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NATIONAL

To Transform the U.S. Education System, Focus on Teacher Effectiveness
Forbes, April 9, 2013
Never in my wildest dreams could I have envisioned, when I was Director of Education at University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), that one day I’d be known as a social entrepreneur, a founder and CEO of a nonprofit organization that supports 20,000 new teachers each year with plans to triple that impact over the next four years.

Common Core Is the Next Bandwagon
National Review Online, April 8, 2013
If money talks, then Bill Gates’s money talks louder. This is one way to explain why the best and brightest in the educational-policy arena would rush to endorse a harmful program like Common Core Standards (CCS), which aspires to be a nationwide set of educational guidelines. Common Core is heavily promoted and subsidized by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and its proponents often cite Gates-funded academic organizations.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Parent Group Picks LAUSD To Take Over Failing School
San Bernardino Sun, CA, April 8, 2013
A Los Angeles-based parent group that has won the right to remake their failing Los Angeles Unified school wants the district to run the school after it reopens its doors.

Firing The Worst Teachers
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 7, 2013
A bill in the California legislature would help streamline the tortuous procedure for getting rid of the states worst teachers.

COLORADO

District Cuts 80 Teachers For 2013-14; Cites Charter Expansion And Federal Budget Cuts
Greely Tribune, CO, April 9, 2013
“While these are tough and difficult decisions in any year, the recent impact of charter school expansions and federal sequestration have the potential to produce a significant negative impact on our budget,” wrote Superintendent Ranelle Lang in a brief to the board of education concerning the issue.

FLORIDA

Maxwell: All-Black School, All Going To College
Tampa Bay Times, FL, April 6, 2013
No, this is not a column about black history. It’s about history repeating itself and about what education can be for black schoolchildren today when caring, wise, dedicated adults are in charge.

ILLINOIS

Racist? No.
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 9, 2013
The debate over Chicago school closings has taken an ugly turn in recent weeks with the charge that city and school leaders are motivated not by economics, not by education needs, but by racism.

INDIANA

Fighting School Voucher Program
Northwest Times, IN, April 9, 2013
The Lake Central School Board unanimously approved a resolution against House Bill 1003 on Monday, noting that the new voucher program will put an unfair economic burden on the school system.

IOWA

Education Reform Package May Stall School Budget Process
Sioux City Journal, IA, April 8, 2013
Gov. Terry Branstad said school administrators should lobby lawmakers to speed up passage of his education reform package if they’re worried about completing their budgets soon.

LOUISIANA

Despite Legal Issues, Voucher Program’s Popularity Growing
American Press, LA, April 9, 2013
While the constitutionality of the state’s voucher program for public school students remains to be determined, statistics show that it is gaining in popularity.

MAINE

Embattled Baxter Academy Wins Approval, Praise From Charter School Commission
Maine Sun Journal, ME, April 8, 2013
But the final member of the commission voted the same as all the others, giving the Baxter Academy the unanimous go-ahead to open this September for some 160 students from as many as 48 towns in southern and central Maine.

Lawmakers Reject LePage Plan For $1M Charter School Defense Fund
Portland Press Herald, ME, April 8, 2013
The Education Committee votes 10-2 against the proposal, which would have taken $1 million from public schools

MARYLAND

Montgomery County Council Wants More Counselors, Other Support Staff In Schools
Washington Post, DC, April 8, 2013
Members of the Montgomery County Council , concerned about the student achievement gap, focused Monday on how to ensure that the number of non-teaching public school staff keeps pace with rising student enrollment during budget talks with the Board of Education.

MICHIGAN

Who Grades The Detroit Public Schools Emergency Manager?
Detroit News, MI, April 9, 2013
If we were to construct a report card for the emergency management of the Detroit Public Schools since it began in 2009, what would it include?

School District Planning Marketing Campaign To Attract School-Of-Choice Students
Milan News-Leader, MI, April 9, 2013
Milan Area Schools will launch a marketing campaign to try to draw more students to the district and combat declining enrollment.

NEW JERSEY

New Charter School Applications Include Three In Cumberland County
Press of Atlantic City, NJ, April 8, 2013
Three applications from Cumberland County are among 38 proposals for new public charter schools submitted to the state Department of Education by the March 31 deadline in the first round of 2013 applications.

Be Careful With School Application’s ‘Unchartered’ Waters
South Jersey Times, NJ, April 9, 2013
Put a new spin on the old saw “Those who can’t do … teach.” These days, it’s “Those who can’t teach … apply to open charter schools.”

The DOE’s Teacher Evaluation System Has Obvious Flaws That Ought to Be Corrected Before Initial Implementation
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, April 8, 2013
The Department of Education states that the goal of its proposed teacher evaluation system, dubbed “AchieveNJ,” is to move “from a compliance-based, low-impact, and mostly perfunctory [evaluation system] to focus on educators as career professionals who receive meaningful feedback and opportunities for growth.”

Camden School Takeover Brings With It a City’s Worth of Problems
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, April 8, 2013
A state assumption of local school districts is no longer uncharted territory, but the decision by the Christie Administration to take control of the chronically underperforming Camden school district presents challenges that extend beyond the classroom and the quality of teachers and administrators.

NEW YORK

Gifted, Talented—Squeezed
Wall Street Journal, April 9, 2013
One of New York City’s most elite institutions became more exclusive this year.
Fewer children scored high enough for a shot at a coveted seat in a citywide gifted-and-talented program this year after the Department of Education changed the main test it uses.

NORTH CAROLINA

Uncertainty on 2014 Charter Schools Continues
Charlotte Observer, NC, April 8, 2013
RALEIGH A charter school advisory council Monday added a Mecklenburg County charter-school application to a long list of proposals that could be sidelined by flawed paperwork.

NC Senate Bill Could End Tenure For K-12 Teachers
Daily Tar Heel, NC, April 8, 2013
The N.C. General Assembly will debate a bill this week that could affect every public school educator in the state.

OHIO

Cleveland School District Avoids State Control Based On Cleveland Plan Already In Place
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, April 8, 2013
The Cleveland schools will not fall under the control of a state academic distress commission.

PENNSYLVANIA

Parents Plead To Keep 2 Schools Open
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 9, 2013
PARENTS, STUDENTS and staff from two schools slated for closure pleaded their cases Monday night to the School Reform Commission in an effort to keep the schools open.

TENNESSEE

Former Mayor, Several Others Seek To Open Charters In Memphis
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, April 8, 2013
More than 20 groups have applied to run charter schools here in 2014, including former Memphis mayor Willie Herenton, who sees Memphis as the nucleus of a push for a national charter network.

Charter School Stakeholders Rally Around Authorizer Reform Bill
The Chattanoogan, TN, April 8, 2013
Stakeholders in the quest for education reform in Tennessee have closely followed House Bill 702/Senate Bill 830, the charter school authorizer reform bill, while it travels through House and Senate committees. Recent amendments have altered the scope, though not the intent, of the bill as a floor vote draws near.

A Visit to Tennessee’s Education Bill Graveyard
Nashville Public Radio, TN, April 8, 2013
Tennessee lawmakers bit off more than they could chew this session when it comes to classroom reform.

TEXAS

State Senate Panel Hears School Choice Bill
CBS Dallas, TX, April 9, 2013
A Texas Senate education panel is set to discuss a high-profile voucher bill — even though the House has already said it opposes using public money to fund private schools.

UTAH

Charter Vs. Public Schools: New Models Or More Money?
Deseret News, UT, April 8, 2013
Bring up the topic of charter schools and you are usually asking for a fight. This is a sensitive topic, with critics on both sides of the aisle who all have the education of our children on the forefront of their minds.

VIRGINIA

Fairfax County Teachers Say New Evaluations Are Excessive
Washington Examiner, DC, April 8, 2013
Fairfax County school leaders are taking a second look at a new teacher evaluation system after teachers said it is overly burdensome.

WASHINGTON

State’s New Math Test May Keep Many Seniors From Graduating
Seattle Times, WA, April 8, 2013
With graduation approaching, many high-school students have fewer and fewer chances to meet the state’s new graduation requirement in math. This is the first year that seniors must pass a state math exam, or one of a few alternatives, to earn a diploma.

WISCONSIN

Impact Of Private-School Vouchers
Tomah Journal, WI, April 9, 2013
My last article focused on the complexities of school finance and the potential impact of the proposed biennial budget on the Tomah Area School District. As a follow-up, I think it is important to share information on a controversial aspect of the 2013-15 biennial budget — increased taxpayer funding for private school voucher program expansion in Wisconsin.

School Voucher Backers, Foes Argue Their Cases To Lawmakers
Green Bay Press Gazette, WI, April 9, 2013
Those on both sides of a proposed expansion of a school voucher program to Green Bay took center stage Monday during a state budget hearing at the Lambeau Field Atrium.

