New Orleans ‘Portfolio’ Strategy For Public Schools Gains Supporters Around The Country
Times Picayune, LA, June 29, 2011
More evidence arrives today that the same school improvement strategy that’s been adopted in New Orleans is gaining traction across the country.

Education Is The New Abortion: The Battle Over School Reform Has Turned Dangerously Vitriolic
New York Daily News, NY, June 30, 2011
Less than a year ago, as I was finishing a book on Michelle Rhee, the combative former chancellor of schools in Washington, D.C., the time arrived to set up a website for the book. The website designer asked if I wanted to include reader comments. It was a sensible suggestion, but I said, no, thanks.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

New Setback For Parents Battling Compton School District
Los Angles Wave, CA, June 29, 2011
After a recent legal blow against parents fighting to strip control of McKinley Elementary School from Compton Unified School District and place it in the hands of a charter operator, members of the activist group Parent Revolution said this week they will likely take the matter to an appeals court.

COLORADO

Denver School Board Set To Vote On Charter For Minority Boys
Denver Post, CO, June 30, 2011
The Denver Public Schools board is expected to vote tonight on applications to open eight schools, including one for an all-boys charter focusing on African-Americans and Latinos in the district’s far northeast area.

Dougco Vouchers, Round 2
Denver Post, CO, June 30, 2011
It’s no surprise that the Douglas County School District’s pilot voucher plan has been challenged in court. That’s what school choice opponents do when such measures have popular support. When a school voucher plan was passed by the Colorado legislature in 2003, it was killed by our liberal state Supreme Court on the grounds that it undermined the authority of local school districts.

FLORIDA

Group At Top Of List To Run Duval’s 4 Most Struggling Schools Not In Business Very Long
Florida Times Union, FL, June 30, 2011
National Academic Educational Partners, the front-runner for teaming with Duval Partners to possibly run the county’s four most struggling public schools, has helped improve reading scores at most of the Florida charter schools it has worked with, but that’s only after a little more than a year of being in existence.

New Florida Teacher Evaluation Guidelines Take Effect Friday
TC Palms, FL, June 29, 2011
Florida teachers who don’t have tenure by now are out of luck. Friday marks the start of a new era in Florida public schools with parts of the state’s sweeping merit pay law, Senate Bill 736, going into effect.

ILLINOIS

Struggling Chicago Public High Schools Get Millions
Chicago Sun-Times, IL, June 30, 2011
Eight poorly performing Chicago public high schools - including a charter school - have been awarded nearly $5.7 million each in federal money to overhaul their programs over the next three years, state officials announced Wednesday.

INDIANA

Private Schools Receive More State Funding For Disabled Students
WRTV Indianapolis, IN, June 29, 2011
New legislation will allow private school students with disabilities access to state tax dollars earmarked for education.

Taxpayers Liable for Imagine’s Bill
Fort Wayne Journal -Gazette, IN, June 30, 2011
The first statewide challenge to the tax-exempt status of a charter school ended with a landmark denial for a Fort Wayne school, a decision that could be detrimental to Allen County taxpayers.

Diocese Officials Praise Voucher Plan
Evansville Courier Press, IN, June 29, 2011
Catholic schools and other nonpublic schools across Indiana stand to gain students from the voucher law, which allows students to transfer from public schools at state expense. The law takes effect Friday.

MAINE

Charter School Law A Chance To Try New Things
Portland Press Herald, ME, June 30, 2011
Educators with ideas of how to meet an unmet need will now have a way to proceed.

Charter Schools History A Boon For Our Program
Kennebec Journal, ME, June 30, 2011
For the past two decades, educators in some of the nation’s big cities and rural towns have been conducting an experiment, seeing what charter schools would do to help their students.

MICHIGAN

To Improve Schools, Shift Funds To Proven Programs
Detroit Free Press, MI, June 30, 2011
Detroit Public Schools is about to undergo its fourth makeover in 18 months under a plan to create a new governing body called the Education Achievement System. The state-controlled EAS would operate on top of the DPS district, paradoxically creating a new layer of governance in the name of downsizing.

MINNESOTA

Two Charter Schools Waiting On The State
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN, June 29, 2011
Tarek ibn Ziyad Academy (TiZA) is one of two charter schools still waiting on a decision from state officials who are reviewing requests for the schools to switch to new overseers by the end of the day Thursday.

