If only it were that easy.

The reality is that these chiefs – regardless of their interests, their power and their ideological leanings – cannot do any better than those in power before NCLB was enacted unless the incentives for change — and the consequences — are no longer voluntary.

True, we have witnessed a sea change with respect to state education policy at the hands of great Governors and school chiefs over time, only to then watch helplessly as it all turned around at the conclusion of a disappointing election cycle. NCLB was intended to finally shake up a system seemingly impervious to change in all but a few pockets of the country. It wasn’t a perfect law. No law is. It relied upon people of varied interests to respond to the challenge and the consequences clearly set forth.

Because of NCLB, we have learned more each year about the dismal state of education through data that, for the first time, was publicly available and disaggregated for all to see.

For decades, student achievement was masked behind the averaged results of a school – results that really meant very little. Good schools had money. Bad schools were impoverished. That’s what the public — and the policymakers — thought. NCLB data-demands unearthed real achievement data — and helped us to throw away the excuses that created a persistent achievement gap.

But instead of responding to the challenge (as we learned more and more each year about the dismal state of education) school districts and Supers began to fight back. They claimed they were being forced into a cookie cutter mode of education (which we’d been in for decades already) and we, the public, bought it. They said they had to teach to the test — teachers, school boards, Republicans and Democrats alike adopted this sentimental favorite turn of phrase to bend public opinion against the pressure to deliver results coming from DC.

And instead of holding the line, we now have states that really believe they could do better if they just had flexibility? Flexibility without a performance requirement? Flexibility without any consequence for failure?

It’s the ultimate ego trip. “I can do it better.”

History suggests otherwise.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Union Targets Charter Schools With Bill
Appeal-Democrat, CA, February 8, 2012
Charter schools are spreading throughout America. Charters are public schools that are allowed wide latitude to work outside the traditional public-school model. Commonly they’re not unionized.

COLORADO

DPS Loses Two State Appeals On School Programs
Denver Post, CO, February 9, 2012
Denver Public Schools lost two appeals before the state board of education Wednesday and must prepare to open a new elementary by August.

Successful Day For Education Bills
Education News Colorado, CO, February 8, 2012
Half a dozen education measures, including bills that would exempt back-to-school purchases from state sales taxes and that would encourage wider use of students’ life experience for college credit, advanced Wednesday in the legislature.

CONNECTICUT

Malloy: Teacher Tenure Will Have To Be Earned, And Re-Earned
Connecticut Mirror, CT, February 8, 2012
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy is calling on legislators to completely change how the state’s 45,000 teachers earn tenure. The change — linking tenure to student performance and teacher evaluations — will apply to new teachers and those who already have tenure.

Funding Plan Cause For Concern
CT Post, CT, February 8, 2012
There are many things to like in Gov. Dannel Malloy’s school reform package.But if the governor gets all he wants, local school districts for the first time would have to take from their own budgets and help fund charter schools, which serve a very small portion of the state’s student population.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Brown: Keep Charter Facilities Allowance At $3000 Per Student
Washington Post Blog, DC, February 8, 2012
D.C. Council Chairman Kwame R. Brown has called on Mayor Vincent C. Gray to maintain a “floor” of $3,000 per student for charter school facilities. Public charter schools, which must secure their own buildings, use the allotment to cover rent, mortgage, debt service and renovations.

FLORIDA

Pepin Academies Expands Its Student Workforce Network In Downtown Tampa
Tampa Bay Times, FL, February 9, 2012
Pepin Academies charter school hopes to make downtown Tampa feel like a college campus for its transitional students with learning disabilities.

Paranoia Is Justified On Charter-School Bill
Miami Herald, FL, February 8, 2012
In their despair, people who care deeply about public education in Florida sometimes get a little carried away.

Don’t Let Charter Schools Take Away Money From Public Schools
St. Augustine Record, FL, February 9, 2012
Charter schools continue to have an edge in the Florida Legislature over public schools.

GEORGIA

House Rejects Amendment On Charter Schools
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, February 9, 2012
After intense lobbying and lively floor debate, state House members on Wednesday narrowly rejected a proposed constitutional amendment that would restore the state’s power to approve charter schools.

Coastal Empire Montessori Charter School Gets Boost From School Board
Savannah Morning News, GA, February 9, 2012
After more than four years of complaints and criticism, the Savannah-Chatham public school board and Coastal Empire Montessori Charter School officials appear to be taking baby steps toward a better working relationship.

ILLINOIS

Progress Seen At City ‘Turnaround’ Schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 9, 2012
A study of Chicago’s most aggressive efforts to reform failing schools, including replacing school leadership and staff in “turnaround” efforts, finds that targeted schools did improve even though students continued to score below district standards.

Chicago Teachers Union Accuses CPS of Discriminating Against African-American Teachers
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 8, 2012
The Chicago Teachers Union filed a complaint with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Wednesday alleging that layoffs last summer targeted tenured African-American teachers who represent a third of the CPS teachers.

Lawsuit Cost SD 227, Charter School Nearly $300K
Southtown Star, IL, February 8, 2012
During a lengthy legal battle pitting Rich Township High School District 227 against Southland College Prep Charter High School , the two sides spent nearly $300,000 in attorney fees, records show.

KENTUCKY

The Many Problems Of Charter Schools
Louisville Courier Journal, KY, February 9, 2012
Recently, proponents of charter schools have been spending remarkable sums of money on advertisements designed to make our public schools look worse and charter schools look better than they really are. Before jumping on the charter school bandwagon, Kentuckians should consider these points:

LOUISIANA

One-Stop Enrollment for New Orleans ‘ RSD Schools, Finally
Times Picayune, LA, February 8, 2012
Ever since independent charter schools began dominating the New Orleans public education landscape after Hurricane Katrina, parents have complained about the disparate processes to enroll children in the city.

Orleans Parish School Board Seeks New Operator for 2 West Bank Charter Schools
Times Picayune, LA, February 8, 2012
The Orleans Parish School Board is looking for a new charter organization to take over management of two West Bank schools, Alice Harte Elementary and Edna Karr High School ,when the academic year ends on June 30.

Neville Alumni Move Toward Charter Filing
Monroe News Star, LA, February 8, 2012
Education is the chief mission of the Neville Alumni and Friends Association as it moves toward filing a charter school application and in the future as it strives to continue educating the children of the Neville community.

MAINE

Sweeping Changes Set Out For Education
Portland Press Herald, ME, February 9, 2012
The governor says his four proposals expand opportunities; critics worry about the effects on schools, teachers and kids.

MARYLAND

Board Approves Charter School Opening
Frederick News Post, MD, February 9, 2012
The Board of Education voted unanimously Wednesday to approve the facility plan for Carroll Creek Montessori Public Charter School, putting the school on track to open Aug. 27.

MASSACHUSETTS

In Worcester, More Schools Seek ‘Innovation’ Approval
Worcester Telegram & Gazette, MA, February 9, 2012
The city already has a handful of innovation schools, and three more are working their way toward approval.

MICHIGAN

Michigan Students Keep Falling Behind
Detroit News, MI, February 9, 2012
A new report sheds light on how poorly the state’s schools are doing when compared with national leaders

DPS to Close 16 Schools, Offer 4 Others for Charters
Detroit News, MI, February 9, 2012
Closing 16 Detroit Public Schools and offering four more to charter operators is part of the latest strategy by Emergency Manager Roy Roberts to transform the battered school district into an educational leader while cutting its deficit.

Open Enrollment Bill May Include Financial Incentive For Districts Opposed To Mandate
Detroit Free Press, MI, February 9, 2012
A bill to mandate open enrollment in Michigan’s public schools has yet to make it out of the state Senate Education Committee, but Gov. Rick Snyder may provide school districts opposed to the bill with an incentive to allow out-of-district students.

MINNESOTA

In St. Paul Schools, Small Steps In the Right Direction
Pioneer Press, MN, February 8, 2012
Some details about the tentative contract settlement between the St. Paul school district and its teachers were made public Tuesday with evidence of fiscal restraint and reform that could serve students.

NEBRASKA

State Creating Teacher Evaluation System
Omaha World Herald, NE, February 9, 2012
On the same day U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan called the nation’s teacher evaluation systems “largely broken and dysfunctional,” Nebraska set about to draw up a new one for its teachers.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Scholarship Bill Benefits The Few
Foster’s Daily Democrat, NH, February 9, 2012
On Jan. 23 the New Hampshire House Committee on Ways and Means met to hear testimony about House Bill 1607, New Hampshire s education tax credit bill that will benefit parents of nonpublic school children.

NEW JERSEY

Charter Schools / Let Residents Vote
Press of Atlantic City, NJ, February 9, 2012
A measure approved by the Assembly and Senate education committees could help bring some much-needed sanity to New Jersey’s charter school policies.

Education Department Extends Teacher Evaluation Pilot to as Many as 30 More Districts
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, February 9, 2012
New Jersey’s teacher evaluation pilot has gotten off to a mixed start, by most accounts. Now the Christie administration is tweaking its plans for next year and extending the pilot to a limited number of districts — rather than statewide as originally planned.

NEW YORK

Two Schools Slated for Ax Get Reprieve
Wall Street Journal, February 9, 2012
New York City gave a last-minute reprieve Wednesday to two schools slated for closure, on the eve of what is usually one of the most raucous Department of Education meetings of the year.

Successes of Small Schools
New York Times, NY, February 9, 2012
School reform advocates are rightly encouraged by new data showing that New York City students at small, specialized high schools are more likely to graduate than students in large, traditional high schools

A New Bronx Charter School Seeks Tough Cases
New York Times, NY, February 8, 2012
A new Bronx charter school is looking for the children who challenge most other schools: those who are homeless, from low-income single-parent households, English language learners, or suffering from disabilities that put them at a disadvantage to succeed in school.

Help Kids: Close Bad Schools
New York Post, NY, February 9, 2012
As the father of five children, no issue concerns me more right now than the quality of their education. That’s why I’ll attend tonight’s Panel for Educational Policy meeting and support its members’ voting to replace 25 long-struggling schools with better options.

