The Center for Education Reform connects you to the latest education updates in the news and on the web.

Thursday, October 27, 2005

A New Jewel Of a School In Ward 8 Washington Post, DC, October 27, 2005 Last week, Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D), D.C. Council member Marion Barry (D-Ward 8) and more than 100 others gathered to celebrate the $14.5 million transformation of the once-vacant Nichols Avenue Elementary School into the first new high school for Ward 8 students in more than four decades. The facility serves 300 students in grades 9 through 12 as the new home of the Thurgood Marshall Academy Public Charter High School.

Janey Is Given Bonus, Contract Extension Washington Post, DC, October 27, 2005 The D.C. Board of Education gave Superintendent Clifford B. Janey a strong vote of confidence last night by awarding him a $25,000 performance bonus and a one-year extension of his three-year contract.

Mayor Runs on Schools, but Verdict Is Still Out New York Times, October 27, 2005 In his inauguration speech, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg pledged to win control of the sprawling, chaotic and troubled New York City public school system. "Together," he declared, "we will create a school system that works for all our children."

Educators-In-Training Get Break Baltimore Sun, Maryland, October 26, 2005 A proposal that would have made it difficult to operate in Maryland for Teach for America - a source of young teachers for Baltimore - was changed at the last minute yesterday before getting final approval from the State Board of Education.

Some New Help for the Extremely Gifted New York Times, October 26, 2005 Misha Raffiee is 10 years old. An eighth grader in her final year of private school here, she reads up to six books a month, plays violin and piano and asks so many questions that her teachers sometimes get angry at her.

U.S. Education Department Gives States Reprieve in Meeting 'Highly Qualified' Teacher Requirement Education Week, Maryland, October 26, 2005 States have been promised a one-year reprieve on equipping every core-subject classroom with a teacher who meets the federal standard of "highly qualified," but only if the states are trying hard enough.

Charter Schools In Region Are Achieving Better Grades On State Tests Albany Times Union, New York, October 27, 2005 In its recent editorial on charter schools ("A cap worth keeping," Oct. 13), the Times Union's editorial board claims, ironically, that it has been a long supporter of charter schools while in the same breath urging that the state keep its 100 school cap -- an arbitrary ceiling that will likely be reached in a matter of weeks as demand around the state for these innovative schools surges.

Charter School To Focus On Its 'Core' For Student Recruitment Metro West Daily News, Massachusetts, October 27, 2005 Charter school promoters will work to woo more students from within its four "core" communities this year after being criticized for drawing many youngsters from as far away as Worcester and Newton.

Teacher Groups Leery Of Performance Pay San Antonio Express, Texas, October 27, 2005 Like a star quarterback who gets paid more than one who throws lots of interceptions, great Texas teachers deserve higher pay than mediocre teachers, the House public education committee chairman said Wednesday during a debate on performance pay.

Governor: Charter Schools Must Give Tests Or Get Out Of Business Akron Beacon Journal, Ohio, October 26, 2005 Gov. Bob Taft said Wednesday that charter schools must follow the rules for giving tests to children or get out of the education business.

Lakewood Schools Need Improvement Tri-Town News, New Jersey, October 27, 2005 For a second consecutive year, the state has designated Lakewood as a school district in need of improvement (DINI) under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act.

BOE Could Consider Charter School For Dual Language School News-Daily.com, Georgia, October 27, 2005 The Clayton County Board of Education could decide whether or not to grant a charter to a new dual language school that could open in the county by the 2006-2007 school year.

Thousands Of Native Children Being Left Behind Native American Times, Oklahoma, October 26, 2005 Responding to a growing dissatisfaction from Indian educators who are complaining about damaging impediments from the No Child Left Behind legislation, the National Indian Education Association on October 6th launched a critical broadside at the federal education program with charges that it is actually causing more American Indian students to give up and drop out than it is helping.

Charter School Benefits Students And Staff KWWL, Iowa, October 27, 2005 Innovative learning is the new wave in education in one Eastern Iowa school. A 400-thousand dollar grant is helping students and staff at a new charter school "Make the Grade."

Two Points Settled In Latest Round Of Teacher Negotiations Eudora News, Kansas, October 27, 2005 Bruce Lindskog, a member of the Kansas National Education Association, acquired 2005-2006 budget information from the district office and analyzed it to find possible solutions to contract talks.

Wednesday, October 26, 2005

Parents' Involvement Not Key to Student Progress, Study Finds Los Angeles Times, California, October 26, 2005 A new study examining why similar California schools vary widely in student achievement produced some surprising results: Involved parents and well-behaved youngsters do not appear to have a major effect on how well elementary students perform on standardized tests.

Cisco Offers to Aid Gulf Coast Schools New York Times, October 26, 2005 Cisco Systems and some of its executives plan to donate $40 million in cash, equipment and services to install wireless Internet access and other high-tech services in Gulf Coast schools damaged by Hurricane Katrina, the chief executive, John T. Chambers, said yesterday.

Fed Test Scores Show State Grade Inflation Is Real New York Daily News, October 26, 2005 Last week, when the federal government released student test scores, it was not a good day for the New York State Education Department. In recent months, officials have claimed that huge majorities of students meet the state's high standards.

State Requests 'No Child' Flexibility Provo Daily Herald, Utah, October 26, 2005 Utah's superintendent of public schools, Patti Harrington, met with U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings on Tuesday to talk about the state's desire for some flexibility in operating under the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Denver Teachers, City Leaders Support Pay-for-Performance Ballot Measure The Heartland Institute, Illinois, October 26, 2005 Denver, Colorado could become the nation's first urban school district to implement a pay-for-performance plan, if voters approve a November 1 ballot measure that already has the support of local teachers and city officials.

Easley Proposes Plan To Get North Carolina Teacher Pay To National Average WRAL.com, North Carolina, October 26, 2005 Gov. Mike Easley unveiled a plan Tuesday to raise public school teachers' salaries above the national average in 2008, giving most educators a flat $600 raise for the rest of the school year as a down payment toward the goal.

NEA Opposes Proposed Katrina Relief Plan for Schoolchildren The Heartland Institute, Illinois, October 26, 2005 The debate on Capitol Hill over how the federal government ought to help restore schooling quickly for those displaced students (and presumably for the smaller numbers uprooted by Hurricane Rita) exposed how far some Big Education interest groups and their political friends will go to oppose anything they can label a school voucher.

Stop Taking New Voucher Students, State Tells Schools Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Wisconsin, October 26, 2005 State officials ordered schools participating in Milwaukee's voucher program to stop enrolling new students through the choice program because it appears to have hit the state-imposed enrollment cap of about 14,750 students.

Board Turns Down Charter School Applications Daytona Beach News-Journal, Florida, October 26, 2005 Sloppy. Inaccurate. "Not up to par." Using those words and more, the Volusia County School Board turned down an application for two proposed West Volusia charter schools Tuesday.

School Board, Charter School Agree To Meet The Times-Picayune, Louisiana, October 26, 2005 The St. Helena Parish School Board agreed Monday night to meet with the Charter School of Pine Grove to begin discussing arrangements that could enable the charter school to open in August.

Tuesday, October 25, 2005

Test Scores Show U.S. Children Left Behind USA Today, October 25, 2005 After reading USA TODAY's story about national student proficiency tests, I went from being astonished to experiencing horrible fear for my grandchildren's educational future...

Tutoring, A Key In No Child Left Behind, Is Raising Questions The Boston Globe, Massachusetts, October 25, 2005 It sounded simple: Help low-income students perform better in public schools deemed in need of improvement by giving them tutors. And let the federal government pick up the tab.

Charter Schools Urged For New Orleans District The Times-Picayune, Louisiana, October 25, 2005 New Orleans should not open any public schools this academic year unless they become charter schools, state Superintendent of Education Cecil Picard said Monday, because of the district's tenuous finances and what he called problems with the current leadership.

Teachers Union Criticizes White Hat Charter Schools For Lack Of Testing The Beacon Journal, Ohio, October 25, 2005 A teachers union's analysis of data provided by the state finds that 16 charter schools operated by White Hat Management failed to administer state exams to 84 percent of their students last year.

Wimberly Calls Criticism A Wake-Up Call The Charlotte Observer, North Carolina, October 25, 2005 When Wake Superior Court Judge Howard Manning Jr. blasted Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools for committing "academic genocide" at low-performing high schools, Assistant Superintendent Lloyd Wimberley was smack in his crosshairs.

The Age Of Insincerity North County Times, California, October 25, 2005 While I don't always agree with the politics and herd mentality of the teachers union, I am deeply troubled by the cynical nature of Propositions 74 and 75.

Teacher Pay Still At Bottom Sioux Falls Argus Leader, South Dakoata, October 25, 2005 Last again. According to the annual survey by the American Federation of Teachers, South Dakota ranked last in the nation for average teacher salary for the 2003-04 school year.

Berkshire Charter School Eyes Loan Approval CapitalNews9.com, New York, October 24, 2005 The Berkshire Arts and Technology Charter School in Adams is thinking long-term.

A Blow To Charter Schools Toledo Blade, Ohio, October 24, 2005 As an educational innovation, charter schools constitute a noble experiment to improve childhood learning. As a business enterprise, well, that's another story.

Monday, October 24, 2005

State Gains Not Echoed In Federal Testing Washington Post, DC, October 24, 2005 In Maryland and Virginia public schools, statewide exams are a cause for perpetual celebration. Scores go up almost every year in virtually every grade level and subject tested.

Parents Prepared To Fight After Charter School Closes NewsNet5, Ohio, October 21, 2005 The state of Ohio moved in Friday and took control of the former International Preparatory School's property.

No on Measure Y Los Angeles Daily News, CA, October 23, 2005 ...neither the Board of Education nor the LAUSD has made any real movement toward reform. In fact, they resist charter schools, refuse to lean down the bloated bureaucracy, and fight every effort to empower parents and teachers....

Prop. 74 Has Some Teachers at Odds Los Angeles Times, CA, October 23, 2005 Throughout California, teachers can barely make a photocopy or check a school mailbox these days without getting slapped by competing campaign slogans over a controversial teacher quality initiative.

Reverse Slide In Teacher Pay Des Moines Register, Iowa, October 22, 2005 A teacher looking around the Midwest for the best pay wouldn't come to Iowa. Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska and Kansas post higher average salaries in a survey by the American Federation of Teachers.

Schools To Dig For Charter Track Records Palm Beach Post, Florida, October 24, 2005 ...Charter school applicant backgrounds and their school histories give districts insight into potential problems, but district administrators say they can't rely onbackground history alone. Running charter schools, especially in the first few years, is a tough challenge and people make honest mistakes, officials say. ...

Helping The Disadvantaged East Valley Tribune, Arizona, October 23, 2005 But there's good news to report also. Arizona's schools are doing a better job keeping minority, disadvantaged and English-learner students from falling through the cracks.

Charter School Ordered Closed Indianapolis Star, Indiana, October 22, 2005 The city on Friday ordered closed one of 13 charter schools sponsored by Mayor Bart Peterson and gave students of Flanner House Higher Learning Center six weeks to find a new high school.

San Diego Charter-School Director To Resign San Diego Union Tribune, California, October 22, 2005 A feisty administrator who left his mark on local education by helping more than a dozen charter schools get started is leaving the San Diego Unified School District.

Commissioner's Appointment Rekindles Debate Over School Choice Kansas City Star, Missouri, October 22, 2005 As an attorney, Bob Corkins told the Kansas Supreme Court earlier this year that competition - not millions of new dollars - will improve the state's public schools.

Colchester Teacher-Strike Continues WNNE-TV, Vermont, October 22, 2005 At union headquarters, some teachers are taking out no-interest loans from the National Education Association while they wait for word from the school board.

Schools Fail To Meet Federal Goals Northjersey.com, New Jersey, October 22, 2005 Sixty-three New Jersey school districts and charter schools failed to meet federal performance goals for improving standardized test scores in 2004-05, up from 27 last year, the state Department of Education announced Friday.

Rocky Mount Prep Largest Charter In North Carolina Rocky Mount Telegram, North Carolina, October 23, 2005 Traditionally enrolling fewer than 300 students, charter schools appeal to some people because of their smaller size. But that is not the case for Rocky Mount Preparatory School. The school, chartered in 1997, continues to attract new students....

Charter Schools Top School Board Agenda Daytona Beach News Journal, Florida, October 23, 2005 The Volusia County School Board will consider two charter school applications at Tuesday's meeting.