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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.

Teachers Outnumbered In Schools By Administrators, Support Staff In Many States, Study Shows
Washington Times, DC, February 28, 2013
Each day at school, students in 21 states will see more librarians, bus drivers, coaches, cafeteria workers and office personnel than teachers, according to a new study that examined school hiring patterns over the past 20 years.

Rand Paul: Why An Education System That Leaves So Many Behind?
San Diego Union-Tribune, CA, February 28, 2013
America’s educational system is leaving behind anyone who starts with disadvantages, and that is wrong. Those born in poverty already face significant challenges. For those striving to climb the ladder of success, we must fix our schools.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

Legislature OKs Tax Credits For School Choice
Gadsden Times, AL, February 28, 2013
Republican legislators on Thursday expanded a routine education bill to include tax credits for parents who move their children from failing public schools to private schools, prompting the state school superintendent to withdraw his support and a teachers’ group to assail it as “totally anti-public education.”

ARIZONA

Charter Schools Could Give Preference To Siblings
Arizona Daily Star, AZ, February 28, 2013
Siblings and grandchildren would gain new admission preferences under a charter schools measure backed by Arizona lawmakers.

CALIFORNIA

Adelanto Parent Trigger School Holds Information, Sign-Up Meeting
Contra Costa Times, CA, February 28, 2013
After months of legal wrangling and political drama, the parents who helped oust the teachers and administrators they say failed their children got to meet the woman soon to be in charge of their school.

LAUSD Joins Other Districts In Asking For No Child Left Behind Waivers, Promising To Use Test Scores In Evaluating Teachers
Los Angeles Daily News, CA, February 28, 2013
Los Angeles Unified and eight other California school districts filed a waiver Thursday to the federal No Child Left Behind law, proposing a new system for measuring student achievement and developing better teachers.

COLORADO

Colorado Appeals Court: Douglas County School Voucher System Legal
Denver Post, CO, March 1, 2013
In a case being watched by school-choice advocates, legal experts and both pro-religion and secularist groups around the country, the Colorado Court of Appeals has ruled that Douglas County School District’s voucher system is legal.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Ending ‘Social Promotion’ In D.C. Schools
Washington Post, DC, February 28, 2013
TEACHERS IN THE D.C. public school system are unable to hold back students in most elementary and middle school grades — even when it is clear that students haven’t mastered the skills of the requisite grades, and even when there is complete agreement from school principals.

FLORIDA

Teachers Question Fairness Of New Evaluation System At Hearing
Orlando Sentinel, FL, February 28, 2013
The official purpose of the meeting sounded dry and bureaucratic: Take public input on drafts of two state rules.

GEORGIA

Opponents Of Deal’s DeKalb Move Intensify Criticism
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, February 28, 2013
Pushback over Gov. Nathan Deal’s decision to suspend two-thirds of the DeKalb County school board was intensifying as state negotiators worked behind-the-scenes to avert a Friday showdown in federal court over the move.

Grady County School Granted Charter School Status
WCTV, GA, February 28, 2013
Cairo High School in Grady County is the first school in Southwest Georgia to be granted Charter School status.

IDAHO

Charter School Funding Bill Pulled Back to House Committee, But Passes Again
Boise Weekly, ID, February 28, 2013
A measure that would restructure funding for Idaho charter schools, which passed through the House Education Committee Feb. 26 with a “do pass” recommendation, was pulled back to the same committee this morning in an unusual move that committee Chairman Reed DeMordaunt, an Eagle Republican, said wouldn’t be happening again anytime soon.

ILLINOIS

Dist. 203 Candidates Support New Ways To Evaluate Teachers
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 1, 2013
Candidates for the Naperville Unit District 203 school board say they support changing the way teachers are evaluated, but also called for educators to have extra support and training.

INDIANA

Charter School Charades
The Journal Gazette Blog, IN, February 28, 2013
That sound you heard Wednesday? That was the sound of the Indiana Charter School Board rubber-stamping a real estate deal to benefit a politically connected Fort Wayne business owner.

Does Indiana’s Voucher Program Need Expansion?
StateImpact, IN, February 1, 2013
While supporters are elated to hear Indiana’s fledgling school voucher initiative has helped fill 9,100 open private school seats statewide this year, they say the program must do more than fill seats: it must create new seats.

KENTUCKY

Charter Schools Bill Advances In Kentucky Senate
The Courier-Journal, KY, March 1, 2013
A charter schools bill is on a steady course to clear the Republican state Senate but seems sure to stall when it hits the Democratic House.

LOUISIANA

School Funding Formula For 2013-14 Unlikely To Satisfy State Education Chief John White’s Critics
Times-Picayune, LA, February 28, 2013
Orleans Parish would get $8,526 of state and local funds for each public school student — just $4 more per pupil from this year — under State Education Superintendent John White’s funding formula for 2013-14, a proposal that strips out policy mandates and pushes forward measures for students with disabilities and private school vouchers. White’s plan continues to fund the private school voucher program through public funds but introduces a contingency plan in case the state Supreme Court rules the current law unconstitutional.

Voucher Changes Under Discussion
The Advocate, LA, February 28, 2013
Despite insisting that a challenge to Louisiana’s expanded voucher law will fail, state Superintendent of Education John White said Thursday he has talked with plaintiffs in the lawsuit about changing the way the program is financed.

