May 31, 2007
Morning Shots
New York Sun: How new generation of reformers targets Democrats on education
A money manager recently sent an e-mail to some partners, congratulating them on an investment of $1 million that yielded an estimated $400 million. The reasoning was that $1 million spent on trying to lift a cap on the number of charter schools in New York State yielded a change in the law that will bring $400 million a year in funding to new charter schools.
The organization from which they hope to launch their revolution, Democrats for Education Reform, does some of its work at cocktail parties hosted in Mr. Curry's Trump Plaza penthouse. The group — actually two separate political action committees — has raised money for senators Obama, Clinton, and Lieberman.
Next week, at a June 5 launch party, they will press their next goals, including a plan to raise several more million dollars, expand into at least four different states, and shape the 2008 presidential race.
Teachers' unions may give a big boost to the Democratic Party, but so do those working in finance. If Democrats for Education Reform can convince them to press issues like length of the school day and merit-based teacher pay, it could force a dramatic swing in the party itself.
Scripps Howard News Service: Most Americans want 'No Child' law left behind
A survey of 1,010 American adults reveals that nearly two-thirds of them want Congress to rewrite or outright abolish the landmark No Child Left Behind Act that mandates nationwide testing of elementary students to determine whether public schools are performing adequately.
Dissent against reauthorization has developed within Bush's own party. Fifty-two Republican House members and five GOP senators are calling for a repeal of the law in favor of a more flexible system of achievement standards.
Only about a third of those queried in the Scripps Howard News Service and Ohio University poll said they think the law has had a positive influence on public education, while slightly less than half said it has had a negative impact and a fifth were undecided.
Taken together, 63 percent want the law abolished or amended.
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: St. Louis School Board awards no-bid contract to counter charters
The St. Louis School Board Tuesday awarded a no-bid contract to a marketing firm headed by a local radio show host with ties to two board members. According to the resolution, approved 4-3, the firm, Penetrating Urban Market Politics, will use the $25,000 contract to "drive the message of the negative impact of charter schools."
The document says Gracie Mae Entertainment has an address connected to Elizabeth Brown of St. Louis. Lizz Brown is a morning radio host on WGNU.
In March, Brown and board member Donna Jones headed a five-day student takeover of Mayor Francis Slay's office to protest a state takeover of the district scheduled for June 15. The state's education department has revoked the district's accreditation.
The board awarded the contract just as it searches for a way to erase a $6 million deficit from the proposed 2007-08 budget.
To find out more about this sordid tale, see the latest from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Apparently, the School Board may take another look at how they're spending their $25,000.
Posted by Edspresso at 07:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)Education News for Thursday, May 31
Ohio School Fears Cuts Will Rewrite Its Success Story - The 32 students who graduated from the Dayton Early College Academy on Wednesday evening were mostly from low-income families. Few of their parents went to college.
SC Senate defeats school voucher proposals - Senators defeated attempts Wednesday to add private school vouchers to a bill that would allow students a chance to enroll in any public school regardless of attendance lines.
Disabled access in schools faulted - An audit of the Los Angeles Unified School District's progress in building and remodeling schools to make them accessible to the disabled found chronic problems in the design of parking, restrooms, ramps and drinking water fountains, as well as a troubling lack of documentation and misstatements of accomplishments.
Charter school to open after all - The demise of Holy Trinity Catholic School was an opportunity for the Cesar Chavez School Network to get back on track in opening a Colorado Springs school this year.
St. Louis School Board awarded no-bid deal to counter charters - The St. Louis School Board Tuesday awarded a no-bid contract to a marketing firm headed by a local radio show host with ties to two board members. According to the resolution, approved 4-3, the firm, Penetrating Urban Market Politics, will use the $25,000 contract to "drive the message of the negative impact of charter schools."
City School Board may revisit anti-charter contract - It seems the St. Louis School Board has not seen the last of a $25,000 no-bid contract it awarded Tuesday to radio talk show host Lizz Brown. Brown is to counter advertising campaigns for charter schools with her own marketing firm.
Local sponsor renews 73 charter-school contracts - The Lucas County Educational Service Center Governing Board spent nearly seven hours yesterday reviewing each of the 73 charter schools the agency sponsors across Ohio. Twenty-five schools were given five-year contract extensions.
Albany private school welcomes vouchers - Administrators at a South Georgia Christian school say they welcome a new law that gives parents of disabled children money to send their kids to private schools, but they don't want the government to interfere with their operations.
Most Americans want 'No Child' law left behind - A survey of 1,010 American adults reveals that nearly two-thirds of them want Congress to rewrite or outright abolish the landmark No Child Left Behind Act that mandates nationwide testing of elementary students to determine whether public schools are performing adequately.
Board OKs charter school with conditions - The Corvallis School Board approved the application for Muddy Creek Charter School on Tuesday night, but neither the board nor the charter school’s supporters seemed particularly happy about it.
Officials call on state to block charter school - City officials stepped up their efforts to oppose the relocation of a charter school near 13 Mile and Ryan roads last week. Through a letter and a resolution, respectively, sent to Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm, Warren Mayor Mark Steenbergh and members of the Warren City Council continued to express their concerns about the development planned by Conner Creek Academy East.
How New Generation of Reformers Targets Democrats on Education - A money manager recently sent an e-mail to some partners, congratulating them on an investment of $1 million that yielded an estimated $400 million. The reasoning was that $1 million spent on trying to lift a cap on the number of charter schools in New York State yielded a change in the law that will bring $400 million a year in funding to new charter schools.
New York City Expands Test Program in Schools - Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein announced yesterday that the city school system would spend $80 million over five years on a battery of new standardized tests to begin this fall for most of New York City’s 1.1 million public school students.
Planned charter school PSL divides residents - Keeping kids close to home for school is supposed to unite communities, but just north of Becker Road, a proposed charter school is dividing the neighborhood.
Debate on vouchers heats up - It is "disingenuous" for Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. to call a special session on vouchers before the Nov. 6 public vote, says House Speaker Greg Curtis, who vows to "vigorously" fight against repealing HB174 if such a session is called.
State OK needed for school plan - The New Leadership Charter School announced plans last Friday to close early this year, on June 7 instead of June 15, but state approval is required. "In order to drastically alter their calendar, New Leadership needs approval from the Commissioner (David P. Driscoll).
Opposing view: 'Too destructive to salvage' - Editorial: It's time to say in a national newspaper what millions of teachers, students and parents already know: No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is an appalling and unredeemable experiment that has done incalculable damage to our schools — particularly those serving poor, minority and limited-English-proficiency students.
Posted by Edspresso at 06:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)May 30, 2007
Morning Shots
New York Times: New York is top sate in dollars per student
After the recent release of NAEP History and Civics test results, and continued evidence of stagnant achievement in schools across the country, this week the public gets a look at how much money those results cost. Nationally, schools are spending nearly $9,000 per pupil, with some states like New York and New Jersey spending more than $13,000. And still, no increase in achievement.
New York again leads all other states in school spending per pupil, according to the latest census figures.
Nationwide, public school districts spent an average of $8,701 per student on elementary and secondary education in the 2005 fiscal year, 5 percent more than in the previous year.
New York, which also came in highest last year, spent $14,119 per student, followed by New Jersey at $13,800, Vermont at $11,838 and Connecticut at $11,572.
