NATIONAL

Education: States Should Do More To Reach Students
Associated Press, January 31, 2012
In its initial review of No Child Left Behind waiver requests, the U.S. Education Department highlighted a similar weakness in nearly every application: States did not do enough to ensure schools would be held accountable for the performance of all students.

STATE COVERAGE

CALIFORNIA

Los Altos School Board Approves Split-Campus Offer for Bullis
Palo Alto Daily News, CA, January 31, 2012
Pointing to a space crunch, the Los Altos School District Board of Education approved a preliminary facilities offer Monday night that would split Bullis Charter School between two sites next school year.

California Assembly Approves Mendoza Bill Making It Easier For School Districts To Deny Charter Schools
Whittier Daily News, CA, January 30, 2012
The state Assembly Monday on a 45-28 vote approved Assemblyman Tony Mendoza’s bill that would make to make it easier for school districts to turn down charter schools.

Parents Now Have More Options When Sending Their Kids Off To School
Lodi News-Sentinel, CA, January 31, 2012
Believe it or not, the time to plan for kindergarten enrollment next fall is now. But the choices might be overwhelming.

COLORADO

New Teacher Tenure Rules Closer to Approval in Colorado
Denver Post, CO, January 30, 2012
Statewide teacher tenure rules are closer to becoming law after the state House voted Monday to OK a four-tier rating system for teachers and principals. The tenure standards now head to the Senate. Statewide tenure evaluations were approved by lawmakers two years ago, but the specifics had to come back to the Legislature for final approval.

CONNECTICUT

Charter Schools Touted As Educational Option
The Day, CT, January 31, 2012
Charter schools are not necessarily the solution to the state’s education woes but they do offer students a choice, and when it comes to education the more options the better, a charter school official said Monday at a community breakfast held at the ISAAC school.

DELAWARE

Del. Limits Link of Test Scores to Teacher Pay
News Journal, DE, January 31, 2012
The state Department of Education has again changed how it will calculate public school teacher ratings for the 2011-12 school year.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

DCPS Schools To Become Charters? Union Sounds Off
Washington Examiner Blog, DC, January 30, 2012
Last week, D.C.’s deputy mayor for education released a report recommending that three dozen D.C. Public Schools campuses be closed or turned around, likely reinvented as charter schools. Unsurprisingly, that’s not sitting too well with Nathan Saunders, the president of the Washington Teachers’ Union.

FLORIDA

Parent Trigger Bad Policy
Sun Sentinel, FL, January 31, 2012
It’s understandable that parents who have seen little improvement in their children’s poor-performing Florida schools would have itchy trigger fingers.

Martin County Charter School No. 7 Among State’s High Schools
TC Palms, FL, January 30, 2012
Clark Advanced Learning Center ranked No. 7 among the state’s high schools, according to the first-ever ranking of 3,078 public and charter schools released Monday by the Florida Department of Education.

GEORGIA

Checking Out the New Oglethorpe Charter School
Savannah Morning News, GA, January 31, 2012
Savannah-Chatham Public School parents, administrators and district officials gathered at the new Oglethorpe Charter School construction site Monday for a tour.

2 Education Voucher Bills Could Be Headed For Floor Votes
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, January 30, 2012
Senate Bill 87 and House Bill 181 passed out of the Senate Education Committee late last week and are before the Senate Rules Committee for possible placement on the full Senate’s calendar. Both are opposed by the Professional Association of Georgia Educators, the state’s largest teacher organization.

Charter Schools: Local Control Is A Key Principle
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer, GA, January 31, 2012
This newspaper’s editorial board has long been on record as supporting charter schools, in concept and in reality. Creativity, innovation and the willingness to meet ambitious performance standards ought to earn educators and administrators some reasonable flexibility with regard to bureaucratic strictures. That’s no threat to public education; done well, it could be its salvation.

IDAHO

How To Get More Hispanics In Charters
Idaho Press, ID, January 31, 2012
Race-neutral policies in their admissions and student assignment processes, including comprehensive review, socioeconomic preferences, class-rank plans and lottery procedures will empower more Hispanics to benefit from charter schools.

ILLINOIS

Emanuel’s Appearance in Pro-Charter School Video Irks Teachers Union
Chicago News Cooperative, IL, January 31, 2012
As Chicago Public Schools begins what are certain to be contentious contract talks with the Chicago Teachers Union, Mayor Rahm Emanuel emerged as the star of a new online video promoting charter schools and ripping the union.

Yes, Classrooms First
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 31, 2012
About a year ago, in his budget address, Gov. Pat Quinn took a political risk and said Illinois should greatly reduce the number of school districts in the state. Illinois has 868 school districts, more than almost any other state. That creates a lot of unnecessary expense through duplication of services. We’re long overdue for a downsizing.

LOUISIANA

Jindal’s Education Moon Shot
Wall Street Journal, January 31, 2012
Newt Gingrich wants the U.S. to return to the moon, but as challenges go he has nothing on Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s school reform plans.

Mary Landrieu Walks Tightrope On Bobby Jindal’s Education Plans
Times Picayune, LA, January 30, 2012
U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu sought to pour some cold water on one of the central proposals in Gov. Bobby Jindal’s education reform agenda Monday, using state data to show a huge gap between the number of students who would technically qualify for the governor’s proposed private school voucher program and the number of seats that may actually exist in the state’s private schools.

Jindal’s Plan Not Extreme As Some
Monroe News Star, LA, January 30, 2012
Indiana Superintendent of Education Tony Bennett said his state is enjoying big successes with his pro-choice education plan, which includes testing private schools that receive vouchers.

MARYLAND

Maryland Schools Test Evaluating Teachers On Student Performance
Baltimore Sun, MD, January 30, 2012
Maryland schools are moving closer to overhauling the way that they evaluate teachers, putting more emphasis on student performance and test scores.

MINNESOTA

Teacher Seniority, NCLB Top Education Issues In Low-Key Legislative Session
Minnesota Public Radio, MN, January 30, 2012
A state House committee will hear a proposal Tuesday that would change several rules regarding teacher seniority and layoffs.

MISSISSIPPI

Charter Schools: Move Cautiously
Clarion Ledger, MS, January 31, 2012
The current state law allowing charter schools is so restrictive that it has made legitimate efforts to create innovative charter schools almost impossible.

MISSOURI

Senator’s Bill Would Bring an End to KC School District
Kansas City Star, MO, January 30, 2012
One of many proposals, it faces a difficult path, beginning with hearing today in Jefferson City.

NEW YORK

City Shifts on Teacher Evaluations
Wall Street Journal, January 31, 2012
After months of talks with the teachers union, the Bloomberg administration is asking Gov. Andrew Cuomo to help put an end to the labor dispute by scrapping the state’s teacher evaluation law.

New Study Gives New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg An “A” On Small-School Movement
New York Daily News, NY, January 31, 2012
Critics blasted findings from a new study that gives Mayor Bloomberg an “A” on his small-school movement and finds that thousands of students — the majority in the Bronx — are more likely to graduate than their peers at larger high schools.

Next Time, Listen To The Teachers
Albany Times Union, NY, January 30, 2012
New York’s plans to implement its new teacher evaluation law have been met with outcries from principals, wariness from teachers and legal objections by the New York State United Teachers. All of that might have been averted if state leaders had more fully considered the perspective of educators before developing their implementation plans.

NORTH CAROLINA

State May Delay Decision On Charter School
Outer Banks Voice, NC, January 30, 2012
Efforts to open a charter school on the Currituck Outer Banks may be delayed an additional month.