MARYLAND

Proposed Law Would Force School Boards To Heed Parents’ Petitions For School Reform
Maryland Reporter, MD, February 28, , 2013
National education reform advocates support a Maryland bill that would mandate reform for failing schools whenever a majority of parents petition for intervention, but the state superintendent and the state teachers union oppose the idea.

MASSACHUSETTS

Neighborhood Over Quality In School Plan?
Boston Globe, MA, March 1, 2013
ON MONDAY night, cameras flashed, hugs were exchanged, and everyone congratulated the External Advisory Committee on School Choice on its selection of a new student assignment plan for the Boston Public Schools. Based in both family address and school MCAS performance, the assignment model answers the call for “quality schools, close to home.”

Lowell Charter School Off Probation
Lowell Sun, MA, March 1, 2013
Lowell Community Charter Public School Head Kathy Egmont likens the school’s transformation to the Mill City itself.

MICHIGAN

Charter School Movement Firing Back At Critics
Oakland Press, MI, March 1, 2013
Michigan’s charter school movement is arming itself with data, fighting back against charges its schools are getting too much tax money, not taking special education students and underachieving.

MISSISSIPPI

House-Senate Talks Warm Up On Charter School Bills
Clarion Ledger, MS, March 1, 2013
Mississippi lawmakers are trying to resolve differences between House and Senate versions of bills expanding charter schools in the state.

NEVADA

Charter Renewed for Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy
Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV, February 28, 2013
Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy received a six-year contract extension from the Clark County School District on Thursday.

NEW JERSEY

Charter School Debate Sheds Light on Crisis of Identity Politics
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, March 1, 2013
There was an interesting, and telling, article recently in NJ Spotlight. It looks at a charter school debate in Florence Township, a small suburb in Burlington County. The article sheds light on the tension between the public and private sector, and the crisis of the original identity politics — white identity politics.

State Renews 13 Charter Schools But Flunks Three Others
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, March 1, 2013
Thirteen of 16 charter schools up for renewal this year have been approved by the Christie administration, but three others – including one of the state’s oldest, in Jersey City – had their renewals denied.

Charter Schools In Jersey City, Atlantic City And Hammonton Set To Close
Star-Ledger, NJ, February 28, 2013
The state Department of Education will close charter schools in Jersey City, Atlantic City and Hammonton at the end of the academic year because of low test scores and problems with the schools’ leadership, state education officials said tonight.

NEW MEXICO

PEC Appeals Skandera’s Charter Ruling
Albuquerque Journal, NM, March 1, 2013
The Public Education Commission is taking education secretary-designate Hanna Skandera to court over her decision to approve two charter school applications the commission had denied.

NEW YORK

New Curriculum on Tap
Wall Street Journal, March 1, 2013
New York City next year will transform the way students in kindergarten through eighth grade learn math and English, introducing a new curriculum and recommending new books for the first time in a decade, officials said Thursday.

Are Tough New State Tests Too Much, Too Soon?
Syracuse Post-Standard, NY, March 1, 2013
State tests for elementary and middle school students are two months away, but teachers, administrators and state education officials already agree on one point: Scores are going to drop.

NORTH CAROLINA

Voucher Ploy Could Be Disastrous For Public Schools
News & Observer, NC, February 28, 2013
Public school superintendents have long fought an idea that rears up from time to time in the General Assembly: giving public money to parents for the purpose of paying for private schools for their children. Republican lawmakers, more inclined to push this idea now that they have control on Jones Street, should instead pull the reins.

OHIO

Cleveland Schools Will Fall Under State Oversight By Academic Distress Commission
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, February 28, 2013
The state will begin overseeing the Cleveland school district now that its report card rating of Academic Emergency is official, according to the Ohio Department of Education.

Charter Schools Criticize Audit That Claims State Is Owed $860,000
Dayton Daily News, OH, February 28, 2013
The Ohio auditor’s office on Thursday again issued findings for recovery involving Dayton’s Richard Allen Academy charter schools, saying their management company, Institute of Management and Resources Inc., owes taxpayers nearly $860,000.

CSR Is Charter School Getting It Right
Cincinnati Herald, OH, February 28, 2013
CSR has climbed out of an Academic Emergency status inherited from the closed W. E. B. DuBois Academy it replaced during its first year to the status of Continuous Improvement, both designations attached by the Ohio Department of Education. At the same time, CSR received a rare “Above’’ in Value Added, meaning the scholars are progressing at a rate faster than standard, improving by more than one grade level each year.

ACLU Asks Ohio Department of Education to Extend Seclusion and Restraint Policy to Charter Schools
StateImpact, OH, February 28, 2013
The ACLU of Ohio sent a letter to the State Board of Education today asking them to include charter schools in the draft rules that will govern the use of seclusion and restraint in Ohio’s schools.

OKLAHOMA

Okla. Panel Approves Charter School Overhaul Bill
Durant Democrat, OK, February 28, 2013
An Oklahoma state senator pointed to Oklahoma charter schools’ low national rankings and a lack of statewide standards Wednesday to convince the Senate Appropriations Committee that the state should take over the charters’ authorization.

