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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.

Nation’s Largest Cities Have Hundreds Of Empty Schools, Report Says
Fox News, February 11, 2013
Hundreds of schools in the nation’s largest cities are sitting empty as education officials struggle to sell these potentially valuable properties that are a drain on school district finances, according to a study released Monday.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

School Board Flexibility Bills
CBS42, AL, February 11, 2013
One of the two bills would give local school boards the option of entering flexibility contracts with the state and getting out of certain requirements. Opponents say that bill is too vague and could discourage new teachers from joining the work force.

Give Schools Flexibility
Gadsden Times, AL, February 11, 2013
That’s why we’re intrigued with a bill in the Legislature to give local school systems more flexibility in setting rules and regulations.

CALIFORNIA

Tale Of Two School Boards
Tehachapi News, CA, February 12, 2013
This is the story of two school boards; actually, it’s an incomplete story, as we do not know how things are going to turn out, but I think it’s worth telling.

San Jose Unified Teacher Evaluation, Pay Plan A Landmark For California
Mercury News, CA, February 11, 2013
The conventional wisdom in California holds that teachers’ unions are preventing education reform by putting their own interests ahead of what’s best for students. In some cases, it’s true. But not in all.

CONNECTICUT

Tight Budget Threatens Key School Reforms
Hartford Courant, CT, February 11, 2013
Last year, with the General Assembly’s overwhelming support, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy was able to enact the most meaningful education reform law our state has ever seen.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Study Shows Significant Midyear Turnover Among D.C. Students
Washington Post, DC, February 12, 2013
Thousands of students move in and out of the District’s traditional and charter schools during the middle of the academic year, according to a new report scheduled for release Tuesday, a significant level of student transfer that raises broad questions about how the city’s public education is delivered and funded.

FLORIDA

Broward Scrutinizes Bus Service To Charter Schools
Miami Herald, FL, February 11, 2013
Some question whether Broward’s school bus department is losing money by serving charter school students. The district insists that’s not the case.

Group Claims Closed Public Schools Will Open Doors For More Charter Schools
Brevard Times, FL, February 11, 2013
A political committee is warning of a potential takeover of closed school buildings by charter schools if the Brevard Public Schools board follows through with recommendations to close four schools at Tuesday night’s meeting.

GEORGIA

BOE Considers MCLB Charter School
Albany Herald, GA, February 11, 2013
Dougherty County School Board member Robert Youngblood proposed on Monday that the district enter into discussions with Marine Corps Logistics Base-Albany to explore the possibility of creating a K-thru-8 charter for the children of Marines and base employees.

IDAHO

Education Committees Hear Differing Views On What Is Best For Students
Idaho Reporter, ID, February 11, 2013
Leaders from both conventional public school districts and charter schools squared off Monday in a joint hearing of the education committees from the Idaho Senate and House of Representatives.

ILLINOIS

CPS To Lead New Round Of Hearings On School Closings
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 12, 2013
Another round of community meetings on public school closings in Chicago will begin Wednesday after the district releases a preliminary list of schools that could be shut down.

LOUISIANA

John White Proposes Overhaul In How Special Needs Students Are Funded
Times Picayune, LA, February 11, 2013
State Superintendent John White is proposing a major funding overhaul for special needs students in an effort to improve the graduation rates and better align state spending with the severity of each child’s need.

MAINE

Legislators Nearer To Closing $153M Budget Gap
Morning Sentinel, ME, February 11, 2013
Charter schools, General Assistance cap, cut to General Purpose Aid have yet to be addressed.

MICHIGAN

Report: DPS Authorized Charter Schools Among Lowest Performing Statewide
Detroit Free Press, MI, February 12, 2013
Charter schools authorized by Grand Valley State University have the best academic track record; while schools authorized by Detroit Public Schools have the worst, according to a report being discussed by the State Board of Education today.

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi House Votes To Give Every Teacher A Raise, But There’s No Money To Fund It
Mississippi Press, MS, February 11, 2013
The Mississippi House voted Monday to give every teacher a $5,000 pay raise starting July 1, but educators shouldn’t plan on that extra cash because the proposal has zero chance of surviving.