OREGON

School Choice Is Often Less Filling
Portland Tribune, OR, February 9, 2012
Last year, 3,518 students (7 percent of the district’s enrollment) took advantage of the lottery and applied for a transfer. That’s all about to change.

Medford Schools Register Largest State Increase
Mail Tribune, OR, February 9, 2012
The Medford School District’s gain of about 250 students this fall was the greatest percentage increase among the 13 largest districts in Oregon , an increase largely attributed to a growing charter school.

PENNSYLVANIA

Christie Urges NJEA Leader’s Resignation After Remark
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 9, 2012,
Gov. Christie called for the resignation Wednesday of a top official of the state’s largest teachers’ union for making a seemingly dismissive remark about poor children in failing school districts.

Salisbury Board Approves Arts-Based Charter School
Allentown Morning Call, PA, February 8, 2012
Despite reservations about an arts-based charter school in Salisbury Township , school directors approved the proposal Wednesday.

RHODE ISLAND

A Luxury We Can’t Afford
Brown Daily Herald, RI, February 9, 2012
Last Thursday, the state Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education voted to establish two Achievement First charter schools in Providence.

SOUTH CAROLINA

More Than 600 Apply For Up To 114 Spots at Riverview Charter School
Beaufort Gazette, SC, February 8, 2012
Riverview Charter School is reporting its largest and most diverse pool of applicants yet for the coming school year. In addition to its current 342 students, the Beaufort school says 671 have applied for next school year. That’s about 300 more than applied last year.

TENNESSEE

Memphis, Shelby County Schools Plead Case Why State Should Decline Charter Plans
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, February 9, 2012
‎City and county school leaders filed a response to the state Wednesday explaining how the districts will suffer if forced to approve 17 new charter schools.

Haslam Hears Teachers’ Fears
The Tennessean, TN, February 9, 2012
If there’s one notion Gov. Bill Haslam can take away from his discussion with Scales Elementary School teachers Wednesday, it’s their concerns about Senate Bill 2210.

TEXAS

Residents Sound Off On DISD Vs. Charter Schools
CBS Local, TX, February 8, 2012
It could have been a routine discussion at Dallas City Hall, but it wasn’t. The topic — whether to create a non-profit corporation so a public charter school could issue bonds.

VIRGINIA

Home-Schoolers Are Hoping to Don Varsity Jackets in Virginia
New York Times, NY, February 9, 2012
Patrick Foss is a top teenage soccer player who plans to graduate a semester early and enter the University of Virginia next January. His neighbor is a point guard on the local public high school basketball team in northern Virginia .

Teacher Contract Bill Headed To Full House
Richmond Times-Union, VA, February 9, 2012
A proposed overhaul of the contract and evaluation system for the state’s public school teachers and principals is headed to the full House of Delegates despite lingering questions from lawmakers.

WASHINGTON

The Evaluation Of Teachers In Public Schools
Seattle Times, WA, February 8, 2012
As a former teacher, I would have loved to have my professional evaluations derived from the standardized test scores of my students, if my school existed in a glass bubble [“Bills would reshape how state teachers evaluated,” NWMonday, Feb. 6].

A Public School Accountability Bill? Still A Chance
News Tribune, WA, February 9, 2012
Education reform – serious education reform – remains alive in the Legislature. No thanks to the Legislature’s education chairwomen.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Michigan Bill Allowing More Cyber Charter Schools Advances
Associated Press, February 8, 2012
A Republican-led state House committee narrowly approved a bill Wednesday that would allow more online charter schools in Michigan , a proposal sought by supporters of more educational choice but criticized by Democrats who question the schools’ track records.

Virtual Spike In NB District Enrollment
Coos Bay World, OR, February 8, 2012
The largest portion of North Bend’s increase is from Oregon Virtual Academy enrollment, which more than doubled to 1,333 students, North Bend Superintendent B.J. Hollensteiner said.

Bentley Calls For Cuts To Government, Funding And Reform For Schools
Montgomery Adviser, AL, February 8, 2012
The governor also promised to back a push for charter schools in the state and said Alabama “had the ability to finance a major in¬frastructure program” through bonds.

Chartering State’s Course: Advocates of Charter Schools Must Study Issue’s Many Variables
Anniston Star, AL, February 8, 2012
With charter schools high on the state Legislature’s agenda, it would do well for readers of The Star to keep last Sunday’s edition handy for reference in the coming weeks.

CALIFORNIA

School Closures: Charter Looks More Promising
Plumas County News, CA, February 8, 2012
Will Plumas Unified School District trustees allow charter schools on their campuses, if it means a high-quality education with more options for students? Indian Valley School Closure and Consolidation Committee members have been exploring different school models, and the most attractive seems to be combining the traditional, charter and academy programs.

District Accepts Context Charter Surrender
Press Enterprise, CA, February 7, 2012
The charter for Context Middle School has been surrendered and the Temecula Valley Unified School District will begin closure proceedings, the school board decided Tuesday.

COLORADO

More Colorado Graduates Than Ever Not Ready For College
Denver Post, CO, February 7, 2012
The number of students from Colorado that complete high school but still aren’t ready for college when they are admitted has gone up again, but colleges are doing a better job at helping those students complete the classes and stick around for another year of college.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Board Accepts Several New Charter School Applications Featured
‎Washington Informer, DC, February 7, 2012
The D. C. Public Charter School Board (PCSB) has accepted 11 applications to open new public charter schools. According to a statement issued Feb. 7 by PCSB spokeswoman Audrey Williams, the schools, if approved, would open in fall 2013.

FLORIDA

Flagler School Board Reviews Teacher Evaluation Method
Daytona Beach News Journal, FL, February 8, 2012
Flagler County schools are preparing to roll out a new data-based method for evaluating teacher performance.

SB 1852 Gives Charter Schools More Money To Build
WTSP, FL, February 7, 2012
If given the choice, 9th grader Daniel Rosa says instead of returning to a traditional public school, he would stay at Brooks DeBartolo Collegiate High School, an A school for two consecutive years.

GEORGIA

Rural Lawmakers: Charter School Amendment Is Atlanta Battle. We Don’t Want To Get Caught In Crossfire.
Atlanta Journal Constitution Blog, GA, February 7, 2012
Here is another perspective on the proposed charter school amendment to the state constitution which may come to a floor vote this week in the House.

Republicans, Democrats Offer Charter School Amendments
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, February 7, 2012
Republicans scrambled in the face of opposition Tuesday to rework a proposed state constitutional amendment that would reassert the state’s right to approve charter schools.

Local Schools Should Be Controlled Locally, Too
Rockdale Citizen, GA, February 7, 2012
If educators, the public and voters alike don’t mount diplomatic opposition against the bad things happening to local school governance we’ll have more in common with the land of Oz as state and federal intrusion leave us wondering if we only had a brain.

IDAHO

Idaho Bill Would Lift Cap On Charter School Growth
Idaho Statesman, ID, February 7, 2012
State lawmakers are again taking up legislation to lift Idaho’s cap on the number of new charter schools allowed each year.

Planning Ahead Would Have Improved Luna Plan
Magic Valley Times News, ID, February 8, 20123
State public schools chief Tom Luna seems to have a bit of buyer’s remorse.
Last year, Luna scored a major political victory by getting his three-part Students Come First education reforms through the Legislature in the same session that he first revealed them.

Federal Funding Pushes Proposal to Lift Charter School Cap
Magic Valley Times News, ID, February 8, 20123
Soon, there may be fewer restrictions on the number of public charter schools that can open in Idaho each year.

LOUISIANA

Jindal, Landrieu Find Common Ground On Education
Alexander Town Talk, LA, February 7, 2012
On his push for widespread change to the way Louisiana educates its students and judges its teachers, Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal has an unlikely ally in Democratic U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu.

Neville Alumni Board Holds On Charter Ruling
Monroe News Star, LA, February 7, 2012
The board of directors of the Neville Alumni and Friends Association decided Tuesday not to proceed immediately with a charter school application. Instead it wants to fully educate the people impacted by the endeavor.

Louisiana Applies To Alter The Way It Grades Its Public Schools
Times-Picayune, LA, February 7, 2012
No one would call the system that Louisiana uses to measure the quality of its public schools the most intuitive. Last year, the state started giving each school the same type of letter grade everyone recognizes — A, B, C and so on. But the math behind them is still quirky.

MARYLAND

Large Number Of City Teachers Receive Unsatisfactory Evaluations
Baltimore Sun, MD, February 7, 2012
Teachers believe it is attempt to avoid pay raises, but system says it is effort to help them become more effective

MASSACHUSETTS

Gloucester Parents File Appeal To Continue Charter School Fight
Cape Ann Beacon, MA, February 7, 2012
A group of parents planned to file an intent to appeal this week, a legal move that would continue their lawsuit against the state’s Commissioner of Education in an attempt to prove the Gloucester Community Charter School should not have been granted its original charter.

MICHIGAN

A Tale of Two Charter Schools: International Academy of Flint
Flint Journal, MI, February 8, 2012
The data supports Vincent’s comment. The K-12 school landed as the top charter in the county on the Michigan Department of Education’s top-to-bottom list last year, which ranks all schools in the state based on student proficiency, school achievement, academic growth and the socioeconomic gap in five subject areas plus high school graduation rates.

MINNESOTA

St. Paul District, Teachers’ Union Tout Deal; No Price Tag Given
Pioneer Press, MN, February 7, 2012
The uncommon agreement to “work collaboratively to secure funding” for driving down average class sizes by 2013 is part of a new two-year contract the district and the St. Paul Federation of Teachers unveiled Tuesday. The deal fell short of the hard class-size caps championed by the union, which nevertheless hailed it as a strong commitment.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

NH Vs. NCLB: Right Goal, Wrong Method
Union Leader, NH, February 8, 2012
The question for House members hoping to withdraw New Hampshire from the federal No Child Left Behind law is this: Then what?

NEW JERSEY

Education Chief: Tenure Bill Is Positive Step
Daily Journal, NJ, February 8, 2012
The state’s top education official said Tuesday there was much he liked about a Democratic-sponsored teacher tenure reform bill, although he stopped short of endorsing the measure.

