Daily Headlines: November 11, 2011
Center for Education Progress, November 10, 2011
As value-added measures become an accepted component of teacher evaluations, states and school districts will increasingly have to grapple with the question of how much information should be made available to the public and how much should remain private because of the nature of the information about individual teachers.
STATE COVERAGE
School Board Questioned About Charter School
Press Enterprise, CA, November 10, 2011
Community members questioned the Nuview Union school board’s decision to approve a charter school during a tense meeting Thursday.
Names of Race to the Top Review Panel for Colorado’s Application to Stay Anonymous
Denver Post, CO, November 11, 2011
Colorado officials felt at least one reviewer unfairly treated the state’s failed application for federal Race to the Top grant money, but they’ll never know who it was.
Jefferson County Public Schools and Education Reform
Denver Post, CO, November 11, 2011
Colorado is reforming schools, and how we evaluate educators’ effectiveness and improve their skills are in the spotlight. In Jeffco Public Schools, the state’s largest school district, we are proud of our many teachers who inspire students every day — and we know all teachers can get even better with the right support.
CO Teachers to Face Tougher Evaluations
KKCO, CO, November 10, 2011
Colorado teachers will be facing tougher assessments that can affect whether or not they’ll keep their jobs. Last year’s Senate Bill 10-191 called for a state-wide teacher assessment system. This week, a slew of recommendations have been approved by the Colorado the Board of Education.
Grading System Is Mixed Bag
Highlands Today, FL, November 11, 2011
As administrators and peer evaluators observe teachers in the classroom using the new evaluation system, concerns persist about whether student test data will be able to fairly and equitably gauge teacher effectiveness.
No Exclusivity for Parents
Palm Beach Post, FL, November 10, 2011
If parents west of Boynton Beach get a charter middle school and a charter high school, those Canyon-area residents should not get exclusive charters. The Palm Beach County School District should require that the proposed charter schools be open to a wide applicant pool.
Broward School Board Considers Magnet School Changes
Sun Sentinel, FL, November 11, 2011
With budget constraints and fierce competition from charter schools, the Broward School Board is taking a hard look at which magnet schools may not be drawing enough students.
McEver Kids Learn Science, Vocabulary Through Planting
Gainesville Times, GA, November 10, 2011
“We’re a charter school with arts-based instruction,” Strickland said. “We’re trying to expand the arts base. Most people think of graphic arts like painting or the performing arts . . . Things like color palettes and landscape architecture come in with gardening.”
Head of Principals’ Group: We Oppose Merit Pay
Chicago Tribune, IL, November 11, 2011
The head of the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association said Thursday that her members don’t support merit pay and efforts to reward them with bonuses for student achievement.
ACS’ Chow, Teachers Show Resistance to ALA Charter
The Herald Bulletin, IN, November 10, 2011
Administrators and educators of Anderson Community Schools expressed strong opposition to the proposed charter school Anderson Learning Academy during a public meeting Thursday night.
Urban League Employee Must Avoid Charter Process, Ruling Says
The Journal Gazette, IN, November 10, 2011
The State Ethics Commission ruled Thursday that Indiana State Charter Board member Jamie Garwood can have no involvement in the application or oversight of a charter school sought by her employer – the Fort Wayne Urban League.
Boston Teachers Complain There Is Little Dissent on Boston School Board
Boston Globe, MA, November 11, 2011
The Boston School Committee members appointed by Mayor Thomas M. Menino to oversee city schools over nearly 18 years have unanimously voted for the administration’s proposals in almost every vote, according to data obtained by the Boston Teachers Union.
District For Failing Schools Should Go Statewide Next Year, Chancellor Says
The Detroit News, MI, November 11, 20111
Fewer schools from Detroit, more schools from the suburbs and rural areas of Michigan — that’s the formula proposed for the statewide system created to take over and turn around failing schools.
Bill Hopes To Expand Dual Enrollment Opportunities
Central Michigan Life, MI, November 10, 2011
Senate Bill 622 would expand the ages eligible for dual enrollment to high school freshmen and sophomores and would make it easier for private school students and home-schooled students to enroll in college courses. SB 623 also makes changes so students can enroll in technical college courses.
Harwell Cautious on Vouchers, Ramsey Assertive
Missouri News Horizon, MO, November 11, 2011
While Gov. Bill Haslam calls school vouchers potentially one of the most contentious legislative issues on the horizon, Speaker of the House Beth Harwell said Thursday she doesn’t see passage of a voucher bill without a “great deal of discussion.”