ONLINE LEARNING

Cyber Charter Schools A Pox On Public Education
Chambersburg Public Opinion, PA, April 8, 2013
With the stroke of a pen, our area legislators could save Franklin County school districts millions of dollars each year by fixing a broken funding formula and eliminating wasteful spending on cyber charter schools.

Florida Virtual Learning Bills Gain Momentum In Legislature
Examiner, FL, April 8, 2013
Florida schoolchildren and college students will soon have greater access to online learning programs, if Republican lawmakers have their way.

Districts U-46, 300 Deny Virtual Charter School Proposal
Chicago Daily Herald, IL, April 8, 2013
The school boards in Elgin Area School District U-46 and Community Unit District 300 unanimously denied a charter proposal during their meetings Monday night that would have allowed a virtual charter school to open in the coming school year.

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.

The Tests Made Them Do It
Wall Street Journal, April 8, 2013
The great Georgia teacher cheating scandal is by now well known, but we can’t let it pass without noting the reaction of the teachers unions and public-school bureaucracy. They say the fault lies less with the teachers than with the testing.

The Pitfalls of Evaluating Teachers
New York Times, NY, April 8, 2013
Re “Curious Grade for Teachers: Nearly All Pass” (front page, March 31): What your article calls “curious” is, sadly, not very surprising.

Why There’s a Backlash Against Common Core
National Review Online, April 8, 2013
The federal government has spent billions to move Common Core forward, and it has put billions more on the line. Unfortunately, parents, teachers, tea-party activists, and governors have every reason to believe Common Core represents major, unprecedented federal intervention into education.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

The Basics Of Better Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 7, 2013
The bile flowed freely in the first round of L.A.’s school board elections in March, fueled by unprecedented sums of campaign money. To what end?

Fate Of New Millennium Charter School Rests With Fresno Unified
Fresno Bee, CA, April 6, 2013
The future of a southwest Fresno charter school that the county grand jury says has “failed miserably” to educate students now rests with Fresno Unified officials who have been criticized for inadequate oversight of the school.

CONNECTICUT

State Receives Proposals For New Charter Schools
Stamford Advocate, CT, April 8, 2013
The state received seven applications for new charter schools last week, including one for a Montessori school in Bridgeport that would be run in conjunction with the city school board.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

District Of Columbia Student Achievers Poised For Success
Washington Examiner, DC, April 7, 2013
At the D.C. public charter high school which my organization founded, we take college preparation — and college graduation — very seriously. Some 74 percent of our students are eligible for federal school lunch subsidies. In total, our students have earned nearly $40 million in college scholarships.

FLORIDA

Parent Trigger Bill On Failing Schools A National Trend
Tampa Tribune, FL, April 7, 2013
Passed last week by the Florida House, the bill would allow the parents of a failing school, one graded F by the state Department of Education, to petition the school district to allow a charter school to take over.

Empowerment Bill Works for Kids
The Leger, FL, April 8, 2013
I have the greatest respect for parents who get involved in education issues — especially the ones now engaged in the debate over parent-empowerment legislation [also known as the Parent Trigger bill].

Limit Big Private Charter Schools To Failing Districts
St. Augustine Record, FL, April 6, 2013
This is a missed opportunity if the Legislature doesn’t do something to ensure that the big privately run charter schools go to struggling districts that might benefit from them and not go to successful districts, like St. Johns and Flagler. In districts like these, the big for-profit charter school companies would only drain resources from public schools, and do nothing to help the struggling school districts.

GEORGIA

Petitions Bring State Charter School Association To Macon
Macon Telegraph, GA, April 7, 2013
After receiving a bevy of charter school petitions from the Middle Georgia region, the Georgia Charter Schools Association will hold meetings in April to educate the public about charter schools.
The organization has received six charter school petitions from the area, and representatives will be in Macon April 22 and April 25 to discuss charter schools and the process of opening them, according to a news release.

IOWA

Closing The Achievement Gap In Iowa Schools
Des Moines Register, IA, April 7, 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.

MAINE

SAD 54 Superintendent Blames Budget Woes On Charter Schools
Portland Press Herald, ME, April 6, 2013
Meanwhile, he hopes the Legislature will act on three proposed bills that aim to shift the funding.

Unlink Charter School Funds From Public Schools
Kennebec Journal, ME, April 7, 2013
If the charter school movement is going to succeed in Maine, it will be as a supplement to traditional public schools, not as an enemy of them.

MARYLAND

Md. House Passes Partial Takeover Of Troubled Prince George’s Schools
Baltimore Sun, MD, April 6, 2013
The House of Delegates passed a bill Saturday that would give the Prince George’s County executive an unprecedented responsibility for the county’s troubled school system.

MASSACHUSETTS

Charter School Demand In Mass. Disputed
Boston Globe, MA, April 8, 2013
A state tally showing more than 53,000 students on charter school waiting lists is overstating demand, according to a Globe review of state data.

MINNESOTA

St. Paul School Choice A Hit — For Those Who Got Their Choice
Pioneer Press, MN, April 7, 2013
OThis school choice season in St. Paul, getting into kindergarten was a breeze. In the upper grades, not everyone got their wish. Space was tight in preschool.

NEW JERSEY

N.J. Department Of Education Gets 38 Applications To Start New Charter Schools
Star-Ledger, NJ, April 7, 2013
The state has received 38 applications for new charter schools, including some that would specialize in math, science and technology instruction and others that would focus on more obscure themes, according to a list released by state education officials.

Christie Tackles School Reform
New York Post, NY, April 5, 2013
NJ Gov. Chris Christie announced last week that the state will take over Camden’s long-troubled school system. The courageous move, the latest piece of Christie’s impressive education-reform agenda, could signal a turnaround for one of the country’s most dangerous and depressed cities.

NEW MEXICO

APS Bucks State Teacher Evaluations
Albuquerque Journal, NM, April 8, 2013
Albuquerque school board members are getting ready to defy the state’s teacher evaluation system, unanimously saying the district should instead move forward with its own plan.

NEW YORK

Data Shows Teachers Stay in Job Longer
Wall Street Journal, April 8, 2013
A host of internal efforts and a tough economy have pushed New York City schools considerably closer to a long-sought goal: Teachers are staying in the job longer.

NORTH CAROLINA

Charter School Applicants Ask For A Second Chance
News & Observer, NC, April 7, 2013
More than two dozen rejected charter-school applicants want a second chance, prompting a fight over how state education leaders should handle growth of these non-traditional public schools.

U.S. Group Criticizes N.C. Charter Oversight Plan
News & Observer, NC, April 7, 2013
A national organization devoted to oversight of charter schools says North Carolina is missing an opportunity by proposing to set up a new charter school commission without insisting that it follow best practices.

OHIO

Charters Don’t Deserve State Windfall
Columbus Dispatch, OH, April 6, 2013
History seems to be repeating itself in the Statehouse. Once again, legislators are poised to pass a state budget bill that continues to take billions of our tax dollars out of traditional public schools to fund for-profit charters that have produced dismal results after two decades of experimentation in our state.

Value-Added Rankings Compare Students’ Academic Growth In Northeast Ohio Schools
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, April 6, 2013
For the first time, 832 Ohio school districts and charter schools have been ranked on their value-added scores, providing one more lens for viewing academic progress across the state.

PENNSYLVANIA

Pocono Mountain Won’t Sell Buildings To Charter Schools
Pocono Record, PA, April 7, 2013
If a charter school is thinking about buying shuttered Pocono Mountain School District buildings, then forget about it. The district will impose deed restrictions preventing three old schools listed for sale from being used for K-12 education.

Are Charter Schools Working? It’s Anybody’s Guess
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 7, 2013
We are in the middle of a grand experiment in public education. Charter schools are opening everywhere, including ones specializing in the arts, sciences, and technology. Outsource programs such as Renaissance Schools and Knowledge Is Power are taking over large segments of inner-city systems. Private, not-for-profit organizations have become the “savior” of our “failing school systems.”

SOUTH CAROLINA

Interest In Charter Schools In SC Spikes Despite Challenges
The Herald, SC, April 6, 2013
Li-Jenkins plans to be among the first students to attend the S.C. Science Academy, one of nine charter schools set to open across the state this fall. Despite the uncertainty facing fledgling charter schools, statewide interest in opening them is growing quickly, and much of that interest is in the Midlands.

TENNESSEE

For-Profit Charter Schools’ Hopes Get New Life
The Tennessean, TN, April 8, 2013
Even though for-profit charter school companies targeted the Tennessee legislature with several lobbyists this year, their agenda appeared dead until a last-minute bid slid through last week.