Over all, public school systems spent $497 billion, compared to $472 billion the year before. About 60 percent of their $427 billion operating budgets was spent on instruction, with more than 9 percent allocated for operation and maintenance, 7 percent for administration and 4 percent for pupil transportation.
Nationwide, school systems spent nearly $42 billion on construction, with California and Texas, the two most populous states, accounting for almost one-third.
Toledo Blade: Ohio urban school superintendents back Strickland plan
One important piece of information is mysteriously missing from this Toledo Blade article: the testimony of the charter schools that were attacked all morning by the district and the teachers union. When they finally did get to testify (at 5:30), they told their success stories and expressed the real will of the people - to bring quality education to all people.
The superintendents of Ohio's eight largest urban districts and teachers' union leaders gathered yesterday to present joint testimony to the Senate Finance Committee in support of Gov. Ted Strickland's education budget.
As co-chair of the Ohio 8 Coalition, former Toledo Public Schools Superintendent Eugene Sanders delivered yesterday's testimony calling the proposed budget "critical to sustaining public education in Ohio's big cities."
Mr. Strickland's plan calls for an end to Ohio's statewide voucher program that uses public money to pay private school tuition for children in low-scoring schools, a moratorium on the creation of new charter schools, and a prohibition against charter schools being run by private, for-profit companies.
"Voters in our cities have over the decades approved spending their money on public education," Mr. Sanders said. "They have not voted for vouchers or charter schools."
Washington Post: Putting his wealth to work to improve urban schools
Posted by Edspresso at 07:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)He counts the Prince George's County school superintendent and D.C. school board president among his disciples. He has advised the D.C. mayor on cuts in school system bureaucracy. He and a better-known West Coast entrepreneur are spending millions to persuade the next president of the United States to improve teacher quality and lengthen school days. He is spawning a new generation of school administrators who hail his name.
The question is: Can Eli Broad succeed in his campaign to help America's schools shed years of bad management practices and avoid the pitfalls of divisive community politics?
He and his wife, Edythe, have committed more than $250 million to school improvement projects since 1999, and they plan to spend most of the Broad Foundation's $2.25 billion in assets on education. The Los Angeles couple, along with Bill and Melinda Gates, are widely considered the most influential public education philanthropists in the country.
Like other business leaders who have become involved in education, Broad is used to a corporate system where the top executive makes the decisions and the company board, with rare exceptions, goes along. School boards, on the other hand, often consider themselves in charge of major decisions, with the superintendent just there to carry out orders.
Education News for Wednesday, May 30
A Bush Brother Spreads His Vision of Computerized Teaching Programs - To review with her class of fifth graders the tapestry of reasons Europeans came to America, Cheryle Hodges clicks on a mouse that brings a roly-poly disc jockey to a screen at the front of the classroom here at Harrison Road Elementary.
Court decision bolsters unions’ strength - The Missouri Supreme Court this afternoon overturned a six-decade-old precedent in a school case out of Independence, a decision that strengthens bargaining rights for public employees throughout the state.
2 charter school permits OK'd; CitiFest funded - Toledo City Council approved permits yesterday for two new downtown charter schools - but not by veto-proof majorities. Council also approved spending $75,000 to keep CitiFest Inc. in operation this year, and nearly $1.6 million in city funds for the development of a riverfront park in the Marina District.
With lawsuit looming, Spellings discusses No Child Left Behind - U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings vigorously defended the No Child Left Behind Act today in Connecticut, which has filed a federal lawsuit challenging the education law.
Parents excited about charter school - Teachers wanted to know about the curriculum. Parents wanted to know where to sign. Tuesday's charter school hearing to discuss the Robert H. Faulkner Academy brought out about 40 community members who expressed mostly excitement at the prospect of another educational option in Marion.
Putting His Wealth to Work To Improve Urban Schools - He counts the Prince George's County school superintendent and D.C. school board president among his disciples. He has advised the D.C. mayor on cuts in school system bureaucracy. He and a better-known West Coast entrepreneur are spending millions to persuade the next president of the United States to improve teacher quality and lengthen school days.
Ohio urban school superintendents back Strickland plan - The superintendents of Ohio's eight largest urban districts and teachers' union leaders gathered yesterday to present joint testimony to the Senate Finance Committee in support of Gov. Ted Strickland's education budget.
Gorman closing all 6 schools - Financially troubled Gorman Learning Center of Redlands is closing all of its campuses by Thursday and will move its headquarters to Los Angeles County before September. The charter school will continue to offer independent study, said Kim Clark, board president.
At this charter school, music is the primary tool for teaching - Ten-year-old Isaiah Simmons of Roxbury is the picture of concentration as he carefully makes his way through a solo violin version of the venerable folk song "Old Joe Clark." Literally and figuratively, music is in the air at the Conservatory Lab Charter School -- and in the curriculum, too.
Charter schools deserve larger share of state aid package - Editorial: Charter schools are closing the achievement gap among New Jersey's poor urban schoolchildren, yet they continue to be treated as second-class citizens when it comes to receiving state education funding at levels enjoyed by other elementary and secondary schools.
Activists Push To Allow Vote On School Plan - A coalition of D.C. activists launched a campaign yesterday to enlist volunteers to gather about 20,000 petition signatures in an uphill effort to put Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s school takeover legislation to a referendum.
Charter school closing unclear - A week after New Covenant Charter School's board said the school would close, bondholders sought a meeting that could alter that fate. The school's board of trustees canceled a meeting with parents slated for Tuesday night, saying the bondholders for the building wanted to meet with the board first.
Board deals a blow to vouchers - The Utah State Board of Education on Tuesday refused to implement a school voucher program using an incomplete version of state law creating the program, a move that could speed a Utah Supreme Court decision on vouchers but leave the board without legal counsel.
School of Hard Knocks - During its brief existence the Garden City Community School has learned some tough lessons. After opening last fall, the school has racked up debt, lost students and moved twice--all while dealing with the possibility of being closed down by the state because of some of those very factors.
New York Is Top State in Dollars Per Student - New York again leads all other states in school spending per pupil, according to the latest census figures. Nationwide, public school districts spent an average of $8,701 per student on elementary and secondary education in the 2005 fiscal year, 5 percent more than in the previous year.
Posted by Edspresso at 05:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)May 29, 2007
Morning Shots
New York Times Magazine: Standardizing the Standards
“I know you’re restless today, but I need to see you sitting at your desks. Angel, that means you, too!” In the second-grade classroom at the Washington school where I volunteer, the teacher turned to me and said with a sigh, “It’s testing week.”
The president’s signature domestic initiative, now due for its five-year reauthorization, was supposed to be a model of the hardheaded rigor it aims to instill in America’s schools. “No ‘accountability proposals’ without accountability,” a Bush education adviser declared early on.
And all for what? Not leaps in learning, to judge by an older, federally financed test called the National Assessment of Educational Progress, whose format reflects clear standards for basic subjects and goes beyond multiple-choice questions.
Agreeing on common goals for what kids should be learning can free up teachers to focus more productively on how they could be learning better...Still, a good national exam would spread well-focused standards across state borders and spur progress.
Los Angeles Times: More schools are ditching final exams
Instead of late-night cramming and tutorials on how to ace multiple-choice tests, Joshua Koenig prepared for finals by rehearsing a PowerPoint presentation on the challenges of trading stock options and what he learned while attempting to climb Mt. Rainier with his father.
As thousands of public school students sat for standardized tests last week and others prepare for upcoming final exams, Wildwood is one of a number of schools across the country using oral presentations — or exhibitions — to determine students' readiness to move on to the next grade, or in Koenig's case, to graduate.
