NEWSWIRE IS BACK! Click here for the latest weekly report on education news and commentary you won’t find anywhere else, spiced with a dash of irreverence, from the nation’s leading voice in school reform.
NATIONAL COVERAGE
America’s Teachers Are Sharing Their Low Grades With America’s Children
Forbes, July 14, 2013
Nobody likes bad grades on a report card, especially not educators whose life work is teaching and grading. It was an unhappy day, then, when a recent and exhaustive national study of teacher training in America’s schools and departments of education came back with grades largely ranging from mediocre to poor.
Education is not a consumer product
Roanoke Times, July 15, 2013
Who defines a quality teacher preparation program? Apparently, the National Council of Teacher Quality does. But under what authority? With what data? And whose agenda is being served? NCTQ is using its unsanctioned bully pulpit to coerce teacher preparation programs to play ball or be pilloried in the national media.
The brewing battle over the Common Core
Baltimore Sun, July 14, 2013
An unusual coalition of liberals and conservatives is seeking to delay or kill national academic standards
The Trouble With Testing Mania
New York Times, July 13, 2013
Congress made a sensible decision a decade ago when it required the states to administer yearly tests to public school students in exchange for federal education aid.
STATE COVERAGE
CALIFORNIA
Ridgecrest Charter School grows to try to accommodate waiting list of students
Ridgecrest Daily Independent, July 14, 2013
The new academic kid on the block, Ridgecrest Charter started in 2001, now has a waiting list of students clamoring to attend.
COLORADO
Colorado school finance ballot push reports early contributions
Denver Post, July 15, 2013
The issue committee Colorado Commits to Kids, which supports the effort to raise taxes for funding schools in November, has raised $342,300 in contributions — led by $250,000 from the Colorado Education Association.
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
D.C. Council member David Catania’s plan for schools draws mixed reviews
Washington Post, July 14, 2013
D.C. Council member David A. Catania’s ambitious plan to overhaul city schools drew mixed reactions at five recent hearings, with parents and activists praising the lawmaker’s urgency but voicing concern that some of his proposals may carry unintended consequences.
The D.C. Voucher Example
Wall Street Journal, July 15, 2013
President Obama talks passionately about reducing school dropout rates, and he need only look in his own backyard for how to do it. Of course he’ll also have to quit trying to kill the successful program.
GEORGIA
Savannah Chatham Public School Board shoots down all-boys charter school petition
Savannah Morning News, July 13, 2013
Savannah-Chatham Public Schools officials said they liked the idea of an innovative charter school to address the ongoing academic and behavior problems with boys Wednesday. They just weren’t comfortable approving one.
INDIANA
More school vouchers offered
The Journal Gazette, July 15, 2013
Thousands more Indiana kids could take advantage of a state-paid private school education under a voucher program that legislators expanded this year.
LOUISIANA
Better path to reforms
The Advocate, July 15, 2013
In the 2013 Legislature, Gov. Bobby Jindal managed to preserve most of the initiatives pushed in the previous year in public education. However, it was not easy.
Orleans Parish School Board antics harken back to pre-Katrina politics
The Advocate, July 14, 2013
The superintendent’s job is under threat. The School Board is split. Civic groups, frustrated by the distraction, look on aghast. It could be 1997 or 2002 or 2004 but it isn’t. It’s 2013, and the Orleans Parish School Board is once again must-see public access television.
Voucher program is entirely lacking in accountability
Times Picayune, July 14, 2013
On July 1 The Times-Picayune reported, “out of the 117 schools participating in the state’s student voucher program … only one violated rules for using taxpayer money.”
MASSACHUSETTS
As charter schools grow across Massachusetts, educators discuss pros and cons
The Republican, July 14, 2013
Several years ago, a group of scientists first complained about public schools’ lack of focus on math, science and technology. Then they opened their own public school.
Education Reform Group Backs Connolly For Mayor
WBUR, July 12, 2013
Democrats for Education Reform, a national advocacy group that favors charter schools and enhanced teacher accountability, is backing City Councilor John Connolly in the race for mayor.