MONTANA

House Republicans Continue To Advance ‘School Choice’ Bills Through Legislature
Montana Standard, MT, February 12, 2013
House Republicans Monday endorsed a trio of “school-choice” bills, including ones that authorize charter schools in Montana and create state income-tax credits for families sending their kids to private schools.

NEW YORK

School for ‘Gifted’ Is Aiming Higher
Wall Street Journal, February 12, 2013
Speyer Legacy has a lofty mission: It bills itself as New York City’s only private school exclusively for gifted children. But despite the built-in appeal for striving parents and their high-achieving children, the four-year-old school has yet to and establish itself as a top choice for the city’s most elite students.

NYC Outlines Teacher Training, Evaluation Goals
Wall Street Journal, February 12, 2013
The city Department of Education has sent a letter to the state Education Department outlining its teacher training and evaluation goals and the steps it has taken to implement them.

Many Levels, Types, of Power
Wall Street Journal, February 11, 2013
Mayoral control has had profound effects on city schools, which educate 1.1 million students in 1,750 city district and charter schools.

City DOE Tries To Salvage State School Aid With Potential Plan For Teacher Evaluations
NY1, NY, February 11, 2013
The city says it plans to spend millions to train educators on a new teacher evaluation system, but there is no teacher evaluation system in the city yet.

NORTH CAROLINA

School Choice Group Releases Report On Private School Costs In NC
Greensboro News & Record, NC, February 11, 2013
Parents for Educational Freedom in North Carolina, a school choice group, believes private school tuition is not as far out of reach for working class parents as some people claim.

OHIO

Cleveland School District Lacks Attendance Records, Ohio Auditor Calls For Further Investigation
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, February 11, 2013
Cleveland is one of nine school districts across the state that improperly “scrubbed” their student attendance data in the 2010-11 school year, according to a long-awaited report released Monday by Ohio Auditor Dave Yost.

PENNSYLVANIA

How To Reuse Closed School Buildings? Often, Charters
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 12, 2013
If plans move forward to shut one in six Philadelphia schools, what happens to the discarded buildings?

Legal Status Of Two Philly Charter Schools Still Unresolved
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 12, 2013
More than six months after a federal grand jury charged charter-school founder Dorothy June Brown and four administrators with defrauding the schools of more than $6.5 million, the legal status of two of the schools remains unresolved.

TENNESSEE

KCEA Opposes Proposal To Link Teacher Pay With Test Scores
WATE, TN, February 11, 2013
Tennessee education officials are looking at linking teachers’ salaries to how well their students perform on state tests.

VIRGINIA

Teacher Probation Bill Heads To Governor
Washington Post, DC, February 11, 2013
A key provision of Gov. Robert F. McDonnell’s school reform package is heading to the governor for his signature, as the Senate passed a bill Monday that will make it easier to dismiss under-performing teachers.

ONLINE LEARNING

Virtual Learning Needs Support In Tennessee
The Tennessean, TN, February 11, 2013
Recently, there have been proposals to revoke the Tennessee Virtual Schools Act passed two years ago.

Online Public Academy Receives Criticism From Lawmakers, Praise From Parents
Knoxville News Sentinel, TX, February 11, 2013
Every Monday morning, Daniel Hunter, 7, turns on the computer in his Knoxville home and logs into the Tennessee Virtual Academy’s website to see what he’s doing in second grade that week. Daniel sees his teacher via video conference several times each week. His math lessons look like video games, and a recent science lesson taught the digestive system with elaborate computer graphics.

State’s Kids Deserve More Than ‘Virtual’ Education
Daily News Journal, TN, February 11, 2013
Tennessee’s publicly funded Virtual Academy has failed its students, and we’re not sure the governor’s proposal to cap enrollment at 5,000 is a tough enough response.

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.

Holding States and Schools Accountable
New York Times, NY, February 10, 2013
As Congress contemplates rewriting No Child Left Behind, President George W. Bush’s signature education law, legislators will tussle over a vision of how the federal government should hold states and schools accountable for students’ academic progress.

The Secret to Fixing Bad Schools
New York Times, NY, February 10, 2013
WHAT would it really take to give students a first-rate education? Some argue that our schools are irremediably broken and that charter schools offer the only solution. The striking achievement of Union City, N.J. — bringing poor, mostly immigrant kids into the educational mainstream — argues for reinventing the public schools we have.

