In Rush To Evaluate Teachers On Student Performance, Districts Struggle With Special Education
Associated Press, April 24, 2012
Spurred by the U.S. Department of Education’s $4.35 billion Race to the Top grant competition, more than a dozen states have passed laws to reform how teachers are evaluated and include student growth as a component. For most students, that growth will be measured on standardized tests. But for special education students that is considerably more complicated.
Schools Left Behind Until Law Changes
Northwest Herald, IL, April 24, 2012
As 2014 draws closer, it has become even more evident that the expectations set by No Child Left Behind were unrealistic.
FROM THE STATES
New K-5 Charter School Enrolling Students
Auburn Journal, CA, April 25, 2012
The Auburn Union School District is accepting students for the Alta Vista Community Charter. On May 1 the district is hosting a parent meeting in the multipurpose room at Alta Vista School to answer questions about the new charter school, open to kindergarten through fifth graders.
Small Fresno School May Lose Its Charter
The Fresno Bee, CA, April 24, 2012
Despite big gains in test scores, the Fresno Academy for Civic and Entrepreneurial Leadership is at risk of losing its charter tonight at the Fresno Unified School District board meeting.
L.A. Unified Moves To Revoke Charter At Valley High School
Los Angeles Times, CA, April 25, 2012
The district has faulted Birmingham Community Charter High School for allegedly mishandling student expulsions and services to disabled students. School officials say they’re aware of no major problems.
Facts Belie Notion That Malloy Wants Others To Profit From Schools’ Pain
Hartford Courant , CT, April 24, 2012
Democrat Dannel P. Malloy is really about privatizing your public schools. That’s the absurd territory we have lurched into in the debate over how to fix the state’s urban schools where children don’t learn to read and high school kids don’t graduate.
Can A Charter School Be A Neighborhood School?
Washington Post Blog, DC, April 24, 2012
Charter purists don’t like it, but there is growing political energy behind the idea, as evidenced by Tuesday’s D.C. Council hearing for the FY13 Public Charter School Board budget. Right now, charters are open to eligible student.
District Board Gives Tentative Approval to 4 New Charter Schools to Open in August of 2013
Washington Post, DC, April 25, 2012
The D.C. Public Charter School Board has given tentative approval to four new charter schools to open their doors in August of 2013.
Sela, A Hebrew Language Charter School, Will Strengthen D.C. Jewish Community
Washington Post, DC, April 24, 2012
A Hebrew language public charter school (pre-K through fifth grade) called Sela Public Charter School has recently been granted a conditional charter to open in the District of Columbia .
‘Framework’ for More of the Same in D.C. Schools
Washington Times, DC, April 24, 2012
Big doings in the District on Wednesday afternoon, when officials are scheduled to announce plans for the Gray administration’s Early Success Framework, a cradle-to-career initiative that, while perhaps well-intentioned, should be viewed with considerable skepticism and through a lens of benchmarks that measures the effectiveness of traditional public schooling.
Drug Testing and the Law
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, FL, April 25, 2012
The staff at Imagine School in North Port recently proposed to require all students, from sixth grade to 12th grade, to take drug tests. Students would be tested upon entering the school, and each student would be randomly tested during the academic year.
Volusia School Board Votes to Close Troubled Charter
Orlando Sentinel, FL, April 24, 2012
Volusia County School Board members voted unanimously Tuesday to shutter a first-year charter school after learning about 21 academic and management violations at the school.
Board Opts Against Voting on Charter Resolution
The Ledger, FL, April 24, 2012
After a two-week extension to resolve the charter controversy between Lakeland High School and Harrison Center for the Visual and Performing Arts, Superintendent of Schools Sherrie Nickell recommended Tuesday that the School Board scrap voting on a resolution.
Brizard Hopes Funds For Longer School Days Give Principals More Autonomy
Chicago Tribune, IL, April 24, 2012
Since arriving at the helm of Chicago Public Schools last year, schools chief Jean-Claude Brizard has emphasized the primary role of principals in reforming schools.
Illinois Moves To Boot Two School Boards From Office
FOX Illinois, IL, April 24, 2012
The Illinois State Board of Education is set to oust the boards of two urban school districts characterized by pitiful academic performance and, in at least one case, corrupt leadership.
RSD to Run Istrouma High
The Advocate, LA, April 25, 2012
Istrouma High School is being taken over this summer by the Louisiana Department of Education and placed under new management, the interim superintendent of the East Baton Rouge Parish school system said Tuesday.