Oklahoma Lawmakers’ Use Of ‘Local Control’ Could Rob Students
The Oklahoman, OK, February 28, 2013
IF lawmakers believe school mandates are unfunded, here’s a solution: Fund them.

PENNSYLVANIA

Philadelphia School Superintendent Defends Teacher Contract Proposal
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 1, 2013
William R. Hite Jr. wants you to know: He does not want to drive teachers out of the Philadelphia School District.

Recovery Committee Looking At Three Options For York City Schools
York Dispatch, PA, March 1, 2013
The York City School District’s future may go one of three ways: Going to all charters. Consolidating with neighboring districts. Or allowing the district to come up with internal transformation.

Denied Charter Schools Weigh Their Options
Journal Register, PA, March 1, 2013
When Wendy Ormsby first set out to establish the Souderton Area Charter School Collaborative in 1999, the school board denied her application.

TENNESSEE

All Metro Schools Will Be Great, Given Time
The Tennessean, TN, March 1, 2013
It is becoming a familiar refrain: Metro schools aren’t improving quickly enough; we need better schools now so our students can get a better education right away.

TEXAS

Charter Schools Don’t Let This Divert Attention From Funding
Gilmer Mirror, TX, February 28, 2013
The charter school reforms offered in SB 2 put quantity ahead of quality in the name of offering school choice.

WEST VIRGINIA

Governor, Teachers Unions Primed For Battle Over School Reform
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, March 1, 2013
Battle lines have been drawn over education reform in the state Legislature.
On one side, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin and his staff said their proposed changes would move West Virginia education in a positive direction.

WISCONSIN

New Appleton Charter School Would Focus On Technical Education
Green Bay Press-Gazette, WI, February 28, 2013
A new charter school that caters to Appleton students interested in technical education classes could open as early as September 2014.

MPS Must Start Up The Laboratory Again
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, February 28, 2013
Wisconsin’s unofficial nickname as “the laboratory of democracy” is largely due to Milwaukee’s experimentation in educational policies. The city pursued a variety of educational reforms until 1990, when it decided to become the first community to adopt a school voucher program, effectively stalling experimentation.

ONLINE LEARNING

Legislation Will Hurt Cyber Schools
Chambersburg Public Opinion, PA, February 28, 2013
The recent article, “Group: School districts overpay for cyber schools,” reflects an unfortunate misunderstanding of education funding, economics and the impact of proposed legislation.

Metro Schools Offer Spring Math Credits
The Tennessean, TN, March 1, 2013
Metro Nashville Public Schools Virtual School is offering Bridge Math Intensive, which starts during spring intersession, to give Metro seniors a chance to earn the needed credit and graduate in May.

Khan Academy Pilot Set For 47 Idaho Schools
Idaho Press Tribune, ID, March 1, 2013
More than 10,000 kindergarten through 12th grade students across Idaho will be part of the nation’s first statewide pilot of the Khan Academy, a release from Northwest Nazarene University said.

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.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

Common Core Controversy
Times Daily, AL, February 28, 2013
More than 100 people crowded into the Alabama House chamber for a public hearing Wednesday on legislation that would repeal education standards known as Common Core, previously adopted by the state school board for the public schools.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

DC Public Schools Start Campaign To Hang Onto Students
Washington Examiner, DC, February 27, 2013
DC Public Schools has started an “aggressive” campaign to persuade parents whose children attend one of 15 schools being closed not to abandon the school system for charter or private schools.

Plan Approved For D.C.’s Largest Charter School
Washington Examiner, DC, February 27, 2013
The DC Public Charter School Board has approved what could become the District’s largest charter school.

FLORIDA

Seminole: New Evaluations Imperil Good Teachers’ Jobs
Orlando Sentinel, FL, February 27, 2013
Seminole County schools are among the highest performing in the state. Yet hundreds of Seminole teachers could end up with poor job reviews next year under Florida’s proposed system for calculating teacher evaluations.

Florida Democrats Seek To Cushion Expected Changes To Charter School Law
Tampa Bay Times Blog, FL, February 27, 2013
Majority Republicans in the Florida House and Senate have made no secret of their desire to expand the reach of charter schools in the state, with legislation filed to give charters more access to construction funds and to allow even more growth of the publicly funded, privately run schools.

GEORGIA

Jerguson Recommended For Charter Council
Cherokee Tribune, GA, February 28, 2013
Former state Rep. Sean Jerguson was recommended to fill a recently vacated seat on Cherokee Charter Academy’s Local Governing Council during its meeting Wednesday.

IDAHO

Idaho Legislature Considers Overhaul Of State’s Charter School Law
Boise State Public Radio, ID, February 28, 2013
Idaho lawmakers are considering a re-write of the state’s charter school law. Thursday they’ll hear from the public.

Committee Advances Charter School Funding Bill
Coeur d’Alene Press, ID, February 27, 2013
A House committee has taken a step toward putting Idaho’s collection of charter schools in a better financial position to pay their monthly building and maintenance bills.

ILLINOIS

CPS Cracks Down On Underperforming Charters
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 27, 2013
The Chicago Public Schools board indicated it plans to place more scrutiny on the academic and financial performance of charter schools, approving plans Wednesday to gradually close two charters and warning six others that they’ll have to shape up or face the same fate.