"Standardized tests are just snapshots that measure mostly the ability to recall facts, whereas performance-based assessments measure the ability to synthesize information, compare and contrast, look for different points of view and think critically," said Brett Bradshaw, director of strategic communications for the Coalition of Essential Schools, a nonprofit organization with about 250 member campuses that promotes exhibitions as a preferred form of student assessment.
Seniors must put together a portfolio incorporating essays, research papers, reading logs, graph and statistical analyses and multimedia projects reflecting two years of academic work. The portfolio is included in their oral presentations.
Washington Post: Core classes not enough, report warns
Posted by Edspresso at 06:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)It's no secret to most high school students that taking the required courses, getting good grades and receiving a diploma don't take much work. The average U.S. high school senior donning a cap and gown this spring will have spent an hour a day on homework and at least three hours a day watching TV, playing video games and pursuing other diversions.
"Rigor at Risk: Reaffirming Quality in the High School Core Curriculum," by the Iowa City-based testing company ACT Inc. says, "Students today do not have a reasonable chance of becoming ready for college unless they take a number of additional higher-level" courses beyond the minimum.
Using research on the college success of students who took the ACT college entrance test, and comparing their test scores to their high school records, ACT researchers found that many core courses were not carefully constructed or monitored and that students often received good grades in the core courses even if they didn't learn much.
Education News for Tuesday, May 29
On Reading, Charters Outperform - The most recent round of reading tests show students attending charter schools in the city outperforming other public schools on reading tests.
Parents, Teachers Protest Principals' Styles - Principals at two well-regarded D.C. public schools have become the target of demonstrations and organized efforts to oust them because parents, and in one case teachers, too, have lodged complaints about their management styles.
House scuttles charter school reform - A measure to shutter the state's lowest-performing charter schools and reward the best with financial incentives fell apart in the House on Friday.
A second separation - For the second time in less than a year a charter school has proposed to open in Twin Falls, and once again the school district has decided to separate itself from that charter school.
Two N. Phila. schools win accolade in Time - Stanton Elementary School in North Philadelphia has collected national accolades for improving student test scores, hosted a visit by U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, and been profiled in a new book from Harvard Education Press.
Themed schools still a draw, but not all are magnets - Calypso singer Cyril Paul tried three times before most of the kids in his audience at Birch Grove Elementary waved their arms and swiveled their hips at the right time while singing ... all ... the ... lyrics ... clearly.
City Officials Squabble Over Takeover Plan - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's high-stakes effort to seize control of the District's struggling public school system has set off a fight for influence and power among the city's top elected leaders.
Standardizing the Standards - “I know you’re restless today, but I need to see you sitting at your desks. Angel, that means you, too!” In the second-grade classroom at the Washington school where I volunteer, the teacher turned to me and said with a sigh, “It’s testing week.”
School's creed helps boys believe in themselves - D'Angelo Gardner didn't like it when staff members at Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men started telling him to tuck in his shirt, pull up his pants, straighten his tie.
Charter school talks over campus an issue - Talks on whether a construction-themed charter school could open on the former Lincoln Middle School campus are expected to continue over the next several weeks after a narrow vote by the Vista Unified school board Thursday night.
Vouchers courtbound? - In a move to clear up school voucher confusion as swiftly as possible, opponents want to send the crux of the voucher issue straight to the Utah Supreme Court. Friday Rep. Sheryl Allen, R-Bountiful, submitted a "request for agency action" asking the State School Board to issue an emergency order that would declare the voucher amendment law, HB174, invalid and unable to stand on its own apart from the original voucher bill, HB148.
Texas' dropout problem probably worse than reported - Sunday after Sunday, Sarah Luna's prayer never changed. With about a month to go until graduation, the 20-year-old Lanier High School senior pleaded with God for one life-changing miracle that seemed hopelessly out of reach: her diploma.
Core Classes Not Enough, Report Warns - It's no secret to most high school students that taking the required courses, getting good grades and receiving a diploma don't take much work. The average U.S. high school senior donning a cap and gown this spring will have spent an hour a day on homework and at least three hours a day watching TV, playing video games and pursuing other diversions.
‘Middle School Syndrome’ Undergoes a Reversal - Scores on state tests at Westlake Middle School were disappointing for years, and school officials had largely written them off as “middle school syndrome,” a mysterious decline in achievement between elementary school and eighth grade that seemed to afflict most schools in the state.
Nation’s charter school leaders focus on N.O - With 57 percent of students in Orleans Parish now enrolled in charter schools, New Orleans is ground zero for charter school monitors nationwide.
State warns KIPP school to shape up or be closed - Buffalo’s KIPP Sankofa Charter School, considered a promising alternative for inner-city middle school students when it opened in 1993, is plagued by failure and is fighting for its life.
More schools are ditching final exams - Instead of late-night cramming and tutorials on how to ace multiple-choice tests, Joshua Koenig prepared for finals by rehearsing a PowerPoint presentation on the challenges of trading stock options and what he learned while attempting to climb Mt. Rainier with his father.
Encourage community input by advancing charter school - Educators consistently identify parental and community involvement as indispensable assets in the critical mission of improving public schools. That makes the turnout of approximately 250 people for Tuesday night's public forum at Burke High School highly encouraging.
A Civics Lesson for D.C. Students to Skip - Editorial: Let's hope D.C. public school students are too busy with their studies to pay much attention to the officials overseeing their school system. Goodness knows those adults are teaching lessons that students should never learn.
Tucson charter school in Newsweek's top 10 list - BASIS Tucson, a charter high school, is again ranked in the nation's top 10 by Newsweek magazine in the May 8 issue, said the school's director, Gloria Mitchell.
Posted by Edspresso at 05:29 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)May 25, 2007
Spare Us the Spin (Neal McCluskey)
Last week, when I heard that the new National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) civics and U.S. history results were about to be released, my curiosity was piqued. No, not in anticipation of finding out whether the results would be dismal or dismal-er, but because I really wanted to see how the Bush administration would handle the news, good or bad. Schools aren’t held accountable for civics and U.S. history under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and I couldn’t wait to see how the administration would somehow tie the results to its favorite law.
Continue reading "Spare Us the Spin (Neal McCluskey)" »
Posted by Featured Guest at 07:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)Morning Shots
Time Magazine: How to fix No Child Left Behind
It's countdown time in Philadelphia's public schools. Just 21 days remain before the state reading and math tests in March, and the kids and faculty at James G. Blaine Elementary, an all-black, inner-city school that spans pre-K to eighth grade, have been drilling for much of the day.
To understand the impact of the 2001 Elementary and Secondary Education Act, indelibly rebranded as No Child Left Behind (NCLB), you need to visit a school like Blaine. The astonishingly ambitious law, the Bush Administration's proudest domestic achievement, was crafted with high-poverty, low-achieving schools like this one in mind. NCLB proponents and critics alike agree that the law's greatest accomplishment has been shining an unforgiving spotlight on such languishing schools and demanding that they do better.
Ask almost any school administrator, education policymaker or think-tank wonk about NCLB, and you're guaranteed to get at least one sunny metaphor about how the law opened a window, raised a curtain or otherwise illuminated the plight of the nation's underserved kids.
There's plenty of argument, however, about how the law seeks to achieve these goals.
