed
Palm Beach Post, FL, March 8, 2013
A controversial “parent trigger” plan to let parents take over failing schools is on the fast track, but Education Commissioner Tony Bennett cautioned lawmakers this week that the proposal gives the state too much power and creates too much red tape for parents.

Don’t Pull The Trigger
Miami Herald, FL, March 11, 2013
Daniel Shoer Roth’s March 7 article, Deadly trigger for public schools, hits the mark — privatization of public institutions for private profit.

GEORGIA

DeKalb School Superintendent Addresses Dunwoody Concerns
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, March 11, 2013
This is what DeKalb school district Interim Superintendent Michael Thurmond signed up for.

Newton Charter School To Close After This Year
Newton Citizen, GA, March 9, 2013
Officials with the Georgia Department of Education notified the Challenge Foundation last month that the school’s petition would be submitted to the state board of education with a recommendation for denial, according to NCSS.

IDAHO

Charter Schools Are Public Schools But Founding, Funding Are Unique
Idaho Reporter, ID, March 10, 2013
Since authorized for creation by the Legislature in 1998, Idaho has been home to 44 charter schools with a handful coming and going since then. There are currently 40 charter schools in the state.

ILLINOIS

Charter Schools Could Unionize
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 10, 2013
The United Neighborhood Organization, one of the largest charter networks in the city, is allowing teachers at its 13 charter campuses to unionize.

49th Ward Residents Ask Alderman To Oppose Charter Schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 11, 2013
Hundreds of North Side residents are asking their alderman, Joe Moore, to publicly oppose the opening of future charter schools in Chicago’s 49th ward.

INDIANA

Charter School HAST Exceeded Expectations
Northwest Times, IN, March 11, 2013
If you’ve read any of my previous columns, you’ll know I’m no friend of public education. I used to have the same attitude toward charter schools.

Study: Charter School Students Learning More
South Bend Tribune, IN, March 11, 2013
An average Michigan charter school student will learn more in a year than his or her public school peer, according to a new report by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes.

LOUISIANA

New School Policies Face Uncertain Future
The Advocate, LA, March 11, 2013
Already under one cloud, the future of sweeping changes in Louisiana public schools faces more uncertainty after a state district court judge tossed out a law that makes it harder for teachers to earn job security.

Choice Still On Table; Leave It To The Parents
American Press, LA, March 9, 2013
The deadline passed last month for local non-profits, public agencies and colleges to grant charters to Louisiana schools. Curiously, there were no takers.

Charter Review Team On County Schools Agenda
Shreveport Times, LA, March 9, 2013
Rutherford County board members will be asked this week to approve a review team to assist in evaluating charter school applications.

MAINE

Portland Charter School Flap Exposes Structural Flaw
Maine Sunday Telegram, ME, March 9, 2013
When charter schools are attacked for taking money away from public schools, we always hear the same response: Charter schools are public schools.

MASSACHUSETTS

Bold School Choice
Boston Herald, MA, March 11, 2013
Boston’s new school assignment plan, if approved by the School Committee this week, won’t resolve the angst of every Hub family who must endure the current, nearly universally-disdained process. In a system with 57,000 students and 128 schools there are simply too many competing interests to achieve assignment nirvana.

MICHIGAN

Schools Wrong In Skirting Right To Work
Detroit News, MI, March 11, 2013
As the days shorten before Michigan’s new right-to-work law takes effect late this month, a growing number of school districts and public universities are doing everything in their power to circumvent it.

MISSOURI

Will School Turnarounds Continue After The Federal Money Has Dried Up?
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, March 9, 2013
Before Cornelius Green arrived at Fanning Middle School, principals spent their days holed up in the office.

MONTANA

Opponents Rip Into School-Choice Tax Credit Measure
Montana Standard, MT, March 9, 2013
State Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction Dennis Parman didn’t mince words Friday when he blasted supporters of this session’s major bill creating tax credits to help finance scholarships for kids attending private schools in Montana.

NEBRASKA

Achievement Gap Still Tests OPS
World-Herald, NE, March 11, 2013
If you want to see progress in closing the achievement gap, check out Miller Park Elementary in north Omaha.

NEW JERSEY

Tenure Reform
The Record, NJ, March 9, 2013
WHEN LEGISLATION was passed and signed last summer reforming teacher tenure in New Jersey, both Democrats and Republicans hailed the move as a landmark achievement. Even the New Jersey Education Association was on board, having temporarily put aside its antipathy to the Christie administration.

NEW YORK

Why More Charters Need To Close
New York Daily News, NY, March 10, 2013
The United Federation of Teachers has finally gotten a taste of how hard it is to run a successful charter, with state authorities giving the East New York school only two years to improve.

Queens Parents Council Says No Room For New Charters In Overcrowded District 24
New York Daily News, NY, March 11, 2013
Community Education Council District 24 is opposed to using public school building space for charters; District encompasses Corona, Middle Village, Elmhurst

Rational Decisions and Heartbreak on School Closings
New York Times, NY, March 9, 2013
When it comes to school closings, the arguments may make sense on paper, but the reality is much messier.

NORTH CAROLINA

Drain – Low Teacher Pay Puts State’s Future In Doubt
Fayetteville Observer, NC, March 11, 2013
Few things are beyond dispute, but this comes close: North Carolina will never become a mecca for top-flight teachers if teacher pay remains just four slots out of last place.

STEAM Academy In Finance Trouble
Winston-Salem Journal, NC, March 11, 2013
A Winston-Salem charter school is once again in hot water with the State Board of Education.

Lottery For Future Charter School?
Shelby Star, NC, March 10, 2013
Leaders overseeing the organization of Cleveland County’s first charter school approved a lottery system Sunday that will help determine which applicants will attend the new school when it opens this August.

OHIO

Charter Schools Fail To Make Grade
Youngstown Vindicator, OH, March 11, 2013
When charter schools burst on Ohio’s education scene about 15 years ago, proponents claimed they could educate at-risk kids better — and more cheaply — than traditional public schools.

Race to Top Grants Not Worth Costs, Officials Say
Columbus Dispatch, OH, March 10, 2013
Requirements tied to federal Race to the Top education grants have become more work than the money is worth, some Ohio school districts say.

OKLAHOMA

School Success Is No Embarrassment
The Oklahoman, OK, March 11, 2013
In Oklahoma City, Tracy McDaniel is principal of KIPP Reach College Preparatory charter school. More than 90 percent of the school’s students are minorities and 83 percent are poor enough to qualify for free or reduced lunch.

PENNSYLVANIA

Level Field For Schools
Scranton Times-Tribune, PA, March 11, 2013
Charter schools are favored by the Corbett administration and many lawmakers as an effective means of alternative education, 16 years after they first were authorized by state law.

Recent Pennsylvania Legislation Overhauls Charter School Funding
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, March 11, 2013
A new legislative session in Harrisburg has brought a renewed effort at charter school overhaul.

City Schools Need To Adapt To Competition From Other Institutions
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 11, 2013
THE DEED is done. Amid some of the most well-orchestrated and well-attended protests from parents and activists in recent history, the School Reform Commission last week voted to close down nearly two-dozen schools and consolidate a dozen others.

Abiding Anxiety Of School Lottery
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 10, 2013
To go to Rosa, students have to enter a lottery. There is no way to bolster an application – students are selected at random. No preference is awarded to students who have a sibling at Rosa, although the district permits twins to apply together.

Admission to Pittsburgh’s Charter, Magnet Schools Becomes Difficult
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, March 11, 2013
For parents looking for a creative, outdoorsy education for their future kindergartners — with beautiful food in a beautiful building — the Environmental Charter School seems like a dream. Increasingly, it’s nearly an impossible one.

TENNESSEE

Charter Review Team On County Schools Agenda
The Tennessean, TN, March 9, 2013
Rutherford County board members will be asked this week to approve a review team to assist in evaluating charter school applications.

Haslam’s Limited Voucher Plan Is Best For Students
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, March 10, 2013
A bill in the Tennessee Legislature backed by Gov. Bill Haslam that would establish a school voucher program in the state has met with resistance from an unlikely source — the governor’s fellow Republicans.

Williamson Schools Chief Warns That Charters, Vouchers Could Lower Home Values
Tennessean, TN, March 8, 2013
If state legislators agree to expand the charter school and voucher systems in Tennessee, property owners in Williamson County will likely see a decline in the value of their home, according to the director of the county school system.

TEXAS

Texas Senate’s Education Chairman Pushes Bills On School Vouchers, Abortion, Lobbyists
Dallas Morning News, TX, March 10, 2013
Senate Education Committee Chairman Dan Patrick knows the power of volume. A radio station owner with a long career as a talk show host, the Houston Republican is trying to reshape Texas classrooms in the name of “school choice.”

Doing a Texas Two-Step Around Education Reform
Wall Street Journal, March 10, 2013
Watering down new high-school graduation standards will shortchange students, employers and the country.

UTAH

Voucher Backers Manhandle Education
Salt Lake Tribune, UT, March 9, 2013
Educators concerned about a bill they feel would ensure all public schools in Utah would get a failing grade under the new formula to evaluate student progress recently asked its sponsor, Sen. Stuart Adams, R-Layton, to come off the Senate floor and explain the measure.

VIRGINIA

McDonnell Achieves Mixed Results In Trying To Reform Virginia’s Schools
Washington Post, DC, March 10, 2013
Robert F. McDonnell ran for Virginia governor promising to reform public schools by offering parents more accountability and better teachers and giving them greater school choice by growing the state’s tiny list of charter schools.

A Republican That Virginia Educators Like
Roanoke Times, VA, March 11, 2013
The Virginia Education Association and state Republicans have not exactly been best buds in recent years. The GOP-controlled House of Delegates’ obstinate refusal to raise revenue has hit schools particularly hard. Tack on measures that divert funding away from public schools and hit teachers’ pocketbooks, and resentment blooms.

