Marshall school board opposes Blunt choice to state school board - A Missouri school board opposes appointment of Donayle Whitmore-Smith to the state Board of Education. over her support of school voucher and tax credit programs aimed at increasing options for parents and students.
Dual credit program helps students - Salem [Illinois] Community High School (SCHS) Principal Brad Detering reported to the board of education on Tuesday night about a way that students may be able to “knock out a semester, or even two, of college while still in high school.”
Public schools managed by private companies - It’s a growing trend, public schools managed by private companies. And it’s likely we’ll soon see more of them in New York City.
Judge scuttles mayor’s school takeover plan - A judge nullified legislation giving Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa substantial authority over the Los Angeles Unified School District, a stunning setback to Villaraigosa’s plans — already in progress — to assume direct control of dozens of Los Angeles schools.
A mayoral setback - Editorial: The mayor of Los Angeles should run the city’s schools. That principle suffered a legal setback Thursday, but it’s a principle — embraced in other major cities across the country — that must not be abandoned.
Wrong to seek limits on charter schools - Letter to the editor from Peter Murphy of the New York Charter Schools Association: The usual suspects of Albany’s public education establishment gathered once again to demand the state Legislature limit children’s public educational opportunities outside their direct control by curbing any growth in public charter schools.
Officials thrilled with school choice figures - A look at the impact of public school choice on a Massachusetts school district.
Borough subsidizing charter school - The Fairbanks North Star Borough School District is having to subsidize a charter school that emphasizes Native Alaskan culture.
Mayor Faces Setback After Judge Blocks School Takeover - Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa plotted his counterstrike Friday after a judge torpedoed his plan to partially take over the Los Angeles Unified School District, ruling that the power transfer would violate the state’s constitution and the city’s charter.
Mayor charts LAUSD course - His legal defeat just a day old, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa began his next line of attack Friday to gain partial control of L.A.’s school district, filing an appeal to a judge’s ruling against his takeover proposal and beginning his campaign to get the people he wants on the school board.
Testing Change Puts Pressure On Schools - The U.S. Department of Education has told Virginia schools they can no longer use the Stanford English Language Proficiency test as an alternative to the Virginia Standard of Learning test for students who have limited English skills.
Teacher pay trap - Editorial: If Florida really is serious about giving teachers financial incentives to work harder, it might begin by listening to a few of those miracle workers first.
Charter schools also closing achievement gap - Letter to the editor from New York’s Foundation for Education Reform and Accountability: While people make excuses for why an achievement gap persists and continue to stand in the way of expanding successful schools, the demand for high-quality charter school options — schools that are closing that gap right now — continues to grow.
We can’t quit on school reform - Opinion from Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa: Just as so many others did for me, I intend to fight for the students in L.A. Unified — and I will not be deterred.
Villaraigosa appeals judge’s decision blocking control of school district - Lawyers for Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa filed an appeal in his court battle to take control of the Los Angeles Unified School District.
School officials search for solutions to testing demands - The No Child Left Behind Act has changed the face of teaching, but Columbus [Ohio] city school officials are concerned teachers’ duties are becoming more than they can fit into the school day.
Modern China, U.S. education reform - Opinion: U.S. educators and business leaders usually look from within, or possibly to Europe and Japan, when forging ideas for emulative education reform. But quite relevant and meaningful ideas about school organization, teacher efficacy, student achievement, a national curriculum, professional development schools, etc., might exist in China.
Minority kids closing gap - Brevard [Florida] Public Schools students are getting smarter, and the "achievement gap" is slowly but steadily shrinking between white students and their black and Hispanic classmates.
High court could rule school desegregation plans unconstitutional - Framingham’s system for creating racially balanced schools - along with about 20 other policies in districts across the state - could be considered unconstitutional if the U.S. Supreme Court, as many expect, rules in favor of the plaintiffs in two cases it heard earlier this month.
Area educators give their wish list for No Child Left Behind - North Carolina educators have a few suggestions for the legislators who will re-evaluate the No Child Left Behind Act in 2007.
Bush built powerful legacy - Eight years after Gov. Jeb Bush won his first elected office, his two competing sides — compassionate policy wonk and unbending ideologue — have combined to cut an impressive figure.
Oregon preps new rules for diplomas - Oregon is working up a set of new requirements for earning a high school diploma. But the goal is not so much raising the bar — though the plan would do that for many — as it is to make sure all high school students do the work to earn a diploma that prepares them for college or work.
Tie higher pay to performance - Editorial: The Alabama Education Association is absolutely correct when it maintains that Alabama teachers deserve a pay increase this year. But it would be a pity if that higher pay consists only of an across-the-board increase that does not attempt to target those teachers who are going the extra step to improve the quality of teaching.
Voucher system would cut taxes - Letter to the editor: A sure way to lower New Jersey property taxes is to enact a school voucher system where parents may send their children to any school of their choice, private or parochial, an idea that Nobel economist Milton Friedman voiced about 40 years ago.
Schools have fewer male teachers than ever - The percentage of male teachers in Bergen County has hit an all-time low, reflecting drops across the state and nation over the last three decades.
District leaves education behind - Modesto [California] teachers are frustrated and angry with the No Child Left Behind Act because of the manner in which district officials are interpreting it.