MICHIGAN
At least 30 charter schools set to open around state, including five in Oakland County
Oakland Press, July 15, 2013
Although most charters are located in Pontiac and Southfield, they are also multiplying in other school districts in the county where parents want more options. Most charters have a theme around which they base their curriculum, such as art, college preparation, technology, or special skills such as broadcasting or languages.
Keep the focus on quality
Detroit News, July 13, 2013
The debate about the value of charter schools rages on. Are charter schools a success or failure? As someone who was part of the “movement” nearly from the inception 20 years ago and can lay claim to helping create the first charters in two different states (Michigan and Florida) and having consulted with countless others in their quest to start a charter school, I can say “both.”
Martin to take over as DPS EM from Roberts
Detroit News, July 15, 2013
Roy Roberts will be replaced today as emergency manager of Detroit Public Schools by Jack Martin, a finance guru whose last assignment was helping Mayor Dave Bing implement the city’s consent agreement with the state.
Will Michigan change its mind on education standards?
Detroit Free Press, July 15, 2013
Michigan’s adoption of the Common Core State Standards, a set of learning goals embraced by 44 other states in the nation, should have been a slam dunk given the widespread support that exists in the state.
MINNESOTA
A new round of segregation plays out in charter schools
MinnPost, July 15, 2013
In keeping with national demographic shifts, the Twin City suburbs have been growing more diverse in recent years, with an increasing African-American and Hispanic population. But that diversity is not always reflected in the area schools.
MISSOURI
How region reacts to school transfer decisions will stamp St. Louis history
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, July 14, 2013
This week, the bruise began to form. It started when the second of the two unaccredited school districts in the region followed Normandy’s lead and chose a mostly white suburban district 20 miles away to send students whose parents apply for a transfer.
Signing of bill quickens possible state takeover of Kansas City schools
The Kansas City Star, July 12, 2013
Missouri Education Commissioner Chris Nicastro, who has long been eager to speed up the state’s intervention in Kansas City Public Schools, got her wish Friday.
NEVADA
Bad Grades For Nevada Charter Schools
KNPR, July 12, 2013
Nevada charter schools performed dismally compared to charter schools elsewhere, according to a recent national study. But Steve Canavero, a state education official, said he’s confident Nevada policy has changed sufficiently to turn around the performance of its charter schools.
Conservative think tank, teachers union continue battle over union opt-outs
Las Vegas Sun, July 14, 2013
The Nevada Policy Research Institute — the conservative think tank waging the campaign — wants teachers to know they can leave their union between July 1 and July 15, and they’ve been publishing instructions about how and why teachers should consider writing an “opt-out” letter to rescind their union memberships.
NEW JERSEY
Vocal lawmaker’s crusade against N.J.’s school-funding formula
Philadelphia Inquirer, July 14, 2013
His primary target, arguably his only target, is the state formula that distributes education aid overwhelmingly to 31 mostly urban school districts.
NEW YORK
Money for charter schools balloons during Mayor Bloomberg’s tenure
New York Daily News, July 14, 2013
Charter school funding, set by the state, has risen from about $32 million to about $659 million over a decade as the mayor increased their number.
OHIO
Radical change in teacher evaluations places emphasis on how kids perform
Akron Beacon Journal, July 15, 2013
Seniority is likely to lose a great deal of significance in teacher pay, layoffs and rehirings in the Akron Public Schools.
PENNSYLVANIA
A failure of vision
Philadelphia Enquirer, July 15, 2013
It is tempting to call the inability of city and state officials to resolve the Philadelphia schools’ funding crisis a failure of leadership. But it goes beyond that.
National schools facing failure of black males
Pittsburg Post-Gazette, July 15, 2013
Alan Johnson, acting superintendent in the Woodland Hills School District, isn’t afraid to share his district’s unflattering statistics regarding the lack of academic achievement among African-American male students.
Pennsylvania rolling out new teacher, principal evaluation system
Lehigh Express-Times, July 15, 2013
School may be out for summer, but across Pennsylvania districts are gearing up for a new teacher evaluation system that takes student performance into account.