Louisiana Sets Window To Apply For Private School Vouchers
Times Picayune, LA, April 24, 2012
Louisiana parents will have from May 22 until June 29 to turn in an application for state aid to send their children to private or religious schools in the fall, the state Department of Education said Tuesday. The agency is moving quickly to roll out a major component of Gov. Bobby Jindal’sbroader education overhaul.
Time To Question Quality of Private Schooling
Shreveport Times, LA, April 25, 2012
With the rising debate over the newly passed voucher bill designed to give parents the opportunity to send their kids to private schools, I would like to raise this question. Do private schools really provide a better education than public schools?
Second Voucher Plan Clears Legislature, Heads to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Desk
Times Picayune, LA, April 24, 2012
A second private school tuition voucher proposal is on the way to Gov. Bobby Jindal’s desk, with both legislative chambers on Tuesday approving a final version of a plan that would allow corporations and individuals to recoup state general fund rebates for contributions they make to private organizations that dole out tuition grants.
2 To Decide Repeal Have Ties To Emergency Manager Law Debate
Detroit News, MI, April 25, 2012
Two members on the state Board of Canvassers who will decide whether a repeal of the controversial emergency manager law makes the November ballot have strong ties to groups on both sides of the politically charged issue.
Final Approval Expected For Charter Academy
WZZM 13, MI, April 24, 2012
A new public arts charter school is on track to open this fall in Grand Rapids .
The Grand Rapids Ellington Academy of Arts and Technology has received a preliminary go-ahead to open under a charter contract with Lake Superior State University .
Sponsorship Change Approved for Duluth Edison Charter
Duluth News Tribune, MN, April 25, 2012
A new organization soon will oversee Duluth Edison Charter Schools. Innovative Quality Schools of Minneapolis applied with the Minnesota Department of Education to take over sponsorship of the schools, and its application was approved this week.
The Real Lessons in Newark’s School Board Election
Star Ledger, NJ, April 24, 2012
If we look at the Tuesday, April 17th School Advisory Board Election in Newark, it might seem to be more of the same: only about 8 percent of the registered voters turned out to send three people, two from one ticket, one from another, to a board that can make no real decisions. On its face, no deviation from the ordinary politics and patterns of voter participation that has typified Newark for many years.
Newark School Board Picks New Chairwoman, Shifting Panel’s Dynamic
Star-Ledger, NJ, April 24, 2012
Antoinette Baskerville-Richardson is the new chairwoman of the Newark School Advisory Board, cementing an electoral victory for the Children First team and shifting the dynamic of the school board.
Tougher Tenure Track On Tap For Old Bridge Teachers
Sayreville Suburban, NJ, April 25, 2012
For teachers in the district’s 15 schools, qualifying for tenure is about to become a little more difficult. Under a new initiative by the Board of Education and interim Superintendent of Schools Dr. Tim Brennan, “only outstanding staff members get tenure.”
Board of Regents Votes to Close Pinnacle
Buffalo News, NY, April 24, 2012
The Board of Regents voted Tuesday to close Pinnacle Charter School in June. A recent state Education Department report recommended the board not renew the school’s charter, citing concerns about the students’ academic performance over the past few years.
In Charter Battle, Union Turns to School’s Namesake for Help
New York Times Schoolbook, NY, April 24, 2012
A years-long fight over unionization efforts by teachers at a Harlem charter school has crossed the Atlantic Ocean and landed in South Africa, at the doorstep of one of the famous families the school is named after.
State Board Approves Trustees Merger For Five Success Academy Schools
NY1, NY, April 24, 2012
The Success Academy Charter schools are among the city’s highest performing and most controversial schools, as they are state-funded and housed rent-free in public school buildings, and on Tuesday a state board allowed five of these schools boards to merge under a single board of trustees. NY1’s Education reporter Lindsey Christ filed the following report.
Teacher Evaluation Bills Would Inhibit Accountability
Journal News, NY, April 24, 2012
New York made the right call when it decided to get behind a nationwide effort to make public school teachers and principals more accountable for student and school performance; we just wish local lawmakers fully bought into the concept. Some lawmakers, whose constituents routinely pay some of the highest school taxes in the nation, are leading the charge — toward less disclosure and, unavoidably, less accountability.
Wake School Board Puts Off Assignment Changes, Promises Harder Look
News & Observer, NC, April 25, 2012
Wake County school board members – some projecting substantive changes for the 2013-14 year – agreed to put off until next week any modification of the still-shifting student assignment plan for the coming term.
News & Observer , NC, April 25, 2012
Republican legislators seem to be figuring out that perhaps some of their budget-cutting and other money moves such as additional ferry fees aren’t going over too well with the public. Already the ferry deal seems to be shifting into reverse, and now Senate President Pro Tem Phil Berger of Eden says he’s got a plan to overhaul some aspects of public education.