WEST VIRGINIA

National Teaching Corps Remains Hurdle In Tomblin’s Education Reform
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, March 11, 2013
Much of the vitriol surrounding Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s education reform bill concerns Teach For America, a national nonprofit that recruits college graduates to teach in high-need areas.

WISCONSIN

Are School Vouchers The Answer?
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, March 10, 2013
Gov. Scott Walker’s proposal to expand the state’s school voucher program, a policy by which the government subsidizes the cost to parents of sending kids to private schools, inspired conversation among Daily Herald Media readers.

ONLINE LEARNING

Closing Of K-8 Cyber School Leaves An Opening For Others
Boston Globe, MA, March 11, 2013
Online education suffered a glancing blow recently when the Greenfield School Committee decided to close the state’s first and only cyber school. The demise of the Massachusetts Virtual Academy will create a temporary vacuum, but also open a new opportunity for the state’s energetic education-reform community.

31 On Track To Graduate From Virtual Academy
Reading Eagle, PA, March 9, 2013
The Brandywine Heights School Board has learned that the district’s virtual academy this year expects to graduate 31 seniors of a total 92 regular-education students enrolled.

Virtual Charter Schools Offer A New, Innovation Option For Education
Gaston Gazette, NC, March 8, 2013
With all the discussion of reforming the education system in North Carolina, I decided to take a look at a one prospect that has been making waves over the last year or so and that idea is virtual charter schools.

Lawrence District Testing ‘Blended Classroom’ Model To Provide More Flexibility, Learning Opportunities
Lawrence Journal World, KS, March 11, 2013
Flores is one of several teachers in the Lawrence school district taking part in a field test of a relatively new learning model called a “blended classroom” — so named because it blends traditional teacher-led instruction with individualized online activities that students can work on at their own pace, from anywhere they can get an Internet connection.

Lawmakers Look At Virtual Charter Schools
KRQE, NM, March 10, 2013
Some New Mexico lawmakers are trying to put the brakes on virtual charter schools, but some students say this is their best option for getting an education.

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

NATIONAL COVERAGE

Rotten to the Core
Journal Gazette, IN, March 7, 2013
As soon as someone tells you something will save education, hide your children, hide your wife and check your back pocket. Because education deals with children and the American dream, it’s a land of magical thinking. The latest unproven fad is called Common Core.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

Judge Delays Decision On Private School Tax Credit Bill
Montgomery Advertiser, AL, March 6, 2013
A Montgomery County Circuit judge Wednesday morning delayed a ruling on a bill extending tax credits to students who transfer from designated failing public schools to non-failing ones or private schools after attorneys representing Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey filed a motion to dismiss.

More Questions Raised About Tax Credit Bill
Daily Home, AL, March 6, 2013
More questions than answers have been raised by the Alabama legislature’s passage last week of a bill originally written to allow flexibility and innovation in the state’s K-12 public schools through the Alabama Accountability Act of 2013.

CALIFORNIA

Big Money Doesn’t Buy Much In L.A. School Races
Los Angeles Times, CA, March 6, 2013
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s PAC raised nearly $4 million, much of it from outside interests, on behalf of three school board candidates. But it secured only one seat.

Local Fixes For ‘Failing’ Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, March 7, 2013
Nine California school districts are drawing up a more comprehensive way of measuring student progress.

COLORADO

Douglas County Schools Signs Unique Charter School Deal
9NEWS, CO, March 6, 2013
Over the past few years, strong emotions have surrounded the changes taking place within the Douglas County School District — from school vouchers to eliminating the contract with the teachers’ union. Now, there’s a project underway that may also be reflective of the new direction of the district.

FLORIDA

Charter School Plan Discussed
Tampa Tribune, FL, March 7, 2013
A meeting on potential environmental impacts of building a charter high school off Sunset Lane drew an overflow crowd of residents, many characterizing it as a bad fit that would adversely impact natural resources.

Charter School Lunacy
Orlando Sentinel, FL, March 7, 2013
Albert Einstein famously defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” A shuttered Orlando charter school that bore his name again proves the point.

Daniel Shoer Roth: Deadly Trigger For Public Schools
Miami Herald, FL, March 6, 2013
Florida legislators plan to exploit once again the good intentions of parents and their desire for a fine education for their children to advance lawmakers’ privatization crusade.

GEORGIA

400 Seek Dekalb School Board Seat; 1 Gives Hers Up
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, March 7, 2013
More than 400 people applied for the six openings on the DeKalb County school board by Wednesday’s deadline, and the governor’s office, under pressure to get the vacant positions filled fast, promised the process won’t be “weeks-long.”

Parent Trigger Law On Charter Schools Closer To Reality
Augusta Chronicle, GA, March 6, 2013
Parents and teachers in Georgia are a step closer to having more authority over who runs their children’s low-performing schools and how those campuses are structured.

IDAHO

Ed Alternatives: Idaho House Signs Off on Second Charter Schools Bill
Magic Valley Times News, ID, March 6, 2013
A measure giving organizations including Idaho public universities and non-profits power to open charter schools has passed the House.

ILLINOIS

CPS Panel: Up To 80 Schools Could Close
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 7, 2013
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration could safely close or overhaul as many as 80 schools this year, according to the final report of a commission that just two months ago voiced misgivings about the district’s ability to close a large number of schools without major upheaval.

Minorities Doing Better In District 87
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 6, 2013
Officials at Glenbard High School District 87 in Glen Ellyn expect it will take another three to five years before significant gains are made in reducing minority achievement gaps.

IOWA

Senate’s Education Bill Flexible On Teacher Mentorship
Des Moines Register, IA, March 7, 2013
The Iowa Senate is advancing a statewide education reform initiative for Iowa’s public schools, although it’s not an identical blueprint of the proposal unveiled earlier this session by Gov. Terry Branstad.

KANSAS

Kansas Casts Eye On Teachers Unions
Kansas City Star, KS, March 6, 2013
The visceral battle over teachers’ unions has marched its way across the country. Ohio. Idaho. Wisconsin. Michigan. And now it advances into Kansas, greeted by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and his conservative allies in the Legislature.

LOUISIANA

Grading The Evaluation
Monroe News Star, LA, March 7, 2013
Many Louisiana teacher evaluations include an observation tool that some believe presents an incomplete view of job performance and could ultimately result in an inaccurate assessment.

Parents Get Second Shot At Applying For Jefferson Parish Magnet Schools
Times-Picayune, LA, March 6, 2013
In an effort to try to fill more than 500 vacant spots in the district’s eight magnet schools, Jefferson Parish school officials are opening a second application period from April 1-17.

MICHIGAN

Michigan School Districts Feel Pinch As Deficits Grow
Detroit News, MI, March 7, 2013
Only 11 of the 49 Michigan school districts in deficit expect to end the budget year in the black, while 13 have seen their deficits grow during the year, according to a report by State Superintendent Mike Flanagan.

MINNESOTA

Henderson Charter School Gets Approval To Include K-5 Grades
Mankato Free Press, MN, March 7, 2013
The third try was the charm for Minnesota New Country School, which will expand with a long-sought elementary curriculum next fall.

MISSISSIPPI

Charter Schools Part Of Omnibus Bill
Desoto Times Tribune, MS, March 7, 2013
Charter schools in Mississippi will be discussed as part of an omnibus bill in the Mississippi Senate on Thursday which will be a compilation of Gov. Phil Bryant’s education reform initiatives and charter school proposals.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Charter School Funding Bill Heads To House, Among Continued Uncertainty For Charter Futures
The Nashua Telegraph, NH, March 7, 2013
A few months back, Karin Cevasco and other founders of the Gate City Charter School for the Arts had March 1 in their sights as the target for state approval if they wanted to open their school next fall.

NEW JERSEY

Vote Tabled On School Closing
Courier Post, NJ, March 7, 2013
A Winslow charter school tabled a vote Wednesday to appeal a recent decision by the state Department of Education to close the school due to poor performance.

Christie Administration Unveils Details Of Teacher Evaluation Proposal
The Record, NJ, March 6, 2013
The Christie administration released the nitty-gritty details of its proposals for evaluating educators Wednesday, raising concerns from some critics that it was pushing its agenda too fast.

NEW MEXICO

Public Education Commission Appeals Skandera Decision On Charter Approvals
New Mexican, NM, February 6, 2013
The state Public Education Commission is appealing two decisions by Education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera in which she went over commissioners’ heads and approved new charter schools.

NEW YORK

Buffalo School Board Renews Enterprise Charter School For 2 Years
Buffalo News, NY, March 7, 2013
The Buffalo School Board voted Wednesday to renew Enterprise Charter School for two years after its January vote approving three years was shot down by the state Board of Education.

NORTH CAROLINA

Bacon Academy Is Region’s Only Charter School Applicant
Star News, NC, March 6, 2013
Come 2014, there won’t be four new charter schools in Southeastern North Carolina.

Charter Schools Have Higher Risk For Fraud
The Reflector, NC, March 6, 2013
Jeb Bush, governor of Florida, was cited as a model for charter schools. But Florida’s charter school record is not pretty.

NC School Board Weighs Charter School’s Plagiarism
Charlotte Observer, NC, March 7, 2013
RALEIGH, N.C. North Carolina school officials are deciding whether to reject a Charlotte charter school set to open in August because it copied big chunks of its plan from another school’s application.

OHIO

Coleman’s Panel Asks: Is Elected School Board Best?
Columbus Dispatch, OH, March 7, 2013
Mayor Michael B. Coleman’s Education Commission will bring in experts later this month to explore whether an elected school board is the best governance model for Columbus City Schools, the commission’s director said yesterday.

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma Senate Passes ‘Parent Trigger’ Bill On Low-Performing Schools
Tulsa World, OK, March 7, 2013
The Oklahoma Senate on Wednesday passed an Oklahoma version of what has been described as the “parent trigger.”

