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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.

Pre-K Government
Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2013
President Obama and his technocrats like to claim they’re guided by “the science,” but then what to make of his State of the Union call for taxpayer-funded preschool for “every child in America”?

Obama’s Universal Preschool Proposal: Game-Changer Or Federal Overreach?
Christian Science Monitor, MA, February 13, 2013
President Obama said in his State of the Union address that he will push for universal preschool. Advocates say the plan could be transformational, but critics say it’s too ambitious.

Obama States Case For An Educated Union
Seattle Times, WA, February 13, 2013
President Obama’s blueprint for a second term in office retains a critical focus on rebuilding the economy by investing in education.

Scholars Show Little Consensus On Benefits Of Vouchers
The Tennessean, TN, February 14, 2013
Tennessee may soon join several states experimenting with vouchers as a vehicle for school reform. These include Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana and the District of Columbia. Louisiana, under Gov. Bobby Jindal, has been implementing an ambitious voucher program that a state judge recently ruled unconstitutionally violates the state’s education funding formula.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

Tenure Major Issue In School Flexibility Legislation
Montgomery Advertiser, AL, February 14, 2013
The battle over legislation giving city and county schools systems more flexibility in dealing with state education laws is coming down to the issue of teacher tenure.

ARIZONA

Bill Seeks To Expand Oversight Of Arizona Charters
Arizona Republic, AZ, February 14, 2013
A bill in the Arizona Legislature would force charter schools to follow state purchasing laws and require schools that use private management companies to post salary information.

CALIFORNIA

Board Opposes SM High Charter Flip
Santa Maria Times, CA, February 14, 2013
School board members spoke out against formation of a charter school at Santa Maria High School on Wednesday night.

COLORADO

D-11 Gives Displaced Students Top Priority For Choice Of New School
Colorado Gazette, CO, February 13, 2013
Colorado Springs School District 11 offered up plans Wednesday to create some order out of the enrollment musical chairs that students and parents are worried about in light of several school closures.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Rubio Pushes Ahead With School Choice Bill
Washington Times, DC, February 13, 2013
Following through on his promise to promote school choice, Sen. Marco Rubio introduced a measure Wednesday that would create tax incentives aimed at helping students cover the costs of private school, including charter schools.

D.C. Council Member David Catania Should Welcome New Charter Schools
Washington Examiner, DC, February 13, 2013
David Catania, chairman of the D.C. Council’s newly reconstituted Education Committee, was out of bounds when he suggested that the council attempt to slow down the proliferation of charter schools in the city by deliberately withholding $3,000 in per-pupil facilities funding “to help manage the process” by discouraging new applicants.

D.C. Charter Schools Adopt Common Deadlines
WAMU, DC, February 13, 2013
The majority of public charter schools in D.C. will now have common deadlines for applications, school lottery and for acceptance.

Free And Open Competition Applies To D.C. Schools, Too
Washington Post, DC, February 13, 2013
The Feb. 11 front-page article “Charters’ growth raises questions,” on how “the District is on track to become a city where a majority of children are educated not in traditional public schools but in public charters,” provided much for the District’s children and their parents to cheer about. Mayor Vincent C. Gray (D) struck the right note about this when he said that competition has forced both school sectors to improve.

FLORIDA

‘Parent Trigger’ Legislation Returns
Tallahassee Democrat, FL, February 14, 2013
One of the most contentious education bills of last year’s legislative session is back.

Miami-Dade School Board Wants More Flexibility In Gov. Scott’s Budget
Miami Herald, FL, February 13, 2013
Miami-Dade County Public Schools officials commended Florida Gov. Rick Scott on Wednesday on his “bold” proposal to increase education spending by $1.2 billion.

Should Pembroke Pines Charters Get Money From Broward School Kitty?
Sun Sentinel, FL, February 13, 2013
Unhappy with the funding it gets for upkeep of its city-run charter school system, Pembroke Pines wants to change state law to compel the Broward school district to share some property tax revenue.

KENTUCKY

Kentucky Education Commissioner Says State May Take Over Some JCPS Schools
Louisville Courier-Journal, KY, February 13, 2013
Several of Jefferson County’s persistently low-achieving public schools could be facing a state takeover of their overhaul efforts as early as this fall unless they show improvement soon, the state’s top education chief warned Tuesday.

ILLINOIS

129 On New Chicago Schools Closing List
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 13, 2013
After trimming the number of schools that could be closed to 129, Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s school administration on Wednesday entered the latest and what is likely to be the most intense phase so far in trying to determine which schools should be shut.

Some Aldermen Want Charter School Moratorium
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 13, 2013
A group of aldermen are calling for a moratorium on new charter schools starting in 2014 in Chicago, arguing it doesn’t make sense to add new charter seats at a time the city is considering closing public schools that don’t have enough students.

IOWA

House GOP: Make Education Reform Optional
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, IA, February 14, 2013
House Republicans want to make the centerpiece of Gov. Terry Branstad’s education reform package optional, instead of mandatory, for Iowa school districts.

LOUISIANA

Applications Open For State School Vouchers Even Though Questions Remain About Program
Times Picayune, LA, February 13, 2013
Applications are now available statewide for Louisiana’s controversial voucher program that lets students attend private and parochial schools at taxpayers’ expense. However, two big questions remain for families deciding whether to enroll their children.

Voucher Application Process Goes On
The Advertiser, LA, February 14, 2013
Despite a court ruling that jeopardizes funding for the statewide voucher program, Education Superintendent John White is streamlining an application process for parents to apply for their children to attend private schools at state expense.

MAINE

LePage Should Stop Bullying Public Education
Kennebec Journal, ME, February 14, 2013
I read with dismay and disgust the comments Gov. Paul LePage made while visiting children at St. John Catholic School recently.

MARYLAND

Teacher Evaluations Should Not Be Tied To MSA Tests
Maryland Gazette, MD, February 14, 2013
I welcome the conversation that’s being generated by the Maryland State Department of Education’s rejection of Frederick County’s new teacher-evaluation proposal and those of eight of the state’s 24 other school systems, including Montgomery County.

MICHIGAN

State Representatives Respond To Alleged Use Of Uncertified Teachers In Muskegon Heights Schools
Muskegon Chronicle, MI, February 13, 2013
State Reps. Marcia Hovey-Wright and Collene Lamonte are concerned about the alleged use of unlicensed teachers in the Muskegon Heights Public School Academy.

Michigan, DPS Make Gains In Graduation Rates
Detroit News, MI, February 14, 2013
Michigan and the state’s largest school district, Detroit Public Schools, recorded gains last year in the percentage of students graduating within four years, according to data released Wednesday.

MISSISSIPPI

Public Debate Over Charter Schools Continues
Mississippi Public Radio, MS, February 14, 2013
With charter school legislation currently in both the House and the Mississippi Senate, the public discussion over its merit continues. MPB’s Sandra Knispel filed this report from a debate at the University of Mississippi’s Overby Center for Southern Journalism and Politics.

NEW JERSEY

Florence Township Charter Withdraws Application to Expand
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, February 14, 2013
With only two weeks before the state was to announce its decision in the matter, a Florence Township charter school has decided to pull its expansion bid due to rising local opposition.

Battle Over Hebrew Charter School In East Brunswick Ends Up In Court
Star-Ledger, NJ, February 13, 2013
The township council’s rejection of plans for the Hatikvah International Academy Charter School to relocate to a local warehouse will now move to a courtroom in New Brunswick.

NEW YORK

‘School Closure’ Kids Get Escape Hatch
New York Post, NY, February 14, 2013
The city is planning to allow students who attend closing schools to easily transfer to a better school — a policy that couldn’t come soon enough for kids at MS 203 in The Bronx.

Courts Should Empower Parents With School Choice
Buffalo News, NY, February 14, 2013
The failure of Buffalo and other large urban school districts to significantly improve academic outcomes, coupled with the willingness of the state’s highest court to re-examine New York’s constitutional guarantee of a “sound, basic education,” provides a prime opportunity for a lawsuit seeking court-ordered school choice scholarships.

Reputation on the Line
Wall Street Journal, February 14, 2013
On education, the Bloomberg administration was among the nation’s forerunners in changing the culture of public schools and testing new ideas to raise test scores and student achievement in the mayor’s first two terms with then-Chancellor Joel Klein.

OHIO

Kasich Budget Could Require Low-Performing Schools to Outsource Teaching
StateImpact, OH, February 13, 2013
Ohio school districts that don’t improve how they teach low-income students and students with disabilities could have to turn part of their state funding over to organizations that might do a better job under a provision in Gov. John Kasich’s budget bill.

Troubled Charter School Scholarts Finally Closed
Columbus Dispatch, OH, February 14, 2013
So much was going wrong, but the charter school stayed open.

PENNSYLVANIA

Yorkcounts: Convert City School District To Charter Schools
York Daily News, PA, February 14, 2013
A YorkCounts education work group has suggested that turning the York City School District into a 100 percent community charter school system could be one of the “sweeping institutional changes” needed to transform the district.

Duquesne Woman Challenges Conclusion That Charter Would Not Be ‘Financially Viable’
McKeesport Daily News, PA, February 14, 2013
The proponent of a charter school in Duquesne is disputing claims by Duquesne City School District’s state-appointed chief recovery officer Paul B. Long that her plan is not financially viable.

Duquesne District Seeks Help From 11 Neighbors
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, February 14, 2013
Superintendents in 11 area school districts have been asked to consider taking students in grades K-6 from the Duquesne City School District, starting in the 2013-14 school year, as part of a plan devised by chief recovery officer Paul B. Long.

Op-Ed: Teacher Strikes Hold Students Hostage
Patriot News, PA, February 14, 2013
The PSEA’s suggestion that “using public school students as a political bargaining chip is a bad idea” is the public policy equivalent of a Jedi mind trick. For the cinematically-challenged that means to claim something is other than what is actually standing in front of you. The fact is the PSEA has shown a remarkable willingness to use as a bargaining chip whoever and whatever is necessary to achieve its union power goals.

VIRGINIA

Va. Teacher Evaluation Bill Clears Final Hurdle
WTOP, VA, February 13, 2013
bill to revamp teacher evaluation and grievance procedures has won final passage after an unsuccessful last-ditch attempt to amend it.

WASHINGTON

Report: Longview Schools Closing ‘Achievement Gap’
The Daily News, WA, February 14, 2013
Ethnic minorities have tightened the “achievement gap” between themselves and other students at three of Longview’s five secondary schools, according to a state report presented this week.

Republican ‘Reforms’ Distract From Meaningful Education Changes
News Tribune, WA, February 14, 2013
Perhaps it is not clear in Olympia today, but there is a fundamental difference between actually improving a thing and avoiding your responsibility to do that thing with endless plans to “reform” it.

WEST VIRGINIA

Education Reform Dominates State of the State
Charleston Gazette, WV, February 14, 2013
Public education reform dominated Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s third State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature Wednesday, with a variety of proposals intended to improve the state’s 49th ranking in student achievement.

WISCONSIN

School Vouchers Foolishly Privatize Public Education
Badger Herald, WI, February 13, 2013
In recent weeks, Gov. Scott Walker has been pushing for renewed efforts to expand Wisconsin’s school voucher program, without exactly specifying what this program would entail.

Report: Choice Schools Lack Specialty Teachers
Journal Sentinel, WI, February 13, 2013
Milwaukee’s private-school voucher program has swelled to nearly 25,000 students in 113 schools that largely mirror local public schools in terms of race and poverty, and rapid enrollment growth is raising new questions about how much taxpayer money the private schools should receive to adequately serve students.

ONLINE LEARNING

Morrisville Schools Discuss Cyber School Option
Courier Times, PA, February 14, 2013
A group of parents this week got a glimpse into the possibility of Morrisville High School becoming a cyber school.

Ask Why More Families Are Turning To Cybers
The Evening Sun, PA, February 14, 2013
Seems like school superintendents spend an awful lot of time complaining about cybers. They should be asking why more and more families are turning to cybers.

Who Will Make Sure Virtual Schools Are Scrutinized More Closely?
Commercial Appeal, TN, February 14, 2013
A for-profit company selected to run Tennessee’s largest virtual school system is accused of doctoring students’ grades, but two state representatives, including one from Memphis, cut off any discussion Tuesday about the alleged cheating.

Legislators Seek To Stop Online Charter Schools
Albuquerque Business First, NM, February 13, 2013
Private organizations and corporations running virtual charter schools in New Mexico are preparing a Trojan horse-type assault on the state to divert public education funds, according to lawmakers and others who are trying to stop them, the Santa Fe New Mexican reported.

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

State Of The Union Education Proposals Focus On Nation’s Youngest, Oldest Students
Huffington Post, February 12, , 2013
During Tuesday night’s State of the Union address, President Barack Obama proposed several major education initiatives, including a big push to expand pre-kindergarten and a potential revamp of the federal aid system for college students.

Private Funding Influenced Public Education Policy
Washington Examiner, DC, February 12, 2013
February Education watchdogs are raising concerns over the Gates Foundation’s involvement in shaping public education policy, saying the private foundation’s influence in public education policy interferes with the democratic process and local input.

The Key To Education Reform Will Be Measurement
Desert News, CA, February 13, 2013
The biggest challenges in education are access, quality and cost. But that’s going to change. In the next decade, I predict the key to comprehensive reform will be our ability to measure actual learning.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

L.A. School Board Approves Parent Trigger At 24th St. Elementary
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 13, 2013
Vote will allow parents to proceed with the first such effort to overhaul an L.A. campus. Board also approves purchase of tablets for L.A. students and a downtown charter school.

Students, Families Turn Out To Support Imagine School At School District Public Hearing
Imperial Valley Press, CA, February 13, 2013
Nearly a dozen people spoke in support of Imagine School of Imperial Valley, lauding its pioneering dual-immersion program in English and Spanish.

N.Y. Mayor Gives $1 Million To Back L.A. School Board Slate
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 13, 2013
Michael Bloomberg aims to retain a majority that has pushed for revamping teacher policies, an effort also supported by L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

CONNECTICUT

Say No To Charter Schools
Yale Daily News, CT, February 13, 2013
The News reported three weeks ago on plans to open new charter schools in New Haven (“State may get new charter schools,” Jan. 23).

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

DCPS Schools Absorb 561 Charter Transfers Per Year
Greater Greater Washington, DC, February 12, 2013
561 students in public charter schools, or 1 in 56 charter students, transferred to traditional public schools during the 2011-2012 school year. That means that, in addition to the 277 students charters expelled during that year, another 284 transferred to DCPS schools.

