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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

When Schools Cheat, Don’t Blame Tests: Our View
USA Today, April 22, 2013
The cheating scandal in Atlanta, which led to the indictment of 35 teachers and school officials last month, is breathtaking in its scope.

The False Promise Of ‘Education Reform’
Everett Daily Herald, WA, April 23, 2013
Since her time as District of Columbia schools chancellor, Michelle Rhee has been the face of “education reform.” Regimenting testing for D.C. kids, she fired 241 teachers in one day alone in 2010 for low test scores. She fired a principal on camera. In turn, D.C. voters fired her mayoral patron in 2010 and she resigned.

STATE COVERAGE

CONNECTICUT

School Board Considers Charter School Plan
CT Post, CT, April 23, 2013
The public will have to wait until May 7 to weigh in on a plan to create a district-run charter school, but the city school board got to sound off Monday on the plan for a Montessori elementary school on the West End of town.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C., Montgomery Schools Named National Green Ribbon Schools
Washington Post, DC, April 23, 2013
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Monday honored five Washington-area schools and the Montgomery County school system as National Green Ribbon Schools for their exemplary environmental education programs and sustainable facilities.

Evidence Of Widespread Cheating Leads To Probe At D.C. Charter School
Washington Examiner, DC, April 22, 2013
Meridian Public Charter School has begun an internal investigation into cheating on standardized tests after a District investigation found “strong circumstantial evidence” that cheating efforts were orchestrated throughout the school, officials announced Monday.

Council Questions Push For Special-Ed Students In D.C. Public Schools
Washington Post, DC, April 22, 2013
D.C. Council members, advocates and parents raised questions Monday about Mayor Vincent C. Gray’s push to reduce the number of special-education students who attend private schools at public expense.

FLORIDA

Hernando Teacher Of Year Illustrates Flaws In Evaluation System
Tampa Bay Times, FL, April 23, 2013
So, it seems, the teachers unions have found the ideal poster person to illustrate the craziness of the state’s new teacher evaluation system.

US Education Secretary Urges Fla. To Work On Teacher Evals
Tallahassee Democrat, FL, April 23, 2013
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is urging Florida to quickly address any problems with its new teacher evaluation system, which grades instructors in large part on students’ standardized test scores.

Parent Trigger: Who’s For It And Who’s Against It Tells The Story
Washington Post Blog, DC, April 23, 2013
You can learn pretty much everything you need to know about the controversial “parent trigger” legislation now before the Florida Legislature by looking at who is for it and who is against it.

Lawmakers Want Teacher Raises Based On Merit; Not Scott’s $2,500 Plan
ActionNewsJax, FL, April 22, 2013
Fla. Gov. Rick Scott isn’t going to succeed in getting $2,500 pay raises for the state’s teachers. Florida legislators meeting over the weekend have settled on setting aside nearly $500 million to boost teacher pay. But House and Senate budget negotiators made it clear they will not hand out raises the way Scott wanted.

Scott Signs Bill Revamping Schools, Universities
Miami Herald, FL, April 22, 2013
On Monday, Gov. Rick Scott signed a sweeping education bill that will revamp the state’s high school graduation requirements and place new emphasis on coursework that prepares students for high-tech careers.

ILLINOIS

Charter School Parents Form Advocacy Group
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 23, 2013
Cast by critics including the Chicago Teachers Union as villains in the ongoing school closings controversy, privately run charter schools and their advocates are fighting back with efforts that include plans for a downtown rally by a newly formed parents group.

Chicago Charter School Teachers Push To Form Union
CBS2 Chicago, IL, April 22, 2013
One of the things that makes charter schools different may be starting to change.

INDIANA

Bill Easing School Chief Rules Passes
Journal Gazette, IN, April 23, 2013
A bill allowing school districts to hire superintendents without an educator’s license is headed to Gov. Mike Pence for his signature.

Revoked Charter Schools In Indiana Could Be Forgiven
Courier Journal, IN, April 22, 2013
Indiana lawmakers are considering forgiving $12 million in loans that “failing” charter schools accepted from the state, as part of a broader package of state aid for charters.

KANSAS

Kansas Flunks School Choice Study
Kansas Watchdog, KS, April 22, 2013
When it comes to school choice and giving parents the power to control their child’s education, Kansas earns a failing grade.

LOUISIANA

Education Groups Join To Oppose Jindal-Backed Bills
News Star, LA, April 23, 2013
Five education groups are joining to present unified opposition to the Legislature trying to re-approve elements of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s 2012 education package that ran into problems in court.

MICHIGAN

Michigan School Chief: End Project By Secret Group
Detroit News, MI, April 23, 2013
Michigan’s school chief on Monday urged the disbanding of a work group that has been secretly developing ways to lower the cost of public education through technology and a funding mechanism that resembles vouchers.

Eastern Michigan University Regents Authorize 5-Year Contracts With 3 New Charter Schools
Ann Arbor, MI, April 22, 2013
The Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents recently voted to enter a five-year contract with new Ypsilanti-based charter school Global Tech Academy.

MINNESOTA

Higher Ground Academy In St. Paul: Succeeding At Math And Reading, Tackling Science And Art
Twin Cities Daily Planet, MN, April 22, 2013
Here’s an unusual high school graduation requirement: students must be accepted into college before they are allowed to graduate. That’s the rule at St. Paul’s Higher Ground Academy, according to Executive Director Bill Wilson.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Great Bay Charter School Expands, Adds Grade 7
Portsmouth Herald, NH, April 23, 2013
The New Hampshire Board of Education approved the Great Bay Charter School’s request to expand to include Grade 7 for the 2013—14 school year. This award-winning school is located on the Tuck Learning Campus in Exeter. Charter schools are public schools of choice and all students in New Hampshire are eligible for admission.

Something Which Is Well Worth The Fight
Fosters Daily Democrat, NH, April 23, 2013
Last week the New Hampshire Senate, by a vote of 13-11, decided to let stand a school voucher bill that allows businesses to take a tax credit if they donate to a school education fund. In turn the money is used for school vouchers that can be used at private and parochial schools.