Salt Lake Tribune: Voucher confusion deepens
Confusion surrounds a November vote on the state's private school voucher program despite actions taken Thursday by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and legislative leaders meant to clarify the situation. If anything, things got muddier.
Despite requests from the attorney general, education officials and some Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature, Huntsman refuses to call a special session to sort out the mess.
The referendum aims to repeal one voucher law, but another that accidentally re-enacted major portions of the first one would remain on the books. Some say that second law can be used to give parents state money to help defray the cost of private school tuition.
"Oh man, it's such a mess," Senate President John Valentine said.
Los Angeles Times: Schools could use funds better, study says
The Los Angeles school district gets more of its money into the classroom than most urban school systems, but doesn't use those funds nearly as well as it could, according to a study commissioned by the district and the teachers union.
The results were released on the same day that Los Angeles Unified School District Supt. David L. Brewer unveiled broad plans to eliminate 500 positions, while refashioning the very bureaucracy that may be less bloated than widely believed.
In this more extensive review, researchers concluded that L.A. Unified receives less money than most other urban school districts, while putting 59% of its budget into the classroom.
Echoing other research, the Education Resource Strategies team said state and federal rules hamstring local reform, while adding costs and bureaucratic layers.
Washington Post: Teachers lacking certification face dismissal
Posted by Edspresso at 06:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)A D.C. public schools official has notified more than 300 teachers that they will be terminated next month if they do not have the proper credentials to remain in the classroom.
The teachers were told they "will be terminated from DCPS effective June 30," unless they notify the Office of Human Resources that they can produce a valid District teaching or service provider license, Johnnie Fairfax, the office's acting director, wrote in a May 21 letter. If the teachers can verify that they are currently enrolled in a program and will complete the course work by Aug. 31, they will be granted an exception.
The numbers are far lower than last year, when the superintendent reported that about one-fourth of the teachers in the school system, or about 1,100, were not certified.
Education News for Friday, May 25
Charter-school limits ignite passions - Friends and foes of charter schools took to the streets Thursday as part of an escalating battle for state education dollars. Hundreds of charter-school students, parents, teachers and administrators gathered at Citizens' Academy near University Circle to voice loud support for a budget bill approved by the Ohio House this month that rejected a proposed moratorium on new charters.
Despite mistakes, FCAT isn't going away - Like it or not, high-stakes testing will remain a way of life in Florida -- and across the nation. The blunder caused by human error in last year's FCAT third-grade reading test -- which was discovered only this week -- and a history of other errors nationwide are not enough to persuade state leaders to toss the exams.
Voters' voucher decision will be honored, Huntsman says - Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. said Thursday he and legislative leaders are putting together a letter pledging to honor whatever decision voters make about private school vouchers at the polls in November — even if Utahns reject the funding program. The letter, which Huntsman said may also be signed by Attorney General Mark Shurtleff, "will essentially state that whatever the vote is in November will be respected as a vote up or down on vouchers."
Voucher confusion deepens - Confusion surrounds a November vote on the state's private school voucher program despite actions taken Thursday by Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. and legislative leaders meant to clarify the situation. If anything, things got muddier.
Keep school choice, Evans warns district - State Rep. Dwight Evans called the Philadelphia School District's top official yesterday with a stern warning: Don't eliminate or severely reduce funding for private groups managing 41 public schools, or else face a loss of state funding.
How to Fix No Child Left Behind - It's countdown time in Philadelphia's public schools. Just 21 days remain before the state reading and math tests in March, and the kids and faculty at James G. Blaine Elementary, an all-black, inner-city school that spans pre-K to eighth grade, have been drilling for much of the day.
District gives OK for online charter school - Overruling opposition from teachers, Antelope Valley Union High School District trustees have approved an online charter school. The 3-2 vote came on the condition that a suitable memorandum of understanding is developed that will detail how the school will be operated, trustees said.
Charter schools a growing threat to DPS - How do you fix a troubled school system? Critics and reformers say you replace it with one new school -- or group of schools -- at a time. The charter school movement that has already attracted tens of thousands of Detroit children is poised to systematically deplete the troubled Detroit Public Schools system -- and soon.
Faculty at 2 more campuses discuss breakaway idea - Signaling deep discontent and a possible spreading revolt among the city's public school teachers, faculty at two more Los Angeles high schools met this week with a leading charter school operator to discuss alliances aimed at breaking away from the school district.
Curtain to close on charter school - After a long conflict with the Sacramento City Unified School District and the Sacramento County Office of Education, leaders of the Visual and Performing Arts Charter school have decided to call it quits.
Charter school countersues CPS - Harmony Community School in Roselawn filed a countersuit against Cincinnati Public Schools alleging the district has improperly “flagged” some Harmony students, causing the charter school to lose state funding for those students. The countersuit is the latest salvo in a legal battle between Cincinnati Public and Harmony, which has 630 students.
Teachers Lacking Certification Face Dismissal - A D.C. public schools official has notified more than 300 teachers that they will be terminated next month if they do not have the proper credentials to remain in the classroom.
Family goes from killing fields to charter school land in PSL - Walking through orchards of Asian fruit trees, Rithy Nau looked at the progress of his mangoes and lychees, still too early in the year to be picked. Only a short unpaved road connects his 8-acre island of farmland to the surrounding city, buffered by a smattering of homes and undeveloped lots.
Cuffee named one of the best charter schools in country - The Paul Cuffee School has been named one of the best charter schools in the country by the Center for Education Reform, a national education policy and advocacy group based in Washington, D.C. Cuffee, a K-8 charter school built around a maritime theme, was of one of 53 honored during the National Charter School of the Year program held at the National Press Club last Wednesday.
Schools could use funds better, study says - The Los Angeles school district gets more of its money into the classroom than most urban school systems, but doesn't use those funds nearly as well as it could, according to a study commissioned by the district and the teachers union.
Posted by Edspresso at 05:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)May 24, 2007
Morning Shots
Los Angeles Times: Broad gives charter school group a boost
In his continued effort to bring pressures to bear on the Los Angeles public school system, billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad has committed more than $6 million to a high-performing charter school group to help it dramatically expand.
The $6.5-million grant to the Alliance for College-Ready Public Schools from Broad's education foundation, along with $3.5 million raised by Alliance board members, clears the way for the group to open 13 middle and high school campuses by 2010 in impoverished neighborhoods where traditional schools are foundering.
Broad's gift to Alliance is the latest indication that he views the work of charters, and not the efforts of Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa or the district's Board of Education, as the best chance to reform the nation's second-largest school system.
"If you don't have mayoral control … what other options do we have?" he said. "The option is to get the best public schools you have to act as a catalyst to force the others to become better."
The State: Bill puts limits on school choice
The S.C. Senate is poised for action on a bill that would allow students to apply to attend any public school in the state, regardless of where they live.
But students may not truly stand a chance of enrolling at the school of their choice. That’s because fast-growing school districts — including two in the Midlands — likely won’t have any space for them.
House bill H.3124 and proposed Senate amendments to it call for school districts to start admitting out-of-district students beginning in the 2009-10 school year. School districts also would be required to offer school choices to students already living within their own district boundaries starting in 2008.
The proposed S.C. plan sets some limits regarding how many out-of-district students may enroll in a school.
Washington Post: One engineer's pet project: an AP course
Posted by Edspresso at 06:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)Leigh Abts knows high school students would love his profession, if they just had a chance to explore it.