FLORIDA

Pinellas To Close Struggling Charter School
Tampa Bay Tribune, FL, February 12, 2013
LARGO After more than an hour of pleas from students, parents and teachers, the Pinellas County school board voted today to close Imagine School at St. Petersburg’s charter elementary school, which a room full of students called “the best school on earth.”

Marco Rubio’s School Voucher Plan Shows Strong Jeb Bush Ties
Miami Herald, FL, February 12, 2013
Sen. Marco Rubio’s just-announced educational voucher plan for poor kids shows he wants to talk about more than immigration and that his relationship with Gov. Jeb Bush is solid.

GEORGIA

Parent Trigger Charter Schools Bill Zooms Through House Panel
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, February 12, 2013
A parent trigger charter schools bill zipped through the House Education Committee on Tuesday, boosting the chances that, for the second year in a row, the Georgia Legislature will pass major legislation pushing charter schools.

IDAHO

Lawmakers More Receptive To Input On Education Reform Bills
KTVB, ID, February 12, 2013
State lawmakers say they’re listening to Idahoans much closer this year when drafting new legislation dealing with education reform.

KENTUCKY

Charter Schools Can Help At-Risk Students Succeed
Courier-Journal, KY, February 12, 2013
The recent statewide test scores confirmed what we’ve long known: There is a great divide in education. In a system built upon “one form of education fits all,” over 10,000 young Kentuckians each year drop out of school with little likelihood of returning.

MARYLAND

City School Board Revokes Contracts Of Several Schools
Baltimore Sun, MD, February 12, 2013
The Baltimore school board voted Tuesday night to not renew the contracts of several charter and other independently run schools — but deferred making decisions about whether most of them would close.

MICHIGAN

State Wants Wider Control of Its Schools
Wall Street Journal, February 12, , 2013
State leaders in Michigan are again looking to expand an education initiative that takes poor-performing schools out of local hands and bands them together in a single statewide district with a less-structured curriculum and a nonunion workforce.

MISSISSIPPI

School Consolidation Likely To Gain Momentum
Clarion Ledger, MS, February 13, 2013
State Rep. Toby Barker’s House Bill 716 calling for creation of a new Starkville Consolidated School District from a merger of the existing Starkville School District and the Oktibbeha County School District is likely the first salvo in a more systematic battle to reduce the number of school districts in the state after decades of the issue of school consolidation being a political planet killer to politicians who dared mention it.

MONTANA

GOP School Choice Unexpectedly Shot Down
Helena Independent Record, MT, February 12, 2013
The House unexpectedly flipped Tuesday on a Republican proposal to bring charter schools to Montana, although the proposal may not be dead yet.

School Choice Is The Fair Option
Helena Independent Record, MT, February 12, 2013
Last week, I attended the School Choice rally on the Helena Capitol steps and testified in support of two School Choice bills. As a father of 11 who paid out-of-pocket for all my children’s private school education, I know first-hand the costs parents bear in making this important choice.

NEBRASKA

With New Report, It’s Time To Talk Charter Schools, Vouchers, Says Think Tank Chief
Omaha World Herald, NE, February 13, 2013
A report commissioned by an Omaha-based think tank indicates its time to talk charter schools, tax credits and vouchers in Nebraska, the group’s executive director said Tuesday.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Charter School Funding Gets Boost From Legislative Committee
Union Leader, NH, February 12, 2013
The House Education Committee approved a bill to lift restrictions on the Department of Education’s ability to fund new charter schools.

Business Tax Credits For Private Schools Face Repeal
Union Leader, NH, February 12, 2013
Splitting along partisan lines, a House committee on Tuesday recommended the repeal of a 1-year-old law designed to use business-tax credits to fund private-school tuition payments.

NEW JERSEY

Conflict Over Charter Schools Flares Up Anew in Florence
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, February 13, 2013
New Jersey’s latest battle over the expansion of a charter school in Florence Township in Burlington County has sparked anew the debate over where best to place the alternative schools.

NEW YORK

When Helping Kids Threatens Teachers
New York Post, NY, February 13, 2013
The New Jersey Education Association has declared war on two Newark charter schools, Merit Prep and Newark Prep. It sued to shut them down, but lost in court — so now the union’s asked the state Legislature to kill them.

Students And Parents From Brownsville Academy High School Will File Suit In Federal Court, Aiming To Block The City From Putting A Success Academy Charter School In Its Building
New York Daily News, NY, February 12, 2013
The plaintiffs argue that sharing space with a charter will jeopardize its formula for success: smaller classes that provide students with more attention

NORTH CAROLINA

Jump In Applications To Open Charter Schools Presents Challenges
WFAE, NC, February 12, 2013
The number of applications to open charter schools has jumped significantly since the charter school cap was lifted in 2011. There used to be a couple dozen applications per year. This year 156 groups plan to apply and that means a whole lot of work for the people who review them.

OHIO

Raise The Bar For Teachers
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, February 13, 2013
If some leaders have their way, Ohio’s cash-cow teacher preparation programs will finally be sent out to pasture.

OKLAHOMA

Test-Peddlers May Be Influencing State Education Reform
Tulsa World, OK, February 13, 2013
A Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group reports that a foundation headed by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is heavily influencing, and in some cases writing, education reform laws and regulations in Oklahoma and five other states. The report by the group In the Public Interest is based on records obtained through freedom-information requests.

Education Committee Advances Bills To Reform A-F System, Expand Teacher Discipline Options
Tulsa World, OK, February 13, 2013
A bill to reform Oklahoma’s controversial A-F school grading system advanced from the House Common Education Committee on Tuesday, although the exact nature of the reform remains unclear.

PENNSYLVANIA

Hite: School-Closure Changes Are On The Way
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 13, 2013
SCHOOL DISTRICT Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. said Tuesday that he plans to release revisions to the district’s controversial school-closure proposal “sometime next week” before the Feb. 21 School Reform Commission meeting.

Baden Academy Reaches Half-Way Mark In First School Year
Beaver County Times, PA, February 13, 2013
On a benchmark day at Baden Academy Charter School, where digital learning and arts-infused education is dispersed in learning studios rather than classrooms, Samuel Stewart, 6, walked in with a bag of rocks.

Corbett Shifts Stance On Cuts To School Funds
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 13, 2013
The budget ax might not land on public schools after all.
For weeks, Gov. Corbett and members of his administration have sent strong signals that they would likely look to education funding for budget cuts if the legislature did not act to rein in the state’s skyrocketing public-employee pension costs

RHODE ISLAND

Four New Education Board Members Approved By Senate
Providence Journal, RI, February 12, 2013
The Senate on Tuesday approved four of Governor Chafee’s appointees to the state’s new 11-member Board of Education, which will oversee K-12 schools and the public college system.

TENNESSEE

Metro Schools Adopt A Diversity Plan
The Tennessean, TN, February 13, 2013
With the ghost of segregation still haunting Nashville public schools, officials adopted a diversity plan Tuesday that they hope will be a guiding force in maximizing the benefits to all students.

Charter Schools Bill Passes House Subcommittee
News Channel 5, TN, February 12, 2013
State lawmakers passed a controversial bill targeting Nashville and Memphis for charter schools on Tuesday. The state “charter school authorizer” sailed through a House subcommittee. This bill gives charter schools another option. It lets them apply to the state instead of the local school district.

State Authorizer Gives Charters Way to Bypass Nashville, Memphis Boards
Nashville Public Radio, TN, February 13, 2013
The Tennessee Board of Education could soon decide which charter schools can open up in the state. A proposal in the General Assembly gives charter applicants a way to bypass the local school board.

Bill Calls For Elected Schools Director
Ashland City Times, TN, February 12, 2013
Cheatham County’s new state senator has introduced a bill in the state legislature calling for the schools director to be elected rather than appointed by the School Board.

Haslam Virtual School Bill Advances
WATE, TN, February 12, 2013
A Republican bill to tighten enrollment requirements for online-only schools has been softened while a Democratic proposal to ban private companies from running them has been derailed.

WASHINGTON

Lawmakers About $1M Apart on Education Reform
KNDO, WA, February 12, 2013
About $1-billion separates Senate Republicans from House Democrats on how they believe the Legislature should respond to last year’s Supreme Court ruling on money for schools in Washington.

Seattle Voters Back Two School Levies
Seattle Times, WA, February 12, 2013
Two Seattle school levies passed in Tuesday’s special election, maintaining a decadelong record of ballot-box success for the city’s school district.

State Superintendent Of Schools Pushes Lawmakers To Change Initiative
King 5, WA, February 12, 2013
Superintendent for Public Instruction Randy Dorn has sent a letter to Olympia lawmakers suggesting they put voter-approved charter schools under his control, reversing part of I-1240 which passed in November.

WEST VIRGINIA

Senator Says House Education Committee Could Be Reform Hurdle
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, February 13, 2013
A Kanawha County member of the state Senate who has clashed with teachers unions in the past is not optimistic about the fate of education reform in the revamped House Education Committee.

WISCONSIN

MPS Board Committee To Consider Contract With Non-Union Charter Operator
Journal Sentinel, WI, February 12, 2013
A Milwaukee School Board committee Tuesday night will consider finalizing the details of a contract with a national charter-school operator from Philadelphia that wants to open two campuses in the district next year.

ONLINE LEARNING

Lawmaker’s Bid To Close Union County-Based Virtual School Fails
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, February 13, 2013
A House committee killed legislation that would have closed Union County-based Tennessee Virtual Academy on Tuesday after one Knoxville legislator effectively blocked another from talking to the committee about allegations that the for-profit school altered the bad grades of some students.

Tennessee Virtual Academy Comes Under Fire For Grade Fixing
WATE-TV, TN, February 12, 2013
Tennessee parents are mixed on their reactions concerning Tennessee Virtual Academy and an apparent grade-fixing scandal.

Branstad Makes $4.5 Million Push To Expand Online Learning
Sioux City Journal, IA, February 12, 2013
Online education could get a substantial financial and enrollment boost if Gov. Terry Branstad convinces the Legislature to set aside $4.5 million in funding for the next three years.

Martinez Administration Policies Hurting Students
Albuquerque Journal, NM, February 13, 2013
Secretary of Education-designate Hanna Skandera’s approval of a K-12 virtual charter school in New Mexico despite the recommendation of the Public Education Commission represents another step toward privatizing education in our state.

Bill Would Bar Private Firms From Operating State’s Public Schools
Santa Fe New Mexican, NM, February 13, 2013
Private organizations and corporations running virtual charter schools in New Mexico are preparing a Trojan horse-type assault on the state to divert public education funds, according to a group of lawmakers, private citizens and faith-based leaders who are trying to stop them….

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.

Nation’s Largest Cities Have Hundreds Of Empty Schools, Report Says
Fox News, February 11, 2013
Hundreds of schools in the nation’s largest cities are sitting empty as education officials struggle to sell these potentially valuable properties that are a drain on school district finances, according to a study released Monday.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

School Board Flexibility Bills
CBS42, AL, February 11, 2013
One of the two bills would give local school boards the option of entering flexibility contracts with the state and getting out of certain requirements. Opponents say that bill is too vague and could discourage new teachers from joining the work force.

Give Schools Flexibility
Gadsden Times, AL, February 11, 2013
That’s why we’re intrigued with a bill in the Legislature to give local school systems more flexibility in setting rules and regulations.

CALIFORNIA

Tale Of Two School Boards
Tehachapi News, CA, February 12, 2013
This is the story of two school boards; actually, it’s an incomplete story, as we do not know how things are going to turn out, but I think it’s worth telling.

San Jose Unified Teacher Evaluation, Pay Plan A Landmark For California
Mercury News, CA, February 11, 2013
The conventional wisdom in California holds that teachers’ unions are preventing education reform by putting their own interests ahead of what’s best for students. In some cases, it’s true. But not in all.

CONNECTICUT

Tight Budget Threatens Key School Reforms
Hartford Courant, CT, February 11, 2013
Last year, with the General Assembly’s overwhelming support, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was able to enact the most meaningful education reform law our state has ever seen.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Study Shows Significant Midyear Turnover Among D.C. Students
Washington Post, DC, February 12, 2013
Thousands of students move in and out of the District’s traditional and charter schools during the middle of the academic year, according to a new report scheduled for release Tuesday, a significant level of student transfer that raises broad questions about how the city’s public education is delivered and funded.

FLORIDA

Broward Scrutinizes Bus Service To Charter Schools
Miami Herald, FL, February 11, 2013
Some question whether Broward’s school bus department is losing money by serving charter school students. The district insists that’s not the case.

Group Claims Closed Public Schools Will Open Doors For More Charter Schools
Brevard Times, FL, February 11, 2013
A political committee is warning of a potential takeover of closed school buildings by charter schools if the Brevard Public Schools board follows through with recommendations to close four schools at Tuesday night’s meeting.

GEORGIA

BOE Considers MCLB Charter School
Albany Herald, GA, February 11, 2013
Dougherty County School Board member Robert Youngblood proposed on Monday that the district enter into discussions with Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany to explore the possibility of creating a K-thru-8 charter for the children of Marines and base employees.

IDAHO

Education Committees Hear Differing Views On What Is Best For Students
Idaho Reporter, ID, February 11, 2013
Leaders from both conventional public school districts and charter schools squared off Monday in a joint hearing of the education committees from the Idaho Senate and House of Representatives.

ILLINOIS

CPS To Lead New Round Of Hearings On School Closings
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 12, 2013
Another round of community meetings on public school closings in Chicago will begin Wednesday after the district releases a preliminary list of schools that could be shut down.

LOUISIANA

John White Proposes Overhaul In How Special Needs Students Are Funded
Times Picayune, LA, February 11, 2013
State Superintendent John White is proposing a major funding overhaul for special needs students in an effort to improve the graduation rates and better align state spending with the severity of each child’s need.

MAINE

Legislators Nearer To Closing $153M Budget Gap
Morning Sentinel, ME, February 11, 2013
Charter schools, General Assistance cap, cut to General Purpose Aid have yet to be addressed.

MICHIGAN

Report: DPS Authorized Charter Schools Among Lowest Performing Statewide
Detroit Free Press, MI, February 12, 2013
Charter schools authorized by Grand Valley State University have the best academic track record; while schools authorized by Detroit Public Schools have the worst, according to a report being discussed by the State Board of Education today.