FROM THE STATES

ARKANSAS

ADE Discusses Common Core and Charter Schools
KARK, AR, February 10, 2013
The Arkansas State Board of Education is meeting for a work session to discuss Common Core state standards and upcoming charter school renewal process ahead of the board’s meeting Monday morning.

CALIFORNIA

Teamwork Reverses School’s Fortune
Stockton Record, CA, February 11, 2013
Undeterred by the foreboding sky threatening rain, fifth-grade teacher Talia Ortega led her 30 students to the Nightingale Charter School playground last week, not for fun and games but to study the water cycle.

COLORADO

Charter School Opens $9.7 Million Facility
9NEWS, CO, February 10, 2013
Tammy Stringari knows first-hand how difficult it can be for charter schools to pay for their own buildings. That’s why when Jefferson Academy opened the doors on a new building for the first time Saturday afternoon, the principal says it was the end of a journey both short and long.

Waldorf-Inspired Local Charter School Focuses On Sustainability
The Coloradoan, CO, February 9, 2013
More than three years ago, a group of local parents and educators convened to discuss how they could create a Waldorf-inspired school in Fort Collins. Their vision was to open a school where children would be educated to know their own creative power, their day to day would be steeped in sustainable living practices, arts and music would be the threads that tie all subjects together, and each child would feel their place within the community.

Critics Linger, But Colorado Girds For Roll-Out Of Common Core
Denver Post, CO, February 10, 2013
As a ninth-grade earth-science teacher, Cheryl Mosier initially figured the upcoming implementation of national standards for math and literacy would have little impact on her classes at Columbine High School.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. Debates Growth Of Charter Schools
Washington Post, DC, February 10, 2013
It’s the latest sign that the District is on track to become a city where a majority of children are educated not in traditional public schools but in public charters: A California nonprofit group has proposed opening eight D.C. charter schools that would enroll more than 5,000 students by 2019.

Charters Shell Out To Renovate Long-Vacant D.C. School Buildings
Washington Examiner, DC, February 10, 2013
With its students divided among three campuses on 16th Street Northwest — sharing facilities with churches on two — it’s easy to understand why Washington Latin Public Charter School is eager to lease a former D.C. public school.

The Exaggeration Of Charter School Waiting List
Washington Post Blog, DC, February 10, 2013
No doubt there are excellent charter schools in the country where the waiting lists are very, very long. But there also are instances where waiting lists aren’t exactly as long as they appear.

FLORIDA

With Millions At Stake, Tutoring Lobby Goes Into Action
Miami Herald, FL, February 11, 2013
Florida won a waiver from a requirement that school districts hire tutors, but the industry made sure the money kept flowing.

GEORGIA

Blackmon: ‘Parent Trigger’ Sidesteps Real Education Issues
Athens Banner-Herald, GA, February 9, 2013
Making its way through the Georgia House of Representatives is a nefarious bill under the misleading name of Parent and Teacher Empowerment Act. It is more commonly known as the “parent trigger.” Some are calling it The Chaos Theory of Running Our Schools Act.

Bill Seeks New Teacher Evaluation System
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, February 9, 2013
State Rep. Randy Nix, R-LaGrange, has introduced legislation to establish a new system for the evaluation of teachers, assistant principals and principals.

IDAHO

On Education, Legislators Must Do More Than Listen
Idaho Statesman, ID, February 11, 2013
Idaho’s House and Senate Education committees need to focus more on Idaho’s educational dog and not the charter school tail wagging it. If you rounded up every child enrolled in a charter school as well as every student who’d like to attend one, you’d still be talking about no more than 10 percent of the kids in the Gem State.

ILLINOIS

A Do-Over On Accountability For UNO Charter-School Contracting
Chicago Sun Times, IL, February 10, 2013
The United Neighborhood Organization seems to have forgotten that it pays its bills with public dollars.