NEW MEXICO

Charter Money Flow Is Clarified
Albuquerque Journal, NM, April 23, 2013
In my two previous monthly columns, I discussed a number of myths about public charter schools. Those myths included charters “cherry-picking” students; operating without proper oversight; not servicing special needs students and not being accountable for results

NEW YORK

New, More Demanding State Tests Aren’t The Problem For School Kids
New York Daily News, NY, April 22, 2013
All over New York, parents — some of them — are up in arms over the new state English exam students took last week. The most outraged of the lot had their children boycott the test.

The Teacher-Rating Charade
New York Post, NY, April 23, 2013
Gov. Cuomo likes to boast that “99 percent” of state school districts struck teacher-evaluation deals with their unions, attributing it to funding he offered if they did. A report yesterday suggests a different reason: The deals are shams.

NORTH CAROLINA

Advocate For Rural Public Charter Schools
Daily Tar Heel, NC, April 23, 2013
Public charter schools in rural North Carolina present an opportunity for more school choice options and economic development in the state’s 85 rural counties.

Ending Teacher Tenure: An Invitation To Control Young NC Minds
News & Observer, NC, April 22, 2013
Teachers and professors in all grade levels and types of learning institutions are charged to develop critical thinking skills in their students.

Ending Teacher Tenure: A Chance To Raise Standards In NC
News & Observer, NC, April 22, 2013
There is little doubt that teacher quality is important. High-quality teachers produce superior academic outcomes for students, regardless of a child’s challenges and circumstances. Like most states, the quality of North Carolina’s teacher work force varies from school to school and district to district, but the overall quality of the state’s teacher work force is alarmingly low.

OHIO

Boardman Schools Oppose State Expansion Of Voucher Program
Youngstown Vindicator, OH, April 23, 2013
The board of education approved a resolution Monday in opposition to two voucher programs included in Gov. John Kasich’s biennial budget.

PENNSYLVANIA

Shouting Match Interrupts MWCDC Forum On Possible Charter School
South Pittsburgh Reporter, PA, April 23, 2013
The Mount Washington Community Development Corporation (MWCDC) held its regular monthly forum meeting last Thursday, where the topics of energy efficiency and public education were not the only things raised; several voices were raised, too.

Founder Of Two Area Arts Charter Schools Creating Autism Charter Facility
Lehigh Valley Express-Times, PA, April 22, 2013
There are about 13 charter schools for children diagnosed with autism nationally but none have a curriculum that blends applied behavioral analysis with Montesorri techniques like the charter proposal does, Hickey said.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Interest In Charter Schools In South Carolina Spikes Despite Challenges
Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC, April 22, 2013
Charter school families in Horry County will rejoice in August when Coastal Leadership Academy opens its doors, providing a charter high school option for students who now attend charter schools that only provide instruction through grade eight.

TENNESSEE

How Tennessee Voucher Momentum Splintered
Heartland Institute, April 23, 2013
Years of voucher proposals, polls showing parent support for vouchers, and a governor-sponsored voucher bill did not culminate in a new Tennessee voucher law this spring.

Charter School Applications Decline
The Tennessean, TN, April 23, 2013
Applications to start new charter schools in Metro are at their lowest level in three years, and a school board member believes charter operators may be stepping back and reassessing their place in the Nashville market.

WISCONSIN

Wisconsin Voucher Students Lag In Latest State Test
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, April 23, 2013
Students attending private voucher schools in Milwaukee and Racine scored lower than their public-school counterparts in Milwaukee Public Schools and the Racine Unified School District on the latest state standardized achievement test, according to results released by the state Tuesday.

ONLINE LEARNING

All Fox Valley-Area Districts Nix Virtual Charter School Plan
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 22, 2013
All 18 districts affected by a proposed Fox Valley-area virtual charter school have denied the concept and now await an appeal process.

Dubois School District Loses $2.7 Million With Cyber Schools
Courier Express, PA, April 22, 2013
The DuBois Area School District has lost more than $2.7 million in basic education money over the last five years and directors plan to consider a resolution that calls for the reform of the state’s funding formula at Wednesday’s regular board meeting.

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

The First Race to the Top
New York Times, NY, April 21, 2013
We have come a long way since the summer of 1845. Public education, then in its infancy, is now universal. Testing yields essential, valuable knowledge about school performance, but its exaggerated use distorts teaching and ignores the broader purpose of education. As Howe’s committee insisted, test results should not be the full and final judgment on schools and their teachers. There is more to a child’s education than “positive information, in black and white.”

Is Common Core Cutting-Edge Education Or Just Use Of A Dull Blade?
Denver Post, CO, April 22, 2013
Talk to Melissa Colsman and you know she’s a teacher, even before she tells you she once taught math. The executive director of the Colorado Department of Education’s Teaching and Learning Unit makes a compelling case for what public schools need.

STATE COVERAGE

CALIFORNIA

In L.A. School Board Race, Sky-High Spending Continues
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 21, 2013
The contest between Antonio Sanchez, a former mayoral aide, and Monica Ratliff, a teacher, will be decided in May’s runoff. Money pours in for their campaigns.

COLORADO

Why Are So Few Students Ready For College Classes?
Denver Post, CO, April 20, 2013
Startlingly, 40 percent of Colorado high school grads — and far higher numbers among minorities — need remedial education.

CONNECTICUT

Fey’s View from the Right: We can learn from Charter Schools
Norwich Bulletin, CT, April 20, 2013
Here’s a multiple choice question that you won’t find on the Connecticut Mastery Test: When anything is proposed that might nudge the state’s education system away from the status quo, the stock response from the state’s teachers unions is…

School Advocate Groups Clash Over Election
CT Post, CT, April 22, 2013
The city school district’s deeply divided parent organization will hold a second election for officers next month, after the first election was deemed so tainted the results were thrown out.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. Charter Schools Deserve Fair Funding
Washington Post, DC, April 20, 2013
One of the arguments that has been used to justify the shortchanging of D.C. charter schools for public dollars is that they have the advantage of being able to draw on more private funds. The findings of a new study shatter that defense and underscore the need for the District to come up with a funding scheme that ensures equity for all of its public school students.