INDIANA

New Charter Approved If Requirements Met
The Journal Gazette, IN, February 28, 2013
The Indiana Charter School Board voted 5-1 Wednesday to approve a Carpe Diem Indiana charter school for Fort Wayne – with some conditions.

Imagine Says Ball State Is Not Communicating
The Journal Gazette, IN, February 28, 2013
Imagine MASTer Academy board President Pat Sheean expressed frustration during a meeting Wednesday about the lack of communication with Ball State University, which is the charter school’s authorizer until June.

Charter Schools Could Be The New Educational Battle Ground
WIBC, IN, February 27, 2013
While the state awaits a decision from the Indiana Supreme Court on the legality of its school voucher program, the new education battle ground may be charter schools.

LOUISIANA

Education Superintendent John White Will Present Alternative Funding Method For School Vouchers
Times-Picayune, LA, February 28, 2013
State Education Superintendent John White said on Wednesday that he will float a voucher-funding proposal Thursday that could sidestep the law’s pending appeal to the state Supreme Court.

Jindal’s Charter Authority Expansion Initiative Falls Flat In First Year
Times-Picayune, LA, February 27, 2013
It was one of the more controversial provisions of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s 2012 education reform package: allowing local nonprofits, public agencies and colleges to grant charters to schools. But when the deadline passed last week for interested entities to submit a letter of intent, not a single group wanted in.

MASSACHUSETTS

State OKs School Charter A Second Time
Haverhill Gazette, MA, February 28, 2013
When students at teachers at Silver Hill Horace Mann Charter School returned from February vacation, a surprise was waiting for them.

NEVADA

The Doral Academy Is An Example Of How To Create An ‘Arts-Integration’ Charter School In A Lot Of Not Particularly Easy Steps
Las Vegas City Life, NV, February 27, 2013
Whoever heard of something rising from the ashes of a phoenix? That’s what’s taking place just off the 215 Beltway on the far west side of town. Doral Academy of Nevada charter school is moving into a former University of Phoenix campus and plans to hold its first classes in August.

NEW JERSEY

Charter-School Reform, On Back Burner, Starts to Heat Up Again
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, February 28, 2013
Talk of revising the state’s charter-school law is picking up again, with one major player now saying that he plans to have a bill ready by spring or early summer.

PENNSYLVANIA

Reading Board Denies Application For Charter Middle School
Reading Eagle, PA, February 28, 2013
An application to create a new charter middle school in Reading was denied Wednesday night by the Reading School Board.

Pittsburgh School Board Rejects 2 Charter Schools; 3rd Tabled
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, February 28, 2013
The Pittsburgh Public Schools board Wednesday night rejected two applications to open charter schools this fall and tabled a third, effectively denying it because of requirements to act within a certain time window.

Lehigh Valley Superintendents Implore Lawmakers For Charter, Special Education Funding Reforms
Lehigh Valley Express-Times, PA, February 27, 2013
A group of Lehigh Valley superintendents today detailed the impact of state budget cuts on their districts and implored Democratic legislators to reform Pennsylvania’s charter school laws.

RHODE ISLAND

Teacher Evaluations Too Lengthy; Won’t Help
Valley Breeze, RI, February 27, 2013
The new teacher evaluation system in Rhode Island requires too much of a teacher’s time to implement and requires teachers to change many of their long-held teaching techniques. Many teachers feel that this new system will burn them out and decrease their effectiveness.

TENNESSEE

TN Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman Says Charters Can Serve Better
The Tennessean, TN, February 28, 2013
Tennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman thinks most school systems are big bureaucracies that waste money that should be spent on students. At least that is what he told an audience of about 60 people Wednesday at Vanderbilt University.

Charter Schools Hurt MNPS
The Tennessean, TN, February 28, 2013
Charter schools are not the answer to the problems of the Metro Nashville Public Schools.

TEXAS

Big School Reforms Should Be The Goal, Jeb Bush Says
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, TX, February 27, 2013
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush urged Texas to swing for the fences when overhauling public education, telling state senators Wednesday that he was able to transform foundering schools in his home state with big — if often unpopular — ideas.

WASHINGTON

Coalition Files Legal Challenge To State Charter-Schools Law
Seattle Times, WA, February 27, 2013
A coalition of educators and community groups on Wednesday filed a legal challenge with the state attorney general, questioning the constitutionality of Washington’s new charter schools law.

Washington Attorney General Plans to Follow Voters’ Will on Charter School Law
KNDO, WA, February 28, 2013
Washington State’s Attorney General says his job is to follow the will of the voters when it comes to the charter school law.
And that’s what he plans to do in response to a legal challenge to that voter-approved charter schools law.

Any Charter School Is One Too Many For State Teachers’ Union
MyNorthwest, WA, February 27, 2013
The Washington Education Association is challenging the law voters approved last fall to create up to 40 charter schools in the state within the next five years.

WEST VIRGINIA

Education Bill May Be On Fast Track In Senate
The Herald-Dispatch, WV, February 28, 2013
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s public education reform bill — introduced only three days ago — is considered to be on the fast track in the West Virginia Senate. But Sen. Erik Wells, D-Kanawha, predicted Wednesday that the Senate Education Committee will be preparing a committee substitute before sending it to the Senate Finance Committee.

