Daily Headlines: November 3, 2011
Experienced Teachers Aren’t The Problem
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, November 3, 2011
Rhee insisted that LIFO is getting rid of our best teachers, arguing that layoffs should be based on job performance instead of seniority. In an Inquirer commentary, Rhee cited an Urban Institute study to support her view that scrapping LIFO is a matter of “common sense.”
Confused Over ‘Accountability’ And ‘Flexibility’
Washington Times, DC, November 2, 2011
Accountability. Everyone is for it. It’s by far the most popular word used in refer- ence to No Child Left Behind (NCLB) reauthorization discussions this week and state efforts this month to get federal waivers to avoid NCLB sanctions for missing proficiency targets in reading and math.
The Problem With Paying Teachers Less Money
TIME, November 3, 2011
It’s not often that you hear teachers should be paid less. In fact, it’s almost always the exact opposite. From teachers unions to education reformers to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the refrain that teachers are underpaid is a constant.
STATE COVERAGE
Six Charter Schools In NYC Face Shutdowns For Poor Performance, Officials Announce
New York Daily News, NY, November 2, 2011
The city is threatening to shut down six poor-performing charter schools, officials said Wednesday.
Cuomo Dangles Money for District Performance and Ideas
New York Times, NY, November 2, 2011
School districts across New York State could win as much as $75 million in grant money if they can prove to state education officials that they have been able to raise performance and have new ideas for further gains, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Wednesday.
NYC Charter Schools Don’t Crowd Out Public Schools Advocates’ Study Says
New York Daily News, NY, November 2, 2011
Public School buildings where charter schools share space are the least crowded in the city, a new study by charter school advocates found.
D.C. Educators Rated ‘Effective’ Can Still Lose Jobs
Washington Post, DC, November 2, 2011
In 11 years as a counselor at Malcolm X Elementary in Southeast Washington, Jacqueline Sutton mediated disputes, visited students’ homes, alerted authorities to possible child abuse and kept food in her office for kids who came to school weeping sometimes because they were so hungry.
9 Schools Facing The Ax
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, November 3, 2011
The plan includes 31 recommendations for the SRC to consider implementing over the next two school years – including closing nine schools, selling four district properties, relocating one school and reconfiguring grades at 17 schools.
HOPE for Hyndman Celebrating Success
Cumberland Times-News, MD, November 2, 2011
In just a few weeks, the students at the HOPE for Hyndman charter school will receive their first report cards, and a sense of accomplishment is already being shared by students and faculty alike.
Greensboro Academy May Inspire New School
News & Record, NC, November 3, 2011
People say imitation is the best form of flattery. Well, a group of parents was so pleased by their children’s experiences at Greensboro Academy that they want to open a similar charter school in Guilford County next year.
Tennessee Board of Regents Revamps Teacher Ed Programs
Clarksville, TN, November 2, 2011
Over the past two years, universities and community colleges in the Tennessee Board of Regents system have been rewriting course schedules, developing mentorships with local school systems, and rethinking the way teachers have traditionally been taught and trained in school.
Five Atlanta Schools Placed Under State Direction
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, November 2, 2011
Five Atlanta schools will be subjected to state monitoring, and 40 other city schools will take a hit to their academic records in the latest fallout from the nation’s largest test cheating scandal, state officials announced Wednesday.
Georgia Can Return To Leading Role In Giving Students Choices
Atlanta Journal Constitution Blog, GA, November 3, 2011
There was a time when Georgia was considered a national leader in education reform that empowered students and parents. That time, alas, is gone with the wind — the wind of politicians who talk a good game on school choice while sitting idly and watching other states blow past us.
Value-Added Teacher Evaluation Divides BESE Candidates, Draws Union Opposition
Pelican Post, FL, November 2, 2011
Test scores that measure the progress students make each year will now be used as part of a new evaluation system that determines how effective teachers are in the classroom. But not everyone with a stake in the public education system is pleased with the change.
Western Academy Charter School Is National Demo Site For Program
Palm Beach Post, FL, November 2, 2011
Imagine a waiting list of 700 students for one school. That’s what families are facing to get their children into Western Academy Charter School , an elementary and middle school that the state has recognized with a Five Star School Award and is now a national demonstration site for a new way to teach elementary school students.
Stop Smearing Charter Schools
Indianapolis Star, IN, November 2, 2011
Aside from the cruel words Indianapolis Public Schools Superintendent Eugene White used to describe children with disabilities or extra needs, he continues to spread his misinformation that charter schools somehow screen out these children.
Test Scores Now Trump Seniority When Judging Teachers
Marquette Tribune, WI, November 3, 2011
Evaluations factoring in test scores and student performance may now be a more significant factor in faculty retention than seniority for Wisconsin public schools, according to Act 10 legislation signed by Governor Scott Walker last Thursday.
Common Council OKs 2 Charter Schools
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, November 2, 2011
Milwaukee’s Common Council approved a deal with a California-based, tech-savvy charter school network to set up a city-sponsored charter elementary school in Milwaukee.