Oklahoma Legislator’s Bill Upbraids Districts Suing Parents Over School Vouchers
Tulsa World, OK, March 7, 2013
Jenks and Union school districts were taken to the woodshed on Wednesday by Rep. Jason Nelson, whose House Bill 2160 is a very thinly disguised jab at those two districts for their legal action against a voucher program Nelson championed.

PENNSYLVANIA

Judgment Day Thursday On 27 School Closings
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, March 7, 2013
EXPECT some fireworks Thursday night when the School Reform Commission is scheduled to vote on a plan to close 27 district schools.

Help With Scholarships
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 7, 2013
However, there is hope. There is an opportunity to help Philadelphia public school students attend OSTC-registered private schools or non-failing public schools through the use of state tax dollars. We just need businesses to take advantage of this opportunity.

TEXAS

Charter Or Public School? Laredoans Sound Off
Laredo Morning Times, TX, March 6, 2013
Charter or public school? This was the question Adriana Paredes and her husband considered before deciding to enroll their son at Alexander High School prior to the 2012-13 school year.

WASHINGTON

Washington State Senate Passes K-12 Principal Hiring Power Bill
KNDU, WA, March 7, 2013
Washington State principals could be able to kick teachers they don’t want out of their schools.
The Washington state Senate has passed a measure Wednesday giving veto power to principals over teachers assigned to their schools.

Strong Appointees Power State’s Charter-School Commission
Seattle Times, WA, March 6, 2013
The nine appointed to Washington’s new charter-school commission could offer a powerful vision on non-traditional public schools.

9 Named To Charter Schools Commission
Everett Daily Herald, WA, March 6, 2013
A former lawmaker, a school superintendent and a university expert on curriculum are among the nine people named today to the state commission that will help launch new charter schools in Washington.

WEST VIRGINIA

W.Va. Schools Are Failing Too Many Kids
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, March 7, 2013
It’s understandable that teachers unions, who helped write much of West Virginia’s education law, would react with alarm to the dismantling of some of that strangling overregulation.

WISCONSIN

Vouchers Plan May Change, GOP Says
Green Bay Press-Gazette, WI, March 6, 2013
Green Bay school officials say they are pleased that several Republican state senators want to take expansion of the school voucher program out of a proposed two-year budget.

Bishops Come Out In Favor Of School Vouchers
La Crosse Tribune, WI, March 7, 2013
The bishop of the La Crosse Diocese has joined other Catholic leaders in support of Gov. Scott Walker’s plans to expand school vouchers.

ONLINE LEARNING

Haverford Reviews Benefits Of ‘Blended School’
Delaware County Daily Times, PA, March 6, 2013
The school district’s blended school program appears to be curtailing cyber charter school enrollment and saving taxpayer money, officials said in a recent update to the school board.

District Discusses Developing Cyberschool
Reading Eagle, PA, March 7, 2013
The Exeter School Board Curriculum Committee is talking about revisions to the gifted program and cyberschool options.

TN Bill Sets Standards To Shut Down Failing Online Schools
The Tennessean, TN, March 7, 2013
A bill that would let education officials shut down failing online schools advanced in the Senate, but a plan to give parents vouchers for use in private schools was delayed Wednesday.

OCHS Flipped Classroom Engages Students
Ocean City Gazette, MD, March 7, 2013
In the traditional approach to teaching mathematics, students come to class and sit in rows, spending most of their time listening to a teacher’s lecture and taking notes. Then they go home and try to make sense of the material through homework assignments, including problem sets and other solo activities.

Barnes’ Bill Would Fund Online Education At Expense Of Schools
News Tribune, MO, March 7, 2013
Missouri students would have much better access to an online education, if a bill proposed by Rep. Jay Barnes, R-Jefferson City, is approved by the General Assembly. Under the terms of the bill, funding that goes to Missouri’s public school districts would become portable to the virtual school of a family’s choice.

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

NATIONAL COVERAGE

Parents ‘Trigger’ School Revolts
Boston Herald, MA, March 6, 2013
The latest innovation to come out of the Golden State that has legs to go national is “parent trigger,” a means by which parents can force reform of their local public school if they’re dissatisfied with it.

Time For An Education System Makeover
Forbes, March 5, 2013
Education budgets at the national, state, and local levels have all taken huge hits over the past few years. And while we all want our schools to have sufficient funding to educate our children, more money is not the magic bullet solution for what our educational system needs.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

Judge Blocks Gov. Bentley From Signing School Choice Bill
WHNT News19, AL, March 5, 2013
A Montgomery Circuit Judge has issued an order blocking Governor Robert Bentley from signing a controversial school choice bill.

Public Education System In State Requires Reform, Not More Pathways Out
The University of Alabama Crimson White, AL, March 6, 2013
Recent events in the Alabama Legislature force me to address the lack of authentic reform in Alabama’s education system. As a part of a series, I intend to deconstruct certain myths surrounding school reform, beginning with vouchers and charter schools.

Officials From Schools, Legislature React To ‘School Choice’ Bill
St, Clair Times, AL, March 6, 2013
St. Clair County’s legislative delegation applauded a “school flexibility” bill that passed both houses late Thursday, while school officials said they were apprehensive about what the future would hold.

CALIFORNIA

In L.A. School Board Race, 2 Backers Of Deasy Take Early Leads
Los Angeles Times, CA, March 6, 2013
Monica Garcia and Antonio Sanchez are ahead of rivals in their districts. Both back the superintendent’s overhaul efforts, which have drawn national attention.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Nine Groups Apply For D.C. Charter Schools
Washington Post, DC, March 5, 2013
Nine aspiring charter school operators have submitted applications to open in the District as early as fall 2014, according to proposals posted on the Web site of the D.C. Public Charter School Board.

GEORGIA

Emotions Run Spectrum At Charter Lottery
Gwinnett Daily Post, GA, March 5, 2013
What got Keyauna McGee through the final hours leading up to Tuesday night? “Lots of crossing fingers and lots of prayer,” said the mother of five-year-old Kingston, whose number was the first called during the New Life Academy of Excellence charter lottery for students entering kindergarten.

House Passes ‘Parent Trigger’ Charter Schools Bill
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, March 5, 2013
The school-choice train chugged forward Tuesday with House passage of a bill to require local school boards to consider some petitions to convert traditional public schools into charter schools.

HAWAII

Senate Charter School, School Bus Bills Head to House
Honolulu Civil Beat, HI, March 5, 2013
Hawaii senators today passed Senate Bill 244, which would essentially revamp the state’s charter school system and make charter schools more accountable for their finances.

IDAHO

House Approves Additional Funding Mechanism For Charter Schools
Idaho Reporter, ID, March 5, 2013
“I’m asking each of you here to stand up with me and support the real future of education, and to vote no on this bill,” said Rep. Sue Chew, D-Boise, in opposition to House Bill 206. The legislation nonetheless passed the House, 42-27, on Monday.

School Boards Agree To Sunsets On 4 Teacher Bills
Idaho Press Tribune, ID, March 5, 2013
After a bold start the 2013 Legislature, the Idaho School Board Association, the group spearheading legislation to give districts more leverage in teacher contract talks, is now opting for a softer approach with its highly prized legislative priorities.

INDIANA

For Kids, A School’s Quality Matters More Than The Label
Indianapolis Star, IN, March 6, 2013
For Indianapolis to reach its potential as a city, we need to provide access to high-quality schools for every child. Improved educational outcomes will result in a better trained workforce, help recruit and retain residents, and strengthen our neighborhoods.

KENTUCKY

Kentucky Senate Approves Charter School Option
Louisville Courier-Journal, KY, March 5, 2013
The Senate on Tuesday approved a bill that would give low-achieving schools the option of becoming a charter school — a move that supporters say will help boost student success.

LOUISIANA

La. Schools Chief Promises Voucher Program Will Go On
The Daily Advertiser, LA, March 6, 2013
Louisiana Education Superintendent John White vowed that state officials will find a way to fund a voucher program next year, regardless of how the state Supreme Court rules on the matter later this month.

Neville Sends Letter For Charter to BESE
Monroe News Star, LA, March 6, 2013
The Neville Charter School has filed an appeal with the Louisiana Department of Education and is among schools filing letters of intent to apply for charters through the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

MARYLAND

Carroll County Parents Campaign For Charter School
Baltimore Sun, MD, March 5, 2013
Hoping to open Carroll County’s first Montessori public charter school by the fall of 2014, a group of parents is now working on an application to submit to the county by April 1.

MICHIGAN

Group Plans Charter School Serving Elite Athletes
Sentinel-Standard, MI, March 5, 2013
A group is seeking state support for its proposal to open a charter school in western Michigan aiming to meet the academic needs of elite athletes.

Bill To Allow EAA To Run Other Failing Michigan Schools Resurrected
Detroit News, MI, March 6, 2013
Republican lawmakers have resurrected legislation to let the Education Achievement Authority run chronically failing schools beyond the boundaries of Detroit.

MISSISSIPPI

A Glance At Bills In The Mississippi Legislature
WJTV, MS, March 5, 2013
Here’s a glance at the status of selected bills in the Mississippi Legislature. Tuesday was the deadline for House and Senate committees to act on general bills that have already passed the opposite chamber.

House Committee Strips Senate Charter School Bill
Clarion Ledger, MS, March 5, 2013
The House Education Committee today stripped the Senate charter bill and added the House version.

MISSOURI

Supreme Court Needs To Put Children First In School Transfer Case
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, March 6, 2013
It turns on a simple premise: Do children have the right to transfer to an adjoining school district if the one they live in has failed to provide them an adequate education?

NEW JERSEY

Teachers Union Looks Askance at New Regulations for Tenure Evaluations
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, March 6, 2013
Even before the new code is introduced, the state’s largest teachers union is pushing back against proposed regulations for implementing the state’s new teacher-tenure law and rekindling some of the old debates that led up to the new law.