School Voucher Fight Sinks Parental-Choice Options
The Tennessean, TN, April 7, 2013
Frustrated by attempts to morph his limited school voucher program into a full-fledged platform for parental school choice, Gov. Bill Haslam pulled his proposal (Senate Bill 0196) on Wednesday, leaving proponents for the school choice movement contemplating — their options.

TEXAS

Voucher Fight Politically Significant
San Antonio Express, TX, April 7, 2013
No sooner had Texas House members voted to ban state spending on vouchers than they got a taste of the political stakes, courtesy of the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s David Guenthner.

Opposition To Private School Vouchers Runs Deep In Texas House
American-Statesman, TX, April 7, 2013
The people change. The politics change. But the opposition to private school vouchers in the Texas House stays the same year after year.

Let’s Do What Works For Texas Schools
Dallas Morning News, TX, April 8, 2013
Far too many Texas students have been trapped in academically unacceptable or failing schools for far too long. These students are on a path to long-term failure with tremendous societal implications if we fail to dramatically improve our schools.

Amid Fierce Competition, IDEA Hosts Annual Lottery
Valley Morning Star, TX, April 6, 2013
The competition for spots is as fierce as ever. IDEA Public Schools was set to hold its annual lottery Saturday with an overwhelming number of applications for spots at its Rio Grande Valley campuses during the 2013-2014 academic year.

WASHINGTON

Fix Education By Keeping, Rewarding Good Teachers
Bellingham Herald, WA, April 8, 2013
Are elected officials doing enough to retain and reward good teachers? Do they understand, for example, that student attendance (not poor teaching) is the No. 1 factor in school achievement?

WISCONSIN

Education Reforms Sweep Up Principals, Too
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, April 7, 2013
The schools of the four largest school districts in north central Wisconsin are led by competent, knowledgeable principals, according to their official evaluations.

Trying To Make Sense Of Voucher Debate
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, April 7, 2013
If not for the fact that Wisconsin’s voucher program hasn’t yet been the fix for whatever combination of poverty, social dysfunction and questionable teaching that produces low-performing public schools, Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed expansion of the program might, oddly enough, make sense.

ONLINE LEARNING

Greenfield Administrators Pursue New Virtual School
Daily Hampshire Gazette, NH, April 8, 2013
The school district’s innovation subcommittee intends to apply for a five-year certificate for a new state-authorized virtual school that would use the Internet to serve as many as 1,750 students across the state by 2017.

Hybrid Learning Coming to Scranton
Scranton Times-Tribune, PA, April 7, 2013
A Scranton School District education could soon mean taking core academic courses at home on a computer and attending school only for a chemistry lab or gym class.

Online Education Companies Poised To Spring Forward With Receptive Lawmakers
Palm Beach Post, FL, April 6, 2013
After spending heavily on ruling Republicans last election, charter schools and online education companies are poised to gain a major push forward this spring from the Legislature.

Virtual Apple A Bad Reality
Northwest Herald, IL, April 7, 2013
On the surface, the proposal to create the Illinois Virtual Charter School at Fox River Valley appears as shiny as an apple on a teacher’s desk.

Districts Face Tough Questions With Virtual Charter Schools
DeKalb Daily Chronicle, IL, April 6, 2013
Doug Moeller believes DeKalb School District 428 is looking at a roughly $480,000 question. Moeller, the district’s assistant superintendent for curriculum and student services, said the multidistrict virtual charter school would take about 60 students from DeKalb if its charter is approved.

Online Classes Likely To Become More Common
Times Daily, AL, April 8, 2013
Alabama educators have long known that online classes provide experience and preparation students need for life after high school, either for college or the workforce.

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

Chavous: Congress Is Getting it Wrong on Parental School Choice
Roll Call, DC, April 5, 2013
If Congress and the administration are really serious about ensuring every child, regardless of ZIP code or family income, gets a quality education, the delivery system shouldn’t matter. Whether it is a public, charter, private, magnet, virtual or home school — parents should be able to choose the school that best fits their child’s needs.

Catholic Schools Failing To Keep Up Enrollment
USA Today, April 5, 2013
The nation’s Catholic schools, facing increasing competition, rising costs and a diminishing core of potential pupils, continue to struggle to keep students and find new ones. But there are some signs of growth in cities including Los Angeles and Indianapolis.

The Right Response To The Atlanta Cheating Scandal
New York Daily News, NY, April 4, 2013
For those of us who support academic standards, testing and accountability as strategies to improve public education, the Atlanta cheating indictments are sobering. Here was a system where dozens of employees, over the course of almost a decade, racketeered to rig results (or so it is alleged).

Atlanta Test Scores: Cheating Is Cheating
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 4, 2013
Standardized testing may be overstressed, but that’s no excuse for educators to tamper with scores.

FROM THE STATES

ALASKA

House Passes Measure To Postpone Tenure Availability For Teachers
Daily News Miner, AK, April 5, 2013
The House on Thursday approved a bill that would extend the probationary period for public school teachers from three years to five years, a move that unions say will hurt the state’s ability to recruit new educators.

CALIFORNIA

Rocketship Charter School Litigation Battles Highlight Community Tensions
Peninsula Press, CA, April 4, 2013
Lawsuits questioning the Santa Clara County Board of Education’s authority to exempt Rocketship Education from local land-use requirements for a new countywide charter school in San Jose’s Tamien neighborhood highlight deep community tensions over the proposed project.

Parents With Power Over L.A. School Weigh Their Options
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 4, 2013
About 50 parents on Thursday attended a presentation to help them decide who should run 24th Street Elementary School, a campus whose fate is in the hands of families who are trying to change the management of the school under the controversial parent trigger law.

CONNECTICUT

State Receives Proposals For New Charter Schools
CT Post, CT, April 4, 2013
The state received seven applications for new charter schools this week, including one for a Montessori school in Bridgeport that would be run in conjunction with the city school board.

FLORIDA

Florida House Bolsters Charter School Growth, Over Teacher, Union Objections
Palm Beach Post, FL, April 4, 2013
A “parent-trigger” bill pushed by former Gov. Jeb Bush was among several classroom measures Thursday that cleared the Florida House over opposition from Democrats who warned against the expanding role of for-profit schools and online companies.

Fla. House Passes ‘Parent Trigger’ Bill On Schools
Herald Tribune, FL, April 5, 2013
The Florida House on Thursday passed a bill to give parents a vote on turnaround options for failing public schools, despite a last-ditch effort to portray it as a backdoor measure to let for-profit companies take over public schools.

Misguided School-Choice Reform Will Backfire On Kids
Orlando Sentinel, FL, April 4, 2013
Supporters of the parent-trigger bill will argue that the plan is about nothing more than giving parents control over their child’s education. That it is about giving parents a choice. But there is much these advocates do not tell you.

GEORGIA

Georgia About To Roll Out New Grading System For Schools And Districts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, April 4, 2013
Parents know their child’s grades. Later this month, they’ll learn whether that child’s school is making the grade.

ILLINOIS

The Tribune Backs Away From An Estimate Of The Charter Schools Waiting List
Chicago Reader Blog, IL, April 4, 2013
The Chicago Tribune is sticking to its guns—kind of. And kind of not.

Emanuel Fires Back At Critics Who Say CPS Closings Racist
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 4, 2013
Mayor Rahm Emanuel backed his public schools chief Thursday amid charges that the plan to close 54 schools is racist, and leveled criticism at the Chicago Teachers Union for what he said was its inability to articulate an alternative to continuing with a failed status quo.

MAINE

On-Campus Living May Not Stay Free For Charter School’s Students
Morning Sentinel, ME, April 4, 2013
Legislative bills that could potentially take funding away from charter schools and a bill that would end or reduce state funds for boarding at the Good Will-Hinckley campus played a role in the decision, said school spokeswoman Rebecca Pollard.

MASSACHUSETTS

Charter School Offers Ideal Home For City Preschool
Gloucester Daily Times, MA, April 5, 2013
Yes, the city of Gloucester is required to put out a formal “request for proposals” in its search to find a new home for its preschool, along with its Fuller School mates, the school administration offices and bus transportation operation.

MICHIGAN

Michigan Education Achievement Authority Still Has To Prove Itself
Detroit News, MI, April 5, 2013
When faced with bad news from our schools, whether it is academic or behavioral, we’ve grown accustomed to a common response from administrators.

MINNESOTA

Minnesota Bill Includes Teacher Evaluation Funding
Pioneer Press, MN, April 4, 2013
Minnesota lawmakers passed a law two years ago to better evaluate teachers, putting in place a system of more-rigorous reviews based on classroom observations and improved student performance.