All-Girls Charter Tries To Build Engineering Students
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN, June 29, 2011
A St. Paul girls-only charter school seeks to get more of them interested in technical fields.

NEW JERSEY

New N.J. Bills Could Halt Growth Of Charter Schools In Suburbs, Expand In Unwelcome Areas
Star-Ledger, NJ, June 29, 2011
The Assembly advanced a package of bills tonight that could stymie the growth of charter schools in the suburbs while dramatically expanding their portfolio statewide.

NEW YORK

School Braces for Hard Truth
Wall Street Journal, June 30, 2011
That hard truth is one of many that the teachers, students and parents of Harlem Day have been confronting in recent months as the school prepares to become the city’s first attempt at a takeover of a failing charter school.

Suing to Strangle NYC Schools
New York Post, NY, June 30, 2011
The United Federation of Teachers and the NAACP are suing to prevent 16 charter schools from “co-locating” with other public schools in city Department of Education buildings. If the lawsuit succeeds, it’s highly unlikely those schools will be able to open this fall

Teacher Evaluations Must Be Worked Out
Poughkeepsie Journal, NY, June 30, 2011
There is, to be certain, much at stake as New York attempts to implement meaningful teacher and principal evaluations, a contentious issue that has landed in court.

OHIO

Historic Achievement
Columbus Dispatch, OH, June 30, 2011
On the important question of evaluating and compensating teachers, the budget provides a good start toward the merit-based pay system that would encourage the most-talented teachers to enter and stay in education.

OKLAHOMA

KIPP Tulsa Applies For Charter School Status
Tulsa World, OK, June 30, 2011
Officials from the school, which is part of the national Knowledge Is Power Program, as well as Tulsa Public Schools say they hope the conversion would bring few changes for students.

PENNSYLVANIA

Successful Charters Can Help Those Struggling
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, June 30, 2011
The study by the Center for Research on Education Outcomes cited by reporter Martha Woodall (” Pa. charters put to a test,” June 20) highlights the need for clear accountability standards for charter schools in Pennsylvania.

State Budget Leaves School District With $35 Million Hole To Fill
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, June 30, 2011
The school district’s budget problems are far from over after the state Legislature restored a paltry $22 million from the nearly $300 million that Gov. Corbett slashed

School Voucher Push Stalls, Likely Halted Until Fall
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, June 30, 2011
RA last-minute push to provide students in Pennsylvania’s worst schools with a tuition voucher program has likely failed.

SOUTH DAKOTA

S.D. Schools Back Out Of No Child Law
Argus Leader, SD, June 30, 2011
South Dakota schools will not face higher proficiency targets for this year’s math and reading tests - in defiance of the No Child Left Behind Act, Education Secretary Melody Schopp said Wednesday.

A Look At Ways To Create A Fair Teacher Evaluation System
The Journal News, NY, June 25, 2011
With school budget crises permeating the country, the threat of teacher layoffs has been in the air, including in the New York City and Yonkers districts, where hundreds of layoffs were threatened. This has led to a debate between the unions and advocates for maximizing the effectiveness of schools by retaining the best teachers, not necessarily the most senior.

School Relief or School Reform?
Daily Item, PA, June 26, 2011
When Barack Obama was campaigning in 2008, he promised that he would work to get rid of No Child Left Behind legislation, but until last week, it appeared that he had forgotten that promise.

CALIFORNIA

For San Diego Schools, a Fear That Larger Classes Will Hinder Learning
New York Times, NY, June 27, 2011
Many in the forefront of what is called the education reform movement - like Bill Gates, the philanthropist, and Arne Duncan, the nation’s education secretary - have attended private schools with small class sizes.

LA Schools Step Up Oversight of Stumbling Charters
Associated Press, June 26, 2011
It’s been a rocky year for charters in Los Angeles Unified, which hosts the most charter schools of any district in the nation - 183 currently, with roughly another 20 slated to open in the fall.

Locke High’s Slow And Steady Turnaround
Los Angeles Times, CA, June 26, 2011
The takeover by charter operator Green Dot hasn’t yielded the quick and dramatic results many had hoped for, but there has been some solid improvement.

Courts Still Involved In Charter School Dispute
The Press-Enterprise, CA, June 26, 2011
The president of the San Bernardino City Unified school board said Friday he hopes the courts will determine who will operate the Public Safety Academy charter school so the district won’t have to make the decision.