NEW MEXICO

House Oks Changes In Ways Teachers Earn Advancement
Albuquerque Journal, NM, March 6, 2013
Democrats and Republicans in the House wrangled on Tuesday about how teachers should be measured for purposes of licensure advancement, with the GOP trying to tie teacher promotions to student performance.

NEW YORK

Ruling Delays City Cuts
Wall Street Journal, March 6, 2013
A Manhattan judge ordered the city Tuesday to not make $260 million in schools cuts until he rules on whether Albany lawmakers had the right to withhold the money in the first place.

News Corp. Has a Tablet for Schools
New York Times, NY, March 6, 2013
For nearly two years, Joel I. Klein helped Rupert Murdoch and News Corporation weather a phone-hacking scandal at the company’s British tabloids with the promise that he would eventually be able to return to the role the company hired him for: to spearhead News Corporation’s new venture into the public school market. That day has finally come.

NY Schools: Money’s Not The Problem
New York Post, NY, March 6, 2013
The Alliance for Quality Education is at it again, rallying today in Albany for huge hikes in state education spending. But its claims don’t add up; indeed, the only grade an unbiased teacher would give AQE’s latest so-called report, “Confronting the Opportunity Gap,” is an F.

It’s About ‘Time’! Would-Be Charters Plan Longer Days, Year
New York Post, NY, March 6, 2013
Some schools might not be out for the summer. A group of charter school applicants are seeking to stretch their academic clocks by keeping students in school longer — including by scrapping the blissful two-month summer break.

Proposed Charter School In Greece Goes To Next Step
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, NY, March 5, 2013
Gauging from the sentiment at a public hearing held Tuesday about a planned move by a charter school from Irondequoit to Greece, the Discovery Charter School is in store for a warm reception.

OHIO

Charter School Earns Auditor’s Award
Middletown Journal, OH, March 6, 2013
Life Skills Center of Middletown is one of 15 entities to earn the Auditor of State Award for a “clean” audit for fiscal year ending June 30, 2012.

PENNSYLVANIA

Charter School Proposal Draws Friends And Foes To SDL School Board Meeting
Intelligencer Journal, PA, March 5, 2013
Allegations of intimidation and misrepresentation surfaced Tuesday at the final hearing on a charter school proposed for Lancaster city.

Private Schools Sign Up For Opportunity Scholarship Program
York Daily Record, PA, March 5, 2013
Private schools in York County have again signed up to receive students from public schools deemed low-achieving by the state through the Opportunity Scholarship Tax Credit program.

RHODE ISLAND

Gates Foundation Gives $10 Million Loan To Central Falls To Increase Seats At High Performing Schools
Providence Journal, RI, March 5, 2013
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has given the city $10 million in low and no-interest loans that will allow public and charter schools that serve Central Falls children to make repairs and expand facilities so they can serve more students.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Feds Approve S.C. Teacher Evaluation Plan
The State, SC, March 5, 2013
A state plan to evaluate teachers based in part on how students improve on tests received approval from the U.S. Department of Education, according to a news release from the S.C. Department of Education.

TENNESSEE

Bill That Would Create State Authorizer For Charter Schools Advances
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, March 6, 2013
A House committee voted Tuesday to create a new nine-member board and give it authority to override local school boards statewide in deciding where charter schools can be established.

Tennessee House Committee Oks New Charter School Path
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, March 6, 2013
The House Education committee approved changes to a charter school bill that would give applicants turned down by a local school board 10 days to apply to a new state panel.

School Vouchers Bill Passes House Education Subcommittee
Clarksville Now, TN, March 5, 2013
The House Education Subcommittee heard testimony from concerned citizens and Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman on legislation that would create a private school voucher program in Tennessee.

TEXAS

Senate Panel Considers Voucher Plan For Students With Disabilities
Dallas Morning News, TX, March 5, 2013
Texas would join a handful of states that allow students with disabilities to attend private schools at state expense under legislation that was considered by a Senate committee on Tuesday.

A Voucher is a Voucher is a Voucher
Texas Weekly, TX, March 5, 2013
A rose by any other name is still a rose. And so too is a voucher. Having failed so many times in past legislative sessions to get a public school voucher bill out of the Texas Legislature and on to the governor who is willing to sign it, supporters have regrouped and developed a new strategy.

WASHINGTON

MAP Boycott Is About Keeping Test Scores Out Of Teacher Evaluations
Seattle Times, WA, March 5, 2013
Teacher unions across the country are fighting against using test scores as a factor in teachers’ performance evaluations, writes guest columnist Michelle Rhee.

State Lawmakers Should Support Education-Reform Bills
Seattle Times, WA, March 5, 2013
STATE senators should pass a mix of education reforms that focus attention and resources on the two biggest needs for Washington schools: helping struggling students and raising high-school graduation rates.

WEST VIRGINIA

Reforms Won’t Help, Teacher Unions Say
Charleston Gazette, WV, March 5, 2013
West Virginia teachers unions resumed their attack on Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s sprawling education reform bill Tuesday, alleging it wouldn’t improve student achievement.

WISCONSIN

Revisiting School Voucher Debate
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, March 5, 2013
Last week, I wrote about school vouchers, the policy by which the government pays parents the cost of sending their kids to private schools. Gov. Scott Walker’s budget would expand the program, which now is in effect in Milwaukee and Racine, to nine other cities with low-rated schools, including Green Bay, Sheboygan and a number of others — none in central Wisconsin.

ONLINE LEARNING

Penn Manor Extends Cyber School Contract
Lancaster Newspapers, PA, March 5, 2013
Penn Manor school board agreed to extend the district’s contract with Lancaster-Lebanon Virtual Solutions for three years, even though Superintendent Michael Leichliter on Monday said, “We don’t save money by sending a student to a virtual school.”

New Rules Needed For Online Schools
Reading Eagle, PA, March 6, 2013
Congratulations to state Sen. Judy Schwank for finally moving forward with an attempt to change the ridiculous policy that requires public school districts to pay the surprisingly excessive costs of students who opt to get their education through so-called cybercharter schools.

Online Instruction Can Complement Traditional Education
Charlotte Observer, NC, March 5, 2013
Whatever our worries about online education, our state should be braced for changes. Gov. Pat McCrory’s challenging remarks about the role of universities, new proposals for education vouchers, and a host of other possible “improvements” let everyone know that change, big change, is coming.

Pasco Backtracks On Rejection Of Charter School
The Tampa Tribune, FL, March 6, 2013
The Pasco County School Board plans to begin somewhat reluctant contract negotiations with a charter school the board previously rejected.

Hillsboro Online Academy Has Potential To Serve Students, Bring Revenue To Hillsboro School District
Hillsboro Argus, OR, March 5, 2013
Many of us have been excited to hear about the opening of the Hillsboro Online Academy, a new alternative school in Hillsboro.

Online Classes And Other Options For Students Good, But They Still Have To Work
Bellingham Herald, WA, March 6, 2013
“You need an education. We have choices.” Maybe that should be the new slogan for Mid-Columbia school districts.

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Duncan Says He Misspoke When Describing Pink Slips for Teachers
Wall Street Journal, March 5, 2013
Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Monday he chose the wrong words last week when he said teachers were already receiving “pink slips”—layoff notices—due to the spending cuts mandated by the sequester.

On School Choice
Huffington Post, March 4, 2013
Something remarkable is occurring in the arena of schools: shopping. Not late summer back-to-school specials or runs on novelty lunch-boxes, but shopping for schools themselves.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

Voucher Bill Irks Educators
News Courier, AL, March 5, 2013
School leaders across the state are still fuming over a bill passed last week that will provide tax credits to parents who want to move their children from a failing public school to a private school.

Blow to Public Schools
Times Daily, AL, March 5, 2013
Republicans in the state Legislature embarrassed themselves Thursday with the covert passage of a law that funnels tax dollars from public schools to private ones.

CALIFORNIA

Late Donations Bolster Pro-Deasy School Board Candidates
Los Angeles Times Blog, CA, March 5, 2013
Two eleventh hour donations have added financial muscle to a campaign seeking to bolster Los Angeles schools Supt. John Deasy through the results of Tuesday’s Board of Education elections.

Potential Layoffs Tied To Temecula Valley Charter Changes
San Diego Union Tribune, CA, March 4, 2013
“It’s becoming too costly for the charter school to follow the district’s pay scale,” she said, adding that the Temecula Preparatory Charter School operates under a similar arrangement.

County Superintendent Frustrated By Snub Related To Charter Report
Contra Costa Times, CA, March 4, 2013
The latest flare-up occurred after the district superintendent and a couple of school board members secretly commissioned a financial analysis of the costs to the district from Clayton Valley High School’s conversion to a charter school.

California School Districts Are In Better Financial Shape, Officials Say
Los Angeles Times, CA, March 5, 2013
A state report shows that the number of districts at risk of not meeting financial obligations dropped to 124 from 188 last May. But 2 L.A. County districts joined the list of at-risk districts.

Students Learning Lessons In Social Responsibility
Los Angeles Times, CA, March 5, 2013
World-renowned inventors, explorers and artists encourage student teams participating in the Aspen Challenge to develop solutions to social problems.

Parents Allege Massive Enrollment Fraud at Carpenter Community Charter in Studio City
Los Angeles Daily News, CA, March 4, 2013
Los Angeles Unified will let schools use public records to verify student addresses after a high-performing charter in Studio City complained that scores of parents from outside the neighborhood committed fraud to get their kids admitted, officials said Monday.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Another Reason Charters Are Taking Over D.C.
Washington Examiner, DC, March 4, 2013
On Monday, The Washington Examiner’s Rachel Baye reported that the D.C. Public School system is negotiating with the Washington Teachers’ Union to implement longer school days and a longer school year.

