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

Friday, August 17, 2007

New Jersey Schools Show Small Gain in Standards
New York Times, August 17, 2007
More than one-quarter of New Jersey's 2,430 public schools were cited yesterday for failing to meet federal education standards after too few of their students passed state reading and math tests this spring, state education officials said yesterday.

4 New LAUSD Charter Schools To Open This Fall
CBS2-TV, California, August 17, 2007
The Inner City Education Foundation received $4.2 million in grants that will allow it to open four charter schools this fall in South Los Angeles, officials announced Thursday.

Vouchers Can't Help If Black Parents Won't
St. Petersburg Times, Florida, August 17, 2007
An increasing number of black lawmakers in Florida find themselves strapped with a dilemma: They can continue to support public schools as the academic performance of black children annually falls below that of every other ethnic group, or they can dump public schools in favor of unproven private schools that accept vouchers.

Children Of Color Being Left Behind
San Francisco Chronicle, California, August 17, 2007
A frustrating and persistent achievement gap between black and Latino students and their white and Asian American peers shows no sign of abating in the latest state test results for nearly 5 million students across California.

8 County Schools Fail No Child Left Behind' Standards
NJ.com, New Jersey, August 17, 2007
Students in certain grade levels in eight schools in Salem County have failed to meet the yearly educational standards in New Jersey under the No Child Left Behind Act, according to Department of Education figures released Thursday.

Ohio Charter Schools: You Can Do A Lot Better
Cleveland Plain Dealer, Ohio, August 17, 2007
Charter schools took a one-two punch from state agencies this week, with re ports detailing both financial shenanigans and abysmal academic results. Audits of 19 charters run by Akron industrialist David Brennan's White Hat Management found repeated instances of improper credit card use and outsized compensation for board members.

Hemet's New Charter School Has Tailored Approach
Press-Enterprise, California, August 17, 2007
When the traditional school year starts Aug. 27 in Hemet, some freshmen and sophomores will head off to a very untraditional school. More than 90 students are enrolled in the new Hemet Academy of Applied Academics and Technology, the first district-run charter school. Students are expected to earn a minimum of a high school diploma and career certificate.

Fairness For Charter Schools
Baltimore Sun, Maryland, August 17, 2007
Maryland's highest court sent a shock wave through the public-education establishment last month by ruling that charter schools are entitled to receive as much funding per pupil as regular public schools.

'Dirty' Tricks Begin In School Voucher Battle
Salt Lake Tribune, Utah, August 17, 2007
The voucher campaign season has officially begun - and, voucher opponents say, so have the dirty tricks. Parents for Choice in Education, which promotes vouchers in Utah, is sponsoring a telephone survey that links voucher opponents with advocates of same-sex unions.

Kaine Trims Pre-K Proposal
Washington Post, DC, August 17, 2007
Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine on Thursday scrapped his campaign promise to provide universal access to pre-kindergarten, announcing that he will instead push to more than double the number of underprivileged 4-year-olds eligible for early education at the state's expense.

Jeb Bush Urges Bold Reform Efforts
Central Maine Morning Sentinel, August 17, 2007
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush urged Maine's conservative legislators and decision makers on Thursday to take the initiative and propose bold reforms in order to advance their cause.

New Gresham Charter School Finds A Home
The Oregonian, Oregon, August 17, 2007
A new Gresham charter school has found a home. The City of Gresham approved Gresham Arthur Academy's land use permit last week, allowing the school to operate in the Mountain View Christian Church Building at 1890 NE Cleveland Street.

Group Has Final Say On Charter Schools
Santa Fe New Mexican, New Mexico, August 17, 2007
Marcelino Juarez really could have used a high school where arts were a large part of the curriculum, a place where his love of dancing could have fit side by side with academics. Instead, the Pojoaque High School graduate spent his day running from home to school to home and then to Santa Fe to dance with the National Dance Institute.

Cyber Charter Schooling Battle Culminates In Haverford
The Evening Bulletin, Pennsylvania, August 17, 2007
Cyber charter school enrollment in Pennsylvania exploded from 1,848 in 2001 to nearly 16,000 in 2006, and school districts are complaining about the cost. State Rep. Greg Vitali, D-Delaware, has introduced HB 1655, which, if enacted, will enable school districts to cut off funding for cyber charter schools if they establish their own cyber program in-house.

