Daily Headlines for August 27, 2012
Teachers Must Make The Grade Under New Guidelines
Associated Press, August 24, 2012
When Ohio’s new teacher evaluation system kicks in starting next year, teacher Tammy Schmidt may be joining her third-grade students in preparing scrapbooks of their classroom accomplishments.
Equality in Education Happening Much Too Slowly
Washington Times, DC, August 26, 2012
The Supreme Court acknowledged in 1954 that not all public schools were created equal and desegregation plans were subsequently ordered to be implemented with “all deliberate speed.”
RPT-Obama, Romney Spar Over Private-Sector’s Role In Education
Reuters, August 26, 2012
But the differences between the two candidates on education policy extend far deeper than a war of sound bites over college costs. In an echo of their broader philosophical divide, Romney and Obama split sharply over what role the private sector should play in the U.S. education system.
FROM THE STATES
ARIZONA
Group Supporting Vouchers Backs Democrat Garcia
Arizona Daily Star, AZ, August 25, 2012
A national organization that champions school vouchers has pumped nearly $70,000 into Arizona legislative primary races this year, with Tucson Democrat Maria Garcia getting the largest share for her Senate campaign.
COLORADO
New Teachers’ Union President Looks To Take Ownership of Reform
Denver Post, CO, August 26, 2012
Amid continuing education upheaval and shifting definitions of everything from school finance to testing to teacher evaluation, Kerrie Dallman begins her term leading the state’s largest teachers union not by working to resist change but to shape it.
Blueprints for Teacher Evaluations
Denver Post, CO, August 26, 2012
Students and teachers are returning to school across Colorado , ready for another year. But it’s not just another year. Indeed, it will be the last of its kind. With Senate Bill 191 — Colorado’s teacher evaluation system — set to be fully implemented next academic year, this school year will soon serve as a relic of the past.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Another Sign D.C. School Reform Works
Washington Post, DC, August 25, 2012
THE CONCLUSION by the D.C. inspector general that there was no widespread or systematic cheating in the public schools during the early years of school reform comes as no surprise.
Mayor Vincent Gray To Visit Several DC Public Schools On First Day
Washington Post, DC, August 27, 2012
It’s back to school time for District of Columbia students, and Mayor Vincent Gray will be visiting several schools to welcome students back.
FLORIDA
Charter Schools Ready To Invade St. Johns County
Florida Times Union, FL, August 27, 2012
Three proposed charter schools are seeking to come into St. Johns County , including two run by what’s been called “ Florida ’s richest charter school management firm” and the third with ties to a Tampa area educational company.
Politically Motivated Teacher Evaluation System A Mess.
Palm Beach Post, FL, August 27, 2012
Florida Legislators and Gov. Scott acted as if it would be easy to create the new system of teacher evaluations they ordered up in the so-called Student Success Act of 2011.
GEORGIA
Superintendent Takes A Stand
Walton Tribune, GA, August 26, 2012
But the current superintendent, John Barge, has actually taken a stand on something — and taking actual stands, rather than focus-tested statements designed to win votes in the next election, is unusual in any political job, let alone the echo chamber of the superintendent’s office.
ILLINOIS
Executive Profile: Juan Rangel, CEO, United Neighborhood Organization
Chicago Tribune, IL, August 27, 2012
Rangel’s job as chief executive of UNO, which will operate 13 schools by year’s end, requires him to be politically connected to the nth degree, to know his allies and enemies, to understand their motivation, and be able to predict when an alderman wants to send a message to a rival and use that knowledge to his advantage.
Teacher Merit-Pay Creates Controversy
Chicago Sun-Times, IL, August 25, 2012
That’s what researchers say a study of 150 Chicago Heights teachers found in what some are touting as the first U.S. field experiment to indicate that merit pay for teachers can work — if timed properly.
INDIANA
2nd Richmond Charter School Would Serve Adults
Palladium-Item, IN, August 26, 2012
If approved, the school could serve up to 300 Hoosiers who are still pursuing a high school diploma, a number that organizers hope will include the parents of current STEMM Academy students.
Lawmakers’ Education
Fort Wayne Journal-Gazette , IN, August 27, 2012
If Indiana lawmakers had sought public opinion about teacher evaluations, charter schools and taxpayer vouchers for religious schools, the sweeping changes they’ve approved in recent years might have looked a bit different.
Gary School Leader Wants To Open A Charter School
Munster Times, IN, August 26, 2012
The new superintendent of the Gary Community School Corp. is considering authorizing a charter school. Cheryl Pruitt said the law allows school systems to authorize a charter similar to how Ball State University has authorized the eight public charter schools in Gary . She said administrators are collaborating with Ball State on the policies, procedures and processes to implement a charter.
