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

Friday, July 14, 2006

School Just A Click Away Stateline.org, July 14, 2006 Cyber high schools that offer diplomas are also on the rise. According to the Center for Education Reform, an organization that promotes school choice, there are 148 cyber charter schools in 18 states. The schools have to test their students, as required by the federal No Child Left Behind law, and demonstrate gains in test scores.

Trustees Turn Down Charter School San Jose Mercury News, California, July 14, 2006 The proposed South Bay Prep charter school failed to muster a single vote of support from the five members of the Campbell Union High School Board of Trustees on Thursday night. Organizers vowed to appeal to the Santa Clara County Board of Education.

Charter School Placed On Probation The Baltimore Examiner, Maryland, July 14, 2006 Chesapeake Science Pointe Public Charter School in Hanover will open this fall on probation until it can prove to the Anne Arundel County school board that it has enough financial support to keep going.

School Offers Free Tuition The Kansas City Star, Missouri, July 14, 2006 "We wanted to keep our promise to parents that the school would reopen, and we didn't want them to have to pay for it." Tomika Booker, president of the Southwest Charter board. What may become the only free private school in Missouri is scheduled to open this fall in Kansas City.

Kansas Ed Board Reopens Debate Over Charter Schools The Kansas City Star, Missouri, July 14, 2006 Although its chairman says he's not aggressively pursuing the issue, the State Board of Education reopened a contentious debate Wednesday over creating special charter schools for troubled students.

CPS To Open Virtual Charter School WLS Channel 7 Chicago, Illinois, July 13, 2006 Hundreds of Chicago children could soon be attending a virtual school. The controversial idea puts students in front of their home computer instead of in a classroom.

Panel Releases LAUSD-Reform Study Los Angeles Daily News, California, July 14, 2006 A blue-ribbon panel on education released the results of its yearlong study on reforming Los Angeles Unified on Thursday - recommendations that clash in several key areas with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's vision for the city's public schools.

Teachers Union's Budget Suggestions Are Risky Statesman Journal, Oregon , July 14, 2006 As the chairman of the Salem-Keizer public schools Budget Committee, I feel compelled to respond to recent budgetary advice provided by the local teachers union after the close of the budget process.

Thursday, July 13, 2006

Surveys Show More Public & Charter Schools Are Implementing School Uniform Programs and Have Research to Help Others Press Release, July 13, 2006 Classroom School Uniforms has released two surveys indicating that more schools nationwide are seeing positive results with school uniform programs. Separate surveys were conducted with members of the National School Board Association (NSBA) and the National Association of Charter Schools.

Supporters Of School Vouchers Filing Suit Star-Ledger, Newark, New Jersey, July 13, 2006 School voucher advocates plan today to file a class-action lawsuit against the state and at least two dozen school districts in the first major legal effort to bring the hotly contested use of vouchers to New Jersey.

L.A Teachers Chide Union for Deal With Villaraigosa Los Angeles Times, California, July 13, 2006 Disgruntled members of the city's potent teachers union called a special meeting Wednesday night, demanding union officials explain and justify the deal they struck with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to reform the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Future For South Bay Prep On Trustees' Agenda Today San Jose Mercury News, California, July 13, 2006 Parents in Campbell dream of creating a charter school where college-bound students and empowered teachers work together in small classes. Campbell Union High School District trustees will vote today whether to make their proposed South Bay Prep school a reality.

Cape Coral May Lose Charter School News-Press, Ft. Meyer, Florida, July 13, 2006 Tight finances because of low enrollments may squeeze out one of Cape Coral's three city-run charter schools.

Gov. Jeb Bush Recently Commended ASPIRA South Charter School Miami Herald, Florida, July 13, 2006 Gov. Jeb Bush recently commended ASPIRA South Charter School in Homestead as one of the top-100 middle schools in Florida for making progress in writing. Out of 500 middle schools in the state, ASPIRA South ranked 19th; and out of the 69 middle schools in Miami-Dade County, the school came in second.