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi House Votes To Give Every Teacher A Raise, But There’s No Money To Fund It
Mississippi Press, MS, February 11, 2013
The Mississippi House voted Monday to give every teacher a $5,000 pay raise starting July 1, but educators shouldn’t plan on that extra cash because the proposal has zero chance of surviving.

MONTANA

House Republicans Continue To Advance ‘School Choice’ Bills Through Legislature
Montana Standard, MT, February 12, 2013
House Republicans Monday endorsed a trio of “school-choice” bills, including ones that authorize charter schools in Montana and create state income-tax credits for families sending their kids to private schools.

NEW YORK

School for ‘Gifted’ Is Aiming Higher
Wall Street Journal, February 12, 2013
Speyer Legacy has a lofty mission: It bills itself as New York City’s only private school exclusively for gifted children. But despite the built-in appeal for striving parents and their high-achieving children, the four-year-old school has yet to and establish itself as a top choice for the city’s most elite students.

NYC Outlines Teacher Training, Evaluation Goals
Wall Street Journal, February 12, 2013
The city Department of Education has sent a letter to the state Education Department outlining its teacher training and evaluation goals and the steps it has taken to implement them.

Many Levels, Types, of Power
Wall Street Journal, February 11, 2013
Mayoral control has had profound effects on city schools, which educate 1.1 million students in 1,750 city district and charter schools.

City DOE Tries To Salvage State School Aid With Potential Plan For Teacher Evaluations
NY1, NY, February 11, 2013
The city says it plans to spend millions to train educators on a new teacher evaluation system, but there is no teacher evaluation system in the city yet.

NORTH CAROLINA

School Choice Group Releases Report On Private School Costs In NC
Greensboro News & Record, NC, February 11, 2013
Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, a school choice group, believes private school tuition is not as far out of reach for working class parents as some people claim.

OHIO

Cleveland School District Lacks Attendance Records, Ohio Auditor Calls For Further Investigation
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, February 11, 2013
Cleveland is one of nine school districts across the state that improperly “scrubbed” their student attendance data in the 2010-11 school year, according to a long-awaited report released Monday by Ohio Auditor Dave Yost.

PENNSYLVANIA

How To Reuse Closed School Buildings? Often, Charters
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 12, 2013
If plans move forward to shut one in six Philadelphia schools, what happens to the discarded buildings?

Legal Status Of Two Philly Charter Schools Still Unresolved
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 12, 2013
More than six months after a federal grand jury charged charter-school founder Dorothy June Brown and four administrators with defrauding the schools of more than $6.5 million, the legal status of two of the schools remains unresolved.

TENNESSEE

KCEA Opposes Proposal To Link Teacher Pay With Test Scores
WATE, TN, February 11, 2013
Tennessee education officials are looking at linking teachers’ salaries to how well their students perform on state tests.

VIRGINIA

Teacher Probation Bill Heads To Governor
Washington Post, DC, February 11, 2013
A key provision of Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s school reform package is heading to the governor for his signature, as the Senate passed a bill Monday that will make it easier to dismiss under-performing teachers.

ONLINE LEARNING

Virtual Learning Needs Support In Tennessee
The Tennessean, TN, February 11, 2013
Recently, there have been proposals to revoke the Tennessee Virtual Schools Act passed two years ago.

Online Public Academy Receives Criticism From Lawmakers, Praise From Parents
Knoxville News Sentinel, TX, February 11, 2013
Every Monday morning, Daniel Hunter, 7, turns on the computer in his Knoxville home and logs into the Tennessee Virtual Academy’s website to see what he’s doing in second grade that week. Daniel sees his teacher via video conference several times each week. His math lessons look like video games, and a recent science lesson taught the digestive system with elaborate computer graphics.

State’s Kids Deserve More Than ‘Virtual’ Education
Daily News Journal, TN, February 11, 2013
Tennessee’s publicly funded Virtual Academy has failed its students, and we’re not sure the governor’s proposal to cap enrollment at 5,000 is a tough enough response.

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Holding States and Schools Accountable
New York Times, NY, February 10, 2013
As Congress contemplates rewriting No Child Left Behind, President George W. Bush’s signature education law, legislators will tussle over a vision of how the federal government should hold states and schools accountable for students’ academic progress.

The Secret to Fixing Bad Schools
New York Times, NY, February 10, 2013
WHAT would it really take to give students a first-rate education? Some argue that our schools are irremediably broken and that charter schools offer the only solution. The striking achievement of Union City, N.J. — bringing poor, mostly immigrant kids into the educational mainstream — argues for reinventing the public schools we have.

FROM THE STATES

ARKANSAS

ADE Discusses Common Core and Charter Schools
KARK, AR, February 10, 2013
The Arkansas State Board of Education is meeting for a work session to discuss Common Core state standards and upcoming charter school renewal process ahead of the board’s meeting Monday morning.

CALIFORNIA

Teamwork Reverses School’s Fortune
Stockton Record, CA, February 11, 2013
Undeterred by the foreboding sky threatening rain, fifth-grade teacher Talia Ortega led her 30 students to the Nightingale Charter School playground last week, not for fun and games but to study the water cycle.

COLORADO

Charter School Opens $9.7 Million Facility
9NEWS, CO, February 10, 2013
Tammy Stringari knows first-hand how difficult it can be for charter schools to pay for their own buildings. That’s why when Jefferson Academy opened the doors on a new building for the first time Saturday afternoon, the principal says it was the end of a journey both short and long.

Waldorf-Inspired Local Charter School Focuses On Sustainability
The Coloradoan, CO, February 9, 2013
More than three years ago, a group of local parents and educators convened to discuss how they could create a Waldorf-inspired school in Fort Collins. Their vision was to open a school where children would be educated to know their own creative power, their day to day would be steeped in sustainable living practices, arts and music would be the threads that tie all subjects together, and each child would feel their place within the community.

Critics Linger, But Colorado Girds For Roll-Out Of Common Core
Denver Post, CO, February 10, 2013
As a ninth-grade earth-science teacher, Cheryl Mosier initially figured the upcoming implementation of national standards for math and literacy would have little impact on her classes at Columbine High School.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. Debates Growth Of Charter Schools
Washington Post, DC, February 10, 2013
It’s the latest sign that the District is on track to become a city where a majority of children are educated not in traditional public schools but in public charters: A California nonprofit group has proposed opening eight D.C. charter schools that would enroll more than 5,000 students by 2019.

Charters Shell Out To Renovate Long-Vacant D.C. School Buildings
Washington Examiner, DC, February 10, 2013
With its students divided among three campuses on 16th Street Northwest — sharing facilities with churches on two — it’s easy to understand why Washington Latin Public Charter School is eager to lease a former D.C. public school.

The Exaggeration Of Charter School Waiting List
Washington Post Blog, DC, February 10, 2013
No doubt there are excellent charter schools in the country where the waiting lists are very, very long. But there also are instances where waiting lists aren’t exactly as long as they appear.

FLORIDA

With Millions At Stake, Tutoring Lobby Goes Into Action
Miami Herald, FL, February 11, 2013
Florida won a waiver from a requirement that school districts hire tutors, but the industry made sure the money kept flowing.

GEORGIA

Blackmon: ‘Parent Trigger’ Sidesteps Real Education Issues
Athens Banner-Herald, GA, February 9, 2013
Making its way through the Georgia House of Representatives is a nefarious bill under the misleading name of Parent and Teacher Empowerment Act. It is more commonly known as the “parent trigger.” Some are calling it The Chaos Theory of Running Our Schools Act.

Bill Seeks New Teacher Evaluation System
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, February 9, 2013
State Rep. Randy Nix, R-LaGrange, has introduced legislation to establish a new system for the evaluation of teachers, assistant principals and principals.

IDAHO

On Education, Legislators Must Do More Than Listen
Idaho Statesman, ID, February 11, 2013
Idaho’s House and Senate Education committees need to focus more on Idaho’s educational dog and not the charter school tail wagging it. If you rounded up every child enrolled in a charter school as well as every student who’d like to attend one, you’d still be talking about no more than 10 percent of the kids in the Gem State.

ILLINOIS

A Do-Over On Accountability For UNO Charter-School Contracting
Chicago Sun Times, IL, February 10, 2013
The United Neighborhood Organization seems to have forgotten that it pays its bills with public dollars.

CPS Parents Make Pre-Emptive Push To Keep Logan Square School Open
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 11, 2013
Brentano Elementary Math and Science Academy not yet slated for shutdown, but it meets CPS criteria for closing

KANSAS

School Choice Provides Hope, Opportunity
Wichita Eagle, KS, February 11, 2013
The results of our assignment-by-ZIP code public-education system over the last half century show that we shouldn’t. Graduation rates have remained stagnant since the 1970s, with roughly three-quarters of students graduating. In some of America’s largest cities, fewer than half of all students complete high school.

LOUISIANA

La. High Court To Hear Voucher Case
The Advocate, LA, February 11, 2013
Louisiana’s top court next month will hear the state’s appeal of a Baton Rouge judge’s ruling that Louisiana’s expanded voucher program, along with another key legislatively approved piece of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s public school overhaul plan, unconstitutionally divert public funds to private and parochial schools.

Cravins Calls For Independent District
Opelousas Daily World, LA, February 10, 2013
Opelousas Mayor Donald Cravins has said that he will ask the city council at its Feb. 19 meeting to either create an independent school district for the city or move to a charter school system.

Continuing School Reforms In Jefferson Parish
Times-Picayune, LA, February 10, 2013
For years Jefferson Parish school leaders resisted change, rejecting education reform measures and allowing parish schools to slide downward. Fortunately, that is no longer true. The latest evidence is the new partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to try to make the system’s budget line up with goals for reform.

MARYLAND

Montgomery Schools Wrong To Balk At Evaluation Proposals
Washington Post, DC, February 9, 2013
MARYLAND ESTABLISHED its credentials as a leader in education reform by insisting on making schools accountable for their results. That certainly was the hallmark of now-retired state schools superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick, whose lengthy tenure pioneered reforms that are now established education policy.

Charter And Independent Schools Faced Financial, Academic Challenges
Baltimore Sun, MD, February 9, 2013
In response to a system that many believed had long failed young black boys, a school began to take shape seven years ago in a small East Baltimore neighborhood.

MASSACHUSETTS

Chieppo And Gass: More Charter Schools To Close The Education Gap
Medway Country Gazette, MA, February 10, 2013
It’s easy to become desensitized to the plight of students in our lowest-performing school districts. We routinely read about the latest efforts to turn around a failing school or, as in Lawrence, an entire district. But the problem never seems to go away.

MICHIGAN

Snyder Criticized In School Aid Move
Detroit News, MI, February 11, 2013
For the third year in a row, Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget is balanced by diverting nearly $400 million from a fund normally reserved for K-12 public schools to fund community colleges and four-year universities.

MINNESOTA

German Immersion School Will Move To St. Paul’s Como Park Area
Twin Cities Pioneer Press, MN, February 10, 2013
Minnesota’s only German-language charter school is gearing up for a move this summer. Amid the bustle of light rail construction at its University Avenue spot in St. Paul, the Twin Cities German Immersion School has been looking around for a permanent home. Meanwhile, its enrollment continued to grow.

MONTANA

MEA-MFT Is Wrong In Calling School Choice Unconstitutional
Montana Standard, MT, February 10, 2013
The stark contrast between a statesman and a lobbyist or politician is no more clear than in the remarks Eric Feaver, president of MEA-MFT. Unfortunately, Mr. Feaver’s untruthful remarks (“MEA-MFT: Just say ‘no’ to Joe,” Feb. 1) resonate only with the uneducated, and there are a lot of them.

NEVADA

Improving Schools Isn’t Easy, And It’s Certainly Not Cheap
Reno Gazette-Journal, NV, February 11, 2013
Running a school isn’t easy, and it certainly isn’t cheap. It’s especially difficult if you try to do it on the approximately $6,000 per student that Nevada provides to public and charter schools.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Stiles Should Support Voucher Repeal
Seacoast Online, NH, February 10, 2013
Starting next September, New Hampshire’s new voucher program would provide scholarships worth an average of $2,500 per year to students going to private and religious schools and up to $625 for home schooling costs. Businesses could fund these scholarships in lieu of paying their state taxes. The state would off-set the lost business taxes by reducing state funding to school districts.

NEW JERSEY

In Local Battles Against Charters, Florence Township Joins the Fray
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, February 11, 2013
In what is becoming an annual ritual in towns across the state, another charter school is running into local resistance.

Laying Siege To New Jersey’s Public School System
Times of Trenton, NJ, February 11, 2013
If one follows press reports in this country, one gets the distinct impression that there is a grand scheme afoot to destroy the American public school system. The demise of public schools, it’s suggested, will make way for the Golden Age of Charter Schools, the self-styled wave of the future, the Promised Land and long-awaited Deliverer of American education.

NEW MEXICO

Crammed Classes
Albuquerque Journal, NM, February 11, 2013
For the past three years, Albuquerque Public Schools has been operating under a class size waiver from the state, which allows classes to exceed state maximums. This year and last, the waiver has allowed APS to exceed the minimums by 7 percent. For example, secondary teachers can now have a daily course load of 171 students instead of 160. In fiscal 2011, the district had a 3 percent waiver.

NEW YORK

Harlem Offers Elementary School Options From Magnets to Charters
DNAinfo, NY, February 11, 2013
Talk to Harlem parents, students and educators, and the tension between charter schools and district public schools is evident.

NORTH CAROLINA

To Close Achievement Gap, CMS Needs Cultural Competency
Charlotte Observer, NC, February 10, 2013
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has been nationally recognized for progress in narrowing achievement gaps for our students.

OHIO

Charter Schools Are Scapegoats
Tribune Chronicle, OH, February 10, 2013
Late last month a chorus of local public school administrators sounded off against state funding of charter schools. Those administrators, however, painted a skewed picture of the charter schools issue.

Stakes High For New Teacher Evaluation System
Hamilton Journal News, OH, February 9, 2013
Student performance will factor into teacher’s evaluation. Hamilton, Middletown schools have started to implement system that will be required next school year.

PENNSYLVANIA

Charter Expansion Will Further Damage District
Burlington County Times, PA, February 9, 2013
As a Florence resident whose four children attend our wonderful public schools, I am adamantly opposed to the proposed expansion of the Riverbank Charter School and feel that it will further damage an already well-run school district.

Some Closings Would Shift Students To Buildings In Worse Shape
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 10, 2013
Faced with a stock of aging, costly buildings and tens of thousands of empty seats, Philadelphia School District officials recently announced a plan to shut one in six Philadelphia schools.