Enoch City Council Approves Site Plan for Charter School
Cedar City Review, Utah, August 17, 2007
The Enoch City Council unanimously approved the site plan for a new charter school during its July 18 meeting. The school is planned for opening in fall 2008.

City School Tests Show 'Upward Trend'
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pennsylvania, August 17, 2007
Because he had closed 22 schools and introduced new curricula in a sweeping reorganization of the district, Pittsburgh Public Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt was prepared for students' scores on state reading and math tests to drop this year.

School Choice Not A Big Deal
Worcester Telegram, Massachusetts, August 17, 2007
The city's school choice offerings do not seem to be the choices people outside Worcester want. Shortly after the School Committee voted this spring to accept out-of-district students for the first time through the state's school choice program, parents from out of town called inquiring about kindergarten spots and openings at the Worcester Technical High School.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Charter School Achievement: What We Know
Education Week, August 16, 2007
Bryan C. Hassel, a co-director of Public Impact, a Chapel Hill, N.C., education policy and consulting firm. He is a co-author of Charter School Achievement: What We Know, a review of scholarly studies comparing charter vs. district school achievement for the National Alliance of Public Charter Schools.

No Child: The Sequel
Toledo Blade, Ohio, August 16, 2007
The fate of a landmark education law will depend on the willingness to change it. The No Child Left Behind Act is due to expire in September and unless consensus can be reached between politicians, educators, and the public on its strengths and weaknesses, the law could be in limbo.

The Genius of 'Baby Einstein'
New York Times, August 16, 2007
I know I shouldn't admit to playing baby videos for my children, but allow me to embarrass myself. "Baby Mozart" was part of my first child's life when she was all of 3 months old. She was a colicky baby, despite my hours of walking her, nursing her and singing to her. The video didn't always work - and the calm never lasted much longer than 15 minutes - but I was desperate.

Forced to Pick a Major in High School
New York Times, August 16, 2007
Ninth graders often have trouble selecting what clothes to wear to school each morning or what to have for lunch. But starting this fall, freshmen at Dwight Morrow High School here in Bergen County must declare a major that will determine what electives they take for four years and be noted on their diplomas.

Bumping at D.C. Public Schools
Washington Examiner, DC, August 16, 2007
Coming soon to a school near you: An employee removed from an administrative post returns to a local classroom. The trailer for this movie includes dumbfounded students and angry parents. The way to prevent its opening: temporary suspension of union contracts.

Sacramento's Poison Pill
LA Weekly, California, August 16, 2007
Piscal, chief executive officer for the Los Angeles - based Inner City Education Foundation, is talking about a "trailer bill" called Senate Bill 92. It would make opening and operating charter schools throughout California extremely difficult, if not impossible. The bill, according to Piscal, is the harshest and most serious effort to stop the expansion of charter schools in California.

A Handful Of Charter Schools Excel; Others Struggle
Cleveland Plain Dealer, Ohio, August 16, 2007
The performance of Ohio's charter schools has more peaks and valleys than a Cedar Point roller coaster. At the peak sits a small cadre of charters, schools that have emerged as academic powerhouses and have remarkable academic success with hard-to-educate children in neighborhoods where traditional public schools have often failed.

Annual Test Scores Show Improvement, Achievement Gap
San Diego Union Tribune, California, August 16, 2007
California students continue to improve academically in most grades, although a significant gap in achievement persists between racial groups, according to preliminary 2007 tests scores released Wednesday morning by the California Department of Education.

Superintendent To Keep Pushing School Choice
Charlotte Observer, North Carolina, August 16, 2007
S.C. Education Superintendent Jim Rex said last week that next year's public school choice legislation will focus on expanding students' options within schools and districts, while making transfers between districts voluntary.

Charter Schools Facing Delays
Orlando Sentinel, Florida, August 16, 2007
Some students at two of Osceola's charter schools will likely have to wait a month for their classrooms once school begins, because construction problems delayed installation of modular units needed to comply with class-size amendment mandates.