MISSOURI

Mo. Charter Public School Association Receives $100,000 Grant
St. Louis Business Journal, MO, April 4, 2013
The Missouri Charter Public School Association (MCPSA) received a $100,000 grant from the St. Louis Social Venture Partners to assist charter schools in their business operations management.

NEW JERSEY

Four North Jersey Applicants Among 38 Applying To Open Charter Schools
The Record, NJ, April 4, 2013
A range of applicants hope to open 38 charter schools in New Jersey, including two in Bergen County and two in Passaic County.

NEW YORK

School Choice – For Some
New York Post, NY, April 5, 2013
Guess who sends her kids to private school when they reach highschool age? That’s right: longtime public school parent-activist Leonie Haimson.

Charges Over Charters Fly As Eva Enters Wash. Irving
The Villager, NY, April 4, 2013
A new 500-seat charter school is planned to open this August in the Washington Irving High School building, and — as has frequently happened elsewhere when charter schools come in — a battle is brewing to block it.

NORTH CAROLINA

Wright Wrong On Teacher Tenure
Daily Advance, NC, April 4, 2013
I am a frequent reader of your opinion page and appreciate reading both sides of the political spectrum. However, based on a column by Mr. Bud Wright in the March 29 edition regarding teacher tenure, I believe you do many other columnists a disservice by listing him as a columnist.

OHIO

Charter School Under Scrutiny
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, April 4, 2013
So many financial and student records are missing from the now shuttered International College Preparatory Academy in Bond Hill that Ohio State Auditor Dave Yost says he questions how nearly $1 million in federal funds was spent in the school’s final full year in 2008.

PENNSYLVANIA

Ex-Charter Official Testifies On School’s Shortcomings
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 5, 2013
During a hearing to determine whether Truebright deserves to have its charter renewed, Susan Farley-Ellison detailed the North Philadelphia school’s academic shortcomings.

TENNESSEE

For-Profit Charters Won’t Give Up
Nashville Public Radio, TN, April 4, 2013
An effort to lift the ban on for-profit companies running charter schools in Tennessee has been resurrected in a legislative Hail Mary. The change in law has been tacked onto a bill of minor tweaks to charter school regulations.

Tennessee School-Voucher Bill Failure Pinned On Germantown’s Kelsey
Commercial Appeal, TN, April 4, 2013
There was finger-pointing Thursday about who’s responsible for the likely death of Tennessee school voucher legislation for this year.

Campfield’s Bill Silent On Students Above Poverty Line
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, April 5, 2013
Take, for example, the proposal (SB132) by state Sen. Stacey Campfield, R-Knoxville, to reduce the welfare benefits of low-income families if their children do not perform well in school.

TEXAS

Vouchers Dealth Big Blow In Texas House Budget Vote
Lubbock Avalanche-Journal, TX, April 5, 2013
A new Texas budget inched toward passage late Thursday in the House, where Republicans and Democrats during a marathon debate brokered deals to defuse volatile ideological battles and stifled tea party newcomers still craving influence.

WASHINGTON

GOP Irked As Gov. Inslee Shifts Stance On Grading Schools
Seattle Times, WA, April 4, 2013
Gov. Jay Inslee told Republican lawmakers this week he thinks their proposal to grade schools A-F needs further study, a blow to a concept Inslee fully embraced during the campaign.

WISCONSIN

Expand Charter Schools
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, April 4, 2013
The proposed expansion of independent charter schools in Assembly Bill 40 to communities such as Green Bay and Madison has the potential to throw open the doors of opportunity for children trapped in struggling schools.

ONLINE LEARNING

Penn. Family Group Warns Homeschooling Families May Be Subject to Investigation Under Proposed Bill
Christian News Network, April 4, 2013
A pro-family organization in Pennsylvania is expressing concern over a proposed bill that would require an investigation into homeschooling families in certain situations.

House Sends Digital Ed, Charter School Overhaul And Parent Trigger To Senate
WFSU, FL, April 4, 2013
The Florida House has signed off on proposals giving kids more access to online courses and charter schools, while cracking down on charter abuses and paving the way for parents to have a greater say in the fate of failing public schools.

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

Will Charter Schools Survive The Confusing Charter Movement?
Washington Post Blog, DC, April 3, 2013
There has been a flood of news about charter schools recently, and in the following post, Jeff Bryant, a marketing and communications consultant for nonprofits, tries to make sense of it.
 

Another Voucher Victory
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 4, 2013
We imagine the justices of the Indiana Supreme Court were surprised to find themselves ruling on an issue the U.S. Supreme Court essentially had resolved in an Ohio case 11 years ago: No, plaintiffs, you’re wrong — publicly funded education vouchers do not unconstitutionally divert public money to religious schools.
 

Bill Gates: A Fairer Way To Evaluate Teachers
Washington Post, DC, April 3, 2013
In much the same way that sports teams identify and nurture talent, there is a window of opportunity in public education to create systems that encourage and develop fantastic teachers, leading to better results for students. 

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

YES Appeal Should Focus On Merits
Appeal Democrat, CA, April 3, 2013
We hope the Yuba County Office of Education gives full consideration to an appeal by YES Charter Academy.
 

Proposal For Parent-Trigger Overhaul At L.A. School Well-Received
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 3, 2013
Leaders of a parent group have endorsed a plan to improve 24th Street Elementary, which would be jointly run by L.A. Unified and Crown Prep charter school.
 

CONNECTICUT

Funding For Charter Schools
Hartford Courant, CT, April 3, 2013
I am the parent of a student at Explorations Charter School in Winsted. I urge continued support for increasing the per-pupil funding for charter school students proposed by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy.
 

Charter Schools Give Children A Chance
CT Post, CT, April 3, 2013
Hugh Bailey, in his recent column, “Spend the money where it’s needed most” (published March 29) forgot an important fact when he advocated against charter schools: Public charter schools are actually making a difference in the lives of children in our community.
 

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Nine D.C. Charter School Applicants To Present Ideas At Public Hearing
Washington Post, DC, April 4, 2013
Nine groups seeking to open new charter schools in the District will present their ideas at a D.C. Public Charter School Board hearing Monday.
 

D.C. Schools Brace For Population Boom
Washington Examiner, DC, April 3, 2013
The District is seeing a boom in its population of children younger than 5, prompting local education experts to question whether the city’s schools can handle the growth.
 

FLORIDA

Grading Teachers
Gainesville Sun, FL, April 4, 2013
Once again, Florida has made the national news for all the wrong reasons. The New York Times reported Sunday that a growing number of states are implementing teacher-evaluation systems to weed out weak instructors.
 

School Choice Advocates Rally at Florida Capitol
Sunshine State News, FL, April 4, 2013
With Florida’s legislative session at its midway point, calls for action get a little louder — including advocates for school choice.
 

GEORGIA

Why Are We Still Waiting For More School Choice?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, April 3, 2013
The sad thing about the cheating scandal at Atlanta Public Schools during much of the past decade is that APS wasn’t alone. There was also Dougherty County.
 

ILLINOIS

The Thirst For Charter Schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 4, 2013
It’s no secret that this page strongly supports charter schools. That support is based on the outstanding performance of the best charter schools, on the growing demand from parents and students for more education options and on the vast potential for innovation at these schools. 

Rahm’s Latest Union Beating
Wall Street Journal, April 4, 2013
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel may have thought he bought labor peace when he agreed to a fat increase in teacher pay to settle a strike last year. Instead the Chicago Teachers Union is throwing massive resistance against his plan to close 54 under-used public schools. 

LOUISIANA

White Grilled On Voucher Funding
The Advertiser, LA, April 4, 2013
Superintendent of Education John White maintained in testimony Wednesday before the House Appropriations Committee that local school systems’ funds are not given to private schools to pay for vouchers. But White did acknowledge that systems lose both their state and local share of funds for every student who transfers to a voucher school.

MAINE

Harpswell Charter School Faces Funding, Legislative Hurdles
Bangor Daily News, ME, April 3, 2013
Before Harpswell Coastal Academy opens to 60 students this fall, the charter school has many hurdles to clear.

MARYLAND

Pr. George’s Delegation Backs Schools Shift, But Full Takeover Bid Falls Short
Washington Post, DC, April 4, 2013
A compromise bill to alter the leadership of the Prince George’s County school system won a key approval Wednesday in Annapolis, but the measure falls far short of the sweeping changes County Executive Rushern L. Baker III proposed in his bid to take over the schools.
 

MISSOURI

St. Elizabeth Academy Could See New Life As Charter School
St, Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, April 4, 2013
That night, she began talking with other alumnae of the school about a way to save St. Elizabeth Academy. What has developed is a plan to transform it into what would eventually be a charter school, leaving behind its roots in Catholic education.
 