FLORIDA

Another Failed Orlando Charter ‘A Disaster’ For Students, Teachers
Orlando Sentinel, FL, March 4, 2013
It was clear to teachers at the Einstein Montessori School in Orlando that something was very wrong when school opened for business last fall.

Bills Would Let Funds Follow Students
Tallahassee Democrat, FL, March 5, 2013
Legislation filed by committee chairmen in both the House and Senate would allow students to use state education funds to pay for private schools or other education options.

GEORGIA

Federal Judge Rules Against DeKalb School Board
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, March 4, 2013
A federal judge refused to prevent the replacement of six DeKalb County school board members who lost their seats over a threatened loss of accreditation, and now Gov. Nathan Deal must find appointees to mend the torn district.

INDIANA

More Need Flexibility Of Vouchers
Journal Gazette, IN, March 5, 2013
Indiana’s school voucher program is thriving, and lawmakers are looking for practical ways to increase access so that more families can benefit from high-quality education options. This is good news for Hoosiers – and here’s why.

IOWA

Iowa Senate Bill Would Raise Starting Teacher Pay To $35K
Sioux City Journal, IA, March 4, 2013
Starting teachers would earn $35,000 a year and districts would be required to adopt new professional career ladders under an education reform bill filed Monday.

KANSAS

Legislation Promotes Kansas Charter Schools
Kansas City Star, KS, March 4, 2013
Two bills in the Legislature would give charter schools greater freedom to open and operate in Kansas, where such schools have struggled to find a foothold.

LOUISIANA

Ruling Could Work Against Vouchers
Daily Advertiser, LA, March 5, 2013
Monday’s ruling striking down Jindal administration changes in teacher tenure may be used to attack the voucher system, which is already on its way to the state Supreme Court.

Judge Throws Out Tenure Law
The Advocate, LA, March 5, 2013
One of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s signature laws that makes it harder for teachers to earn and retain a form of job protection, called tenure, was declared unconstitutional Monday.

Algiers Charter Group Promotes Interim CEO To Permanent Status
Times-Picayune, LA, March 4, 2013
The Algiers Charter School Association board voted on Feb. 28 to hire Adrian Morgan as CEO, giving him a one-year contract. Morgan had served as interim CEO since August 2012.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Lift The Cap: Free The Charter Schools
Union Leader, NH, March 5, 2013
The House will have the opportunity this Wednesday to fix a recent mistake that has hindered the expansion of needed public schools. Legislators should pass it with no hesitations.

Voucher Program Takes Cash From Public Schools
Portsmouth Herald, NH, March 5, 2013
The more I learn about New Hampshire’s school voucher program, the more I realize it is a solution in search of a problem.

NEW JERSEY

State Board of Education to Release Regulations for Teacher Evaluations Tomorrow
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, March 5, 2013
Some wiggle room built in to give system room to evolve, but will it be enough to head off arguments over student test scores?

NEW MEXICO

Bill’s Merit Pay Idea Isn’t Best Solution
Albuquerque Journal, NM, March 4, 2013
Hidden within HB2, the budget bill now under consideration in our state Senate throws $3 million into a merit pay program based on proven failed policies.

NEW YORK

Just Another Hijacked Parents’ Group
New York Post, NY, March 5, 2013
Mind you, CPAC is supposed to be the voice of parents inside the city Education Department. But, like everything education-related, the teachers union successfully got its hooks into the group.

NORTH CAROLINA

New STEM Charter School Proposed in Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem Journal, NC, March 4, 2013
A proposal for a new K-5 charter school in Winston-Salem focused on science, technology, engineering and math is among 70 applications for new charters received by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.

State Gets Record Number of Charter Applications for 2014
Durham Herald Sun, NC, March 4, 2013
Seven new public charter schools could be on the way to our region. The state Department of Public Education’s Office of Charter Schools Monday announced it had received 70 applications for charter programs that would, if approved, open in August 2014 throughout North Carolina.

29 Seek To Open Charter Schools In Charlotte Area
Charlotte Observer, NC, March 4, 2013
Charlotte’s charter boom is poised to keep growing, with 19 applications to open new schools in Mecklenburg County in 2014 and another 10 from surrounding counties.

NORTH DAKOTA

Baesler Withdraws State’s Application For Waiver
Minot Daily News, ND, March 5, 2013
“The idea of developing a state-determined plan was very inviting,” said Baesler in a press release. “The further we progressed through the waiver process the more we felt we were being asked to adopt another national, one-size-fits-all model. We discovered there is very little flexibility for us in the ESEA Waiver. Schools and teachers would actually see very little relief.”

OHIO

State Should Give Cleveland School Reform Plan A Chance To Work
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, March 4, 2013
The Cleveland and Lorain school districts have fallen into the academic doghouse, failing to meet federal standards for four years and earning the state’s lowest academic rating — “emergency,” essentially an F. Under state law, that triggers the creation of academic distress commissions for each district with the right to run both systems.

The Future Of Ohio Schools
Youngstown Vindicator, OH, March 4, 2013
But it is already clear that charter schools — or community schools as they’re called in Columbus — and parochial schools are potentially huge winners. This is both perplexing in the case of charter schools and troublesome in the case of parochial schools.

PENNSYLVANIA

Senators Want Scrutiny Of Charter Schools In Pa.
Times Leader, PA, March 4, 2013
Some lawmakers on Monday called for stronger state regulation of Pennsylvania’s charter and cyber-charter schools, while others derided Gov. Tom Corbett’s plan to finance new school grants by privatizing liquor and wine sales as a political gimmick.

Proposed Pay Cuts Enrage PFT Members
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, March 5, 2013
The Philadelphia Federation of Teachers is looking at a grim future if school-district officials get their way in current negotiations.

Philipsburg-Osceola Area Board Members Reject Charter School Application
Centre Daily Times, PA, March 5, 2013
An application for a charter school in the Philipsburg-Osceola area has been officially rejected by the school board.

RHODE ISLAND

Achievement First Selects 176 Students From 1,150 Applicants
Valley Breeze, RI, March 4, 2013
Achievement First, a network of nonprofit public charter schools, held a blind lottery for its initial class of 176 kindergarten and 1st-grade students at Achievement First Providence Mayoral Academy last Friday. The results were verified by independent auditor Andsager, Bartlett & Pieroni, and a separate witness from the Rhode Island Department of Education.

TENNESSEE

KIPP Is Working
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, March 5, 2013
The results are in. And they are impressive. A new independent study of the KIPP schools operating in 20 cities and states, including Memphis, shows without a doubt that the KIPP method of educating at-risk kids works.

School Board Has Sticker Shock Over Increased Charter School Costs
Nashville City Paper, TN, March 4, 2013
A routine meeting to review Metro Nashville Public Schools’ nearly $765 million budget proposal for next school year Monday afternoon broke into a makeshift policy meeting about the financial effect of opening more charter schools.

House to Consider Broadening State Charter Authorizer
Nashville Public Radio, TN, March 4, 2013
The state House will consider creating an entirely new panel for authorizing charter schools at the state level. It’s part of a compromise set to be heard in an education committee Tuesday.

Fight Over School Voucher Bill Escalates In Tenn. Legislature
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, March 4, 2013
The legislative battle over school vouchers in Tennessee is escalating, with the bill set for committee votes in the House on Tuesday and the Senate on Wednesday, and the state Democratic Party chairman attacking it Monday.

New Democratic Chairman Roy Herron Criticizes Voucher Campaign By Outside Groups
The Tennessean, TN, March 5, 2013
The new leader of the Tennessee Democratic Party attacked “out-of-state guns” for trying to sway the state legislature on education issues through hefty political contributions and television advertising.

Schools Boost Budget Request
The Tennessean, TN, March 4, 2013
Metro Nashville school officials are looking to increase the district’s budget by $44 million for next year — a sizable bump they say is largely to replace money drained by new charter schools.

Charter School Compromise Under Consideration in Tennessee
WKYU, TN, March 5, 2013
The Tennessee House will consider creating an entirely new panel for authorizing charter schools at the state level. It’s part of a compromise set to be heard in an education committee Tuesday.

TEXAS

Senate Panel To Look At Proposal For Special Education Vouchers
Austin American-Statesman, TX, March 4, 2013
Underlying the expansive “school choice” debate roiling the Texas Capitol is the contention that a traditional neighborhood public school might not be right for every child.

VIRGINIA

Gov. Bob McDonnell to Lead School Choice Scholarship Foundation in Virginia
Washington Examiner, DC, March 4, 2013
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell is helping organize a nonprofit foundation to provide voucherlike scholarships to Virginia students who want to attend private schools, capitalizing on a new law he championed last year.

Patrick Henry Charter School Gets Another 5 Years To Prove Itself
WWBT, VA, March 4, 2013
Parents, children and teachers at the Patrick Henry School of Science and Arts are breathing a collective sigh of relief. The Commonwealth’s first charter elementary school has been granted another five years to prove itself.

WASHINGTON

WEA Targets Initiative 1240
The Columbian, WA, March 4, 2013
As expected, the teachers union has filed a legal challenge to Washington’s new charter school law, Initiative 1240, which was approved by voters last fall.

WEST VIRGINIA

Grade: Incomplete: Tomblin’s Education Proposal Lacking Key Parts
Martinsburg Journal, WV, March 5, 2013
West Virginians need all the help we can get to improve our public school system. A massive education reform bill introduced last week in the Legislature includes at least one failure to seek help from a source ready, willing and very able to provide it.

Too Much Emphasis Put On Seniority In Teacher Hiring
The Herald-Dispatch, WV, March 5, 2013
One of the critical elements of Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s education reform package is giving local school officials more flexibility.

WISCONSIN

District Considers New Design Charter For High Schoolers
La Crosse Tribune, WI, March 5, 2013
A design-focused charter school in the La Crosse School District could expand to include high school students.