SOUTH DAKOTA

School Reform Shifts To Students
Sioux Falls Argus Leader, SD, February 10, 2013
After the resounding rejection by voters of Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s teacher-focused education reform agenda, state education officials have turned attention back to the students.

TENNESSEE

Shelby Schools Battle Now Awaits Judge’s Ruling
Commercial Appeal, TN, February 10, 2013
Now that Shelby County’s six suburban municipalities have pulled out of negotiations for municipal charter school organizations, U.S. Dist. Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays must do something he’s been reluctant to since a suburban filing two years ago put schools lawsuits into federal court.

TEXAS

Texas Education Agency Works To Improve Scrutiny Of Charter School Applications
Dallas Morning News, TX, February 9, 2013
State education leaders say they want to avoid a repeat of last year, when several charter school proposals were found to have sections with identical or nearly identical wording.

By Any Name, Vouchers Don’t Work
Amarillo Globe News, TX, February 9, 2013
This is timely advice with the 83rd session of the Texas Legislature under way, and school voucher supporters vowing to make another run at passing voucher legislation despite a string of failed attempts.

VERMONT

New School Choice Rules Get Mixed Review
Burlington Free Press, VT, February 11, 2013
Under a new law, Vermont students may apply to any of the 61 public high schools in the state, regardless of where they live.

WISCONSIN

School Voucher Expansion Wrong
Appleton Post Crescent, WI, February 10, 2013
A year and a half ago, a provision was snuck into the state budget bill at the last minute that established a formula to expand the voucher school program beyond Milwaukee and Racine.

True Accountability In Action At A Choice School
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, February 9, 2013
Two years ago, I wrote an op-ed chiding then editorial columnist O. Ricardo Pimentel of the Journal Sentinel for his ill-conceived column accusing advocates of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) of “cynically” using minority children as “pawns.” Since then, Pimentel has left Milwaukee and I have been hired as president of the largest private school (St. Anthony School of Milwaukee) that currently participates in the choice program.

Number of Wisconsin Parents Using Open Enrollment Program Rises
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, February 11, 2013
Wausau-area school districts are reporting a record number of parents using the state’s open enrollment process to choose the schools their children attend.

ONLINE LEARNING

Local School Officials: Virtual Learning OK As A Supplement
Sentinel & Enterprise, MA, February 9, 2013
Legislators and educators applauded the benefits of virtual schools at a seminar Thursday, praising an innovation that allows students to learn at their own pace and take advantage of technology in the classroom.

Conn. Massacre Prompts Parents To Enroll Kids In Cyber School
Citizen Voice, PA, February 11, 2013
An attack on an elementary school in Connecticut led a Pennsylvania mother to transfer her two sons into a cyber school so they could take all their classes at home on a computer.

Hazleton Cyber School ‘Creative’ To Fit Students’ Needs
Standard Speaker, PA, February 10, 2013
Students in the Hazleton Area Virtual Academy have the same teachers, same attendance rules and earn the same diplomas as their peers at Hazleton Area High School.

Cyber-School Possibilities
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 10, 2013
When Philadelphia’s new school superintendent, William Hite Jr., started looking for ways to entice students back who had left the School District, one of his first stated goals was to start a new cyber school.

Virtual Schools Grow In Numbers, But Eau Claire Is Yet To Commit
Leader-Telegram, WI, February 10, 2013
Eau Claire school board member Kathryn Duax asked district administrators last week why they hadn’t pursued opening a virtual school.

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NATIONAL COVERAGE

A Long Struggle for Equality in Schools
New York Times, NY, February 8, 2013
Looking back at the school desegregation case he took as a young lawyer, Rubin Salter Jr. sees a pile of wasted money and squandered opportunities. After almost four decades in court and nearly $1 billion in public spending, little has changed for the black children whose right to a good education he had labored to defend.

The Demographic Power Behind Effective Charter Schools
National Journal, February 7, 2013
Still, Angrist’s work continues to inform the public discussion on charter school expansion. Many states have laws capping the number of charter schools; in 2010, thanks in part to new research, Massachusetts passed a law that relaxed its caps for “proven providers.” As Angrist and colleagues argue in their upcoming paper, policies that favor schools with “documented effectiveness” could go a long way toward reducing achievement gaps.

Feds May Use Education Reforms To Gain More Control
Everett Daily Herald, WA, February 8, 2013
It’s not a new law, just a clarification of an old one, but as clarifications go, it could certainly be very interesting.

Education Reform Will Trump Waivers
Washington Times, DC, February 7, 2013
If Congress decides to do its job, the hard work of education officials in nearly three dozen states suddenly will go down the drain.

Schools Need A Timeout On Standardized Tests
Washington Post, DC, February 7, 2013
The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by 45 states and the District as the foundation for what students in America’s public schools need to know and be able to do. They will require our children to develop a deeper, more conceptual understanding in mathematics and English-language arts. They hold tremendous promise for improving our international competitiveness.

FROM THE STATES

ARIZONA

Charter With Tie To UA To Close
Arizona Star, AZ, February 8, 2013
A Tucson charter school hailed as a model for the future when it opened in 2006 because of its partnership with the University of Arizona will close its doors at the end of this school year.

CALIFORNIA

More Exploratory Options For District 303 Kids
Daily Pilot, CA, February 8, 2013
St. Charles middle school students will have more choice and control over their exploratory classes next school year after administrators say they took parent suggestions to shift the exploratory curriculum.

Closing The Achievement Gap Before It Starts
San Diego Union-Tribune, CA, February 7, 2013
It’s well-known that many children in our community come into the education system at a distinct disadvantage. By the time they are 3 years old, high-income children have a vocabulary of more than 1,110 words, while very low-income children possess only about 500 words.

Outside Spending Pours Into L.A. School Board Race
Los Angeles Times Blog, CA, February 7, 2013
Outside groups are mounting campaigns to influence the outcome of three races for seats on the Los Angeles Board of Education.

FLORIDA

Payouts at NorthStar Charter Spur Legislative Reform Effort
Orlando Sentinel, FL, February 7, 2013
Florida lawmakers outraged that a failed Orlando charter school paid its outgoing principal more than $500,000 last year are moving to tighten the state’s charter laws so taxpayer money doesn’t go to “unreasonable compensation” or to schools “failing our students.”

Galvano: Teacher Pay Raise Needs A Lot Of Work
The Florida Current, FL, February 7, 2013
Members of the Senate Appropriations Education Subcommittee Thursday listened politely while Kim McDougal, the governor’s education policy coordinator, explained Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed education budget. Senators had few questions about the $22 billion spending plan that includes $488 million to give public schoolteachers across-the-board pay raises of $2,500.

GEORGIA

‘Parent Trigger’ Charter Bill Passes House Subcommittee
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, February 8, 2013
A Georgia House subcommittee approved a “parent trigger” charter schools bill Thursday, setting the stage for its consideration next week by the full Education Committee.

New Charter School Report: Success Or Failure Set By Year Three
Atlanta Journal Constitution Blog, GA, February 8, 2013
Interesting study on charter school successes and failures: A new report by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes found that charter schools, as they age or replicate into networks, are very likely to continue the patterns and performance set by their early years of operation, and that for most charter schools their ultimate success or failure can be predicted by year three of a school’s life.

ILLINOIS

Mayor Says The UNO Should Be “Held Accountable” For Contract Cronyism
Chicago Sun Times, IL, February 7, 2013
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Thursday the United Neighborhood Organization should be “held accountable” for contract cronyism with a $98 million state grant believed to be the nation’s largest government investment in charter schools.

INDIANA

House Committee Approves Expansion Of Indiana’s School Voucher Program
Evansville Courier & Press, IN, February 7, 2013
The Indiana House Education Committee signed off Thursday on an expansion of the Republican-backed school voucher system.

LOUISIANA

BESE President Wants More Charters
Monroe News Star, LA, February 8, 2013
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education President Chas Roemer believes creating charter schools, including chartering both high- and low-performing existing schools, and empowering people at local schools to make their own decisions will help reform public education in Louisiana.

Value Of School Waivers Questioned
The Advocate, LA, February 8, 2013
A national report Thursday questioned one of the key strategies Louisiana is using to improve student performance after the state landed some highly touted waivers last year from the federal government.

MAINE

Legislators Working To Close Spending Gap, Resolve Conflict Over Budget Proposals
Morning Sentinel, ME, February 7, 2013
LePage administration has proposed $153.2 million in adjustments to meet 2013 budget gap

MASSACHUSETTS

Tears at Charter School Lottery; Applications Up 20 Percent
Farmington Patch, MA, February 8, 2013
The Christa McAuliffe Regional Public Charter School held its annual lottery for admission Thursday night.

MICHIGAN

Charter School Staff Votes To Seek Union Representation
Detroit Free Press, MI, February 8, 2013
Eva Coleman is looking to have more of a voice in how the school she has taught at for nearly 12 years operates, which is why she is among the staff at Cesar Chavez Academy to vote Thursday to seek union representation.

Attorney General Bill Schuette Loses Effort To Remove 7 Of 11 Detroit Public Schools Board Members
Detroit Free Press, MI, February 8, 2013
The state attorney general lost a court challenge this week to remove most of Detroit’s school board.

Friends School of Detroit Reviving Slowly, Battling to Survive
Detroit News, MI, February 8, 2013
It’s the little school that could stay open.
The Friends School of Detroit — opened 48 years ago near downtown to promote Quaker values — is trying to battle back from declining enrollment and financial problems.

School Advocates Say Budget Increase Is A Start, But Not Enough
Detroit News, MI, February 8, 2013
Education advocates applauded Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposed funding increase in the 2013-14 budget unveiled Thursday, but said more needs to be done to get back on the path to prosperity.

MINNESOTA

Vouchers Are Not Best Bet For Minnesota Schools
Star Tribune, MN, February 7, 2013
When even an advocate of private-school choice has to admit there is no convincing evidence that vouchers produce better student achievement (“Minnesota falls behind on school choice,” Jan. 28) it raises the question: How is Minnesota missing the boat?

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi Senators Approve Education Reform Efforts Aimed At Kids’ Early Years
Commercial Appeal, TN, February 7, 2013
State senators on Thursday approved two key provisions of education reform efforts: legislation authorizing an $8 million pre-kindergarten program and a bill requiring children to be able to read before leaving third grade.

MISSOURI

Governor’s Idea To Lengthen The School Calendar Could Get Complicated
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, February 8, 2013
Students in Missouri who grumble about too much time in school should take comfort: The state’s minimum requirement for school days is one of the shortest in the country.

NORTH CAROLINA

Wake Schools Chairman Accuses County Commissioners Of ‘Power Grab’
News & Observer, NC, February 7, 2013
Wake County school board Chairman Keith Sutton accused county commissioners Thursday of attempting a “power grab” with proposed state legislative changes that he said would “decimate” the school system.

PENNSYLVANIA

Planners Offer Vision of New Bear Creek Community Charter School
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA, February 8, 2013
The new Bear Creek Community Charter School started to take shape Thursday during a marathon planning session involving the school’s board of trustees, administrators and representatives of the construction team for what the presenters called “the school in the woods.”

Closing Schools: It’s Not Just About Money
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 7, 2013
School District of Philadelphia recently issued its list of 37 schools to be closed permanently this year. We just can’t afford them anymore, the district tells us. The deficit is too big, so it’s time for parents and students to make “painful choices.” The financial crisis is one reason neighborhood schools are on the chopping block, but it is not the only one.

TENNESSEE

Education Chief Praises Tennessee’s Progress
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, February 8, 2013
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan lauded Tennessee’s new teacher evaluation system Thursday as an example of how states are working to boost teacher quality and student performance.

TN School Voucher Issues Ripple Far
The Tennessean, TN, February 8, 2013
When deciding whether to support Gov. Bill Haslam’s school voucher proposal, state lawmakers will need to consider if ultimately allowing 20,000 students to take advantage of vouchers is really the best use of public money, a Vanderbilt University professor said Thursday.

VIRGINIA

McDonnell, Jindal Meet Today To Talk About Education Reform
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, February 8, 2013
A week after enlisting former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in his campaign for education reform, Gov. Bob McDonnell is calling on another prominent fellow Republican.

WASHINGTON

Seattle’s New Elementaries Would Be Among State’s Biggest, Most Expensive
Seattle Times, WA, February 7, 2013
The average price tag of the elementary schools in Seattle’s levy proposal is at least 20 percent higher than every similar project approved in the state in recent years.

School Funding Should Be Tied To Improvement In Student Learning
Seattle Times, WA, February 7, 2013
Washington state should reconnect learning to spending so as we add additional dollars into public education it means better results for our students, writes guest columnist Steve Litzow.

WEST VIRGINIA

Governor, Officials Urge Education Reform
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, February 7, 2013
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, legislators and education officials agree: the time to reform West Virginia education is now.

ONLINE LEARNING

Virtual Academy Deal Was Thoroughly Botched
Greenville News, TN, February 7, 2013
Gov. Bill Haslam has sponsored a bill to cap student enrollment in the Tennessee Virtual Academy. This is essentially a vote of “no confidence” by the governor for the program in particular and online primary and secondary schooling in general.

Glendora-Based Online Academy Offers Alternative For K-12 Education
San Gabriel Valley Tribune, CA, February 7, 2013
Since its inception three years ago, Oak Knoll Virtual Academy has provided an alternative way to get a public education for grades K-12.

A Los Angeles High School Illustrates the Strengths and Challenges of Blended Learning
Paramus Post, NJ, February 7, 2013
Blended learning, an innovative educational model that combines online with traditional instruction, is starting to take hold across the country as a means for improving efficiency, reducing costs, and boosting student achievement.

Southern California Online Academy Progressing, Officials Say
Press Enterprise, CA, February 7, 2013
Southern California Online Academy is progressing well, district officials told the Lake Elsinore Unified school board during a special workshop Thursday, Feb. 7.

Students Praise Charter School Online Program
Friday Flyer, CA, February 8, 2013
Canyon Lake families sometimes wonder about alternatives to public education for their children – alternatives that include private school, home school or charter school.

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

We Shouldn’t March Blindly To Jeb Bush’s School Agenda
The Olympian, WA, February 7, 2013
It’s understandable that state Senate Republicans are feeling their oats these days. After watching their bills get quashed in committee for the last eight years, the new Republican-controlled majority is pushing a flurry of bills on its pet issues with unleashed enthusiasm

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

House Committee Approves School Flexibility Bill
Anniston Star, AL, February 7, 2013
Despite the objections of the state’s largest teachers’ organization, the Alabama House of Representatives is moving ahead with a bill to provide local school systems more administrative flexibility.