Mike Peabody’s Focus On City Schools Led Him To Help Establish D.C. Charters
Washington Post, DC, April 20, 2013
Malcolm E. “Mike” Peabody began lobbying to establish charter schools in the District nearly two decades ago. At the time, D.C. charters were just a concept; now they are a thriving part of the city’s education landscape, serving nearly half the children in D.C. schools.

FLORIDA

Parents Oppose Closing Of Bradenton Charter School
Herald Tribune, FL, April 21, 2013
Before August, Christopher Oliver struggled with bullies as much as he did with classwork. He says that changed when he found refuge at Bradenton Charter School, which instructs many children with special learning needs.

Historic Visible Men Academy To Mold Young Manatee Students
Bradenton Herald, FL, April 22, 2013
A historic new charter school will open this fall to teach boys to become responsible young men by offering an environment geared toward the way they learn.

House, Senate Agree On Merit Pay Raises For Teachers
Miami Herald, FL, April 21, 2013
The House and the Senate aligned their position on teacher pay raises Sunday, putting the Florida Legislature on a collision course with Gov. Rick Scott.

INDIANA

Voucher Proponents Showed True Colors
NW Times, IN, April 20, 2013
Two years ago, when the voucher system was first proposed, the proponents pledged vouchers would be available only to those students who had first attended a public school and found it didn’t adequately meet their needs. They also vowed vouchers would only be awarded to low-income students who couldn’t afford another choice and that the number of vouchers would be capped.

KANSAS

Sen. Wagle To Push For Charter Schools
Wichita Eagle, KS, April 20, 2013
State Senate President Susan Wagle told a Wichita Republican club Friday that she wants to push ahead with expanding charter schools in the state after the Supreme Court rules on a pending school-finance lawsuit.

LOUISIANA

More Than 500 Apply For About 85 Charter School Positions At Crescent City Schools
The Lens, LA, April 19, 2013
During a 50-minute Crescent City Schools April board meeting Wednesday, board members discussed hiring updates and board fundraising, among other topics.

Louisiana Education Chief Will Consider Changes To Teacher Evaluations
Alexandria Town Talk, LA, April 21, 2013
Louisiana Superintendent of Education John C. White said Friday he is open to changes in how public school teachers are evaluated, including a possible delay in when educators will face major consequences.

High Schools Showing Gains
The Advocate, LA, April 21, 2013
If the good news about increased graduation rates from high school does not take us out of the bottom tier of the states, there is still reason for optimism about the direction of Louisiana public schools.

MAINE

Charter School Funding Creates System Of Winners, Losers
Morning Sentinel, ME, April 22, 2013
We try to teach our children to be fair and kind from an early age. My preschool-age son talks about such lessons each day. My first-grade daughter recently brought home a kindness award for her willingness to help others without being asked. So why is it that the Legislature has created a system that creates winners and losers when it comes to funding charter schools?

MARYLAND

Montgomery County To Announce Program Aimed At Helping Low-Performing Schools
Washington Post, DC, April 20, 2013
Montgomery County education officials will identify about 10 schools in the district for extra support and resources under a new program that aims to help individual campuses boost performance.

Montgomery County Lawmakers: Teacher Raises Won’t Narrow Student Achievement Gap
Washington Examiner, DC, April 22, 2013
Montgomery County lawmakers say the county school system should spend more of its limited funds to close a troubling gap between white and Asian students and their black and Latino counterparts.

MICHIGAN

Snyder Defends Secret Project To Reform Education System
Detroit News, MI, April 20, 2013
Gov. Rick Snyder on Friday defended his administration’s involvement in a secret project that is trying to develop a cheaper way to deliver public education through a voucher-like funding system.

MINNESOTA

Support Pre-K Funding To Help Narrow Achievement Gap
Star News, MN, April 22, 2013
A growing number of scientific findings on early brain development and the ability of children to learn more earlier is leading educational and business leaders to push for more state funding to educate 3-and 4-year-old children, particularly from communities with concentrations of poor families.

MISSOURI

De Smet vs. CBC: How Catholic Schools Compete For Recruits
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, April 21, 2013
During the last decade, Catholic schools in the St. Louis Archdiocese have lost about 14,000 students — a drop attributed to the poor economy, defections to public schools and fewer baptisms. All that means fewer eighth-graders to feed into Catholic high schools.

MONTANA

Adding Teeth To Truancy Laws
Great Falls Tribune, MT, April 21, 2013
School Resource Officer Cory Reeves has one student at Great Falls High this year with 501 unexcused absences from class and no authority to really rectify the situation — until now.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Petition Asks State Board To Consider New Charter School Applications
New Hampshire Sentinel, NH, April 21, 2013
An online petition asking the state Board of Education to consider applications for new charter schools, despite a funding battle, has gained more than 150 signatures the past few days.

NEW JERSEY

Parents, Students Seek Coveted Entry To Prestigious Bergen Charter School
The Record, NJ, April 21, 2013
Parents leaned in, eyes wide, to read the names flashing on the screen of the children who had made it into kindergarten at the Bergen Arts and Science Charter School through a lottery.

NEW YORK

Quiet Agreements On Teacher Evaluations Imperil Funds, Commissioner Says
Buffalo News, NY, April 21, 2013
The teacher evaluation battles are not over yet. Hundreds of school districts across New York pushed to get their teacher evaluation plans approved in time to meet Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Jan. 17 deadline, so that they didn’t lose their increase in state aid.

NORTH CAROLINA

N.C. Bill Would Block School Boards From Suing County Commissioners For More Money
News & Observer, NC, April 21, 2013
North Carolina’s 115 public school systems would lose the right to take their local board of county commissioners to court for more funding under a bill filed in the state Senate.

OHIO

Cleveland School District Considers Using Money From Sale Of Headquarters To Offer More School Options Downtown
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, April 20, 2013
Although the Cleveland School District is leaving its longtime offices on East Sixth Street this summer, school board member Eric Wobser wants the district to increase its presence downtown.