Punjabi Charter School to Open in West Sacramento
Sacramento Bee, CA, June 27, 2011
West Sacramento will be home to the first public Punjabi charter school in the country this fall.

Charter School’s Success Validated By Top State Ranking
Marin Independent Journal, CA, June 27, 2011
LEADERS OF Willow Creek Academy in Sausalito deserve to take pride in the elementary school being named one of the 10 best charter schools in California.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

A Disconnect on Big Issues in the District
Washington Times, DC, June 26, 2011
The president and Congress reinstated the scholarship program this spring as part of the federal government’s three-sector approach to public schooling that also appropriates new dollars to traditional and charter schools in the District.

Parents Rush To Apply For D.C. Private School Vouchers
Washington Post, DC, June 25, 2011
For eight years, Elaine Cousins has tried to secure her son a D.C. Opportunity Scholarship from the federally funded voucher program that helps low-income parents pay for local private schools.

FLORIDA

School Holds First Graduation
Tampa Bay Tribune, FL, June 27, 2011
When Melinda Deravil enrolled in Seminole Heights Charter High School she had fewer than half the course credits she needed to walk across the stage and receive her high school diploma.

GEORGIA

Charter Schools To Learn If They Can Stay Open
WSNTV, GA, June 26, 2011
Thousands of children attending about a dozen Georgia charter schools will hear this week whether state officials will allow the schools to remain open.

The Brewing Of A Bruising Fight Over Charter Schools
Atlanta Journal Constitution Blog, GA, June 25, 2011
For the last couple years, the focus has been on transportation as the public policy issue likely to dominate the 2012 political season.

LOUISIANA

Recovery School District Academic-Gains Data Challenged
The Times-Picayune, LA, June 27, 2011
It’s an impressive set of numbers that Louisiana officials have used to illustrate academic gains made by the state’s Recovery School District in New Orleans: Six years ago before Katrina, 62 percent of city students attended failing schools. Now, just 18 percent do.

Recovery School District Will Put More New Orleans High Schools Under Charters
The Times-Picayune, LA, June 26, 2011
The state’s Recovery School District is offering more concrete details about plans for turning around New Orleans high schools that have continued to struggle under its leadership, the main thrust of which will put more students under the watch of charter school operators who have already convinced state officials they can make gains.

MASSACHUSETTS

Evaluating Teachers May Burden Principals
Boston Globe, MA, June 27, 2011
As state education leaders prepare to vote tomorrow on a sweeping overhaul of the way administrators and teachers are evaluated, local school officials say one key area remains a concern: finding time for overburdened principals to actually do the evaluations.

Schools Eye Banning Outside Students From Programs
Gloucester Times, MA, June 26, 2011
Gloucester’s School Department may formally close all after-school activities to “out-of-district” students - including those attending the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School - pending a Wednesday night School Committee’s vote.

MINNESOTA

Charter Schools In Limbo As Deadline Nears
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN, June 25, 2011
Anxiety is growing as 20 schools seek state approval for new overseers ahead of Thursday’s deadline.

MISSOURI

Ambitious School Reform Relies On The Personal Touch
Kansas City Star, MO, June 26, 2011
The nation’s latest, greatest attempt to turn around its lowest-performing schools needed a child’s face.

NEW JERSEY

Intervention Can’t Wait
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, June 26, 2011
It comes as no surprise that the Christie administration closed its eyes when critical factors screamed for state education officials to take a more active role with Camden schools.

Package of Four Controversial Charter Bills To Come Before Assembly
NJ Spotlight, NJ, June 27, 2011
The most contentious proposal would give local voters the right to OK any charters in their community.

NORTH CAROLINA

New Legislation To Affect Charter Schools
Mount Airy News, NC, June 26, 2011
A bill proposing changes to education in North Carolina that started out in the Senate of the N.C. General Assembly Jan. 27 has finally become law after much deliberation and compromise.

OHIO

Breakthrough Charter Schools Buying Four Closed Buildings From Cleveland School District
Plain Dealer, OH, June 26, 2011
The Breakthrough charter schools, seeking to expand, are buying four school buildings closed by the Cleveland school district.

CPS Would Be Smart To Try Charters
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, June 26, 2011
If you can’t beat ‘em, own ‘em. That’s something of the philosophy Cincinnati Public Schools is taking when it comes to its relationship with charter schools.

PENNSYLVANIA

Charter Schools’ Turnover Lower Here Than Elsewhere
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, June 27, 2011
After nine years at City High Charter School, Casey Teagarden can’t imagine teaching anywhere else.

