Daily Headlines for October 26, 2011
Nearly Half of States Link Teacher Evaluations to Tests
Wall Street Journal, October 26, 2011
Nearly two-thirds of states have overhauled policies in the last two years to tighten oversight of teachers, using techniques including tying teacher evaluations to student test scores, linking their pay to performance or making it tougher to earn tenure, according to a report issued Wednesday.
Bullying Add-Ons Make No Child Reform Less Certain
Washington Times, DC, October 25, 2011
Democrats plan to introduce two anti-bullying amendments when a major education reform proposal hits the Senate floor later this year – but the measures could put bipartisan support for the bill in serious jeopardy.
Education Needs A National Forum
Post Crescent, WI, October 26, 2011
Since Congress let the national No Child Left Behind Act expire, Gov. Scott Walker and State Supt. Tony Evers are developing their own plan for assessing the state’s schools. We’ve praised the bipartisan effort in the past.
Teachers’ Union Fat Cats
American Spectator, October 26, 2011
As with the celebrities, there’s something rather hilarious about the appearance of the nation’s two largest teachers’ unions at a protest against allegedly pampered fat cats. Few organizations have managed to become so influential — and build such vast coffers — at the expense of taxpayers and their children.
STATE COVERAGE
Charter Schools Have Proved Their Value
South Coast Today, MA, October 26, 2011
At least once a year, opponents gather to make their case against charter public schools at a Statehouse hearing, but their arguments repeatedly gain little traction.
October Two Miami-Dade Charter Schools Lose Funding
Miami Herald, FL, October 25, 2011
Miami-Dade school district officials say one school is not serving its special-needs students, and the other faces questions about its finances.
Florida Charter Schools’ Track Record At Issue In Expansion
Florida Times Union, FL, October 26, 2011
Florida Education Commissioner Gerard Robinson said Tuesday the state application for opening charter schools doesn’t need to address performance.
Charter School Proposals Meet Tough Sell Before Unified Board
Commercial Appeal, TN, October 26, 2011
A dozen companies that planned to open charter schools in the coming year missed the first hurdle Tuesday, including the W.E.B. Du Bois Consortium, led by former Memphis mayor Willie Herenton.
County OK For Bonds Likely A First For A Charter School
Columbus Dispatch, OH, October 26, 2011
Officials from Cornerstone Academy in Westerville have received Franklin County’s blessing to sell up to $11.5 million in tax-exempt bonds, a rare maneuver that will allow a charter school to purchase and improve its building.
Jammed Detroit Public School Cited As Hazard
The Detroit News, MI, October 26, 2011
A Detroit public school was cited Tuesday by the Detroit Fire Marshal’s Office for overcrowding after a parent complained to fire officials that too many children were in her son’s kindergarten class.
CPS Parents To Show Support For Longer School Day
Chicago Tribune, IL, October 25, 2011
The fight over the longer school day has now moved from the teachers to the parents. Parents from both sides are planning protests at Chicago Public Schools headquarters Wednesday as the Board of Education sits down for its monthly scheduled board meeting.
KIPP School Poised for Growth in Oklahoma City Area
The Oklahoman, OK, October 26, 2011
Mike Feinberg, founder of a charter school network that now has 109 schools across the nation, will be in Oklahoma City on Thursday to speak to supporters of the local KIPP school.
Proposals For Schools Need Thoughtful Study
Austin American-Statesman, TX, October 25, 2011
Chief among those half-baked proposals is Carstarphen’s plan to create up to three in-district charter schools in the Eastside Memorial/Johnston High attendance zone that would be run by IDEA charter schools of South Texas .
Charter Schools to Allow Midyear Students to Enroll
Denver Post, CO, October 26, 2011
Students who move to Denver in the middle of the school year now can enroll at a charter school — if there’s space.
Public Charter Schools Should Be An Option Here
News Tribune, WA, October 26, 2011
The state PTA has gotten tired of waiting for Superman. Last week, it mounted a new and welcome push to persuade the state to reconsider public charter schools, an educational option common in most other states but forbidden – stupidly forbidden – in Washington.
Washington Supreme Court Should Rule Soon On Education-Funding Lawsuit
Seattle Times, WA, October 25, 2011
With more state budget-cutting in the offing, Washington Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn urges the state Supreme Court to rule soon in the case of McCleary v. Washington. Some clarity on the state’s education obligations are needed before the Legislature convenes.