CPS Goes Outside The Box To Sponsor A Charter School At Aiken
WVXU, OH, April 22, 2013
It’s unusual for a public school district to partner with a charter school, but that will happen this fall when Carpe Diem opens inside the new Aiken High School in College Hill. It is one of two schools at Aiken. The other is New-Tech, focused on project-based learning.

PENNSYLVANIA

POWER Play
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 22, 2013
AT THE SITE where Connie Mack Stadium once stood, thousands rallied together Sunday, chanted “We are POWER!” and tried to hold their highest players accountable.

York City Schools: Community Members Must Help Turnaround, But Are They Willing?
York Daily Record, PA, April 20, 2013
In the last three months of 2012, three York City School Board members left their posts. The May primary has drawn only four candidates — all sitting board members — for five open seats. Parents of nearly one-third of the district’s students have sent them charters.

Are High-Stakes Tests Counterproductive?
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, April 22, 2013
A group of parents across the country are rejecting the idea of high-stakes testing as a means of judging both schools and educators, choosing to have their children opt out of standardized high-stakes tests like the PSSAs that public school children in Pennsylvania are taking right now.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Say No To School Choice Bill
The Herald, SC, April 22, 2013
Say this for state lawmakers promoting a bill to give tax credits to families who send their children to private schools: they’re tenacious. But that doesn’t mean they deserve to succeed.

TENNESSEE

GOP ‘Supermajority’ Rolls, But Friction Derails Pet Projects
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, April 20, 2013
Commenting on one of several pieces of legislation to gain national attention during the 2013 session of the Tennessee General Assembly, Gov. Bill Haslam blamed the failure of his education reform priority of the year on “infighting among advocates.”

Failed Education Bills To Be Revived In Next Legislative Session
The Tennessean, TN, April 21, 2013
In the last few years, Tennessee hasn’t shied away from contentious initiatives as it seeks to remain at the forefront of education reform in the nation.

New School A Major Change For Charter District
San Antonio Express, TX, April 21, 2013
The John H. Wood Jr. charter school district was created to educate troubled students, and it does so in juvenile detention centers and residential treatment facilities across the state.

More Charter Schools in Texas?
Amarillo Globe-News, TX, April 21, 2013
For David Dunn, charter schools have blossomed in Texas since the first campuses opened in 1996 for a simple reason.

Teacher Groups Fail Bills Tied To New Evaluations
San Antonio Express, TX, April 22, 2013
While many states in recent years have started to change the way they evaluate teachers, Texas has largely avoided that controversy.

ONLINE LEARNING

Pittsburgh CyberSchool Making Tweaks Amid Turnover
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, April 22, 2013
In their first year of operating their own online school, Pittsburgh Public Schools officials learned what many cyber charter school operators already know: There is lots of student turnover.

Don’t Cut Cyber School Funding
Courier Times, PA, April 22, 2013
I’ve been at Pennsylvania Virtual Charter Schools since kindergarten, and now I’m in ninth grade. My school is considered a public cyber charter school, which is different than homeschooling.

Mount Clemens To Replace Teachers With Cyber Learning
Macomb Daily, MI, April 21, 2013
Mount Clemens schools officials plan to introduce online classes for high school students to make up for the loss of 16 teachers scheduled to be laid off over the summer due to the district’s financial problems.

Online Charter School To Appeal Denials From 18 Districts
Courier News, IL, April 19, 2013
It’s unanimous: All 18 area school districts have denied a charter to the Illinois Virtual Charter School @ Fox River Valley.

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

Criminalizing Children at School
New York Times, NY, April 19, 2013
The National Rifle Association and President Obama responded to the Newtown, Conn., shootings by recommending that more police officers be placed in the nation’s schools.

Common Core Standards Attacked By Republicans
Washington Post, DC, April 19, 2013
Republicans have launched an attack on the Common Core State Standards, an initiative that more than 45 states and the District of Columbia signed onto but that has been facing increasing opposition in recent months from both right and left.

Governors Like Talking About Education. A Lot.
Washington Post Blog, DC, April 18, 2013
As lawmakers in Washington have been wrestling over guns, immigration and sequestration, the nation’s governors have their sights on a different issue: Education.

STATE COVERAGE

CALIFORNIA

Misspent School Money
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 18, 2013
Our schools need to do better, but you can’t blame teachers for being paranoid when they see some of the people lined up against them: members of the Walton family, who are rabidly against unions, or Republicans whose colleagues in state after state are trying to destroy teachers unions.

CONNECTICUT

Parents Turn Out To Support Elm City Montessori Charter School
New Haven Register, CT, April 18, 2013
Supporters of the proposed Elm City Montessori charter school spoke out Thursday night at a Board of Education public hearing.

FLORIDA

The Parent Trigger Bill: A Shot At Privatization
Cape Coral Daily Breeze, FL, April 19, 2013
The current legislation being considered by the Florida legislature (known as the Parent Trigger Bill) is the latest assault on the public education system. Promoted as a means of parent empowerment, (nothing about turning a profit) the Parent Trigger Bill allows parents to petition for dramatic changes at failing public schools.

ILLINOIS

Kadner: Parents Battle For Slice Of School Pie
Southtown Star, IL, April 19, 2013
A terrific charter high school for children in the south suburbs is creating a financial dilemma.

INDIANA

Deal Nears On Voucher Expansion
Journal Gazette, IN, April 19, 2013
Lawmakers seeking a compromise on a voucher expansion seemed close Thursday, with House Republicans seeking only three small changes in the proposed bill.

IOWA

Parties Split Over Teacher Evaluations
Mason City Globe Gazette, IA, April 19, 2013
Teacher evaluations have emerged as one of key divisions between Republican and Democratic lawmakers looking to make a deal on education reform.

Education Reform Sees Progress After Rocky Few Days
Des Moines Registers, IA, April 19, 2013
An education reform plan that faced an uncertain fate in the Iowa Legislature earlier this week took positive steps forward on Thursday, when Democratic and Republican lawmakers engaged in earnest negotiation after several days of acrimony.

LOUISIANA

EBR Board To Shift Gifted Students, Create Magnet School
The Advocate, LA, April 19, 2013
The East Baton Rouge Parish School Board on Thursday put off for two weeks a decision on changing how it provides health insurance to retirees as well as setting the 2014 premium rates of all employees.