New Measures In Place For Teachers
Star News, NC, January 30, 2012
A new batch of data from the four-year-old statewide teacher evaluation system is showing the effectiveness of some teachers in the Cape Fear region.

OKLAHOMA

Class Sizes Swell As State Aid Declines, Enrollment Rises
Tulsa World, OK, January 31, 2012
Class size remains a critical issue in some Tulsa-area school districts as they struggle to recover from successive state budget cuts over the past few years.

Leaders Say ‘Choice’ Is Key For Education
The Edmond Sun, OK, January 30, 2012
More than 350 people filled Constitution Hall last Tuesday evening on the campus of the University of Central Oklahoma to see just what school choice was all about.

PENNSYLVANIA

Chester Community Charter School Funding In Jeopardy, Too
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 31, 2012
A federal court order earlier this month sending money to the Chester Upland School District to keep it solvent threatens to put the Chester Community Charter School, home to about 2,750 Chester Upland students, in jeopardy, charter officials say.

School Choice? Practice What You Preach, Chaput
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, January 31, 2012
CATHOLIC Schools Week began yesterday with a plea from Philly Archbishop Charles Chaput for Catholics to push for passage of a school-voucher bill that would let parents choose where to spend education dollars.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Riverview Argues School District Changed ‘The Rules Of The Game’ In Enrollment Dispute
Beaufort Gazette, SC, January 30, 2012
The enrollment dispute between Riverview Charter School and the Beaufort County School District is a case of “David and Goliath,” Riverview’s attorney Alice Paylor told a jury Monday.

TENNESSEE

Innovation, Funds Needed To Reach Lofty Schools Goal
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, January 31, 2012
A joint retreat involving members of the Knox County Commission and the Knox County Board of Education last weekend resulted in an ambitious goal — to make Knox County Schools the best public school system in the Southeast.

WASHINGTON

The False Promise of Charter Schools
Seattle Times, WA, January 30, 2012
Charter schools do not work as promised, writes Wayne Au, a University of Washington, Bothell education professor. One study indicates charters are two times as likely to widen achievement gaps as close them, he says.

WISCONSIN

Students Achieving the Best Results Should Be Everyone’s Goal
Journal Times, WI, January 30, 2012
In Milwaukee, 6,400 students attended independent charter schools, 23,198 attended Milwaukee Parental Choice Program schools, and there was an increase in applications to the open enrollment program.

Misstep Returns Voucher Debate To Forefront
Green Bay Gazette, WI, January 31, 2012
Ellis and Rep. Robin Vos, R-Burlington, were discussing the status of the school voucher bill at the Inn on the Park on Wednesday. Ellis talked about possible new legislation that would permit a segment of a school district to qualify for the voucher program if the total school district didn’t meet the criteria.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Expect Clash Over Virtual School To Intensify At NC BOE
WFAE 90.7FM, NC, January 30, 2012
What could be North Carolina’s first online charter school has passed its first round of approval. Now it’s up to the state board of education to give the final okay. From there, you can count on it getting a lot of attention in Raleigh both from public school officials and the team of lobbyists employed by the for-profit company that would run the school.

Web 2.0: Indiana Challenges Teachers To Instruct Digitally
Indianapolis Star, IN, January 31, 2012
The Indiana Department of Education is challenging teachers to instruct their students digitally.

Idaho Senate Passes Bill To Revise Online Education Law
Idaho Statesman, ID, January 30, 2012
State senators voted in favor of deleting a portion of Idaho’s new education laws that defines an online course and says the instructor cannot be physically located in the same school in which the student is receiving the virtual instruction.

Sphere: Related Content

NATIONAL

Is College Not For Poor Kids?
Washington Post, DC, January 29, 2012
A few weeks ago, my colleague Paul Schwartzman introduced readers to a group of Prince George’s County residents known as “the Seat Pleasant 59.” They were promised in 1988, when they were in elementary school, that their tuition would be paid if they worked hard and got into college.

Time to Expand School Choice
Washington Examiner, DC, January 28, 2012
This week has marked the second annual National School Choice Week. Parents, students and advocates across the country are celebrating effective education options for all children.

Using Student Test Scores To Evaluate Teachers Unfair
Lexington Herald Leader, KY, January 30, 2012
There are two ways to persuade people to do dumb things: Fill them with fear or dangle money in front of them. The Obama administration is engaged in the latter. In the face of significant scientific evidence to the contrary, the U.S. Department of Education is pushing the states to evaluate teachers on the basis of student test scores by offering one-time dollars for doing so.

STATE COVERAGE

ALABAMA

Alabama Considers Adding Charter Schools To Its Education Mix
Birmingham News, AL, January 28, 2012
The quality of education offered to children in Alabama depends largely on geography and ability to pay. Lawmakers say it is time to change that by offering parents in failing school systems a choice of where they send their children. And it is likely to come in the form of charter schools.

Just Saying: Charter Schools Have Records of Success
Montgomery Advertiser, AL, January 29, 2012
Charter schools are the an¬swer to our education prob¬lems. I’m serious about this. Our state leaders announced this week that among the changes to education that they would like to implement this year, introducing charter schools is high on their list.

The Governor And Schools: Improvement of Children’s Education Must Drive Any Alterations
Anniston Star, AL, January 30, 2012
When Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley announced the education initiatives he will submit to the state Legislature, he acknowledged the opposition he and his Republican colleagues would face.

ARIZONA

Make Private School Tax Credits More Accountable
Arizona Sun, AZ, January 29, 2012
As for paying for K-12 schools, the first side sees tax dollars as ultimately belonging to individuals to be respent according to a family’s values. The second sees those dollars as community assets that can be leveraged on behalf of all children.

Charter School Proposed in Somerton
Yuma Sun, AZ, January 29, 2012
City officials here are considering a proposal by a Phoenix-area social service organization to open a charter high school to serve up to 400 students.

CALIFORNIA

An L.A. Teacher Reviews Her Review
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 29, 2012
Evaluations don’t take into account the real world of today’s Los Angeles Unified School District classrooms.

Pushing Past Mediocrity in the Classroom
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 29, 2012
Interactions between children and teachers are at the heart of learning. We should evaluate that.

How to Grade a Teacher
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 29, 2012
United Teachers Los Angeles and the school district should get behind a teacher-led evaluation system.

A Sputtering Stop for School Buses?
San Diego Union Tribune, CA, January 30, 2012
Julian Charter School District won’t lose a penny. It’s a K-12 district formed 12 years ago with eight physical locations in San Diego and Riverside counties. But the district has no transportation and many of its 2,200 students learn at home through online instruction. Others, said Executive Director Jennifer Cauzza, may carpool four days a week, say from Fallbrook to Temecula.

COLORADO

Board of Ed Chief Schaffer Backs Embattled Neenan, Cites Past Dealings
Denver Post, CO, January 28, 2012
Faced with a series of damaging disclosures about its school-construction projects, the Neenan Co. is getting support from a successful Fort Collins charter school and its high-profile principal — State Board of Education chairman Bob Schaffer.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Kevin Chavous on His Tireless Efforts for School Choice
The Foundry Blog, Heritage Foundation, January 28, 2012
Few legislators have done more to advance school choice than Kevin Chavous. As a city councilmember in Washington D.C. from 1992 to 2004, and a chairman of the council’s Education Committee, Chavous was instrumental in implementing the city’s landmark Opportunity Scholarship Program.