Gov. Walker’s Voucher System Problematic
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, March 5, 2013
Gov. Scott Walker recently announced plans to expand the school voucher program in Wisconsin, providing more students from underperforming school districts the option to attend private schools. He said doing so would allow all students in the state access to a quality education, “regardless of their zip code.”

WYOMING

Opinions Vary On Wyoming No Child Left Behind Waiver Application
Casper Star-Tribune, WY, March 5, , 2013
Wyoming Department of Education officials say feedback about an application to waive federal education requirements has been positive. However, Superintended of Public Instruction Cindy Hill opposes the waiver and says she’s not the only one with concerns.

ONLINE LEARNING

Schools Offer More Online
Port Huron Times Herald, MI, March 5, 2013
The 21st century classroom is evolving, and school districts are trying to keep up.

Bridges Virtual Academy In Merrill Continues To Attract Attention
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, March 5, 2013
Families are clamoring to get into the Merrill Area Public Schools charter school, which delivers public education resources to home-schooling families.

Virtual Public Charter School Opens Enrollment For The 2013-2014 School Year
KATC, LA, March 4, 2013
Louisiana Connections Academy. a fully accredited provider of high-quality, highly accountable virtual K-12 schooling, opens enrollment for the 2013-2014 school year today, March 4, and enrollment sessions with parents and students will begin across the state on March 5.

Grapevine-Colleyville’s ‘virtual Academy’ Won’t Be Easy
Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX, March 4, 2013
The Grapevine-Colleyville school district’s decision to offer a full-time, open-enrollment virtual academy puts it at the forefront of the merger between education and technology, offering students across Texas the chance of significant learning advantages.

USD 308 Considers Virtual School Option
Hutchinson News, KS, March 5, 2013
Hutchinson USD 308 could launch a virtual school, an online alternative for students in elementary school through high school, in 2014-2015.

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NATIONAL COVERAGE

An Unfortunate Class Distinction In Schools
Washington Post, DC, March 3, 2013
Regarding the Feb. 25 Metro story “D.C. school choice creates a niche”: As a retired public school educator and a parent, I was particularly troubled by two quotes.

Study Says KIPP Student Gains Substantial
Washington Post, DC, March 3, 2013
KIPP, formerly known as the Knowledge Is Power Program, has had more success than any other large educational organization in raising the achievement of low-income students, both nationally and in the District. But many good educators, burned by hopeful stories in the past, have wondered whether KIPP was for real.

Standardized Testing Becomes The Great Divide In Schools Policy
Los Angeles Times, CA, March 3, 2013
Use of standardized tests in schools is growing, but so is push-back – an issue playing out in L.A. school board elections.

Should ‘Common’ Be Education’s Goal?
Detroit News, MI, March 4, 2013
That’s a fine aim, and it began as a states-led effort. Many states, including Michigan, approved the standards early on. Yet shortly thereafter, the U.S. Department of Education embraced the initiative and soon began pushing states to adopt the Common Core as a condition for being granted a waiver from No Child Left Behind requirements.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

Educators Question New Tax-Credit Bill
Tuscaloosa News, AL, March 3, 2013
Local education officials are upset and wondering about the future of their school systems following the Alabama Legislature’s sudden passage of a bill Thursday giving tax credits to parents who move their children from failing public schools to private schools.

ALASKA

Senate Education Panel Takes Up Voucher Issue
Juneau Empire, AK, March 3, 2013
A Senate panel began hearings Friday on the subject of school vouchers, less than two weeks after the committee’s chair adamantly declared on the Senate floor that the issue needs to be thoroughly vetted.

CALIFORNIA

National Attention and Cash in Los Angeles School Vote
New York Times, NY, March 4, 2013
On Tuesday, voters in Los Angeles will go to the polls for a mayoral primary. But much of the attention will also be on the three races for the school board, a battle that involves the mayor, the teachers’ union and a host of advocates from across the country — including New York City’s billionaire mayor — who have poured millions of dollars into the races.

COLORADO

Appeals Court Upholds Freedom Of Choice For Accredited Private Or Religious Schools
Colorado Springs Gazette, CO, March 4, 2013
Institutional discrimination against poor and religious families in Douglas County has ended, at least for now.

FLORIDA

Parents Have High Hopes For Spot In Viera Charter
Florida Today, FL, March 2, 2013
Today, Latonik will be among 1,200 student applicants – and their parents – who will learn whether efforts to enroll in a new 650-student charter school in Viera will be rewarded with a slot at the school.

Florida Lawmakers File Bills That Focus On Teacher Pay, Parent Triggers, More
News-Press, FL, March 4, 2013
It’s going to be another wild ride for education: New bills in Tallahassee could shake up parents, teachers and students.

ILLINOIS

CPS Applies Charter Heat
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 4, 2013
In recent days, Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett has thrown some muscle behind her pledge to hold charter schools accountable for academic performance.

INDIANA

Beware Schools’ Charter Shopping
Journal Gazette, IN, March 3, 2013
In 2011, the Indiana legislature passed important legislation to expand the number of quality charter schools and to hold charter schools more accountable for their performance. Unfortunately, that legislation also created a loophole that allows failing charter schools to avoid that stronger accountability, a loophole that some of those schools are now trying to use.

Scholarships Add Layer To Voucher Debate
Journal Gazette, IN, March 3, 2013
Controversial school reform in Indiana that produced publicly funded vouchers for private school students also includes a lesser-known private school scholarship program, which critics say is another way that public funds end up supporting private schools.

School Voucher Expansion Bill Going Through Statehouse
Shelbyville News, IN, March 4, 2013
A measure that expands the choice scholarships in Indiana has cleared the house and is on its way to the Senate. Indiana House Bill 1003 cleared the house last week by a vote of 57-36, despite the fact that the Indiana Supreme Court has not issued a decision on vouchers. The measure is designed to allow more Indiana families to become more easily qualified for the two-year-old voucher program.

KANSAS

Is It Time For A Charter School Revolution In Kansas?
Topeka Capital Journal, KS, March 3, 2013
Some lawmakers are pushing for a new charter law to potentially bring the national ‘school choice’ movement to Kansas

MARYLAND

School Boards May Have To Heed Parents’ Petitions
Cumberland Times-News, MD, March 3, 2013
National education reform advocates support a Maryland bill that would mandate reform for failing schools whenever a majority of parents petition for intervention, but the state superintendent and the state teachers union oppose the idea.

MASSACHUSETTS

More Affirmation For Charter Schools
Lowell Sun, MA, March 3, 2013
A Stanford University study released this week provides great impetus to the state’s charter-school movement and encouragement to parents who seek options for their children.

Site Location Unknown For New Charter School
Boston Globe, MA, March 2, 2013
The Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education on Tuesday granted a charter to the founders of the Pioneer Charter School of Science, but it may not be located in Saugus as expected.

MISSISSIPPI

Young Talks Charter Schools
WTOK, MS, March 3, 2013
Lawmakers in Jackson continue to debate the issue of charter schools in Mississippi.

MONTANA

Education Claims Were Misleading
Helena Independent Record, MT, March 4, 2013
Joe Balyeat’s article in the Independent Record stated that Montana ranked 51st by the Center for Education Reform in its Parent Power Index. Their website showed the ranking had nothing to do with student results; it had to do with state laws giving choices for allocation of education funds.

NEVADA

Denying An Important School Choice
Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV, March 3, 2013
As written, the bill is a stunning attack on parental choice and judgment. Reducing the compulsory age has consequences beyond kindergarten.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Private Hurt N.H. Public Schools
Portsmouth Herald, NH, March 2, 2013
The voucher tax credit passed in the last Legislature would take money away from our public schools and send it to private, religious and home schools with no accountability to the public.

House Vote Could Set Stage For New Charter Schools
New Hampshire Union Leader, NH, March 4, 2013
The state House of Representatives is scheduled to vote Wednesday on charter school legislation that could set the stage for an end to a moratorium on new charters imposed in September by the Board of Education.

NEW JERSEY

Gov’s Proposed School Aid Has Officials Expressing Needs
The Trentonian, NJ, March 3, 2013
Gov. Chris Christie last week used his proposed State budget to push harder for more school choice for students in struggling districts. In his $32.9 billion spending plan Christie called for more state aid for school districts and also money for some of his favored programs that would make it easier for students to go to school elsewhere.

NEW YORK

Gifted Class Imbalance
Wall Street Journal, March 4, 2013
As New York City switches to a new test to identify children for its gifted-and-talented program, new data show that the overwhelming majority of these coveted, public-school slots still go to white and Asian students.

Inside the World of Charter Schools
New York Times, NY, March 4, 2013
Re “Better Charter Schools in New York City” (editorial, Feb. 23):
While rightly acknowledging the success of charter schools in New York City, you missed the mark in calling the national charter movement a “disappointment.”

Charter School Gearing Up For Fall Opening
Utica Observer Dispatch, NY, March 3, 2013
The Mohawk Valley’s first charter school has a home. The next step: hiring staff and enrolling students.

NORTH DAKOTA

North Dakota Home Schoolers Fight Testing
Grand Forks Herald, ND, March 4, 2013
North Dakota, one of a handful of states requiring high-stakes testing for home schoolers, has long been known for having tougher requirements compared to the rest of the nation. This bill is one step toward easing its reputation and giving home-school parents more freedom, said Theresa Deckert, spokeswoman for the North Dakota Home School Association.

OHIO

Westerville Schools Losing Kids, Funding To Charters
Columbus Dispatch, OH, March 4, 2013
Students are leaving Westerville schools at a rate that has alarmed district officials, spurring them to seek ways to draw students back and retain others.

Charter School Money Is Big Question Mark In Gov. John Kasich’s Education Budget
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, March 3, 2013
Much of the debate so far on Gov. John Kasich’s education budget has focused on whether he would give enough state money to public schools and how he would distribute it between poor and rich districts.