Pennsylvania Laws Pitting Public Schools Against Private
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, June 27, 2011
Gov. Tom Corbett has laid out a vision for public education in Pennsylvania in which schools compete to offer students the best chance at success.

RHODE ISLAND

A Year-End Assessment of Central Falls High’s ‘transformation’
Providence Journal, RI, June 26, 2011
It’s not easy being a litmus test for the nation. The first struggling school in Rhode Island - and one of the first in the United States - to try to fix itself under new federal guidelines, Central Falls High School finished year one of transformation when its doors closed for the summer on Thursday.

TENNESSEE

Newest Charter Off To Fast Start
Chattanooga Times Free Press, TN, June 26, 2011
After fighting for the Hamilton County school board’s approval for more than a year, officials with Chattanooga’s newest charter school are working hard to recruit students.

WASHINGTON

State Needs Private Schools To Boost Quality Education
News Tribune, WA, June 26, 2011
On Tuesday the Supreme Court of Washington will hear arguments in a significant, albeit misguided, lawsuit concerning education in our state

WISCONSIN

MPS, City Grapple With Deciding School Facilities
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, June 25, 2011
So we’ve got all these empty school buildings in Milwaukee at the same time we’ve got schools or potential schools that need decent buildings. Resolving this doesn’t sound like the most complicated issue facing the human race. Almost needless to say, it’s complicated.

Separate Legislation Best For Green Bay School Voucher Issue
Green Bay Gazette, WI, June 26, 2011
Of all the proposals deleted from the state budget that Gov. Scott Walker will sign today, the plan to expand Milwaukee’s school voucher program to Green Bay gave us the most pause.

VIRTUAL LEARNING

Virtual School Holds Literal Graduation
Statesman Journal, OR, June 26, 2011
About half of this year’s 150 graduates, the school’s largest graduating class, traveled to Salem for the ceremony. Those students hail from all corners of the state; ORCA is the state’s most recognized tuition-free public virtual school.

Online High School in SR?
Press Democrat, CA, June 25, 2011
School Board to establish online charter high school to draw less-traditional students

GOP Lawmaker Challenges Duncan on No Child Left Behind
Wall Street Journal, June 24, 2011
The Republican chair of the House education committee said Thursday he won’t rush into a revamp of No Child Left Behind and challenged the Obama administration’s suggestion that states be allowed to waive parts of the law.

Bills Outline Game Plan For Education Overhaul
Washington Times, DC, June 23, 2011
Brushing off criticism that Congress is moving too slowly on education reform, a key House committee chairman said Thursday that he believes he can push a package of five reform bills through the House this year and end the “draconian” approach of the expiring No Child Left Behind Act.

The Case for Common Educational Standards
Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2011
The success of today’s students will determine our nation’s destiny. America’s economic strength and standing in the world economy are directly linked to our ability to equip students with the knowledge and skills to succeed in the 21st-century economy.

FROM THE STATES

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

The Coming Teacher-Union Offensive
Washington Times, DC, June 23, 2011
Already, national political fundraising machines are beginning to hum and s putter toward early targets in their quest to break another election cycle’s worth of spending records.

FLORIDA

3 New Volusia Charter Schools Ready For Opening
Dayton Beach News-Journal, FL, June 24, 2011
Jessica Hewitt was looking for a little something extra when she decided to enroll her daughter in the Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts, one of three new charter schools scheduled to open in Volusia County in August.

Rushed Decisions Are Bad For Students
Florida Times-Union, FL, June 24, 2011
A church seemed the appropriate place to hold a meeting on Jacksonville’s four intervene schools, since prayer seems the best intervention at the moment.

GEORGIA

Cherokee Superintendent Wants Limits Put On Charter School
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, June 23, 2011
Cherokee schools Superintendent Frank Petruzielo has warned that approving the application for Cherokee Charter Academy will cost taxpayers and teachers money

ILLINOIS

Teachers Making House Calls?
Chicago Tribune, IL, June 23, 2011
New Chicago schools chief Jean-Claude Brizard expressed support Thursday for the idea of teachers and staff visiting students at home, even in some of the city’s toughest neighborhoods.

MAINE

Charter Schools Serve As Viable Alternative For Frustrated Parents
Portland Press Herald, ME, June 24, 2011
The concept of charter schools — or for that matter, any alternate model of education — came from the frustration that parents have and do experience with failing educational systems.