Extremes Show Disparity Between Schools
Washington Examiner, DC, January 29, 2012
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame Brown, who has introduced legislation to incentivize more top teachers into low-income, underperforming schools, said these extremes in ratios of effective teachers emphasize the gulf between affluent and poor schools.

Good Teachers Spread Throughout District
Washington Examiner, DC, January 29, 2012
Good teachers are spread fairly evenly throughout the District, according to an analysis of teacher evaluations by The Washington Examiner, despite the enormous achievement gap between classrooms in affluent Northwest areas and poor Southeast communities.

FLORIDA

Parents Scramble for Magnet Schools
Miami Herald, FL, January 28, 2012
To land their children a spot in a Broward magnet school, some parents have lobbied for attendance-zone changes.

More Charter Schools Means More Cost to Pinellas County in Time and Money
Tampa Bay Times, FL, January 29, 2012
Like most of Florida, Pinellas County is welcoming more charter schools to its school district.

Lawmakers Want Charter Schools To Grow
Miami Herald, FL, January 28, 2012
While education isn’t likely to take center stage in Tallahassee this year, one message is clear: Florida lawmakers want to continue growing charter schools.

GEORGIA

District Helped Charter Group Get $50K Grant
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, January 30, 2012
Although the Cobb school district has never sought any of the $400 million from the federal Race to the Top program for its own use, district staff did help a potential charter school land a $50,000 planning grant through the program

BOE Opposes New Charter School Proposal
Covington News, GA, January 29, 2012
The Newton County Board of Education announced its opposition to charter schools created by the state that use local funds without the blessing of the local board of education.

HAWAII

Legislature Needs To Clarify Law Enabling Charter Schools
Honolulu Star-Advertiser, HI, January 29, 2012
Even someone accustomed to the twists and turns of government surely would be tied up in knots following the battle over the conversion of Laupahoehoe High and Elementary School to a public charter school, a roller-coaster ride now in its third year.

Why Public Charter Schools Are Important
Louisville Courier-Journal, KY, January 30, 2012
The public conversation about what charter schools are and what they might bring to public education in Kentucky is well underway, and it has been a long time coming. Over the last several years education reform advocates have worked tirelessly in Louisville and across the commonwealth just to get to this point.

LOUISIANA

Louisiana Vouchers Would Need To Provide Good Options
Times Picayune, LA, January 28, 2012
As a staunch public school advocate, it pains me to say, vouchers can work. But are Gov. Bobby Jindal and state Superintendent John White prepared to give parents the information and transparency required for high levels of parental choice?

How Will School Vouchers Affect You?
Daily Comet, LA, January 28, 2012
Thousands of students could qualify for vouchers that would allow them to leave failing public schools in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes under a proposal Gov. Bobby Jindal has included in a sweeping education-reform plan.

MASSACHUSETTS

Innovation Schools Should Be Part of the Big Picture
South Coast Today, MA, January 29, 2012
United Interfaith Action will be before the School Committee on Feb. 13 hoping to move the process forward on creating small, autonomous schools, which the group sees as a vital tool for giving New Bedford’s school system a better chance at success.

MICHIGAN

Educators Seeking Parents to Partner on Evaluations
Battle Creek Enquirer, MI, January 30, 2012
Union City’s Bill Schaeffer said he’s worried about how people might react to letters some local parents are likely to receive telling them their children’s teacher isn’t good at their job.

MINNESOTA

The Urgency of School Reform in Minnesota
Pioneer Press, MN, January 28, 2012
After listening this past week to important ideas for improving education in Minnesota, we hope the efforts of a reform-minded Republican-controlled Legislature - and an open-minded Democratic governor - will add up to a win for students.

MISSISSIPPI

Charter Schools Are Not The Priority
Clarion Ledger, MS, January 27, 2012
They’re the latest panacea, the latest fix. Charter schools will allow Mississippi ’s education system to burst with new success once they free up students and teachers from the rules of the evil education bureaucracy.

MISSOURI

Teacher Compensation, Performance Legislation Introduced in House
Missouri Net, MO, January 30, 2012
The legislative strategy for House Republicans in the new legislative session makes a priority a bill addressing teacher compensation and performance, calling it the “Missouri Teacher Quality Act.” That has now been introduced by Elementary and Secondary Education Committee Chairman Scott Dieckhaus (R-Washington).

Schools Struggle With Dwindling Interest Income
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, January 30, 2012
Money in the bank used to generate a nice little piece of revenue for a school district — but that was before the recession.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Voucher Legislation Threatens N.H.’S Public Schools
Portsmouth Herald, NH, January 29, 2012
Last week, Seacoast Sunday featured a story, “Private school scholarship bills rebuked,” on the education tax credit (school voucher) program proposed in the Legislature.

NEW YORK

Bracing for $40,000 at New York City Private Schools
New York Times, NY, January 29, 2012
THERE are certain mathematical realities associated with New York City private schools: There are more students than seats at the top-tier schools, at least three sets of twins will be vying head to head for spots in any class, and already-expensive tuition can only go up. Way up.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan Backs Mayor Bloomberg on Teacher Bonuses
New York Daily News, NY, January 28, 2012
Mayor Bloomberg’s bold plan to pay the best teachers much more — via $20,000 salary hikes doled out to top performers — is winning friends in high places.

Charter School Releases an Ad Supporting Cuomo
New York Times Blog, NY, January 27, 2012
As he girds for confrontation with what he calls the state’s educational bureaucracy, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has found an unexpected ally singing his praises on cable television: a group of high school students in East Harlem.

OHIO

West Side Might Get K-8 Charter School This Fall
Columbus Dispatch, OH, January 29, 2012
The state’s largest charter-school operator is eyeing Columbus ’ West Side as the perfect spot to open its first K-8 building in the city.

OKLAHOMA

TPS Fears Partial State Seizure of Schools
Tulsa World, OK, January 28, 2012
The possibility of a state takeover of Tulsa school sites was among a list of hot topics that came up during a special meeting Friday that the Tulsa school board hosted for legislators.

Choice: It’s Good for Children
Edmond Sun, OK, January 28, 2012
When my twin sons were in elementary school, both were identified as requiring special needs attention. Unfortunately, I knew their needs were not being met. We could have moved at the time, but I knew there were parents who couldn’t make these choices because of their income level.

Oklahoma Tax Dollars at Center of School Voucher Debate
The Oklahoman, OK, January 29, 2012
Vouchers that use public school funding for private school tuition (proponents prefer the term scholarships) are at the center of a growing conflict in Oklahoma between parents, the state and schools.

OREGON

Legislature to Consider Bills That Will Tie School Funding to Key Goals
Statesman Journal, OR, January 30, 2012
Next month, lawmakers will consider bills that would tie that spending to specific, measurable goals and intervene in educational institutions that fail to meet expectations.

PENNSYLVANIA

Public Schools Facing Crisis
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 29, 2012
But rural and suburban districts across the state are in similarly dire straits. Despite making drastic budget cuts, some districts, like Erie, may run out of money before the end of the school year and be unable to pay vendors or creditors.

State Needs Sound Course for Charters
Scranton Times-Tribune, PA, January 28, 2012
The fundamental concept behind school choice is that multiple options will help to improve all education, including in public schools that lose students to charter schools, or through tuition vouchers and similar devices. Competition, the concept holds, will force public schools to improve in order to retain students who once were captive but have been endowed with mobility. There are examples of the concept working but it hardly is universal.

Easton Area School District Considers Charging Charter, Cyber Schools a Fee for Sports Participation
Allentown Morning Call, PA, January 29, 2012
Many a young Eastonian has aspired to one day be part of Easton Area School District’s storied football and wrestling programs — bright spots in a school system battling economic and academic shortfalls.

SOUTH DAKOTA

S.D. Teachers Learning New Method for Evaluations
Aberdeen News, SD, January 29, 2012
The Aberdeen and Webster Area school districts are already preparing for their next endeavor — a new teacher evaluation model that will be implemented next school year.

TENNESSEE

TN Taps New Pipeline for Top Teachers
The Tennessean, TN, January 29, 2012
Instead, Tennessee education leaders plan to invest $10 million on two national programs that recruit the brightest graduates in other fields, put them through intensive training and send them into classrooms — where they typically outperform peers who took the traditional route

Charters Could Be On The Way
Commercial Appeal, TN, January 30, 2012
Changing education: Diminishing resistance to charter schools in Mississippi could result in another weapon to help students succeed.

VIRGINIA

The Time is Right for a Fairfax Charter School
Washington Post, DC, January 27, 2012
Public hearings before the Fairfax County School Board often last into the wee hours. In a county chock-full of smart and involved citizens, it’s not unusual for 80 people to volunteer their thoughts on the best choice for a third-grade spelling textbook.

Education: Investment Options
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, January 30, 2012
“Invest in Kids,” read the signs held by educators at a recent rally at the state Capitol. The rally, organized by the Virginia Education Association and the Virginia PTA, called for more school funding. We wonder if it’s really kids that the teachers want the state to invest in.

WASHINGTON

Con: Statistics Show No Significant Advantage Over Regular Public Education
Spokesman Review, WA, January 29, 2012
Advocates assert that charter schools are a key reform for raising the achievement of African-American, Latino and low-income students in Washington state. The problem is that the research evidence does not support this assertion.

Pro: Challenging Curriculum, Personal Attention Inspire High Achievement
Spokesman Review, WA, January 29, 2012
If I close my eyes, I can still see the college pennants hanging in the classrooms, and hear the echoes of voices asking who’s staying after school for Advanced Placement tutoring. I can still feel the texture of the well-used SAT prep books that were glued to everyone’s hands and served as reminders of our college goals.

WISCONSIN

Make Sure Charter Schools Meet Goals
The Sheboygan Press, WI, January 28, 2012
The Sheboygan Area School District has 10 charter schools under its wing — the third most among districts around the state. It trails only Milwaukee and Appleton.
Now, the district is poised to add two more.

Bill to Halt Voucher Expansion Appears Dead
Green Bay Press Gazette, WI, January 28, 2012
A bill that would guarantee Wisconsin ’s divisive school voucher program doesn’t expand without legislative approval looks all but dead after Republican leaders said Friday they don’t know if their caucus supports the measure.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Virtual Schools On The Rise, But Are They Right For K-12 Students?
CNN Blog, January 30, 2012
It’s a Tuesday morning in January, and seventh-grader Katerina Christhilf is learning algebra. But it’s no ordinary class. This one takes place entirely online, led by a teacher a few miles away.

Hybrid’ Charters Will Meld Online Lessons With Conventional Instruction
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, January 30, 2012
But the urban ones that were approved are interesting in themselves, including two in Trenton and Newark that are trying a new model of education, mixing online learning with face-to-face instruction in a setting unlike any other in the state.

Charter Schools Are Struggling To Meet Standards, But Keep Growing
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, PA, January 30, 2012
When Ron and Tina Gamble’s twin daughters, Jessica and Lauren, considered leaving public school for cyber school after sophomore year, several factors influenced their decision. The family from Murrysville liked the flexible cyber school schedule and lack of “busy work.”

Erie School District To Open Online Charter School
Erie Times-News, PA, January 28, 2012
Erie school officials are tired of paying millions of dollars each year and losing hundreds of students to online charter schools.

Online Education For K-12 Students Is Growing
Kentucky Post, KY, January 28, 2012
Computers have long had a place in many classrooms, but what about learning online completely? The number of full time online K-12 students is growing.

Data May Give Students Edge
Appleton Post Crescent, WI, January 28, 2012
The Appleton eSchool could be part of a study that tracks student behaviors in online coursework to predict student success.

Sphere: Related Content

NATIONAL

Under Education Reform, School Principals Swamped By Teacher Evaluations
Christian Science Monitor, MA, January 26, 2012
School principals, including some who back more rigorous review of teachers, are balking at education reforms required by Race to the Top. New teacher evaluations are all-consuming, they say.

Teacher Tenure
Black Hill Pioneer, SD, January 26, 2012
Teacher tenure is heated topic and one that deserves some clarification.
Tenure is a status granted to an experienced, long-term teacher, giving some protection from summary dismissal. When a teacher is hired in most districts, he or she will typically serve as a probationary employee for several years. During this extended trial period, district administrators may essentially dismiss a teacher at any time for little reason.

STATE COVERAGE

ALABAMA

Charter Schools Proposal Focus of Forum
Montgomery Advertiser, AL, January 27, 2012
Even though the start of the legislative session is more than two weeks away, charter school legislation already is gaining plenty of attention from state lawmakers.

ARIZONA

School-Choice Option for Disabled Students Upheld By Court
Arizona Republic, AZ, January 27, 2012
School-choice advocates won the first round in a court battle that could ultimately lead to a wider school voucher-type program that allows students to attend private schools at state expense.

CALIFORNIA

National Education Reformer Michelle Rhee Brings Fight to Fresno
Fresno Bee, CA, January 26, 2012
Education reformer Michelle Rhee said struggling schools need to rethink how they operate, including who’s at the blackboard — and whether teacher tenure is a good idea.

COLORADO

Colorado AG Weighs in on DPS, Union Fight Over Innovation Schools Act
Denver Post, CO, January 27, 2012
Because the opinion favors the school district — saying the act applies to planned new schools as well as existing schools — DPS is calling for the Denver Classroom Teachers Association to drop its lawsuit over the issue.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

National School Choice Week Comes At Bleak Time For NYC Charter School
Washington Times Blog, DC, January 26, 2012
But School Choice Week comes at a bitter time for the students, parents, and teachers of an elementary charter school in Far Rockaway, Queens: Peninsula Preparatory Academy, founded in 2004, was informed just this month that New York City’s charter school office has denied its charter renewal.

FLORIDA

Coral Gables, Charter School Compromise on Expansion
Miami Herald, FL, January 26, 2012
After two years, Coral Gables and Somerset Grace Academy reach a settlement that will allow the charter school to expand to 260 students from 110.

Ironing out the Kinks in Teacher Evaluations
Hernando Today, FL, January 26, 2012
As it stands, high school teachers won’t know until after the school year begins whether they rate as an effective teacher. By then classes will have already started and schedules will have been set.

GEORGIA

Pass Charter Schools Amendment, Get Back To Fixing Education In Georgia
Atlanta Journal Constitution Blog, GA, January 26, 2012
Ask Georgians about education, and you’ll likely hear two things: It’s important to our future prosperity, and we’re lagging behind. They’re right about its importance. There is one area, however, in which Georgia doesn’t trail most other states when it comes to education: Spending.

Are You Ready to Allow the Legislature Access to Local Education Funds in Pursuit of Greater School Choice?
Atlanta Journal Constitution Blog, GA, January 26, 2012
To mark National School Choice Week, the Center for Education Reform has held daily webinars on choice issues. Today, the center’s director Jeanne Allen speculated on the future of choice in states, only mentioning Georgia in passing for its special education voucher and private school scholarships.