MONTANA

Senate Advances Watered-Down Charter School Bill; House Endorses Other School Choice Bill
Billings Gazette, MT, April 3, 2013
The state Senate Wednesday endorsed a bill allowing public charter schools in Montana, but not before a razor-close vote watered down the proposal by limiting any new charter school’s independence from state education rules. 

NEW JERSEY

Three Dozen Applicants Submit Bids for Charter Schools
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, April 4, 2013
With interest hardly abating, nearly 40 applications were filed this week to open new charter schools in New Jersey – a vast majority in cities and one with a notable political name in its title.

NEW YORK

Activist’s ‘Private’ Issue
Wall Street Journal, April 4, 2013
The New York City Department of Education’s most prominent parent activist found herself in an uncomfortable position Wednesday—defending her surprising decision to send her children to private school.
 

NORTH CAROLINA

Republicans Are Unshackling Charters
Greensboro Rhino Times, NC, April 4, 2013
A bill that would fix a lot of the problems the Democrats built into the charter school system was introduced in the state Senate by Sen. Jerry Tillman, a retired school administrator from Archdale who represents Randolph and Moore counties. State Rep. Jon Hardister from Greensboro sponsored a companion bill in the state House. 

OHIO

Charter School’s Rapid Rise Raises Questions
Springfield News-Sun, OH, April 3, 2013
Springfield Prep’s scores soared as it tripled number of students with disabilities. Charter’s leader says smaller classes, more instruction time are keys to improvement.

OKLAHOMA

Students’ Self-esteem Should Be Based On Actual Achievement  
The Oklahoman, OK,  April 4, 2013
SOCIAL promotion is common in Oklahoma, particularly in schools serving low-income children. This strengthens the case for a new law requiring third-grade students to master reading before advancing. It could even help break the cycle of poverty.

PENNSYLVANIA

Opinion Story On PSSA Exams Hits Nerve With Parents
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, April 4, 2013
If you want to get a conversation started with parents, just mention two words: “standardized tests.” 

TENNESSEE

Charter School Applicant Says Board Is Biased
The Tennessean, TN, April 4, 2013
Williamson County Schools officials received the district’s first charter school application earlier this week.
 
Charter School Bill Moves Forward
The Tennessean, TN,  April 4, 2013
Legislation creating a new state panel that could approve charter schools in Tennessee’s largest cities cleared a House Subcommittee Wednesday after Republicans defeated a Democrat-backed amendment to add “financial guardrails” — protections the Metro school board has sought. 

Against Push for Expansion, Haslam Pulls Voucher Bill
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, April 3, 2013
By pushing for a more expansive school voucher program than Gov. Bill Haslam wanted, key state Senate Republicans probably have assured that no voucher bill of any sort will be enacted this year.
 
SMU Teams Up With KIPP Charter Schools To Recruit Students From Diverse Backgrounds, Poor Families
Dallas Morning News, TX, April 3, 2013
Southern Methodist University is partnering with KIPP, a charter school company, to attract greater diversity to the university and help KIPP students succeed in college.

Lawmakers Reject McDonnell Bid To Alter School Takeover Division
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, April 4, 2013
Gov. Bob McDonnell’s statewide school division effort took a bipartisan thumping Wednesday as the General Assembly rejected his attempts to tweak the concept and secure more funding.

County Districts Will Wait And See On Charter Schools
Everett Herald, WA, April 4, 2013
We’re getting a clearer idea this week of where Washington’s first charter schools may open, and it’s not likely to be Snohomish County.

Wisconsin Floats Private School Tuition Tax Break
Oshkosh Northwestern, WI, April 3, 2013
A Republican-backed proposal giving tax credits to parents of students in private schools is being floated in the Legislature as negotiations continue behind closed doors to find an alternative to Gov. Scott Walker’s school voucher expansion plan.

ONLINE LEARNING

League Of Women Voters Against K12 Online Charter Schools
Kane County Chronicle, IL, April 4, 2013
As 18 school districts in the Fox River Valley are poised either to accept or reject a proposal for an online virtual charter school, the League of Women Voters of Illinois will urge them to reject the application.

S.C. And Digital Learning: Good, Bad, Ugly
The Times and Democrat, SC, April 4, 2013
So the question is: How is South Carolina doing in integrating digital learning into our public schools? The report card is in and the answer truly is – good, bad and ugly.

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

NRA-Funded Task Force Wants More Armed Personnel In Schools
Washington Times, DC, April 2, 2013
Four months after the Sandy Hook school shooting, a task force set up by the National Rifle Association issued a school safety report Tuesday that calls for more trained and armed personnel on school grounds, arguing the faster someone responds with a gun during an attack, the more lives can be saved.

Outsiders Should Evaluate Students and Teachers
Bloomberg, April 2, 2013
The most important determinant of educational quality is teacher quality. Yet, as a recent study of school principals’ permissiveness in teacher evaluations and a cheating scandal in Atlanta show, this performance is difficult to measure.

The Truth About Common Core
National Review, April 3, 2013
The new Common Core math and reading standards adopted by 45 states have come under a firestorm of criticism from tea-party activists and commentators such as Glenn Beck and Michelle Malkin.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Aspire And State Board Give Up Fight Over Controversial Charters
Ed Source, CA, April 3, 2013
After a six-year legal battle, Aspire Public Schools and the State Board of Education have agreed to give up the permit that enabled Aspire to open a half-dozen charter schools without local district approval.

School Reform That Won’t Fail Students
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 2, 2013
Growing up, I became an expert test-taker at my college prep private school. There wasn’t a fact I couldn’t memorize and I was determined to ace every exam. Problem was, I wasn’t actually learning much of anything.

COLORADO

The Hope For School Choice In Douglas County
Denver Post, CO, April 3, 2013
Colorado Supreme Court justices are very busy people, but if they want to save themselves time in the upcoming appeal involving Douglas County’s Choice Scholarship Program, here’s an idea: copy and paste a few paragraphs from last week’s unanimous high court ruling in Indiana upholding a statewide voucher system.

Denver School Board President Will Forgo Election, But Push Reform
Denver Post, CO, April 3, 2013
Denver Public Schools board president Mary Seawell said that her decision to not seek re-election in November could make her a more effective advocate for the reforms laid out in the district’s strategic plan.

FLORIDA

Charters Reduce Money For Brevard’s Public Schools
Florida Today, FL, April 3, 2013
My concern relates to the continuing monetary shortfall to our public schools from Tallahassee and the new charter school being built in Viera.

Teachers At Closed Miramar Charter School Still Waiting For Bonuses
Miami Herald, FL, April 2, 2013
Teachers who once taught at Miramar’s Parkway Academy charter school are used to receiving bad news — when the school closed last year, teachers not only had to look for a new job, but they didn’t receive their final month’s pay.

Moraitis Says He’ll Amend Charter Schools Bill
Times Herald, FL, April 2, 2013
Moraitis, a Fort Lauderdale Republican, is planning to amend the proposal so that traditional public schools won’t have to share unused space with charter schools, he said.

GEORGIA

Atlanta Educators Face Hefty Bail Over Cheating Scandal
USA Today, April 2, 2013
Educators accused in a massive cheating scandal at the city’s public schools began turning themselves in Tuesday, some facing bonds of $1 million or more.

ILLINOIS

Parental Choice A Civil Rights Issue
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 2, 2013
It is heartening to read about the Chicago Tribune’s recent poll about “public impatience with mediocre schools,” (“Ready for reform,” editorial, March 24.)

Meet Rahm Emanuel, School Reform Leader
Washington Examiner, DC, April 2, 2013
Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is a famously aggressive, volatile individual, but he may have met his match in the equally confrontational Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis.

INDIANA

School-Choice Arguments Are More About Money Than About Students
News Sentinel, IN, April 3, 2013
As state legislators consider common-sense fixes to Indiana’s school-choice legislation in coming weeks, we are likely to hear many emotionally charged claims that Indiana’s school-choice program is hurting schools.

LOUISIANA

Court Nixes Tangipahoa’s Request For Delay In Voucher Case
The Advocate, LA, April 3, 2013
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday denied the Tangipahoa Parish School Board’s request for a delay in an appellate case challenging the state’s voucher program.

MAINE

Panel Delays Decision On Review Of Portland Charter School
Portland Press Herald, ME, April 3, 2013
The Legislature’s Government Oversight Committee delayed its decision Tuesday on a review of an embattled charter school in Portland until after state regulators consider the school’s license application next week.

MARYLAND

Maryland Senate To Consider Prince George’s School Plan
Washington Post, DC, April 2, 2013
Maryland senators are scheduled to vote on a compromise bill Wednesday that would allow Prince George’s County Executive Rushern L. Baker III to select the county’s new schools superintendent and choose the chairman and vice chairman of a retooled Board of Education.