Rex Alters School Choice Plan
The State, South Carolina, August 16, 2007
State schools chief Jim Rex hopes to win legislative support in 2008 for public-school choice by eliminating a requirement that was a sticking point this year. Rex said Wednesday he will drop a recommendation that local districts must accept students from other public-school systems.

Charter School Featured In Education Video
Pueblo Chieftain, Colorado, August 16, 2007
Cesar Chavez Academy will be featured next month in a U.S. Department of Education publication and a video promoting charter schools for low-income and minority students.

Pembroke Pines Claims It Was Overcharged $868,000 For Charter Schools
Sun-Sentinel, Florida, August 16, 2007
City officials on Wednesday launched a second attempt to force the Broward School Board to provide a bigger share of taxpayers' money to help run the city's seven A-rated charter schools.

More Md. Elementary, Middle Schools Fall Short of 'No Child' Goals
Washington Post, DC, August 16, 2007
The number of Maryland elementary and middle schools targeted for academic improvement because of consistently low test scores rose this year from 167 to 176, the largest total since the enactment of the federal No Child Left Behind law five years ago.

GOP Budget Plan Would Cut Education Funds, Allow Slots
Washington Post, DC, August 16, 2007
House Republicans put forward a plan yesterday to solve Maryland's fiscal problems without raising taxes, proposing instead to curtail planned spending on education and other programs and to legalize slot-machine gambling.

SRC Eyes Ex-District Aide For Key Post
Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania, August 16, 2007
The Philadelphia School Reform Commission is slated today to fill an important vacancy in the top administration of the Philadelphia School District.
A number of high-placed district sources said yesterday the SRC is likely to name Cassandra Jones - a consultant working on the district's high-school initiative - as the new interim chief academic officer.

A New Year, a Great Many Changes
Washington Post, DC, August 16, 2007
When the 133,000 students and 10,000 teachers of Prince George's County set out for the first day of school Monday, they will enter a system in the middle of a transformation.

N. Texas Schools Falling Further Behind
Dallas Morning News, Texas, August 16, 2007
More schools across North Texas and the state flunked their federal report cards this year, but even repeat offenders aren't likely to see many consequences.

Humphrey Charter School Tries Again
DeWitt Era-Enterprise, Arkansas, August 16, 2007
A year after the Humphrey Charter School plan was rejected on the heels of consolidation, a new law is giving the idea new hope. The law was announced to the nine people in attendance at the School of Excellence public hearing last Saturday at Humphrey City Hall.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

School Districts Find Loopholes in No Child Left Behind Law
PBS-TV, August 15, 2007
School districts are getting around certain requirements of the No Child Left Behind law by setting the bar measuring student progress low in the beginning. Special correspondent for education John Merrow begins a series of reports.

National Standards
Washington Times, DC, August 15, 2007
President Bush just signed the America Competes Act, overwhelmingly approved by a bipartisan Congress pursuing a first-rate science and mathematics education for all children at a time when American youngsters lag behind many of their peers abroad.

Imported From Britain: Ideas to Improve Schools
New York Times, August 15, 2007
During a decade in power in Britain, the government of Prime Minister Tony Blair made efforts to improve English schools, with some apparent successes. Because American public education faces similar challenges, like what to do with failing schools and how to recruit better teachers, some educators believe there is much to learn from England's experience.

Grants Given for Nonexistent Students
Washington Post, DC, August 15, 2007
The D.C. school system received almost $4 million in federal funds for educating migrant children when it did not have any, city and federal officials said yesterday.

Most Charters' Ratings Still Dismal
Cincinnati Enquirer, Ohio, August 15, 2007
More Cincinnati-area charter schools received low state ratings this year than last, according to the latest Ohio Report Card. Fewer were rated "excellent" or "effective," the state's highest marks, and more wound up on the lowest rungs in "academic watch" or "academic emergency."

State Audit Raps Charter Schools
Columbus Dispatch, Ohio, August 15, 2007
Charter schools operated by Akron industrialist David L. Brennan paid board members multiple times for attending the same meeting - as much as $2,125 per session, a state audit discovered.