NEW YORK

Give School Districts A Strict Deadline
New York Daily News, NY, February 8, 2012
Two years ago, New York State’s legislators passed a law requiring districts and teachers unions to replace outdated evaluations that rate nearly all teachers “satisfactory” and fail to provide the feedback and support educators deserve.

Appeals Court Weighs Teacher Ruling
Albany Times Union, NY, February 7, 2012
The court battle over teacher evaluations between the state Education Department and New York State United Teachers continued Tuesday, despite Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s threat that it must be resolved next week.

A New Charter School , A New Approach to Escaping Poverty
Huffington Post Blog, February 7, 2012
Despite the hard work of the thousands of dedicated and talented professionals that fill public schools, systemic problems contribute to a growing achievement gap that often leaves minority and low-income families at a serious disadvantage

City Voters Trust Teachers Union More Than Mayor: Poll
New York Daily News, NY, February 8, 2012
City voters trust the teachers union more than the mayor to protect public school kids’ interests, according to a poll released Wednesday.

NORTH CAROLINA

A Charter School That Will Reach Out To Help Others
News & Observer, NC, February 8, 2012
Regarding your Feb. 3 editorial “School rivals”: Research Triangle High School (RTHS), a proposed charter school awaiting approval in March, has been dismayed by the public misunderstandings of its plans.

Celebrating North Carolina’s History of Embracing Educational Options
Durham Herald Sun. NC, February 7, 2012
North Carolina’s strong history of educational options should be celebrated, but we still need to work towards ensuring that this partnership be one that is mutually beneficial for each educational model.

OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma Governor Backs Homeschoolers
The Oklahoman, OK, February 8, 2012
Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin says parents have the fundamental right to direct the education and upbringing of their children.

PENNSYLVANIA

Bad News, Good News For Schools: No Big Grants, But No Big Cuts
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, February 8, 2012
GOV. CORBETT’S state budget unveiled yesterday doesn’t include a miracle infusion of cash to help the Philadelphia School District out of its financial crisis.

RHODE ISLAND

Partnership To Help Struggling Schools
WPRI, RI, February 7, 2012
The Providence School District is teaming up with the Providence Teachers Union to create a first-of-its-kind partnership, aimed at turning around struggling city schools.

Regents OK First Achievement Charter School
Valley Breeze & Observer, RI, February 7, 2012
Over the objections of school Supt. Donna M. Ottaviano, the School Committee and Town Council, the Rhode Island Board of Regents last week voted preliminary approval of an elementary school that will be part of the Rhode Island Mayoral Academies in Providence.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Charter School, District Should Set New Course
Beaufort Gazette, SC, February 8, 2012
A federal trial over how many students Riverview Charter School can enroll was a disappointing expenditure in time and money, but at least the issue is settled for the next two years.

SOUTH DAKOTA

Education Plan: New Teachers Would Benefit
Sioux Falls Argus Leader, SD, February 8, 2012
Proposed changes to Gov. Dennis Daugaard’s education reform bill would limit math and science teacher bonuses to only new professionals, while allowing individual school boards to craft their own plans for teacher performance pay.

VIRGINIA

McDonnell Urges OK For Tax Credits For School Choice
Washington Times, DC, February 7, 2012
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell headlined a rally in Capitol Square on Tuesday to advocate for a crucial element of his 2012 education agenda: a voucherlike program granting tax credits to companies that provide scholarships to low-income children.

Bill Would Signal Big Change For 100,000 Va. Teachers
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, February 7, 2012
Virginia’s public school teachers would operate under two different contract systems under the latest version of a proposed teacher contract and evaluation overhaul backed by the McDonnell administration.

WASHINGTON

Education-Reform Conversations Must Focus On Opportunities, Not Problems
Seattle Times, WA, February 7, 2012
It was hard to miss state Rep. Eric Pettigrew’s recent testimony before the House Education Committee in support of charter schools.

Wash. Teacher Evaluation Bills Come Back To Life
Seattle Times, WA, February 7, 2012
Two proposals to change the way Washington state evaluates teachers are back in play in Olympia after being blocked last week by the statehouse education committee chairs.

WISCONSIN

Grass Roots: Dan Nerad Wants You To Help Bridge The Achievement Gap
Capital Times, WI, February 7, 2012
Madison Schools Superintendent Dan Nerad packed the house Monday night for what he termed “a call to action” to the community to join his administration in a strategy to close the racial achievement gap that has haunted the school district for decades.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Michigan Must Regulate Online Schools
Detroit Free Press, MI, February 7, 2012
What if I told you that millions of Michigan taxpayer dollars are going to a for-profit business that is not only failing to meet performance standards, but can’t even say how many customers it serves?

America Needs High-Quality Educational Options Like Virtual School
Holland Sentinel, MI, February 8, 2012
As principal of Michigan Connections Academy (MICA), I was disappointed The Holland Sentinel’s recent editorial about virtual schools, which showed little understanding about these effective programs and how they are beneficial for a variety of families.

Digital Learning Day Offers Opportunities
Edmond Sun, OK, February 7, 2012
I celebrated the Alliance for Excellent Education’s first Digital Learning Day this past week with an announcement of these two new free online resources for students and educators throughout our state.

Provider for Idaho Online School Accused of Fraud
Idaho State Journal, ID, February 8, 2012
A private for-profit company hired to provide curriculum for Idaho’s largest online charter school is the target of a lawsuit alleging federal securities fraud.

Teacher Tenure Helps Promote Good Education
USA Today, February 6, 2012
The security that tenure brings adds to the effectiveness of a teacher’s practice. Always worrying about pleasing whoever is in charge at the moment and stressing over one’s future would certainly detract from the attention that a teacher gives to her or his studies, teaching and students (”States weaken tenure rights for teachers”).

Flood the Zone
New York Times, NY, February 7, 2012
Every once in a while, the Obama administration will promulgate a policy that is truly demoralizing. A willingness to end the District of Columbia school voucher program was one such case.

FROM THE STATES

ALABAMA

AEA Vows To Oppose Charter Schools
Tuscaloosa News, AL, February 7, 2012
The state teachers association said Monday it will oppose proposed charter school legislation and will seek suspension of a new education budget law because it will cut education appropriations by at least $108 million next year.

Charter Schools On Agenda
Times Daily, AL, February 6, 2012
Alabama is one of just nine states that does not allow charter schools, but the Republican-led Legislature wants to change that.

CALIFORNIA

Staff of Miramonte Replaced Pending Sex Abuse Inquiry
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 7, 2012
In a dramatic move to quell parents’ fears, Los Angeles school officials said they will temporarily replace the entire staff of an elementary school south of downtown Los Angeles, where two teachers have been accused of lewd acts against students.

COLORADO

A Bold Approach To Cultivating Tomorrow’s Teachers
Denver Post, CO, February 6, 2012
Denver is on the leading edge of a national movement in teacher preparation — one that is has the potential to transform our classrooms and unlock a key to success in our schools.

“Trigger” Bill Passes First Test
Education News Colorado, CO, February 6, 2012
The House Education Committee Monday split on party lines, voting 7-6 to approve House Bill 12-1149, a slimmed-down version of a parent trigger bill that the committee killed last year.

CONNECTICUT

Malloy Sets Sights On State’s Lagging Schools
The Day, CT, February 7, 2012
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy on Monday proposed a $24.8 million program to turn around Connecticut’s worst public schools, the most aggressive component unveiled to date of his education reform package.

Public School Leaders Wary of Gov’s Charter Plan
CT Post, CT, February 6, 2012
Sooner or later there was something in Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s multi-faceted education reform package that wasn’t going to sit well with the group that represents school superintendents across the state.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

A Grim Report Card on D.C. Schools
Washington Post, DC, February 6, 2012
A NEW STUDY of the District’s public schools has the teachers union bristling about jobs, defenders of traditional schools fearing further gains for charter schools and some neighborhoods worrying their schools will close.

FLORIDA

Bay District School Holds Workshop on Charter School Concerns
WJHG, FL, February 6, 2012
Bay District School officials are gearing up for what may be a busy open enrollment session. With charter schools in the spotlight, many educators are giving them a second look

Seminole Challenges State Over Charter School Appeals
Orlando Sentinel, FL, February 6, 2012
The Seminole County School Board is opening another front in its battle with the state over the prospect of being forced to approve charter schools that it determines are unworthy to open.

Charter Schools Seek Construction Money
Miami Herald, FL, February 6, 2012
Florida school districts are fighting a bill that would require them to share construction dollars with charter schools.

GEORGIA

Moore: No Child Left Behind: Good and Bad
Savannah Morning News, GA, February 7, 2012
NCLB was a well-intentioned effort to provide educational consistency across the states. Its fundamental goal was to ensure that all kids (50 million of them) would become proficient in reading and math.

IDAHO

Public Schools Spending: A Matter of Priorities: Pay Idaho Teachers
Idaho Statesman, ID, February 7, 2012
State schools superintendent Tom Luna is an experienced enough politician to try to sidestep a public feud with a fellow Republican, Gov. Butch Otter.

ILLINOIS

Sick, Sick, Sick
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 7, 2012
We’ve often heard you talk fondly about your days as CEO of the Chicago Public Schools. You may have heard that the schools face a huge budget crisis. You want to do something good for the schools and set an example for everyone who works there?

LOUISIANA

Vitter: Jindal Proposals ‘Bold’
The Advocate, LA, February 7, 2012
U.S. Sen. David Vitter praised Gov. Bobby Jindal’s recent proposals on Monday to expand school choice vouchers statewide and to overhaul Louisiana’s state employee pension plan.

Recovery School District’s New Application Is Expected To Make School Search Easier
Times Picayune, LA, February 6, 2012
After years of complaints about how headache-inducing it can be to enroll a child in public school in New Orleans, state officials have officially launched a long-promised single application for every elementary and high school in the city. Almost, that is.

Many La. Teachers In Unions
The Advocate, LA, February 7, 2012
Officials of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers, which is one of the state’s two largest teacher unions, said Monday that they represent about 16,000 public school teachers, or about 33 percent of those in the classroom.