MICHIGAN

Education Reform Group Forges Voucher-Like Plan For Michigan
Detroit News, MI, April 19, 2013
A secret work group that includes top aides to Gov. Rick Snyder has been meeting since December to develop a lower-cost model for K-12 public education with a funding mechanism that resembles school vouchers.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Senate Rejects Repeal Of School Vouchers
Exeter News-Letter, NH, April 19, 2013
Repealing New Hampshire’s controversial business education tax credit, a legislative priority for Gov. Maggie Hassan and fellow Democrats, ran headlong into the resistance of Senate Republicans who used their slim majority Thursday to block those efforts.

NEW JERSEY

Camden Schools Chief Hopes Takeover Will Help
Courier-Post, NJ, April 19, 2013
Education Commissioner Chris Cerf Thursday likened the state takeover of Camden schools to President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal, saying officials will take “new and bold” steps to enact change.

NEW YORK

State Tests Spark Ire, Analysis
Wall Street Journal, April 18, 2013
New York state education officials have already begun to weigh the fallout from tougher standardized tests tied to new academic standards after schools and parents complained this week that children ran out of time, collapsed in tears or froze up.

Irate Parents, Teachers Say Brooklyn Public Schools Received Meager Improvements As Charter School In Same Building Enjoyed Big Makeover
New York Daily News, NY, April 18, 2013
The Department of Education counters that it invested more than $2.1 million in upgrades to the public schools and spent $350,000 on charter school Success Academy Cobble Hill on Baltic Street. The law requires the department to spend at least as much on the public schools, the Brooklyn School for Global Studies, the School for International Studies and Public School 368K.

NORTH CAROLINA

Why School Vouchers Are Wrong For NC
News & Observer, NC, April 18, 2013
House Bill 944, a school voucher bill, aims to spend $90 million of taxpayer money over the next two years to subsidize private school tuition, takes money away from already underfunded public schools and offers little accountability to taxpayers.

OREGON

Corbett School Board Election Puts District Charter School On Trial
Oregonian, OR, April 18, 2013
Corbett students boast some of the better test scores in Oregon, and the district has made top 10 lists in Newsweek and The Washington Post for having so many students taking tough, college-level classes.

PENNSYLVANIA

Districts Launch Teacher-Retention Program
Philadelphia Tribune, PA, April 18, 2013
Officials responsible for the Philadelphia Great Schools Compact – an education reform agreement signed by the School District of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Coalition of Charter Schools, the Mayor’s Office on Education, the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the Archdiocese of Philadelphia – have recently publicized a new program to attract and retain high-quality teachers for each district.

‘Catastrophic’ Budget Laid Out By Philly Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 19, 2013
If the “catastrophic” budget picture Superintendent William R. Hite Jr. laid out Thursday comes to pass, Philadelphia schools would be virtually unrecognizable come September.

‘No Child’ Crowding Out Curriculum
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 19, 2013
Thank you to Joel L. Naroff for his article about the need for better tools to evaluate charter schools and, indeed, every school in our educational system (“Are charter schools working? It’s anybody’s guess,” April 7).

SRC Votes To Close Stanton School
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 19, 2013
The Philadelphia School Reform Commission on Thursday night ordered another city school to shut in June.

TENNESSEE

TN To Vote On Merit Pay For Teachers
The Tennessean, TN, April 19, 2013
State officials are expected to give preliminary approval this morning to a teacher pay policy that forces each district to create a merit pay system for the 2014-15 school year .

Authorizer Bill Enlarging State’s Power Over New Charter Schools Advances
Memphis Flyer, TN, April 18, 2013
For diehard determination in the face of intractable and hostile and inevitable fate, General Custer had nothing on the few Democrats, mainly from Nashville, who spent a futile but valiant hour in the state House of Representatives on Thursday, the next to last day of the 2013 legislative session, trying to turn back, or at least amend, a charter-authorizer bill that basically gives state government unlimited veto power over local school boards.

Tennessee Is Moving Ahead on Effective School Reform
Wall Street Journal, April 19, 2013
Your claim that the School Boards Association or teachers unions influenced this decision in any way is just plain wrong. Both groups oppose vouchers in any form and never supported my bill.

ONLINE LEARNING

Bethel Park Calling For Cyber And Charter School Funding Reform
McMurray Almanac, PA, April 18, 2013
Bethel Park School Board members are expected to vote April 23 to approve a resolution calling for the reform of the commonwealth’s charter and cyber school funding.

Bradley County Virtual School Growing
Times Free Press, TN, April 19, 2013
Officials with the Bradley County Virtual School are requesting more teachers and expanded Internet access to meet the needs of a growing student body.

Virtual Reality Check
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 19, 2013
Local educators in the Fox River Valley have rejected a proposal to start an online charter school that would serve students in their area. They argue that there are too many concerns about cost, curriculum, accountability and teacher quality in the bid by the nonprofit firm Virtual Learning Solutions.

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

Michelle Rhee And The Unproven Teacher Evaluation
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 17, 2013
The debate — and that’s putting it nicely — over the use of standardized test scores in teacher evaluations has always confused me, because the answer seemed so simple. One of the things we ask of teachers — but just one thing — is to raise those scores. So they have some place in the evaluation. But how much?

Education Reform: The ‘Choice’ Is Clear
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, April 17, 2013
Imagine a federally funded education program that not only delivers what’s intended but provides a 162 percent return on investment. Incidentally, this would be the same initiative that President Obama unsuccessfully tried to quash in 2009.

Rice Backs Merit Pay For Teachers
The Advocate, LA, April 18, 2013
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told a Baton Rouge audience Wednesday that merit pay for teachers and school choice are among steps needed to improve the nation’s education system.

Teachers Union’s Hedge Fund Enemy List
Wall Street Journal Blog, April 17, 2013
The nation’s second biggest teachers union is out to school the hedge fund world.

STATE COVERAGE

ALABAMA

Alabama Public Education Is Ranked Low – Again
Anniston Star, AL, April 17, 2013
Say this much about the Center for Education Reform: It’s not a fan of the quality of public education in Alabama.

