Saving Catholic Education
Wall Street Journal, September 30, 2011
Catholic education in the United States is in dire straits. A report from Loyola Marymount University in June found that Catholic schools continue to close even though they graduate 98% of their high school students and send almost all of them onto college.

A Better Way To Measure Public Schools
Press Democrat, CA, September 29, 2011
Talk about the law of unintended consequences: In trying to ensure that all children succeed, the federal No Child Left Behind Act ensures that virtually every school will be labeled a failure.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

KIPP Co-Founder Mike Feinberg Joins Mayor Johnson to Discuss Parent Choice
Valley Community Newspaper, CA, September 29, 2011
Today Mayor Johnson was joined by Mike Feinberg, Co-Founder of the Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP), and the Superintendent of KIPP Houston, to discuss the concept that every child can learn and the importance of parent choice.

FLORIDA

Miami-Dade Schools Debut Merit Pay in Florida
Miami Herald, FL, September 30, 2011
Miami-Dade County Public Schools recently gave thousands of teachers an extra bump in their paychecks and plans to reward the district’s top 120 teachers with bigger bonuses.

Administrators Try Hand At New Pasco Teacher Evaluation System
St. Petersburg Times, FL, September 30, 2011
Formal evaluations are expected to begin Oct. 17. And because of a new state law, they’ll carry more weight than ever in teachers’ pay and continued employment.

GEORGIA

Cobb Board Rejects Charter School’s Application For Renewal
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution , GA, September 29, 2011
A vote by the Cobb County school board Thursday evening sent 11-year-old Armani Singh out of the meeting room with tears in her eyes.

ILLINOIS

U. of C. Report Says CPS Reforms Have Failed Many Students
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 30, 2011
For the last two decades, Chicago’s public school system has been a laboratory of education reform and experimentation, but it has delivered only marginal improvement in student performance, according to a report to be released Friday by a University of Chicago consortium.

Chicago Teachers Union Wants to Meet with Aldermen
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 29, 2011
Chicago Teachers Union officials want to make their case directly to aldermen to counter the blitz Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration has undertaken to institute a longer school day.

LOUISIANA

Recovery School District To Put Cheating Protections Into Place
Times Picayune, LA, September 29, 2011
The state-run Recovery School District said Thursday it will take new steps to prevent cheating on the high-stakes standardized exams Louisiana students take each year.

MARYLAND

Ulman Says School Board Strife Factored In Decision To Change Its Structure
Baltimore Sun, MD, September 29, 2011
On Tuesday morning in Hunt Valley, Howard County school board member Allen Dyer asked an administrative law judge to dismiss his fellow board members’ request to have him removed.

MASSACHUSETTS

Charter School Successes Pose Challenge To City
Dorchester Reporter, MA, September 29, 2011
As the city’s school department and teachers’ union squabble over a new contract, a report shows that charter schools are set for a significant expansion in Boston , with eight new sites possibly opening in the next two years, and the number of students who attend charters expected to increase by 55 percent over the next four years.

MICHIGAN

Charter School Takes Aim at B.C.
Battle Creek Enquirer, MI, September 30, 2011
An Augusta company with permission to open a new charter school is looking for a spot in Battle Creek Public Schools’ back yard.

Bill Would Permit The Privatizing Of Teachers
Livingston Daily, MI, September 30, 2011
A proposal to allow private contracting of teachers in Michigan public schools is part of a “power grab” aimed at weakening community-based education in favor of for-profit teaching, critics of the bill said.

MINNESOTA

Few Minnesota Kids Using the ‘No Child’ Options
Star Tribune, MN, September 29, 2011
Thousands of low-income students in underperforming schools statewide will soon receive letters saying they are eligible to transfer to different schools and receive private tutoring paid for by their school districts. If history is an indicator, however, few will take advantage of those opportunities.

NEW JERSEY

School Doors Open To Out-Of-Towners
Advertiser News, NJ, September 20, 2011
Lafayette, Ogdensburg and Vernon school districts began accepting students from outside of the school district as part of the Interdistrict Public School Choice Program signed into law by Gov. Chris Christie in September 2010.

Credits NJEA for Accepting Evaluation Program
Home News, NJ, September 29, 2011
New Jersey’s largest teachers union has decided wisely to stand down on resisting the state’s teacher evaluation pilot. Since so many New Jersey teachers belong to the New Jersey Education Association, their participation will help the pilot do its job: test different ways to measure how well a teacher educates students.

NEW YORK

New York State Blocks “Victory” Charter on Long Island
Huffington Post, NY, September 29, 2011
Maybe the politicians finally understand. Last week the SUNY Charter Schools Institute, which makes recommendations to the New York State Department of Education, decided not to support a charter school proposed by Victory Education Partners in Brentwood

OHIO

Ohio Looks To Expand School Voucher System
Zanesville Times Recorder, OH, September 30, 2011
With school districts already feeling the pinch of limited funding, they could lose almost $6,000 per student if an Ohio House bill becomes law.

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma Considers Value-Added Teacher Evaluations
The Oklahoman, OK, September 30, 2011
Value-added teacher evaluations rate teachers as highly effective or ineffective based on whether their students grow academically as expected. It’s a controversial evaluation system that an Oklahoma commission is considering.

Tulsa-Area School Districts Under Probe In Refusal To Fund Special-Needs Scholarships
Tulsa World, OK, September 30, 2011
Tulsa-area school districts that initially refused to fund private school scholarships for special education students are being investigated at the request of the Oklahoma attorney general.

PENNSYLVANIA

Good Teachers: What The Research Says
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, September 30, 2011
CHARTER schools, vouchers, teacher evaluations - all three are hot- button issues, not only in the realm of education reform, but in the larger national debate. All three are also the subject of bills that may soon pass in Harrisburg.