WISCONSIN

More than 120 Schools Plan to Participate in Voucher Program in the Next School Year
WUMN, WI, February 27, 2013
The state Department of Public Instruction says 123 private nonsectarian and religious schools have registered to accept students in the coming school year, as part of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program. Another 13 schools have registered to participate in the school choice program in Racine.

Scott Walker’s Plan Would Give Charter Schools More Autonomy
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, February 27, 2013
Wisconsin school boards would have less control over their own charter schools under Gov. Scott Walker’s state budget proposal.

ONLINE LEARNING

Bill To Incentivize Year-Round School, Blended Learning Clears Committee
Deseret News, UT, February 27, 2013
More schools may consider implementing a year-round schedule or blended learning in classrooms if a bill advanced Wednesday by the Senate Education Committee becomes law.

Senate Approves Online Charter School Moratorium
Associated Press, February 28, 2013
New Mexico would impose a temporary moratorium on new fully online charter schools under a proposal approved by the Senate.

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

Biggest Study Ever Says KIPP Gains Substantial
Washington Post Blog, DC, February 27, 2013
KIPP, previously known as the Knowledge Is Power Program, has had more success than any other large educational organization in raising the achievement of low-income students, both nationally and in the District. But many good educators, burned by similarly hopeful stories in the past, have wondered whether KIPP were for real.

KIPP Students Show Major Improvement, Study Finds
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 27, 2013
A Princeton-based research firm’s analysis of the KIPP national network of charter schools found KIPP middle-school students made substantial gains in core subjects over a three-year span.

Choice In Education
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 27, 2013
America’s public schools have played a role in reducing inequality and increasing the bonds between people of diverse backgrounds.

Colo. Democrat Visits Miss. To Offer Insights On Charter Schools
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, February 27, 2013
Peter Groff is likely a name few have heard, but back in Colorado he was one of the state’s leaders for education reform. The former Colorado lawmaker was a strong voice for school choice, equitable funding and providing more freedom for individual districts and schools.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Deasy Group Aids 3 School Board Candidates
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 26, 2013
A coalition that wants to bolster support for the L.A. schools superintendent has raised more than $3.2 million on behalf of its preferred candidates. Teachers oppose two of them.

Short-Sited: How Horizon Charter School’s $800,000 Investment Went Wrong
Auburn Journal, CA, February 27, 2013
But this blemish on one of the state’s longest running charter schools, one of the largest nonprofits in Placer County – its $19 million revenue stream funded by more than 99 percent of public money – is still fresh in the minds of some parents and teachers who invested themselves in one of Horizon’s more popular programs.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Board Votes To Allow California Nonprofit To Open Up To 8 DC Charter Schools By 2019
Washington Post, DC, February 27, 2013
A Washington charter school board has voted to allow a California nonprofit to open up to eight charter schools in the district.

D.C. Clamps Down On Low-Performing Charter Schools, Approves Rocketship
Washington Post, DC, February 26, 2013
One struggling D.C. charter school will shrink at the end of this academic year, another will be acquired by a high-performing school and a third will close if it fails to show improvement over the next several months, the D.C. Public Charter School Board decided Monday.

FLORIDA

Somerset Parents, Neighbors Unhappy With School’s Plans To Move Campus To Kendall
Miami Herald, FL, February 26, 2013
Somerset Academy is drawing the ire of both parents and neighbors in Coral Gables and Kendall as it expands its charter school empire.

IDAHO

Things To Think About Before Starting A Charter School
Magic Valley Times-News, ID, February 27, 2013
Charter schools are an interesting idea. They form because a dedicated group of parents and teachers decide that a certain model of education is worth exploring. From the moment they open their doors, they benefit from something typical public schools lack: automatic parent and student buy-in. They are blessed with students who chose to attend the school and teachers who believe in the mission.

Committee Advances Charter School Funding Bill
Idaho Statesman, ID, February 26, 2013
Idaho charter schools would be eligible for state funding to cover a portion of their facilities and maintenance costs under a bill advanced by the House Education committee.

ILLINOIS

Measuring Up: How Should A Charter School’s Success Be Measured?
Medill Reports: Chicago, February 26, 2013
Walk through Auburn Gresham just north of the Dan Ryan Woods and you’ll find a striking building that looks as if it was imported from Rome a century or so ago – four columns facing 80th Street.

INDIANA

New Charter Met With Opposition At Meeting
The Journal Gazette, IN, February 27, 2013
Officials from a charter school hoping to locate south of downtown were met with hostility Tuesday during a public hearing.

Fort Wayne Needs To Move ‘Debate’ About Charter Schools To More Productive Area
News-Sentinel, IN, February 27, 2013
Fort Wayne Community Schools board president Mark GiaQuinta asked, during his time to speak during a public meeting about a potential charter school that would be located on the former campus of Taylor University, that the Indiana Charter Schools Board delay its potential authorization vote scheduled for 3 p.m. Wednesday.

KANSAS

Committee Rejects Plan To Hold Back Third-Graders
Topeka Capital-Journal, KS, February 26, 2013
Two Topeka legislators joined four colleagues on the Senate Education Committee in rejecting Gov. Sam Brownback’s plan to hold back third-graders who struggle with reading.

KENTUCKY

Persistently Low-Acheiving Schools Could Become Charters Under Kentucky Senate Bill
WKYU, KY, February 26, 2013
Kentucky’s persistently low-achieving schools would be able to become charter schools to improve performance and test scores under a bill discussed Tuesday in the state Senate Education Committee.

MASSACHUSETTTS

Charter Schools See Big Surge In Mass.
Boston Globe, MA, February 27, 2013
State education officials this week approved five new charter schools and expansion of 11 existing schools, extending an enrollment surge since the state passed a landmark education ¬reform bill in 2010.

State Approves Controversial Charter School
Salem News, MA, February 27, 2013
The state education board yesterday approved a controversial new charter school in Saugus whose district will include Salem, Peabody, Danvers and Lynn.

MICHIGAN

Grading Detroit Schools: Volunteers Make Mark On Classrooms
Detroit News, MI, February 27, 2013
Wells was leading a team of reviewers from Excellent Schools Detroit, a coalition of Detroit’s education and community leaders that has developed a citywide education plan for all Detroit children to be in “excellent” schools by 2020.

NEVADA

Fixing Teacher Evaluations Key
Reno Gazette-Journal, NV, February 27, 2013
Every student deserves a great teacher, and every teacher deserves to be treated like a professional. To realize these goals in Clark County, we have to do more to support our teachers. The first step is implementing a useful teacher evaluation system — one that gives teachers clear expectations, regular feedback, chances for professional growth and recognition of exceptional work.

NEW JERSEY

NJ Pilot Program Would Offer Choice Of Better School
Asbury Park Press, NJ, February 27, 2013
Sidestepping the ongoing legislative battle to pass the Opportunity Scholarship Act, Gov. Chris Christie announced he would publicly fund a $2 million pilot program to offer students from failing school districts a chance to attend a better school.

Christie Won’t Give Up on School Voucher Program
NJ Spotlight, NJ, February 27, 2013
Despite coming close to being passed on occasion, a school voucher program is the one major piece of Gov. Chris Christie’s education agenda that he’s never been able to push through — unlike tenure reform, charter schools, and performance pay for teachers.

Christie Budget Includes $97M More For N.J. Schools, But Critics Warn It’s Far From Enough
The Record, NJ, February 26, 2013
But the New Jersey Education Association — the state’s largest teachers union — and other critics immediately complained that the increase was insufficient and would result in cuts to programs, staff and services at a time when schools face costly mandates for updating teacher evaluations and gearing up for new standardized tests.

NEW MEXICO

Panel To Challenge Skandera’s Authority Over Charter Schools In Court
The New Mexican, NM, February 26, 2013
The state Public Education Commission voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon to appeal Secretary of Education-designate Hanna Skandera’s recent approval of two charter schools to District Court.

NEW YORK

Union-Run School Wins Short Reprieve
Wall Street Journal, February 27, 2013
February The New York City teachers union has two years to fix academic and administrative problems in its Brooklyn charter school or it will be shut down, state officials said Tuesday.

A Charter Snowball
New York Post, NY, February 27, 2013
A whopping one-third of the children enrolled in kindergarten in Harlem these days attend charter schools — an under-appreciated yet critical fact, and perhaps the hinge upon which the future of public-school choice in New York City swings.

NORTH CAROLINA

Bill Would Have State Treat Charter Schools As Governments For Land Transactions
WRAL, NC, February 26, 2013
County governments and school districts would be able to sell or lease buildings for less than fair-market value to charter schools under a bill that cleared the Senate State and Local Government Committee Tuesday.

Superintendents Speak Out On Privatization, Grading Schools
News & Observer, NC, February 26, 2013
School superintendents oppose any plan that would use public money to support private K-12 education, and warned legislators Tuesday that privatization would set up a two-tiered education system based on class, both funded with taxpayer money.

PENNSYLVANIA

Expand Charters To Help Those In Closing Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 27, 2013
In light of the concerns raised by the announcement of school closings in the city, our colleagues at Philadelphia Charters for Excellence (PCE) want School District officials and families to know that we are here, standing by to welcome more students into our schools.

Harrisburg School Board Approves CASA Charter Application
Patriot News, PA, February 26, 2013
Right now, Harrisburg has an $11 million budget deficit and is expecting its charter school tuition payments to more than double from $6 million to $14 million next year.

Best Practices: Pittsburgh’s Schools Can Learn From Each Other
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, February 27, 2013
Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Linda Lane is a realist. The latest demonstration of her straightforward approach to leading the region’s largest public school district is her decision to hold a meeting with officials from city charter schools.

TENNESSEE

Test-Based Teacher Pay Considered
The Dickson Herald, TN, February 26, 2013
Research conducted by a new analytics team within the Tennessee Department of Education reveals that teachers with multiple degrees do no better at teaching than those with less experience and education.

Tennesseans Split On School Voucher Plan
The Tennessean, TN, February 27, 2013
Tennesseans remain split on Gov. Bill Haslam’s plan to spend state money on private schooling for poor children in failing public schools, but views differ sharply by race, according to a new poll from Middle Tennessee State University.

Democrats Push To Improve Education
The Tennessean, TN, February 26, 2013
Like many of you, we firmly believe that a first-rate system of public education is the cornerstone of a prosperous, free and just society. But we are all too aware that thousands of children in Tennessee are trapped in persistently failing schools that are part of troubled school systems.