CPS Parents Make Pre-Emptive Push To Keep Logan Square School Open
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 11, 2013
Brentano Elementary Math and Science Academy not yet slated for shutdown, but it meets CPS criteria for closing

KANSAS

School Choice Provides Hope, Opportunity
Wichita Eagle, KS, February 11, 2013
The results of our assignment-by-ZIP code public-education system over the last half century show that we shouldn’t. Graduation rates have remained stagnant since the 1970s, with roughly three-quarters of students graduating. In some of America’s largest cities, fewer than half of all students complete high school.

LOUISIANA

La. High Court To Hear Voucher Case
The Advocate, LA, February 11, 2013
Louisiana’s top court next month will hear the state’s appeal of a Baton Rouge judge’s ruling that Louisiana’s expanded voucher program, along with another key legislatively approved piece of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s public school overhaul plan, unconstitutionally divert public funds to private and parochial schools.

Cravins Calls For Independent District
Opelousas Daily World, LA, February 10, 2013
Opelousas Mayor Donald Cravins has said that he will ask the city council at its Feb. 19 meeting to either create an independent school district for the city or move to a charter school system.

Continuing School Reforms In Jefferson Parish
Times-Picayune, LA, February 10, 2013
For years Jefferson Parish school leaders resisted change, rejecting education reform measures and allowing parish schools to slide downward. Fortunately, that is no longer true. The latest evidence is the new partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to try to make the system’s budget line up with goals for reform.

MARYLAND

Montgomery Schools Wrong To Balk At Evaluation Proposals
Washington Post, DC, February 9, 2013
MARYLAND ESTABLISHED its credentials as a leader in education reform by insisting on making schools accountable for their results. That certainly was the hallmark of now-retired state schools superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick, whose lengthy tenure pioneered reforms that are now established education policy.

Charter And Independent Schools Faced Financial, Academic Challenges
Baltimore Sun, MD, February 9, 2013
In response to a system that many believed had long failed young black boys, a school began to take shape seven years ago in a small East Baltimore neighborhood.

MASSACHUSETTS

Chieppo And Gass: More Charter Schools To Close The Education Gap
Medway Country Gazette, MA, February 10, 2013
It’s easy to become desensitized to the plight of students in our lowest-performing school districts. We routinely read about the latest efforts to turn around a failing school or, as in Lawrence, an entire district. But the problem never seems to go away.

MICHIGAN

Snyder Criticized In School Aid Move
Detroit News, MI, February 11, 2013
For the third year in a row, Gov. Rick Snyder’s budget is balanced by diverting nearly $400 million from a fund normally reserved for K-12 public schools to fund community colleges and four-year universities.

MINNESOTA

German Immersion School Will Move To St. Paul’s Como Park Area
Twin Cities Pioneer Press, MN, February 10, 2013
Minnesota’s only German-language charter school is gearing up for a move this summer. Amid the bustle of light rail construction at its University Avenue spot in St. Paul, the Twin Cities German Immersion School has been looking around for a permanent home. Meanwhile, its enrollment continued to grow.

MONTANA

MEA-MFT Is Wrong In Calling School Choice Unconstitutional
Montana Standard, MT, February 10, 2013
The stark contrast between a statesman and a lobbyist or politician is no more clear than in the remarks Eric Feaver, president of MEA-MFT. Unfortunately, Mr. Feaver’s untruthful remarks (“MEA-MFT: Just say ‘no’ to Joe,” Feb. 1) resonate only with the uneducated, and there are a lot of them.

NEVADA

Improving Schools Isn’t Easy, And It’s Certainly Not Cheap
Reno Gazette-Journal, NV, February 11, 2013
Running a school isn’t easy, and it certainly isn’t cheap. It’s especially difficult if you try to do it on the approximately $6,000 per student that Nevada provides to public and charter schools.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Stiles Should Support Voucher Repeal
Seacoast Online, NH, February 10, 2013
Starting next September, New Hampshire’s new voucher program would provide scholarships worth an average of $2,500 per year to students going to private and religious schools and up to $625 for home schooling costs. Businesses could fund these scholarships in lieu of paying their state taxes. The state would off-set the lost business taxes by reducing state funding to school districts.

NEW JERSEY

In Local Battles Against Charters, Florence Township Joins the Fray
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, February 11, 2013
In what is becoming an annual ritual in towns across the state, another charter school is running into local resistance.