MARYLAND

Montgomery Superintendent Recommends County’s First Charter School
Washington Post, DC, June 24, 2011
Montgomery County’s superintendent on Thursday recommended approval of the county’s first public charter school, signaling that one of the nation’s marquee school systems is ready to accept such an experiment after years of resistance.

MICHIGAN

Stand Up for Reform
The Detroit News, MI, June 24, 2011
Republicans in the state Senate are wobbling on an important education reform bill that would make it easier for schools to get rid of incompetent teachers. They should find their courage and face down the special interests that would keep Michigan an education backwater.

MINNESOTA

Fate of 20 Minn. Charter Schools at Risk as Sponsor Deadline Nears
Minnesota Public Radio, MN, June 24, 2011
The leaders of 20 charter schools across Minnesota are wondering if next week might be their last in business. They all had to find new sponsors this year, but the switch to a new sponsor still hasn’t earned final approval from the state education department.

NEW JERSEY

Parents Rally For Charter Choice
South Brunswick Post, NJ, June 24, 2011
A crowd of about 40 men, women and children from around the region gathered Tuesday night in front of the Municipal Building on Route 522 to ask their state representatives for the right to vote on whether charter schools should be allowed to open in their communities.

NEW YORK

UFT-NAACP Child Abuse
New York Post, NY, June 24, 2011
The fate of thousands of kids’ educations may be decided next week by a ruling in a lawsuit aimed at thwarting charter schools and keeping open some 22 abysmal traditional schools.
Or maybe it won’t be decided.

Groups Bid To Rebuild Failing Schools
Buffalo News, NY, June 24, 2011
Twelve groups-from the Buffalo Museum of Science and Buffalo State College to a high-profile consulting firm out of Long Island - have submitted proposals to help turn around seven of Buffalo’s failing schools.

OHIO

Teacher Merit Pay Expected to Be in Final Ohio Budget
Columbus Dispatch, OH, June 24, 2011
A new teacher merit-pay system probably will be included in the final state budget, which could take shape today if a conference committee is ready to start plowing through more than 500 differences between the House- and Senate-passed versions of the bill.

Bill Puts Limits On Inferior Charter Schools
Wooster Daily Record, OH, June 24, 2011
Charter schools that earn lower ratings on state report cards than nearby public schools would be prohibited from admitting students who live in those districts, under legislation being considered in the Ohio Senate.

PENNSYLVANIA

Aid For Private School Students Can Cut Companies’ Pa. Taxes
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, June 24, 2011
Businesses in Pennsylvania have a choice to either send their tax dollars to the state or use the money to fund private school education. But time is running out if they want to use the latter option this year.

Charter School Suit Would Challenge State Law
Courier Times, PA, June 23, 2011
In seeking to recoup more than $180,000 in annual payments from School Lane Charter School , the lawyers for the Bensalem School District might also need to overturn a state law. On Wednesday night, the school board voted to sue the charter school over allegations it failed to make regular payments to the district as promised in a 1998 contract.

Corbett Gears Up For Push On School Vouchers
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, June 24, 2011
Saying he believes the Legislature is in “as good a position” to get a school voucher bill passed as it has been “for many, many years,” Gov. Tom Corbett said he wants lawmakers to approve legislation before leaving for recess next week.

Catholic Schools Urge Support For School Choice
Beaver County Times, PA, June 24, 2011
Catholic schools representatives are backing a state initiative by a local legislator that would provide vouchers for students in poor-performing public schools.

VIRTUAL LEARNING

Nevada Connections Academy Sees Enrollment Grow
KTVN, NV, June 23, 2011
With the public school system juggling budget cuts and overcrowded classrooms, more and more parents are turning to alternative schooling for their children.

Movement Growing To Spread Education Reform To Teacher Training Institutions, Fixing Problems On ‘Front End’
Grand Rapids Press, MI, June 22, 2011
Education schools that produce ineffective teachers could face penalties under a U.S. Senate bill introduced this week by a bipartisan - and influential - group of lawmakers.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

District Awaits Court Ruling On Charter School
Press-Enterprise, CA, June 22, 2011
The San Bernardino City Unified School District will wait for a court ruling before acting on a dispute at the Public Safety Academy, where separate boards of directors each claim they are in charge.