ARIZONA

Bill Would Help Students Remain In Same Charter School System
Cronkite News, AZ, February 6, 2013
After six years as a parent at Archway Classical Academy in Chandler, Lori Venberg is searching for a new school for her daughter.

Parents Hear About Crane’s Science-Based Charter School
Yuma Sun. AZ, February 6, 2013
A large number of families from the community gathered Wednesday evening to find out more about the Gowan Science Academy, which will open this fall.

CALIFORNIA

Peabody Charter School Holds First of Four Attendance Lotteries
Noozhawk, CA, February 6, 2013
Capped at 750 students and with demand so high, the K-6 Santa Barbara school conducts a lottery every year

3 Santa Rosa Schools In Running For Spanish Immersion Charter
Press Democrat, CA, February 6, 2013
Comstock and Cook middle schools, as well as Lewis School on Lomitas Avenue, emerged Wednesday night as strong contenders to house the Spanish-language dual-immersion program planned by Santa Rosa City Schools.

CONNECTICUT

More Money For Schools, But How?
Greenwich Time, CT, February 6, 2013
It was not Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s pledge to continue the momentum of his education reform agenda by upping the state’s contribution to both traditional schools and public schools of choice that had some lawmakers worried Wednesday.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. Charter School Enrollment Outpaces That of DCPS
Washington Post, DC, February 6, 2013
The District’s public charter schools are growing far faster than the traditional school system, according to audited enrollment figures released Wednesday by the Office of the State Superintendent of Education.

FLORIDA

Proposed Bill Would Benefit Charter Schools
Tallahassee Democrat, FL, February 6, 2013
A Florida House panel is working on a bill that would ease the expansion of public charter schools.

GEORGIA

Atlanta Lawmakers Look Closely At Dublin Charter Schools
Macon Telegraph, GA, February 7, 2013
A bill that would let parents shut down failing schools or remove all employees is the only major piece of education legislation to appear in the Georgia General Assembly so far this year.

Dekalb School Board Can’t Find A Majority For New Chairman
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, February 6, 2013
They tried and tried again Wednesday, but the nine members of the DeKalb County school board still couldn’t find five votes to elect a new leader.

HAWAII

What’s Going On With Hawaii Ed Task Force On Teacher Evaluations?
Honolulu Civil Beat, HI, February 7, 2013
A state education task force formed to help come up with a teacher evaluation system is causing some consternation among members who worry little is being accomplished as a deadline for recommendations quickly approaches.

IDAHO

Charter Schools Operate Without Safety Net
KTVB, ID, February 6, 2013
Charter schools are an option that is only growing in demand. Along with that growth is the demand for equality, specifically when it comes to funding.

Charter School Students And Parents Rally For More Funding
KIVI-TV, ID, February 6, 2013
Hundreds of charter school students and their families gathered on the statehouse steps Wednesday afternoon.

INDIANA

State Board Of Education Gives Mayor Greg Ballard Control Of 4 State Controlled Schools
Indianapolis Star, IN, February 6, 2013
With a unanimous vote by the State Board of Education on Wednesday, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard expanded the growing group of local schools that his office oversees.

Keep Building, But Attract A Sponsor
Northwest Times, IN, February 7, 2013
The Charter School of the Dunes in Gary’s Miller area is going forward with construction of its new building even though Ball State University decided to stop sponsoring the school. It’s a gutsy move, but not the only one the school needs to make.

Charter Schools Have Unfair Advantage
Indianapolis Star, IN, February 7, 2013
The Indianapolis Star’s Feb. 3 “Hits and Misses” commentary criticizes my recent proposal for the Indianapolis mayor to collect the state law authorized nominal 3 percent administrative fee from charter schools he authorizes. Unfortunately, The Star omitted important information regarding this issue.

More Education Choice For More Parents In Indiana
News Sentinel, IN, February 7, 2013
School choice advocates got some very good news this week. Gov. Mike Pence announced his support for an expansion of Indiana’s voucher system that goes beyond what he advocated in his gubernatorial campaign.

IOWA

Senators Skeptical Of Seal For High School Diplomas
Des Moines Register, IA, February 6, 2013
A key provision of Gov. Terry Branstad’s education reform plan appears to be in trouble in the Iowa Senate.

LOUISIANA

Orleans Parish Charter Einstein Awarded $1 Million, Will Take Over Recovery School District Elementary
Times Picayune, LA, February 6, 2013
Einstein Charter School in eastern New Orleans has won $1 million and will take over the struggling Intercultural Charter this summer, marking the first time that a school under the control of the Orleans Parish School Board will assume leadership of a Recovery School District campus.

MAINE

One Student Finds Room To Grow At Sciences Academy
Kennebec Journal, ME, February 6, 2013
Alexander West grabs governor’s attention as typical charter school student

MASSACHUSETTS

Charter School Rebuts Claim That Special Ed Students Get Short Shrift
Boston Globe, MA, February 7, 2013
WE WERE pleased to see the article “Charter schools’ building costs cited” (Metro, Jan. 28), which points to a serious funding problem that many charter schools face.

MICHIGAN

Snyder Wants 2% Bump In Education Funding
Detroit News, MI, February 7, 2013
Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder will propose giving public schools, universities and community colleges 2 percent more overall funding in the next school year.

MISSISSIPPI

Legislation Aimed At Punishing Desoto
DeSoto Times Tribune, MS, February 7, 2013
Legislation coming out of the State Capitol in Jackson is squarely aimed at undermining the state’s fastest growing and academically high achieving school system as punishment for helping to defeat charter school legislation last year.

Charter Schools Are Innovative
Hattiesburg American, MS, February 6, 2013
The advocacy coordinator for a Mississippi charter school lobbying group says the institutions would not take away tremendous financial resources from public schools, as some opponents of charter schools have argued.

MONTANA

‘School Choice’ Bills Advance On Mostly Party-Line Votes
Helena Independent Record, MT, February 7, 2013
A trio of “school-choice” bills that use state funds or tax credits to help finance private or charter schools passed out of legislative committees Wednesday on mostly party-line votes, with Democrats solidly opposed.

Charter Schools Are Not The Solution To AYP Concerns
Laurel Outlook, MT, February 6, 2013
In regard to recent legislative testimony on proposed Montana charter schools, the statement, “Only students that earn free and reduced lunch are eligible to apply for those [Supplemental Educational Services (SES)] services,” is accurate with the clarification that students qualify for, not earn, free and reduced lunch. That is a requirement of No Child Left Behind and Title I funding, both requirements of federal legislation.

NEW YORK

Syracuse Charter School Aims To Expand By 40 Percent
Post-Standard, NY, February 6, 2013
The Syracuse Academy of Science, one of two charter schools in Syracuse, is seeking permission to increase its enrollment by 40 percent over the next four years.

NORTH CAROLINA

Concord Parents Learn About Charter School
Charlotte Observer, NC, February 7, 2013
The parking lots and side streets of Fire Station No. 9 were full Feb. 5 as parents went to learn about a charter school opening in Concord in August.

Janet Joyner Says Education Reform Should Proceed Cautiously
Winston-Salem Journal, NC, February 7, 2013
It will be interesting to see how in-state interests are served by the particulars of state Rep. Donny Lambeth’s future bill to “charterize” the entire Winston-Salem/Forsyth County school district. An underlying theory of school “reform” schemes like parental choice and charter schools is that they improve education, especially for poor students.

PENNSYLVANIA

Charter School: Dollars And Common Sense
Burlington County Times, PA, February 6, 2013
As the Burlington County Times has reported, the Riverbank Charter School of Excellence in Florence has an application pending with the state for charter renewal and expansion to grades 4-5.

RHODE ISLAND

Achievement First to Spend $10M Renovating Closed Prov. School
WPRI, RI, February 7, 2013
Achievement First, which is set to open its first Rhode Island charter school in September, will spend approximately $10 million to renovate the vacant Oliver Hazard Perry Middle School on Hartford Avenue, according to Reshma Singh, the organization’s vice president of external relations.

TEXAS

Bright Ideas Chief Defends Low Scores
Times Record News, TX, February 7, 2013
Bright Ideas Charter School Principal Lynda Plummer defended the city’s only charter school despite glaringly low performances on the first administration of the new STAAR test compared with state and local peers.

Local Charter School Founder Questions Trial, Ruling
Lubbock Avalanche Journal, TX, February 6, 2013
Richard Baumgartner, the founder and director of Rise Academy in Lubbock, said he was opposed to the Texas Charter Schools Association becoming one of six parties in the school finance lawsuit that wrapped up Monday.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Needs More Charter Schools, But Not This One
Washington Examiner, DC, February 6, 2013
Virginia will remain a school choice desert, thanks to state Senate Democrats. In defiance of even President Obama’s policy toward charters, they killed a bill empowering the state Board of Education to authorize new public charter schools.

WISCONSIN

‘Choice’ Sparks Debate
Beloit Daily News, WI, February 6, , 2013
Parents deserve more choices, according to panelists who spoke out at an informational meeting on school choice Tuesday in Beloit.

ONLINE LEARNING

Stahle: Cyber Schools Deserve Funding
Times Herald, PA, February 6, 2013
It must be fun to work in your pajamas. People think that’s really what I do. In actuality, I teach at a cyber charter school; one where families choose how and where to educate their children.

Ligonier Valley Wary As State Revises Marks For Cyber Schools
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, February 6, 2013
Under either standard, none of the seven charter or cyber schools attended by students living within Ligonier Valley School District made adequate progress last year, according to state statistics.

Digital Learning Day — Students, Educators Share Enthusiasm For Continuing Initiative
Register Herald, WV, February 7, 2013
Technology providing new opportunities to personalize challenges in the classroom

Virtual Schools In Iowa Gaining Popularity
KWWL, IA, February 6, 2013
A new school in Iowa is getting some attention and helping a lot of kids who want a different option than a traditional school.

Nevada Schools Push Bill To Expand Access To Digital Learning
Reno Gazette Journal, NV, February 6, 2013
What is taught in Vegas won’t have to stay in Vegas if Clark County finds success in Carson City with its Digital Learning Act. It won’t have to stay in Reno, either.

Troubled K-12 Virtual School Receives 1-Year Charter Extension—With Conditions
KUNC, CO, February 7, 2013
The state’s largest K-12 virtual school will stay open for one more year. Struggling with poor academic performance, compliance and board governance issues, 12-year-old Colorado Virtual Academy had faced opposition from its authorizer, Adams 12 Five Star in January.

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NATIONAL COVERAGE

US States, Local Governments Plead For New ‘No Child Left Behind’
Reuters, February 5, 2013
U.S. state and local officials again called on Congress to pass renewed “No Child Left Behind” education legislation, writing in a letter on Tuesday that it must become “a top priority for every member of the House and Senate.”

Education Miracles That Aren’t
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 6, 2013
Beware of education miracles. Too often, there’s less there than meets the eye. Remember the extraordinary gains in test scores and lowered dropout rates in Houston schools more than a decade ago?

FROM THE STATES

ARIZONA

School Spending Report Unveiled
Arizona Journal, AZ, February 5, 2013
Charter schools spent an average of $3,189 per student on classroom instruction, or $652 less than the state average, and $178 per pupil on classroom supplies, or $36 more than the state average.

CALIFORNIA

No. 2 Republican In House Seeks To Reframe Party Agenda
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 5, 2013
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va.) casts the GOP as an advocate for improving Americans’ lives while reaffirming the party’s focus on balancing the budget.

CONNECTICUT

Malloy’s ECS Proposal Could Help Narrow Gap
The News-Times, CT, February 5, 2013
A school aid proposal by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy acknowledges those realities. If approved by the state Legislature, the governor’s plan would affirm Connecticut’s resolve to close an achievement gap that has separated students, largely along lines of race and affluence.

A ‘Flagrant’ Misuse of Taxpayer Money
CT Post, CT, February 5, 2013
Whatever your concept of public education is, your Connecticut state tax dollars are currently underwriting the public financing of a massive private enterprise.

State Board Of Education May Slow Roll-Out Of New Evaluation System
The Hartford Courant, CT, February 5, 2013
The state Board of Education is expected to consider a recommendation Wednesday to allow school districts to more slowly phase in a new teacher evaluation system for staff this coming fall.

DELAWARE

The Missing Link In Charter School Reform
Delaware News, DE, February 6, 2013
The state is reviewing the existing charter law for possible revisions. This might be a good time to think about the missing link in the charter school reform movement, i.e., the sharing of the lessons learned, both good and bad, with the traditional public schools for possible implementation.

FLORIDA

Legislature Should Not Give Charter Schools A Construction Subsidy
Palm Beach Post, FL, February 6, 2013
Gov. Rick Scott says he wants to provide an additional $1.2 billion next year for public schools. The need is evident from Post reporter Allison Ross’ story Tuesday detailing a potential $56 million shortage in the Palm Beach County School District’s 2014 construction budget.

School Districts May Have To Share Space With Charters
Sun Sentinel, FL, February 5, 2013
The relationship between charter schools and traditional schools could soon get a lot cozier under a legislative proposal that could require them to share space.

GEORGIA

Time To Stop Trapping Low-Income Students In Failing Schools
The Macon Telegraph, GA, February 6, 2013
We are lucky enough to live in a country where we have the latitude to make choices in almost every arena of our lives. Yet when it comes to one of the most important aspects of a child’s upbringing — education — parents are too often offered frustratingly few choices. Our broken public education system can leave low-income students and parents with no alternatives to find a quality education.

HAWAII

Hawaii Charter School Commission Gets New Director
Civil Beat Blog, HI, February 5, 2013
The State Public Charter School Commission announced today the appointment of its Executive Director, Tom Hutton. Mr. Hutton is a national authority on education law and policy and was a co-founder of a noted Washington D.C. charter school, Thurgood Marshall Academy.

INDIANA

Racing Ahead On School Vouchers
Journal and Courier, IN, February 5, 2013
Emboldened, perhaps, by a new governor whose vague directives about education boil down to more choice and more freedom for classroom teachers, proponents of Indiana’s fresh school voucher program are charging ahead for more.

Pence Backs Voucher Program Expansion
Pharos Tribune, IN, February 6, 2013
Gov. Mike Pence officially threw his support Tuesday behind a major expansion of Indiana’s school voucher program that goes well beyond what he campaigned for last year by calling for more vouchers in limited cases.