LOUISIANA
New Orleans Charter School Is Accused Of Cheating To Help 4th-graders Pass Leap Tests
Times Picayune, LA, August 26, 2012
Staff at the Robert Russa Moton Charter School , one of the highest-ranked open-enrollment schools in New Orleans , violated state testing policy to help fourth-grade students pass standardized exams last year, a district investigation found. The school denies any cheating took place.
MAINE
Charter Schools Will Pull Money From SAD 54
Morning Sentinel, ME, August 26, 2012
Students attending the two nearby charter schools this fall will pull from $350,000 to $500,000 out of the School Administrative District 54 budget, according to Superintendent Brent Colbry.
MARYLAND
Turning It Around
Baltimore Sun, MD, August 26, 2012
In 2010, our efforts to improve Calverton were enhanced when we became one of seven Baltimore schools selected to receive federal school improvement grants. As part of this process, Baltimore City Public Schools selected Friendship Public Charter School as the lead turnaround partner.
MASSACHUSETTS
Teachers’ Union On Board With Need For New Evaluation Systems Statewide
Boston Globe, MA, August 25, 2012
A RECENT Globe article ( “Teacher rating systems lagging,” Page A1, Aug. 21) gives the misleading impression that teachers’ unions and school districts are dragging their feet and at risk of missing a firm Sept. 1 deadline for adopting new educator evaluation contract language.
Turnaround’ Time Begins For City’s 32 Schools
Eagle Tribune, MA, August 27, 2012
City’s 13,100 students return to class today for first year under state improvement plan
MICHIGAN
Holt Looks To Close Its Achievement ‘Gap’
Lansing State Journal, MI, August 26, 2012
As the start of the new school year nears, many students at Holt Public Schools will be facing a new schedule, new participation fees and a new goal by staff and administration to help struggling students.
Charter Schools Flourishing While Public Ones Losing Enrollment
The Oakland Press, MI, August 26, 2012
The number of charter schools has increased by 31 in Michigan since Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law legislation that raised the cap on the number of university-authorized charter schools allowed in the state.
A New Way To School Success
Detroit News MI, August 27, 2012
There are many reasons why hordes of students dropout from Detroit Public Schools (DPS) each year – or seek a more hospitable learning environment. Among them: a muddled sense of mission, chaos in classrooms, and an irrelevant curriculum.
MISSOURI
Not Enough To Lament Poor School Funding; Offer Solutions
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, August 27, 2012
When St. Louis businessman Dave Spence, the Republican candidate for governor, visited the Post-Dispatch editorial board last month, he clearly had done his homework in one key area.
NEVADA
Union, School District Again At Odds
Las Vegas Review-Journal , NV, August 26, 2012
If the loss of more than 1,000 teaching positions in this county’s underperforming school district wasn’t enough to alert the public to the state’s political and policy dysfunction, would the loss of 1,000 more do the trick?
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Voucher Programs Should Not Pick And Choose Winners
Fosters Daily Democrat, NH, August 26, 2012
The efficacy of school vouchers appears to be a recurring theme in New Hampshire this election season. The issue arose during several recent editorial boards with gubernatorial candidates and those seeking seats in the Legislature.
NEW JERSEY
Teacher Training May Be Key To Success For Trenton Charter School
Times of Trenton, NJ, August 27, 2012
Officials from Scholar Academies, the group brought in to restructure Paul Robeson after it was sanctioned for numerous academic failures last year by the state Department of Education, said they believe the school is on the mend.
Innovative Charter School To Debut
Hudson Reporter, NJ, August 26, 2012
The Beloved Community Charter School is set to open as a K-2 school this year, but will eventually add one grade level each year until the school expands into a middle and high school. Former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler, a consultant to the school, said its focus will be to teach children that “happiness in life comes from serving others.”
Three New County School Districts Added to Interdistrict Choice Program
Gloucester Daily Times, NJ, August 27, 2012
More than 6,000 students will have a chance to attend schools outside of their home districts for the 2013-2014 school year with 40 new school districts — including three more in Gloucester County — being added to the state’s Interdistrict Choice Program.
NEW MEXICO
Public Education Commission Seeks To Tighten Appeals On State Charter Schools
Santa Fe New Mexican, NM, August 25, 2012
For some six years, the state’s Public Education Commission has served as the determining body for authorizing the opening of a state-chartered school.
NEW YORK
UFT & City Pols Are A ‘Cash’ Act
New York Post, NY, August 27, 2012
They’re the teachers’ pet$. The city and state teachers unions have pumped more than $250,000 into the campaign coffers of politicians fighting school reform, The Post has learned.
Tackling NY Teacher Tenure
New York Post, NY, August 25, 2012
Prompted by abundant research that points to teachers as the key school-based ingredient in education, New York City and other large districts have wisely focused considerable effort on removing their worst ones. A key method: tenure reform.