Laying Siege To New Jersey’s Public School System
Times of Trenton, NJ, February 11, 2013
If one follows press reports in this country, one gets the distinct impression that there is a grand scheme afoot to destroy the American public school system. The demise of public schools, it’s suggested, will make way for the Golden Age of Charter Schools, the self-styled wave of the future, the Promised Land and long-awaited Deliverer of American education.

NEW MEXICO

Crammed Classes
Albuquerque Journal, NM, February 11, 2013
For the past three years, Albuquerque Public Schools has been operating under a class size waiver from the state, which allows classes to exceed state maximums. This year and last, the waiver has allowed APS to exceed the minimums by 7 percent. For example, secondary teachers can now have a daily course load of 171 students instead of 160. In fiscal 2011, the district had a 3 percent waiver.

NEW YORK

Harlem Offers Elementary School Options From Magnets to Charters
DNAinfo, NY, February 11, 2013
Talk to Harlem parents, students and educators, and the tension between charter schools and district public schools is evident.

NORTH CAROLINA

To Close Achievement Gap, CMS Needs Cultural Competency
Charlotte Observer, NC, February 10, 2013
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools has been nationally recognized for progress in narrowing achievement gaps for our students.

OHIO

Charter Schools Are Scapegoats
Tribune Chronicle, OH, February 10, 2013
Late last month a chorus of local public school administrators sounded off against state funding of charter schools. Those administrators, however, painted a skewed picture of the charter schools issue.

Stakes High For New Teacher Evaluation System
Hamilton Journal News, OH, February 9, 2013
Student performance will factor into teacher’s evaluation. Hamilton, Middletown schools have started to implement system that will be required next school year.

PENNSYLVANIA

Charter Expansion Will Further Damage District
Burlington County Times, PA, February 9, 2013
As a Florence resident whose four children attend our wonderful public schools, I am adamantly opposed to the proposed expansion of the Riverbank Charter School and feel that it will further damage an already well-run school district.

Some Closings Would Shift Students To Buildings In Worse Shape
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 10, 2013
Faced with a stock of aging, costly buildings and tens of thousands of empty seats, Philadelphia School District officials recently announced a plan to shut one in six Philadelphia schools.

SOUTH DAKOTA

School Reform Shifts To Students
Sioux Falls Argus Leader, SD, February 10, 2013
After the resounding rejection by voters of Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s teacher-focused education reform agenda, state education officials have turned attention back to the students.

TENNESSEE

Shelby Schools Battle Now Awaits Judge’s Ruling
Commercial Appeal, TN, February 10, 2013
Now that Shelby County’s six suburban municipalities have pulled out of negotiations for municipal charter school organizations, U.S. Dist. Judge Samuel “Hardy” Mays must do something he’s been reluctant to since a suburban filing two years ago put schools lawsuits into federal court.

TEXAS

Texas Education Agency Works To Improve Scrutiny Of Charter School Applications
Dallas Morning News, TX, February 9, 2013
State education leaders say they want to avoid a repeat of last year, when several charter school proposals were found to have sections with identical or nearly identical wording.

By Any Name, Vouchers Don’t Work
Amarillo Globe News, TX, February 9, 2013
This is timely advice with the 83rd session of the Texas Legislature under way, and school voucher supporters vowing to make another run at passing voucher legislation despite a string of failed attempts.

VERMONT

New School Choice Rules Get Mixed Review
Burlington Free Press, VT, February 11, 2013
Under a new law, Vermont students may apply to any of the 61 public high schools in the state, regardless of where they live.

WISCONSIN

School Voucher Expansion Wrong
Appleton Post Crescent, WI, February 10, 2013
A year and a half ago, a provision was snuck into the state budget bill at the last minute that established a formula to expand the voucher school program beyond Milwaukee and Racine.

True Accountability In Action At A Choice School
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, February 9, 2013
Two years ago, I wrote an op-ed chiding then editorial columnist O. Ricardo Pimentel of the Journal Sentinel for his ill-conceived column accusing advocates of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP) of “cynically” using minority children as “pawns.” Since then, Pimentel has left Milwaukee and I have been hired as president of the largest private school (St. Anthony School of Milwaukee) that currently participates in the choice program.