New Imagine Leader Here Hopes To Give Schools The Push They Need To Succeed
St. Louis Beacon, MO, November 11, 2011
The man chosen to lead Imagine schools in St. Louis to higher levels of achievement, in the face of withering criticism from the mayor and a recommendation from Missouri’s top education officials that they shut down, doesn’t view his job as a turnaround situation.
Gov. Christie Approves Measure Paving Way For More Charter Schools
Star-Ledger, NJ, November 10, 2011
Legislation signed today by Gov. Chris Christie will allow private schools in struggling districts to become charter schools.
Ahead Of Expected Christie Proposals, NJEA Unveils School Reform Plan At Annual Atlantic City Convention
Star-Ledger, NJ, November 10, 2011
The New Jersey Education Association has a new message for Gov. Chris Christie, the man who has relentlessly hammered the teachers union over the past year for opposing his education policy proposals.
NY Identifies 1,325 Schools in Need of Improvement
Wall Street Journal, November 11, 2011
An unprecedented number of public schools in New York are now considered in need of improvement under the federal No Child Left Behind program in the latest warning about the state’s education system, state officials said Thursday.
State’s New List of Troubled Schools Paints Bleak Picture
New York Daily News, NY, November 11, 2011
Over a third of the city’s public schools are failing their students, according to new state standards that paint a much bleaker picture than the one offered by the city.
Let Parents Decide; It’s Their Money
Youngstown Vindicator, OH, November 11, 2011
After reading your obviously one-sided opinion on Oct. 4, I strongly disagree with all of your arguments. I believe that parents should be able to use the taxes they pay for education to give their children the very best education that that money can buy.
Specialized Schools Top New Rankings
Columbus Dispatch, OH, November 11, 2011
Three specialized tax-funded charter schools topped the first top-to-bottom ranking of Ohio public schools, but some educators say the report by the state Department of Education gives an incomplete picture of how districts are doing.
Will the Philadelphia School District Become Chartered Territory?
Philadelphia Weekly, PA, November 10, 2011
It’s been 11 weeks since the School Reform Commission unanimously voted to fire public school boss lady Arlene Ackerman. The former superintendent may be gone, yet tensions between community members and the SRC are far from over, especially since the committee is in the midst of closing more public schools and replacing them with charter schools.
Federal Officials Watching Memphis-Shelby Schools Merger
Commercial Appeal, TN, November 11, 2011
School issues that have recently dominated local politics and consumed the community here aren’t lost on the White House, the assistant secretary for civil rights in the U.S. Department of Education told an intimate group of teachers, parents and administrators at Hamilton Elementary School on Thursday.
Chris Rickert: Teacher Evaluation System A Good Start, But Seems Not To Go Far Enough
Capital Times, WI, November 10, 2011
It was encouraging to see the state Department of Public Instruction release a framework for evaluating public school teachers that is the product of much time and thought by a broad array of smart people.
VIRTUAL LEARNING
At $15 Million, Virtual Charter Causes a Real Case of Sticker Shock
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, November 11, 2011
With two virtual charter schools approved in New Jersey and a third proposed, legislators and advocates are pressing the state to bring its laws up to date with the technology.
Area School Awarded For Virtual School Programs
WFMZ, PA, November 10, 2011
The cyber program at a local school has been recognized with an international award.
Time to Revisit Oversight of Online Schools
Reporter Herald, CO, November 10, 2011
It’s not about the kids, it’s about politics. That’s the message the Legislative Audit Committee sent with its partisan-split 4-4 vote Tuesday that killed Sen. Brandon Shaffer’s proposal to audit online schools in the state.
Online Courses Yield Mixed Results
Idaho Mountain Express, ID, November 11, 2011
Online learning is nothing new for Blaine County schools. Students in the county’s three high schools are already taking English, math and even foreign language courses online, and some are taking classes they would never be able to take with the limited staff available—marine biology at the Carey School, for example.
Directory Helps Navigate Online Learning Options
Simi Valley Acorn, CA, November 11, 2011
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson recently introduced a new interactive California Directory of Online Schools and Programs. The directory is designed to help people make more informed decisions about online kindergarten through-12th-grade educational options throughout the state.
Advertising Sales, Online Programs Underway For Schools
Lodi News-Sentinel, CA, November 10, 2011
Selling advertising, pushing online education and using Rosetta Stone to teach English are among the ventures underway in Lodi Unified School District, board president George Neely said Thursday.