MASSACHUSETTS

More Growth For Charter
Gloucester Times, MA, February 7, 2012
The Gloucester Community Arts Charter School is going forward with plans to add another two grades next year, filling out its charter as a school serving kindergartners through eighth-graders.

MARYLAND

Charter School’s Opening At Risk
Fredrick News Post, MD, February 7, 2012
The third time might not be the charm for Carroll Creek Montessori Public Charter School . The Board of Education is set to make a decision on Carroll Creek’s third submitted facility plan Wednesday. If the Board follows staff recommendation, the school will not open until the 2013-14 school year.

MICHIGAN

DPS To Shift A Dozen Of Its Schools To New State District
Detroit News, MI, February 7, 2012
The creation of Detroit’s new system of schools will kick into high gear Thursday when state officials name about a dozen Detroit public schools that will be placed under the control of the Education Achievement Authority of Michigan in the fall.

Who’s In Charge Here? A Look At The Companies Behind Charter Schools
Flint Journal, MI, February 7, 2012
Your local charter school is most likely not really locally operated.
Most are for-profit companies based in far-off locales, operating behind-the-scenes and calling the shots on everything from teacher pay to school policy to pencil purchases

MINNESOTA

Support Turns To Opposition On School Reform Act
Star Tribune, MN, February 6, 2012
Rep. John Kline, R-Minn., still wants to see that no child is left behind in school. But times have changed for Kline and for the education reform movement that has listed hundreds of Minnesota schools as failing.

Bill: Teacher Evals Overrule Seniority In K-12 Schools
Daily Planet, MN, February 6, 2012
A proposed bill in the state Legislature could drastically change how schools make staffing decisions in tough times by leveling the playing field for new teachers.

Duluth Edison Charter Schools Applies For New Sponsorship
Duluth News Tribune, MN, February 7, 2012
Duluth Edison Charter Schools has asked another entity to oversee its schools.
Its current sponsor, Northwoods Children’s Services, no longer will be authorized to act as one after June 30.

MISSOURI

Schools Test Four-Day Week
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, February 7, 2012
The school system about 80 miles west of St. Louis is among a small but growing number of rural Missouri districts that have eliminated one day from the school week. The reason? To save money.

NEW JERSEY

N.J. Won’t Let 29 People Serve On School Boards Because of Criminal Convictions, Background Checks
Star-Leger, NJ, February 6, 2012
After conducting criminal background checks on more than 5,000 school board members and charter school trustees, the state Department of Education today announced it has disqualified 17 people from the volunteer positions because of criminal convictions.

NEW YORK

Years of Donating to an Education Model That Works
Wall Street Journal, February 7, 2012
De La Salle and its sibling school, the George Jackson Academy in the East Village, were founded by Brother Brian Carty. He established the nonsectarian schools to serve talented students from low-income families.

Harlem Charter School Fights Closure, Gains DOE Renewal
CU Columbia Spectator, NY, February 7, 2012
After a public hearing, Opportunity Charter School —at which over 50 percent of the students are diagnosed with disabilities—was granted a two-year renewal of its charter in December 2011.

Teacher Evaluations Must Go Forward
Poughkeepsie Journal, NY, February 6, 2012
Two things should be abundantly clear as the state, school districts and unions bicker over new evaluation standards for teachers and principals.

NORTH CAROLINA

Charter Schools Can Bring Big Profits
WECT, NC, February 6, 2012
The state legislature lifted the cap on public charter schools last year, which used to limit the number of charter schools to 100.

OHIO

Cleveland School Plan May Be A Tough Sell, But It Shouldn’t Be DOA
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, February 7, 2012
For years, some in Cleveland have argued that the powers that be should blow up Cleveland’s struggling public school system and start over from scratch.

TENNESSEE

TN Students, Parents Weigh Their School Options
The Tennessean, TN, February 7, 2012
About 14 percent of Rutherford County’s 39,000 students attend a school they chose instead of ones in their neighborhoods. One in four Metro Nashville students do the same; families received letters last month revealing whether they were accepted into magnet or other choice programs for the fall.

TEXAS

Dallas Council Members Question Proposal To Help Charter Schools Expand
Dallas Morning News, TX, February 6, 2012
A plan to help a charter school chain issue tax-exempt bonds to expand in Dallas ran into questions from City Council members Monday.

WASHINGTON

Bills Would Retool Teacher Evaluations In State
Yakima Herald, WA, February 6, 2012
Two years ago, a plan to change the way teachers are evaluated in Washington state became law. Now, lawmakers are debating several possible course adjustments for Washington’s teacher evaluation system.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Erie’s Online Campus Has Potential Pitfalls
Erie Times-News, PA, February 7, 2012
At first glance, the idea holds promise: Offer an online curriculum to Erie public school students, so the Erie School District can offer a wider range of courses and also compete with existing cyber schools.

New Regulation Eyes Accounts of Charter Teachers
Washington Times, DC, February 5, 2012
The IRS has set Feb. 6, as the deadline to express your opinion on a proposed regulation that puts tens of thousands of charter-school teachers at risk of being pushed out of their states’ retirement systems by forcing them to either quit their jobs or lose money already in their state-retirement accounts.

No Reward: Schools Fail Students In Following Fads
North County Times, CA, February 5, 2012
If school reform fads had paid off, then today’s achievement levels would be higher and classroom behavior would be better than they were in the 1960s. The opposite is the case. The taxpayer is slowly catching on, evidenced by a growing revolt against public education’s never-ending cry for more money. Accountability can be a painful thing.

STATE COVERAGE

ALABAMA

Do We Really Want Charters?
Andalusia Star News, AL, February 3, 2012
The Alabama legislature convenes for its 2012 regular session this week. There is little doubt that, before it adjourns, charter schools will be approved for Alabama.

ALASKA

Competition Makes For Better Schools
Anchorage Daily News, AK, February 3, 2012
An important piece of legislation pending this year is a K-12 parental school choice providing parents the choice for the school their child attends, with government money following the child. It further requires passage of a constitutional amendment permitting tax money to go to a private or religious school.

ARIZONA

Bill Would Shift Control For Schools
Mohave Valley News, AZ, February 6, 2012
A proposed Arizona Senate bill could put more control of an under-performing school in the hands of parents of children in that district.

CALIFORNIA

Charter Schools Have Smaller Classes, Higher Test Scores — But What Are The Drawbacks?
Lodi News-Sentinel, CA, February 4, 2012
This spring, hundreds of students’ names will go into a bucket. They are from families seeking one of 66 spots available at Aspire’s Vincent Shalvey Academy, housed in a former Sibbs grocery store in Morada.

District: Charter Law Forced School’s Closure
Orange County Register, CA, February 5, 2012
Mission Viejo’s award-winning Barcelona Hills Elementary School will close in June to allow the 5-month-old Oxford Preparatory Academy charter school to grow.

Charter School Creation Safe From Legislation — For Now
Chino Enterprise-Record, CA, February 6, 2012
Pending legislation that could be used to block creation of some charter schools, wouldn’t mean much today in Chico.

COLORADO

Charter School Wins Top Education Award In First Year
9NEWS, CO, February 5, 2012
When schools are recognized for academic excellence by the Colorado Department of Education, usually it’s the result of years of hard work - not at Skyview Academy.

CONNECTICUT

Connecticut Set to Boost Charter Funds
Wall Street Journal, February 6, 2012
Connecticut would pump more money into charter schools and increase their numbers under a legislative proposal Gov. Dannel Malloy plans to unveil Monday.

Charter Schools To Get Boost Under Malloy Plan
CT Post, CT, February 5, 2012
Charter schools would expand and get more money under a plan by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy’s administration to be announced Monday, but some of the additional funding would have to come from local school districts.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

New Collaboration on D.C. Schools
Washington Post, DC, February 5, 2012
The D.C. Public Schools and the Public Charter School Board have traditionally operated in silos, each pursuing its unique mission.

FLORIDA

Florida’s Simpleton Rankings
Miami Herald, FL, February 5, 2012
Any way you slice and dice the numbers, Florida’s new way of ranking its 67 school districts — based solely on FCAT results, a one-shot test — tells parents and taxpayers absolutely nothing about the quality of their public schools, be they traditional schools or charters.

Flagler Charter School Weighs Options
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL, February 6, 2012
Flagler County officials plan to close a failing charter school but the principal said she hopes School Board members will wait a few more months.

‘Parent Trigger’ Bill Stirs Praise, Fear Over What It Means For Florida Public Schools
Tampa Bay Times, FL, February 6, 2012
Karen Francis-Winston joined the advisory committee at her child’s school, intent on improving academics and discipline.

GEORGIA

Choice or Cash?
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, February 5, 2012
Had you attended the House Education Committee meeting last week and listened to the debate around the charter school amendment, you might have been confused about what the proposed change to the state constitution would do.

House Targets Charter School System Funding; 5-Year Plans At Risk For Floyd County, Others Were Innovative Education Model Is Used
Rome News-Tribune, GA, February 5, 2012
Three months after the Floyd County charter school system drew praise at a state summit of government, business and education leaders, funding for the flexible learning model is on the chopping block.

ILLINOIS

School Reform Organization Gets Average Grades
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 6, 2012
While the Academy for Urban School Leadership has ‘turned around’ several failing Chicago Public Schools, some critics say improved test scores don’t tell the whole story.

LOUISIANA

School Vouchers Have Yet To Prove Their Success Definitively
Times-Picayune, LA, February 5, 2012
The state’s private-school voucher program in New Orleans — the test case for Gov. Bobby Jindal’s new statewide voucher push — has yet to produce enough raw data to show whether it is really boosting student achievement.

Some Strings Needed For State Vouchers
Shreveport Times, LA, February 5, 2012
Amid the fiery exchanges between bowed-up defenders of public education and the forces for systemic overhaul there are some legitimate issues that most of us in the middle need explaining before plunging into taxpayer-financed school-choice vouchers.

