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May 30, 2007

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.

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