Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Learning About Learning
Washington Post, D.C., October 28, 2008
If neuroscientists can pinpoint which parts of the brain are activated when a reader puzzles over an unknown word, they may eventually help teachers tailor reading instruction for individuals.

Evidence Shows Vouchers Not Working
Greenville News, SC, October 28, 2008
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin and Cleveland, Ohio, home of the nation’s longest-running voucher experiments, vouchers have accomplished neither of the objectives supporters hoped they would.

Unions Battle for Democrats in Swing States
Education Week, MD, October 27, 2008
Teachers’ unions around the country have shifted into high gear in the countdown to the presidential election next week, and nowhere is the fervor more evident than in the battleground states.

Lawsuits to Close Failing Charter Schools to Continue
Columbus Dispatch, OH, October 28, 2008
Interim Attorney General Nancy H. Rogers will continue her predecessor’s effort of trying to shut down poor-performing charter schools under Ohio’s charitable trust law.

Charter School Halts Its Expansion Plans
Chicago Daily Herald, IL, October 28, 2008
The Pingree Grove school originally was slated to expand this year, but declining enrollment has put those plans on hold, District 300 officials said Monday.

Schools Can’t Save Anymore? Don’t Drink School Officials’ Cool-Aid
TCPalm, FL, October 28, 2008
In addition to leaner administrative staffs, districts can take two proactive approaches that actually enrich education: promoting more online learning and facilitating more charter schools.

Ten Years Later, Joshua Academy Counted As A Blessing
Henderson Gleaner, KY, October 27, 2008
Joshua Academy was the result. First an independent school, and then a charter school beginning in 2004, Joshua Academy has 220 pupils in preschool through fifth grade.

Cobb Board Approves Kennesaw School’s 1-Year Charter
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, October 27, 2008
Kennesaw Charter School has another year to prove any problems it may have had are in the past. School officials originally wanted a new five-year charter for the school, which opened in 2003. But when that plan fell short of getting the Cobb school board’s approval, a one-year charter request was submitted.

They’re Taking Care of Business
Rocky Mountain News, CO, October 28, 2008
The Denver Public Schools charter opened its doors near downtown in August with the promise that the curriculum will focus on building skills that students need to be successful at work, whether they decide they want to be entrepreneurs, academics or employees.

Revising Patrick’s Education Agenda
Boston Globe, MA, October 28, 2008
Among the likely casualties of the financial storm are several proposals included in the Readiness Project, Patrick’s action agenda for education.

GPS Supports New All-Girls Charter School
The Chattanoogan, TN, October 27, 2008
After last year’s success at raising $62,000 for a girls’ school in Pakistan, the GPS Robin Hood committee this year has turned its sights to a school closer to home, the new all-girls charter school, Chattanooga Girls’ Leadership Academy.

Embracing Online Learning’s Promise
East Valley Tribune, AZ, October 27, 2008
These Arizona students and thousands like them around the state are pioneers in the 21st century education phenomenon known as K-12 online learning.

Time for a Radical Revolution in Education
Victorville Daily Press, CA, October 27, 2008
While we continue to be strong advocates for a school voucher system, we see no sign that vouchers will come to California anytime soon. In the meantime, we urge the public to, first, reject Measure V. Then we all must pressure the Victor Valley Union High School District leadership to create a series of new charter schools, including a new charter high school for Adelanto.