MARYLAND

Pilot Teacher Evaluation Program Empowers Teachers To Improve
Herald-Mail, MD, February 4, 2012
Through a pilot teacher evaluation program that began this school year at five Washington County public elementary and middle schools, Raley said she’s learning ways to improve her teaching techniques, and she’s seeing results with her students.

MASSACHUSETTS

Boston Gives Bonuses To Teachers
Boston Globe, MA, February 6, 2012
Boston gave out more than $400,000 in bonuses to teachers and classroom aides this year at 12 academically struggling schools that showed progress, marking the first time the city - after intense resistance from the teachers union - has rewarded rank-and-file educators for boosting the performance of their students.

MICHIGAN

Experts, Lawmakers Weigh In On School Choice Debate
Flint Journal, MI, February 5, 2012
Even opponents of the legislation lifting the 150-school cap on university-sponsored charters say there are bright spots on the charter school landscape.

MINNESOTA

Bill: Teacher Evals Overrule Seniority In K-12 Schools
Minnesota Daily, MN, February 6, 2012
A proposed bill would allow school districts to look at other factors when laying off teachers.

NEW JERSEY

Schools Standoff
Wall Street Journal, February 4, 2012
Newark’s new schools superintendent, Cami Anderson, outlined a broad plan on Friday to reshape the state’s largest school system, including closing poorly performing schools and lifting standards for charters.

Teacher Tenure Overhaul Proposed
Vineland Daily Journal, NJ, February 6, 2012
Teachers in New Jersey’s public schools no longer would enjoy tenure as lifetime job security and principals would have more power over personnel decisions, under major legislation expected to be introduced today.

NEW YORK

Charter Schools Eye Same Holy Trinity Location for Proposals
Utica Observer-Dispatch , NY, February 5, 2012
Two proposed charter schools — Utica Academy of Science and Mohawk Valley Community — have their eye on the well-kept building, which served as a Catholic elementary school from 1960 to 2002 and an alternative high school for BOCES until 2010.

Firing Bad Apples
New York Post, NY, February 6, 2012
In a series of articles last week, The Post chronicled how New York’s taxpayers continue to pay for the salaries and benefits of several bad — and sometimes downright dangerous — teachers for doing nothing all day. The school system pays these teachers not to teach because it lacks the tools necessary to fire them.

Evaluation System Finds Few Teachers ‘Inadequate’
Buffalo News, NY, February 5, 2012
Buffalo public school students consistently miss the mark, with the vast majority unable to read or do math at grade level. Most do not graduate on time. But another group in the city schools almost universally meets the expectations the district has set for them: the teachers.

Pennsylvania Schools’ Financing Fight Pits District Against ‘Charter on Steroids’
New York Times, NY, February 5, 2012
The Chester Upland School District is more than $20 million in debt, its bank account is almost empty and it cannot afford to pay teachers past the end of this month.

OHIO

Charter-CPS Battle Goes To Higher Court
Cincinnati Enquirer, OH, February 6, 2012
An Ohio Supreme Court judge will hear arguments Tuesday in the case of a South Fairmount charter school fighting efforts by Cincinnati Public Schools to shut down its building.

OKLAHOMA

At a Glance: Bills Regarding Teacher Bonuses
The Oklahoman, OK, February 6, 2012
Three Oklahoma legislators have proposed bills this year that would finish paying bonuses to teachers who earn national certification.

PENNSYLVANIA

Chester Upland: State Special Ed Formula Drains Millions From District
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 6, 2012
As Delaware County’s financially troubled Chester Upland School District struggles to stay afloat, officials there say they are paying millions more than they should on special-education students who attend charter schools.

Teacher Training Grant Will Pay Dividends
Erie Times-News, PA, February 5, 2012
Students in the Erie School District, Erie employers and our local economy will be the ultimate beneficiaries from a huge investment that the GE Foundation is making in education reform via teacher training programs.

School Choice: Don’t Choose To Rob Even More Money From Education
Courier Times, PA, February 6, 2012
Gov. Tom Corbett and the Legislature have a legal obligation to support public schools. They should focus on what they are already obligated to do, restore the funding they have removed, and refrain from making drastic changes that will inevitably impact negatively on Pennsylvania’s public school system.

TENNESSEE

Grading Our Teachers: Value-Added Formula Raises Alarm For Some
‎Commercial Appeal, TN, February 6, 2012
To close the achievement gap between poor and affluent students in Tennessee, some students may need to learn at double the rate of their high-performing peers, according to Tennessee Department of Education materials.

VIRGINIA

An Argument for School Choice
Daily Press, VA, February 5, 2012
Providing alternatives that create competition for traditional public schools is but one of the compelling reasons Virginia should consider school choice, a movement that would help parents select the best option for their children’s education, particularly those who are frustrated by declining or stagnant performance at their local schools.

Educators Split On Possible Changes To Contracts
Virginia Pilot, VA, February 5, 2012
Gov. Bob McDonnell wants to do away with those open-ended contracts, making the case that the current system protects some undeserving teachers.

WASHINGTON

Washington’s Legislative Education Chairs Stalled Reforms To Improve Education
Seattle Times, WA, February 4, 2012
The failure of Democratic leaders in the state Legislature to move on charter schools and teacher evaluations is all the more disappointing because of the urgency for school reforms.

WEST VIRGINIA

Improve Teacher Quality in W.Va.
The Intelligencer, WV, February 5, 2012
It is distressing enough that a national school quality program gives West Virginia low marks for how it prepares and manages teachers. Worse is that little progress has been made during the past two years.

WISCONSIN

Student Transfers From Open Enrollment Have Financial Consequences For School Districts
Appleton Post Crescent, WI, February 6, 2012
The ebb and flow of students transferring across school districts through Wisconsin’s open enrollment program can mean a gain or loss of millions of dollars in state funding for local school districts.

Monona Grove Charter School Is Successful
Wisconsin State Journal, WI, February 5, 2012
While Madison continues to debate the merits of Madison Prep, those seeking choices for their students’ education should realize there are successful public charter schools in place in the metropolitan area.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Who Really Benefits From Putting High-Tech Gadgets In Classrooms?
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 4, 2012
How much genuine value is there in fancy educational electronics? Don’t let companies or politicians fool you.

Wooster City Schools Use New Lesson Concept
Wooster Daily Record, OH, February 5, 2012
The 21st century classroom is “flipped” — or about to be. It’s not a derogatory term; it’s the new “buzz” word for education. It’s a concept Wooster City Schools is trying on for size, with the highest hopes it will be a good fit.

Expansion of Cyber Schools Would Open The Door To Fraud
Holland Sentinel, MI, February 5, 2012
Gov. Snyder and Republican lawmakers in Michigan are driving legislation to replace traditional public schools with full-time cyber schools. Enactment of these proposals would open doors to widespread fraud.

K-12 Online Schools Gear Up In Iowa
Des Moines Register, IA, February 6, 2012
Officials launching Iowa’s first two full-time online public schools for kindergarten through 12th-grade students say they face the same challenge: Families are unsure of how online education works.

Arizona Online School Bills Seek More Accountability, Money
Arizona Republic, AZ, February 6, 2012
Arizona’s rapid growth of K-12 online schools is spurring new proposals to both toughen accountability and promote additional growth by giving online schools more state money.

Online Explosion Takes Hold in Ripon Schools
Modesto Bee, CA, February 4, 2012
California Connections Academy @ Ripon will open as a public charter school in the fall, becoming the latest in an exploding array of online options in the area.

Alabama Needs To Take Advantage Of Its Advantage In Being Far Behind On Charter Schools
Birmingham News, AL, February 3, 2012
Two decades after the first charter schools began to pop up around the nation, Alabama lawmakers appear ready to pass a charter school law.

Our View: Charter Schools Proposal Raises Concerns
St. Clair Times, AL, February 2, 2012
Charter schools may be in Alabama’s future, and the state’s teachers’ union is not happy to hear the news. Through its Alabama School Journal publication, the AEA is calling the move a “new assault against public education” in a drive to open the door for privatization. The Journal also claims that lobbyists have been hired by school management companies to help get a bill written and passed in the state.

CALIFORNIA

Teachable Moments
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 3, 2012
Coleen Bondy nails the truth about the witch hunt perpetrated against teachers.

Bullis, LASD Continue To Butt Heads
Mountain Views Voice, CA, February 2, 2012
Marie-Gallagher said the district has once again failed to offer the charter school “reasonably equivalent” facilities as required by law.

Off the Charter Learning
Gilroy Dispatch, CA, February 2, 2012
Tucked away in a modest cluster of portable classrooms on IOOF Avenue near downtown, Gilroy Prep School is quietly blossoming since it opened in fall 2011.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

D.C. Charter School Under Scrutiny For Lack of Special-Ed Students
Washington Post, DC, February 2, 2012
A Northwest D.C. public charter school that has not enrolled a special-education student in three years is under scrutiny by District officials.

New Focus on D.C. Public-Charter Collaboration
Washington Post Blog, DC, February 2, 2012
D.C. Public Schools and the Public Charter School Board have traditionally operated in silos, each pursuing its unique mission.

FLORIDA

Charter School Districts Could Help in Polk, Give Control to Cities
The Ledger, FL, February 3, 2012
So much for anti-education Gov. Rick Scott’s claims that he is “doing more with less” by steering as many students as possible toward the FCAT-exempt Florida Virtual School, while simultaneously looking for any and all loopholes to undo the voter-mandated class-size initiative so denigrated by his predecessor.

Georgia Schools Chief Powers May Return After Being Taken By Legislature
Florida Times-Union, FL, February 2, 2012
Legislation is moving through the General Assembly that would repeal nearly three-dozen education laws, many enacted during the stormy tenure of ex-Superintendent of Schools Linda Schrenko.

GEORGIA

Vote Gives OK To Constitutional Amendment Helping Charter Schools
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, February 2, 2012
Charter school supporters claimed a first-round victory late Thursday in their fight to override last year’s Georgia Supreme Court ruling, declaring that the state cannot approve and fund charter schools over local school board objections.