That's why Abts, an engineer and research professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, has created a model Advanced Placement course in engineering and led an effort to implement it at high schools nationwide.
Abts and a tight circle of engineers, university faculty and high school teachers will know soon if their efforts have paid off. Next month, the College Board, which runs the AP program, will decide whether an engineering class will be added to the curriculum.
Engineering could be introduced on the AP level through pre-AP classes, which would cater to students in eighth, ninth and 10th grades, Abts said.
Engineering could be ideal for students who learn by doing rather than by listening, and Abts has worked to promote AP engineering across the country, said fellow enthusiast Buzz Bartlett, executive director of advancement at the University of Maryland's College of Education.
Education News for Thursday, May 24
FCAT gain keeps 5-year trend alive in Dade - Miami-Dade County students scored slightly higher again this year on the state's benchmark standardized test, continuing a trend that adds up to dramatic improvement over the last five years. According to test results released Wednesday by the Florida Department of Education, more than half of Miami-Dade's students read at their grade level and 57 percent meet the same standard in math.
One Engineer's Pet Project: An AP Course - Leigh Abts knows high school students would love his profession, if they just had a chance to explore it. That's why Abts, an engineer and research professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, has created a model Advanced Placement course in engineering and led an effort to implement it at high schools nationwide.
Parents' Role Seen As Vital To Change - The success of a sweeping school-choice plan for Hartford's struggling school system will hinge on convincing parents the new schools they choose will be better than the ones they already have.
2 charter schools could face closure - Sherman Davis has two children enrolled at Osprey Elementary next school year, but he's starting to wonder if he should shop around. Although administrators from Osprey Elementary and Sawgrass Academy sent letters addressing financial problems home to parents, he was startled when he learned the Brevard County School Board could close the school.
Achievement Gap Closing For Black Students - The achievement gap between African American students and their classmates has slowly narrowed in many areas in Anne Arundel County, according to new figures.
Charter schools' funding raised - The Baltimore school board approved a funding formula this week that will give more money to the city's charter schools, easing some concerns in a long-running battle but leaving key details unresolved.
Bill puts limits on school choice - The S.C. Senate is poised for action on a bill that would allow students to apply to attend any public school in the state, regardless of where they live. But students may not truly stand a chance of enrolling at the school of their choice. That’s because fast-growing school districts — including two in the Midlands — likely won’t have any space for them.
Broad gives charter school group a boost - In his continued effort to bring pressures to bear on the Los Angeles public school system, billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad has committed more than $6 million to a high-performing charter school group to help it dramatically expand.
New York’s Schools for Pregnant Girls Will Close - A dozen girls, some perched awkwardly with their pregnant bellies flush against the desks, were struggling over a high school geometry assignment on a recent afternoon.
Senate: put hold on state-approved charter schools - New Hampshire Senate President Sylvia Larsen says the state should put a hold on new charter schools approved by the state Board of Education until lawmakers figure out how to pay for the schools.
Schools Takeover Could Be Delayed - Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s attempt to take control of the D.C. public schools by next month could be set back by complicated legislative procedures on Capitol Hill and a long-shot effort by residents to force a ballot referendum. Fenty (D) is seeking to reduce the power of the Board of Education and put himself in charge of the 55,000-student system, a proposal approved by the D.C. Council last month.
Board to consider charter school contract - With any luck, the Forest Grove School Board will ink a three-year contract with the Forest Grove Community School before the end of the month. Board chairwoman Susan Winterbourne said this week that although negotiating teams for the district and the charter school remained about $30,000 apart on the issue of funding “there’s a good chance” board members will have a contract draft in their hands at their next meeting Tuesday night.
Charter school founder convicted of stealing money from the state - The Rev. Mark Olds, who gained a national reputation for helping ex-cons, is headed back to prison himself after a jury found him guilty Wednesday of stealing $1.4 million from the state.
Principal addresses parents’ concerns over teacher exodus - Bonita Springs Charter School Principal Deborah Tracy acknowledged Wednesday that 18 teachers will not be back next year. Tracy spoke a day after more than 100 parents filled Riverside Park to find out about a rumored mass exodus at the privately owned, publicly funded school on Old 41 Road.
Posted by Edspresso at 05:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)May 23, 2007
Morning Shots
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Purdue signs charter school law
Up to five school systems can convert to charter status under legislation signed into law by Gov. Sonny Perdue Tuesday. Perdue called Senate Bill 39, the Charter Systems Act, "a better way to make sure our children are ready to compete in a worldwide economy in the 21st Century."
The new law provides $5 million in seed money for the applicants. A charter advisory committee will make recommendations to the state Board of Education on what applications to fund.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Dan Weber (R-Dunwoody), was a pet project of Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle. Cagle said the law "really paints a new course for educational learning in our state."
New York Times: New York eighth graders show gains in reading
The number of eighth graders reading at grade level or above in New York State climbed impressively this year for the first time since 1999, when the state adopted tougher educational standards and its modern testing system, according to scores released yesterday from the annual statewide English exam.
The sharp increase in the proportion of eighth graders reading at or above grade level statewide, to 57 percent from 49.3 percent, provided a first spark of hope that school districts were beginning to turn around a long record of academic failure in middle school. Scores also improved in the sixth and seventh grades though more modestly.
Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein said that the results showed “significant, consistent growth” citywide and that he was heartened by improvements in scores among black and Hispanic students and children with disabilities.
Washington Post: Senate approves D.C. school takeover plan
Posted by Edspresso at 06:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)The U.S. Senate unanimously approved D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s school takeover legislation yesterday after a hectic day of negotiations with city officials, leaving the mayor one signature away from taking control of the troubled public education system.
The bill awaits final authorization from President Bush, who could sign it by the end of the week, District leaders said. Under that scenario, Fenty (D) would assume authority over the 55,000-student school system by the end of the standard congressional review period, probably around June 14.
Mary Spencer, who has grandchildren in the public school system, will have a chance to collect the roughly 20,000 signatures of registered voters she would need for a referendum. Spencer will have about one week to complete the task, beginning June 4, said William O'Field Jr., spokesman for the elections board.
Bobb's role in Landrieu's actions also has raised questions at the District building. Landrieu's spokesman said Monday that the senator had blocked a vote on Fenty's bill at Bobb's request, an allegation Bobb vehemently denied in an interview yesterday.
Education News for Wednesday, May 23
Board denies renewal of school charter - One of the city's highest scoring middle schools was denied its charter renewal Tuesday from the Los Angeles school board, meaning that the school must seek a reprieve from the state to stay in business.
Study: charter schools do well in closing achievement gap - Citing an analysis employing MCAS scores from 2006, charter public school advocates say students at the schools are outpacing their public school district counterparts when it comes to closing the achievement gap among minority and low-income students.
Perdue signs charter school law - Up to five school systems can convert to charter status under legislation signed into law by Gov. Sonny Perdue Tuesday. Perdue called Senate Bill 39, the Charter Systems Act, "a better way to make sure our children are ready to compete in a worldwide economy in the 21st Century."
Schools expect to have room - Citing scaled-back enrollment projections and intensified work at New Orleans schools, state Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek said he believes the Recovery School District will have enough space for students at the start of the 2007-08 school year.
Gilbert charter school celebrates A+ rating - And the occasion provided even more evidence: Edu-Prize was celebrating its selection last month as an A+ School of Excellence, making it the first charter school in the 24-year history of the award to receive that designation from the Arizona Educational Foundation.