HAWAII

3 Charter School Panel Members Resign In Protest
Honolulu Star-Advertiser, HI, January 27, 2012
Three longtime members of the Charter School Review Panel — Chairman Carl Takamura, former Chairwoman Ruth Tschumy and Pualani Akaka — resigned Thursday to protest the state Board of Education’s reversal of the panel’s decisions on converting Laupahoehoe School to a charter school.

ILLINOIS

Church Groups With City Contracts Back Emanuel’s School Agenda
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 27, 2012
Faith-based groups that have become the face of community support for Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s controversial plans to lengthen the school day and close failing schools also receive millions of dollars in grants from his administration.

INDIANA

Vouchers Get Good Reports
Journal Gazette, IN, January 27, 2012
Gov. Mitch Daniels met privately Thursday with three Concordia Lutheran High School students and their parents to ask their thoughts on the state’s new voucher program.
He liked what he heard.

MASSACHUSETTS

Professor Criticizes Teacher Evaluations
Harvard Crimson, MA, January 27, 2012
Students’ learning does not correlate with the education level or experience of their teachers, Graduate School of Education professor Thomas J. Kane said Thursday in a panel discussion at the School of Education. Nevertheless, current systems of teacher evaluation focus almost exclusively on those two factors, according to Kane.

Elizabeth Warren’s Quiet Support for Public School Vouchers
US News & World Report, January 26, 2012
A public school voucher system would radically reform education while stabilizing the housing market

MINNESOTA

Minnesota Legislature: Charter Schools Would Gain Levy Funding From District Under Bill
Pioneer Press, MN, January 26, 2012
Charter school supporters are backing legislation that could mean a windfall for some of the independent schools, which can’t levy taxpayers on their own.

MISSISSIPPI

Charter Schools, School Choice Explored
Jackson Clarion Ledge, MS, January 27, 2012
Each day, Cynthia Jackson of Canton drives past Madison County schools, where she wants to send her 11-year-old son but can’t.

MISSOURI

Lawmakers Blast Online Teacher Evaluations in Kansas
Kansas City Star, MO, January 26, 2012
The proposal, which is part of the Kansas governor’s plan to overhaul school financing, is only now coming to light. But if its first hearing Thursday was any indication, the idea will be a tough sell.

Dramatic School Plan Offered for Failing Schools
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, January 27, 2012
In exchange for addressing a vexing court ruling that has become a headache for many school districts, an influential state senator wants to fundamentally reshape the urban education landscape in Missouri.

St. Louis Public Schools to Sponsor Charters
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, January 27, 2012
St. Louis schools Superintendent Kelvin Adams announced plans Thursday to sponsor two charter schools, reversing the district’s resistance to a movement that has lured thousands of students away from its schools this past decade.

School Choice Is the Next Revolution in American Education, Panelists Say
St. Louis Beacon, MO, January 26, 2012
After three failed waves of education reform in the past 50 years, a new movement will mark a revolution in how American students learn: school choice.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Tax Credit Plan Would Hurt My School District
Concord Monitor, NH, January 27, 2012
Like many lawmakers in New Hampshire, I wear more than one hat. And that’s a good thing because knowledge and experience in one sphere can help me in the other.

NEW JERSEY

The Charter School Controversy — Much Ado About Nothing
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, January 27, 2012
It’s time for NJ to catch up with the rest of the country and recognize charters as the natural ally to traditional school districts

NEW MEXICO

Charter School’s Success Proves Letter Grades’ Failure
Albuquerque Journal, NM, January 27, 2012
The focus of this letter is to discuss our concerns about the letter grading system for schools with students who do not fit into any of the areas evaluated by the recently released Public Education Department’s letter grade for schools.

NEW YORK

One More Shot At An Evaluation System?
Amsterdam News, NY, January 27, 2012
It looks like the United Federation of Teachers (UFT) and the city of New York are headed back to the negotiation table to discuss a new system for teacher evaluations, and hopes are high that a deal can be reached this time.

Teacher-Protection Racket
New York Post, NY, January 27, 2012
Abusive, criminal or just plain incompetent teachers can all rest easy: In this city, their jobs are perfectly safe. And too bad for the kids in the schools.

School Improves With Help of U.S. Money It May Lose
New York Times, NY, January 27, 2012
The federal grant had ambitious purpose, few restrictions and a not-so-distant expiration date: three years. With almost $1 million to spend, Brian Rosenbloom, the principal at Chelsea Career and Technical Education High School in SoHo, once one of New York City ’s worst schools, knew he had to be strategic.

Charter School Fights Fat
Buffalo News, NY, January 26, 2012
Instead of using cartoon-size scissors, dozens of enthusiastic students broke through a ceremonial ribbon in full stride Thursday to mark the grand opening of the new fitness center at Charter School for Applied Technologies in the Town of Tonawanda.

NORTH CAROLINA

Partners in N.C.’s K-12 Education
News & Observer, NC, January 27, 2012
I often sense an adversarial tone when listening to discussions of the different educational options available to our children. Whether a child attends a traditional public school, a public charter school, private school or is home-schooled, each learning environment enjoys a symbiotic relationship with the other - where one model is actually interdependent upon the other, especially with our public school system.

Private School Advocates Urge Tax Credits For Parents
Statesville Record & Landmark, NC, January 27, 2012
Statesville Christian School Headmaster Dirk Mroczek believes parents who enroll their children at private schools should receive tuition help from the state.

OHIO

Local Parents Sing Praises of EdChoice Scholarships
Youngstown Vindicator, OH, January 27, 2012
Through the EdChoice scholarship program, Cindi Hilson is able to send her three children to Youngstown Christian School . “Without [the EdChoice scholarship], even though my husband works, we wouldn’t be able to afford to send all three of them,” she said. “Maybe one of them could come here.”

RHODE ISLAND

R.I. Bill Would Make Union Membership Optional For Teachers
Providence Journal, RI, January 26, 2012
Sen. Nicholas D. Kettle, R-Coventry, announced Thursday he has introduced a “right to work” bill that would make union membership optional for Rhode Island teachers.

TENNESSEE

SCORE Lays Out Its Plan For Teacher Evals
The Tennessean, TN, January 27, 2012
The State Collaborative on Reforming Education laid out its plan Thursday to gather feedback on Tennessee’s new teacher evaluation procedures and tenure rules.

Will A Proposed Nashville Charter School Attract Private-School Parents Or Affect Public Schools?
Nashville Scene, TN, January 26, 2012
Inside Sylvan Park’s Cohn Adult Learning Center library, a standing-room-only audience of roughly 150 parents, educators and assorted politicos bear witness to what could be the new, polished future of Nashville charter schools.

VIRGINIA

Evaluation Procedures for Teachers Reviewed
Northern Virginia Daily, VA, January 27, 2012
A presentation at the last Shenandoah County School Board meeting outlined new ways to evaluate teachers in the county.

WISCONSIN

Sen. Ellis Apologizes For Calling Green Bay Preble a ‘Sewer’
Journal Sentinel, WI, January 26, 2012
It’s still not clear who recorded several Republican legislators having dinner Tuesday night in a Madison restaurant and discussing private school vouchers, but the footage uploaded to politiscoop.com resulted in Sen. Mike Ellis (R-Neenah) making a lot of apologies Thursday.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Gull Lake Community Schools Sees Its Student Count Pop, Thanks To Several New Programs
Kalamazoo Gazette, MI, January 27, 2012
Full-time-equivalent enrollment in Gull Lake Community Schools increased more than 9 percent in fall 2011 compared to 2010, generating about $1.7 million in additional revenue for the district, based on a Kalamazoo Gazette analysis of the latest enrollment data.

Virtual School Coming to Portage This Fall
Daily Register, WI, January 26, 2012
There are no digital bricks to lay, but the construction of a virtual charter school is under way. The Portage School District will open one this fall geared toward retaining students who enroll out and home school students.

Sphere: Related Content

NATIONAL

Obama Wades Into Issue of Raising Dropout Age
New York Times, NY, January 26, 2012
President Obama’s State of the Union call for every state to require students to stay in school until they turn 18 is Washington’s first direct involvement in an issue that many governors and state legislators have found tough to address.

Mandating School Until 18 Has Pitfalls
Washington Times, DC, January 25, 2012
Long before President Obama’s call on Tuesday night for all students to remain in school until they turn 18, almost half of the nation’s jurisdictions already had instituted such policies, and several more are taking up the issue this year.

Someone Will Choose Your Child’s Education; Why Not You?
Baltimore Sun. MD, January 25, 2012
This is National School Choice Week, an occasion that always makes me think back to 1976, when as a writer for my high school paper, I interviewed retiring Baltimore County schools Superintendent Joshua Wheeler. I asked Mr. Wheeler why our schools didn’t require proficiency testing for graduation. “I know we’re a great school system,” I said diplomatically, “but even so, some of our kids graduate without being able to read and write.”

STATE COVERAGE

CALIFORNIA

O.C. School Closing To Let Charter School Expand
Orange County Register, CA, January 25, 2012
In June, the Oxford Preparatory Academy charter school will take over the campus it has been sharing with Mission Viejo’s Barcelona Hills Elementary.

Making Public Schools Work
Chico News & Review, CA, January 26, 2012
“High-quality charter schools” are not going to help these children. The very nature of “choice” separates children who have involved parents—even to the minimal degree of making a choice and signing a registration form—from those who do not.

COLORADO

Learning from Charters
Denver Post, CO, January 26, 2012
Immersing assistant principals from traditional Denver schools in successful charter programs holds promise for all involved.

CONNECTICUT

Breakthrough On Teacher Evaluations
Hartford Courant, CT, January 25, 2012
After about two years of wrangling, a group representing teachers, school administrators and school boards agreed Wednesday on a new way to evaluate teachers that places a strong emphasis on student achievement.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Many Public Schools In D.C.’S Poorest Area Should Be Transformed Or Shut, Study Says; More Charters Recommended
Washington Post, DC, January 26, 2012
A new study commissioned by D.C. Mayor Vincent C. Gray recommends that the city turn around or close more than three dozen traditional public schools in its poorest neighborhoods and expand the number of high-performing charter schools.

FLORIDA

Parent Trigger Bills Are Half-Cocked Ideas
Orlando Sentinel, FL, January 26, 2012
It’s understandable that parents who have seen little improvement in their children’s poor-performing Florida schools would have itchy trigger fingers.

GEORGIA

School Choice Supporters Converge on Capitol
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, January 25, 2012
Busloads of students, teachers and parents swarmed the state Capitol on Wednesday, urging lawmakers to support education options beyond traditional public schools.

Pass Charter Schools Amendment, Get Back to Fixing Education in Georgia
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, January 25, 2012
Ask Georgians about education, and you’ll likely hear two things: It’s important to our future prosperity, and we’re lagging behind. They’re right about its importance. There is one area, however, in which Georgia doesn’t trail most other states when it comes to education:

Charter Schools Bill Would Change Constitution
GPB, GA, January 25, 2012
Georgia lawmakers have filed a constitutional amendment to expand the state’s ability to open and fund charter schools. The amendment is a response to last year’s state Supreme Court ruling that said only local school districts could spend local tax dollars on charters.

ILLINOIS

The Gift of Classroom Time
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 26, 2012
Starting next year, Chicago elementary school kids will receive a priceless gift: another 90 minutes of classroom instruction. Students in several neighborhood schools already are reaping the benefits of the longer day.

Don’t Protect Failing Schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 26, 2012
Grumbling about the longer school day is nothing compared to what lawmakers are up to. State Rep. Cynthia Soto, a Chicago Democrat, says she’ll push a bill this year to stop the Chicago Board of Education from closing or overhauling a handful of its failing public schools for a year.

IOWA

Higher Admission Standards For Educators Questioned
DesMoines Register, IA, January 26, 2012
Ramping up admissions requirements for Iowa’s teacher preparation programs could lock promising educators out of the field and would fail to address the most pressing issues facing state schools, Democratic lawmakers said Wednesday.

LOUISIANA

Governor Bobby Jindal Throws Deep on Education: John Maginnis
Times-Picayune, LA, January 25, 2012
Unveiling his plan for revamping K-12 education last week, Gov. Bobby Jindal outlined dozens of proposals that go further and deeper than many thought he would or that any previous governor’s reform plans have, spanning tenure, school choice, merit pay, salaries, seniority, pre-K and the hiring and firing powers of superintendents versus school boards.

MAINE

School Choice Will Make Maine More Student-Friendly, Commissioner Says
Bangor Daily News, ME, January 25, 2012
Education Commissioner Stephen Bowen told a cheering group of charter school and school choice supporters at the State House that the LePage administration is preparing several school choice bills for consideration this session.

MINNESOTA

How to Close the Achievement Gap? Greater School Choice
MPR News, MN, January 26, 2012
How much longer must the teachers’ union continue to monopolize public funding of education before Gov. Mark Dayton recognizes that the Minneapolis public schools are incapable of giving students–especially low-income minority students–the education they deserve?

Charter School Funding Contested
Twin City Daily Planet, MN, January 25, 2012
Charter schools now receive the same funds as a public school district, with the exclusion of referendum revenue. That could change.

MISSISSIPPI

Push on for Miss. Charter Schools
Clarion Ledger, MS, January 26, 2012
Momentum is growing for a more flexible charter school law in Mississippi.
In his State of the State address, Gov. Phil Bryant called on the Legislature to “pass a workable charter school act once and for all.”

MISSOURI

Charter School Fans Trumpet Successes
St. Louis Post –Dispatch, MO, January 26, 2012
A Missouri House committee heard success stories of charter schools for more than three hours Wednesday as advocates launched an all-out pitch to allow the nontraditional public schools to be established statewide.

Bill In Legislature Would Allow Quicker State Intervention in KC Schools
Kansas City Star, MO, January 25, 2012
Missouri education officials would be able to intervene in failing school districts immediately instead of having to wait two years under a bill being considered by lawmakers.

NEW JERSEY

Montclair Charter School Group Not Giving Up
Montclair Times, NJ, January 26, 2012
Even though they suffered another frustrating rejection last week, charter-school advocates in Montclair are not ready to throw in the towel.

District 27 Legislators Applaud DOE Decision on Charter Schools
Item of Milburn, NJ, January 26, 2012
Sen. Richard J. Codey, Assemblywoman Mila M. Jasey and Assemblyman John F. McKeon applauded a Jan. 20 decision by state Department of Education Acting Commissioner Chris Cerf rejecting the Hua Mei charter school application.

NEW YORK

Reform Worth Fighting For
New York Post, NY, January 26, 2012
As the Department of Education closed nearly two dozen of the city’s worst large high schools at the height of the “small-schools boom,” one of the critics’ most common complaints was that the educrats were doing too much, too soon.