Charter School Sophomores Improve Their AIMS Scores KVOA Channel 4, Tuscon, Arizona, July 12, 2006 The scores are in and charter-school sophomores improved their AIMS scores over last year.

Gilbert Charter Students Show Varied AIMS Results The Arizona Republic, July 13, 2006 Students enrolled in Gilbert's eight charter schools showed mixed results on state testing when compared to students in traditional district schools.

Board Approves Charter School The New Era, Sweet Home, Oregon, July 12, 2006 The District 55 School Board agreed Monday to complete a contract with People Involved in Education and drop its requirement that PIE form a separate nonprofit corporation to operate the new school.

Board Votes To Revoke Charter KGTV Channel 10 News, San Diego, California, July 12, 2006 San Diego Unified School District board trustees have voted to revoke the charter of A. Phillip Randolph Leadership Academy following an audit showing financial irregularities at the school.

Teachers' Union Study Cites 'Underlying' Needs Of Students The Westerly Sun, Rhode Island, July 13, 2006 A recently completed study commissioned by the National Education Association Rhode Island dubbed 'The Shape of the Starting Line, A Policy Review on Improving Education in Rhode Island,' examines the underlying causes of the "troubled" status of education in the Ocean State.

Virtual School May Open In Illinois Chicago Tribune, Illinois, July 13, 2006 Illinois' first virtual public elementary school is preparing to open this fall to serve up to 600 Chicago students willing to spend their grade school years in a cyberspace classroom.

Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Charter School Students Prep For Better Future Albany Times Union, New York, July 12, 2006 As the principal of a public charter middle school in Albany serving a high percentage of minority students, I found the recent Times Union article on the "Gaps in medicine" (June 25) an excellent reminder of how far we have yet to go -- and how hard we still have to work -- if we want our children to realistically have a chance at the professional opportunities they dream about.

School's Future At Issue The Craig Daily Press, Colorado, July 12, 2006 The Moffat County School District board is expected to make a decision regarding the fate of Dinosaur Community Charter School during a special meeting Thursday.

Charter School Wins Education Board Approval KTHV Channel 11, Little Rock, Arkansas, July 11, 2006 The state Education Board has cleared the Academics Plus charter school in Maumelle to operate in the coming school year. The school almost shut down during the last school year but it was able to raise $300,000 in donations.

School Choice Could Combat Dropout Rate The State, Columbia, South Carolina, July 12, 2006 It was disheartening to learn from Education Week's national report that our state still has the lowest graduation rate in the nation, but that news should present yet another opportunity to engage in an honest discussion about much-needed education reform.

Jersey Schools Face School Choice Lawsuit Cherry Hill Courier Post, New Jersey, July 12, 2006 The fundamental structure of New Jersey's public school system could change if a group of families is successful in the lawsuit they will file Thursday, according to an opinion piece in today's Wall Street Journal.

Remedial Education The Wall Street Journal, July 12, 2006 A world of education reform will change tomorrow when a group of families files a class action lawsuit in Chancery Court in Newark, N.J. They are asking for an immediate and meaningful remedy for 60,000 children trapped in failing schools -- by transferring control over education funds from bureaucrats to parents.

Year Passes Without Ruling On Santorum Charter-School Case Associated Press, Pennsylvania, July 12, 2006 A dispute over whether a school district can recover tax money it paid for U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum's children to attend an Internet-based charter school remains unresolved a year after a hearing officer recommended that the state dismiss the case.

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Report: NEA Pays Opponents Of No Child Left Behind Law USA Today, July 10, 2006 The nation's largest teachers union has spent more than $8 million in a stealth campaign against President Bush's education reform law, paying for research and political opposition in an effort to derail it, according to a Washington think tank that supports the law.

Arts Charter School Seeks State Approval Princeton Packet, New Jersey, July 11, 2006 Soon, Albert Einstein's theory of relativity could be morphed into a two-act rendition of quantum physics on the stage, equipped with song, dance and laughter.