EACS Hears Plea To Sponsor Charter School
The Journal Gazette, IN, February 6, 2013
At the request of Timothy L. Johnson Academy parents and officials, the East Allen County Schools board will discuss authorizing the charter school.

Charter School Of The Dunes To Finish Building Despite Nonrenewal Of Charter
NW Times, IN, February 5, 2013
Despite notice that its charter won’t be renewed, Charter School of the Dunes is operating in the black and will finish its $13 million school building, officials said.

MAINE

Two More Charter Schools Approved In Maine
Portland Press Herald, ME, February 6, 2013
Applications in Harpswell and Gray are strongly supported, which will bring the state’s total to five.

MARYLAND

Montgomery’s ‘Proven’ System In Question
Maryland Gazette, MD, February 6, 2013
When it comes to proving himself an effective first-year teacher in Montgomery County Public Schools, Lanham, who teaches Advanced World Studies, said, “It’s not all cupcakes and candy canes.”

MICHIGAN

Turnaround Leader Ross Leaves Detroit Schools
Detroit News, MI, February 5, 2013
Doug Ross, hired by Detroit Public Schools to lead its school turnaround program, has left the district after 18 months. DPS Emergency Financial Manager Roy Roberts made the announcement Tuesday, saying Ross left the district to focus exclusively on the turnaround of urban high schools outside DPS.

MISSISSIPPI

Doing The Math On Charter Schools
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, February 5, 2013
Now that the charter school bills have passed both the house and the senate, it is a sit and wait game to see which leader will bend in trying to come to compromise on the bill.

Bill: School Takeovers Would Last 3 Years
Hattiesburg American, MS, February 6, 2013
State education officials could only take over a school district for three years under a bill moving forward in the Senate.

MISSOURI

KC School Takeover Bill Advances In General Assembly
Kansas City Star, MO, February 5, 2013
A bill that would allow the state to immediately take over troubled Kansas City Public Schools won initial approval Tuesday in the Missouri Senate.
A final vote is expected Thursday. If it passes, the bill will go to the House, which unanimously approved it last year.

NEVADA

Funding Woes Forcing Rainshadow Community Charter School In Reno To Close
Reno Gazette Journal, NV, February 5, 2013
When Rainshadow Community Charter School principal Steve West called an assembly last Thursday, students Ryan and River Rees were ecstatic.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Bill Provides Boost To Charter Schools
Eagle Tribune, NH, February 6, 2013
Lawmakers are considering a proposal that offers hope for charter schools struggling to fund an alternative education for New Hampshire students.

NEW JERSEY

Independent Report: Teachers Remain Skeptical About New Evaluation System
NJ Spotlight, NJ, February 6, 2013
With less than nine months and counting, New Jersey’s rollout of a statewide teacher evaluation system is moving ahead, but the deadlines are tight, reliability remains an issue — and the system has yet to win the confidence of the teachers it’s intended to evaluate.

NEW MEXICO

Skandera Still Awaiting Confirmation
Albuquerque Journal, NM, February 6, 2013
More than two years after being appointed to the helm of New Mexico’s public school system, Public Education Secretary-designate Hanna Skandera still has not been confirmed by the state Senate.

NEW YORK

School Money Lawsuit Filed
Wall Street Journal, February 6, 2013
An attorney who once successfully sued to increase New York state school funding on Tuesday challenged the state’s decision to withhold about $250 million from New York City after district and union officials failed to reach an agreement on teacher evaluations.

Cuomo Closing Off Best Pre-K Hope
New York Post, NY, February 6, 2013
Why is Gov. Cuomo hobbling one of his signature initiatives? Drawing on a core recommendation of his education-reform commission, Cuomo is targeting pre-K education in New York’s worst school districts.

Parents Rally In Support Of Charter Schools
WXXA, NY, February 5, 2013
More than 1,000 charter school parents converged on Albany Tuesday to try to get lawmakers to let charter schools compete for funding to serve Pre-K students.

Charters Make Pre-Emptive ‘Move’
New York Post, NY, February 6, 2013
The city Department of Education is trying to fast-track the placement of charter schools in public-school buildings years ahead of schedule — in a bid to protect the schools from a less charter-friendly mayor.

NORTH CAROLINA

Parents Tell Bacon Academy Not To Abandon Plan For 2nd School
News Star, NC, February 5, 2013
The Roger Bacon Academy held an informational meeting Tuesday in Supply to find out if there is enough interest to add another school to southern Brunswick County.

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma Legislative Panel Rejects Charter School Measure
The Oklahoman, OK, February 6, 2013
A bill targeting four Oklahoma charter schools would have required that the five highest-paid administrators are American citizens. The bill failed in committee Tuesday.

School Choice Is The Answer
Oklahoman Gazette, OK, February 6, 2013
The larger fallacy John Thompson (Commentary, “The fallacy of test-driven school reform, Jan. 16, Oklahoma Gazette) fails to recognize is the fallacy of centrally planned and administered education. MAPS for Kids has been a total failure, as schools are not buildings. The only obvious beneficiaries are the government contractors who built the buildings.

PENNSYLVANIA

Pittsburgh Public Schools Charter Review Team Recommends Denial Of 3 Applications
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, February 6, 2013
Pittsburgh Public Schools officials have recommended that the school board deny the applications for three charter schools less than two weeks after the board rejected a proposal for a charter school in Hazelwood that the administration favored.

Charter School A Negative For Florence District
Burlington County Times, PA, February 6, 2013
The expansion of the Riverbank Charter School of Excellence is not in the best interest of Florence.

Medical Academy Charter School: We’re Doing Our Part
Allentown Morning Call, PA, February 5, 2013
Faced with a threat to its existence, Medical Academy Charter School representatives said Tuesday they’re teaching kids about medicine, sending them on field trips and working to line up hands-on experiences for them.

Corbett Budget Proposes Education Funding Boost
Erie Times-News, PA, February 6, 2013
Gov. Tom Corbett wasn’t shy on Tuesday about trumpeting his plans to increase education funding, saying his 2013-14 budget proposal would invest “more Pennsylvania tax dollars in basic education than at any time in our history.”

SOUTH CAROLINA

Charter Renewal Breathes New Life Into Florence’s Choices School
WBTW, SC, February 5, 2013
Officials with Choices Charter School say it’s back to business as usual on campus, following the renewal of a charter agreement that caused some confusion and distress last fall.

TENNESSEE

Charter School Proposal Throws County Officials For A Loop
The Tennessean, TN, February 5, 2013
Bewildered and flat-footed. That was the mood Monday afternoon as some of the most influential people in Williamson County politics tried to wrap their heads around a proposal to open a charter school that would challenge their public education system.

Group Seeks Tougher Academic, Licensing Standards For Teachers
The Tennessean, TN, February 6, 2013
Less than a week after state education officials linked better ACT scores to teacher effectiveness, an education advocacy group is calling for teaching candidates to face tougher academic standards before starting their own studies.

TEXAS

Teacher Group, GOP At Odds Over School Flexibility Bill
Anniston Star, TX, February 5, 2013
The Alabama Education Association is preparing to square off against the Legislature’s Republican leadership in a battle over what’s left of Alabama’s failed charter school proposal.

VIRGINIA

Richmond School Board Votes ‘No’ On Hiring Help For Failing Schools
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, February 6, 2013
Five of Richmond’s chronically failing schools will have to wait at least another week before state-mandated help arrives, putting them more than a month behind schedule in receiving promised help.

Bolling’s Votes Pass 2 Education Reform Bills In Va. Senate
Washington Times, DC, February 5, 2013
Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling cast tiebreaking votes Tuesday as the Senate passed two key components of Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell’s education-reform agenda.

WASHINGTON

Parents Joining Teachers’ Test Boycott As Garfield High Principals Give Exam
Seattle Times, WA, February 5, 2013
Seattle Superintendent José Banda has ordered Garfield High’s principal and assistant principals to give the tests that Garfield teachers have been protesting, but many students are opting out anyway.

State Superintendent Speaks On Education
News Tribune, WA, February 6, 2013
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn gave his thoughts on several wide-ranging education topics during an address Thursday at the Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce-sponsored Public Affairs Forum.

ONLINE LEARNING

Consider Virtual Schooling For Your Child
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, February 6, 2013
There are many education choices for Wisconsin children to best meet their learning needs. The state’s open enrollment period, when parents must make initial decisions on 2013 education options, started Monday. As the principal at Wisconsin Connections Academy, a virtual school educating students throughout the state, I urge parents to look at all options and make an informed choice.

Celebrating Digital Learning
Marshall Independent, MN, February 6, 2013
Marshall Public Schools will be part of the Second Annual National Digital Learning Day today, joining 50 states, nearly 25,000 teachers and millions of students who are celebrating the presence of technology in schools and spotlighting the digital learning that is taking place in classrooms across the country.

School District To Decide Fate Of K-12 Virtual School Charter
KUNC, CO, February 5, 2013
The future of the state’s largest virtual K-12 school will be decided by Adams 12 Five Star Board of Education members Wednesday night.

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

The Truth about Charters
Wall Street Journal Video, February 4, 2013
Assistant features editor David Feith on a New York Times editorial that disputes charter schools’ effectiveness.

A Brief Overview of Teacher Evaluation Controversies
PBS Newshour, February 4, 2013
Why is it so hard to determine what makes a good teacher? The answer is both complicated and polarizing. In recent education reform history, judging teacher evaluations has become as much an issue as how to evaluate student achievement.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Foot-Dragging On School Reform
Orange County Register, CA, February 4, 2013
Embedded in his State of the State address last week were backhanded swipes at fellow Democrats President Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. The governor lashed out at “distant authorities cracking the whip” on education, and he berated reforms “designed from afar.” It’s a battle he will not – and should not – win.

Parent Trigger Shifts Balance
Orange County Register, CA, February 5, 2013
The nation’s third invoking of a Parent Trigger, in Los Angeles, disproves the charges of many critics of the 2010 California law. Based on the first two attempts of parents to require their children’s failing schools be converted to charter schools, critics declared the Parent Trigger a mistake.

GEORGIA

Walking Away From Public Schools Is Not A Solution
The Telegraph, GA, February 5, 2013
As many of you recall, I opposed the recent charter school amendment, not because I oppose charter schools — I don’t — but because I thought the wording of the amendment was duplicitous. I thought it grossly unfair that Gov. Nathan Deal could wax eloquently on the need for passage of the amendment but School Superintendent John Barge was not allowed to talk about opposing it. It was like Goliath beating up David.

IDAHO

Albertson Foundation Offers $5 Million For New Idaho School Model
Idaho Statesman, ID, February 5, 2013
A hefty reward: The J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation will pay a school district or charter school operator to “create a new form of school somewhere in Idaho.”

ILLLINOIS

UNO Gearing Up Its Own Political Machine Involving Charter Schools
Chicago Sun Times, IL, February 4, 2013
My first encounter with the political machinery of the United Neighborhood Organization Charter Schools network came last spring when I was poking around in an Illinois House race on the Southwest Side.

IOWA

Iowa Educators Warn Lack Of Money Will Kill School Reform
Muscatine Journal, IA, February 5, 2013
Representatives of K-12 education groups told lawmakers Monday that they are generally supportive of proposed reforms with some modifications and local flexibility, but they warned that needed resources must closely follow policy changes in a timely manner or the effort will stall similar to what happened in 2001.

LOUISIANA

East Baton Rouge Schools Plan Includes Proposal For Alternative Schools
Times Picayune, LA, February 4, 2013
East Baton Rouge students who are behind academically and are repeating grades could be placed in an alternative school, as part of a drastic reorganization proposed for parts of the East Baton Rouge Parish School System.

MARYLAND

Evaluating Teachers An Evolving Process
Frederick News Post, MD, February 5, 2013
Frederick County was among nine school districts in which teacher-evaluation proposals have been found lacking by the Maryland State Board of Education.

MONTANA

Panel Hears Push For Charter Schools
Great Falls Tribune, MT, February 4, 2013
A mother from Laurel did something unexpected when testifying at a hearing — she held her cellphone to the lectern’s microphone and played a message from her school district.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Proposal Boosts NH Aid To Charter Schools
CT Post, CT, February 5, 2013
New Hampshire lawmakers are considering legislation to increase state aid to charter schools.

NEW YORK

Technology Charter School Gets $50,000 Grant For Lab
Buffalo News, NY, February 5, 2013
A $50,000 grant to the Charter School for Applied Technologies will be used to buy equipment for its advanced manufacturing experience lab, which provides high school students hands-on experience to pursue manufacturing careers in the region, officials said.

Explaining, or Maybe Not, Failure in Talks With Teachers
New York Times, NY, January 5, 2013
Our mayor being true to himself, Michael R. Bloomberg journeyed to Albany last week to lecture state legislators on his decision to blow up negotiations with our teachers union and so lose $240 million for New York City schools.

Group Looks To Build Autism Charter School in Rochester
KAALTV, NY, February 4, 2013
It started with a group of parents and now the Rochester Beacon Academy is one step closer to building a Charter School geared toward helping students with Autism. They held a public meeting Monday.

NORTH CAROLINA

4 Groups Hope To Open Charter Schools In Southeastern N.C. For 2014-15
Star News, NC, February 4, 2013
Four groups in Southeastern North Carolina say they want to open charter schools in the 2014-15 school year – a move that, if approved, would more than double the number of charter schools in the area.

New Charter Schools Could Shift Students, Funds From Traditional Public Schools
Star News, NC, February 4, 2013
A possible influx of charter schools in Southeastern North Carolina signals not only a potential shift of students away from traditional public schools, but also the movement of dollars.

Questions About Schools Need To Be Answered Before Making Big Changes
Winston Salam Journal, NC, February 5, 2013
“Let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater.” That old saying doesn’t get much use in the Legislative Building nowadays, but a recent statement from House Speaker Thom Tillis suggests that the sentiment behind it might be returning.

OKLAHOMA

School District Needs To Be Part Of Oklahoma City’s Great Ride
The Oklahoman, OK, February 5, 2013
TIME and time again we are reminded that Oklahoma City is at an unparalleled place in its history. Everywhere we look, we see signs of progress and pride. Mayor Mick Cornett and the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber have done a fantastic job of telling our city’s story near and far.