Ball St. limits charter school - Ball State University officials have decided to shut down the middle school program at Fort Wayne’s only charter school because of low test scores and enrollment.
Charter school students show improvement, report says - Indiana students enrolled in charter schools sponsored by the city of Indianapolis and Ball State University are improving academically, according to a new report by Ball State’s Office of Charter School Research (OSCR).
Charter school district awaits funding - A new school district and a $13 million federal grant are primed for a journey that could double the number of charter schools in South Carolina during the next three years. There are just two holdups: the General Assembly and money.
`No Child Behind’ needs a new push - Opinion: The bipartisan deal that led to the passage of NCLB in 2001 was based on a combination of rigorous school accountability measures and increased federal funding that would supposedly pay for the increased demands on schools. Inevitably there’s been erosion at both ends of the bargain.
Dropout, school redesign find place in ‘07 education issues - Although the Mississippi education community’s focus lately has been on full funding, money won’t be the only issue on the table when lawmakers walk in the door Jan. 2.
Judge thwarts L.A. mayor’s bid to control school district - In a ruling that could discourage mayors in California from seeking control over local school districts, a judge yesterday blocked groundbreaking legislation giving Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa authority over the city’s school system.
State Plan to Transfer L.A. School Management Powers to Mayor Rejected by Judge (Edweek.org subscription required) - A Los Angeles judge has thrown out a new state law that was to transfer substantial management authority of the sprawling city school system to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, ruling that the legislation violates California’s constitution.
Union has teachers bracing for strike - After two decades of labor peace in the Chicago Public Schools system, the drumbeat for a teachers strike is sounding earlier and louder than ever before.
Early strike talk bubbles up in Chicago Teachers Union - The Chicago Teachers Union’s contract expires on June 30th, and Union President Marilyn Stewart is encouraging members to save money in case there’s a strike, according to a published report.
Uneven bonus plan opposed - Miami-Dade teachers whose students post the largest gains on Florida’s Comprehensive Assessment Test will be eligible for bonuses of up to 5 percent of their salary under a controversial plan sent to the state last week.
Education focus is on kindergarten - Only about a third of Minnesota children are in all-day kindergarten, and that’s too few in the eyes of some key policymakers.
LA parents find help with magnet schools at seminars with a twist - In the cutthroat competition to get their kids into a public magnet school, some parents are turning to support groups and a stiff drink to help them through the process.
Leading minds left behind - Advocates for gifted education say many top achievers are languishing in schools that are unable or unwilling to meet their needs.
Statewide charter school board off to a slow start - The creation of a statewide charter school district in South Carolina is off to a slow start as the board waits for the people and money to run it.
Jeb sets bar high for education - Florida Gov. Jeb Bush swept into office in 1998 with a bold platform on education — reading initiative, school voucher program, testing and accountability — and when he leaves office Jan. 2, much of what was, and wasn’t, accomplished will define his legacy.
Make sure it all adds up - Opinion: High school mathematics in Arizona isn’t exactly rocket science. But would it be more valuable if it were?
Schools to alter course of study - Starting in 2008, almost all North Carolina high school students will be put on a college-bound course of study.
Not over yet - Editorial: It was bad news, but perhaps not wholly unexpected, when a judge ruled Thursday that Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s school-reform plan is unconstitutional and barred it from becoming law Jan. 1. This was just one setback in a long, but terribly important process that Villaraigosa must see through to the end — not just for his own political legacy, but for the children of Los Angeles.
Early childhood education could get major funding boost - Advocates of early childhood education in Minnesota are optimistic that the upcoming legislative session will include a major funding boost for programs that prepare children for school.
The NEA: Classroom Bullies - Opinion: It is time for the Supreme Court to deliver justice for workers nationwide and end the compulsion that exists in today’s modern labor movement.
San Antonio’s proven that school vouchers work well - Opinion: As the Texas Legislature gears up for another debate over school vouchers in the coming session, naturally Texans are looking for evidence on whether vouchers work. They should look at the long-running voucher program in San Antonio. As with programs across the country, the evidence shows that vouchers work.
4-day school week gaining - An increasing number of Colorado school districts are opting for a shorter weekly schedule.
Reformers cite middle school needs - After focusing for years on younger and older students, educators in L.A. and elsewhere are looking for new ways to curb the dropout rate.
Careers become the lessons - A $10 million federal grant will help 10 Miami-Dade schools start career academies that administrators hope lead to increased student success.
Report: Federal funds reinforce inequality in school funding - Money for public schools tends to be spent more on wealthy students than poor ones, according to a report by Education Trust, a children’s advocacy group with offices in Washington, D.C., and Oakland, Calif.
Fighting for fairness - A profile of the lawyer suing the federal government over NCLB.
Check back later for more education news.
UPDATE:
School Entrepreneur Named to Be a Deputy Chancellor - New York Schools Chancellor Joel I. Klein yesterday appointed the former president of Edison Schools Inc., the world’s largest for-profit operator of public schools, as a deputy chancellor, perhaps the boldest move yet in the Bloomberg administration’s effort to increase the role of the private sector in managing city public schools.
D.C. Schools Considering Unusual Deal With Nonprofit - The D.C. Board of Education is considering a no-bid contract with a little-experienced but politically connected organization to upgrade academics and facilities in some low-performing schools.
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