NORTH CAROLINA
Resuscitated Virgo Middle School Ready To Open Doors
Star News, NC, August 26, 2012
More than a year ago, the New Hanover County Board of Education decided to close Virgo Middle School , citing low test scores and a dwindling student body. The months that followed marked an unprecedented path, with the school board attempting to reopen Virgo as a charter school only to see its application rejected. So the district did so itself, calling for help from the community that surrounds the school.
OKLAHOMA
Tulsa Superintendent Off Base With Criticism Of Private Education Vendors
The Oklahoman, OK, August 27, 2012
Tulsa schools Superintendent Keith Ballard’s sales pitch for Tulsa ’s Teacher and Leader Effectiveness Observation and Evaluation System could use some work. The program, developed with grant funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is one of three options available to Oklahoma school districts for teacher evaluation.
PENNSYLVANIA
New Chester Upland Chief Is Change Agent And Lightning Rod
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, August 26, 2012
Joe Watkins has worked for a U.S. president and a senator, has served as an investment company manager, and twice ran for statewide office.
Come Clean on Chester Upland
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, August 26, 2012
The state has been there, done that, and failed miserably. Now it wants another crack at running the Delaware County district. Please, find a better idea to give these children the adequate education they are entitled to.
Two New Charter Schools to Open in Lehigh Valley
Morning Call, PA, August 26, 2012
Lindsey will be among about 380 fifth- through eight-graders who will be attending the Arts Academy Charter School at 1610 E.Emmaus Ave. , the site of a former KidsPeace building.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Caution on Charter Schools
Greenville Daily Reflector, SC, August 27, 2012
One of the items on the agenda for the State Board of Education in two weeks is the possible approval of 25 more charter schools to open in the fall of 2013.
TEXAS
Public Schools Vs. Their Unproven Alternatives
Corpus Christi Caller Times, TX, August 26, 2012
In a recent letter to the editor, Gen. Marc Cisneros wondered why private schools do better than public schools and suggested diverting public school funds to vouchers to send more students to private schools. His thinking is in line with the severe criticism of public education that has been prominent in the media for the last two decades or so.
New Ideas, Look As Doors Open at IDEA In-District Charter School
Austin American Statesman, TX, August 25, 2012
As soon as you step onto the campus of the new IDEA in-district charter school, you’re hit with change. The hallways have been plastered with banners in the new blue and yellow school colors, and the message to all is big, bold and simple: “College.”
WASHINGTON
Reconsider Charter-School Stance, Says The Times
Seattle Times, WA, August 26, 2012
I am dismayed to read The Times’ editorial, “PTA should rethink charter-school stance,” [Opinion, Aug. 20].
Pro and Con: Charter Schools
Everett Herald, WA, August 26, 2012
When it comes to educating our children, most Washington parents agree that more options are a good thing. That’s why it’s surprising that Washington is not already one of the 41 states that allows parents to choose whether our children can attend a public charter school. It’s especially odd given the high premium our state puts on education and innovation.
ONLINE SCHOOLS
Pa. Experts Debate Value Of Cyber Charter Schools
Carlisle Sentinel, PA, August 26, 2012
So the family decided in 2008 to enroll Micaela in the Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School . Today, the 16-year-old girl pursues her future, one lesson at a time, with just a “click” of a laptop touch pad.
Cyber Charter High School Attracting Chester Upland Students
Delaware County Times, PA, August 26, 2012
A new cyber charter high school emphasizing social justice is gaining popularity among students living within the Chester Upland School District.
Cyber Academies Drawing A Handful Of Students Back To School Districts
Express-Times, PA, August 26, 2012
The Bethlehem Area School District ’s pitch to draw students back from out-of-district cyber charter schools with its own cyber academy has so far drawn interest from a dozen families.
Virtual Schools Help Some Students Get Ahead
Ocala Star Banner, FL, August 26, 2012
Scattered across Marion County , students of all ages — primarily in middle and high school — are taking online courses for a variety of reasons.
Virtual Charter Schools In Wisconsin Not Making The Grade
Fond du Lac Reporter, WI, August 25, 2012
Enrollment in Wisconsin’s online schools has doubled in the last five years, but students who have chosen class without a classroom often struggle to complete their degrees and repeat grades four times as often as their brick-and-mortar counterparts, according to a Gannett Wisconsin Media analysis.
Virtual Schools Have No Attendance Standard
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, August 27, 2012
State statute exempts Wisconsin’s online students from daily attendance laws, but neither statute nor the state Department of Public Instruction have established a standard in its place, leaving schools with little accountability for student attendance or participation.
Parents, Educators Praise Virtual Charter School System
Green Bay Gazette, WI, August 26, 2012
The solution was nearly 100 miles away, but right at her fingertips — the Waukesha School District ’s virtual charter school. DeHaan enrolled in what is now called eAchieve Academy for her second year of high school and liked it so much she stayed, graduating this spring.
New Online School Accepting Students
Press-Enterprise, CA, August 26, 2012
It’s open to all youths in grades 6-12, giving them a chance to learn from home on their own time