CALIFORNIA

County Board Concerned With BCS’ Lack Of Diversity, Community Discord
Los Altos Town Crier, CA, April 17, 2013
Bullis Charter School’s annual report to the Santa Clara County Board of Education left some board members concerned about the school’s lack of diversity and wondering whether its exemplary academic program outweighs the community discord over sharing facilities with the Los Altos School District.

LAUSD OKs Parent-Trigger Petition
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 18, 2013
The school board ratifies a partnership between L.A. Unified and a charter school to take control of the low-performing 24th Street Elementary in Jefferson Park.

COLORADO

St. Vrain Valley School District’s Charters Team Up To Work On Issues
Longmont Daily Times-Call, CO, April 18, 2013
So five of the six charter school boards are negotiating a memorandum of understanding to clarify how much of the 2012 mill levy override funds will go the charter schools and when that money will be distributed.

CONNECTICUT

11 “Developing” Teachers Face Possible Removal
New Haven Independent, CT, April 17, 2013
Twenty-nine teachers may lose their jobs at the end of the school year as the district’s new teacher evaluation system moves to a new phase: Pushing out not just lowest-performing teachers, but those who failed to improve to “effective” over three years.

DELAWARE

Pencader Seeks $350,000 Bailout From The State
The News Journal, DE, April 18, 2013
Like thousands of parents across Delaware, Ron Prettyman can’t wait to see his son James receive his high school diploma.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Study: Charters Get Less Funding Than Traditional Public Schools
Washington Post, DC, April 17, 2013
Public charter schools received significantly less funding than traditional public schools in five cities, including the District, between 2007 and 2011, according to a new study released Wednesday.

Injecting Integrity Into D.C. Schools Testing
Washington Post, DC, April 17, 2013
Mr. Catania, chair of the council’s education committee, will hold a hearing Thursday on legislation that would make cheating on standardized tests illegal and establish some test-security protocols for the city’s traditional and charter public schools

D.C. Council, Residents Criticize School-Funding Formula
Washington Examiner, DC, April 17, 2013
The District’s funding of schools based on the number of students they enroll is flawed, D.C. Council Education Committee Chairman David Catania said Wednesday.

IOWA

Education Deal Seems Unlikely As Feud Ignites In Iowa Legislature
Des Moines Register, IA, April 18, 2013
Progress on top-priority education reform was stymied by arguments and recriminations in the Iowa Legislature on Wednesday, as the governor’s office released a video critical of Democrats and lawmakers were unable to agree even on a negotiation strategy.

Iowa Lawmakers Dally On Education
Mason City Globe Gazette, IA, April 18, 2013
Only a generous teacher could give Iowa lawmakers an incomplete for education reform. Anyone else who blew off a homework deadline would earn an “F.”

MAINE

If You Can’t Beat ‘Em …: School Board Seeks Pact With Proposed Brunswick Charter School
Forecaster, ME, April 17, 2013
In an attempt to provide an alternative to nearby charter schools, the School Board is in preliminary talks for a partnership with a proposed charter school at Brunswick Landing.

MICHIGAN

Detroit Schools Get Graded
Detroit News, MI, April 17, 2013
A new ranking of elementary and middle schools from Excellent Schools Detroit showcases the best schools in Detroit — as well as the worst. The ranking is based solely on state standardized test scores (the MEAP), but it’s still a good indicator of how well schools are teaching the kids in their care.

Failing Schools
Lansing State Journal, MI, April 17, 2013
Tom Watkins recently chided Michigan educators for not offering school reform ideas. The popular term Failing Schools has long been the central theme of public-education detractors and reform advocates.

Charter Schools Spell Trouble
The Macomb Daily, MI, April 18, 2013
Mayor Fouts in his recent letter to the editor provided some important facts about charter schools. The expansion of charter schools in Michigan will continue to take away much needed funds from our local school districts.

MISSISSIPPI

‘New Era’: Governor Signs Education Reforms, Including Charter Schools, Into Law
Clarion Ledger, MS, April 18, 2013
Education reform measures signed into law by Gov. Phil Bryant constitute real progress, business leader and education advocate Jim Barksdale said.

MISSOURI

Achievement Gap Is Real And Consequential
St, Louis American, MO, April 18, 2013
I agree with Brittany Packnett’s call for sharing responsibility for a just educational system. Her voice is one of many within Teach for America and across the nation engaged in blunt debates about academically underperforming children in our schools and our responses to their plight.

Teacher Tenure Still A Live Issue In Jefferson City
St. Louis Beacon, MO, April 18, 2013
A bill that would bring big changes to how Missouri teachers are evaluated – and how those evaluations could affect their jobs – lost big in the Missouri House last week, but those who favored the changes aren’t giving up yet.

NEW YORK

Could Charters Chew Up The Rochester School District?
Rochester City Paper, NY, April 17, 2013
Lately, there’s been a lot of chatter about charter schools. Rochester, with some of the lowest-performing schools in the country, is a market ripe for an explosion of charters, according to some local educators.

NORTH CAROLINA

Class-Size Caps For K-3 Ended In Senate Bill
Enquirer-Journal, NC, April 17, 2013
Republican senators recommended Wednesday to end caps on the number of students in North Carolina’s public school classrooms for the earliest grades, partially backing off mandates over the last decade to improve student-teacher ratios.

OHIO

School Funding Plan From Ohio House Headed To A Vote With Many Details Still Unclear
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, April 18, 2013
Details about how charter school funding would be affected under the House plan are just trickling out and also have limitations that make direct comparisons difficult.

Coleman Balks At School-Takeover Legislation
Columbus Dispatch, OH, April 17, 2013
Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman opposes a legislative plan that would allow him to pick two of the five members of a state panel that could take over Columbus City Schools.

PENNSYLVANIA

Parents At Laboratory Charter School Take Issue With Its Board
Philadelphia Enquirer, PA, April 18, 2013
Parents at the flagship school of Dorothy June Brown’s charter network in Philadelphia are fighting for the school’s survival, and say the greatest obstacle may be the school’s own board.