MASSACHUSETTS

A New Actor Appears On Schools Stage
Boston Globe, MA, April 3, 2013
The first is growing anxiety about the city’s education system. New polling data show that the quality of education has emerged as the chief concern for Boston voters — and that the public has come to see charter schools as a vital part of the educational landscape.

MICHIGAN

Student Behavior Not Making Grade At EAA Schools
Detroit News, MI, April 3, 2013
Officials with Michigan’s statewide school district released some stunning statistics that show the challenges to reform the worst-performing schools are not just academic — they are behavioral, too.

MINNESOTA

St. Paul’s School-Choice Lottery A Big Hit
Star Tribune, MN, April 2, 2013
The early reviews on St. Paul’s school-choice lottery are in, and it’s a winner.

MISSISSIPPI

‘Historic Day For Education In Miss.’
Hattiesburg American, MS, April 2, 2013
Charter schools have cleared their most difficult remaining legislative hurdle in Mississippi.

Education Reform Remains A Marathon, Not A Sprint
Clarion Ledger, MS, April 3, 2013
Gov. Phil Bryant this week celebrated the legislative passage of much of his “Education Works” agenda. House Speaker Philip Gunn and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves both touted passage of a charter schools bill with Bryant’s pledge to sign it.

NEVADA

State Resignation Raises Questions About Reform
Reno Gazette-Journal, NV, April 3, 2013
When Gov. Brian Sandoval appointed James Guthrie superintendent of public instruction in March 2012, he expressed his pleasure that Nevada had been able to attract a figure of national reputation to lead the state’s education reform efforts.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Charter Schools Grow Despite Political Headwinds
New Hampshire Public Radio, NH, April 3, 2013
Today the New Hampshire House of Representatives will vote on a budget that won’t fund $2.5 million for new charter schools. If that policy stands it would be mean a de facto, two-year moratorium on charter schools. It’s a move that was met with surprise and confusion by charter school advocates. But to understand the decision takes knowing something about the long, political history of charter schools.

NEW JERSEY

State Should Reconsider Piscataway Request To Pay Charter Schools Less, Judges Rule
Star-Ledger, NJ, April 2, 2013
An appeals court panel today ordered the state education commissioner to reconsider the Piscataway Township Board of Education’s request to pay less tuition to four charter schools.

Foundation Academy Charter School In Trenton Has Found Winning Formula
Star-Ledger, NJ, April 3, 2013
The founders of the Foundation Academy Charter School attribute its success where others have failed to a simple two-word formula: “No Excuses.”

NEW YORK

With Legacy on His Mind, Mayor Adds More Schools
New York Times, NY, April 3, 2013
As the clock winds down on his administration, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is moving quickly to ensure that his educational legacy lasts until long after he is gone, or at least to make it difficult for his successor to undo it.

NORTH CAROLINA

School-Duggery
News-Record, NC, April 3, 2013
A dramatically brazen piece of legislation from Republican lawmakers would create a separate state board to oversee charter schools that, by definition, would be stacked with charter school proponents and, even worse, would roll back basic standards.

Keeping An Eye On Charters
News & Observer, NC, April 2, 2013
When the charter school system was created by the General Assembly in 1996, the schools were to serve as laboratories of sorts, free to experiment with courses and teaching methods that might prove useful in conventional public schools. It also was thought that the schools, typically smaller than regular ones, might be better suited to teach at-risk or gifted kids.
The intention was, in other words, to create a complement for mainstream public education.

An Inconsistency For Charter Schools
Jacksonville Daily News, NC, April 2, 2013
We can only shake our head in wonder at North Carolina GOP lawmakers and their discussion last week about creating yet another level of government oversight.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Charter Schools Offer A Positive Option For S.C. Students
Charleston Post Courier, SC, April 3, 2013
I would like to correct a statistic that was published in the most informative series “Forgotten South Carolina” as well as respond to a recent letter regarding charter schools.

TENNESSEE

Crucible of Change in Memphis as State Takes On Failing Schools
New York Times, NY, April 3, 2013
In this Mississippi River town marked by pockets of entrenched poverty, some of the worst schools in the state are in the midst of a radical experiment in reinventing public education.

VIRGINIA

Time For A School Takeover Plan
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, April 2, 2013
It has been a long time since Virginia could reasonably be considered a hotbed of educational innovation.

WASHINGTON

Peninsula Shows Interest In Being Charter School Authorizer
News Tribune, WA, April 3, 2013
A dozen Washington state school boards met a deadline this week showing preliminary interest to become charter school authorizers – and two are from Pierce County.

WISCONSIN

Spiraling Inequality Thanks To Vouchers
Chippewa Herald, WI, April 2, 2013
If we are going to reform education as equitable education for all, we need to recognize the inequality being created by the voucher system and restore commitment to public schools.

ONLINE LEARNING

D203 Cool To Online Charter School Plan
Naperville Sun, IL, April 2, 2013
A proposed online charter school for Naperville School District 203 students saw its chances diminished Monday when Superintendent Dan Bridges recommended to the Board of Trustees that they nix the proposal.

Through The Back Door With Money For Home Schoolers
Arkansas Times Blog, AK, April 1, 2013
Good story from Rob Moritz of Stephens Media on an underhanded little ol’ amendment from Sen. Johnny Key of Mountain Home to open the flood gates of state money to support home schoolers with tax dollars.

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

In Indiana, A Big Win For School Choice
Washington Post, DC, April 1, 2013
The school choice movement — which germinated 50 years ago in free-market economist Milton Friedman’s fertile mind — recently counted its largest victory.

Charter School Experiment A Success: Our View
USA Today, April 1, 2013
The arrival of charter schools in any city usually starts a fight.
Critics — whether district superintendents or teachers’ unions or school boards or a traveling band of academic doubters — snipe at the newcomers, arguing that they’re siphoning students and money from traditional public schools.

Charter Schools Possess No Magic Formula: Opposing View
USA Today, April 1, 2013
Studies of charter schools have usually shown they provide no benefits. But studies of schools run by KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) have shown strong performance. A new study suggests that KIPP middle schools may boost test-score growth by as much as eight months to eleven months over three years.

There Is A Broad Campaign Afoot To Undermine Support Of Public Schools
Union Leader, NH, April 1, 2013
The most important job of government is to insure that the next generation is educated. It isn’t just because it is the right thing to do for kids, it also is the right thing for society, to preserve and protect our national security, insure a thriving economy and continue the tradition of American leadership. To do the job, we need a strong public school system.

Should Public Money Be Used for Private Schools?
PBS New Hour, April 1, 2013
The Indiana Supreme Court upheld a law allowing taxpayer money to be used for private schools through vouchers. Hari Sreenivasan examines the implications with Kevin Chavous, executive counsel for American Federation for Children, which promotes vouchers, and Dennis van Roekel, president of the National Education Association.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Pacific Collegiate Charter School Could Tap District For Space
Santa Cruz Sentinel, CA, April 1, 2013
When Pacific Collegiate School vacates its Santa Cruz campus in two years, the nationally pace-setting charter school will have a few options for relocation — all of which come with challenges.

FLORIDA

Parent-Trigger Bill, ‘Innovation Schools’ Proposal Advance
Tallahassee Democrat, FL, April 2, 2013
Contentious legislation that would allow parents to petition a school board with a plan to turn around an F-rated school has begun to advance in the state Senate.

ILLINOIS

How Much Demand Is There For Chicago Charter Schools? No One Knows.
WBEZ, IL, April 2, 2013
With admissions to the city’s charter schools handled independently, unmonitored by the school district, neither CPS nor the state knows how many children actually apply to charters.

LOUISIANA

LFT President Hopes Legislature Will Reconsider Voucher, Tenure Reforms
The Advertiser, LA, April 1, 2013
The Louisiana Federation of Teachers hopes that state legislators will revisit several of the education reform initiatives they passed last year when the 2013 session starts next Monday.

MAINE

Charter Schools Funding Comes Under Attack At State House
WABI, ME, April 1, 2013
Lawmakers are considering changes to Maine’s charter school law that would drastically impact their funding. If approved, charter school supporters say it could mean the end of these schools in Maine.

Bowen Argues Against ‘Death By 1,000 Cuts’ For Charter Schools, But Public School Officials Call Current Funding System Unfair
Bangor Daily News, ME, April 1, 2013
Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen said Monday that he is open to exploring new ways to fund charter schools as long as legislators aren’t intent on a future consisting of “death by 1,000 cuts” for the less than one-year-old system.