COLORADO

Group of Parents Also Files Suit Over School Vouchers
Denver Post, CO, June 23, 2011
While the American Civil Liberties Union and high-profile faith organizations got all the attention Tuesday for their lawsuit against Douglas County Schools, a smaller group of parents, too, filed a challenge to the district’s voucher program.

CONNECTICUT

Lawmakers Pass Bill Raising Teacher Tenure Threshold
Nashua Telegraph, CT, June 22, 2011
Starting July 1, public school teachers would have to work for five years in the same district before getting the job protection of tenure under a bill the Legislature sent to Gov. John Lynch on Wednesday.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

High Expectations Drive Success in D.C. Charter Schools
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, June 23, 2011
I have returned to the home of my alma mater, Morehouse College, this week to be inducted into the Hall of Fame of the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools.

FLORIDA

A Pragmatic Message On School Reform
St. Petersburg Times, FL, June 23, 2011
Five months after Gov. Rick Scott took office, the Board of Education has hired a new education commissioner of his choosing, Virginia Education Secretary Gerard Robinson.

GEORGIA

Race To Top Money Not For Ga.’s Charters
GPB News, GA, June 22, 2011
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan told a group of charter school advocates that Georgia’s Race to the Top winnings are already reserved for other projects and so cannot be used to help the schools make up budget shortfalls.

LOUISIANA

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Lusher, Ben Franklin and Lake Forest Win 10-Year Charter Renewals From OPSB
Times Picayune, LA, June 22, 2011
Four of the independent charter schools operating under the Orleans Parish School Board have won renewal agreements with the district, a step that affirms the schools’ academic and financial standing.

MASSACHUSSETS

Schools Mull Pay For Performance Plan For Teachers
Salem News, MA, June 23, 2011
The school district is considering a plan to use some of the $146,000 it received in federal Race to the Top funding for a merit pay program for teachers, called Pay for Performance.

MICHIGAN

Emergency Manager Law Faces Challenge
Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2011
Michigan law that broadened the state’s power to intervene in financially troubled municipalities and school districts faces a fresh challenge as a left-leaning activist law center filed a lawsuit Wednesday alleging the statute violates the state constitution.

If You Don’t Need Them, Don’t Fix Them
Detroit News, MI, June 23, 2011
When something breaks, the choices are either to fix it, replace it or decide whether you can live without it.

Keep EMU Profs Out of Detroit Schools
Detroit News, MI, June 23, 2011
Schools don’t need another batch of union loyalists who put kids last.

MISSOURI

College Prep For Dropouts
St. Louis American, MO, June 23, 2011
In December, his cousin told him about Shearwater, a charter school in the city that focuses on preparing struggling teens for college.

NEW JERSEY

Hedge-Fund Founders Eye N.J. Schools
Wall Street Journal, June 23, 2011
A new group backed by two hedge-fund founders is taking aim at New Jersey’s largest teachers union. Better Education for Kids wants to end the use of seniority in teacher-hiring decisions, implement an effective teacher-evaluation system and weaken tenure.

NEW YORK

South Bronx Charter School Breaking Ground For New High School
New York Daily News, NY, June 23, 2011
In a time when most public schools in the Bronx don’t have a gym or auditorium and have to share diminishing space, a new charter school is bulldozing a parking lot, garage and defunct social club in the South Bronx to make way for a new building.

Education Reform Advocates Push for Parent Trigger Law
WNED, NY, June 22, 2011
The proposed Parent Trigger Law avails parents of some drastic options should their children attend a persistently failing school and a simple majority of parents agree. The options include firing the principal, firing 50 percent of the teachers, forcing closure of the school or converting to a charter school.

OHIO

Charter School Operator White Hat Management Takes Over Five Cleveland Catholic Diocese Buildings
Plain Dealer, OH, June 22, 2011
A high-profile operator of charter schools has taken control of five former churches and school buildings from the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland.

CPS to Open Gifted School for Grades 3-6
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, June 23, 2011
Cincinnati Public Schools will launch new specialty programs in August and will start opening its own charter schools in the next few years in an effort to lure students back from the low-performing, outside-run charter schools in the city.

OKLAHOMA

Teacher Union’s Slate Of Ideas Commendable
The Oklahoman, OK, June 23, 2011
A slate of reform ideas from the union representing Oklahoma City teachers appears to be more than just political rhetoric. The proposal has substance. It’s not the sort of message we’re accustomed to hearing from a public employees union so it’s a welcome change.