TENNESSEE

TN Charter Authorizer Bill Back On Track
The Tennessean, TN, April 18, 2013
An overhauled version of a controversial bill that would allow the state to approve charter schools in five counties, including Davidson, cleared a Senate committee Wednesday, one day after it became clear it wasn’t going anywhere in its previous form.

TEXAS

Board of Education Bristles At Losing Power Over Charter Schools
Austin American-Statesman, TX, April 17, 2013
The State Board of Education on Wednesday lambasted a high-profile proposal approved by the Texas Senate that would strip the education panel of its power to authorize new charter schools.

Senate Chooses Consensus Over Gridlock In Compromise On Charter School Bill
Austin American-Statesman, TX, April 17, 2013
Charter schools are one of the best reforms to happen to public education because they provide competition and quality alternatives to regular public schools without charging tuition. Charter schools are detrimental to public education because they siphon money and higher-performing students from traditional public schools in an unfair competition that exempts them from costly state regulations governing their public school peers.

UTAH

Charter School Unveils $8 Million Project
Daily Herald, UT, April 18, 2013
Renaissance Academy executive director Marc Ursic unveiled plans Wednesday evening for a $8 million building project that will house a space education center in north Lehi.

WISCONSIN

Walker Takes Control On Charters; Madison School Board Cedes It
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, April 18, 2013
Charter school advocates are understandably irritated by the policy the Madison School Board approved Monday to tighten eligibility requirements for the publicly funded, semi-autonomous schools.

ONLINE LEARNING

Philadelphia Hopes To Launch Online Cyber School In Fall
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 18, 2013
Cyber charter schools, watch out. The Philadelphia School District is coming for your students.

Pittsburgh Public Schools Board Expected To Vote On Expanding Online Academy
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, April 17, 2013
The board of Pittsburgh Public Schools is expected to vote next week on expanding its new Pittsburgh Online Academy from grades 6-12 to grades 4-12.

New Florence Girl Advocates For Cyber Schools At State Hearing
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, April 18, 2013
Two bills that would reduce funding for cyber schools from local school districts could be considered by the state House in June.

State House Oks Virtual Charter School Moratorium
Kane County Chronicle, IL, April 17, 2013
Legislation to slap a one-year hold on the creation of new online charter schools has cleared the Illinois House on Wednesday.

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NATIONAL COVERAGE

Teachers Unions Scour Charter Schools For New Memberships
Washington Times, DC, April 16, 2013
Members of the nation’s largest teachers’ unions — the National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers — are pushing to organize in charter schools in several cities around the nation.

School Choice Is On The March
Washington Times, DC, April 16, 2013
These days, freedom is under fire in many ways. It’s nice to be able to report that in one area, at least, freedom is marching in the right direction: education.

STATE COVERAGE

CALIFORNIA

School Board Renews Contract For Ivy Academia Charter
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 16, 2013
The Los Angeles school board Tuesday renewed the operating charter for a Woodland Hills school recently embroiled in controversy.

State’s Budget Fakery Takes A Toll On Charter Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 16, 2013
Because state funding is often deferred for months, charter schools must take out bridge loans to pay the bills. The interest costs come at the expense of pupils.

L.A. Unified Board Ratifies ‘Parent-Trigger’ Partnership
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 16, 2013
The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday ratified a partnership between the school district and a charter school to take control of struggling 24th Street Elementary under a controversial parent-empowerment law.

COLORADO

Denver School Board Election’s Focus On Reform Draws National Interest
Denver Post, CO, April 17, 2013
Denver Public Schools board president Mary Seawell’s announcement this month that she will not seek re-election has created a newfound urgency among school reformers, not just locally but on a national level.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. Charter Board Rejects Request From BASIS To Expand
Washington Post, DC, April 16, 2013
The D.C. Public Charter School Board on Monday rejected a request from BASIS DC to expand, citing concerns about the high number of students who have withdrawn from that school since fall.

FLORIDA

Florida: Teachers Sue Over Evaluation System
New York Times, NY, April 17, 2013
Seven Florida teachers have brought a federal lawsuit to protest job evaluation policies that tether individual performance ratings to the test scores of students who are not even in their classes.

IOWA

Closing The Achievement Gap In Iowa Schools
Muscatine Journal, IA, April 17, 2013
Every child, regardless of zip code, deserves a quality public school education. Unfortunately, for our State’s children growing up in low-income neighborhoods, far too often this is not the case. On average, children in low-income neighborhoods are two to two-and-a-half grade levels behind their peers in higher income areas by the time they get to eighth grade.

Panel’s Education Meeting Has Little Common Ground
Des Moines Register, IA, April 17, 2013
A bipartisan panel assigned to negotiate a compromise on education reform — one of the marquee issues before the Legislature — on Tuesday cataloged the areas of disagreement that divide Democrats and Republicans.

MAINE

Charter Incomplete Mission
Bangor Daily News, ME, April 17, 2013
The argument favoring charter schools is weak. Jodie Mosher-Towle, in her opinion piece appearing in the BDN on April 8, said, “Charter schools differ from public schools in that they are given increased freedom from regulations to allow school leaders to develop innovative approaches to educating their students.”

MICHIGAN

In Detroit, Grading Schools Helps Parents Choose
Detroit News, MI, April 17, 2013
As more schools open in Detroit, parents are becoming increasingly savvy about the art of school shopping. The right school can make all the difference in a child’s life. Ensuring parents have factual information about these schools is key to making school choice work for families in the city.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Charter School Advocates Start Online Petition For School Approvals
Nashua Telegraph, NH, April 17, 2013
An online petition asking the state Board of Education to consider applications for new charter schools, despite a funding battle, has gained more than 150 signatures the past few days.

NEW JERSEY

Charter Schools Arrive … at Well-Attended Conference in Atlantic City
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, April 17, 2013
It’s nothing compared to the annual teachers convention or even the yearly gathering of school-board members from around the state, but New Jersey’s charter schools are starting to make their presence known on the Atlantic City convention circuit.

NEW MEXICO

Same Old Swill
Santa Fe Reporter, NM, April 16, 2013
If Tennessee, or any state or district, truly wants to “reinvent” public education, it needs to experiment not with governance models, but with the variable that matters most: learning models.