OREGON

Parents Urge Charter School Renewals
Mail Tribune, OR, February 5, 2013
The parents of children at Medford’s two charter schools sounded off to the Medford School Board Monday in public hearings concerning each of the school’s upcoming charter renewals.

PENNSYLVANIA

Failing Allentown, Bethlehem Schools Placed On Voucher List
Allentown Morning Call, PA, February 4, 2013
Students will be eligible for scholarships to attend better performing private, public schools.

RHODE ISLAND

Chariho Contests Charter School Expense
Westerly Sun, RI, February 4, 2013
The Chariho School Committee and Superintendent Barry Ricci believe the district has an opportunity to save $1.5 million annually. The idea sits before both houses of the Rhode Island General Assembly and has the approval of both the School Committee and the Richmond Town Council.

SOUTH CAROLINA

South Carolina Earns A High Grade For Advancing Charter Schools
Charleston Post Courier, SC, February 5, 2013
For far too long, South Carolina’s students’ scores on standardized tests have been among the country’s lowest.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Scholarships For ‘Critical Need’ Teachers Considered
KELO-TV, SD, February 4, 2013
Senator Tim Rave is behind this plan. He says Senate Bill 233 resurrects the good part of Referred Law 16 voters rejected. It would offer scholarships to South Dakota college students who promise to teach in areas of need.

TENNESSEE

10 Charter School Groups Line Up To Apply With Metro Nashville
The Tennessean, TN, February 5, 2013
Williamson County education leaders will review their first charter school application, a development triggered by a Tennessee law change that allows charters even in wealthy districts.

Require Teacher Evaluation Feedback
Leaf Chronicle, TN, February 5, 2013
Tennessee’s new teacher evaluation system has hit more than a few bumps in the road since it was put into place two years ago. That, by itself, is not too disturbing. New systems often take time to iron out unexpected results and problems.

TEXAS

Judge: Texas School Finance System Unconstitutional
American-Statesman, TX, February 4, 2013
Texas’ system of funding public schools is unconstitutional, state District Judge John Dietz ruled Monday.

Charter Schools “Disappointed” With School Finance Ruling
KUT News, TX, February 4, 2013
State district Judge John Dietz’s ruling that the Texas school finance system is unconstitutional is being celebrated by many school district administrators, but one group involved the lawsuit is probably not popping champagne bottles tonight: charter school advocates.

Should Texas Add More Charter Schools?
Beaumont Enterprise, TX, February 4, 2013
Charter schools have been a welcome innovation for public education in Texas. They offer a creative blend of public financing and parental choice for students who might not fit in well at traditional public schools.

Brooks science academy seeking to build extension campus in Von Ormy
San Antonio Business Journal, TX, February 4, 2013
Brooks Academy of Science and Engineering is asking the Texas Education Agency to approve a proposal to open a Science and Engineering Charter School campus in Von Ormy, Texas, just south of San Antonio.

VIRGINIA

Virginia Governor’s K-12 Bills, Including Stricter Teacher Accountability, Advance
Washington Post, DC, February 4, 2013
Key parts of Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s education initiatives received approval in the Virginia General Assembly on Monday, including a measure that would overhaul teacher accountability and another that would simplify the rating of public schools by using letter grades.

WISCONSIN

School Vouchers: Time To Learn More
Beloit Daily News, WI, February 4, 2013
IT LOOKS AS IF Wisconsin may be in for another politically-charged debate over education, this one on the topic of expanding school choice voucher programs.

Add Accountability To Voucher School Plans
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, February 5, 2013
Guest columnist Patrick Elliott’s piece, “Vouchers hurt public schools,” makes the case that some private schools teach religion, curriculums different from state standards and do not perform well on standardized tests. He does not, however, support the column’s headline.

ONLINE LEARNING

Virtual Schools Under Microscope of Tennessee Lawmakers
Nashville Public Radio, TN, February 5, 2013
Virtual education appears to be the future, even for the youngest students. School districts are offering classes online. Cyber schools – many of them run by the same for-profit company – are popping up all over the country. But student test scores have fallen short.

Quakertown Superintendent Honored For Digital Learning
The Intelligencer, PA, February 5, 2013
Nationally, the Upper Bucks County district is leading the way when it comes to implementing technology for 21st century learners, according to eSchool News.

Pa. Rejects Proposed Cybercharter School In Lancaster
Lancaster News Journal, PA, February 4, 2013
The state has rejected a proposed cybercharter school that would have operated a satellite hub in Lancaster city beginning in the fall.

City’s Online School Expects To Grow
Springfield News Sun, OH, February 4, 2013
In its first year, Springfield’s online school has about 50 full- and part-time students with hopes to double or triple that number.

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NATIONAL COVERAGE

Rhee Wary Of Stressing On Testing
Washington Times, DC, February 3, 2013
As organized opposition to standardized testing grows, one of the nation’s most outspoken and controversial education activists said Sunday that such assessments have a place in public schools but cautioned against an “overemphasis” on them.

School Turnaround Prompts Community Backlash
Associated Press, February 3, 2013
The federal government’s push for drastic reforms at chronically low achieving schools has led to takeovers by charter operators, overhauls of staff and curriculum, and even school shutdowns across the country.

More Lessons About Charter Schools
New York Times, NY, February 2, 2013
The charter school movement gained a foothold in American education two decades ago partly by asserting that independently run, publicly financed schools would outperform traditional public schools if they were exempted from onerous regulations.

FROM THE STATES

ALASKA

Alaska Lawmakers Consider School Voucher Proposal
KTUU, AK, February 3, 2013
Parents would be able to send their kids to private or religious schools using public education funds if a new constitutional amendment passes.

CALIFORNIA

L.A.’s First Hebrew-Language Charter School Raises Questions
Los Angeles Times, CA, February, 2013
Lashon Academy is to teach modern Hebrew, have no religious component and aim for a diverse student body. But some worry that dual-language charters blur the line between public and private schools.

COLORADO

Charter School Rally Highlights Choices For Students
Colorado Springs Gazette, CO, February 1, 2013
Nearly 400 students, teachers and others rallied Friday afternoon for National School Choice Week at Pikes Peak Prep.

Colorado Should Expand Its School Choice
Denver Post, CO, January 4, 2013
A great school isn’t great for every student.
I was fortunate. Columbine High School was a great school for me. My senior year, I was making good grades, was an editor on the school newspaper staff, and competed on the speech and debate team.

FLORIDA

Charting Florida’s K-12 Legislative Landscape
Orlando Sentinel, FL, February 3, 2013
K-12 education in Florida is a never-ending series of tweaks. Expect a new round of fine-tuning in March when the 2013 legislative session begins.

Pines Charters, Broward School Board In Tug-Of-War For Tax Money
Sun Sentinel, FL, February 2, 2013
The 5,600 students who attend the Pembroke Pines Charter schools are no different than their peers at Chapel Trail Elementary or West Broward High.

Charter Schools Put Unfair Pressure On Public-School Construction Funding
Miami Herald, FL, February 3, 2013
In the past week, The Herald has published two stories regarding the Pembroke Pines Charter school system’s attempt to relieve its financial pressure by requesting a portion of the Broward County Public Schools’ (BCPS) local capital dollars.

Florida Praised For Support Of Charter Schools
Tampa Bay Tribune, FL, February 3, 2013
New rankings from a national charter school advocacy group rate Florida as the nation’s fifth-best state because of laws that make it easy for such schools to open and operate, but critics say those policies may not be best for students.

GEORGIA

Georgia’s Bid For Federal School Grant At Risk
Gainesville Times, GA, February 3, 2013
Federal officials have moved a piece of Georgia’s Race to the Top education grant into a “high risk” category because of the state’s difficulty with implementing a new teacher-evaluation strategy.

Resolution of Atlanta Cheating Scandal Caught Between 2 Agencies
Augusta Chronicle, GA, February 3, 2013
Most of the educators named in an Atlanta school cheating scandal are gone. But for many, there is no closure because they are caught between two agencies.

IDAHO

Idaho’s Charter School Law Could Be Revamped Soon
Idaho Statesman, ID, February 3, 2013
For charter school advocates, the key to promoting choice in Idaho is finding a way to pay for projects, since charter schools can’t hold a levy election and must pay for facilities with the per-student operating money the state distributes.

ILLINOIS

For Insiders, Community Group UNO’s Charter Schools Pay
Chicago Sun Times, IL, February 4, 2013
A $98 million state grant — approved by the Illinois Legislature in 2009 and believed to be the nation’s largest government investment in charter schools to date — funded the construction of Soccer Academy Elementary and other new schools built by UNO.

All They Want Is A Choice
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 4, 2013
On Aug. 11 inside a school gymnasium in West Englewood, more than 200 parents scribbled their child’s name on a pink raffle ticket.

INDIANA

Teacher Union Regroups After Financial Scandal
Courier Journal, IN, February 3, , 2013
Indiana’s largest teachers union, battered by the 2009 collapse of its insurance trust, hopes the election of teacher and union activist Glenda Ritz as the state’s top school official will help it rebuild its clout and overcome financial challenges.

KANSAS

Teacher Evaluations Undergoing Overhaul
Topeka Capital Journal, KS, February 3, 2013
Federally mandated changes to teacher evaluations in Kansas mean educators soon will be evaluated at least in part based on the state assessment scores of their students — a requirement that will apply to math teachers and gym instructors alike.

LOUISIANA

Teachers Union Requests Info From 35 N.O. Charter Schools
The Advocate, LA, February 4, 2013
In an attempt to organize and rebuild its profile, the city’s teachers union has requested teachers’ names and contact information, employee handbooks and charter agreements from 35 of the city’s 70-plus charter schools.

COMPASS Needs To Be Revisited
Monroe News Star, LA, February 4, 2013
As a member of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and a director of human resources , I am appealing to the Louisiana Legislature to revisit COMPASS — the new teacher-leader evaluation program.

MARYLAND

Something Is Wrong In Maryland
Washington Post Blog, DC, February 4, 2013
For years, Maryland has been known for its excellent public schools. That doesn’t mean they are all of equal quality, but the state has been ranked No. 1 for five straight years by Education Week, which, if you put any stock in rankings, is the best on this subject because of the multiple indicators it considers.

MASSACHUSETTS

Parents Go Shopping — For Schools
South Coast Today, MA, February 3, 2013
Parents went shopping Saturday. But not for clothes or groceries. They were shopping for schools for their children’s education.

MICHIGAN

Everyone Has A Plan For Education Reform, Except Educator
Michigan Live, MI, February 3, 2013
The Center for Michigan has one. So does the Governor and legislature. Even the Oxford Foundation has one. What is it? A plan for educational reform and it seems that everyone, with the exception of the educational community, has one. It seems the would rather simply to on the sidelines and carp about ideas being advanced.

Education Reform Builds Momentum
Lansing State Journal, MI, February 2, 2013
For much of the past decade, some person or group at the Capitol has been pressing the cause for school finance reform.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Educational Opportunity Under Attack On Many Fronts
Foster’s Daily Democrat, NH, February 3, 2013
Educational opportunity is something we all want for our children. But it is under threat in New Hampshire.

NEW YORK

Teacher Evaluation Law Puts Bloomberg In A Bind
New York Daily News, NY, February 4, 2013
The nation’s most knowledgeable school reform experts believe New York is the only state to, in effect, give unions veto power over how to evaluate teacher performance.

In a Memphis Cheating Ring, the Teachers Are the Accused
New York Times, NY, February 2, 2013
In the end, it was a pink baseball cap that revealed an audacious test-cheating scheme in three Southern states that spanned at least 15 years.

NORTH CAROLINA

Charter Advocate Seeks Reform Within A Climate Of Choice
Herald Sun, NC, February 2, 2013
Darrell Allison doesn’t have much use for the idea of a moratorium on public-supported charter schools in Durham – or anywhere else, for that matter.

Changes To CMS Teacher Pay Remain Unclear
Charlotte Observer, NC, February 3, 2013
By the end of this month, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools plans to unveil a proposal for changing the way teachers are paid, with rewards for leadership and classroom results.

OHIO

Millions Of Dollars Owed To State By Failed Charter Schools
10TV, OH, February 3, 2013
Millions of taxpayer dollars in Central Ohio are missing, and chances are the state will never get them back. Much of the money is attributed to failed charter schools, such as Harte Crossroads, which opened in the former Columbus City Center mall in 2004.

Kasich’s School Funding Plan Is A Positive Step Forward, But Effects On Traditional Public Schools Are Still Murky
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, February 2, 2013
Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s long-awaited school funding formula appears overall to be a promising fix for a long-broken funding system that the Ohio Supreme Court first ruled unconstitutional in 1997.

Only Limit On New Voucher Is The Budget
Columbus Dispatch, OH, February 3, 2013
Nearly half of Ohio’s 1.8 million elementary and secondary students could qualify in the coming years for tax-funded tuition to private schools under Gov. John Kasich’s plan to expand the state’s voucher program, which would change the face of education in the Buckeye State.

PENNSYLVANIA

Renaissance Schools Still Alive
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, February 3, 2013
THE SCHOOL DISTRICT announced Friday that it would continue the Renaissance Charter Schools initiative for a fourth straight year.

Can’t Avoid Closing Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 3, 2013
Parents and other opponents of plans to close 37 city schools have been asking the right questions, and they deserve answers, but it shouldn’t take the yearlong moratorium they want to get the answers.

Chester Considering More Charter Schools
Delaware County Times, PA, February 2, 2013
Chester Upland School District Receiver Joseph Watkins has about a month to decide whether to approve two charter school proposals.

SOUTH CAROLINA

School Choice A Waste Of Time
The State, SC, February 4, 2013
I object to my tax dollars being used to give tax deductions to send children to private schools and home schools (“School choice bill introduced again,” Jan. 25).

TENNESSEE

In Memphis, Gates Testing Ways To Give Teacher Quick Feedback
Commercial Appeal, TN, February 4, 2013
As the nation pushes to improve the quality of its public school teachers, it’s pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into professional development with little way to measure the results.

Teacher Pay System Has To Be Equitable
The Tennessean, TN, February 3, 2013
“What’s with the war on teachers?” a Tennessean reader asked last week in the comments on a recent story outlining research that questions the value of pay differentials for teaching experience and advanced degrees.

Ease Up On Charter Push
Commercial Appeal, TN, February 4, 2013
Why do we need charter schools in Mississippi? I don’t understand why Gov. Phil Bryant and his elected Cabinet members are so gung-ho in trying to force charter schools down the throats of all Mississippians.