PENNSYLVANIA

House Education Committee Cancels Hearing On School Vouchers And Charter School Reform
Patriot News, PA, June 22, 2011
House Democrats succeeded in stopping a House Education Committee from holding a public hearing on education reform proposals after Democrats argued the meeting had not been advertised according to House rules.

TENNESSEE

Incentive Pay Promotes Classroom Excellence
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, June 23, 2011
Knox County teachers who excel in the classroom will earn bonuses beginning next year, a long overdue reward system that encourages improvement for all instructors.

VIRGINIA

For Va.’s Proposed Teacher Merit-Pay Program, Few Hands In The Air
Washington Post, DC, June 23, 2011
Virginia’s ambitious program to compensate teachers based on performance has encountered its first hurdle: Only 6 percent of eligible schools have elected to participate.

VIRTUAL LEARNING

Schools Blend Computers With Classroom Learning
NPR, June 22, 2011
Many school districts are reluctantly cutting staff and dropping courses in a desperate effort to respond to tighter budgets. But some educators are looking at ways to save money and improve instruction at the same time.

More Virtual Schools Will Soon Become Reality
The Tennessean, TN, June 23, 2011
That opportunity will reach countless other young Tennesseans next month, when a new law allows any school district to start its own virtual school, adding the Volunteer State to a growing online education movement.

Homeschoolers Can Access Their Curriculum Via The Internet This Fall
Umpqua Post, OR, June 22, 2011
A new form of education is coming to Reedsport this fall. That’s when local home-school families will be able to enroll their children in Reedsport Academy, an online K-12 curriculum program.

Charter School Debate Overlooks Lessons Learned
USA Today, June 21, 2011
In the debate over how to improve the nation’s educational system, there is typically no middle ground on the value of charter schools. You’re either for them or against them. But in their fervor, both sides are missing a more fundamental question: Which charters work, and why?

Opposing View: Rethink The Charter Experiment
USA Today, June 21, 2011
Replicating good charter schools and rejecting bad ones sounds eminently reasonable, but it’s far easier said than done. For decades, educators have been trying to scale up high-achieving, high-poverty schools, but success often comes down to hard-to-duplicate factors, such as a charismatic principal, a supply of teachers willing to work extraordinary hours or particularly motivated students.

Race to the Top Will Never Reach The Finish Line
Star Ledger, NJ, June 22, 2011
President Obama’s intention to improve the quality of low-performing schools is consistent with our nation’s needs, but his method of achieving that goal - Race to the Top - is fatally flawed.

FROM THE STATES

ARIZONA

Basis Charter Named Third-Best School In Country
Tucson Sentinel, AZ, June 21, 2011
A Tucson charter school was named the third-best high school in the nation this week in Newsweek magazine’s annual “Best High Schools in America” ranking.

CALIFORNIA

South L.A. Charter Schools May Get A Reprieve After Cheating Scandal
Los Angeles Times, CA, June 22, 2011
The Crescendo charter school group has taken appropriate steps and probably can stay open, Supt. John Deasy says.

Charter School Would Be First for Lincoln Unified
Stockton Record, CA, June 22, 2011
Humphreys College is seeking to join the growing local roster of independent charter-school operators, with a former Stockton Unified official among the founders of a proposed new high school and a former mayoral candidate among the signers of the school’s charter petition.

Who Is Running Charter School, People Ask
The Press-Enterprise, CA, June 21, 2011
Staff members and parents of students at the Public Safety Academy charter school Tuesday night called on the San Bernardino City Unified School District to resolve a dispute that has two boards of directors each claiming that it is in charge.

COLORADO

ACLU Sues Over Douglas County School Vouchers
Denver Post, CO, June 22, 2011
The Colorado ACLU and two other civil liberties groups filed suit Tuesday challenging the Douglas County School District ’s voucher plan, which would allow students to attend private schools with public money.

DELAWARE

Reach Board Files Suit in Chancery Court
Delaware Journal, DE, June 22, 2011
The Reach Academy for Girls Charter School Board asked the state Chancery Court to prohibit the state Department of Education from continuing with a process that could lead to closing the school next month, saying “historic failings” at the state level led to the problems.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. School Ratings Up Among System Parents, But Doubts Remain
Washington Post, DC, June 21, 2011
A majority of D.C. public school parents give the system positive marks for the first time in a decade, according to a new survey by The Washington Post and the Kaiser Family Foundation.