TEXAS

GOP Leaders Of Texas House, Senate Underscore Divide In School-Voucher Debate
Dallas Morning News, TX, February 26, 2013
House Speaker Joe Straus and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst painted a clear contrast in their stances on school choice Tuesday, with Straus warning that a school voucher bill is unlikely to pass the House.

VIRGINIA

Loudoun County Rejects Proposal For Math, IT Charter School
Washington Post, DC, February 26, 2013
Loudoun County School Board members, many of whom campaigned to expand school choice, turned down their only pending charter school application Tuesday night after months of scrutiny and a storm of allegations that the applicants have hidden ties to a Muslim preacher.

WASHINGTON

State Schools Chief Talks Charter Schools, Education Funding
Q13 FOX, WA, February 26, 2013
Charter schools were approved by voters last fall and many supporters had hoped they would start as soon as this fall. But, it’s now clear things are moving slower than planned. In fact, the first charter schools won’t open until the fall of 2014 at the earliest.

WEST VIRGINIA

Legislators Should Pass The School Reform Bill
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, February 27, 2013
As state Senate President Jeff Kessler pointed out to Mannix Porterfield of the Register-Herald in Beckley, the state has devoted 60 percent to 65 percent of its general revenue budget to education for 30 years.

WISCONSIN

Fix School Funding Rather Than Expanding Vouchers
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, February 27, 2013
Education is getting next to nothing in Gov. Scott Walker’s budget. To the governor’s credit, the budget targets extra money for some schools rather than just throwing money in the pot. Only he missed the target by pumping state money into unaccountable private voucher schools.

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Report: Low Graduation Rates Mean Billions In Missed Income For Dropouts, State Budgets
Washington Post, DC, February 25, 2013
High school dropouts are costing some $1.8 billion in lost tax revenue every year, education advocates said in a report released Monday.

Teachers Not Gung-Ho On Guns At School
USA Today, February 26, 2013
The online survey of 10,661 teachers and administrators from all 50 states, due out Wednesday, was conducted in late January by the School Improvement Network.

FROM THE STATES

ALASKA

Three ‘Maybes’ And Two ‘Maybe Nots’
Juneau Empire, AK, February 26, 2013
The discussion on school choice or education vouchers has me wondering if, maybe, I should embrace this idea.

ARIZONA

Online Tool Shows How Proposed Performance Funding Affects AZ Schools
Capital Times, AZ, February 26, 2013
A new online tool is designed to help parents, students, teachers and school leaders around Arizona see how newly-proposed performance funding will benefit their local schools.

CALIFORNIA

Black Students’ Learning Gaps Start Early, Report Says
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 26, 2013
African American pupils are far less likely to take college prep classes and more likely to miss school because of suspensions, a group finds, calling for strong intervention.

Parents Claim Families Breaking Residency Rules To Enroll Kids In Popular Studio City School
CBS Los Angeles, CA, February 25, 2013
Some parents claim families are breaking residency rules in order to enroll their children in a popular Studio City charter school.

FLORIDA

Cape Charter Schools Asking For Lee Co. Money
NBC2 News, FL, February 25, 2013
Cape Coral Charter Schools’ top boss is asking for what he calls a “fair share” of district money. Monday night he took his case to city leaders in hopes they’ll back him.

IDAHO

Why Idaho May Be Headed For A Fight Between School Districts And Charter Schools
Boise State Public Radio, ID, February 25, 2013
Tuesday lawmakers in Idaho’s House Education Committee hear from the public and vote on a bill to give more money to charter schools.

ILLINOIS

Chicago Public Schools Under The Wire With Increasing Charter Schools
Examiner.com, February 25, 2013
During President Obama’s recent visit to Chicago he spent much time, publicly touting the ways, and even the possible means, to address the physical safety of the nation’s children, “When a child opens fire on another child, there is a hole in that child’s heart that government can’t fill.

INDIANA

FWCS Draws Line On New Charters
The Journal Gazette, IN, February 26, 2013
With one member objecting, the Fort Wayne Community Schools board Monday approved a resolution in opposition to any new charter schools planning to conduct classes within the district’s boundaries.

State’s Voucher Bill Devalues Sacrifice
The Journal Gazette, IN , February 26, 2013
The Indiana school voucher program is unfair to thousands of Hoosier parents who are getting hosed.

LOUISIANA

KIPP Leaders Track Recent 70-Student Loss
The Lens, LA, February 25, 2013
KIPP’s New Orleans enrollment has dropped by 70 students, with an estimated half of those moving out of the area and others moving to other local schools.

MAINE

LePage Voucher Plan For Low-Income Pupils Is Met With Concerns
Portland Press Herald, ME, February 26, 2013
Some lawmakers say Maine is already cutting school funding, so it doesn’t make sense to siphon off more money.

MARYLAND

Montgomery County Teachers Union Might Fight State About Evaluations
Maryland Gazette, MD, February 25, 2013
Montgomery County’s teachers union might be preparing to fight the Maryland State Department of Education regarding the department’s new requirements for teacher evaluations.

Board Members Seek Input, Expertise During Process To Open Carroll’s First Public Charter School
Carroll County Times, MD, February 26, 2013
Board members from the nonprofit Sustainable Futures, Inc. made a request for expertise at its first public meeting Monday night. The group is working on an application to open a Montessori public charter school in Carroll County, the first of its kind.