TEXAS

Perry Praises Charter Schools, Voucher Plan
Longview News-Journal, TX, February 2, 2013
Gov. Rick Perry told the State Board of Education on Friday that it’s time for Texas to increase the number of charter schools allowed to operate statewide and embrace a voucher system that would let parents get their kids out of poor-performing public schools and into private ones.

VIRGINIA

Charter School Fights Uphill Battle in Loudoun County
Washington Examiner, DC, February 3, 2013
Loudoun County’s would-be first public charter school has four meetings left to win over the county school board, but so far the school has not had much success.

Gov’s Charter Schools Measure Dies In House Panel
WTOP, VA, February 1, 2013
A proposed state constitutional amendment that would have given Virginia more say in establishing charter schools died in a House committee Friday over concerns that cities and counties would wind up footing the bill.

ONLINE LEARNING

Virtual Learning Academy Charter School Looks Toward Growth
Nashua Telegraph, NH, February 4, 2013
In only five years, enrollment at the Virtual Learning Academy Charter School has increased from 700 to 15,500, and is larger than many of the state’s school districts.

Say Hello to ‘The Flipped Classroom’ in Niagara Falls
Buffalo News, NY, February 2, 2013
Some classes at two local schools have been flipped. Work that used to be done in the classroom is being done at home, and what used to be done as homework is being done in class.

GOP Proposal Harms Cyber Schools, Limits Choices
Tribune Democrat, PA, February 3, 2013
Harrisburg fourth-grader Ashley Matunis excels at math, which allows her to learn faster than her classmates. Her 7-year-old sister Anna suffers from Type I diabetes. Their mother, Sarah, found a way to meet both her daughters’ learning needs at Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School, which has more than 11,000 students across the state.

Pa. Students Need To Have Education Choices
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, February 2, 2013
This year more Pennsylvania families than ever have a reason to celebrate School Choice Week, Jan. 27 to Feb. 2, and Digital Learning Day on Feb. 6. As a teacher at the virtual public school Commonwealth Connections Academy’s Seven Fields office, I celebrate both proudly, as I see firsthand the benefits of choice and technology in learning every day.

Haslam Bill Seeks To Make Real Improvements In State’s Virtual Schools
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, February 3, 2013
Legislation imposing enrollment limits in Tennessee virtual schools is included in a 59-bill package in the Haslam administration’s legislative package for the 2013 session, though the governor never mentioned it in his “state-of-the-state” speech or news releases on his “priorities” for the year.

Appleton Online School Growing
WHBY, WI, February 4, 2013
Leaders of an Appleton-based online school are looking forward to the start of the state’s open enrollment period.

New Online-Only Charter School Gets State Approval
KOB, MN, February 1, 2013
This fall public school students across New Mexico could start getting their education completely online.

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

NATIONAL

Teachers and Policy Makers: Troubling Disconnect
New York Times Blog, NY, January 31, 2013
Can the school reform movement accept constructive criticism? Gary Rubinstein hopes so. Mr. Rubinstein joined Teach for America in 1991, the program’s second year, and has now been teaching math for 15 years, five of them in some of the nation’s neediest public schools and 10 more at the prestigious Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan.

Race to the Top: D.C., Maryland and Georgia Way Back in the Field
Washington Post, DC, February 1, 2013
In the second year of Race to the Top, the Obama administration’s signature effort to improve public schools, nine of 12 jurisdictions that received $4 billion in federal grants made good progress. But three — the District, Maryland and Georgia — have stumbled, federal officials said.

Growing Number Of Educators Boycott Standardized Tests
USA Today, January 1, 2013
The decision by a group of Seattle teachers to boycott a standardized test this winter could spill out to other cities as a decade of frustration over testing simmers.

Charter Schools That Start Bad Stay Bad, Study Finds
Washington Post Blog, DC, January 31, 2013
Charter schools that start out doing poorly aren’t likely to improve, and charters that are successful from the beginning most often stay that way, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford University.

Democrats Launch Speakers Bureau To Hold Obama’s Feet To Fire On Education Reform
Forbes, January 31, 2013
Democrats for Education Reform (DFER), in conjunction with Education Reform Now (ERN), launched today their “I’m A DFER” Speakers Bureau of former Democratic state legislators, according to a press release obtained by Crotty on Education.

FROM THE STATES

New Legislation May Change Charter School Authorization Process
Alaska Public Radio Network, AK, January 31, 2013
Right now, if you and a group of like-minded individuals want to set up a charter school in your community, you need to petition your local school board to get your plan approved. A new bill could change that and open authorization up to universities, other government agencies, and nonprofits.

ARIZONA

Bill Would Mandate School-Choice Guide
Arizona Republic, AZ, January 31, 2013
A bill in the state Legislature would require the Arizona Department of Education to mail a “how-to” guide of educational options each year to the parents of 1 million children.

COLORADO

Parent Trigger Bill Pops Up
Education News Colorado, CO, January 31, 2013
A group of 10 Republican lawmakers has introduced a measure that would allow parents to petition the State Board of Education for conversion of struggling schools.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

School Choice Pays Off, Literally
National Review Online, February 1, 2013
The District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program (OSP) produced $2.62 in benefits for every dollar spent on it. In other words, the return on public investment for the private-school voucher program during its early years was 162 percent.

FLORIDA

Fla. Back on Track with Race to the Top
St. Augustine Record, FL, February 1, 2013
Top grant projects, U.S. Department of Education officials say the state has regained its momentum.

GEORGIA

Charter Students, Lawmakers Mark School Choice Week
Cherokee Tribune, GA, February 1, 2013
Cherokee Charter Academy students visited the state Capitol on Friday to meet with local legislators and participate in a rally to celebrate National School Choice Week.

ILLINOIS

The Ins And Outs Of Chicago’s Charter Network Expansion: What’s Working, What’s Not – And Why
Medill Reports: Chicago, IL, January 31, 2013
Don’t let the name fool you. This is not a school with selective enrollment. This is not a private school. It’s a charter school. It’s also a public school, according to Angela Montagna, director of external affairs for the Noble charter network, who is quick to correct anyone who says otherwise.

INDIANA

Parents Faced With More School Choices
Muncie Star Press, IN, February 1, 2013
As one local charter school prepares to close its doors, another one is planning its grand opening. Hoosier Academies, a tuition-free public charter school, will shut down its brick-and-mortar Muncie location in June.

Ball State Puts More Rigor Into Charter Renewal Process
Northwest Times, IN, February 1, 2013
Tabitha and Eliseo Velez, who have six children enrolled at Charter School of the Dunes in Gary, are among parents and community members advocating the school remain open.

Mayor Greg Ballard Seeks Authority To Take Over IPS Schools Taken Over By State
Indianapolis Star, IN, January 31, 2013
Mayor Greg Ballard will ask the State Board of Education next week to give him authority over four former Indianapolis Public Schools taken over by the state.

IOWA

Report: Iowa Teacher Evaluations Fail To Identify Top Educators
Des Moines Register, IA, February 1, 2013
The first statewide review of teacher evaluations revealed a patchwork system in which the majority of teachers aren’t rated in a way that identifies the best performers, according to an annual state education report released Thursday.

MAINE

Reactions to Charter School Cuts
WLBZ-TV, ME, January 31, 2013
Republicans are reacting with anger at the Education Committee’s vote to cut funding from Charter Schools along with Public Schools.

MARYLAND

Charter School Students, Parents, Teachers Lobby Lawmakers
WBAL, MD, January 31, 2013
Ten years after Maryland’s charter school law was enacted, more than 200 student, parents and teachers from charter schools around the state were in Annapolis today to urge lawmakers to make changes to the charter school law.

Johns Hopkins Hoping To Revive East Baltimore Neighborhood On Its Border
Washington Post, DC, January 31, 2013
The renowned Johns Hopkins University medical campus looms over East Baltimore like a fortress on a hill. On its northern edge lies a humble neighborhood of rowhouses weathered by decades of crime, poverty and decay.

MICHIGAN

Detroit Area’s Catholic Schools Shrink, But Tradition Endures
Detroit Free Press, MI, February 1, 2013
More than 13,000 “Mercy girls” have received a Catholic education from Mercy High School, founded in Detroit in 1945, when the city’s population was heavily Catholic.

NEVADA

Success-Induced Environment
Daily Sparks Tribune, NV, January 31, 2013
Parents and families came out in hoards Thursday night at Alpine Academy Charter School in Sparks. The school celebrated National School Choice Week, a nationally recognized program, advocating for parents’ choice to send their children to the school of their choice.

Empowering Parents To Choose Best School
Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV, February 1, 2013
Failure can be one of the best things in life. In the short term, failure doesn’t seem attractive, because it involves … well … failing. In the longer term, however, failure motivates us to either try a different method and succeed or find a different path entirely.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Charter Schools Group Drops State’s Rank Due To Moratorium
Union Leader, NH, January 31, 2013
The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools has dropped New Hampshire’s ranking from one of the most friendly states for charter schools to one of the most hostile, citing a State Board of Education moratorium on the approval of any new state-authorized charters. In its 2013 assessment of state charter school laws, New Hampshire dropped from No. 11 in 2012 to No. 30.

NEW JERSEY

Two Camden Charter Schools Scramble To Restore Tax-Exempt Status
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 1, 2013
Charter schools across New Jersey leverage their federal tax-exempt status to enhance their classrooms and expand their facilities.

NEW YORK

Teach-Eval Talks Thaw
New York Post, NY, February 1, 2013
Gov. Cuomo’s threat to have Albany impose a new teacher-evaluation system if the city and UFT can’t agree to one on their own is working.

The Plan to Save Catholic Schools
Wall Street Journal, February 1, 2013
This is Catholic Schools Week, when dioceses across the country celebrate the great gifts that are our Catholic schools.

Democracy Prep Founder Seth Andrew Unveils Ambitious Plan To Help Grads Hit The Ground Running In College
New York Daily News, NY, January 31, 2013
Call it the gift that keeps on giving. A highly touted charter school has already helped students from Harlem’s poorest families nail down a spot in a college next fall.

Plan for Older Students Faces Obstacles
New York Times, NY, February 1, 2013
With that in mind, Goodwill wants to expand its services by opening a charter school that focuses on awarding high school diplomas to older students, instead of the G.E.D.’s that adult education programs traditionally offer. The charter application will be filed in February.

NORTH CAROLINA

School Districts And Charters
Burlington Times News, NC, February 1, 2013
We have long supported charter schools in North Carolina. We favored lifting the state’s 100-school cap in 2011 because we think charter schools encourage innovation, give parents a choice, and put needed competitive pressure on the public schools to do a better job.

OHIO

Gov. John Kasich’s School Plan Would Dramatically Overhaul Ohio’s Funding Formula
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, January 31, 2013
Gov. John Kasich wants a major overhaul of Ohio school funding that focuses on bridging the wide gaps in income and property values among districts, while also giving charter schools the same level of state money that traditional districts get.

Kasich School Plan Prompts Optimism For Area Educators
Toledo Blade, OH, February 1, 2013
Ohio school superintendents reacted with guarded optimism Thursday to Gov. John Kasich’s school funding proposal, as they hailed a guarantee that no school districts will receive less money under the plan than they currently do, but must wait for details on how the formula would affect individual districts.

PENNSYLVANIA

No Cheating On Charters: We Must Be Honest About The Performance Of Our Schools
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, February 1, 2013
Wouldn’t we all love to respond to a disappointing performance review by changing the measuring tool to give us a better result? Many of us would joyfully toss the bathroom scale out the window in favor of one that knocked off 10 pounds. How about moving the end zone five yards closer so our favorite wide receiver could catch the game-winning throw?

SOUTH CAROLINA

Teacher Grading Plan Draws Fire From Greenville County School Board
Greenville News, SC, January 31, 2013
Their progress is her progress. And it gets measured in many ways, including with a test three times a year in math and reading called Measuring Academic Progress.

Zais: Choice Funds Students, Not Schools
SCNow, SC, January 31, 2013
South Carolina Superintendent of Education Mick Zais said he has high hopes a school choice bill will be passed in the General Assembly this year.

TENNESSEE

Tennessee Voucher Debate: The Chance, And Price, of ‘School Choice’
WRCBTV, TN, January 31, 2013
His second graders have reached the point that Daris Waters calls “show what you know.” “What’s my first step,” he asks. “You want to borrow a ten so the two becomes a 12,” a young man answers softly but confidently.

TN Teachers Not Told of Bad Evaluations
The Tennessean, TN, February 1, 2013
The number of Tennessee teachers apparently not told how poorly they scored on a teacher evaluation is worrisome to Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman, who questions how they can improve without feedback.

TEXAS

AISD School Board Joins Anti-Voucher Resolution
KFDA, TX, January 31, 2013
Amarillo schools are jumping on board the growing resistance toward the controversial school voucher program.

‘Choice’ Schools OK Testing, Not Open Enrollment
Fort Worth Star Telegram, TX, January 31, 2013
Between now and the Legislature’s scheduled May 27 adjournment, Texas will almost surely see its most extensive push ever for sending students to private schools with state-arranged financing.

VIRGINIA

Va. Senate Panel OKs Grading Schools
Washington Times, DC, January 31, 2013
Two major components of Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell’s education reform agenda won a Senate committee’s endorsement Thursday on the narrowest of party-line votes.

WASHINGTON

Bills To Grade Schools, Hold Back Third-Graders Well-Meaning But Problematic
Seattle Times, WA, January 31, 2013
The State Senate Education Committee falls short in efforts to rate schools and ensure all third-graders can read.

WISCONSIN

School Vouchers Harm Public Education
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, January 31, 2013
With voucher advocates this week trumpeting National School Choice Week, it is a fitting time to examine some Milwaukee choice schools and the proposed expansion of private school vouchers in Wisconsin. Some politicians are intent on slowly doing away with our public education system in favor of privatized education that is paid for with taxpayers’ money.

ONLINE LEARNING

School in Thumb Takes Online Learning To The Max
Bridge Magazine, MI, January 31, 2013
Allison Ruiz was attending the Thanksgiving parade in downtown Detroit two months ago when she got a call from a student with a homework question.

Lakeville Looks At Doing More With Online Learning
Star Tribune, MN, January 31, 2013
The district wants to tap into a growing, and potentially lucrative, market of students working via the Internet.

Skandera OK’s Virtual School
Albuquerque Journal, NM, February 1, 2013
State education chief Hanna Skandera overruled the Public Education Commission this week, opting to allow a new all-online charter school to open in the fall.