Daily Headlines for October 24, 2011
Schools Fear Worst Budget Cuts Ahead
Associated Press, October 24, 2011
Educators across America , like Keene , are bracing for a tough reality. Even in a best-case scenario that assumes strong economic growth next year, it won’t be until 2013 or later when districts see budget levels return to pre-recession levels, said Daniel Domenech, executive director of the American Association of School Administrators in Arlington, Va. That means more cuts and layoffs are likely ahead.
When Charter Schools Get Too Picky
Washington Post, DC, October 23, 2011
The Pacific Collegiate School in Santa Cruz , Calif., is a public charter school. It must hold a random lottery when it has more applicants than vacancies. It is not supposed to be selective.
Grading the Teachers
Wall Street Journal, October 22, 2011
Schools have a lot to learn from business about how to improve performance, say Bill and Melinda Gates
More Freedom for School Choice
Journal Sentinel, WI, October 22, 2011
In a seminal paper published in 1955, Nobel Prize winner Milton Friedman envisaged a universal school choice program for parents of all economic stripes to find schools best suited to their children. Friedman argued that injecting competition into the education market would greatly expand the range of parental choice and result in higher levels of academic attainment.
STATE COVERAGE
Schools Contract Talks Hit Impasse
Boston Globe, MA, October 24, 2011
Nearly 15 months after their last contract expired, the Boston Teachers Union and Boston Public Schools find their negotiations stalled over whether teachers should be compensated for working a longer day and rewarded based on their performance.
Charter Wars
Worcester Telegram, MA, October 23, 2011
It’s time for charter opponents to learn their history, and understand that the future of public education in Massachusetts lies not in a return to the monolithic models of the past, but in embracing a new world of choice, diversity and cooperation.
In College, Working Hard to Learn High School Material
New York Times, NY, October 24, 2011
Since enrolling last month at LaGuardia Community College in Queens, Ms. Smith, 19, has come to realize that graduating from a New York City public high school is not the same as learning.
Mayor: Teach Union Fears Evaluations
New York Post, NY, October 22, 2011
Mayor Bloomberg yesterday blasted teachers- union complaints over a new evaluation system that’s not even operational yet — saying the UFT is just trying to subvert a real measure of teacher quality.
New Jersey Schools’ Open Door Policy
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, October 24, 2011
With the state’s Interdistrict School Choice program, Garden State students can become traveling scholars.
N.J. School Boards Conference To Focus On Bullying, Teacher Evaluations And School Reform
Press of Atlantic City, NJ, October 23, 2011
Workshops on bullying, teacher evaluations, and school reform will be featured at the annual New Jersey School Boards Association’s annual conference at the Atlantic City Convention Center today through Wednesday.
Pa. Plans System To Grade Teachers
Lancaster New Era, PA, October 23, 2011
Another 200 school systems — including five in Lancaster County — will test pilot the state evaluation system later this year. The move to a more rigorous system of assessing teacher effectiveness is part of a nationwide trend toward more accountability in public education, Gluck said.
Push To Add Minority Teachers Shows Gains
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, October 24, 2011
When two University of Pennsylvania researchers set out to study whether efforts to recruit more minority teachers had been successful, they found a surprising thing. The efforts had largely worked.
‘Clarity’ Sought On Charter Schools
Richmond Times Dispatch, VA, October 22, 2011
The Richmond School Board will ask Virginia to change the law on charter schools so the people who work in the schools aren’t required to be employed by the public school district.
Shelby County’s Unified School Board Seeks To Delay Expansion Of Charter Schools
Commercial Appeal, TN, October 24, 2011
Promise Academy, at the corner of Hollywood and Chelsea in North Memphis, has plans to grow, including adding a gym across the street where blighted, boarded-up homes now sit.
Public Charter Schools Serve As Models of Accountability
Spartanburg Herald Journal, SC, October 23, 2011
What public education in America needs today is that kind of preventive action and not a system like AYP that waits on years of failure to claim the academic future of thousands of students before real attempts are made to address the problems.
Failure Not an Option for Imagine Charter
Florida Today, FL, October 23, 2011
One of Brevard’s original charter schools is undergoing an intensive effort to improve this year after it received an “F” school grade — a damaging assessment that parents blame on staff turnover, classroom disruptions and student behavioral issues last year.
Charter Schools Get First Dibs
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, October 23, 2011
Five vacant area schools could be up for grabs under a new law giving public charter schools access to unused buildings.
On A Quest For Success
Peoria Journal Star, IL, October 23, 2011
Riding high on an inaugural year of success, Quest Charter Academy is poised to become Peoria ‘s next public high school.
Navigating Public School Admissions, With a Consultant’s Help
New York Times, NY, October 23, 2011
Armed with tote bags for the handouts awaiting them, thousands of Chicago parents shuffled through display tables adorned with brightly colored posters as they faced the daunting task of selecting schools for their children.
Madison Prep Is So Much More Than Same-Sex Classes
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, October 23, 2011
The idea is to reduce distractions and cater to the differing learning styles boys and girls seem to prefer. Critics contend research on separating boys and girls suggests little benefit and one big downside: The reinforcement of gender stereotypes. Maybe. But with so much else to cheer for in the Madison Prep plan, why get hung up on one of its more modest attributes?
Task Force Takes On Faulty Teacher Evaluations
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, October 23, 2011
The problem is that the system we have today is lousy at rewarding the best teachers, removing the worst and helping those in the middle to improve.