Cuomo Pushes Teacher Talks
Wall Street Journal, January 26, 2012
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is pushing the Bloomberg administration and the United Federation of Teachers to make a deal on a new teacher-rating system, wading directly into a local labor dispute that has dragged on for more than a year, said people familiar with the matter.

Senate Democrats Have Cozy Office Deal With United Federation of Teachers at Union’s Building
New York Daily News, NY, January 26, 2012
The campaign arm of state Senate Democrats is using office space in a building owned by the city’s powerful teachers union.

NORTH CAROLINA

School Board Drafts Resolution Opposing Charter
Herald Sun, NC, January 25, 2012
Durham school board members tonight will likely approve a resolution in opposition to Research Triangle High School, a charter school proposed for opening in Research Triangle Park this fall.

OHIO

In Ohio, Dropout Law Hard To Enforce
Columbus Dispatch, OH, January 26, 2012
During Tuesday’s State of the Union address, President Barack Obama urged states to require students to stay in school until they graduate or turn 18 — a law already in effect in Ohio and 19 other states.

OREGON

Teachers to Get New Evaluation System
Ashland Daily Tidings, OR, January 26, 2012
The Ashland School District plans to begin implementing new standards for evaluating its teachers by the beginning of next school year.

PENNSYLVANIA

Payments to Charter Schools A ‘Burden,’ Woodland Hills Says
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, January 26, 2012
The Woodland Hills school board, which pays more than $10 million a year to nearby charter schools, is one of at least two local boards joining in an effort to change the way charter schools are funded.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Riverview, School District Headed To Court Over Enrollment Dispute
Beaufort Gazette, SC, January 25, 2012
Though their lawyers still seek an agreement, Riverview Charter School and the Beaufort County School District are scheduled to meet in court next week over an enrollment dispute.

SOUTH DAKOTA

School Board: Eliminate Tenure
Argus Leader, SD, January 26, 2012
Stuck with a veteran teacher they’d like to fire, Harding County School Board members want the state Legislature to end teacher tenure right away, not over time, as Gov. Dennis Daugaard has proposed.

Nurturing Local Control
Black Hill Pioneer, SD, January 25, 2012
The governor’s plan for awarding bonuses to some teachers might find stronger support if school boards get the flexibility to focus the money on local priorities, one of the Legislature’s senior members said Tuesday.

TENNESSEE

Californian Picked for TN Charter Incubator
The Tennessean, TN, January 26, 2012
A California charter school director will be senior fellow at the Tennessee Charter School Incubator, with the goal of starting a network of schools in the city in 2014.

WASHINGTON

Seattle School Board Tables Proposal on Its Power
Seattle Times Blog, WA, January 25, 2012
In a sign of division, the Seattle School Board voted 4-3 Wednesday night to postpone consideration of a proposal about its own power.

WISCONSIN

Let’s Evaluate All Ways To Close Gap
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, January 26, 2012
In recent listening sessions with Madison parents, I heard how we can improve our schools, what we can be really proud of and stories about our wonderful teachers. In these discussions and in others, people have talked about addressing the racial achievement gap and shared concerns about Madison Prep.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Rochester Schools Expanding Online Classes
KAAL TV, NY, January 25, 2012
The Rochester Public School District is pushing to integrate more online learning. The school board just approved more online classes for students and an even larger expansion is on the way.

Critics Say ‘Cyber’ Charter Schools Have Not Delivered Results, But Families Call Programs ‘A Miracle’
Grand Rapids Press, MI, January 25, 2012
Critics of “cyber” charter schools said Wednesday there’s not enough information to determine whether the schools are successful, but Steve Slisko pointed to his grandson.

Education in a Blender
Janesville Gazette, WI, January 25, 2012
You might have read my grousings about the education community’s penchant for creating new terminology. In defense of our educators, theirs has been a rapidly changing field over the past two decades, with new theories, techniques, etc., coming fast and furious.

St. Martin Schools Go Online
KATC, LA, January 25, 2012
Every year, hundreds of thousands of undergraduates turn to the internet for their courses. Now, some Acadiana schools want in on the growing trend of online education. Why?

Sphere: Related Content

Council Finds States Weakening Teacher Tenure
Associated Press, January 25, 2012
America’s public school teachers are seeing their generations-old tenure protections weakened as states seek flexibility to fire teachers who aren’t performing.

Freedom to Choose a School
Appeal Democrat, CA, January 25, 2012
National School Choice Week is going on this week, focusing attention on efforts of parents, activists, legislators, students and grass-roots networks to promote school choice programs throughout the United States.

Disgusted Parents ‘Occupy’ The Classroom
Washington Times, DC, January 24, 2012
That rumbling sound you hear isn’t a snow-removal truck, a low-flying plane or a train inadvertently chugging through your backyard. No, it’s the low, slow churning of civic discontent, fomenting thanks to the decades-long trend toward educational mediocrity and resulting in a grass-roots movement that will — with any luck at all — restore our nation’s status as a well-educated and virtuous people.

STATE COVERAGE

CALIFORNIA

SUSD Retains Control of Early College Academy
Stockton Record, CA, January 25, 2012
Rigorous Stockton Early College Academy will continue to be governed by the Stockton Unified School District board, at least for the time being.

Teachers Union Protests Proposed Charter School
Elk Grove Citizen, CA, January 24, 2012
Elk Grove City Council Member and mayoral candidate Gary Davis promoted one of his major community projects, a proposed public charter school to the Elk Grove Unified School District board on Jan. 17.

Golden Missed Opportunity
City Journal, January 26, 2012
School choice is on the move everywhere—except California.

COLORADO

Rally in Castle Rock, Colorado, Praises School Choice and Assails Teachers Unions
Denver Post, CO, January 25, 2012
The message of a school-choice rally in Castle Rock on Tuesday was this: The key to maintaining our democracy is educating its citizens, and the key to educating those citizens is giving parents options for children’s education.

Denver Public Schools Gets $800,000 Grant to Train Assistant Principals
Denver Post, CO, January 25, 2012
Six assistant principals in Denver Public Schools will spend a year shadowing successful district charter principals and learning best leadership practices in a groundbreaking cooperative effort funded by an $800,000 grant.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Charter Schools Say They Can’t Compete With DCPS Teacher Pay
Washington Examiner, DC, January 24, 2012
Leaders of the District’s top-performing charter schools told the D.C. Council on Tuesday that they can’t compete with the bonus-laden pay scale of D.C. Public Schools when it comes to attracting and retaining top teachers.

FLORIDA

New Pinellas School Board Member Advocates Vouchers
Tampa Bay Times, FL, January 25, 2012
Pinellas County’s newest School Board member is an advocate for school vouchers, as is the man who appointed him to the seat.

Furor Erupts Over Bills To Let Parents Decide Poorly Performing Schools’ Fate
Orlando Sentinel, FL, January 24, 2012
Florida lawmakers want to give parents the power to dictate the future of poorly performing public schools, sparking criticism from parent advocates and others that the effort is part of a continuing campaign to privatize education.

GEORGIA

Constitutional Amendment Aims To Revive Charter Schools
Augusta Chronicle, GA, January 24, 2012
Georgia lawmakers filed a constitutional amendment Tuesday to address a state Supreme Court ruling that disbanded the state’s charter school commission last year.

Rally Planned To Promote School Choice
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, January 24, 2012
Parents and students plan a rally at the state Capitol Wednesday, hoping to convince lawmakers to give money and momentum to the school-choice movement.