Students Get A Choice On Schools In St. John
Times-Picayune, Louisiana, August 15, 2007
Two St. John the Baptist Parish public schools are offering students the choice of going to another school in the parish this year because of failing test scores. East St. John Elementary School is in its second year of "school choice," while East St. John High School must for the first time give its students the choice of attending West St. John High and provide supplemental educational services.

Indiana Students' Scores On ACT Rise Again
Indianapolis Star, Indiana, August 15, 2007
This year's class of Indiana high school seniors averaged higher scores on the ACT college entrance exam than those a year earlier, keeping state scores above a steadily climbing national average.

School Fosters 'Lifelong Learners'
Ventura County Star, California, August 15, 2007
A stream of children raced through a Calabasas home recently, leaving squeals and giggles in their wake. In the middle of their summer vacation, they got together for a book club - one of dozens of events organized to make their upcoming first day at a new school a little less intimidating.

New Leader; Clearer Focus
Philadelphia Inquirer, Pennsylvania, August 15, 2007
Sandra Dungee Glenn has been called the hardest-working member of the Philadelphia School Reform Commission. She will put her energy to work as the SRC's chairperson once James Nevels steps down next month.

Voters Nixed Charter Schools In 2004
Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, Washington, August 15, 2007
But voters widely rejected the effort to launch charter schools in Washington state. Charter schools are public schools that are privately run by nonprofit organizations. Today, Washington is one of only 10 states to have not yet passed charter school laws, according to The Center for Education Reform.

New Teachers Learn From The Veterans
Baltimore Sun, Maryland, August 15, 2007
This summer, Sue Ford is preparing to write lesson plans instead of legal briefs. After 18 years practicing environmental law, Ford left a comfortable job at an Annapolis firm to teach biology at Annapolis High School.

New School Head: We Need To Close Achievement Gap
Boston Herald, Massachusetts, August 15, 2007
Closing the achievement gap between white and minority and rich and poor students is "critically important" to the success of Boston Public Schools, the district's new superintendent said yesterday.

Maida Dedicates High-Tech High School In Detroit
Detroit Free Press, Michigan, August 15, 2007
Cardinal Adam Maida dedicated a new high-tech high school building on Detroit's near west side Tuesday afternoon, part of his ongoing effort to foster new schools in the city in the wake of Catholic school closings over many years.

Merit Pay Results
Arkansas Times, August 14, 2007
The Little Rock School District distributed today a news release about the results of merit pay projects at five district elementary schools. Bottom line: Fair to poor. Some scores up, some down. Credit Superintendent Roy Brooks for not overselling these results. They are generating "important data," he notes.

My View: Village School's Unfair Fate Leaves Only Questions And Cautionary Tale
Minneapolis Star Tribune, Minnesota, August 15, 2007
Last spring, the Northfield school board voted not to renew the contract of Village School charter school. Village School appealed the decision, and recently the state Appeals Court ruled against our appeal.

Charter School Offers Promise; Alternative Advantage Academy Will Pay Up To 35 Percent Of College Tuition For Its Grads
Kalamazoo Gazette, Michigan, August 15, 2007
A Kalamazoo charter school is matching The Kalamazoo Promise with a scholarship plan of its own. The Gift for Tomorrow program will allow students to attend Kalamazoo Advantage Academy in grades K-8 and receive comparable benefits to those of The Promise.

Charter Schools Examine Bond Issue, Lower Lease Payments
Springdale Morning News, Arkansas, August 15, 2007
A local charter school organization can save money on payments for two campuses with a bond issue that has lower interest rates. The Benton County School of the Arts board on Monday heard about a refinancing plan from Mechel Wall, founder of the Benton County Charter School Organization.

10 Schools Picked To Pilot 'Vision' Reform
The News-Journal, Delaware, August 15, 2007
Vision 2015 has selected four school districts and two charter schools to take part in a program to pilot educational reforms that group leaders hope will ripple throughout the state.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Reform No Child Left Behind Testing
Contra Costa Times, California, August 14, 2007
Teachers and education administrators across California are anxiously awaiting the results of student achievement test scores to see whether their schools have met the grade in the federal No Child Left Behind program.