Where All The Teachers Are Above Average
Oregonian, OR, October 25, 2011
The point here is that Oregon City — and much of Oregon’s educational establishment — isn’t even willing to try to develop a fair and workable merit-pay system. It would rather send back a federal grant than work out a plan to provide the money as bonus pay to the Frank Caros who are teaching in its schools.
California Bucks U.S. Trend On Teacher Evaluations
Los Angeles Times, CA, October 26, 2011
A report released by the National Council on Teacher Quality finds most states have made significant changes in recent years. Many now consider student achievement when determining instructors’ tenure or dismissal.
Group Seeks Partnership With Charter Operator to Open High School in Brisbane
Mercury News, CA, October 25, 2011
Parents who have long been pushing for a charter high school in Brisbane are seeking to team up with a Redwood City-based charter-school operator to help make their vision finally come true in two years.
REALM Charter School Teachers Join Union
The Daily Californian, CA, October 25, 2011
The teachers at REALM charter school in Berkeley will now be represented by a teachers’ union, joining a growing number of charter school teachers in the state who are unionizing.
Corbett Education Initiatives Sent for Senate Vote
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, October 26, 2011
A state Senate committee approved legislation Tuesday that moves forward three key Corbett administration education initiatives: vouchers, charter-school expansion, and increased funding of tax credits that pay for private-school tuition.
Pa. Senate to Consider Bill on School Vouchers
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, October 26, 2011
Legislation to help low-income families pay private school tuition is on its way to the Senate floor.
Haslam Doesn’t Support Charter School Moratorium
The Tennessean, TN, October 26, 2011
Gov. Bill Haslam says he does not support a two-year moratorium on new charter schools after the recently unified school board in Shelby County said it is considering asking state legislators to stop charter school expansion.
School Voucher ‘Choices’ Won’t Help Most Students
The Tennessean, TN, October 26, 2011
Lawmakers pushing school vouchers again argue they would provide more choices for low-income students in Tennessee’s four biggest counties. That’s a bunch of hooey.
Give Districts Tools Needed To Evaluate
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, October 25, 2011
Senate Bill 95 would allow school boards to use value-added analyses of scores on state assessments as one factor among others to evaluate and, if needed, end a teacher’s employment as a teacher in a district. This is not new or novel. Many states permit the use of pupil assessments in removing ineffective teachers.
Douglas County School-Board Candidate Complains Election Is Partisan, Violating Colorado Law
Denver Post, CO, October 26, 2011
In Douglas County, already divided over a school-voucher program, the fight to control the school board got more contentious this week as one candidate charged that three others violated state law with their campaigns.
Vote No On Measure U — It’s The Right Vote For Students
Times-Standard, CA, October 26, 2011
There are many issues which raise concern regarding Measure U and the impact that it will have on both the Fortuna Elementary and Rohnerville Elementary school districts, and specifically the students.
VIRTUAL LEARNING
Technology Can’t Replace Classroom Learning
St. Petersburg Times, FL, October 26, 2011
If you have listened to the radio lately, you’ve probably heard advertisements touting the Florida Virtual School.
Cyberschools Need Greater Regulation, Says New Report That Call Them ‘Wild West Of American Education’
Kalamazoo Gazette, MI, October 26, 2011
As the Michigan Senate prepares to consider a proposal that would expand public funding of cyberschools, a national think-tank has issued a study that finds “serious flaws with full-time virtual schools.
Online Schools A Virtual Waste For Students
Detroit News, MI, October 26, 2011
Many parents find themselves telling their children not to spend an entire day staring at a computer or television screen. But this isn’t the case for some school districts, home-schooling advocates and private corporations across the country, who are advocating for full-time online learning as a substitute for traditional neighborhood schools.
‘Blended Learning’ at Chandler School Under Study Across Valley, U.S.
East Valley Tribune, AZ, October 25, 2011
Sitting side by side at a table tucked against a wall of their classroom, two eighth-graders at Chandler’s Willis Junior High School eye the computer screens in front of them, discuss the numbers, then transfer what they’ve learned to graph paper using the pencils in their hands.
Governors Bush And Wise Announce Blueprint For Digital Education Initiative
Pelican Post, LA, October 25, 2011
This past week, former Florida Governor and chairman of Digital Learning Now! Jeb Bush and former West Virginia Governor Bob Wise unveiled an expansive plan for utilizing technology to achieve educational progress entitled the “Roadmap for Reform: Digital Learning.” The detailed 72-point plan aims to bridge the considerable gap between student needs and available state resources using technology and digital learning.