Daily Headlines for July 22, 2011
What if School Choice Activists Filed Funding Torts?
Dropout Nation Blog, July 21, 2011
The shutdown last month of the Campaign for Fiscal Equity, the New York City school law nonprofit that successfully fought for New York State to provide more funding to New York City schools in the last decade, has marked the end of the traditional school funding suits. It makes sense. Despite the arguments (and the pretty charts) of such defenders as Rutgers’ Bruce Baker, there is no evidence that spending more on American public education will lead to better results for children.
Failing Schools Get Tough Love
Wall Street Journal, July 22, 2011
Whether failing schools can be improved or must be shut down is at the core of a debate burning across the country and in New York City.
Ed Schools’ Pedagogical Puzzle
New York Times, NY, July 22, 2011
There are wide concerns that too many teachers are unprepared for the classroom, though they may have more educational credentials than ever before. Master’s degrees are required for permanent certification in only a few states, including New York and Kentucky.
More States Defying Federal Gov’t On Education Law
Associated Press, July 20, 2011
At least three states are vowing to ignore the latest requirements under the No Child Left Behind law in an act of defiance against the federal government that demonstrates their growing frustration over an education program they say sets unrealistic benchmarks for schools.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
Classroom Suit Would Be Costly Failure By Adults
Redding Record Searchlight, CA, July 22, 2011
In a time of tight budgets, the last thing schools need to spend their scarce cash on is lawsuits – especially in school vs. school feuds like Gateway Unified School District’s ongoing dispute with Rocky Point Charter School over precisely how much space the district must supply to the charter it sponsors.
Hold Failing Schools Accountable
Appeal-Democrat, CA, July 21, 2011
Parents and those concerned with education reform were victorious when the California Board of Education on July 13 unanimously approved tentative regulations governing the groundbreaking “Parent Trigger,” a state law allowing parents of children in failing school districts to overhaul schools, teachers, staff and administration via petition. The state board should be applauded because it rightly kept intact one of California’s few innovative approaches to empower parents and hold public schools accountable.
Charter School’s Backers Vow To Fight On After Rejection By Lincoln Unified
Stockton Record, CA, July 22, 2011
Lincoln Unified’s school board unanimously rejected a planned charter high school proposed by Humphreys College after Superintendent Tom Uslan told trustees this week the college’s petition was “not consistent with sound educational practice.”
County Education Trustees Deny Pajaro Valley Charter School Appeal
Santa Cruz Sentinel, CA, July 22, 2011
The county Board of Education, meeting Thursday in Scotts Valley, denied approval of a charter school seeking to educate Watsonville area students from migrant families.
FLORIDA
Neighborhood Hesitant To OK Charter School
Sun Sentinel, FL, July 21, 2011
A sun-blistered and abandoned old building in the Poinciana Park neighborhood of Fort Lauderdale may come back to life as a charter school.
Florida Gets Federal Money To Expand And Promote Charter School Offerings
Florida Times Union Blog, FL, July 21, 2011
Florida and New York are getting $49 million total to increase high-quality charter school options and better promote those offerings to families.
No Money For More Choices
Palm Beach Post, FL, July 21, 2011
Even as parents and students say they want more magnet and career choice programs in Palm Beach County schools, policy and budget decisions will limit what the district can offer. That less-than-ideal situation gives the district an opening to ask whether it has become over-magnetized.
GEORGIA
More Resign Or Retire In Face of APS Cheating Scandal
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, July 21, 2011
About 30 Atlanta Public School employees implicated in a state cheating scandal have resigned or retired rather than go through termination, and the Fulton County district attorney has been asked to identify educators who won’t be prosecuted so the district can handle those cases first if it chooses.
Peachtree Hope Misses Deadline For State Charter
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, July 21, 2011
A charter school that educated more than 600 children when it opened last year has missed what was likely its last shot at opening its doors again this fall
ILLINOIS
Chicago Needs School Vouchers. And Rahm Needs To Meditate
Chicago Tribune, IL, July 21, 2011
Who could argue? He’s a father who wants the best for his children, and he can’t find it at CPS. The thing is, most every parent in Chicago would agree.
State Commission Can Now Approve Charters, Too
Chicago Tribune, IL, July 21, 2011
A new bill signed into law this week will allow charters to get approved by an alternative commission appointed by the State Board of Education, expanding that authority beyond just school districts.
INDIANA
One Step Closer To Takeover
Indianapolis Star, IN, July 22, 2011
Six Indianapolis Public Schools moved another step toward becoming the first schools in Indiana to be taken over by the state for poor performance and turned over to be run by private companies or nonprofits.