Fewer Pennsylvania Schools Meet State Standards, But Students Show Improvement
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 30, 2011
Fewer schools in Philadelphia and its suburbs met state standards than last school year, state data show, while students statewide showed a slight improvement.

Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson Supports Nonprofit’s Charter Effort
Patriot News, PA, September 29, 2011
Harrisburg Mayor Linda Thompson has thrown her support behind a Philadelphia-based nonprofit looking to bring new charter schools to the capital city.

RHODE ISLAND

Mayoral Academies Split With RI Charter School League
Providence Journal, RI, September 29, 2011
Rhode Island Mayoral Academies, a high-profile group of mayor-led charter schools, has broken ties with the Rhode Island League of Charter Schools citing “philosophical differences” and financial concerns.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Teacher Evaluation Process Reworked
Argus Leader, SD, September 29, 2011
South Dakota schools will begin using new teacher evaluations approved this week by lawmakers.A legislative committee approved the standards 4-1 Tuesday after delaying the decision in August for lack of information.

TENNESSEE

Charter School Incubator Beefs Up Staff
Nashville Post, TN, September 19, 2011
The Nashville-based incubator, which aims to launch 20 charter schools here and in Memphis by 2015, has named Justin Testerman to be its chief operating officer and Rebecca Lieberman as director of talent recruitment.

UTAH

The Problems With Merit Pay For Teachers
Daily Herald, UT, September 30, 2011
Before school districts and state legislators inaugurate “merit pay,” they need to solve issues that teachers deal with that they may not be aware of. Consider the following issues.

WISCONSIN

Voucher Debate Detracts From Helping Schools
The Northwestern, WI, September 29, 2011
After bruising fights earlier this year about collective bargaining by teachers and expanding school vouchers, it’s time for Wisconsin to refocus its attention on improving student performance in the public schools.

VIRTUAL LEARNING

Online Schools Take Tax Money But Fail Many Students
KMGH Denver, CO, September 28, 2011
Millions of tax dollars go to private corporations to run online schools, which often have poor academic performance records, a CALL7 investigation found.

Alarms Sounding On Online Classes
Coeur d’Alene Press, ID, September 30, 2011
Mr. Deide misrepresents the Idaho Education Association and public school teachers in his recent column (Sept. 19).In recent weeks, parents and teachers across the state have expressed concern over the State Board’s recommendation of two online courses for every high school student.

Idaho to Take Comment on Online Education Rules
Magic Valley Times, ID, September 29, 2011
A plan to make Idaho the first state to require students to take at least two credits online will officially go before the public for comment next week.

Mesa Schools Prepare For ‘Blended Learning’ Future
Arizona Republic, AZ, September 30, 2011
Mesa Public Schools Superintendent Michael Cowan pictures a time when the school day will no longer start in homeroom - but at home before the first bell rings.

Sphere: Related Content

Fighting the Feds: 2012 Candidates Want States to Control Education
ABC News, September 29, 2011
So when it comes to education policy debates, whether it’s the Democratic incumbent or the array of Republican challengers, all eyes – and talking points – are on two things: the federal government’s role and the overall cost.

Obama Tells Students: Discover New Passions
Washington Post, DC, September 28, 2011
For an incumbent president facing a tough reelection campaign, no public appearance is completely free of political content. But President Obama’s annual back-to-school speech to the nation’s students, delivered Wednesday at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Northwest Washington , was about as close as it gets.

No Child Waivers Make Sense For Now
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 29, 2011
Members of Congress railing against the Obama administration’s decision to grant waivers from the sweeping No Child Left Behind education law have little ground to stand on.

Coming Together to Dismantle Education Reform
TIME, September 29, 2011
A new consensus is emerging in education politics. But can the center hold? And would reformers even want it to? Bipartisanship is supposed to be a good thing — except for when Republicans and Democrats come together to try to paper over our education problems.

Teachers Union Launches Ad Campaign Supporting Obama Jobs Bill
The Hill, DC, September 28, 2011
The National Education Association (NEA) launched a multistate television ad campaign Wednesday in support of President Obama’s American Jobs Act.

Romney’s Race From the Top
American Spectator, September 29, 2011
The GOP field would rather ignore education altogether, even to the point of dismissing sensible, conservative ideas that could get better bang for taxpayers’ buck. This was particularly clear when Texas Gov. Rick Perry took aim at Romney for praising President Barack Obama’s school reform agenda.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Whitman Returns to Her Valley Roots
Wall Street Journal, September 29, 2011
The announcement of Ms. Whitman’s new job eclipsed another development: She and her husband, neurosurgeon Griffith Harsh IV, are donating at least $2.5 million to Summit Public Schools, a charter-school organization in Redwood City that is planning to create a “college-ready corridor” with 10 new local high schools over the next decade.

Rocky Point School, Gateway District Feud To
Record Searchlight, CA, September 28, 2011
A dispute that had a charter school talking litigation and its parent district broaching revocation may be nearing a close, officials from both organizations said Wednesday.

$12.6-Million Grant Will Open 13 New L.A. Charter Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 28, 2011
Two California-based charter school organizations have been awarded $12.6 million in federal grants to start 13 new campuses in Los Angeles, federal education officials announced Wednesday.

FLORIDA

From Minnesota to Miami: The History of Florida Charter Schools
State Impact NPR, September 28, 2011
Charter schools are an idea dreamed up by an obscure education professor in the 1970s which have grown into a primary alternative to traditional public schools.

Milburn Academy Grabs Attention of NAACP
Bradenton Herald, FL, September 29, 2011
Richard Milburn Academy, an alternative charter school catering to 17- to 22-year-olds, continues to garner attention since Manatee County School Superintendent Tim McGonegal recommended the school be closed.

Volusia County School Board Approves Expansion of Daytona Beach Charter High School
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL, September 29, 2011
A plan to expand a Daytona Beach charter high school to serve students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades passed its first review by the Volusia County School Board.

GEORGIA

Fulton School System Pushes To Submit Charter System Petition By End Of The Year
Revue & News , GA, September 28, 2011
Faced with a December deadline to submit a petition to the state, leaders of the Fulton County School System are finalizing the process, which could lead to Fulton becoming Georgia ’s largest charter school system.

ILLINOIS

Hard To Duck Plague of Bad Schools
Chicago Sun Times, IL, September 28, 2011
Hallelujah!” “Thank you, Jesus!” some shouted as the balls were plucked and winners were announced that summer night. Such was the admissions process for Southland College Preparatory, a new charter school in the south suburbs then scheduled to open in fall 2010.

INDIANA

Planning Under Way For 2 Area Charters
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, September 29, 2011
The Fort Wayne Urban League and a central Indiana charter school operator have filed initial paperwork seeking the OK to open new charter schools in Fort Wayne.

LOUISIANA

Coalition Opposes Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Picks For State Education Board
Times Picayune, LA, September 28, 2011
A coalition of state groups pushing to throw a road block in front of Louisiana ’s current approach to public school reform released a partial list of endorsements for state board of education races Wednesday.

MARYLAND

Howard’s School Choice
Baltimore Sun, MD, September 28, 2011
One of the great ironies of education reform in Maryland is that for all the standardization and testing directed at the classroom, the one place where there’s no clear-cut formula for success is how school boards should be selected. Some boards are elected by voters (with candidates running at-large or by district), some are appointed (or appointed and then affirmed by vote) while others are hybrids of the two.

MASSACHUSETTS

Contract Bid Issue Clouds State’s Role On Charter School
Gloucester Times, MA, September 28, 2011
The letter sent by Inspector General Gregory Sullivan to the state’s education commissioner regarding the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School’s no-bid contracts doesn’t really raise new questions regarding the school.

MICHIGAN

Save Scarce Funding For Classrooms
The Detroit News, MI, September 29, 2011
Around 40 districts in Michigan — 7 percent of districts — pay some teachers to work at least half of their time on union matters, according to a report earlier this year from Michigan Capitol Confidential, an arm of the free-market Mackinac Center for Public Policy. That’s a significant number, and many more districts allow teachers some free time, known as release time, to conduct union business.

Covington Starts Work with Detroit School Visits
The Detroit News, MI, September 29, 2011
The man hired to operate a statewide system for failing schools visited Detroit schools for the first time Wednesday and came away with a few observations — both good and bad.

Senate Panel Backs Lifting Cap On Michigan Charter Schools
Detroit Free Press, MI, September 28, 2011
A bill that would lift the cap on opening charter schools in Michigan – allowing for an unlimited number of charters to open – was approved this afternoon by the Senate Education Committee.

Readers Ask Whether Public Money Should Go To For-Profit Charter School Management Companies
Grand Rapids Press, MI, September 28, 2011
Lifting Michigan’s cap on charter schools is expected to be discussed today at a state Senate Education Committee, as lawmakers consider a sweeping package of school reforms backed by Republicans.

MISSOURI

Charter Schools Need Serious Reforms, Report Finds
St. Louis Beacon, MO, September 28, 2011
More than 10 years after the first charter school opened in St. Louis, too many charters have fallen short of their promise and need more financial help, stricter oversight and stronger incentives to improve student achievement, a report released this week by FOCUS St. Louis concludes.

Charter Schools Should Do Right, or Close Down
St. Louis American, MO, September 29, 2011
I am supportive of children receiving a quality education, no matter where they go to school – district, charter, private, virtual or home-school.

Lawmakers Tackle Unaccredited School Exodus
Missouri New Horizon, MO, September 29, 2011
With several thousand more Missouri public school students about to join the ranks of those attending unaccredited districts, a legislative committee hopes to make sure those students get the best education possible without overwhelming nearby accredited school districts with a sudden surge in enrollment.

NEW JERSEY

N.J. Senator Challenges State Department Of Education To Reveal Those Who Voluntarily Select New Charter Schools
Star-Ledger, NJ, September 18, 2011
Citing possible conflicts of interest on the part of volunteer reviewers who helped select new charter schools, a New Jersey state senator filed a legal challenge to force the state Department of Education to turn over the reviewers’ names.

NEW YORK

Charter School Accused Of Scrimping On Student Supplies And Support Under State Investigation
New York Daily News, NY, September 29, 2011
A controversial Bedford-Stuyvesant charter school that parents charge is shortchanging students on supplies and services is being audited by the state controller’s office.

Mount Vernon Lawsuit Against Amani Charter School Goes To Albany On Friday
The Journal News, NY, September 29, 2011
The Mount Vernon Board of Education will take its legal battle against the city’s first charter school to Albany on Friday, amid an intensifying money dispute.

NORTH CAROLINA

Teacher Effectiveness Focus Is Good Move
Charlotte Observer, NC, September 29, 2011
With this understatement Tuesday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board member Rhonda Lennon summed up the fiasco that CMS’s pay-for-performance plan had become: “We got off on the wrong foot.”

PENNSYLVANIA

Pocono Mountain Charter School Celebrates Ruling By Appeals Board
Pocono Record, PA, September 29, 2011
The Tobyhanna charter school held a building-wide celebration Wednesday about the news the state will allow it to stay open. The event was a rousing, clapping, screaming event that busted through the politics and legalities of the long-standing fight that broke it down into one simple message — the school staying open.

Foundation Applies for Charter in CUSD
Delaware County Daily Times, PA, September 29, 2011
A private foundation that partnered with the Chester Upland School District to form an integrated arts elementary school has decided to pull from the partnership and apply for a charter school within the district.

RHODE ISLAND

Conn. Charter School Impresses Chafee
Providence Journal, RI, September 28, 2011
Governor Chafee on Tuesday praised an experimental school in Connecticut for helping poor urban students score as well on tests as their peers in more affluent suburbs.

TENNESSEE

Teacher Evaluations Questioned As Time-Consuming
Commercial Appeal, TN, September 29, 2011
Legislators across the state say the new process for teacher evaluations — starting this year — happened too fast and needs to slow down before teachers and principals rise up in revolt.

WASHINGTON

Core Academic Standards Bring Promise of Consistent Student Preparation
Seattle Times, WA, September 28, 2011
A coherent educational system with the opportunity of education truly equalized is the promise of a set of core academic standards adopted by about 40 states so far, including Washington.

VIRTUAL LEARNING

Online Courses Aim To Keep Students On Track To Graduate
Maryland Independent, MD, September 28, 2011
Jasmine Jones, a senior at Great Mills High School, says now that she didn’t do so well the second half of her junior year, mainly because she stopped going to school regularly.

Georgia Cyber Academy Means School Anytime and Anywhere
WXIA-TV, GA, September 18, 2011
Ten-year-old Isabella Kessinger of Alpharetta is in Washington, D.C. , this week and visiting all the historic sites: Lincoln Monument , the King Memorial, the FDR Memorial and more. She’s also spending at least five hours a day in school.

Students, Money Go To East TN Virtual School
The Tennessean, TN, September 28, 2011
The Dickson County School System has lost several students and tax dollars to Union County – a tiny county of less than 18,000 people in East Tennessee.

Axner, State Task Force To Study Online Learning
The Week Dublin, OH, September 29, 2011
Dublin City Schools Superintendent David Axner is one of 20 school leaders in Ohio to be drafted for the Ohio Digital Learning Task Force.

Sphere: Related Content

Promoting Jobs Bill In Denver, Obama Highlights $60 Billion For Schools
Washington Post, DC, September 28, 2011
As he has barnstormed the country to promote the American Jobs Act, President Obama has made the case that spending money now will pay off later for the United States ’ global productivity and competitiveness. And one of the biggest investments he is proposing comes in education.

The President’s Plan For The Economy And Education
Denver Post, CO, September 28, 2011
Imagine Steve Jobs trying to design the next generation of tablet computers using mainframe hardware from the Eisenhower administration. Or American automakers trying to out-engineer foreign competitors on an assembly line with equipment from the 1960s.

Don’t Let Learning Fall Victim To Politics
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN, September 27, 2011
During last week’s GOP presidential debate, several candidates drew applause by calling for the elimination of the federal Department of Education.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Horizon Opens New Charter Program in Roseville
Rossville Press Tribune, CA, September 28, 2011
In a seventh-grade science class, student Joel Reedy demonstrates how magicians use light refraction for optical illusions by dipping a test tube filled with oil into a beaker of oil.

State Should OK Smarter Ways To Judge Schools
Sacramento Bee, CA, September 28, 2011
Any family looking to move into a neighborhood with good schools knows the magic “800″ number.

FLORIDA

School District Could Add 2 Charter Schools
Tallahassee Democrat, FL, September 28, 2011
Leon County could be looking at the addition of two charter schools opening as early as next summer.

Seminole Nixes 3 Proposed Charter Schools
Orlando Sentinel, FL, September 27, 2011
Plans for three new charter schools in Seminole County were rejected Tuesday by the School Board, which agreed the proposed charters were poorly planned and not needed.

More Orange County Teachers Will Get Low Ratings Under New Evaluation Plan
Orlando Sentinel, FL, September 27, 2011
A new evaluation system mandated by state law and negotiated with the teachers union will result in a slight increase in the number of Orange County teachers who will get “unsatisfactory” ratings this school year.

Milburn Academy Shutdown Would Be Third in Florida
Bradenton Herald, FL, September 28, 2011
Bradenton’s Richard Milburn Academy may be closing sooner than expected, making it at least the third Milburn school to be shut down in Florida .

GEORGIA

School Board To Decide Fate Of Charter Schools At Meeting
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, September 28, 2011
The Cobb County School Board is expected to decide the fates of four charter schools at its Thursday night meeting.

LOUISIANA

Louisiana Charter School Monitoring Plan Ready For Review
Times Picayune, LA, September 27, 2011
The Louisiana Department of Education will lay out a plan for keeping a closer eye on independent charter schools today that includes restructuring the department’s charter office, an increase in funding and more clearly defined roles for the different state officials involved in the job.

MASSACHUSETTS

On Charter Time
Boston Globe, MA, September 27, 2011
THE STORYLINE from the latest MCAS results is disappointing: Overall, our schools are only making slow progress narrowing the gap between low-income and middle-class kids.

Mass. Will Seek ‘No Child’ Waiver
Boston Globe, MA, September 27, 2011
Massachusetts is joining a growing number of states in seeking a waiver from an unpopular provision of the federal No Child Left Behind Act that has cast hundreds of schools in a harsh light, a top state education official announced yesterday.

State IG Again Eyes Charter No-Bid Spending
Gloucester Times, MA, September 27, 2011
The Gloucester Community Arts Charter School is drawing fire for its bidding and purchasing practices — again.

MICHIGAN

Anti-Teacher Union Bills Will Hurt Schools
Detroit News, MI, September 28, 2011
Right now, Republican politicians are more intent on attacking teachers and other school employees than doing anything that is proven to help students or create jobs.

Professor: Change Name Of Charter Schools To ‘Corporate’ Or ‘Franchise’ Schools Because They Are Not What Was Intended
Grand Rapid Press, MI, September 17, 2011
Charter schools have strayed so far from their original intent that they should be renamed “corporate” or “franchise” schools instead, a Western Michigan University professor told a state Senate Committee.

Bing Reignites Philanthropist’s Interest In Schools
The Detroit News, MI, September 28, 2011
Bob Thompson wanted to transform public education in Detroit in 2002, so the millionaire philanthropist offered the city $200 million to build 15 charter high schools.

MISSOURI

KC Charter School Gets Perfect Score on State Performance
Fox 4KC, MO, September 27, 2011
A charter school in the KCMSD has been awarded accreditation with distinction for meeting every state standard for performance. The University Academy is a K-12 urban charter school. It opened its doors to 18 new students after the Kansas City School District lost its accreditation.

NEW JERSEY

Rural Schools in N.J. Sue for Funding
Wall Street Journal, September 28, 2011
Sixteen rural school districts have sued New Jersey, saying Gov. Chris Christie illegally cut their state funding.

NORTH CAROLINA

Officials Eye Tech School For Virgo Charter
Star News, NC, September 27, 2011
A possible charter school at the former Virgo Middle School site downtown got a name and some bones Tuesday night.

OHIO

Bill To Expand School Vouchers Draws Flak
Columbus Dispatch, OH, September 28, 2011
Public schools are stepping up efforts to derail previously obscure legislation that could divert millions of dollars from taxpayer-funded schools to private and parochial ones.

Bill Would Block Students From Poor-Performing Charter Schools
Daily Record, OH, September 28, 2011
School officials from northeast Ohio urged lawmakers Tuesday to change state law to block parents from enrolling their children in poor-performing charter schools.

First Combined Charter/Public School In Ohio
WKYC, OH, September 27, 2011
It’s the start of school and you see something unusual at Garrett Morgan School of Science as kids enter the building. Garrett Morgan High School students and elementary charter school students go in through metal detectors and xray machines together.

PENNSYLVANIA

Pocono Mountain Charter School Wins Appeal, Will Stay Open
Pocono Record, PA, September 28, 2011
The Pocono Mountain Charter School will remain open. The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Charter Appeals Board Tuesday rejected an effort by the Pocono Mountain School District to revoke the school’s charter.

Official Defends Ads For Deer Lakes Public Schools
Valley News Tribune, PA, September 28, 2011
Superintendent Dean Casello doesn’t see a problem with school districts using tax money to pay for advertisements promoting public education.

TENNESSEE

Shelby County Charter School Organizers Seek Millions In Funds
Commercial Appeal, TN, September 28, 2011
Shelby County Schools has received nearly three times the number of charter school applications this year as in previous years combined.

Board Asks State To Reconsider New Teacher Eval Regs
The Daily News Journal, TN, September 28, 2011
City Schools administrators are spending too much time evaluating veteran teachers, time which could be better used helping newer teachers become more effective in the classroom, Director Linda Gilbert said.

WISCONSIN

Unified Committee To Work On Retaining Possible Voucher Students
Journal Times, WI, September 27, 2011
Unified is creating a Choice Committee to promote and expand student options in the district in order to keep students enrolled.

VIRTUAL LEARNING

New Audit of Online Schools Gains Traction at Colorado Capitol
Denver Post, CO, September 18, 2011
For the second time in less than a decade, Colorado’s rapidly growing online schools may face the scrutiny of state auditors.

Blended Model Best Way For Kids To Learn
Idaho Press Tribune, ID, September 28, 2011
In recent weeks, parents and teachers across the state have expressed concern over the State Board’s recommendation of two online courses for every high school student.

Sphere: Related Content

Better Way to Fix No Child Left Behind
New York Times, NY, September 27, 2011
Last week President Obama, citing a failure by Congress to act, announced a procedure for handing out waivers for the federal mandates under the No Child Left Behind law. Unfortunately, these waivers come with a series of new federal rules, this time without congressional approval, and would make the secretary of education the equivalent of a national school board.

Some in GOP back Obama on NCLB
Washington Times, DC, September 26, 2011
Over objections from Republicans on Capitol Hill, President Obama is making it clear he will proceed with his blueprint education reform and an overhaul of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law. And this time, Mr. Obama will have some bipartisan cover, as many Republican governors are backing his approach.

No Child Left Behind Option Meets Praise And Caution
USA Today, September 26, 2011
President Obama is offering to free public schools from many of the requirements of a controversial federal education law. But as states consider whether to take him up on it, they’re realizing the offer comes with some costs.

Lofty Goals
Topeka Capital-Journal , KS, September 26, 2011
No Child Left Behind has itself been left behind, slightly more than two years ahead of the date by which it was to meet its mandated goal of having all U.S. schoolchildren proficient in reading and mathematics.

A Larger Role for the States
Commercial Appeal, TN, September 27, 2011
Education takes a turn: Governors who wanted a larger say in the process will have a chance now to show what they can do.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

More Than 500 Mobile County Students Transfer To Better Schools
Press Register, AL, September 26, 2011
So, Luciana became one of 542 of Mobile County’s public school students to take advantage of a provision of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, allowing students at failing schools to transfer to better-performing schools.

CALIFORNIA

To Teach Well, Schools Must Learn
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 27, 2011
LA’s Promise calls itself one of the largest “school turnaround organizations” in the country. Launched by two former teachers and a $4-million grant from the bio-tech giant Amgen, it has three schools and 8,000 students under its wing.

‘Trigger Law’ Put To The Test In Compton , Calif.
NBC Nightly News, September 26, 2011
Law allows parents of children enrolled in a troubled public school to ‘trigger’ change by firing teachers or even shutting the school down

State: Federal Testing Waiver Will Cost Billions
Orange County Register, CA, September 26, 2011
California will need billions in federal aid to overhaul teacher evaluations and adopt new learning standards before it can qualify for a waiver from No Child Left Behind student achievement rules, according to state Superintendent Tom Torlakson.

CONNECTICUT

Norwich Parents Hear How To Improve Schools
Connecticut Day, CT, September 27, 2011
More than 50 parents, teachers, principals and residents gathered Monday to learn how the new school governance councils are expected to help city schools improve both test scores and the learning atmosphere.

FLORIDA

Flagler County Schools Getting Less Money As Property Values Decline
Daytona Beach News-Herald, FL, September 27, 2011
Flagler County schools are receiving less money from the state and a larger share of it is going to the county’s three charter schools.

Charter School Liberties Intrigue District
Palm Beach Post, FL, September 26, 2011
Practically since the first charters were authorized in Florida in 1996, school districts have grumbled about the flexibility charter schools have compared with traditional public schools.

GEORGIA

APS Scandal As An Argument For Charter Schools
Atlanta Journal Constitution Blog, GA, September 26, 2011
Bob Bowdon, a filmmaker dedicated to charter school reform, has turned a six-minute video on the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal:

ILLINOIS

6 Chicago Schools Begin Longer School Day
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 27, 2011
If extending the school day was, as critics have suggested, an experiment in adolescent education, it was difficult to find anyone inside or outside Fiske on Monday who objected.

INDIANA

Jeb Bush Lectures on Education at Forum
The Observer, IN, September 27, 2011
Former Florida governor critiques school system, details policy change under his administration

IOWA

How to Fix Education in Iowa
Globe Gazette, IA, September 27, 2011
I am writing this out of profound frustration. It has become essential that I respond to the experts who are planning to fix education in Iowa.

MARYLAND

Howard Panel Seeks Term Limits On Appointed School Board Members
Baltimore Sun, MD, September 26, 2011
The Howard County commission established to address some citizens’ concerns about racial and geographic diversity on its school board decided Monday night to place term limits on the two appointed seats that it is recommending be placed on the board.

MICHIGAN

Senate Committee To Look At Lifting The State Limit On The Number Of Charter Schools
Michigan Radio, MI, September 26, 2011
The state Senate Education Committee will launch two days of hearings Tuesday focused on school choice and ways to encourage more charter academies. A Senate Republican education package would lift the statewide cap on the number of charter schools academies that can be sponsored by public universities.

NEW JERSEY

Legislature Passes Charter Bill, But Advocates and Critics Want More Changes
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, September 27, 2011
One change to New Jersey ’s charter school law passed the legislature yesterday, while talk mounts that a broader rewrite of the state’s 15-year-old statute governing the semi-autonomous schools may be in the offing.

NORTH CAROLINA

Groups Eye Virgo Charter School
Star News, NC, September 26, 2011
One thing was clear last week - the New Hanover County Board of Education wasn’t going to easily accept the school district staff’s initial plan to convert the now-closed Virgo Middle School into a grades 6-12 college preparatory charter school.

CMS Unveils New Plan To Evaluate, Pay Teachers
Charlotte Observer, NC, September 27, 2011
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is making a new run at revamping how the district hires, evaluates, trains and pays teachers.

PENNSYLVANIA

The SRC: What Went Wrong?
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 27, 2011
Earlier this month, around the time the Phillies fell into their offensive funk, another local team found itself in trouble. The School Reform Commission, put in place a decade ago to help.

Support Public Education By Opposing Vouchers
Centre Daily Times, PA, September 27, 2011
As an educator, I am an idealist. I have always had faith that our elected officials would make the right decisions for our children when voting on public education policies. But lately I have become disillusioned and weary by what is happening in Harrisburg , and I am not alone.

TENNESSEE

Tennessee School Boards Association Officials Say Schools Must Adopt Change
Commercial Appeal, TN, September 27, 2011
Officials with the Tennessee School Boards Association encouraged local school leaders Monday night to “take a few deep breaths” as they jump into the state’s drastically overhauled teacher evaluation process.

VIRTUAL LEARNING

Virtual Classes Take Hold
Tallahassee Democrat, FL, September 26, 2011
In 2010, the county launched its own virtual school and instruction program. What began as a franchise of the Florida Virtual School is now developing its own curriculum and expanding virtual classes to fourth- and fifth-grade students, a first for the district.

Learning Online Becomes A Virtual Reality For
Naples News, FL, September 26, 2011
School districts across Florida are breaking out of the traditional brick-and-mortar classroom walls and moving into a classroom where time and space separate teachers and students.

Online Enrollment Drops
Amarillo Globe-News, TX, September 26, 2011
State cuts totaling $4 billion over two years are taking a bite out of online learning programs and eating into budgets for traditional classrooms.

Lessons At Home, Homework At School
Pioneer Press, MN, September 26, 2011
That’s because Cote’s classroom is “flipped.” Students watch the lesson the night before on their computer or DVD player and then work on their homework in class, where Cote can help.

Virtual Classrooms Allow Students, Instructors To Connect From Afar
Arizona Republic, AZ, September 27, 2011This seemingly typical classroom scene at M.C. Cash Elementary School in south Phoenix was anything but usual: Eric Hockman appeared in the classroom to teach his students through a live webcast from his office 11 miles away.

Online Teacher Connects With Her Students
Kitsap Sun, WA, September 26, 2011
Caldwell is one of the high school teachers at Insight School of Washington, which offers full-time online schooling.

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Obama Presses Education Plan
Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2011
President Barack Obama in his weekly radio address on Saturday said a strong education system is key to the nation’s economic future and touted his efforts to let schools replace key planks of the No Child Left Behind education law.

Obama Turns Some Powers of Education Back to States
New York Times, NY, September 24, 2011
With his declaration on Friday that he would waive the most contentious provisions of a federal education law, President Obama effectively rerouted the nation’s education history after a turbulent decade of overwhelming federal influence.

NCLB Flexibility For States
Washington Post, DC, September 25, 2011
JUST ABOUT EVERYONE agrees on the need to update the No Child Left Behind law. Nearly a decade of experience as well as new research underscores shortcomings that are becoming increasingly untenable for local school districts.