Cobb May Have To Reject Funds For Charter School
Marietta Daily Journal, GA, February 3, 2012
Although Cobb Schools Superintendent Dr. Michael Hinojosa signed an application for a $50,000 grant to be used toward creating a STEM charter school, the district might have to reject the money if it can’t find someone else to lead the project, Hinojosa said this week.

LOUISIANA

Poor Education Policy Choices
The Advocate, LA, February 3, 2012
I am deeply concerned about the poor choices some of our state education policymakers and legislators are offering the people of Louisiana.

MAINE

Maine’s Schools Are Not Factories
Bangor Daily News, ME, February 2, 2012
For Bowen and LePage to imply repeatedly that public education in Maine is not an art but rather a crude and thoughtless task not only dishonors assembly-line workers but is also insulting to the students who attend public schools, to the families who support public schools and to the staff who work in such schools and are tirelessly devising ways to improve them.

MICHIGAN

Charter vs. Public Decision Can Make or Break a Child’s Future
Flint Journal, MI, February 3, 2012
Choosing a charter school over a traditional public school can make or break a child’s future. In Genesee County, chose the wrong charter and the student is among the lowest performing schools in the state with students testing below those in their neighborhood, traditional public school. Pick another, and they’re labeled “beating the odds” and outperforming peers in the local school district.

Paragon Charter Academy Plans To Add Two Classrooms for 2012-13 School Year
Jackson Citizen-Patriot, MI, February 2, 2012
It will be the first addition to the building since the charter school at 3750 McCain Road opened in 1998, said Principal Zack Perfitt.

MISSISSIPPI

Schools: Consolidation Gets Minor Nod
Clarion Ledger, MS, February 3, 2012
Proposals to consolidate school districts get a lot of political talk, but when it comes to actually doing it, elected officials usually run and hide.

MISSOURI

Plan Seeks To Fill Catholic Schools
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, February 3, 2012
Archbishop Robert Carlson announced a plan Thursday that seeks to fill about 1,800 vacant seats in the region’s Catholic schools by channeling more revenue toward scholarships and pushing for state tax credits for tuition-paying parents.

NEW JERSEY

Bills Restricting Charter Schools Advance
Asbury Park Press, NJ, February 3, 2012
Although Gov. Chris Christie wants to expand the use of charter schools as part of his education reform efforts, two bills that would restrict the alternative public schools cleared an Assembly committee Thursday.

Assembly Committee Votes to Put Charters Under Local Control
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, February 3, 2012
The Christie administration’s slowdown in approving charter schools in the suburbs hasn’t slowed the push by Assembly Democrats to tighten controls on all charters — possibly imperiling a slew of schools awaiting their final OK.

Newark Superintendent to Announce Closing of 7 Failing Schools, New Charter School Rules
Star-Ledger, NJ, February 2, 2012
In an historic reshuffling of the state’s largest school system, Newark Superintendent Cami Anderson Friday will announce a series of districtwide reforms that include closing seven failing schools and increasing charter school accountability.

NEW MEXICO

Teachers May Face New Evaluation System
Las Cruces Sun News, NM, February 3, 2012
Teachers in New Mexico may be evaluated under a new system within a few years, if any of three legislative bills making their way through the Roundhouse this session are signed into law.

NEW YORK

Districts Work On Evaluation Plans
Albany Times-Union, NY, February 2, 2012
The Schenectady City School District has reached an agreement on teacher evaluations with its teachers union.

Teacher Removals, Evaluations Could Be Thorns In Mayor’s Education Budget
NY1, NY, February 2, 2012
Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott is famous for never looking stressed, but this year’s city budget does appear much better for the city’s most expensive department.

NORTH CAROLINA

School Rivals
News & Observer, NC, February 3, 2012
It’s not necessary to consider the diatribes against “government-run” schools - diatribes popular on the far right - to sense a fair amount of skepticism toward traditional public education among conservatives. The Republicans who took control of the General Assembly after the 2010 elections reflected that skepticism when they made good on a campaign pledge to lift North Carolina’s “cap” on charter schools.

Celebrating North Carolina’s History of Embracing Educational Options
Lexington Dispatch, NC, February 2, 2012
I often sense an adversary tone when listening to discussions about the different educational options available to our children. However, 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 — where one model is actually interdependent upon the other, especially with our public school system.

OREGON

2012 Legislature Rally Demands Education Reform
Statesman Journal, OR, February 3, 2012
Students of color and those still learning English continue to drop out in greater numbers than their peers, advocates for those groups said Thursday at the state Capitol.

PENNSYLVANIA

Rebuilding After the Education Storm
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, February 3, 2012
Instead, it could prove to be the catalyst we need to start building the educational systems necessary if our children are to survive and thrive. That is, if we are brave enough, and honest enough, to embrace innovative solutions.

Fell Twp. Seeks Access To Former Elementary School
Carbondale News, PA, February 2, 2012
Fell Elementary was the subject of a protracted legal battle between the district and Fell Charter School, which hoped to acquire the property as its permanent location. However, when a judge ruled that the district was still using the building for school purposes, Carbondale Area retained control of the property under its original agreement with the Belmont Water Co. (currently Gentex Corp).

RHODE ISLAND

Board of Regents Approves Achievement First Mayoral Academy
Go Local Prov, RI, February 2, 2012
The Board of Regents voted five to four today to approve the application for an Achievement First Mayoral Academy in Providence submitted last September by Rhode Island Mayoral Academies in partnership with Providence Mayor Angel Taveras.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Horry County Charter School To Continue Vision Without Founder
The Sun News, SC, February 2, 2012
The resignation of the Academy of Hope ’s chief executive officer came as a surprise to some, but his exit last week is not expected to affect the school or its mission, according to some who are affiliated with the school.

TENNESSEE

TSU Wants To Open An On-Campus Elementary Charter School
The Tennessean, TN, February 3, 2012
Tennessee State University wants to launch an elementary school on its campus in order to funnel more minority children into math and science careers with the help of college student mentors.

VIRGINIA

2 School Board Members Attend Charter School’s PTA Meeting
Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA, February 3, 2012
Parents at Richmond’s first charter school want to talk directly to members of the Richmond School Board and school administration, and they’re tired of others getting in the way of the dialogue.

WASHINGTON

Consolidate Health-Care System? Bill Splits School-Worker Unions
Seattle Times, WA, February 2, 2012
The proposal, which moved out of a state Senate committee Thursday, has drawn strong opposition from the state teachers union.

WISCONSIN

GOP Can’t Take Back Voucher Promise
Appleton Post Crescent, WI, February 3, 2012
The state Assembly is playing “Deal or No Deal” with Wisconsin voters.
Last year, Republicans made a deal not to expand school vouchers. This year, they’re saying they don’t have the votes to follow through.

Green Bay Schools Try To Halt Vouchers
Green Bay Press-Gazette, WI, February 3, 2012
A week after a state senator called Green Bay Preble High School a “sewer” while discussing an expansion of the state’s school voucher program, school officials are asking legislators to pass a bill that would keep the program from expanding to Green Bay .

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Chambersburg Area School District Offers Incentives to Enroll in Franklin Virtual Academy
Chambersburg Public Opinion, PA, February 2, 2012
Chambersburg Area School District unveiled a loyalty program designed to bring cyber school students to the Franklin Virtual Academy or retain students who are considering an education elsewhere.

Cyberschool Bill Is ‘Backdoor’ Raid On School Funds
Livingston Daily, MI, February 3, 2012
This letter is regards to Senate Bill 619, which will lift all restrictions on cyberschools.

Parents: State Superintendent Must Embrace Cyber Charter Schools as Part of New State Digital Learning Initiative
Ionia Sentinel-Standard, MI, February 3, 2012
As state Superintendent of Public Instruction Mike Flanagan this week announced the state’s new partnership with Digital Learning Now, parents today reminded Flanagan, the state Board of Education and members of the House Education Committee that policymakers have the opportunity to fully embrace digital learning by passing Senate bill 619 and expanding digital learning opportunities for thousands of Michigan students currently languishing on waiting lists.

A New Online Option for Students in Iowa
KCAUTV, IA, February 2, 2012
Trading the classroom for the computer. A virtual school is being offered to students here in Iowa , but local schools have some questions about it.

STATE COVERAGE

CALIFORNIA

Passing the Blue Ribbon Schools Test
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 2, 2012
Two Santa Ana schools overcome poverty and other challenges to win. What can they teach L.A.?

Charter School Receives Helping Hand From District
Rocklin Placer Herald, CA, February 1, 2012
While the typical time frame for building a school is three years, Western Sierra Collegiate Academy parents and leaders managed to transform a building into a high school campus in 10 weeks.

Council Rejects Charter School Proposal
North County Times, CA, February 1, 2012
A proposal to open a charter school in a Mission Avenue shopping center for dropouts and others unable to complete their education was rejected Wednesday by the Oceanside City Council because of safety concerns over nearby gang activity.

Lobbyists Set Spending Record in Sacramento
Los Angeles Times, CA, February 2, 2012
The California Teachers Assn. spent the most last year, $6.5 million, as schools were battling potential funding cuts and lawmakers acted on bills involving charter schools and other education issues.

Vallejo Schools Focus On Achievement Gap
Times Herald, CA, February 2, 2012
If the teachers and staff at Solano Middle School have their way, all their students will soar.

Charter School Bill Is Blasted; Measure May Have Chilling Effect, Some Say
Record Searchlight, CA, February 2, 2012
A new bill approved by the state Assembly would allow school districts to shut down any attempt to open a charter school, says a north state lawmaker.

COLORADO

Union Grievance Not Just About Classroom Time
Denver Post, CO, February 2, 2012
We wonder if the objections have more to do with teacher pay rather than the process of extending middle school days.

CONNECTICUT

Fairfield County Leaders Praise Teacher Reforms
Daily Easton, CT, February 2, 2012
School superintendents in Fairfield County are praising education reform proposed by Gov. Dannel Malloy to streamline the hiring of teachers even as his plan earned low marks from teacher unions across the state.

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

Charters Not the Only Answer in D.C.
Washington Post, DC, February 2, 2012
A consultant’s report ordered by Mayor Vincent C. Gray says that the District should close or quickly improve 38 regular public schools and send many of their students to a new crop of charter schools.