Number of Wisconsin Parents Using Open Enrollment Program Rises
Wausau Daily Herald, WI, February 11, 2013
Wausau-area school districts are reporting a record number of parents using the state’s open enrollment process to choose the schools their children attend.

ONLINE LEARNING

Local School Officials: Virtual Learning OK As A Supplement
Sentinel & Enterprise, MA, February 9, 2013
Legislators and educators applauded the benefits of virtual schools at a seminar Thursday, praising an innovation that allows students to learn at their own pace and take advantage of technology in the classroom.

Conn. Massacre Prompts Parents To Enroll Kids In Cyber School
Citizen Voice, PA, February 11, 2013
An attack on an elementary school in Connecticut led a Pennsylvania mother to transfer her two sons into a cyber school so they could take all their classes at home on a computer.

Hazleton Cyber School ‘Creative’ To Fit Students’ Needs
Standard Speaker, PA, February 10, 2013
Students in the Hazleton Area Virtual Academy have the same teachers, same attendance rules and earn the same diplomas as their peers at Hazleton Area High School.

Cyber-School Possibilities
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 10, 2013
When Philadelphia’s new school superintendent, William Hite Jr., started looking for ways to entice students back who had left the School District, one of his first stated goals was to start a new cyber school.

Virtual Schools Grow In Numbers, But Eau Claire Is Yet To Commit
Leader-Telegram, WI, February 10, 2013
Eau Claire school board member Kathryn Duax asked district administrators last week why they hadn’t pursued opening a virtual school.

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

A Long Struggle for Equality in Schools
New York Times, NY, February 8, 2013
Looking back at the school desegregation case he took as a young lawyer, Rubin Salter Jr. sees a pile of wasted money and squandered opportunities. After almost four decades in court and nearly $1 billion in public spending, little has changed for the black children whose right to a good education he had labored to defend.

The Demographic Power Behind Effective Charter Schools
National Journal, February 7, 2013
Still, Angrist’s work continues to inform the public discussion on charter school expansion. Many states have laws capping the number of charter schools; in 2010, thanks in part to new research, Massachusetts passed a law that relaxed its caps for “proven providers.” As Angrist and colleagues argue in their upcoming paper, policies that favor schools with “documented effectiveness” could go a long way toward reducing achievement gaps.

Feds May Use Education Reforms To Gain More Control
Everett Daily Herald, WA, February 8, 2013
It’s not a new law, just a clarification of an old one, but as clarifications go, it could certainly be very interesting.

Education Reform Will Trump Waivers
Washington Times, DC, February 7, 2013
If Congress decides to do its job, the hard work of education officials in nearly three dozen states suddenly will go down the drain.

Schools Need A Timeout On Standardized Tests
Washington Post, DC, February 7, 2013
The Common Core State Standards have been adopted by 45 states and the District as the foundation for what students in America’s public schools need to know and be able to do. They will require our children to develop a deeper, more conceptual understanding in mathematics and English-language arts. They hold tremendous promise for improving our international competitiveness.

FROM THE STATES

ARIZONA

Charter With Tie To UA To Close
Arizona Star, AZ, February 8, 2013
A Tucson charter school hailed as a model for the future when it opened in 2006 because of its partnership with the University of Arizona will close its doors at the end of this school year.

CALIFORNIA

More Exploratory Options For District 303 Kids
Daily Pilot, CA, February 8, 2013
St. Charles middle school students will have more choice and control over their exploratory classes next school year after administrators say they took parent suggestions to shift the exploratory curriculum.

Closing The Achievement Gap Before It Starts
San Diego Union-Tribune, CA, February 7, 2013
It’s well-known that many children in our community come into the education system at a distinct disadvantage. By the time they are 3 years old, high-income children have a vocabulary of more than 1,110 words, while very low-income children possess only about 500 words.

Outside Spending Pours Into L.A. School Board Race
Los Angeles Times Blog, CA, February 7, 2013
Outside groups are mounting campaigns to influence the outcome of three races for seats on the Los Angeles Board of Education.

FLORIDA

Payouts at NorthStar Charter Spur Legislative Reform Effort
Orlando Sentinel, FL, February 7, 2013
Florida lawmakers outraged that a failed Orlando charter school paid its outgoing principal more than $500,000 last year are moving to tighten the state’s charter laws so taxpayer money doesn’t go to “unreasonable compensation” or to schools “failing our students.”