FLORIDA

Virginia Official Selected As Florida Education Commissioner
Miami Herald, FL, June 21, 2011
Gerard Robinson, an advocate for school choice, was unanimously hired Tuesday to take over a 1,000-strong staff overseeing K-12 schools in the state.

New State Education Commissioner An Advocate For Vouchers, School Choice
Palm Beach Post, FL, June 21, 2011
The state Board of Education took little time during a meeting today to name Gerard Robinson, secretary of education in Virginia, to be Florida’s next education commissioner

ILLINOIS

Pingree OKs $6.4M Bond for Charter School, But Traffic Is A Sticking Point
Courier News, IL, June 22, 2011
Village trustees have approved a $6.4 million bond issue for expansion of the Cambridge Lakes charter school, but expressed concern about added traffic from the new building and lack of communication from the school’s officials.

GEORGIA

Cobb Will Decide Fate Of Five Charters
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, June 21, 2011
Five charter providers are applying this summer to open or renew schools in Cobb County. Thursday, the school board will vote on three applications for new charter schools, while the fate of two existing Imagine charter schools, Smyrna and Mableton, will be decided next month.

LOUISIANA

Jefferson Parish is Smart to Seek Schools’ Turnaround
Times Picayune, LA, June 21, 2011
Seven Jefferson Parish public schools have qualified for an $8.6 million federal turnaround grant, and it’s encouraging that the school system is grabbing this opportunity to rescue troubled schools.

MARYLAND

New Teacher Evaluation Plan Approved in Maryland
Washington Post, DC, June 21, 2011
A council of Maryland educators and policy makers Tuesday approved a new model for evaluating teachers and principals that will be tried out in Prince George’s County and six other school systems this fall.

NEW YORK

Both Sides Square Off at Hearing on Charter School Suit
New York Times, NY, June 22, 2011
The debate began an hour before Justice Paul G. Feinman of the State Supreme Court opened a hearing on Tuesday on the lawsuit by the United Federation of Teachers against the New York City Department of Education.

OHIO

Breaking with Democrats, Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson Asks State Budget Dealmakers To Adopt Teacher Merit Pay Plan
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, June 21, 2011
Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson is urging Republican legislative leaders to adopt language in the state budget bill creating a teacher merit pay system — similar to one in Senate Bill 5, a controversial collective bargaining law Jackson has criticized as an attack on public workers.

Bill Would Hold Charter Schools Accountable
Youngstown Vindicator, OH, June 22, 2011
Charter schools that earn lower ratings on state report cards than nearby public schools would be prohibited from admitting students who live in those districts, under legislation being considered in the Ohio Senate.

School Buildings for $1?
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, June 21, 2011
A state budget proposal could force Ohio school districts to lease closed school buildings to charter school operators - for $1 a year.

OKLAHOMA

Vouchers Have Long Been In Place At College Level
Oklahoman, OK, June 22, 2011
Vouchers, offering competition and accountability, will finally put in place the proper incentives that will make our education system more efficient.

Cherokees Take Action On Charter School Plan
Tulsa World, OK, June 22, 2011
The Tahlequah-based tribe could be the first in the state to sponsor a charter school.

OREGON

Legislators Plow Through Bills, Put Adjournment In Sight
Statesman Journal, OR, June 22, 2011
A trainload of 14 education bills, after starting and stopping Monday, managed to reach the station Tuesday as Oregon lawmakers put the legislative engine back on a track toward adjournment.

PENNSYLVANIA

Charter Schools On State’s Agenda
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, June 22, 2011
A nonprofit law firm that advocates for the rights of public school students urged lawmakers not to act in haste on legislation regarding charter schools that House Republicans considered on Tuesday.

TENNESSEE

State to Help Manage Four Memphis High Schools
Commercial Appeal, TN, June 22, 2011
The state will co-manage four failing city schools this year, a change that could lead to large shifts in faculty.

TEXAS

KIPP Snatches Another HISD Administrator
Houston Chronicle Blog, TX, June 21, 2011
Houston ISD has lost at least 11 administrators to the KIPP charter school network since last year.

VIRTUAL LEARNING

Virtual School Plan Praised
Omaha World Herald, NE, June 22, 2011
A virtual school would give students in rural and low-performing schools access to honors, enrichment and remediation courses, improving achievement and graduation rates at a lower cost than traditional classroom instruction, according to a report by the Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy.