Daily Headlines for August 22, 2012
ACT Scores Steady But Show Signs Of Small Progress
Associated Press, August 22, 2012
Average scores on the ACT exam held steady for the high school class of 2012 but the results show modest progress in the number of students who appear ready for college-level work in math and science.
Poll Divided On Teaching Evaluation Method
Newsday, NY, August 22, 2012
Americans are divided on whether to include standardized tests in teaching evaluations, according to a new nationwide poll released today.
Mitt Romney Trails Obama By Small Margin On Education, Poll Finds
Huffington Post, August 22, 2012
President Barack Obama is attacking presumed GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney on education this week in speeches, videos and radio advertisements.
Choice in November Should Support Education Reform
Las Vegas Sun, NV, August 22, 2012
A quality education provides a sturdy ladder to the American dream and can lead to widespread economic growth for our country. But we’re at a crossroads — a make-or-break moment for America — and in November, the country will choose between two very different paths.
FROM THE STATES
ALASKA
Public Education Systems Needs Competition
Anchorage Daily News, AK, August 21, 2012
Steve Haycox is an interesting historian and insightful societal observer. But, he falls short when ideology trumps fact, as it did in his discussion of public education ( “Attacks Against Public Education Accent Rich-Poor Chasm,” Aug. 10).
CALIFORNIA
AB5 Should Be Voted Down
San Francisco Chronicle, CA, August 21, 2012
California is getting a lesson on how not to improve schools, courtesy of well-entrenched teacher unions. At issue are teacher evaluations based on student scores – a measuring stick that unions hate – and a pending state law that’s been gutted to serve this labor group.
School Board Accepts Parents’ Signatures, Rejects Charter School Plan
Contra Costa Times, CA, August 21, 2012
As students returned to the classroom on Monday for the beginning of the 2012-13 school year, Adelanto Elementary School District officials and a group of parents seeking to seize control over a failing elementary school appear likely to be returning to court.
San Carlos Charter School Holds The Distinction Of Being California’s Oldest
Contra Costa Times, CA,, August 21, 2012
One year after California became the second state in the nation in 1992 to pave the way for taxpayer-funded charter schools, a contingent of education officials and parents from San Carlos stepped forward to join the public school reform movement.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Charter Schools Fight Second-Class Status
Washington Post, DC, August 21, 2012
This spring, for the third year in a row, more than 1,000 families sought fewer than 50 available spaces at the Two Rivers charter school in Northeast Washington, which has produced some of the city’s best reading scores.
FLORIDA
The Pros And Cons Of Charter Schools
My Fox Tampa Bay, FL, August 21, 2012
Michelle Mason moved her son from a traditional public school to Learning Gate. She was also a public school teacher before teaching at Learning Gate, and she eventually became the principal.
Harrison School for the Arts Submits Charter Application
The Ledger, FL, August 21, 2012
Harrison Principal Craig Collins, parent Len Dunson and Harrison Parents Association President Barb Erickson appeared before the School Board to present a charter application.
GEORGIA
Some Facts About Charter Schools
Columbia County News-Times, GA, August 22, 2012
Between now and Nov. 6, you will hear a lot about the charter school constitutional amendment that’s on the general election ballot.
ILLINOIS
ACT 2012: Many Illinois High Schoolers Not Ready For Key College Classes
Chicago Tribune, IL, August 22, 2012
Almost a third of Illinois ‘ high school Class of 2012 scored too low on the ACT college-entrance exam to be considered ready for key college classes, according to data released Wednesday.
IOWA
Branstad Talks School Reform
Fort Dodge Messenger, IA, August 22, 2012
State financial aid to public schools should in the future be linked to efforts to improve academic performance by students, according to Gov. Terry Branstad.
MAINE
Education Department Finalizing Its ‘No Child Left Behind’ Waiver Bid
Kennebec Journal, ME, August 21, 2012
The Department of Education is finalizing its bid to exempt Maine from some requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind system.
MASSACHUSSETTS
Failed Teacher Contract Negotiation Requires State Intervention
Boston Globe, MA, August 22, 2012
Boston is facing a state deadline to enact a new teacher evaluation system — that is, a reliable method to identify weak teachers and a timely process for terminating those who don’t respond to improvement plans. The Boston Teachers Union and city officials had been hinting for weeks that they had reached a basic agreement on such a tool. But now that agreement has collapsed.
MICHIGAN
Charter Group Faces Scrutiny As It Takes Over Highland Park Schools
Detroit News, MI, August 22, 2012
Telisha Sawyer doesn’t know much about the Leona Group, but she’s glad the charter school operator will be in charge when her daughter returns to Highland Park Community High School Sept. 4 to start her senior year.
Traditional Schools Are Best For Students
Morning Sun, MI, August 21, 2012
The charter school torch was lit by John Engler and is now held by the equally manipulative Gov. Rick Snyder. For them and some in Congress, charter schools are a final solution to eliminate traditional public schools.
MINNESOTA
Minnetonka: Charter School Will Spotlight Russian Language, Culture
Pioneer Press, MN, August 21, 2012
Minnesota’s first charter school focused on the Russian language and culture is opening this fall.
MISSISSIPPI
Teacher Evaluation Talk Skips Detail of Miss. Plan
Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal, MS, August 21, 2012
Mississippi lawmakers are learning about teacher evaluations, possibly as preparation for basing educators’ pay on their performance. But many lawmakers may not realize the state Department of Education is in the midst of an intensive effort to create a statewide evaluation system.
