Daily Headlines for December 3, 2013
Click here for Newswire, 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
Common Core education supporters want Obama administration to shut up
Washington Times, DC, December 2, 2013
The Obama administration’s cheerleading for the Common Core State Standards Initiative is designed to calm critics and rally supporters for the ambitious overhaul of the nation’s elementary and secondary school curriculums.
For critics of common core, educational folly
Associated Press, December 3, 2013
Critics are relentless in warning about what they see as the folly of the new Common Core academic standards, designed to prepare students for college or a job by the time they graduate from high school.
STATE COVERAGE
ARIZONA
Federal officials: Arizona must defend teacher-evaluation system
Arizona Republic, AZ, December 2, 2013
The U.S. Department of Education has threatened action against Arizona’s schools unless the state can prove that it has an acceptable teacher-evaluation system that uses students’ test scores as part of the rating.
CALIFORNIA
L.A. Unified accuses state of ‘shortchanging’ needy students
Los Angeles Times, CA, December 3, 2013
L.A. Unified accused state education officials Monday of “shortchanging” the school district’s impoverished students, saying they could be prevented from receiving all of the estimated $200 million due them under a new school funding system.
Parent involvement at L.A. schools getting new look
Los Angeles Times, CA, December 3, 2013
An increasing number of community and civil rights groups are reaching out to immigrants to boost activism in education.
CONNECTICUT
Superintendent seeks funds to close achievement gap
Greenwich Time, CT, December 2, 2013
As the Board of Education continues its review of Superintendent of Schools William McKersie’s proposed 2014-15 operating budget, a six-figure allocation to raise achievement at schools with large numbers of low-income students is attracting scrutiny.
GEORGIA
Atlanta voters return to polls today for critical school board elections
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA
December 2, 2013
Atlanta residents return to the polls today to settle four races for Atlanta school board.
Audit: Additional Funding for Charter Systems Not Formally Tracked by State
WABE, GA, December 2, 2013
A new state audit says Georgia’s Department of Education does not track all of the supplemental funding given to charter school systems.
FLORIDA
For parents, finding the right magnet or charter school can be hard work
Miami Herald, FL, December 2, 2013
When Angel Pittman started to look into Miami-Dade magnet and charter schools for her sons, she quickly found herself frustrated.
Scott urges counties, including Palm Beach, to OK teacher pay hikes
Sunshine State News, FL, December 2, 2013
Gov. Rick Scott tried to light a fire Monday under two dozen Florida counties, including Palm Beach, which still haven’t approved the teacher pay raises he made his top priority during last spring’s legislative session.
IDAHO
1 of state’s top schools in Coeur d’Alene
Associated Press, December 1, 2013
From the outside, the Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy, built in two former commercial buildings in a non-descript industrial corner of town, hardly fits the prototype for a school that consistently ranks among the best in the state.
ILLINOIS
Northwestern to start program for CPS students
Chicago Tribune, IL, December 2, 2013
Five years ago, Northwestern University’s freshman class included just 28 graduates from Chicago Public Schools.
LOUISIANA
State school board to vote on Common Core pullback
Times-Picayune, LA, December 2, 2013
The state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education is set to vote this week on Superintendent John White’s plans to postpone the consequences of the Common Core English and mathematics standards until Gov. Bobby Jindal is almost out of office. White’s retreat was announced Nov. 21 amid a storm of opposition to the national education standards.
MICHIGAN
Charters elevate our public schools
Letter, Battle Creek Enquirer, MI, December 2, 2013
It’s unfortunate that the Enquirer chose to pit one type of public school against another in its Nov. 25 editorial (“Charters, choice are strangling our public schools.”)
NEW JERSEY
How we can improve charter school regulations
Opinion, The Record, NJ, December 2, 2013
IN 1996, Gov. Christine Todd Whitman signed the Charter School Program Act, allowing for the establishment of charter schools in New Jersey. At the time, this legislation made New Jersey one of the preeminent states for public school choice.
More Renaissance schools for state-controlled Camden district?