Senate Approves D.C. School Takeover Plan - The U.S. Senate unanimously approved D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s school takeover legislation yesterday after a hectic day of negotiations with city officials, leaving the mayor one signature away from taking control of the troubled public education system.
Antioch to get second charter school, on some conditions - The Antioch school board, bucking district officials' recommendation to reject a proposal for a second Antioch Charter Academy, conditionally approved a replica K-8 school at a special board meeting Monday night. Board members gave the Antioch Charter Academy a deadline of Aug. 22 to submit a satisfactory response to more than a dozen criticisms, allowing the school to aim for a Sept. 30 opening.
Bilingual charter school to open - School Board members agreed Tuesday that a bilingual charter school could open in the fall despite concerns by some that it was a taxpayer-funded Jewish day school. The Ben Gamla Charter School plans to teach Hebrew as a second language and other subjects to about 600 kindergarten through eighth-grade students. Students will learn in both English and Hebrew.
More Work, Less Play in Kindergarten - Nearly every kindergartner in Montgomery County knows how to read. That wasn't the case just five years ago in Maryland's largest school system or, literacy experts say, in most of the nation's public schools.
Springfield board rejects proposal for Children's Choice charter school - In a move that dismayed many Children's Choice Montessori parents and employees, the Springfield School Board on Monday rejected the school's bid for sponsorship as a charter school.
Board may change how students are assigned to school - After nearly 10 years, changes are on the way for Seattle Public Schools' popular school-assignment plan. In hopes of cutting costs, relieving overcrowding at some schools and making the process easier for families, the School Board is weighing changes that could result in more students' attending school closer to home.
New York Eighth Graders Show Gains in Reading - The number of eighth graders reading at grade level or above in New York State climbed impressively this year for the first time since 1999, when the state adopted tougher educational standards and its modern testing system, according to scores released yesterday from the annual statewide English exam.
Scores for Yonkers Students Drop on State English Test - Of New York State’s five largest school systems, Yonkers was the only one whose students performed worse this year than last on the state’s standardized English tests even as test scores rose statewide, according to data released yesterday.
Plans for 7 charter schools approved - The Sheboygan School Board unanimously approved contracts for seven district charter schools Tuesday night. Administrators for the schools now must meet a June 1 application deadline with the state Department of Public Instruction for a $150,000 grant to officially open in September.
New Covenant Charter School set to close - One student at Albany's New Covenant Charter School said this when he found out that the school is closing at the end of the year. "I was sad. We are going to write a letter to the board saying don't close down our school."
Posted by Edspresso at 05:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)May 22, 2007
Edspresso to Go: Get your daily cuppa, where you want it, when you want it.
We have upgraded our Edspresso RSS feed to be even more user-friendly and universal. Sign up at http://feeds.edspresso.com/edspresso/ to have your daily jolt of education reform news, commentary and debate delivered directly to your favorite news reader. Prefer updates by email? By popular demand, we've also added an email subscription service for daily updates delivered right to your inbox. Sign up here. Posted by Edspresso at 08:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)Morning Shots
Washington Post: La. Senator blocked vote on D.C. schools measure
The mystery Senator responsible for the latest attempt to block Mayor Fenty's takover plan has been revealed, and surprisingly, it's Louisiana Sen. Mary Landriue. A supporter of education reform, it's hard to believe she is getting in the way of real solutions without a reason.
U.S. Sen. Mary Landriue’s office acknowledged yesterday that she has blocked a vote on D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s schools takeover legislation, citing concerns about the bill brought to her attention by Board of Education President Robert C. Bobb. Scott Schneider, a spokesman for Landrieu (D-La.), said the senator wants to ensure that the District's state education functions operate with enough autonomy from the rest of the school system.
Fenty was attending a convention of shopping center developers in Las Vegas yesterday. In a statement, he said, "Any further delay to the implementation of our school reform act not only subverts the will of the elected government of the District of Columbia, it further delays the government's ability to prepare for the first day of school and other critical management decisions."
Fenty administration aides and Bobb said they expect to discuss the matter today, along with Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.).
New York Times: Legal victory for families of disabled students
A Supreme Court decision on Monday gave parents of children with disabilities the right to go to court without a lawyer to challenge their public school district’s individualized plan for their child’s education.
The 7-to-2 decision involved an interpretation of the federal law that gives all children the right to a “free appropriate public education,” regardless of disability. Millions of children receive benefits under the law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Most federal appeals courts have ruled that when a dispute brings families and school districts into court, the parents cannot proceed without a lawyer.
The National School Board Association and other school management groups entered the case on the side of the school district. They warned that allowing parents to proceed without lawyers would “increase the already burdensome costs of special-education litigation” because parents lack professional experience and judgment and would be “emotionally invested in the outcome of the case.”
USA Today: Education put to the humor test
Sure, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings appearing on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart might not be the most pressing story of the day, but who said Morning Shots had to be all business. I guess her appearance on Jeopardy! went so well that she decided to branch out in her television career.
With twin scandals nipping at her heels, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings tonight appeals directly to America's youth: She appears on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart.
Producers first asked Spellings last fall about appearing on the show on cable's Comedy Central. Her spokeswoman, Katherine McLane, says the timing worked out for tonight's taping because Spellings appears today at a conference in New York.
Spellings, a self-proclaimed American Idol fan who recently attended a taping of the hit show, commented Monday, "I'm completing my trifecta of U.S. popular culture: Jeopardy!, American Idol and now The Daily Show."
The tactic is common enough in Washington, says former assistant education secretary Chester Finn Jr.: "Whenever the hot water rises in Washington, those in peril of poached hips seem to discover that they have a sense of humor after all — especially if they think it will encourage people to laugh rather than grimace at them."
Posted by Edspresso at 06:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
Education News for Tuesday, May 22
Education put to the humor test - With twin scandals nipping at her heels, Education Secretary Margaret Spellings tonight appeals directly to America's youth: She appears on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. "She actually is a guest that we've been trying to book for a long time," says executive producer David Javerbaum, who jokes that Spellings' appearance is "the ultimate admission of defeat for education."
City’s Pomp Over Record HS Grad Rates - New York City's high-school graduation rate reached a record high of nearly 60 percent last year, Mayor Bloomberg declared yesterday as he sought to settle a thorny debate with the state over how the city calculates its figures.
Warren officials try to halt charter school - As a groundbreaking date nears for a new charter school in Warren, city officials are doing their best to make sure a shovel never enters the ground on the project. City Councilwoman Mindy Moore will offer a resolution tonight asking the state to deny building and construction permits for Conner Creek Academy East.
Legal Victory for Families of Disabled Students - A Supreme Court decision on Monday gave parents of children with disabilities the right to go to court without a lawyer to challenge their public school district’s individualized plan for their child’s education. The 7-to-2 decision involved an interpretation of the federal law that gives all children the right to a “free appropriate public education,” regardless of disability.
San Diego Charter School Tops California List In Newsweek Ranking - A San Diego charter school is the highest ranked California school on Newsweek magazine's 2007 list of elite high schools. The Preuss School in La Jolla made it to ninth on the list, out in this week's issue of the magazine.
La. Senator Blocked Vote On D.C. Schools Measure - U.S. Sen. Mary Landriue’s office acknowledged yesterday that she has blocked a vote on D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty’s schools takeover legislation, citing concerns about the bill brought to her attention by Board of Education President Robert C. Bobb. Scott Schneider, a spokesman for Landrieu (D-La.), said the senator wants to ensure that the District's state education functions operate with enough autonomy from the rest of the school system.