MASSACHUSETTS

Renaissance Charter School On Probation
Boston Globe, MA, February 26, 2013
State officials placed the Boston Renaissance Charter School on probation Monday, formally putting the school on notice that it must improve student academic performance or risk closure when its charter comes up for renewal in two years.

Committee Approves A Plan That Would Restrict Choice
Boston Globe, MA, February 25, 2013
After a year of deliberations, a special committee convened by the mayor proposed a new student-assignment system in Boston that would allow more children to attend school in their own neighborhoods while still allowing an element of choice.

NEBRASKA

Nebraska Education Chief Slams Charter School Bill
World-Herald, NE, February 26, 2013
Nebraska Education Commissioner Roger Breed came out swinging Monday against a bill that would allow limited charter schools to be created in Omaha.

NEW MEXICO

Dispelling Charter School Myths
Albuquerque Journal, NM, February 26, 2013
For the next couple of months in this column, I am going to focus on dispelling some of the myths about charter schools. Although charter schools have been in existence in many states for many years, and in New Mexico since 1999, they remain somewhat of a mystery to many people.

NEW YORK

City Revises Figures for Parent Involvement
Wall Street Journal, February 26, 2013
In September, it seemed that the Department of Education wasn’t living up to its promise to get parents more involved in schools: An annual statistical report from Mayor Michael Bloomberg showed steep drop-offs in the number of parents attending meetings and workshops, and administration critics said it reflected deep dissatisfaction among parents.

UFT’s Own Charter In Trouble
New York Post, NY, February 26, 2013
A charter school run solely by the city teachers union could be shut down after state education officials identified a slew of serious academic, financial and management failures.

Citing ‘Urgency,’ Georgia Governor Ousts 6 Members of DeKalb County School Board
New York Times, NY, February 26, 2013
Gov. Nathan Deal removed six members of the DeKalb County School Board on Monday, trying to save the state’s third-largest school system by exercising a relatively new power in Georgia that allows him to supersede the choice of voters.

OHIO

Panel Selects 4 State Superintendent Finalists
Columbus Dispatch, OH, February 26, 2013
A State Board of Education subcommittee yesterday named four finalists for state school superintendent.

PENNSYLVANIA

Pittsburgh Charter And City Schools To Meet
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, February 26, 2013
Pittsburgh Public Schools superintendent Linda Lane is trying to thaw the deep freeze in relations between the school district and charter schools.

Bear Creek Charter Fleshes Out Details Of Project
Times Leader, PA, February 25, 2013
It was another lengthy meeting for the Bear Creek Community Charter School board of trustees on Monday as it continued to drill down on the details of a $10 million new-school project.

Millcreek School Board Rejects Biosciences School
Erie Times-News, PA, February 26, 2013
The members of the Millcreek School Board turned down plans for a proposed new school in Millcreek Township, saying organizers did not have an adequate site and their curriculum was too similar to the Millcreek Township School District’s.

TENNESSEE

Herenton Says School Board Delaying On His Memphis Charter Requests
Commercial Appeal, TN, February 25, 2013
Former mayor Willie Herenton says the school board is purposefully dragging its feet on a decision to allow him to turn Northside High and Orleans Elementary into charter schools.

TEXAS

Not So Fast On More Charter Schools
Austin American-Statesman, TX, February 25, 2013
It was the “say what?” provision in the ambitious bill filed last week by state Sen. Dan Patrick to overhaul Texas’ charter school law: require public school districts to lease unused or underused buildings to charter operators for $1. By week’s end, Patrick, deflecting the backlash by blaming the provision on a clerical error, promised a rewrite.

Trustee: School Vouchers Hurting HCISD Funding
Valley Morning Star, TX, February 25, 2013
When the Harlingen School Board voted recently to oppose vouchers for private school attendance, they said they were trying to protect an already underfunded public school system.

School Districts Expanding Choices Of Students, Parents
Star-Telegram, TX, February 25, 2013
Public school districts are mobilizing to show that “school choice” is more than private-school vouchers and charter school startups.

Grand Prairie School-Choice Program’s Applications Double In Second Year
Dallas Morning News, TX, February 25, 2013
As Texas school funding is squeezed, districts like Grand Prairie ISD are using creative ways to address the problem by expanding educational choice.

WEST VIRGINIA

Teachers Unions Blast Tomblin School Reform Bill
Charleston Gazette, WV, February 25, 2013
West Virginia teachers union leaders swiftly denounced Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin’s sprawling education reform bill Monday, saying the legislation punishes teachers and does little to raise student achievement.

ONLINE LEARNING

Hill Recognized For Support Of Online Learning
Redmond Reporter, WA, February 25, 2013
Members of Washington state’s Digital Public Schools Alliance, who gathered at the state Capitol to lobby on behalf of online public schools, honored state Sen. Andy Hill with their “Pioneer Award” for his work on behalf of digital schools.

‘Flipped’ Classroom Boosts Achievement In St. Charles County Schools
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, February 25, 2013
Not many days will you find April Burton lecturing to her French classroom at Francis Howell Central High School. Instead, she gives students lessons at home, via videos posted online.