Daily Headlines for July 26, 2011
Christie and National Expert Duel Over School Reform
NJ Spotlight, NJ, July 26, 2011
Gov. Christie and Stanford University’s Hammond-Darling present sharply divergent visions of education.
From Drug Dealing To Diploma, A Teen’s Struggle
National Public Radio, July 25, 2011
Lundvick says he has stopped. He’s now free on probation and enrolled in Youth Connection, which runs 22 charter schools in Chicago that deal exclusively with dropouts.
Better Classroom Teachers Begin With Better Teacher Education Programs At Colleges And Universities
New York Daily News, NY, July 26, 2011
The old saw that “those who can’t do, teach,” is a terrible insult to a great profession. But far too often, those who teach teachers to teach – universities – know next to nothing about how to get educators ready for the realities of big-city public school classrooms.
FROM THE STATES
CALIFORNIA
State Lawmakers Craft Stricter Standards For Charter Schools
Santa Cruz Sentinel, CA, July 26, 2011
State lawmakers want charter schools to rev up academic performance and follow stricter guidelines for financial oversight and meeting diversity standards.
CONNECTICUT
Education Tops Agendas of Bridgeport Mayoral Candidates
Connecticut Post, CT, July 25, 2011
With the new school year only weeks away and no school budget in place, mayoral candidates are placing education reform front and center on their agendas.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Questions About Cheating Could Hinder Efforts To Improve Schools
Washington Post, DC, July 25, 2011
By the numbers, it’s a paltry handful. Of more than 100,000 public schools in the United States , about 300 recently have faced suspicions, allegations and, in some cases hard proof, that teachers and administrators cheated to inflate standardized test scores.
Earning Their Apples
American Spectator, July 26, 2011
The move earlier this month by D.C. Public Schools to fire 200 of their worst-performing teachers certainly got attention from school reformers and teachers union bosses alike.
FLORIDA
Proposed Charter School Would Help Those With Autism, Cognitive Disorders
Gainesville Sun, FL, July 25, 2011
Hackley hopes to open H3 Direct Academy Inc., which would be Alachua County’s newest charter school, in order to help students like his client develop necessary life skills.
Florida Teacher Preparation Programs Receive Scrutiny
North Escambia, FL, July 26, 2011
What makes a teacher successful is a vexing question that has fueled major education reforms in recent years, from increased emphasis on testing, to the promotion of charter schools and the newfound popularity of teacher merit pay to provide an incentive for better instruction.
Private Schools Get Public Money For Teacher Training
Dothan Eagle, FL, July 25, 2011
Private schools across the state received nearly $568,000 in federal funds for professional development for teachers for the 20011 fiscal year.
GEORGIA
How Should APS Cheating Scandal Guide Public School Overhaul?
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, July 25, 2011
Georgia should seize the chance to change the tenure system and fire bad teachers.
INDIANA
We’re Up To Challenge Of Fixing Urban Schools
Indianapolis Star, IN, July 25, 2011
n 2005, the Indiana Department of Education created a list of schools that could be at risk of state takeover in 2011 under the accountability law. There were 94 schools on that list. Fast forward to 2011 and seven are left: six in Indianapolis Public Schools and one in Gary.
Voucher Students and the IHSAA
South Bend Tribune, IN, July 26, 2011
The Indiana High School Athletic Association says it will follow its present rules in considering student transfer requests associated with the state’s new school voucher program.
MARYLAND
Montgomery Approves Its First Charter School
Washington Post, DC, July 25, 2011
The Montgomery County Board of Education approved its first charter school Monday night, sending a cheer through the crowded board room and signaling a breakthrough for a movement that is pushing to expand beyond struggling inner-city districts.
MISSOURI
Three Catholic Schools Look To Form Their Own District
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, July 26, 2011
Three suburban Catholic schools are looking for a way to survive that may come through a shift in the traditional structure of parish schools.
NEW JERSEY
In Iowa , Christie Talks About Education Reform
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, July 26, 2011
DES MOINES, Iowa – As speculation about his presidential ambitions hung heavily in the hot Midwestern air, Gov. Christie called for peace in the battle over education at a summit convened Monday by the governor of Iowa.