TENNESSEE
Metro board needs to be fair with teacher pay
The Tennessean, July 14, 2013
Members of the Metro school board have an opportunity before them. They can show they support their teachers. Or they can slap them upside the head.
New merged school district on horizon in Memphis
Associated Press, July 14, 2013
More than two years of legal fighting, political acrimony and parental anxiety are culminating in a massive merger of the Memphis and suburban Shelby County school districts, but a key vote Tuesday could change the landscape of the new system after just one year.
VIRGINIA
Norfolk board supports bid for charter schools
The Virginian-Pilot, July 14, 2013
After more than two hours of discussion, the School Board on Saturday unanimously agreed to allow administrators to continue planning the potential conversion of 10 schools into charters.
WISCONSIN
Rocketship pushes to enter Milwaukee school orbit
Journal Sentinel, July 13, 2013
A newcomer to Milwaukee, Rocketship Education is a nonprofit elementary charter-school network based in San Jose, Calif., that’s attracting national attention for its low-cost schools that blend traditional instruction with technological intervention.
ONLINE LEARNING
PA Cyber survives turbulent school year
Beaver Times, July 14, 2013
The anniversaries passed quietly, which Pennsylvania Cyber Charter School CEO Michael Conti interprets as a positive reflection on the direction of the Midland-based educational enterprise.
Rein in high spending by charter schools
Pocono Record, July 14, 2013
Back in June 2012, Jack Wagner, Pennsylvania’s auditor general, reported taxpayers would save $365 million yearly if the charter/cyber funding procedures used in other states were adopted and if charter/cyber double-dip pension payments were eliminated.
Annie Bennett: Policymakers’ Role In Helping All Students Succeed
Yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting my representative, Congressman Kevin Yoder from the 3rd district in Kansas, and a few members of his staff. To begin with, Rep. Yoder was extremely kind to take the time to meet with me. It is a testament to our representative government that he and his staff went out of their way to get to know my interests, hear about my experience in D.C. this summer, and offer to help and connect me in any way they could. I was impressed with the level of concern both for me as an individual and for my area. Sitting in a Congressional office makes you realize how intensely focused a Congressman must be on the needs of his or her district, requiring everything from reflecting their constituents’ policy interests to meeting with individual students who are spending the summer in the Capitol.
Coming away from the meeting, however, I couldn’t help reflecting on the unique landscape of my district and how that relates to education and Rep. Yoder. The 3rd district encompasses Kansas City, the largest urban area in the state, and the surrounding suburbs. Consequently, a representative of the area has to balance the often contrasting needs of an urban area and a more affluent suburban area. Nowhere is this more evident than in education.
Comparing Johnson County and Wyandotte County gives a clear picture of the contradictory nature of the district. Wyandotte County, where Kansas City, KS is located, has an annual per capita income of $17,750 and large minority populations. The Kansas City School District, where 89% of students are classified as “economically disadvantaged” on their website, has often received negative attention for low achievement- the high-school graduation rate was just 62% in the 2011 school year. The reality in next-door Johnson County is far different. The suburban county has an annual per capita income of $35,492, and students benefit from attending some of the top public schools in the state.
I am a life-long resident of Johnson County and a proud graduate of the public school system. My high school routinely sends students to the top universities in the nation, offers both a variety of AP classes and a strong IB program, and has wonderful extracurricular and sports programs. Yet I consider myself a native of Kansas City, not just my suburb, and as such, I am deeply troubled by the inequalities I see in educational opportunities. Realizing that not all children have access to the kind of education I received is what initially sparked my passion for education reform.
All children, regardless of their zip code, deserve a high-quality education. All children, regardless of their socioeconomic status, have the ability to succeed if placed in the right environment. I hope that our Congressman and all policymakers work hard to create this environment and move toward making the success of ALL students a reality because, after all, our government functions on the principal of representing the well-being of each and every constituent.
Annie Bennett is a rising senior at Vanderbilt University majoring in Public Policy. She is originally from Kansas City, and we’re excited she’s working with the Center for Education Reform as an intern this summer.