Supplements For Teachers Vary Widely
Clarion Ledger, MS, August 22, 2012
If Gov. Phil Bryant depends on supplemental salaries paid by local school boards to finance his performance pay plan for teachers, it will vary widely from district to district.
MISSOURI
Charter Schools Don’t Owe Millions to KC District
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, August 22, 2012
An appeals court ruled Tuesday that a Cole County judge erred in ordering charter schools to repay millions to Kansas City Public Schools.
ACT Is Sobering News On School Performance
Kansas City Star, MO, August 21, 2012
Kansas slips slightly and Missouri holds even in latest results, despite progress on state testing.
NEW MEXICO
APS Misses the Point; Charters Fill a Need
Albuquerque Journal, NM, August 22, 2012
To be clear, traditional public school districts and charter schools compete — for engaged parents, and their kids, and thus for the funding that comes with them. So it’s no surprise Albuquerque Public Schools once again is proposing a moratorium on new charter schools in the metro area. To do differently would be akin to McDonald’s encouraging a mom-and-pop operation to start heating up the flat-top grill across the street from the golden arches.
NEW YORK
Thousands Of Charter School Kids Across The City Return To Class
New York Post, NY, August 21, 2012
They’ve already said so long to summer. It was back-to-school time for thousands of city charter school students yesterday — a full two-and-a-half-weeks ahead of their public school counterparts.
NY Has Trouble Linking Student Scores To Proper Teachers
Newsday, NY, August 21, 2012
Thousands of student scores could not be linked to the proper teachers in New York State ‘s new rating system, heightening concerns among Long Island educators that the evaluations will turn out to be imprecise and virtually impossible to explain to teachers or parents.
OHIO
Sort It Out
Columbus Dispatch, OH, August 22, 2012
The State Board of Education made the right call in voting 18-0 on Monday to delay releasing the state’s annual report cards on public schools’ performance. With scandal and uncertainty clouding Ohio ’s effort to hold schools accountable, making the report cards accurate is more important than releasing them on a schedule.
PENNSYLVANIA
Charter Schools Drain Much Needed Funds
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, August 22, 2012
Philadelphia is the country’s fifth-largest city and has the eighth-largest school district. But it is starved for cash largely because of the policies of Gov. Corbett and the Republican-controlled state Legislature.
Philly Catholic High Schools To Be Managed By A Private Foundation
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, August 22, 2012
The oldest and largest Roman Catholic education system in the nation is about to undergo massive organizational changes, as the Archdiocese of Philadelphia hands over management of its secondary and special-education schools to a private foundation.
Charter School In Scranton Awarded $80G Grant
Scranton Times-Tribune, PA, August 22, 2012
The Howard Gardner Multiple Intelligence Charter School unanimously accepted an $80,000 grant at its inaugural school board meeting Tuesday.
New Hope Opens With Confidence, Biggest Enrollment Ever
York Dispatch, PA, August 21, 2012
Back in July, York City’s school board denied New Hope Academy’s charter school renewal.
New Hope’s future is now up to a state charter school appeals board this fall, and the board historically overturns only about 50 percent of cases.
TENNESSEE
Report Calls For Open Teacher Evaluations
The Tennessean, TN, August 22, 2012
Tennessee’s new teacher evaluations — criticized by educators as too time-consuming and by the state as ineffective — are now faulted in a national ranking.
TEXAS
Study Says Higher-performing Kids Enroll In Charter Schools
San Antonio Express-News, TX, August 22, 2012
Compared to the institutions from which they draw students, Texas charter schools tend to enroll higher-performing students who are less likely to be English-language learners or to have special needs, a study released today finds.
Sanders: Some in DISD Feel Threatened by His School
NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, August 22, 2012
Sanders said people within the Dallas school district feel threatened by Prime Prep Academy because it provides students a choice both educationally and athletically.
Spring Branch ISD Partners With KIPP, YES Charters
Houston Chronicle, TX, August 21, 2012
Erik Schmidt, principal of the new KIPP Courage College Prep school within Landrum Middle School , was caught off-guard by the number of applicants seeking to enroll their children in his program for the fall.
Judge: Charter School Group Can Stay In School Finance Lawsuit
Austin American Statesman, TX, August 28, 2012
Whether charter schools provide a more cost-effective public education in Texas will remain a key question in the sweeping school finance litigation that is set for trial in October.
WASHINGTON
When It Comes To Charter Schools, The PTA Board Knows Best
Crosscut, WA, August 22, 2012
The Washington PTA board turns up its nose at charter schools. Even after two separate votes to the contrary by its delegates.
WISCONSIN
Teachers Not In Control Anymore
Green Bay Gazette, WI, August 22, 2012
Under Gov. Scott Walker’s direction, Wisconsin public schools are headed toward a future of more No Child Left Behind with tougher stands. He implies NCLB, which has been in place for at least 10 years, is a failure. However, he’s accepting the same approach with more demands and testing.
Evaluations Can Help Teachers Learn Their Craft
Journal Times, WI, August 22, 2012
A student struggling with his or her math homework could just stare and stare at the worksheet until someone comes along to help. That helper could just tell the student the answers, but the student’s overall performance won’t truly improve unless the helper demonstrates how to solve the problem. That requires a detailed explanation.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
Digital School Gets New Name
The Advocate, LA, August 22, 2012
Leaders at Ascension Parish’s alternative school are working to change the school’s culture, ushering in more emphasis on digital learning, officials said.
Virtual Leap: More Washoe Students Try Distance Learning To Work At Own Pace
Reno Gazette Journal, NV, August 21, 2012
Lizzie Tirona enjoys her “school without walls,” after attending Nancy Gomes Elementary School from kindergarten to fourth grade.