Improving Our Schools
The Intelligencer, WV, September 26, 2011
After a decade in which it became apparent federal school reform efforts were leaving millions of children behind, it appears Washington has given up and dumped the problem back on the states, where it belonged in the first place.

Keep the Pressure on Schools
The Oregonian, OR, September 25, 2011
No doubt Oregon will be among the first to rush to the Obama administration for one of the waivers the president offered last Friday to states eager to avoid the tough requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act.

Race to the Top Projects Are Slow-Moving In States
Keene Sentinel, NH, September 25, 2011
But after a lengthy planning process in legislatures around the country, many states only now are implementing the changes that won them money in the program’s first two rounds, and not everyone is happy with the results.

Parent Trigger Law Gives Parents Real Power: When Schools Fail, Convert Them Into Charters
New York Daily News, NY, September 25, 2011
The idea is simple but powerful: Give us, the parents, the chance to turn around failing schools. The parent trigger, as it’s known, allow the parents of students at a chronically underperforming school the ability to determine, via a majority vote, when and how school reform can come about.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Los Angeles Archdiocese Hopes to Raise $100 Million for Catholic Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 26, 2011
The initiative, headed by former L.A. mayor Richard Riordan, will ask supporters to make provisions in their trusts or wills for the Catholic Education Foundation.

All Eyes Are On Clayton Valley High As Teachers Push For Charter Conversion
Contra Costa Times, CA, September 24, 2011
Educators and parents throughout the state are keenly watching a teacher-run effort to convert Clayton Valley High to a charter school — the first of its kind in Northern California — to see if the effort might propel others to follow its lead.

Pasadena Rosebud Academy Charter School Defies Odds
Pasadena Star News, CA, September 23, 2011
As the nationwide achievement gap between black, Latino and white students expands, one Altadena charter school seems to be defying that trend, notching test scores that rival schools in affluent neighboring communities.

Charter Schools Have A Leg Up On Traditional Schools
San Bernardino Sun, CA, September 24, 2011
Twenty-three parents, students and teachers came to the school board meeting with one thought in mind - to champion their charter school.

COLORADO

Denver Public Schools Performances On Rise
Denver Post, CO, September 26, 2011
Denver’s 137 public schools overall raised their grades on the school district’s annual evaluation — with a majority meeting or exceeding expectations.

Adams 12 to close Niver Creek Middle School to open STEM Launch in Thornton
Denver Post, CO, September 26, 2011
Niver Creek Middle School in Thornton will close at the end of the school year and reopen next fall as STEM Launch in hopes of repeating the successes of Adams 12’s first K-8 math- and science- based school.

New Charter School Proposed for Glenwood Springs
Post Independent, CO, September 25, 2011
A group of parents and teachers from two local school districts have proposed a new charter school to be located in Glenwood Springs, but serving students from throughout Garfield County .

CONNECTICUT

New Haven’s Teacher Improvement Plan
New York Times, NY, September 26, 2011
Like most school systems that serve disadvantaged children, New Haven , an urban district with a high poverty rate, has faced enormous challenges in improving the quality of instruction

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Stating Their Case For Open Enrollment
Washington Times, DC, September 25, 2011
Michigan lawmakers are taking a truly innovative public policy approach by following a simple four-word rule: by any means necessary.

D.C. Parents Raise Concerns About Middle Schools
Washington Post, DC, September 25, 2011
Middle schools are the latest hot spot in D.C. public education. With preschool and elementary enrollment ticking up for the first time in decades, parents and policymakers are scrutinizing the lack of attractive middle-grade options with increasing urgency.

FLORIDA

Deadline Nears For Lake Charter School Decision
Orlando Sentinel, FL, September 26, 2011
The School Board will take a second look at the possibility of a new charter school opening in the district at a special workshop today.

School Officials Hope Enrollment Slide Ending
Daytona Beach News Journal, FL, September 26, 2011
Volusia County school officials are cautiously optimistic the worst of an enrollment slide is over that began when the economy started to sour in 2007.

NAACP Leader Warns That Teacher Incentive Could Be A Risk To Kids
Florida Times Union, FL, September 25, 2011
A plan to raise Florida teacher pay could increase the number of students who eventually end up behind bars, according to a state NAACP leader.

GEORGIA

Coastal Empire Montessori Charter School Fighting for its Future
Savannah Morning News, GA, September 26, 2011
The Coastal Empire Montessori Charter School family believes their little start-up charter school has a bright future; all that’s left to do is convince the Savannah-Chatham public schools board of it.

Richmond County ‘Conversion’ Charters Fall Short Of Success
Augusta Chronicle, GA, September 26, 2011
The Richmond County school system has shown an openness to charter schools that sets it apart from other districts in the Augusta metro area, as well as across Georgia .

In Metro Augusta, Charter Schools Are Few And Far Between
Augusta Chronicle, GA, September 25, 2011
Georgia has more than 100 charter schools, according to the Georgia Charter Schools Association. The Atlanta metro area has the lion’s share of charter schools, which is to be expected because of its large population.

Teacher Quality: Educators’ Next Chapter
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, September 24, 2011
Great schools demand great teachers. And in recent years, Georgia has spent billions of dollars, in fits and starts, to increase teacher quality.

INDIANA

More Charter Schools Likely in Indiana
Palladium-Item, IN, September 25, 2011
Indiana is expected to see more charter schools open under new legislation adopted by the Indiana General Assembly this year.

Coalition Organizes to Defend Public Schools
Northwest Times, IN, September 24, 2011
More than 100 supporters of traditional public schools decided Saturday they won’t stand idly by as state funds pay for private school tuition and Indiana classrooms are turned over to for-profit corporations.