MASSACHUSETTS

Lowell Charter School Has New Plans
Lowell Sun, MA, April 1, 2013
The developer of the Lowell Collegiate Charter School is seeking to change its construction plan to include the complete demolition of the main Bradford Industries’ warehouse building at the Middlesex Street site

MICHIGAN

Senate Should Embrace EAA Bill To Expand Recovery School District In State
Detroit News, MI, April 2, 2013
A bill that would expand Michigan’s statewide district for the state’s worst-performing schools gained traction last month, passing the House by a narrow margin. The legislation seeks to place the Education Achievement Authority into law and offers fair guidelines. The Senate ought to take up the bill soon.

MISSISSIPPI

Senate Leadership Makes Concessions To Keep Charter Schools Bill Alive
Clarion Ledger, MS, April 1, 2013
Senate leaders signed off on the House version of charter schools legislation just 20 minutes before an 8 p.m. deadline Monday.

NEW JERSEY

Deep Concern Over Camden Schools Evident at Public Forum
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, April 2, 2013
Despite disagreements about specifics and particulars, underlying thrust is putting Camden’s public schools right

NEW MEXICO

Amendment Would Allow Recall Of School Boards
Las Cruces Sun-News, NM, April 2, 2013
In the face of spreading El Paso County school scandals, state Rep. Marisa Márquez on Monday introduced legislation that would allow Texas voters to decide whether they want the ability to recall school trustees.

OHIO

Charter Schools Would Receive ‘F’
Coshocton Tribune, OH, April 1, 2013
Seven in 10 Ohio charter schools wouldn’t make the grade under Ohio’s new school rating system, which will replace ambiguous terms with an A-F scale.

PENNSYLVANIA

City Claiming That Two Brown-Linked Charters Owe Back Taxes
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 2, 2013
Two of the three Philadelphia charter schools founded by Dorothy June Brown, who is under federal indictment, have some new legal headaches.

TENNESSEE

Fast Food, The Free Market And Quality School Choices
Commercial Appeal, TN, April 2, 2013
When it comes to education, Tennessee has set itself apart from the rest of the country. Tennesseans achieved this by coming together in a bipartisan manner to establish common-sense policies that are in the best interests of our children.

State-Approved Charters’ Funds Concern Metro
The Tennessean, TN, April 2, 2013
Metro Nashville school officials want a guarantee from the state legislature that, if an outside body is going to approve charter schools in Nashville, it will also protect the local districts from losing too much money in the process.

Dispute Of Details May Have Gov. Haslam’s Voucher Bill In Peril
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, April 1, 2013
Gov. Bill Haslam’s refusal to accept an expansion of his plan for launching a limited voucher system in Tennessee has raised the possibility that the measure will die in a dispute over details despite broad Republican support for the general idea.

TEXAS

Could AISD Lease the Allan Elementary Campus to IDEA?
KUT News, TX, April 2, 2013
The Austin School Board tonight will discuss possibly leasing the Allan Elementary School building to IDEA Public Schools, according to an item on the board’s agenda.

WASHINGTON

Give Principals More of A Voice In Teacher Placements
Seattle Times, WA, April 2, 2013
Principals need more of a say over teacher placements to ensure every student has an effective teacher.

12 State School Districts Agree To Authorize Charter Schools
NWCN, WA, April 2, 2013
A dozen Washington school districts have sent letters to the state Board of Education indicating intent to authorize charter schools starting in 2014, beating a Monday deadline.

WISCONSIN

Lawmaker Wants Tax Break For Private School Parents
WRN, WI, April 2, 2013
A state lawmaker is renewing a push to give families with kids in private schools a tax break.
State Representative Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah) says the parents of children in private school don’t get to take advantage of the money that goes to public education. So, the Neenah Republican is co-sponsoring legislation that offers a $1,500 tax credit for students in elementary school and $2,500 for those in high school.

ONLINE LEARNING

Dist. 203 Board Disenchanted With Virtual Charter School Proposal
Chicago Daily Herald, IL, April 2, 2013
With a list of almost 150 unanswered questions and no corporate representatives present to answer them Monday night, Naperville Unit District 203 officials had little to discuss regarding a proposal to operate a virtual online charter school in the district.

Utah Surpasses All Others In Digital Education, New Study Finds
Salt Lake Tribune, UT, April 1, 2013
Utah ranks No. 1 when it comes to state policies dealing with online education, according to a new national study.

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NATIONAL COVERAGE

Curious Grade for Teachers: Nearly All Pass
New York Times, NY, March 31, 2013
Across the country, education reformers and their allies in both parties have revamped the way teachers are graded, abandoning methods under which nearly everyone was deemed satisfactory, even when students were falling behind.

School Suspensions: Does Racial Bias Feed The School-To-Prison Pipeline?
Christian Science Monitor, MA, March 31, 2013
Rocketing school suspensions may feed the school-to-prison pipeline – and even violate civil rights.

Parents Should Make the Choice
Carolina Journal, NC, April 1, 2013
By international standards, the opposite is true in both cases. America spends more tax dollars per student on elementary and secondary education than nearly every other country in the world. And with just over 90 percent of students enrolled in district-run public schools, America has less parental choice and competition than most of our international competitors do.

FROM THE STATES

ARIZONA

Teacher Judging To Get Stricter
Arizona Daily Star, AZ, April 1, 2013
In the fall, all Tucson-area school districts will start judging teachers more strictly based on how their students perform on standardized tests and other measures of student progress.

COLORADO

A Billion-Dollar Bet For Colorado Schools?
Denver Post, CO, March 31, 2013
If you’re going to ask voters for a billion-dollar tax hike for schools, you’d better have a more compelling explanation than the insipid adage, “We owe it to the children.” And state Sen. Mike Johnston, D-Denver, has no trouble passing the test, even if his bill rewriting Colorado’s school finance law doesn’t go as far as it might.

CONNECTICUT

Refining Teacher Prep Programs
Stamford Advocate, CT, March 31, 2013
Graduates of the state’s 21 teacher preparation programs need to be “classroom ready,” while the colleges that produce those teachers need to stand by their work, according to the report.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Charters Are Lifting The D.C. Public School System
Washington Post, DC, March 30, 2013
Courtland Milloy [“D.C. schools chief’s lofty goals face some tough tests,” Metro, March 20] wrongly claimed that D.C. public charter schools siphon resources and talented students from the public system.

FLORIDA

Public School Parents Solidly Reject ‘Parent Trigger’ Legislation
News-Press, FL, March 31, 2013
Despite a bruising defeat in the 2012 Florida Legislative session, Parent Trigger is something proponents are too stubborn to drop. Anointed 2013 sponsors, Rep. Carlos Trujillo and Sen. Kelli Stargel, struggling to re-position their brand say, “We want to give parents a seat at the table.” Thanks, but no thanks.

Debate Grows Over Merit Pay Plan For Teachers In Florida
Bradenton Herald, FL, April 1, 2013
Sen. Anitere Flores has a simple fix for a complex problem. The problem: Teachers have serious issues with the complicated new formula that will be used to evaluate them and determine pay raises. Some are being judged by the performance of students they’ve never met.

Conversation Starters On Charters To Come To Senate Education Committee
Tampa Bay Times Blog, FL, March 30, 2013
There’s been much talk in Tallahassee about the future of Florida charter schools during the legislative session, and the discussion is about to get more provocative.

GEORGIA

APS Officials To Begin Surrendering
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, March 31, 2013
The first of almost three dozen indicted educators are expected to walk through the doors of the Fulton County Jail around daybreak Monday to be searched, fingerprinted and processed as accused felons.

Charters Face Cuts After Dispute With School District
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, March 31, 2013
Atlanta’s charter schools are increasing class sizes, reducing staff and trimming budgets because nearly $3 million is being withheld from them in a legal dispute with the city school district. One judge has ruled the charters should have the money.

IDAHO

Grand Bargain For Schools Turns To Debacle In The Idaho Legislature
Idaho Statesman, ID, April 1, 2013
The Senate last week rejected the appropriations bill 18-17, a narrow defeat for a measure viewed as a compromise that had the backing of Idaho’s public schools chief, school boards and the Idaho teachers union. But it fell apart after Senate opponents charged the Joint Finance-Appropriations budget committee with not properly consulting with the Senate Education Committee about how key slices of the money were to be spent.

ILLINOIS

School-Closings Controversy Needs Some Reality Checks
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 31, 2013
As long as we’re playing “Let’s Pretend,” let’s also pretend lobbing accusations of racism is an effective negotiating gambit and a good lever to pull if you want to move public opinion toward your side.

INDIANA

Don’t Expand Scope Of School Vouchers
Northwest Times, IN, April 1, 2013
While we’re glad the Indiana Supreme Court upheld Indiana’s school voucher law, we’re not in a rush to see that law expanded.