Galvano: Teacher Pay Raise Needs A Lot Of Work
The Florida Current, FL, February 7, 2013
Members of the Senate Appropriations Education Subcommittee Thursday listened politely while Kim McDougal, the governor’s education policy coordinator, explained Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed education budget. Senators had few questions about the $22 billion spending plan that includes $488 million to give public schoolteachers across-the-board pay raises of $2,500.

GEORGIA

‘Parent Trigger’ Charter Bill Passes House Subcommittee
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, February 8, 2013
A Georgia House subcommittee approved a “parent trigger” charter schools bill Thursday, setting the stage for its consideration next week by the full Education Committee.

New Charter School Report: Success Or Failure Set By Year Three
Atlanta Journal Constitution Blog, GA, February 8, 2013
Interesting study on charter school successes and failures: A new report by Stanford University’s Center for Research on Education Outcomes found that charter schools, as they age or replicate into networks, are very likely to continue the patterns and performance set by their early years of operation, and that for most charter schools their ultimate success or failure can be predicted by year three of a school’s life.

ILLINOIS

Mayor Says The UNO Should Be “Held Accountable” For Contract Cronyism
Chicago Sun Times, IL, February 7, 2013
Mayor Rahm Emanuel said Thursday the United Neighborhood Organization should be “held accountable” for contract cronyism with a $98 million state grant believed to be the nation’s largest government investment in charter schools.

INDIANA

House Committee Approves Expansion Of Indiana’s School Voucher Program
Evansville Courier & Press, IN, February 7, 2013
The Indiana House Education Committee signed off Thursday on an expansion of the Republican-backed school voucher system.

LOUISIANA

BESE President Wants More Charters
Monroe News Star, LA, February 8, 2013
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education President Chas Roemer believes creating charter schools, including chartering both high- and low-performing existing schools, and empowering people at local schools to make their own decisions will help reform public education in Louisiana.

Value Of School Waivers Questioned
The Advocate, LA, February 8, 2013
A national report Thursday questioned one of the key strategies Louisiana is using to improve student performance after the state landed some highly touted waivers last year from the federal government.

MAINE

Legislators Working To Close Spending Gap, Resolve Conflict Over Budget Proposals
Morning Sentinel, ME, February 7, 2013
LePage administration has proposed $153.2 million in adjustments to meet 2013 budget gap

MASSACHUSETTS

Tears at Charter School Lottery; Applications Up 20 Percent
Farmington Patch, MA, February 8, 2013
The Christa McAuliffe Regional Public Charter School held its annual lottery for admission Thursday night.

MICHIGAN

Charter School Staff Votes To Seek Union Representation
Detroit Free Press, MI, February 8, 2013
Eva Coleman is looking to have more of a voice in how the school she has taught at for nearly 12 years operates, which is why she is among the staff at Cesar Chavez Academy to vote Thursday to seek union representation.

Attorney General Bill Schuette Loses Effort To Remove 7 Of 11 Detroit Public Schools Board Members
Detroit Free Press, MI, February 8, 2013
The state attorney general lost a court challenge this week to remove most of Detroit’s school board.

Friends School of Detroit Reviving Slowly, Battling to Survive
Detroit News, MI, February 8, 2013
It’s the little school that could stay open.
The Friends School of Detroit — opened 48 years ago near downtown to promote Quaker values — is trying to battle back from declining enrollment and financial problems.

School Advocates Say Budget Increase Is A Start, But Not Enough
Detroit News, MI, February 8, 2013
Education advocates applauded Gov. Rick Snyder’s proposed funding increase in the 2013-14 budget unveiled Thursday, but said more needs to be done to get back on the path to prosperity.

MINNESOTA

Vouchers Are Not Best Bet For Minnesota Schools
Star Tribune, MN, February 7, 2013
When even an advocate of private-school choice has to admit there is no convincing evidence that vouchers produce better student achievement (“Minnesota falls behind on school choice,” Jan. 28) it raises the question: How is Minnesota missing the boat?