ILLINOIS

Charter School Backers Rally To Be Heard
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 25, 2011
Amid budget cuts and union opposition, thousands of supports crowd pavilion

Charter Schools Boards May Merge
Beloit Daily News, IL, September 24, 2011
Having one board could make for more streamlined administration of the charter schools and will not necessarily save any money. The decision is strictly up to the two charter school boards, and has nothing to do with the School District of Beloit.

IOWA

Education Reform May Challenge Iowa’s Seniority Rules
Sioux City Journal, IA, September 25, 2011
The seniority system is so important to the teaching profession that some states, including Minnesota, California and Kentucky , prohibit school districts from considering any other factor when making layoff decisions.

LOUISIANA

A’s and Aces Gives Children at Arise Academy Much More Than Tennis Lessons
Times Picayune, LA, September 25, 2011
On the door of a kindergarten classroom at Arise Academy , the sign says, ” Huntingdon College — Class of 2028,” and on the wall of the room near the Smart Board are the words “Stepping into College.”

La. Teacher Evaluations Alter College Courses
Alexandria Town Talk, LA, September 26, 2011
Education officials say a new teacher evaluation system, which will link job status in part to student achievement, will also be used by colleges and universities to rate their own teacher-preparation programs.

New Orleans School’s 1st Senior Class Will Graduate With Honors In Resilience
Times Picayune, LA, September 25, 2011
Doris Hicks is fond of saying that all the students at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Charter School are remarkable. But the school’s principal and CEO has to admit that 27 of them will always have a special place in her heart. They’re the first graduating seniors at the Lower 9th Ward school, and 16 of them have been there — with time off for Hurricane Katrina — since they were in kindergarten or pre-K.

MASSACHUSETTS

MCAS Scores Appear Stuck In Stubborn Income Gap
Boston Globe, MA, September 25, 2011
Educators have made only modest gains in narrowing the gulf in achievement between low-income students and those who are better off, despite aggressive reform efforts aimed at boosting classroom performance of underprivileged children.

Get Best of Both Systems
Boston Globe, MA, September 24, 2011
RE “TEACHERS: Get with charter reality’’ (Op-ed, Sept. 17): It’s not so much that traditional public schools are losing students to charter schools, as Lawrence Harmon writes, but that charter schools are losing students to public schools.

In Cleveland Burbs, Lone Ranger Takes On Public Schools
Christian Science Monitor, MA, September 23, 2011
And fails. A few years ago I became an accidental education reformer, and learned that my Lone Ranger approach to change doesn’t work so well. Inertia besets schools, but also individual parents. It takes a community to reform schools.

NEW JERSEY

Crafting an Accurate System for Evaluating Teachers
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, September 26, 2011
Charlotte Danielson may not be a recognizable name to the general public, but the Princeton-based consultant is the architect of a framework for observing and evaluating teachers that has been the gold standard in schools across the country.

New Roadblock Would Close Suburbs to Charter Schools
Gloucester County Times , NJ, September 25, 2011
September New Jersey’s embrace of charter schools over the past 15 years has been lukewarm at best. The original law, of which I was a prime sponsor, was signed in January 1996 and envisioned a fairly robust demand. In anticipation of that, the law placed a cap of 135 charter schools for the first four years.

NEW MEXICO

New Charter School Opens For Non-English Speaking Students
KFox14, NM, September 25, 2011
A new charter high school in Las Cruces will focus on teaching non-English speaking students and those who weren’t successful in conventional schools.

NEW YORK

‘Parent Trigger’ Law to Reform Schools Faces Challenges
New York Times, NY, September 24, 2011
The promise sounded alluring and simple: if enough parents signed a petition, their children’s struggling school would be shut down and replaced with a charter school.

NORTH CAROLINA

For Many In Guilford, Private Charter Schools Earn An A
Greensboro News-Record, NC, September 25, 2011
Tristan Rodriguez was lucky. He had to wait less than a year to gain admission to Greensboro Academy , one of Guilford County’s oldest charter schools.

Durham a Charter School?
Daily Mail, NC, September 24, 2011
Durham Elementary School principal Dr. Thomas Baumgartner told the Cairo-Durham Board of Education of the possibility of opening a charter school in place of Durham Elementary.

OHIO

Superintendents Blast Voucher Bill
Times Reporter, OH, September 25, 2011
Some superintendents in the Tuscarawas Valley think a proposal to expand Ohio’s school voucher program would have a negative impact on public education in the state.

GOP-Backed Ohio Bill Would Send More Kids To Private Schools On Public Money
Mansfield News Journal, OH, September 26, 2011
A bill that would allow wider access to vouchers covering private school tuition is closer to becoming law, though many questions still need to be addressed, officials said.

UTAH

Whose Mediocrity?
Salt Lake Tribune , UT, September 25, 2011
Sen. Howard Stephenson has one, seemingly all-consuming goal: to privatize public schools.

WISCONSIN

Charter Proposal Offers a Lot
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, September 26, 2011
There’s a lot more to the Urban League of Greater Madison’s charter school proposal than same-sex classrooms.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Maynard-Based Virtual School Collaborative Adds More Members
Metro West Daily News, MA, September 23, 2011
The use of a new virtual learning platform in primary and secondary school classrooms marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of education in Malta, Transport Communication and Infrastructure minister Austin Gatt said yesterday during the launch of an e-learning system.

Central Valley Merges With Cyber World
Beaver County Times, PA, September 24, 2011
In August, Central Valley Cyber Academy was launched for students in the freshman through senior classes. Students now have the option to take their entire class load, or any portion of it, online rather than in a classroom.

Learning From A Landmark Report
Star Tribune, MN, September 24, 2011
Two years after Minnesota overhauled charter school oversight, a new report is raising important questions about whether the state Department of Education has the staffing and the vision to ensure that another education innovation — online schooling — is serving the best interests of students and the state.

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