School Voucher Law Under Scrutiny
Tulsa World, OK, October 23, 2011
The Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarships for Students with Disabilities Act has become the center of a growing firestorm in the state – not just over the constitutionality of using public money for private schools but also about the overarching issue of school vouchers.
Surge In Charter Schools – And Their Students
Your West Valley, AZ, October 22, 2011
When examining the percentage of public school students in charter schools, Arizona has led the nation for years.
Oregon City School District Walks Away From $2.54 Million Grant For Performance Pay
The Oregonian, OR, October 23, 2011
The Oregon City School District has decided to reject a $2.54 million federal grant meant to reward top educators, partly because of philosophical concerns over performance-based pay.
Charter Schools Are A Good Thing For Students
The Gresham Outlook, OR, October 22, 2011
But Duncan also heard opposition about charter schools. And we can’t resist the opportunity to come to the defense of these programs, which do provide much-needed options for families.
Creator Of Denied Charter School Proposal Looking To Repeal Rejection
Daily Californian Blog, CA, October 23, 2011
Following his latest rejection, the lead petitioner of a proposed charter school in Berkeley is looking to appeal to the Berkeley Unified School District — again.
Preserve Accountability
Columbus Dispatch, OH, October 23, 2011
Congress has neglected its responsibility to revisit the No Child Left Behind law, which established important principles of accountability for the nation’s schools but has proved flawed in some key respects.
Educators, Advocates, Legislators Target Gaps In No Child Left Behind Law
The Tennessean, TN, October 23, 2011
Washington lawmakers trying to rewrite No Child Left Behind agree it reduced the gap between poor, minority and disabled students’ test scores and those of average white children — the federal law’s biggest goal.
Leave the Petty Politics Behind
Denver Post, CO, October 23, 2011
Sen. Michael Bennet was right to be miffed by another senator shutting down a committee hearing on No Child Left Behind.
Teacher Question Hurtling Towards 2012 Ballot, Union Vows Lawsuit
Boston Herald, MA, October 23, 2011
An advocacy group pressing for a ballot law that would force schools to prioritize teacher effectiveness over seniority in hiring, layoff, and transfer decisions says it has amassed more than 100,000 voter signatures, but the state’s largest teacher’s union is gearing up to fight the proposal in court.
NJEA, Democrats Wrongly Balk At New Push For Schools Reform
Star-Ledger, NJ, October 23, 2011
It’s fascinating to see the nervous response of establishment Democrats to the arrival of David Tepper on the political scene in New Jersey.
Schools Gear For Fight Over TN Voucher Bill
The Tennessean, TN, October 22, 2011
The state’s major school districts are building up opposition to a new proposal to create school vouchers, pitting themselves against Tennessee’s independent and religious schools and the proposal’s Republican backers in the legislature.
No Basis For Retesting Teachers of Underperforming Students
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, October 22, 2011
House Bill 153 requires teachers at schools in the bottom 10 percent of rankings, as determined solely by student scores on the Ohio Achievement Assessment, to take their Praxis tests again. Is this policy based on research that shows a connection between teacher Praxis scores and student OAA scores? Or a connection between teacher Praxis scores and teacher performance?
Should Michigan Expand School Choice?
Kalamazoo Gazette, MI, October 23, 2011
In the mid-1990s, then-Gov. John Engler decided that public schools’ relative monopoly was part of the problem with American K-12 education, and school choice was part of the solution.
Superintendents Urge Residents To Oppose Bills That Will Harm Public Education
Muskegon Chronicle, MI, October 23, 2011
If Senate Bills 618-624 become law, the resulting changes will cost taxpayers more, deliver less and ultimately harm the free, public education our children enjoy.
State School Board Should Seek Unified Stance On Bills
Detroit News, MI, October 23, 2011
We can’t help but be worried about the State Board of Education. Bills in the Legislature that would expand school choice, including lifting the cap on charter schools, have fractured the traditionally cohesive group. The board should put its partisan differences aside to throw its support behind a unified recommendation on school choice.
Labor Chiefs Leery Of Plan To Reshape Iowa Teacher Pay
Des Moines Register, IA, October 22, 2011
A proposal to revamp the pay system of Iowa teachers has some union representatives worried the plan will reduce job security and hamstring collective bargaining rights guaranteed under state law.
VIRTUAL LEARNING
Virtual Classroom Takes Root in Broome
Press & Sun-Bulletin, NY, October 22, 2011
Niles and Gutierrez reflect a range of opinions about online courses that are replacing some traditional classroom approaches across the United States.
Virtual Charter School Plan Prompts Review Of Laws
The Record, NJ, October 22, 2011
A proposal for a virtual charter school based in Teaneck that would end its first year with $4.7 million of taxpayer money left in the bank has sparked concern and calls Friday for deeper scrutiny.
Online Education Finds Bigger Foothold in Idaho
Idaho Press Tribune, ID, October 23, 2011
Beginning with next fall’s freshman class, Idaho high school students would be required to complete at least two online courses to graduate, under a rule passed by the State Board of Education that will be sent to the Legislature in January.
Learn Some Facts About Online High School Classes
St. George Daily Spectrum, UT, October 23, 2011
As an advocate for education options that meet the diverse and individual needs of all learners, I’m not going to allow Mr. Mesa to misinform parents and students about Utah ‘s newest public school choice option, the Statewide Online Education Program. Here are real facts, not mere opinions: