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August 20, 2007
August 20, 2007
Cyber schools are accountable, teachers OK with merit pay, parents so confused they hire professionals to inform on school choice ...
Lebanon Daily News, PA: Like them or not, cyber schools prove accountable - Accountability: A quality cyber-charter like CCA actually has greater accountability — both state-required and self-imposed — than any traditional school I have known. Although I know school districts often think of education funding as “their” money, deep down inside we all understand that we are merely stewards of those funds.
Ocala Star-Banner, FL: Funding scheme a key to advancing virtual learning - What makes Florida Virtual's funding scheme a model for the nation, though, is that it's not restricted by a fixed budget. While many other online schools must cut off enrollment when they reach budget limits, Florida Virtual can expand to meet demand. State law says a student cannot be denied a virtual class if academically appropriate.
Ocala Star-Banner, FL: Florida leads growth in virtual schooling - About 2,700 full-time and 51,400 part-time Florida students in grades six through 12 get lessons over the Internet from teachers scattered across the state and nation. Struggling students can take more time to finish courses while those who are gifted can go at a faster speed. Virtual learning also can help alleviate classroom overcrowding and it permits students to take classes not offered by their local schools.
Columbus Dispatch, OH: 2 online schools overlook truancy - A student in an e-school is removed for truancy after not logging in for 21 consecutive days. Policies differ from school to school, but some of the schools that reported perfect, or near-perfect, attendance didn't count the unexcused absences of their truant students.
Deseret Morning News, UT: UT Charter Celebrates Top Rating - Serving mostly low-income and minority students, more than 90 percent of UT Elementary third- and fourth-grade students who took the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills in the spring passed each subject to earn the rating. Furthermore, more than 90 percent of students in all ethnic and economic groups passed in all subjects.
Coon Rapids ECM Publishers, MN: Minnesota Department of Education receives $1.9 million federal grant for voluntary school choice - The U.S. Department of Education awarded 14 grants in 12 states through a competitive process for the purpose of furthering public school choice. Minnesota’s grant provides nearly $1.9 million per year for five years to be used for the Minnesota Voluntary Public School Choice Project, which works to expand The Choice is Yours program and other choice options. The project is aimed at all Minneapolis-area urban and suburban families and students, with a focus on families whose children attend low-performing schools. School choice options include traditional neighborhood schools, magnet schools, charter schools, and inter-district schools.
Denver Post: Break the inertia with drastic measures - We now know how to create an effective public school. There is a small but growing list of innovative district and charter schools where most of the students succeed, regardless of a student's economic class or skin color. But we frequently fail to heed the lessons offered.
The Tennessean: More time needed to make school choice, parents say - One parent says she wishes the school district could make transfer arrangements earlier in the school year before parents buy uniforms and school supplies. Transferring to a new school eight weeks into the school year isn't the optimal choice, but it's one that many families are willing to make.
Whittier Daily News, CA: With so many school options, confused parents now are hiring consultants to help them pick the right educational answer for their children - The varied and confusing education options have opened an entire business for educational consultants. For a couple of hundred dollars, professional school finders will help parents lacking either time, money, or both, to sort through L.A. school options and come up with a shortlist of schools that best suit their children.
Springdale Morning News, AK: Private Schools Difficult to Track - The Arkansas Department of Education doesn't know how many private schools are in Arkansas or how many students attend them. There are no state rules, regulations or laws governing private schools.
Centre Daily Times, PA: Teachers say 'yes' to merit pay tied to test scores - The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers oppose linking a teacher's paycheck to how well their students do on tests. But that is not stopping Rob Weil, the AFT's deputy director of educational issues, from helping local unions hammer out contracts that include new merit-pay plans.
Las Cruces Sun News, NM: NM Leading Nation in Teacher Certification Program - The program enables teachers to become certified so students can receive the necessary skills in class to receive certification after graduation. The program also gives the teachers the ability to certify the students.
NY1, NY: Klein Coming Up On Five Years As City Schools Chancellor - Klein says he's all for class-size reduction, but wants to take time finding the right teachers. It’s a go slow approach that puts him at odds with union president Randi Weingarten.
Orangeburg Times Democrat, SC: State Superintendant of education to hold town hall meeting - "We have spent the summer planning an aggressive approach to education reform. I'm eager to visit every community in South Carolina to get public input and ultimately the support needed to accomplish a great deal next year," Jim Rex said.
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