PENNSYLVANIA

School Reform Finds A Home
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 3, 2013
Teach for America, on whose board Manekin once sat, will be taking 13,000 square feet for its operations, and many of those renting apartments will be TFA teachers. There will be a coffee shop, outdoor courtyards, and free parking. The nonprofits will be given conference-room space, a lunchroom, and events designed to foster collaboration among groups that share a vision but have different missions.

Question Of The Week Responses: York Charter School Conversion13
York Daily Record, PA, March 3, 2013
I do not support York County’s proposal to make more charter schools. For one thing, taxes will go up. We need more buses and school buildings. What is happening to the buildings that we have?

Charter School Friends, Foes Air Their Feelings
Intelligence Journal, PA, March 3, 2013
Onal quaffed the energy drink prior to a Feb. 19 Lancaster school board hearing on the proposed Academy of Business and Entrepreneurship Charter School. The four-hour hearing got out of hand, with Onal — president of the charter school board — accusing opponents of lying. Other confrontations between charter school backers and foes prompted school officials to call police.

RHODE ISLAND

RI Charter Schools See Huge Increase In Applications
Go Local Prov, RI, March 2, 2013
Rhode Island’s public charter schools have seen a large increase in interest from parents deciding where their children should be educated, so much so that a total of 7,900 applications were sent in for the less than 800 openings available leading up to this year’s so-called “lottery day.”

TENNESSEE

Nashville Schools’ Stakes Are High For New Academics Chief
The Tennessean, TN, March 4, 2013
From his Bransford Avenue office, Jay Steele hears the skeptics — those who question his model for high school instruction and his ability to turn around a struggling school district, and his boss for not scouring the nation to fill the position he now holds.

Transition Panel’s Plan To Merge Memphis And Shelby Schools: Path To Success Or Tortuous Route?
Commercial Appeal, TN, March 3, 2013
If the unified school board would just “implement the Transition Planning Commission plan” for merging Memphis City and Shelby County schools, a popular refrain goes, everything would be fine.

Directors Oppose Vouchers
Cleveland Daily Banner, TN, March 3, 2013
A proposed school voucher bill by Gov. Bill Haslam has heated up one of education’s hottest topics among parents, legislators and educators of Tennessee.

Ads Touting TN School Vouchers To Top $800K
WSMV, TN, March 1, 2013
A national group advocating for a wide-scale school voucher program in Tennessee is launching a massive media campaign to persuade lawmakers to expand the program proposed by Gov. Bill Haslam.

TEXAS

School Vouchers Appear Dead This Session
Corpus Christi Caller Times, TX, March 4, 2013
There is waning interest by Texas legislators to consider the faux-voucher proposal that has been advocated for months by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and Senate Education Committee Chair Dan Patrick, R-Houston. In fact, with no bill yet filed, and with a March 8 deadline looming for introducing legislation, if it is to be considered before the Legislature adjourns on May 27, the voucher proposal is clearly on “life support,” at best.

Area Opinions: Bill Could Help Charter Schools
Lubbock Avalanche Journal, TX, March 3, 2013
Let’s make this clear at the outset: There’s no magic formula for raising the achievement levels of Texas’ 5 million students, but state legislators and school districts can take various steps to give young Texans greater opportunities for a better education. One way is providing enough high-performing charter schools.

WASHINGTON

Senate GOP Scales Back Education Agenda
Seattle Times, WA, March 3, 2013
The Republican wish list is having to confront issues such as cost concerns to arguments that there already have been a lot of school reforms.

WEST VIRGINIA

Debate Over Education Bill Turns To Teacher Hiring
Bluefield Daily Telegraph, WV, March 4, 2013
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s bid to rewrite teacher hiring practices has sparked an early battle as the Legislature wades through his proposed overhaul of West Virginia’s public schools

WISCONSIN

Schools Need Boost, Budget Needs Balance
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, March 3, 2013
More autonomy for public charter schools. These schools are supposed to try new things. So giving them more freedom makes sense, as long as local school boards or some other public entity can stop charters if they’re not working after typically five years.

WYOMING

Teacher Evaluations: A Proposal
Casper Star-Tribune, WY, March 3, 2013
As various bills go forward restructuring Wyoming’s education system a key, if low level, issue is that of a teacher evaluation system. House Bill 72, Statewide Education Accountability – Phase II, directs development of such a system for teachers and administrators.

ONLINE LEARNING

First, Only Virtual School In Mass. Will Be Closed
Boston Globe, MA, March 4, 2013
The state’s first virtual school will shut its digital doors this summer after the Greenfield School Committee voted last week not to submit a proposal to run the Massachusetts Virtual Academy at Greenfield for another year.

Skeptics Of Online Schooling
Daily Free Press, MA, March 3, 2013
Online classes exist for a number of reasons: Nontraditional students (e.g. students who work full-time but need to complete a degree on the side), students who have trouble concentrating and thriving in traditional classroom settings, students who need to save money, students who are far away, etc. They’re a great option to have available to those students who simply cannot thrive in the standard school environment.

State Sen. Judy Schwank Introduces Bill That Would Change Rules On Cyber Charter Schools
Reading Eagle, PA, March 3, 2013
Public school districts in Pennsylvania have been complaining for years about the growing costs of cyber charter schools.

Bill Requiring Online Learning Amended Because Of Opposition
The Herald-Mail, MD, March 3, 2013
Maryland currently doesn’t have a requirement that high school students take an online class as a condition for graduation.

Tennessee Getting Schooled By K12
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, March 3, 2013
One business that’s been taking on a government job lately is K12, a publicly traded corporation that Tennessee has hired to teach more and more of our children online.

Grapevine-Colleyville District Will Offer A Fully Online School
Star-Telegram, TX, March 3, 2013
Students from across Texas could be enrolling in the Grapevine-Colleyville school district before next school year. Trustees recently approved a plan to provide $196,000 in seed money to create an open-enrollment virtual academy. The academy will serve 400 to 500 nontraditional full-time students and will boost the district’s declining enrollment.

Making Digital Leap Presents Real Challenges For Classrooms
The Oklahoman, OK, March 4, 2013
NOT so long ago, brick and mortar schools were about the only kind of schools that existed. Growing numbers of people choosing to home school have only slightly disrupted the traditional model. Even the increasing popularity of virtual schools is only slightly upending what we think of as “school.”

Online Charter School Offers Enrollment Information
Statesman Journal, OR, March 2, 2013
The Oregon Connections Academy has announced that its spring enrollment season begins Monday with a series of in-person and online information sessions.

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Teachers Outnumbered In Schools By Administrators, Support Staff In Many States, Study Shows
Washington Times, DC, February 28, 2013
Each day at school, students in 21 states will see more librarians, bus drivers, coaches, cafeteria workers and office personnel than teachers, according to a new study that examined school hiring patterns over the past 20 years.

Rand Paul: Why An Education System That Leaves So Many Behind?
San Diego Union-Tribune, CA, February 28, 2013
America’s educational system is leaving behind anyone who starts with disadvantages, and that is wrong. Those born in poverty already face significant challenges. For those striving to climb the ladder of success, we must fix our schools.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

Legislature OKs Tax Credits For School Choice
Gadsden Times, AL, February 28, 2013
Republican legislators on Thursday expanded a routine education bill to include tax credits for parents who move their children from failing public schools to private schools, prompting the state school superintendent to withdraw his support and a teachers’ group to assail it as “totally anti-public education.”

ARIZONA

Charter Schools Could Give Preference To Siblings
Arizona Daily Star, AZ, February 28, 2013
Siblings and grandchildren would gain new admission preferences under a charter schools measure backed by Arizona lawmakers.

CALIFORNIA

Adelanto Parent Trigger School Holds Information, Sign-Up Meeting
Contra Costa Times, CA, February 28, 2013
After months of legal wrangling and political drama, the parents who helped oust the teachers and administrators they say failed their children got to meet the woman soon to be in charge of their school.

LAUSD Joins Other Districts In Asking For No Child Left Behind Waivers, Promising To Use Test Scores In Evaluating Teachers
Los Angeles Daily News, CA, February 28, 2013
Los Angeles Unified and eight other California school districts filed a waiver Thursday to the federal No Child Left Behind law, proposing a new system for measuring student achievement and developing better teachers.

COLORADO

Colorado Appeals Court: Douglas County School Voucher System Legal
Denver Post, CO, March 1, 2013
In a case being watched by school-choice advocates, legal experts and both pro-religion and secularist groups around the country, the Colorado Court of Appeals has ruled that Douglas County School District’s voucher system is legal.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Ending ‘Social Promotion’ In D.C. Schools
Washington Post, DC, February 28, 2013
TEACHERS IN THE D.C. public school system are unable to hold back students in most elementary and middle school grades — even when it is clear that students haven’t mastered the skills of the requisite grades, and even when there is complete agreement from school principals.

FLORIDA

Teachers Question Fairness Of New Evaluation System At Hearing
Orlando Sentinel, FL, February 28, 2013
The official purpose of the meeting sounded dry and bureaucratic: Take public input on drafts of two state rules.

GEORGIA

Opponents Of Deal’s DeKalb Move Intensify Criticism
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, February 28, 2013
Pushback over Gov. Nathan Deal’s decision to suspend two-thirds of the DeKalb County school board was intensifying as state negotiators worked behind-the-scenes to avert a Friday showdown in federal court over the move.

Grady County School Granted Charter School Status
WCTV, GA, February 28, 2013
Cairo High School in Grady County is the first school in Southwest Georgia to be granted Charter School status.

IDAHO

Charter School Funding Bill Pulled Back to House Committee, But Passes Again
Boise Weekly, ID, February 28, 2013
A measure that would restructure funding for Idaho charter schools, which passed through the House Education Committee Feb. 26 with a “do pass” recommendation, was pulled back to the same committee this morning in an unusual move that committee Chairman Reed DeMordaunt, an Eagle Republican, said wouldn’t be happening again anytime soon.