State Is Way Too Forgiving When It Comes To Education
Indianapolis Star, I
N, July 22, 2011
It didn’t take much to get off the list. Schools in East Chicago, South Bend, Fort Wayne and beyond — schools in locales marred by poverty, high dropout rates and other social problems — found a way to get off it. After years of massive failure, they are now spared the prospect of state intervention
State School Voucher Law Under Fire
WAVE 3, IN, July 21, 2011
It was one of the most controversial changes to education in the books for Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels’ agenda.
IOWA
More Money Is Needed To Educate At-Risk Kids, Leaders Say
Des Moines Register, IA, July 22, 2011
Officials in Iowa’s largest school districts want state leaders to change the way schools are financed to allow for more money to flow to the state’s neediest students who are most at risk for failure.
LOUISIANA
Abramson High School Whistleblower and His Boss Are Fired By State Superintendent of Schools
Times Picayune, LA, July 21, 2011
Outside critics have often raised concerns over how the state monitors the more than 30 different charter school operators that educate children in New Orleans under its watch. Last school year, more than half of the city’s public school students attended a charter school overseen by the state, including those that fall under the state-run Recovery School District and those that report directly to the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, or BESE.
MASSACHUSETTS
Judge KOs Parents’ Charter Suit
Gloucester Times, MA, July 21, 2011
An Essex County judge Thursday shot down a legal bid by 15 Gloucester school district parents to get an injunction that could have blocked the Gloucester Community Charter Arts School from operating for a second year
MINNESOTA
Lessons to Learn From Troubled TiZA
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN, July 21, 2011
After two-plus years of legal wrangling, the Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy (TiZA) charter school is officially out of business as a public school. The complicated story of how it went from an academic star to being shut down by the state offers lessons in church-state conflicts, effective charter school administration and how best to educate a challenged population of students.
NEW YORK
State Court Ruling Paves Way for School Closings
Wall Street Journal, July 22, 2011
The Bloomberg administration scored a major victory in court late Thursday when a New York State Supreme Court justice ruled against the United Federation of Teachers’ efforts to keep troubled schools open and prevent charter schools from moving into public buildings.
NAACP’s Misguided Charter School Lawsuit: Black Students Are Losing Out On Educational Equality
New York Daily News, NY, July 22, 2011
Notwithstanding the best intentions of the Bloomberg administration and hard work of dedicated teachers throughout the system, the problems facing New York City’s schoolchildren – especially black and brown students – are severe.
PENNSYLVANIA
Legislation To Reshape Charter Schools In State
Centre Daily Times, PA, July 22, 2011
This March, legislators in the House and Senate proposed changes to the charter school law. Hearings on the proposals are expected this summer and fall. Senate Bill 094 and House Bill 1348 would
TENNESSEE
MNPS Offers Wide Selection Outside Zone
The Tennessean, TN, July 21, 2011
In many communities, a family’s home address is the only factor determining the school a child attends. But that is not the case in Metro Nashville Public Schools: If you don’t think your zone school is right for your child, you have a growing menu of public school choices.
TEXAS
Charter Schools Could Help DISD With Its Building Problems
Dallas Morning News, TX, July 21, 2011
The news that the Dallas school district is putting construction projects on hold at eight schools naturally won’t sit well with educators, parents and students at those campuses. But this decision is exactly the kind of tough-mindedness DISD needs to survive this economic climate.
VIRGINIA
Teachers In 7 Area Schools Could Get Bonuses
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, July 22, 2011
Teachers in seven schools in Richmond and the Tri-Cities area could nab bonuses of up to $5,000 as part of Gov. Bob McDonnell’s performance-pay incentive program for hard-to-staff schools.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
Stroudsburg Area School District To Launch Cyber Charter School
Pocono Record, PA, July 22, 2011
Stroudsburg Area School District is turning the tables on its high-tech competitors with plans to launch its own cyber school program.
Souderton Area Committee Discusses Cyber School Option
Chester County Daily Local, PA, July 21, 2011
The Souderton Area School District might sign on with the Brandywine Virtual Academy to allow students to take classes at home on their computers.
Leggett Valley Unified Goes Virtual; School District Offers Online K-12 School
The Times-Standard, CA, July 22, 2011
Parents and students looking to break out of the traditional classroom setting can now attend school online through Leggett Valley Unified School District.
Not Your Average Course
Austin Daily Herald, MN, July 21, 2011
That changed when she started at Insight two years ago. The online school, based out of Brooklyn Center High School , provided her with plenty of opportunities. An honors class here, an AP course there, French lessons every day, and sometimes up to 12 hours of work a day.