We Shouldn’t Keep Throwing Money At Our State’s Broken Education System
Charlotte Observer, NC, April 25, 2012
I can still hear him. “Get an education. It’s something no one can ever take from you.” How right my father was.
At-Risk Students Hard To Grade
Columbus Dispatch, OH, April 25, 2012
Advocates for charter schools serving students at risk of dropping out say they shouldn’t be held to the same standards as traditional schools.
Another Glimpse Into Ohio’s Lax Oversight Of Charter Schools
Youngstown Vindicator, OH, April 25, 2012
The Liberty Board of Education’s experience with two “conversion schools,” essentially charter schools that were operated by a public school district, provide an insight into an inherent lack of oversight that has plagued far too many of Ohio’s experiments in alternative education.
Academy Reopens As Tensions Remain
Statesman Journal, OR, April 25, 2012
Tension between the school board and parents began shortly after the charter school opened last fall and escalated in recent months, with several requests for a police response at the school and an ongoing disagreement between parents and board members.
Radical Surgery For School District
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, April 25, 2012
AMONG the dramatic changes just proposed by the School District, there is one that could be more radical than the rest. If the School Reform Commission adopts the plan, as it is expected to do, it will actually be reforming the system — perhaps for the first time since its creation.
Blowing Up The School District
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 25, 2012
THE REALITIES are ugly, leaders said Tuesday – the Philadelphia School District is nearly insolvent, lags most other urban districts in academics and loses students to charters because parents believe it doesn’t keep their children safe.
SRC Plan Is Also About Its Next Chief
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 25, 2012
The type of leader who will be hired to become Philadelphia’s next superintendent of schools became clearer Tuesday with the district’s announcement of a five-year plan to erase a massive budget deficit.
Charter Expansion Threatens Pa. Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 25, 2012
School Reform Commission Chairman Pedro Ramos recently postponed a vote on charter school renewals until the panel can deal with a more basic issue: the School District’s budget. That makes sense, but it doesn’t go far enough. The SRC should impose a moratorium on new charter schools until it can fully understand how charter school expansion is affecting the district’s ability to sustain adequate, long-term funding for all the city’s public schools.
Chester Charter School Gets $1 Million
6abc, PA, April 24, 2012
Exelon, the company that owns PECO, is giving a Chester charter school a million dollars.
Classes were held as usual Tuesday at the Widener Partnership Charter School in Chester. The K-6th grade school was started six years ago, Pennsylvania’s first university-based charter school. It is now 350 students strong.
School Choice Bill Eliminates Crucial Link For Accountability
Charleston Post Courier, SC, April 25, 2012
The South Carolina Senate will consider a “school choice” bill that has passed the House. According to The State newspaper, the legislation “would allow parents to take a $4,000 tax deduction per child for tuition paid, $2,000 for homeschool expenses and $1,000 per child who attends a public school outside the district where he or she lives. It would allow people to claim tax credits for donating to newly created nonprofits giving scholarships to poor and disabled students.”
Governor Leaning Against Foreign Worker Restrictions for Charter Schools
Nashville Public Radio, TN, April 24, 2012
Governor Bill Haslam may be considering the legislative session’s first veto. He says this week he received the final version of a bill that limits the number of foreign workers that a charter school can employ.
Sheboygan School Board Renews Charter School Contracts
Sheboygan Press, WI, April 25, 2012
With minimal conversation, the Sheboygan Area School Board reauthorized the contracts for three charter schools, giving them each another five years of operation.
Online Charter Schools Hot Topic At Exeter Forum
Reading Eagle, PA, April 25, 2012
Among the hot topics of the night was cybercharter schools, which administrators said cost the district roughly $1 million annually.
Moon Plans Online Learning Program to Combat Charter School Enrollment
Moon Patch, PA, April 25, 2012
Superintendent Donna Milanovich said the Moon Area School District hopes to attract students who have left to enroll in charter schools by offering its own online learning program.
Online Summer School Popular
Houston Chronicle, TX, April 24, 2012
Online summer school is catching on in a big way in the Spring Branch school district.
Virtual High School Summer School, available to students in grades 6-12 in and outside the district, expects more students this year after explosive growth in participation last summer.
Virtual School Concept Sprouts Wings at Cornerstone
Estevan Mercury, CA, April 25, 2012
They have been offering online courses since 2006, but now the South East Cornerstone Public School Division is expanding horizons to build a virtual school within the region that will probably accommodate and assist over 500 students in the fairly near future.