On Hold Again - Editorial: You might think that Sen. Mary M. Landrieu (D-La.) would be too busy with her own state's problems to meddle in the District's affairs. Or that as a Democrat who holds herself out as a friend to the city, she would respect home rule. If so, you'd be wrong, wrong and wrong.
New wrinkle may delay Mandarin immersion - If following the progress of Palo Alto's proposed Mandarin immersion program were a spectator sport, the fans could well have stiff necks from watching the up-and-down fortunes of the proposal. Just as the Palo Alto school board had been expected to end the drama by approving a pilot program tonight, to begin with 40 kindergartners and first-graders, it turns out that trustees might punt for at least a week.
Why AP and IB Schools Soar - Column: It seemed obvious to them. If the university was not allowed to admit low-income students who could not compete academically with advantaged middle class applicants, then the only alternative was to create public schools that would give those low-income and minority students the encouragement, good teaching and extra time they needed to make them just as ready for college as students from the better neighborhoods.
Local charter schools watching state bill - Nancy Grayson stayed up well past her bedtime two weeks ago so she could testify at the Texas Capitol in favor of legislation that could help revitalize a vacant building or at least maintain one she already runs.
Charter school to expand in fall - The Baraboo Hills Elementary charter school is moving ahead with plans to expand to a second class after 36 kids enrolled for the fall, but the school's location and teaching staff are still up in the air.
Trouble mounts at Dakota Academy - Hennepin County District Judge Harry Crump and his wife, Faith, founded a Burnsville charter school to provide an innovative way to reach students who weren't being served in public schools. But less than a year after opening, Dakota Academy may have to close its doors.
School choice raises results - Editorial: Children whose parents take an active interest in their education are far more likely to succeed in school than children whose parents don't. School choice promotes parental involvement. Do the math: Increasing school choice overall inevitably increases overall academic achievement.
SRC Defers Charter School Applications Until Next Year - School Reform Commissioners last week deferred 11 charter school applications and denied eight others. Three of the deferred charter school applications were on the agenda for approval. Commissioner Martin Bednarek put the brakes on these approvals by wondering aloud if the district could afford new charters when it is confronting a $173 million deficit.
Posted by Edspresso at 05:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)May 21, 2007
Morning Shots
Washington Post: Full list of the nation's top high schools
It's that time of year again. Time for Jay Mathews and Newsweek to tell parents if their child's school is one of the nation's top high schools. The yearly process hasn't gained the popularity of the college rankings, but more information for parents can't hurt. And charter schools are again making significant gains in the list.
The Washington Post Challenge Index measures a public high school's effort to challenge its students. The formula is simple: Divide the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests a school gave by the number of seniors who graduated in June. Tests taken by all students, not just seniors, are counted.
The rating is not a measurement of the overall quality of the school but illuminates one factor that many educators consider important.
All of the schools on the list have an index of at least 1.000; they are in the top 5 percent of public schools measured this way.
Find out more about the Challenge Index used to rate the schools in this article and look for the May 28 issue of Newsweek for the full story.
Orlando Sentinel: Jeb Bush has few regrets on education
Former Gov. Jeb Bush says he wishes he had done a better job of convincing educators and parents that the FCAT exam and other education reforms were necessary and would improve Florida schools.
In an interview being published this week, he defends the policies he championed and speaks proudly of students' gains in reading and math. But he conceded that he could have done more to get critics on board.
Bush restated his hope that Florida will amend the state Constitution to allow school vouchers. He said the state Supreme Court decision that struck down his private-school "scholarships" for children at failing public schools threatens other state programs that pay private providers for educational services.
It is still unclear, however, whether Gov. Charlie Crist and the Legislature will continue his programs. Just last month, lawmakers softened the tough merit-pay plan adopted last year while Bush was governor.
Washington Post: Editorial - Choices that are changing lives in D.C.
Posted by Edspresso at 06:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)If it were up to the children and their parents, there'd be no question that the District's five-year experiment with school vouchers would be renewed for an additional five years or more.
That's the most emphatic finding of an independent evaluation of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program published last week. "The vast majority of families participating in this study are satisfied with the OSP in general, and their choice of new schools in particular," the report found.
The parental reaction shouldn't come as a surprise. After all, most Americans enjoy "school choice" without ever thinking about it in those terms: If they don't like their neighborhood school, they can move to a different neighborhood or school district or send their children to private or parochial schools. Only the poor, who can't afford tuition or to move, say, from the District to Falls Church, are without school choice.
Strikingly, the report's authors found that the parents aren't just happy; they're involved in their children's education, and increasingly so the longer they are in the program, despite challenges related to time and transportation.
Education News for Monday, May 21
Perdue OKs vouchers for disabled students - Parents of students with physical and learning disabilities can start applying for a state-funded voucher program to help defray the cost of moving their children into private schools.
Charter school works to expand art offerings - When Beth Premo started working at Guajome Academy more than a decade ago, she was the only art teacher at the fledgling charter school. Now, Premo is one of 11 educators there working to expand the campus's art program.
Fifth Third gives real-life lessons - The fifth-grader attends the 21st Century Charter School-Fall Creek, one of five Indianapolis-area schools chosen for a 10-week financial literacy program this winter and spring. A team of Fifth Third bankers taught such topics as saving, interest, earning power, debt, the stock market and balancing a checkbook.
Full List of the Nation’s Top High Schools - The Washington Post Challenge Index measures a public high school's effort to challenge its students. The formula is simple: Divide the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate or Cambridge tests a school gave by the number of seniors who graduated in June.
The Index: Why They Are the Best - The Challenge Index list of America's best high schools, this year with a record 1,258 names, began as a tale of just two schools. They were Garfield High School, full of children of Hispanic immigrants in East Los Angeles, and Mamaroneck High School, a much smaller campus serving very affluent families in Westchester County, N.Y.
Jeb Bush has few regrets on education - Former Gov. Jeb Bush says he wishes he had done a better job of convincing educators and parents that the FCAT exam and other education reforms were necessary and would improve Florida schools. In an interview being published this week, he defends the policies he championed and speaks proudly of students' gains in reading and math.
Rex wants schools to revamp testing - State Superintendent of Education Jim Rex announced his proposal to overhaul the statewide Palmetto Achievement Challenge Tests on Thursday, garnering mixed reviews at the state and local levels.
Choices That Are Changing Lives in D.C. - Editorial: If it were up to the children and their parents, there'd be no question that the District's five-year experiment with school vouchers would be renewed for an additional five years or more.
City charter school's future now in doubt - A four-year-old charter school on shaky ground for five months and under state investigation will meet with parents to tell them whether the school will remain open and why some teachers have recently been let go.
A Program Left Behind - Seven years ago, the state poured $5 million into Suffield's regional vocational agriculture center, lavishing it with satellite-controlled greenhouses, a culinary lab, a small-animal complex and an expansive aquatics lab. Today, several giant tanks in the aquatics lab are empty.
Contractor wears 2 hats on jobs for L.A. Unified - The Los Angeles Unified School District allows one of its highest-ranking construction managers to run a side business supplying consultants to the $20-billion school-building program and, in some cases, to act as the prime watchdog over the accuracy of the hours they bill.
Space crunch squeezes out charter schools - Space in South Florida's commercial real estate market has gotten scarce and expensive, creating a competitive environment that has slowed Broward County's charter school movement. Losers in the battle for the few existing affordable classroom sites can't open.