LOUISIANA

Teacher Evaluation Law Up For Changes
The Advocate, LA, March 31, 2013
The chief sponsor of Louisiana’s teacher evaluation law said the change remains a solid idea, but some of the details need reworking.

MAINE

Bills To Limit Charter Schools Funding, Approval Slated For Monday Hearings
Morning Sentinel, ME, March 29, 2013
The Legislature’s education committee on Monday will hear a handful of bills to cut school district payments to charter schools and require local voter approval of new charter schools.

Oversight Unit Sits In Glare Of Charter Politics
Portland Press Herald, ME, April 1, 2013
Members say they can shun the fierce debate as they decide on doing an inquiry into one school’s finances.

MARYLAND

Baker Says School Takeover Plan Seeks To Make Prince George’s More Competitive
Washington Post, DC, March 30, 2013
Student test scores are among the lowest in the Washington region. Many classrooms are overcrowded. School buses often arrive late or not at all. Superintendents and teachers often leave after spending just a couple of years in the district.

Private K-12 Schools In Md. Get Little State Aid
Maryland Reporter, MD, March 31, 2013
The rift between public and private education couldn’t be much larger than it is in Maryland, where the public schools are boasted about as number 1 in the nation and the private schools receive less state funding than several neighboring states.

MASSACHUSETTS

The Ladder Lesson
Boston Globe, MA, April 1, 2013
In Lawrence, teachers’ raises will be based on merit, not seniority. But how will the union react?

MISSISSIPPI

Tate Reeves Risks Blame If Charter School Bills Fail As Session Winds Down
Mississippi Press, MS, April 1, 2013
Tate Reeves looked like a wizard after his first legislative session as Mississippi lieutenant governor. But the reputation of the Republican leader of the Senate could be in for a radical re-evaluation if a charter school expansion doesn’t make it into law in the closing days of the 2013 session.

Charters May Derail Successful Districts
Hattiesburg American, MS, April 1, 2013
We have always enjoyed tremendous success in Biloxi Public Schools, and our district is on track for even greater success.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Hostile To Charter Schools
Concord Monitor, NH, March 31, 2013
I don’t know what is in the water in Concord, but in the last year the House has gone from strongly supportive of public charter schools to outright hostility. Last week the House Finance Committee continued its assault on charters in a party-line vote to cut about $2.5 million from charter school tuition and leave charter school lease aid at $0.

NEW JERSEY

Trenton’s Foundation Academy Charter School Shows Potential For Success
Times of Trenton, NJ, April 1, 2013
When New Jersey’s charter school law was enacted two decades ago, the idea was that these smaller, more flexible institutions would be free to devise innovative approaches to challenges faced in regular public schools. And then their successes — innovations that worked — would be shared, with the hope that all students in a sponsoring district might benefit from fresh approaches to perennial issues.

Newark School Board Candidates Change Tone On Charter Schools
Star Ledger, NJ, March 31, 2013
As Newark’s school advisory board candidates hash out their positions in the run-up to the April 16 election, a change in tone has emerged from a slate once known for its opposition to charter schools.

Making The Grade In Camden Schools
Star-Ledger, NJ, March 31, 2013
The state takeover of public schools in New Jersey’s poorest city, Camden, last week is a move long overdue and presents a new opportunity for the local educational system to reinvent itself.

Critics Say Camden’s State-Appointed Schools Chief Will Have Too Much Power
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 1, 2013
An in-depth state report on Camden’s schools “in crisis” laid out several recommendations in August, including hiring a superintendent who could transform the district.

NEW MEXICO

Don’t Forget Charter Schools When Reforming Education
Albuquerque Journal, NM, March 31, 2013
In the modern era, education reform has been present in New Mexico at least since 1972. The conversation in 1972 was about equitable school funding by school enrollment.

NEW YORK

In N.Y.’S Schools, Anxiety Is High Over New Tests
News Journal, NY, March 31, 2013
If your child is due to take one of the state’s mysterious new tests in math and English later this month, don’t be surprised if he or she gets a lower score than in the past.

NORTH CAROLINA

In N.C., Teacher Tenure Doesn’t Mean A Guaranteed Job
Charlotte Observer, NC, March 31, 2013
A 34-year veteran teacher at Corinth Holders High in Wendell, he teaches U.S. history to 11th-graders, and he’s pretty sure that come fall, he’ll be there for his 35th year.

Broken Schools Or Broken Reform?
News-Record, NC, April 1, 2013
Having highly qualified teachers is essential to student success — but who in the future will be lured with wages that start low and fail to keep pace with our neighboring states?

N.C. Charter School Bill Is Very Troubling
Charlotte Observer, NC, March 31, 2013
There are so many troubling things about Senate Bill 337, an N.C. charter school bill unveiled last week, that it’s hard to know where to start. But this item stands out like a sore thumb: The bill would remove the requirement that at least half of a charter school’s teaching staff be certified, or be college educated.

OHIO

Lawmakers Aren’t Near A School-Funding Resolution
Columbus Dispatch, OH, April 1, 2013
Faced with an unpopular formula, a fast-approaching deadline, and an uncertain amount of money, Rep. Gerald Stebelton doubts a final school-funding plan can be crafted by the time the two-year state budget is approved.

Ohio’s New Chief Educator Is Expected To Seek Change
Columbus Dispatch, OH, March 31, 2013
People who know Ohio’s new state school superintendent have called him provocative, direct and impatient.

Urban Districts And Charter Schools Are More Likely To Get F’s On Report Cards
WKSU, OH, April 1, 2013
Starting this August, Ohio schools will be graded on a new set of criteria, ones are supposed to be tougher than the current district report cards. As StateImpact Ohio’s Ida Lieszkovszky reports, that means most urban districts and charter schools would get F’s.

OKLAHOMA

Conspiracy Theories About Common Core Should Be Ignored
The Oklahoman, OK, April 1, 2013
LAST week some lawmakers and citizens insisted that a state-developed, state-implemented set of academic standards is a federal conspiracy or even a United Nations takeover of education. Voters should recognize these views for the “black helicopter” musings that they are.

Oklahoma City Public Schools To Consider Grade-Changing Policy
The Oklahoman, OK, April 1, 2013
Oklahoma City public school students who fail a class but pass an end-of-instruction exam could receive a D in the course if the Oklahoma City School Board passes a recommended proposal at its meeting Monday night.

PENNSYLVANIA

NLRB To Oversee Union-Organizing Vote At Philadelphia Charter School
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 1, 2013
And, in what union officials said will be a first for a charter school in Pennsylvania, New Media’s union election will be overseen by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) instead of Pennsylvania’s state labor board.

TENNESSEE

Bill Haslam Will Not Budge On Opposing The Expansion Of School Vouchers
Chattanooga Times Free Press, TN, April 1, 2013
Gov. Bill Haslam is prepared to withdraw his limited school voucher proposal from the Legislature if Senate Republicans carry out current plans to expand it, its sponsor says.

Could Charters Break MNPS Bank?
Nashville City Paper, TN, March 31, 2013
As the charter school movement gains steam in Nashville, local school board members are worried there’s not enough room in the budget to afford a windfall of the novel schools in years to come.

TEXAS

Vista Academy Students Get Pumped Up For First Shot At Assessments
Tyler Morning Telegraph, TX, April 1, 2013
Third- and fourth-graders at the Vista Academy of Tyler, a local charter school, were the center of attention during a pep rally on Friday. The rally was intended to encourage the students before they take state assessments this month.

WYOMING

Don’t Let Charter Schools Siphon Money From Public Schools
Billings Gazette, WY, March 30, 2013
Publicly funded charter schools might work well in some very large urban areas. However, Montana is sparsely populated (ranking 48th among 50 states, 2010 census). Our state is very rural. The counties with large K-12 enrollments are Yellowstone with 22,197, Missoula and Flathead with less than 13,500, and Gallatin and Cascade with less than 11,500.

Wyoming Schools Chief Cindy Hill Launches Public Schools Study
Star Tribune, WY, March 31, 2013
Superintendent of Public Instruction Cindy Hill is creating a report on the state’s public schools, which she and legislators say is intended to help guide education policy.

ONLINE LEARNING

Virtual School Uses ‘Blended Learning’
WPRI, RI, March 29, 2013
A high school unlike any Rhode Island has ever seen is set to open in September.

State Virtual School Could See Deep Funding Cut Under Lawmakers’ Proposal
Orlando Sentinel Blog, FL, March 29, 2013
When a student at a Florida public school takes a course with Florida Virtual School, the district doesn’t have to share any of its per-pupil funding — the online school gets money per class directly from the state.