An Outsider’s Wild Teacher-Evaluation Idea
Washington Post, DC, February 1, 2012
Luke Chung, president and founder of a software development company in Tysons Corner, volunteered many times to help the Fairfax County school system with computer and business issues. He was a nice guy, so when the county needed to fill two slots reserved for outsiders (what educators often call non-educators) on the Teacher Performance Evaluation Task Force, he was appointed.

Facing Closure, D.C. Charter School To Plead Its Case
Washington Examiner, DC, February 1, 2012
A Northeast Washington school will plead its case Thursday evening as the D.C. Public Charter School Board decides whether to close the campus because of poor academic performance.

FLORIDA

Teachers Get Facts on Possible Charter Conversion for Lakeland High
The Ledger, FL, February 2, 2012
Teachers sat attentively and hung on every word of a presentation Wednesday about what it would take for Lakeland High to become a charter school.

A Visit to an Exceptional Charter
Huffington Post, February 1, 2012
One of the criticisms of charter schools is that they cater to a specialized class of students who are not representative of the student body of a typical public school. Based on that notion, the argument is often heard that charter schools extract the best and the brightest from the public schools, while leaving at-risk students to fend for themselves and fail for themselves.

Constance Nonnenmacher: Parents Need Choices
Gainesville Sun, FL, February 1, 2012
House Bill 1191, The Parent Empowerment Act, is working its way through the Florida Legislature. It requires that school districts inform parents when their children’s teacher has been declared ineffective.

GEORGIA

Constitutional Amendment Set For Vote Thursday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, February 1, 2012
A vote is expected Thursday in the House Education Committee on a proposed constitutional amendment that appeals to charter school supporters and is opposed by public school groups.

IDAHO

Tenure Dissolved, Parents Help Evaluate Teachers
Rexburg Standard Journal, ID, February 1, 2012
Public schools are experiencing major changes to policies and procedures and Madison School District finds it is no exception.

IOWA

House Committee Reviews Branstad Education Reforms
Quad-City Times, IA, February 1, 2012
The chairman of a House panel said amendments to Gov. Terry Branstad’s education reform package are “being drafted right now” just as his committee finished its line-by-line review Wednesday night.

LOUISIANA

Jindal’s Attacks Hurt Teachers
Opelousas Daily World, LA, February 2, 2012
I am deeply concerned about the poor choices that some of our state education policymakers and legislators are offering the citizens of Louisiana

Catholic Schools Advertising Campaign To Begin
Times-Picayune, LA, February 1, 2012
Faced with an increasingly competitive environment for students, Catholic educators across the state are preparing to roll out an advertising campaign promoting the quality of their schools.

MARYLAND

Catholic Schools See New Life as Public Charters
Southern Maryland, MD, February 1, 2012
At first glance, visitors to Tunbridge Public Charter School in Baltimore might confuse it with a Catholic school. The outside of the building is adorned with stained glass windows, stone archways and a cornerstone inlaid with a cross. But on the inside, the school looks like many other public schools.

MASSACHUSETTS

Parents Appealing Lawsuit Vs. Charter
Gloucester Times, MA, February 2, 2012
The 15 local parents who allege that the state’s commissioner of education and the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education broke state law when they approved the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School’s charter took the first step in appealing a Superior Court judge’s decision to dismiss their lawsuit.

MISSISSIPPI

Plan For School Choice Outlined
Clarion Ledger, MS, February 2, 2012
Parents of students attending public schools that lose accreditation will be able to send their children, and the related tax dollars, to another school under a plan Mississippi’s education chief outlined to lawmakers Wednesday.

MISSOURI

Archbishop Set Today to Unveil Vision to Boost
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, February 2, 2012
Archbishop Robert Carlson plans to unveil his vision today for the region’s Catholic schools in hopes of reversing four decades of declining enrollment.

NEW HAMPSHIRE

Anti-Public Schools Movement has Found Its Braveheart
Concord Monitor, NH, February 2, 2012
So there it is: mini-private schools within the public schools. Maybe several parents of like mind get together and make a whole new course of study - and use the public school asset to house a custom private education system for each student.

NEW JERSEY

Montclair Charter School Opponents Won’t Get Help From Trenton
Montclair Times, NJ, February 2, 2012
Parents who oppose a charter school in Montclair shouldn’t expect any help from school reform bills being proposed in Trenton, according to a leading Democrat lawmaker.

State Test Scores Reveal Some Gains, Widening Achievement Gap
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, February 2, 2012
Budget cuts cost New Jersey school districts $1 billion, with some of the poorest districts paying the biggest price.

NEW YORK

Cuomo Amps Up Pressure On Teachers, Legislature
Wall Street Journal, February 2, 2012
Gov. Andrew Cuomo declared Wednesday that the “Battle of Albany” is on.
Taking on the state’s traditionally powerful teachers unions, Cuomo threatened to impose tougher job evaluations Feb. 16 if the unions continue to, as he put it, block progress.

Academic Quits SUNY Board Over Charter Schools
Wall Street Journal, February 2, 2012
A prominent academic has resigned from the State University of New York Board of Trustees, one of two groups with the power to approve charter schools, saying the university is approving charters that increase inequality and needlessly divide the community.

Wadleigh Supporters Say Harlem School Wasn’t Given A Chance
New York Daily News, NY, February 2, 2012
Like many parents and politicians in Harlem , Nanton believes Wadleigh is being phased out to make space for a charter school.

Schools Are Not Making Information About Choice a Priority
New York Times, NY, February 1, 2012
School reformers have long promoted accountability and school choice as the best methods to provide greater academic opportunities for all students.

Syracuse Charter School Seeks State Permission to Open a School in Utica
Post-Standard, NY, February 2, 2012
The Syracuse Academy of Science Charter School wants to open a second school, this one in Utica.

NORTH CAROLINA

Judge Rules in Favor of Riverview in Beaufort County Enrollment Dispute
Beaufort Gazette, NC, February 1, 2012
Riverview Charter School will be able to enroll 456 students next school year, a U.S. District Court judge ruled Wednesday.

SOUTH CAROLINA

NCLB Waivers Point To Law’s Problems
Greenville News, SC, February 2, 2012
South Carolina’s application for a waiver from the requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind law is a reasonable response to a law that offers unreasonable expectations for every school district in the nation. Although the waiver application is far from perfect, it is an improvement over current expectations.

TENNESSEE

Mayor Recruits Nationally Known Charter School Operator
NewsChannel5, TN, February 1, 2012
When you step foot inside a class at Nashville Prep, you soon learn the high energy environment is integral to its culture. Founder and New York native Ravi Gupta was recruited to come to the city by the Tennessee Charter School Incubator.

Teacher Evaluation System Proves Popular Subject for TN Lawmakers
The Tennessean, TN, February 2, 2012
Amid mounting controversy, Tennessee lawmakers from both parties and opposite ends of the state are eager to fix the state’s new teacher evaluation system.

Reeves Backs Charter Schools
Commercial Appeal, TN, February 2, 2012
In the latest pronouncements from Gov. Phil Bryant and Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves are any indication, more charter schools soon will be cropping up across Mississippi.

TEXAS

Greater Ideal Looks To Start Charter School
Midland Reporter-Telegram, TX, February 1, 2012
If members of Greater Ideal Baptist Church get their way, a new charter school for at-risk students could come to Midland in 2013. About 15 members of the church have worked for the past year to complete necessary groundwork for Ideal Preparatory Academy Charter School to apply as an open-enrollment charter school. There will be an informational meeting at 7 p.m. today at the MLK Jr. Center.

WISCONSIN

Close Loophole In School Vouchers
Sheboygan Press, WI, February 2, 2012
When Wisconsin lawmakers passed the 2011-13 state budget, last-minute language was added to allow the Racine School District into the school voucher program.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Lepage Executive Order Seeks To Expand Digital Learning Options
Bangor Daily News, ME, February 1, 2012
Gov. Paul LePage directed his education commissioner on Wednesday to develop a plan that increases online learning opportunities for Maine’s K-12 students

Education 2.0: Can Digital Learning Day Begin a Classroom Revolution?
Christian Science Monitor, MA, February 1, 2012
Thirty-nine states, 15,000 teachers, and 1.7 million students are expected to participate in a series of events and webcasts on Wednesday, Digital Learning Day.

Districts Don’t Oppose Virtual Learning, They Just Don’t Want Charter Schools Offering Parents Choices
MI Live, MI, February 1, 2012
Traditional K-12 districts don’t oppose virtual schools, they just don’t want charter school operators to be able to run them, state House Education Committee chairman Thomas McMillin said today.

Online Course Mandate Clears Senate
WANE, IN, February 1, 2012
A bill that would require students in Indiana to take a virtual instruction course before they graduate from high school has cleared the state Senate and is on its way to the House, Senate Republicans announced Wednesday.

Don’t Rush To Expand Publicly Financed Cyber Schools
Holland Sentinel, MI, February 2, 2012
Online learning offers tremendous potential for education — there’s little dispute about that. However, Michigan legislators are making a mistake by rushing to remove restrictions on computer-based “cyber schools” when their track record is so brief and the research on their performance so slim.

Digital Learning
Herald Times Reporter, WI, February 2, 2012
Texting, checking out Twitter and going on Facebook aren’t usually part of the school day, but that’s what students at McKinley Academy were doing Wednesday morning.

Investment In Collaborative Education Is An Investment In Our Future
Times of Trenton , NJ, February 1, 2012
Collaboration, not competition, is the key to teacher success in Finland . Collaboration is not about warm, fuzzy feelings. It’s about improving the craft, developing good teachers into great teachers, using test data fairly and instilling in students the love of learning.

STATE COVERAGE

ARIZONA

Now We Know About Charter Schools in AZ
Nogales International, AZ, January 31, 2012
When my wife, April, and I first studied charter schools in Arizona back in 1997, they had 222 campuses, a 3.3 percent market share, and heaps of criticism from folks who had never set foot inside of one. Fifteen years later they have 524 campuses, a 12 percent market share, and still plenty of critics.