Public School System Releases Locations of Charter Academies
Cherokee Tribune, GA, January 25, 2012
For the Cherokee County School District, six new academies will begin next fall to provide more school choice within the district. At a work session before the school board meeting Thursday, Superintendent Dr. Frank Petruzielo provided an update on the Cherokee Academies initiative.

Alpharetta Charter School Runs Into State Hurdle
WGCL Atlanta, GA, January 24, 2012
State education leaders have told Fulton Science Academy Middle School in Alpharetta that it needs state approval before it can move forward with construction on a new campus.
The charter school received approval for the site from Fulton County last November.

ILLINOIS

Eaton: School Choice Long Overdue In Illinois
Southtown Star, IL, January 24, 2012
While state Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) and former state Rep. Kevin Joyce (D-Chicago) normally held positions opposite conservative Republicans, there was one issue on which they agreed — school choice.

INDIANA

Familiar Face at Trough
Fort Wayne Gazette, IN, January 25, 2012
As the Fort Wayne Urban League prepares to open the city’s fourth taxpayer-supported charter school, a familiar name has surfaced as a possible landlord.

Indiana Lawmakers Seek Looser School Voucher Rules
Palladium-Item, IN, January 25, 2012
Thousands of students could pour into the country’s broadest private school voucher program if Indiana legislators drop a requirement that children spend at least one year in public schools before becoming eligible.

KENTUCKY

Charter School Debate Heats Up in Kentucky
WDRB, KY, January 24, 2012
It is a public school that runs like a private school but it still gets state funding. The charter school debate is heating up once again in Frankfort, with a loud voice asking lawmakers to listen.

LOUISIANA

New Orleans School Board Leadership Debate Turns Divisive
Times Picayune, LA, January 24, 2012
The Orleans Parish School Board, a body that has typically kept its divisions behind the scenes during the past three years, broke into open discord Tuesday evening over the selection of a new president and vice president, as well as applications to open new charter schools in the district.

In Praise of the Virtues of Choice
The Advertiser, LA, January 25, 2012
The choice of John White as the new state superintendent was, in some ways, a controversial one. After Gov. Bobby Jindal picked White, previously the chief of the Recovery School District in New Orleans, for the post, some members of the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and of teacher organizations objected.

Jindal Calls Teacher Union Official’s Comments ‘Incredibly Offensive’
Times Picayune, LA, January 24, 2012
A day after teachers unions blasted the rhetoric Gov. Bobby Jindal used in rolling out his plan to overhaul the state education system, the governor fired back and said he was offended by a comment a union official made about school vouchers. The comment, by Louisiana Association of Educators Executive Director Michael Walker-Jones, suggested that parents may not have the resources to make informed decisions about their children’s schools.

MAINE

Gov. LePage’s First State of the State: ‘We Must Put Politics and Gridlock Aside’
Bangor Daily News, ME, January 24, 2012
Gov. Paul LePage set out an ambitious but familiar agenda during his first State of the State address on Tuesday, defending the achievements of his first year while pledging to tackle high energy costs, create more educational opportunities and continue government belt-tightening.

MASSACHUSETTS

Chipping Away At Charter Schools
Boston Globe Blog, MA, January 24, 2012
Charter school approvals are granted in February. They shouldn’t be. They should have been granted on January 16th this year–Martin Luther King Day–for one simple reason: No education policy change has done more in Massachusetts to alleviate achievement gaps than charters. None.

MISSISSIPPI

Bryant Stresses Ed Reforms
Clarion Ledger, MS, January 24, 2012
Gov. Phil Bryant on Tuesday pledged to improve Mississippians’ health, reduce the state’s teen pregnancy rates, foster economic development and reform education in a policy-packed State of the State speech.

MISSOURI

Could Charter Schools Improve Local Learning?
KRCG, MO, January 24, 2012
This is National School Choice Week. The focus Tuesday night at the MO State Capitol was on charter schools. Just a couple dozen people showed up to hear from a group lobbying for changes.

NEW YORK

Eva Moskowitz Seeks To Expand Success Academies To Chelsea, Upper E. Side
New York Daily News, NY, January 24, 2012
Controversial charter school founder Eva Moskowitz could be expanding her education empire into the upper East Side and Chelsea.

P.S. 165 Principal Resigns, Takes Post At Charter School
Columbia Spectator, NY, January 25, 2012
During his year and a half as principal, Gallini made many curriculum changes and saw the school’s Department of Education ranking soar from the 49th to the 93rd percentile.

NORTH CAROLINA

Drop In Magnet School Applicants Concerns Wake School Board
News & Observer, NC, January 25, 2012
Wake County’s new student assignment plan is drawing concern from some Democratic school board members who think it’s hurting the system’s popular magnet school program.

Public, Private, Home Schools Work Together To Teach Kids
Charlotte Observer, NC, January 25, 2012
I often sense an adversarial tone when listening to discussions about the different educational options available to our children. We often fail to recognize that whether a child attends a traditional public school, public charter school, private school or is homeschooled, each learning environment enjoys a symbiotic relationship with the other.

Emotions Mixed on Trend of School Choice
Statesville Record & Landmark, NC, January 24, 2012
Parents have no lack of school choices in Iredell County, whether it be a public, charter or private school.

OHIO

District Pilots New Teacher Evaluation Process
News Leader, OH, January 25, 2012
By next year, school officials say every teacher in the district will be rated according to one of four standards: Accomplished, proficient, developing and ineffective. And under a state law approved last year, those evaluations will eventually be a factor in how teachers are compensated, as well as which teachers would be the first to be laid off.

New Voucher Effort Serves Special-Needs Students
Columbus Dispatch, OH, January 25, 2012
Ohio is about to launch its fourth tax-funded education-voucher program, this one for students with special needs.

OREGON

City View Sprang from Vision for ‘Expeditionary Learning’
Forest Grove News-Times, OR, January 25, 2012
It isn’t at all unusual to see a group of fourth-graders from City View Charter School exploring an historic building in downtown Hillsboro.

TENNESSEE

State Director Makes Recommendation Against Knox Charter School
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, January 24, 2012
The executive director of the Tennessee State Board of Education has recommended that the board vote against a proposed charter school in Knox County .

Franklin Schools Rezoning Aims For Poorer Students To Mingle
The Tennessean, TN, January 25, 2012
Some parents in Franklin’s poorest neighborhoods are preparing to send their children to different schools next year after district leaders voted to spread them out more evenly.

WASHINGTON

Proposal Spurs Emotional Debate over Seattle School Board Power
Seattle Times, WA, January 24, 2012
Amid speculation about why Interim Superintendent Susan Enfield decided to leave the district, some members are trying to clarify the board’s role. But others worry the proposal goes too far.

The Opposition View on Charter Schools
Seattle Times, WA, January 24, 2012
We need to hear from the other side
There have recently been two full editorial columns supporting the current charter bill (Senate Bill 6202) — one by the authors and one by The Times’ editorial board. [“Education overhauls gaining traction,” Opinion, Jan. 17].

WISCONSIN

State on the Mark in Seeking NCLB Waiver
Herald Times Reporter, WI, January 25, 2012
Wisconsin will make sweeping changes in the way it evaluates school and student performance if it is granted a waiver from requirements of the 10-year-old federal No Child Left Behind law.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Virtual Charter Academy Gains Initial Approval
Concord Independent Tribune, NC, January 24, 2012
The Cabarrus County Board of Education granted preliminary approval to the application submitted by North Carolina Virtual Charter Academy in a 5-2 vote at its business meeting on Monday.

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