ABQ Charter School Ranked Among The Most Challenging In The Nation
KOB, NM, April 16, 2013
An Albuquerque charter school ranks among the most challenging high schools in the nation in a brand new survey from the Washington Post. But the school’s principal says there’s “nothing magic” about what they do at Albuquerque Institute for Mathematics and Science – AIMS, for short.

NEW YORK

New South Bronx Charter School Hosts Lottery For Spots In Kindergarten, 1st Grade
New York Daily News, NY, April 16, 2013
April Lily Ruiz-Dentico is fired up for her first day of school. The five-year-old won a spot at Brilla College Prep, a new public charter school in the South Bronx that will open its doors in September. April spent the weekend telling anyone who would listen about her new school.

NORTH CAROLINA

The Wrong And Right In Education Reform
Richmond County Daily Journal, NC, April 17, 2013
Once again we hear calls for education reform and like many issues there is some right and some wrong in what is being discussed. It is wrong to say our education system is broken. It is right that there are enough problems that we should seek education reform.

Schools Object To Charter; Cite Lack Of Innovation And High Profit For Owner
State Port Pilot, NC, April 17, 2013
Local education officials have expressed formal opposition to a proposed new charter school in southeastern Brunswick County.

Charter School Applicants Field Questions
Lexington Dispatch, NC, April 17, 2013
Proponents of a proposed charter school in Davidson County met a flurry of questions from interested parents on Tuesday in Lexington.

Teacher Tenure Bill Moves Swiftly Through House Committee
News & Observer, NC, April 17, 2013
A bipartisan House bill that would change the state’s teacher tenure law moved swiftly through the House Education committee Tuesday. The bill would allow veteran teachers to keep tenure, though they would lose it with two consecutive years of poor performance. Teachers with four years experience who are rated “highly effective” would be granted tenure.

Proposal Of Vouchers For Special Needs Students Moves Forward
News & Observer, NC, April 16, 2013
Arguments over a bill that would give tax money to private schools that enroll children with disabilities offered a preview of the debate brewing over a broader measure that would give private school vouchers to thousands of students.

OHIO

More Than 1,500 Rally At Ohio Statehouse For School Choice
Streetsboro Gateway News, OH, April 17, 2013
Mike Pecchia recalled the “tears of joy” running down the cheeks of a single mother after her four children enrolled in a safer, better school, thanks to state voucher programs.

Columbus Schools Could Face Takeover Under Plan
Columbus Dispatch, OH, April 17, 2013
Columbus City Schools would sit directly in the path of a state takeover under an amendment to the state budget bill proposed yesterday.

OKLAHOMA

Superintendent Says Oklahoma City Charter School Fails Academically, Fiscally
The Oklahoman, OK, April 17, 2013
A northeast Oklahoma City charter school has mismanaged money and failed to provide adequate academic progress to students, according to a letter from the superintendent of Oklahoma City Public Schools.

OREGON

Network Charter School In Eugene Will Have A New Director
Register-Guard, OR, April 17, 2013
Network Charter School is losing its most visible advocate, but gaining an intriguing new leader at a time when the school faces increased scrutiny from the Eugene School District.

TENNESSEE

Smithson-Craighead Middle School Sues To Stay Open
The Tennessean, TN, April 16, 2013
Smithson-Craighead Middle School and the parents of two students there are asking a judge to stop the Metro school board-ordered closing of their school.

Ex-Memphis Mayor Partners With Church For Third Charter School
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, April 16, 2013
Willie Herenton plans to break ground this week on a new charter school he is building with a church partner in Hickory Hill, giving the former Memphis mayor’s proposed charter network a third location.

Tennessee Charter School “Authorizer” Bill Struggling In Senate Committee
Times Free Press, TN, April 16, 2013
A bill creating a statewide charter school “authorizer” for Hamilton County and four other school systems is struggling in Tennessee’s Senate Finance Committee.

WISCONSIN

Districts Could Lose Aid Under Voucher Plan
Wisconsin Radio Network, WI, April 16, 2013
A new report from the state’s Legislative Fiscal Bureau shows nine Wisconsin school districts could each lose up to $1.4 million in state aid under Governor Scott Walker’s proposal to expand private school vouchers. The maximum losses would occur if 110 students in each district take tax-funded vouchers to go to private schools.

ONLINE LEARNING

Maine Legislative Democrats Conflicted on Virtual Schools
MPBN News, ME, April 16, 2013
Justin Alfond, one of the Legislature’s top two Democrats, took a hard line on virtual charter schools. “I stand here today, urging the committee to put a moratorium on virtual public charter schools,” Alfond said.

Opinions Heard Once More Ahead Of Virtual School Deadline
The Recorder, MA, April 16, 2013
Six people praised the Massachusetts Virtual Academy as the best fit for their children and four Greenfield residents expressed concerns about the school department’s cyber school future during a Greenfield School Committee public hearing Tuesday.

Virtual School Cap Passes; Charter Schools Delayed
Leaf Chronicle, TN, April 16, 2013
The Tennessee House has approved a proposal that caps enrollment in virtual schools.
The House voted 66-29 Tuesday to pass the administration bill that allows beginning online schools an enrollment of 1,500 with the ability to expand as long as they meet performance requirements. If they fail to do so for three consecutive years, then the state education commissioner could choose to cap enrollment or direct the local school board to close the school.

D202 Opposes Plan For Online Charter School
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 16, 2013
Plainfield school officials lined up Monday with neighboring districts to reject a proposal for an online charter school.

East Aurora, Naperville District 203 Vote Down Virtual Charter
Beacon News, IL, April 17, 2013
Four more school boards unanimously voted down a proposed Fox Valley virtual charter school Monday night: those at East Aurora, Naperville 203, Plainfield and Burlington Central 301.

Arizona’s Online Public Schools Deserve Equal Funding
Arizona Capitol Times, AZ, April 16, 2013
Fairness is among the first lessons we teach our children. Wait your turn, share your toys, obey the rules. So why is this value absent when it comes to funding children’s public education? I can’t fully answer that question.