Group rallies for charter school - When listening to Yvette Breckenridge talk about charter schools, it's easy to catch her passion for education and her vision for enhancing Grant County. Breckenridge is the coordinator for Concerned Citizens for Education, a group trying to bring a charter school to Marion.
Charter school teacher voted No. 1 - Popular vote has named a kindergarten teacher whose classes have a calm atmosphere as the top instructor in Socorro schools this year. When she won the Wal-Mart and Sam's Club Teacher of the Year 2007 award, Cottonwood Valley Charter School teacher Lilian Momanyi received a $100 Wal-Mart gift card and a polo shirt, and the school received $1,000.
New superintendent named to Education Roundtable - Signature School was recently honored by the Center for Education Reform as one of the United States' best charter schools. Fifty-three schools were honored as part of the center's National Charter School of the Year program at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
Senate bill would give school choice a chance - Editorial: It's no longer even arguable among objective observers: The problem with America's mediocre government-run schools isn't a lack of money but a lack of competition. Monopolies are inherently less productive and incredibly resistant to change. Ask any businessman.
Posted by Edspresso at 05:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)May 18, 2007
The Schools You Won't Hear About on Oprah
Pardon the pride, but we just had to get this off our chests. While much of the known political world was debating the results of the second Republican debate in South Carolina Tuesday, or the ongoing divide over the war in Iraq, or whether it’s Barrack or Hillary, we were obsessed with final preparations for the Center for Education Reform’s National Charter School of the Year award. It was not for naught.
Continue reading "The Schools You Won't Hear About on Oprah" »
Posted by Edspresso at 09:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)Morning Shots
Washington Post: Takeover plan again delayed in Senate
Here we go again. Perhaps the anonymous senator who is asking for more time to review the document could check out this post from earlier in the week. The kids are waiting.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton expressed confidence yesterday that D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's school takeover bill will be approved by the U.S. Senate, even though an anonymous senator has asked for time to review the document.
The House of Representatives ratified the plan last week. In the Senate, the bill is being "hotlined," meaning it is being offered for a vote without a hearing. Under this process, the bill must be approved by unanimous consent. A single senator can block it by placing a formal hold on the legislation.
Fenty has made school improvement the centerpiece of his administration, and he wants to move quickly to have enough time to open schools smoothly in the fall.
If the Senate approves the plan, Fenty still must await a signature from President Bush before he can assume full authority over the schools.
New York Times: Principals act in plan to reduce bureaucracy
More than a third of New York City’s public school principals embraced a challenge from Chancellor Joel I. Klein to free themselves as much as possible from outside oversight under a new reorganization and become full stewards of their individual schools, the city said yesterday.
After months of deliberation, each of the city’s nearly 1,400 principals had to choose a “school support organization.” These organizations will provide resources like teacher training and curriculum development, but do not have the power to supervise schools or fire principals. Principals had a choice from a menu of different school-support groups: They could choose to be an “empowerment school” organized in nontraditional ways, as 481 principals did.
The new system is the cornerstone of an effort by Mr. Klein to promote accountability and transparency in the school system by forcing principals to shoulder more responsibility for their own schools.
In an interview yesterday, Mr. Klein said the new system would encourage “the transition of the principal as fundamentally an agent of bureaucracy in the school to the leader or the C.E.O of the school.”
Deseret News: Legal tussle over vouchers
Posted by Edspresso at 06:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)While lawsuits loom over the state Board of Education regarding the implementation of vouchers, or lack thereof, officials are concerned about who will defend the board if the issue heads to the courts, since the board's actions are in conflict with the opinion of Utah's attorney general.
Voucher proponents are up in arms about the state board's delay and refusal to implement a voucher program that they expected to be up and running as of Tuesday. The program would provide Utah families with a tuition voucher ranging from $500 to $3,000 per student attending a private school, based on the parents' income.
The attorney general's office, which is constitutionally designated as sole legal adviser to the board, has already issued an opinion that the board should immediately implement HB174 and even sent a letter this week advising the board to implement the program immediately.
So, if the board is sued because the panel refuses to recognize HB174 as law, can an office with differing opinions represent it in court? That's a concern for state leaders.
Education News for Friday, May 18
Michigan's budget crisis will worsen, leaders warn - House leaders said that despite some progress, the state budget crisis could get worse before it gets better. "There is a real chance government will shut down," House Speaker Andy Dillon, D-Redford Township, said at a forum this morning in Detroit.
Local schools earn national, state recognition - State and national recognition keeps pouring in to Poudre School District schools. This week, Liberty Common School and Ridgeview Classical Schools were recognized by the Center for Education Reform as among the top 53 charter schools in the nation.
Vote postponed on online charter high school - Met with opposition, mostly from teachers, the Antelope Valley Union High School District board postponed a vote on a proposed online charter school. At a public hearing Wednesday to measure support for the school, one person spoke in favor of the proposal and 15 people, all but one of them teachers, spoke against it.
Missouri will sponsor charter school for dropouts in city - The state announced Thursday that it will go into the business of privately managed education by sponsoring a charter school for dropouts and students at risk of dropping out in St. Louis. Opponents immediately blasted Missouri's first foray into charter school sponsorship as more evidence of the state's intent to destroy the St. Louis Public Schools.
Principals Act in Plan to Reduce Bureaucracy - More than a third of New York City’s public school principals embraced a challenge from Chancellor Joel I. Klein to free themselves as much as possible from outside oversight under a new reorganization and become full stewards of their individual schools, the city said yesterday.
Four local charter schools get national recognition - Four local charter schools were among 53 charters nationwide named a "National Charter School of the Year" by the Center for Education Reform during ceremonies Wednesday in Washington.
Legal tussle over vouchers - While lawsuits loom over the state Board of Education regarding the implementation of vouchers, or lack thereof, officials are concerned about who will defend the board if the issue heads to the courts, since the board's actions are in conflict with the opinion of Utah's attorney general. It could mean getting outside counsel.
New focus is urged for Albany schools - With the city school budget defeated for the second straight year, Albany Mayor Jerry Jennings said the district needs to refocus on fixing problems like low graduation rates.
Smarter charter starters - Editorial: Charter schools are a viable alternative for parents who demand higher quality education for their children. They provide the first real competition for entrenched school districts that have little incentive to change in ways that matter to students and parents.
Connecting with their culture, spirit - There are more than 50 American Indian charter schools in the United States, according to the Center for Education Reform, a think tank in Washington. About 20 of those are on reservations. Other organizations count some 150 schools that focus on students learning about their native backgrounds.
Charter Academy honored nationally - A national education policy group honored the Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy this week in Washington, D.C. The eight-year-old school was one of 53 charter schools nationwide selected as the top schools in the nation by the Center for Education Reform.
Takeover Plan Again Delayed In Senate - Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton expressed confidence yesterday that D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty's school takeover bill will be approved by the U.S. Senate, even though an anonymous senator has asked for time to review the document.
Dual-language R.I.P.? Despite parents' pleas, immersion program may be cut - It appears likely that Kalamazoo Public Schools will phase out its dual-language immersion program, even though KPS administrators, parents and students agree the program at Lincoln International Studies School has been successful.
Charter schools claim LA Unified denies them operated space - Two charter school operators and a group of parents sued the state's largest school district Thursday, alleging that Los Angeles Uni