MISSISSIPPI

Mississippi Senators Approve Education Reform Efforts Aimed At Kids’ Early Years
Commercial Appeal, TN, February 7, 2013
State senators on Thursday approved two key provisions of education reform efforts: legislation authorizing an $8 million pre-kindergarten program and a bill requiring children to be able to read before leaving third grade.

MISSOURI

Governor’s Idea To Lengthen The School Calendar Could Get Complicated
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, February 8, 2013
Students in Missouri who grumble about too much time in school should take comfort: The state’s minimum requirement for school days is one of the shortest in the country.

NORTH CAROLINA

Wake Schools Chairman Accuses County Commissioners Of ‘Power Grab’
News & Observer, NC, February 7, 2013
Wake County school board Chairman Keith Sutton accused county commissioners Thursday of attempting a “power grab” with proposed state legislative changes that he said would “decimate” the school system.

PENNSYLVANIA

Planners Offer Vision of New Bear Creek Community Charter School
Wilkes Barre Times-Leader, PA, February 8, 2013
The new Bear Creek Community Charter School started to take shape Thursday during a marathon planning session involving the school’s board of trustees, administrators and representatives of the construction team for what the presenters called “the school in the woods.”

Closing Schools: It’s Not Just About Money
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 7, 2013
School District of Philadelphia recently issued its list of 37 schools to be closed permanently this year. We just can’t afford them anymore, the district tells us. The deficit is too big, so it’s time for parents and students to make “painful choices.” The financial crisis is one reason neighborhood schools are on the chopping block, but it is not the only one.

TENNESSEE

Education Chief Praises Tennessee’s Progress
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, February 8, 2013
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan lauded Tennessee’s new teacher evaluation system Thursday as an example of how states are working to boost teacher quality and student performance.

TN School Voucher Issues Ripple Far
The Tennessean, TN, February 8, 2013
When deciding whether to support Gov. Bill Haslam’s school voucher proposal, state lawmakers will need to consider if ultimately allowing 20,000 students to take advantage of vouchers is really the best use of public money, a Vanderbilt University professor said Thursday.

VIRGINIA

McDonnell, Jindal Meet Today To Talk About Education Reform
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, February 8, 2013
A week after enlisting former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush in his campaign for education reform, Gov. Bob McDonnell is calling on another prominent fellow Republican.

WASHINGTON

Seattle’s New Elementaries Would Be Among State’s Biggest, Most Expensive
Seattle Times, WA, February 7, 2013
The average price tag of the elementary schools in Seattle’s levy proposal is at least 20 percent higher than every similar project approved in the state in recent years.

School Funding Should Be Tied To Improvement In Student Learning
Seattle Times, WA, February 7, 2013
Washington state should reconnect learning to spending so as we add additional dollars into public education it means better results for our students, writes guest columnist Steve Litzow.

WEST VIRGINIA

Governor, Officials Urge Education Reform
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, February 7, 2013
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, legislators and education officials agree: the time to reform West Virginia education is now.

ONLINE LEARNING

Virtual Academy Deal Was Thoroughly Botched
Greenville News, TN, February 7, 2013
Gov. Bill Haslam has sponsored a bill to cap student enrollment in the Tennessee Virtual Academy. This is essentially a vote of “no confidence” by the governor for the program in particular and online primary and secondary schooling in general.

Glendora-Based Online Academy Offers Alternative For K-12 Education
San Gabriel Valley Tribune, CA, February 7, 2013
Since its inception three years ago, Oak Knoll Virtual Academy has provided an alternative way to get a public education for grades K-12.

A Los Angeles High School Illustrates the Strengths and Challenges of Blended Learning
Paramus Post, NJ, February 7, 2013
Blended learning, an innovative educational model that combines online with traditional instruction, is starting to take hold across the country as a means for improving efficiency, reducing costs, and boosting student achievement.

Southern California Online Academy Progressing, Officials Say
Press Enterprise, CA, February 7, 2013
Southern California Online Academy is progressing well, district officials told the Lake Elsinore Unified school board during a special workshop Thursday, Feb. 7.

Students Praise Charter School Online Program
Friday Flyer, CA, February 8, 2013
Canyon Lake families sometimes wonder about alternatives to public education for their children – alternatives that include private school, home school or charter school.