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, December 3, 2013
Camden issues RFP for up to three more ‘renaissance schools,’ even though its first is still to open
School Choice competition for students creates ‘shark tank’ atmosphere says Hampton board member
Hunterdon County Democrat, NJ, December 2, 2013
Competition among School Choice districts for incoming students has become fierce in Hunterdon County, where all but four elementary districts and two high school districts participate in the state Department of Education program.
NEW YORK
Bill de Blasio changes mind on public input into schools chancellor decision
New York Daily News, NY, December 3, 2013
Critics are saying that the Mayor-elect’s statement that he was ‘not going to put the different finalists on display’ contradicts a promise he made during his campaign.
STEAM Blends Science and the Arts in Public Education
Wall Street Journal, December 3, 2013
The pilot program in the public school is part of a growing national push to blend science and the arts—subjects that, at times, have seemed locked in a zero-sum game for school funding.
Study: Rich N.Y. schools spend 80% more than poor
USA Today, December 2, 2013
The wealthiest 10% of New York school districts spent 80% more per student last year compared to the poorest 10%, according to the state’s largest teacher union.
NORTH CAROLINA
A chance for governor, legislators to be heroes
Editorial, Charlotte Observer, NC, December 3, 2013
You’ve heard the outcry over teacher pay in North Carolina. But do you recognize just how much worse North Carolina has been than every other state in the nation over the past decade?
OHIO
Teacher evaluations, school disciplinary policies to be addressed by General Assembly this week
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, December 2, 2013
A bill that would change the state’s requirements for teacher evaluations is slated for a hearing and possible vote in a Senate committee this week.
OREGON
Federal decision could hobble state education reform
Editorial, Democrat Herald, OR, December 2, 2013
Oregon’s attempts to reform its educational system – from preschool all the way through college – hit a bit of a speed bump last week.
PENNSYLVANIA
Master’s degrees for teachers a matter of debate
Lehigh Valley Express-News, PA, December 2, 2013
Is a teacher with a master’s degree a better educator than one without?
State Senate should reject misnamed “charter school reform” bill
Opinion, Patriot News, PA, December 3, 2013
Legislation now before the state Senate — inaccurately referred to as the “Charter School Reform Bill” — would not only affect charter school students but also all 1.8 million kindergarten through 12th grade students in Pennsylvania.
Would Green mimic Vallas?
Editorial, Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, December 3, 2013
Some intriguing questions have been raised by the floating of Councilman Bill Green’s name as a possible successor to Pedro Ramos, who quit as chairman of Philadelphia’s School Reform Commission in October, three months before the end of his term.
SOUTH CAROLINA
S.C. should grant help toward charter schools
Editorial, Island Packet, SC, December 1, 2013
The state’s charter schools have long struggled to find appropriate and affordable school buildings.
TENNESSEE
Suburbs take historic step in start of municipal schools; former Shelby County superintendent withdraws from consideration in 2
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, December 2, 2013
Suburbs from Millington around the outskirts of Memphis to Collierville held ceremonies Monday night to swear in their new school boards, putting in office the people who will make decisions on the formation of six municipal education districts in Shelby County.
UTAH
Should parents pay extra for under-performing students?
Deseret News, UT, December 2, 2013
Sen. Aaron Osmond, R-South Jordan, sent a shot across the bow of Utah schools in July by calling for an end to compulsory education laws.
WASHINGTON
Washington Charter Opponents Turn to Lawsuit
Heartland.org, December 3, 2013
The first-ever charter school law in Washington has come under fire from a coalition arguing the voter-approved measure is unconstitutional.
ONLINE LEARNING
Brewster eyes education reform
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, December 3, 2013
Sen. James Brewster, D-McKeesport, said he is sponsoring four bills that address the accountability of charter and cyber charter schools, and, he said, “ensure that the legislature moves toward a better comprehensive education system.”
Schools get grant to support digital initiative
Greenwich Times, CT, December 2, 2013
The school district has received a state grant of approximately $90,000 for educational technology, which will support the implementation of the second phase of the school system’s Digital Learning Environment initiative.
School tailored toward students with special circumstances
Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV, December 2, 2013
Traditional classroom settings are not made for everyone. Some children have busy schedules, while others do better in an isolated environment.