ILLINOIS

Dist. 203 Candidates Support New Ways To Evaluate Teachers
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 1, 2013
Candidates for the Naperville Unit District 203 school board say they support changing the way teachers are evaluated, but also called for educators to have extra support and training.

INDIANA

Charter School Charades
The Journal Gazette Blog, IN, February 28, 2013
That sound you heard Wednesday? That was the sound of the Indiana Charter School Board rubber-stamping a real estate deal to benefit a politically connected Fort Wayne business owner.

Does Indiana’s Voucher Program Need Expansion?
StateImpact, IN, February 1, 2013
While supporters are elated to hear Indiana’s fledgling school voucher initiative has helped fill 9,100 open private school seats statewide this year, they say the program must do more than fill seats: it must create new seats.

KENTUCKY

Charter Schools Bill Advances In Kentucky Senate
The Courier-Journal, KY, March 1, 2013
A charter schools bill is on a steady course to clear the Republican state Senate but seems sure to stall when it hits the Democratic House.

LOUISIANA

School Funding Formula For 2013-14 Unlikely To Satisfy State Education Chief John White’s Critics
Times-Picayune, LA, February 28, 2013
Orleans Parish would get $8,526 of state and local funds for each public school student — just $4 more per pupil from this year — under State Education Superintendent John White’s funding formula for 2013-14, a proposal that strips out policy mandates and pushes forward measures for students with disabilities and private school vouchers. White’s plan continues to fund the private school voucher program through public funds but introduces a contingency plan in case the state Supreme Court rules the current law unconstitutional.

Voucher Changes Under Discussion
The Advocate, LA, February 28, 2013
Despite insisting that a challenge to Louisiana’s expanded voucher law will fail, state Superintendent of Education John White said Thursday he has talked with plaintiffs in the lawsuit about changing the way the program is financed.

MARYLAND

Proposed Law Would Force School Boards To Heed Parents’ Petitions For School Reform
Maryland Reporter, MD, February 28, , 2013
National education reform advocates support a Maryland bill that would mandate reform for failing schools whenever a majority of parents petition for intervention, but the state superintendent and the state teachers union oppose the idea.

MASSACHUSETTS

Neighborhood Over Quality In School Plan?
Boston Globe, MA, March 1, 2013
ON MONDAY night, cameras flashed, hugs were exchanged, and everyone congratulated the External Advisory Committee on School Choice on its selection of a new student assignment plan for the Boston Public Schools. Based in both family address and school MCAS performance, the assignment model answers the call for “quality schools, close to home.”

Lowell Charter School Off Probation
Lowell Sun, MA, March 1, 2013
Lowell Community Charter Public School Head Kathy Egmont likens the school’s transformation to the Mill City itself.

MICHIGAN

Charter School Movement Firing Back At Critics
Oakland Press, MI, March 1, 2013
Michigan’s charter school movement is arming itself with data, fighting back against charges its schools are getting too much tax money, not taking special education students and underachieving.

MISSISSIPPI

House-Senate Talks Warm Up On Charter School Bills
Clarion Ledger, MS, March 1, 2013
Mississippi lawmakers are trying to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of bills expanding charter schools in the state.

NEVADA

Charter Renewed for Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy
Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV, February 28, 2013
Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy received a six-year contract extension from the Clark County School District on Thursday.

NEW JERSEY

Charter School Debate Sheds Light on Crisis of Identity Politics
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, March 1, 2013
There was an interesting, and telling, article recently in NJ Spotlight. It looks at a charter school debate in Florence Township, a small suburb in Burlington County. The article sheds light on the tension between the public and private sector, and the crisis of the original identity politics — white identity politics.

State Renews 13 Charter Schools But Flunks Three Others
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, March 1, 2013
Thirteen of 16 charter schools up for renewal this year have been approved by the Christie administration, but three others – including one of the state’s oldest, in Jersey City – had their renewals denied.

Charter Schools In Jersey City, Atlantic City And Hammonton Set To Close
Star-Ledger, NJ, February 28, 2013
The state Department of Education will close charter schools in Jersey City, Atlantic City and Hammonton at the end of the academic year because of low test scores and problems with the schools’ leadership, state education officials said tonight.

NEW MEXICO

PEC Appeals Skandera’s Charter Ruling
Albuquerque Journal, NM, March 1, 2013
The Public Education Commission is taking education secretary-designate Hanna Skandera to court over her decision to approve two charter school applications the commission had denied.

NEW YORK

New Curriculum on Tap
Wall Street Journal, March 1, 2013
New York City next year will transform the way students in kindergarten through eighth grade learn math and English, introducing a new curriculum and recommending new books for the first time in a decade, officials said Thursday.

Are Tough New State Tests Too Much, Too Soon?
Syracuse Post-Standard, NY, March 1, 2013
State tests for elementary and middle school students are two months away, but teachers, administrators and state education officials already agree on one point: Scores are going to drop.

NORTH CAROLINA

Voucher Ploy Could Be Disastrous For Public Schools
News & Observer, NC, February 28, 2013
Public school superintendents have long fought an idea that rears up from time to time in the General Assembly: giving public money to parents for the purpose of paying for private schools for their children. Republican lawmakers, more inclined to push this idea now that they have control on Jones Street, should instead pull the reins.

OHIO

Cleveland Schools Will Fall Under State Oversight By Academic Distress Commission
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, February 28, 2013
The state will begin overseeing the Cleveland school district now that its report card rating of Academic Emergency is official, according to the Ohio Department of Education.

Charter Schools Criticize Audit That Claims State Is Owed $860,000
Dayton Daily News, OH, February 28, 2013
The Ohio auditor’s office on Thursday again issued findings for recovery involving Dayton’s Richard Allen Academy charter schools, saying their management company, Institute of Management and Resources Inc., owes taxpayers nearly $860,000.

CSR Is Charter School Getting It Right
Cincinnati Herald, OH, February 28, 2013
CSR has climbed out of an Academic Emergency status inherited from the closed W. E. B. DuBois Academy it replaced during its first year to the status of Continuous Improvement, both designations attached by the Ohio Department of Education. At the same time, CSR received a rare “Above’’ in Value Added, meaning the scholars are progressing at a rate faster than standard, improving by more than one grade level each year.

ACLU Asks Ohio Department of Education to Extend Seclusion and Restraint Policy to Charter Schools
StateImpact, OH, February 28, 2013
The ACLU of Ohio sent a letter to the State Board of Education today asking them to include charter schools in the draft rules that will govern the use of seclusion and restraint in Ohio’s schools.

OKLAHOMA

Okla. Panel Approves Charter School Overhaul Bill
Durant Democrat, OK, February 28, 2013
An Oklahoma state senator pointed to Oklahoma charter schools’ low national rankings and a lack of statewide standards Wednesday to convince the Senate Appropriations Committee that the state should take over the charters’ authorization.

Oklahoma Lawmakers’ Use Of ‘Local Control’ Could Rob Students
The Oklahoman, OK, February 28, 2013
IF lawmakers believe school mandates are unfunded, here’s a solution: Fund them.

PENNSYLVANIA

Philadelphia School Superintendent Defends Teacher Contract Proposal
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 1, 2013
William R. Hite Jr. wants you to know: He does not want to drive teachers out of the Philadelphia School District.

Recovery Committee Looking At Three Options For York City Schools
York Dispatch, PA, March 1, 2013
The York City School District’s future may go one of three ways: Going to all charters. Consolidating with neighboring districts. Or allowing the district to come up with internal transformation.

Denied Charter Schools Weigh Their Options
Journal Register, PA, March 1, 2013
When Wendy Ormsby first set out to establish the Souderton Area Charter School Collaborative in 1999, the school board denied her application.

TENNESSEE

All Metro Schools Will Be Great, Given Time
The Tennessean, TN, March 1, 2013
It is becoming a familiar refrain: Metro schools aren’t improving quickly enough; we need better schools now so our students can get a better education right away.

TEXAS

Charter Schools Don’t Let This Divert Attention From Funding
Gilmer Mirror, TX, February 28, 2013
The charter school reforms offered in SB 2 put quantity ahead of quality in the name of offering school choice.

WEST VIRGINIA

Governor, Teachers Unions Primed For Battle Over School Reform
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, March 1, 2013
Battle lines have been drawn over education reform in the state Legislature.
On one side, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and his staff said their proposed changes would move West Virginia education in a positive direction.

WISCONSIN

New Appleton Charter School Would Focus On Technical Education
Green Bay Press-Gazette, WI, February 28, 2013
A new charter school that caters to Appleton students interested in technical education classes could open as early as September 2014.

MPS Must Start Up The Laboratory Again
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, February 28, 2013
Wisconsin’s unofficial nickname as “the laboratory of democracy” is largely due to Milwaukee’s experimentation in educational policies. The city pursued a variety of educational reforms until 1990, when it decided to become the first community to adopt a school voucher program, effectively stalling experimentation.

ONLINE LEARNING

Legislation Will Hurt Cyber Schools
Chambersburg Public Opinion, PA, February 28, 2013
The recent article, “Group: School districts overpay for cyber schools,” reflects an unfortunate misunderstanding of education funding, economics and the impact of proposed legislation.

Metro Schools Offer Spring Math Credits
The Tennessean, TN, March 1, 2013
Metro Nashville Public Schools Virtual School is offering Bridge Math Intensive, which starts during spring intersession, to give Metro seniors a chance to earn the needed credit and graduate in May.

Khan Academy Pilot Set For 47 Idaho Schools
Idaho Press Tribune, ID, March 1, 2013
More than 10,000 kindergarten through 12th grade students across Idaho will be part of the nation’s first statewide pilot of the Khan Academy, a release from Northwest Nazarene University said.