Spat Between District, Charter School Leaves Kids Stranded At Bus Stop
WIS, WI, November 2, 2011
For the past couple of weeks, a group of Lee County charter school students have been told they can’t ride the school bus. The district agreed to bus the public school students, but the charter school administrator says the district is now changing it’s tune.
Imagine Schools Fires Top Administrator
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, November 3, 2011
The charter school operator Imagine Schools has placed a top executive on administrative leave and has received a stern warning from the sponsor of its St. Louis schools, following revelations about the company’s financial dealings.
KIPP leaders plan expansion in TPS by 2020
Tulsa World, OK, November 3, 2011
Leaders of KIPP Tulsa College Preparatory hope to “aggressively” expand the footprint of the Knowledge Is Power Program in Tulsa so that 5 percent of the Tulsa Public Schools’ student population is served by 2020.
Future of Houston Charter Schools
KUHF, TX, November 2, 2011
Charter schools are growing in number and popularity in the Houston area. But there are still a lot of misconceptions about charter schools — even in the education community — which is why the Harris County Department of Education invited charter school leaders to a forum for the first time.
Fewer Hispanics Enroll In Local Charter Schools
Idaho Press Tribune, ID, November 3, 2011
Local charter schools serve a lower percentage of Hispanic students compared to traditional schools in the Nampa, Caldwell and Vallivue districts, according to data from the state Department of Education.
Indiana Schools Chief Champions Vouchers, Limits To Collective Bargaining
Salt Lake Tribune, UT, November 2, 2011
School vouchers. Limits to collective bargaining for teachers. Educator evaluations that take student achievement into account. They’re all reforms Indiana passed into law this year, and changes Utah could make as well, Indiana superintendent Tony Bennett told state lawmakers and educators Wednesday at the Parents for Choice (PCE) Education Symposium in Salt Lake City.
Bullis Wins Latest Legal Fight with LASD
Los Altros Town Crier, CA, November 2, 2011
Los Altos School District officials are consulting with their lawyers this week, following the Sixth District Court of Appeal’s unanimous finding Thursday that upheld Bullis Charter School’s position that district-provided facilities do not meet state requirements.
LASD Goal Spurs Grassroots Movement To Improve Charter School Relations
Los Altros Town Crier, CA, November 2, 2011
The fractious relationship between the Los Altos School District and Bullis Charter School has spurred a grassroots group of parents to undertake efforts to improve interactions
VIRTUAL LEARNING
Education Empire Strikes Back
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, November 3, 2011
Cyber schools offer all or most of their course work online, typically for the convenience of students who have children of their own, jobs, health problems, or other issues that prevent them from attending a traditional public school. As of last year, there were about 200,000 students enrolled full-time in more than 200 K-12 virtual schools, most of them public charter schools.
Luna Talks Online Education Reform
LocalNews8, ID, November 2, 2011
The Idaho State Board of Education will vote Thursday on whether to require two online classes as part of the high school graduation requirements.
Tigard-Tualatin Students Could Soon Have Online School Option
KATU, OR, November 2, 2011
In a few months, kids in the Tigard-Tualatin School District may not need to leave their homes to go to school. Next semester, they’ll likely have the option to log in to school from home if they sign up for a new online schooling program.
Education Reform On Agenda
Asbury Park Press, NJ, November 3, 2011
New requirements for student achievement, changes to charter school laws, teacher tenure reform and a proposed school voucher program all could be acted upon by the state later this fall, state education leaders said Wednesday.
Education Reform Needs Bipartisan Support
Erie Times-News, PA, November 3, 2011
Bipartisanship is still alive, at least when it comes to lawmakers looking at ways to reform education.
Columbus School Board Candidate’s Kids Attend Charters
Columbus Dispatch, OH, November 3, 2011
A Columbus Board of Education candidate who is likely to win one of four open seats was part of the exodus to charter schools — he moved two of his children two years ago from a district school to a charter, where they currently are enrolled.
School Vouchers Not Best For Now
Paris Post Intelligencer, TN, November 2, 2011
Some state lawmakers are impatient with the rate of progress. They support a bill to offer low-income students in Tennessee’s four largest counties up to $5,000 in state money to attend private schools.
Educators Say Teacher Evaluations Unfair
Commercial Appeal, TN, November 3, 2011
If legislators hadn’t heard the grumbling about the new teacher evaluation process, Tennessee House Education Committee members got the message Wednesday.
Expand Education Choices
Detroit News, MI, November 3, 2011
Parents want what’s best for their kids. They work hard to put clean clothes on their kids’ backs and food on their tables.
State Oversteps On Charter School Expansion Law
The Northwestern, WI, November 3, 2011
There can be no question these are tumultuous times for Wisconsin’s public schools. And Republicans in the state legislature seem intent on making matters worse. The overriding question is: “Why”?
Judging Teachers On Tests Tricky
Appleton Post-Crescent, WI , November 2, 2011
Over the past few weeks, the Wisconsin Legislature has considered, and may pass, changes in how teachers can be evaluated, paid and even dismissed.