New College Prep Charter School Opens In Gary CBS Channel 2 Chicago, Illinois, July 10, 2006 On a beautiful summer day, dozens of fifth graders traded fun in the sun for getting back to the books.

No Charter School On Ballot, Survey Says Vail Daily News, Colorado, July 11, 2006 Sure, the Eagle County Charter Academy wants to feel part of the school district but parents in Eagle County aren't as welcoming of the charter school.

Charter School Marks New Era For Chester County Education Rock Hill Herald, South Carolina, July 11, 2006 Chester County's first district-operated charter school opens with year-round classes on Wednesday. Orientation is from 9 a.m. to noon today.

Education Chief Setting Rules For Local Districts On Spending, Test Scores The Dallas Morning New, Texas, July 10, 2006 Control over public schools is swinging back toward the state as Texas' education chief and her staff write a series of new rules regulating everything from how districts spend their tax dollars to how much student test scores must improve each year.

Race a Critical Issue in 10th Circuit Nomination The National Law Journal, July 11, 2006 This tale of two conservative judicial nominees, one white and one black, shows that race can still be a sensitive area in federal court nominations.

School Choice Spreads With Tax Credits Human Events, July 10, 2006 In 2001, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge battled with Democratic state legislators to create a corporate scholarship tax credit program to bring the state's families school choice. Five years later, Ridge's tax credit has strong bipartisan support and is a model for other states. And just this week, Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat, signed legislation expanding the program.

Monday, July 10, 2006

School On Lake Charter Closes Post-Crescent, Appleton, Wisconsin, July 10, 2006 After six years of operating at Maplewood Middle School, the environmentally focused School on the Lake charter school will not reopen in the fall.

Courts Should Not Sink Charters Rocky Mountain News, Colorado, July 9, 2006 The Colorado Charter School Institute fills a statewide need for a chartering agency that acts independently of local school districts that are hostile to charter schools. If you doubt the need, look no further than the lawsuits filed by three such hostile districts trying to shut it down. Two of the suits are set for trial in October, and a third was filed last month.

State Grant Aids Charter School's Opening Courier-Post, Cherry Hill. New Jersey, July 10, 2006 Fortified with a grant of nearly $275,000, Cherry Hill's first charter school now has an office in the center of town and will offer a model classroom this fall in preparation for its September 2007 opening.

Charter Schools Prepare For Full Classrooms Central Utah Daily Herald, July 09, 2006 The first bell will ring for five new charter schools serving 2,900 students in Utah County this fall, and school organizers are working to get everything from curriculum to uniforms in order.

UCP Charter School Taking Registration For 2006-07 Orlando Sentinel, Florida, July 9, 2006 United Cerebral Palsy of Central Florida is accepting applications for the 2006-07 year at each of its six charter schools.

LEAP Academy Has New Chief Courier-Post, Cherry Hill, New Jersey, July 7, 2006 The state's largest charter school has a new chief administrator with a higher base salary than most New Jersey district superintendents, and far higher than any charter leader received in 2005-06.

Achieve Academy Could Be Shut Down The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 10, 2006 Zicuria Ussery likes the southeast Atlanta charter school she attends because students are not allowed to use slang. "We use standard English all the time," Zicuria said. "And when we talk to the teachers, we don't yell at them."

It's a Top-Grade Achievement Los Angeles Times, California, July 9, 2006 By the 10th grade, Mario Galindo said, he had begun to make bad choices - following a path where he dropped out of school and got involved with drugs and in trouble with the law.

Virtual Charter School A New Venture The Riverside Press-Enterprise, California, July 8, 2006 The University of California's plan to launch a virtual charter school for high school students in three counties, including Riverside, aims to improve college preparation among high school students.

Job Growth, Education Reform Top Businessman's Agenda Herald-Republic, Yakima, Washington, July 7, 2006 Touting the need for educational reform and job growth, Yakima businessman Glen Blomgren announced Thursday he's seeking the 14th Legislative District House seat held by Jim Clements, R-Selah, who is retiring.