NEW YORK
Feds’ $113M Will Boost NY Charters
New York Post, NY, July 26, 2011
Cash-strapped New York state is receiving a $113 million federal windfall to help create new charter schools and spread the most effective practices at existing ones, officials announced yesterday.
Another Legal Challenge to the City’s Charter Schools
New York Times Blog, NY, July 25, 2011
Department of Education officials went out for drinks on Friday to celebrate the city’s preliminary victory in a lawsuit that sought to block 15 charter schools from sharing space in traditional public school buildings.
Co-Locating Schools Sparks Heated Debate
MY Fox Ny, NY, July 25, 2011
Anyone who has been to a meeting on charter school co-locations knows they can get rather emotional. So during a visit to one of those co-locations that weathered its own rough time, Chancellor Dennis Walcott said he doesn’t want it that way anymore.
PENNSYLVANIA
Student Performance May Be Considered In State Teacher Evaluations
Republican Herald, PA, July 26, 2011
A bill that would include student performance in how Pennsylvania teachers are evaluated may be considered after lawmakers return to Harrisburg in the fall.
Some Hope To Pa. Lawmakers’ Daunting Agenda
Pocono Record, PA, July 26, 2011
Beth Winters, a lobbyist for the state school boards’ association, said one of the group’s top priorities is to rewrite the rules under which districts reimburse cyber charter schools, an issue that became more acute after lawmakers and Gov. Tom Corbett eliminated the state’s $224 million subsidy.
SOUTH CAROLINA
S.C. Supreme Court: Ruling Reverses Charter Case
Post and Courier, SC, July 26, 2011
The possibility of Charleston County School District giving millions of dollars more annually to its charter schools still could become a reality, but the state will have to prove why the district should be treated differently than every other district in the state, according to a S.C. Supreme Court ruling issued Monday.
Georgetown County Charter School Receives Approval, But Challenges Remain
Sun News, SC, July 26, 2011
After months of planning, writing and submitting applications for Coastal Montessori Charter School, the group received approval Monday morning from the Georgetown County School District .
“Academy Of Hope” Hopes To Make Students Globally Competitive
WBTW, SC, July 25, 2011
On Monday, some students in Horry County got an early start on the school year. A new year-round charter school opened its doors. The Academy of Hope kicked off its first school year.
RHODE ISLAND
Impact of Mayor’s Charter School On Finances Concerns Councilman
Providence Journal, RI, July 25, 2011
Citing the city’s struggle to “adequately fund our current public school system” and the possibility of a tax increase to fund a proposed public charter school district sponsored by Mayor Allan W. Fung, Councilman Emilio L. Navarro is asking Fung to prepare a financial-impact report “on creating and sustaining a new public charter school district in conjunction with our current public school system.”
TEXAS
Metro Academy Was Caught In ‘A Vicious Cycle,’ State Says
Star-Telegram, TX, July 25, 2011
According to the Texas Education Agency in its May 13 letter informing Metro Academy of Math and Science Superintendent Darryl Killen that the state was revoking its charter, the school was caught in “a vicious cycle all too common in failing [charter] schools.”
UTAH
School Choice Is Back
Desert News, UT, July 26, 2011
When Utah lawmakers convene in regular session next year, tuition tax credits may be on the docket again. Utah Republican leaders recently approved a request to study the matter.
VIRTUAL EDUCATION
New Virtual Grade School Opening In The Fall
Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, July 26, 2011
Local parents looking for an alternative to traditional school now have a new option available to them. Lost Coast Virtual Academy is open for enrollment to students in Humboldt, Mendocino, Trinity, Tehama, Glenn, Lake, and Sonoma counties.
Virtual Academy Is A Welcome Innovation For State’s Students
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, July 25, 2011
Tennessee has been in the online education world for some time, but the new Tennessee Virtual Academy based in Union County promises to kick the process up a couple of notches. Indeed, it might well figure into serious education reform.