CALIFORNIA

Charter Bill Would Serve Status Quo, But Not Students
Redding Record Searchlight, CA, February 1, 2012
Struggling business owners might occasionally daydream of getting a law passed to block inconvenient competition. Too bad for them: They lack the political clout of California’s teachers unions, which can actually pull off such a stunt.

COLORADO

Teachers Union Files Grievance Over Plan to Extend Middle-School Day in Denver
Denver Post, CO, February 1, 2012
The Denver teacher’s union has filed a class-action grievance in anticipation of a budget plan that Denver Public Schools is expected to announce Wednesday that would extend middle school hours.

CONNECTICUT

Teacher Fight Heating Up in Connecticut
Wall Street Journal, February 1, 2012
For years, Connecticut didn’t adequately respond to a carrot held out by the federal government, failing to pass and implement strong enough laws to win hundreds of millions of dollars in Race to the Top education funding.

FLORIDA

Edison Collegiate High Prepares And Challenges Top Students
News-Press, FL, January 31, 2012
Edison opened the doors of this public charter school in Lee County two years ago to broaden the minds and possibilities for teenagers in Southwest Florida.

GEORGIA

Charter Amendment Could See First Vote Thursday; Lobbying Intensifies
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, January 31, 2012
The lobbying intensified Tuesday over a proposed constitutional amendment that could re-establish the state’s power to approve and fund charter schools over the objections of local school systems.

HAWAII

Eliminating Tenure For Teachers Would Strip Them of Due Process
Honolulu Star-Advertiser, HI, February 1, 2012
Teachers want to work beside an excellent teacher helping students learn and preparing them to succeed in life. This is why bills being heard by the Legislature this week are so puzzling.

ILLINOIS

Chicagoans Deserves To Know Who Paid For Protesters At School Hearings
Chicago Sun Times, IL, January 31, 2012
It seems a select group of ministers have been providing human props by the busloads for public hearings in support of Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s school reform agenda — specifically his plans for a longer school day, school closings and “turnarounds.”

Educators Say Funding Key To Reducing Dropouts
Chicago Tribune, IL, February 1, 2012
Gov. Pat Quinn is pushing state lawmakers to raise the age students can legally drop out of school from 17 to 18, a move aimed at improving graduation rates but one that local educators say won’t accomplish much unless the state also provides the money to keep at-risk students in school.

KENTUCKY

House Panel Backs Bill To Give School Districts Flexibility On Some Regulations
Louisville Courier-Journal, KY, January 31, 2012
A bill that would allow school districts to bypass some statewide regulations and experiment with new educational models won unanimous support in the House Education Committee Tuesday.

Charter Schools Will Get Their Day
State Journal, KY, January 31, 2012
A bill to allow charter schools in Kentucky will get a hearing before the House Education Committee next week for the first time in years.

LOUISIANA

Overcrowding Remedy in Jefferson Parish Public Schools Could Force Hundreds of Student Transfers
Times-Picayune, LA, January 31, 2012
A plan to ease crowding at the largest elementary school in Jefferson Parish, the 1,125-student Estelle Elementary in Marrero, could set off a chain reaction shifting hundreds of students among five West Bank sites for 2012-13 and creating the school system’s only campus spanning pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. The corresponding goal of easing congestion at two East Jefferson elementary schools could add four more campuses to the shuffle.

Jefferson Parish School Board to Consider Contract with Teach for America
Times-Picayune, LA, January 31, 2012
Less than a year after laying off 54 veteran educators, the Jefferson Parish School Board is considering hiring almost three dozen Teach for America graduates over objections from the teachers union.

MAINE

Planned Science-Centered School In Portland Seeks Charter OK
Portland Press Herald, ME, February 1, 2012
Baxter Academy hopes to use Google sharing platforms to collaborate with other charter schools.

Maine’s Schools of Education Continue to Fail Our Teachers, Students
Portland Press Herald, ME, February 1, 2012
Most programs here don’t instruct aspiring teachers in proven methods of teaching kids how to read.

MASSACHUSETTS

School, Fuller Surveys Need Outreach, Options To Have Credibility
Gloucester Times, MA, February 1, 2012
But if school officials and the mayor’s office want the surveys to be taken seriously, they must all try to reach out to as many Gloucester residents and taxpayers as possible. And they have to seriously represent the school district’s present lineup — as well as viable options for the future, including choices the School Committee itself may not want to pursue.

MINNESOTA

Diversity in St. Paul School Choice Mix
Star Tribune, MN, January 31, 2012
St. Paul administrators and school board members indicated Tuesday that they will work to ensure student diversity in high-demand schools by reserving spots for applicants from neighborhoods with low income, poor English language skills and low test scores.

Battle to End Teacher Seniority in Minnesota Begins
Star Tribune, MN, February 1, 2012
Parents, teachers and education activists squared off at the Capitol Tuesday over a Republican proposal that would transform the way Minnesota school districts conduct teacher layoffs by scrapping seniority, the sacred tenet of most teachers unions.

MISSOURI

Mo. Senators Hearing Testimony on School Changes
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, January 31, 2012
Administrators of Catholic schools threw their support Tuesday behind a proposal that would allow students in failing public schools to receive scholarships for private schools subsidized by state tax credits.

NEW JERSEY

Public Needs Control Over Chart
Home News Tribune, NJ, January 31, 2012
On Thursday the Assembly Education Committee is scheduled to consider a bill that would require public approval of charter-school applications. The proposal received bipartisan backing in the last legislative session but ultimately stalled.

E.B. Board Argues State Erred In Granting Charter
East Brunswick Sentinel, NJ, February 1, 2012
To the township Board of Education, it all comes down to the state commissioner of education needs to follow his own rules.

NEW YORK

NY Group Sets Cost of Teacher Fight at $1.7B
Utica Observer Dispatch, NY, January 31, 2012
As some local school districts are nearing agreements with their unions to create tougher evaluations for teachers and principals, an interest group said failure to enact the new evaluations will cost schools $1.7 billion statewide.

Time To Address Tenure Failings
Press-Republican, NY, February 1, 2012
The continuing debate statewide and nationally over teacher tenure underscores the fact that it is a longtime controversy that sorely needs to be addressed.

Stop Burning NY’s Special-Ed Dollars
New York Post, NY, February 1, 2012
It’s time to shake up New York’s shameful special-education system — and the way to do it is with a school-choice program for students with special needs and other disabilities.

NORTH CAROLINA

Let Schools Choice Process Play Out, Tata Says
News & Observer, NC, February 1, 2012
Wake County Superintendent Tony Tata marked his one-year anniversary Tuesday by urging parents to be patient with the new student assignment plan while also saying plans are being developed to change school bus service.

Durham School Board Fights New Charter
News & Observer , NC, February 1, 2012
Durham leaders are taking a stand against a new charter high school planned for the Research Triangle Park area, saying it will siphon money from traditional public schools and lead to further racial segregation.

OHIO

Bus Stop
Columbus Dispatch, OH, February 1, 2012
Kids who ride school buses operated by First Student Inc. to charter and private schools in Columbus should thank the State Highway Patrol trooper who showed recently that he’s looking out for their well-being.

Panel Says School Voucher Expansion Proposal Seeing Little Support
Aurora Advocate, OH, February 1, 2012
A bill that would expand the school voucher program to more students and allow them to use those vouchers at more schools is not going forward, according to panelists at a recent event here.

OKLAHOMA

A Barresi Takeover of Hale High School Is Troubling
Tulsa World, OK, February 1, 2012
If Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Instruction Janet Barresi has any tricks up her sleeve that concern Tulsa Public Schools, we wish she would give administrators, teachers and parents a heads-up.

TENNESSEE

East Tennessee Teachers Share Mixed Feelings On New Evaluations
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, February 1, 2012
his year, Gorman and thousands of teachers across the state are going through their own learning curve as they adapt to the new teacher evaluation model required this year under the state’s First to the Top Act. They are expressing their concerns with the system, which is based on observations and student data.

Good News, Bad News For State’s Teachers’ Unions
Knoxville News Sentinel, TN, February 1, 2012
Gera Summerford, president of the Tennessee Education Association and Gatlinburg teacher, was a bit agitated by the education plans Gov. Bill Haslam unfolded in his State of the State address Monday.

WASHINGTON

Issaquah District Settles on New Teacher Evaluations
Sammamish Review, WA , January 31, 2012
Hoping to take the lead in implementing a coming change in state law, Issaquah School District officials have settled on a teacher evaluation system that could end up being a model for all of Washington.

WYOMING

New Charter School Coming to Cheyenne
KGWN, NE, January 31, 2012
Cheyenne’s first charter school will be opening this fall. Ricardo Flores Magon Academy will be enrolling 120 students k-2nd grade, and will be adding a grade every year until they reach 8th grade.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

The Country’s Most Ambitious Digital Learning Project
Huffington Post, January 31, 2012
Educators from coast-to-coast will celebrate the nation’s first Digital Learning Day on Wednesday.

‘Cyber’ Charter Backers Say Lifting Cap Would Make Room For Thousands Of Students, While Critics Point To Profits, Progress
MILive, MI, January 31, 2012
Principal Stephanie Hargens had nearly 6,100 applications from students hoping to attend Michigan Virtual Charter Academy , and had to turn most away due to enrollment restrictions.

Online Charter School Hosting Trivia Challenge
Democrat Herald, OR, January 31, 2012
Oregon Connections Academy, the online charter school based in Scio, is offering Quiz Bowl Trivia Challenge — a free, online technology and science trivia game — on Wednesday, Feb. 1.

New Tools Entering Schools
Statesman Journal, OR, January 31, 2012
At Scotts Mills Elementary School, where chalkboards still can be found in some classrooms, a teacher recently was hired via Skype. At Bethany Charter School, the oldest building in the Silver Falls School District, students are using Flip video cameras to broadcast school news.

Francis And Hager: Ariz. Must Take Advantage Of Digital Learning
Arizona Republic, AZ, February 1, 2012
So is the world of education. Through digital learning, no longer are learning and discovery tethered to the bricks and mortar of a classroom.

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.

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.