Citing Learning Slumps, Mayor Presents Plan for Low-Performing Middle Schools
New York Times, August 14, 2007
Calling middle school students the hardest to reach, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced yesterday that he would direct an additional $5 million to about 50 of the city's lowest-performing middle schools and appoint a high-level administrator to devise professional development programs for middle school teachers and principals.

Controversial Charter School Set To Open
CBS 4-TV, Florida, August 14, 2007
When a new charter school opens in Hollywood later this month it will be the first of its kind in the nation. Named for a Jewish high priest, the Ben Gamla Charter School will be the first publicly funded Hebrew-English school.

New Leader Picked to Run Arabic School
New York Times, August 14, 2007
An education official experienced in starting new schools in New York City, but not in speaking Arabic, will take over immediately as the interim acting principal of the city's first public school dedicated to the study of Arabic language and culture, Chancellor Joel I. Klein said yesterday.

Charter Gets OK, But Board Wants Rent
Charleston City Paper, South Carolina, August 14, 2007
The School Board gave unanimous approval to the Charleston Charter School for Math and Science on Monday night, though it plans to charge rent for the school to use the Rivers campus.

Controversy Over New Charter School Site
WTNH-TV, Connecticut, August 14, 2007
The embroiled Highville Charter School may be moving to a new location, but the new site apparently has troubles of its own.

Kids, Parents Help Get Charter School Ready For Classes
Vallejo Times Herald, California, August 14, 2007
Parents, children and teachers were busy beautifying the new Vallejo Charter School on Sunday, getting ready for the first day of classes on Aug. 21. Youngsters painted a mural that will welcome students as they enter the front gate, and volunteers set up planters around the yard that will be used to teach classes about gardening.

Nielsen To Lead Charter School District
The State, South Carolina, August 14, 2007
Beginning Sept. 1, former state schools chief Barbara Nielsen will serve as the first senior administrator of South Carolina's new public charter school district.

Second Year At Niagara Charter School Off To Smooth Start
Niagara Gazette, New York, August 14, 2007
If nothing else, year two at Niagara Charter School had a much drier start than did year one. "My point of reference is we had two kids cry this year," business manager Greg Norton said of the Lockport Road school's kindergartners.

What's The Answer To This Problem?
News Leader, Missouri, August 14, 2007
As part of a growing trend seen across the United States, several school districts in Missouri continue to perform poorly, failing to prepare students for higher education. Following the St. Louis Public Schools' recent loss of accreditation, Missourians want to see change and improvement more than ever.

Five Private Schools Get OK To Accept Vouchers
Savannah Morning News, Georgia, August 14, 2007
The Georgia Department of Education has updated its list of Savannah private schools approved to accept Georgia Special Needs Scholarships.

Helping Urban Students Learn At A Higher Level
Seattle Times, Washington, August 14, 2007
Jasmine Davis hadn't heard of Advanced Placement classes until she got to Garfield High School. On her first day in AP European history in her sophomore year, she was surrounded by kids who had been in the Seattle School District's gifted program since kindergarten.

State Struggles To Help Troubled Charters
Dallas Morning News, Texas, August 14, 2007
North Texas didn't have a single charter school with the state's top academic rating two years ago. Now there are four. But those campuses remain outnumbered by low-performing charters: 11 this year across the region, up from eight a couple years ago.

Talks Continue On Home-School, Charter-School Athletes
Deseret Morning News, Utah, August 14, 2007
For the fourth time in three months, state legislators discussed with the Utah High School Activities Association how charter and home-school students might be more uniformly offered the chance to play prep sports for their home boundary public high school.

Bills In Line To Overhaul Funding
The Evening Sun, Pennsylvania, August 14, 2007
As taxpayer-funded cyber charter schools grow in popularity, bills that would overhaul the way they are funded are attracting more attention in the Capitol.

Panel Votes To Revoke Yo! Academy Charter
Commercial Appeal, Tennessee, August 14, 2007
The Memphis Board of Education's Academic Programs and Services Committee voted 7-2 Monday night to revoke the charter of Yo! Academy charter school immediately. The full board will meet in special session at 7:30 tonight to take official action.

Charter School Debt Prompts State Audit
Arkansas Democrat Gazette, August 14, 2007
The Arkansas Department of Education has asked the State Bureau of Legislative Audit to review the finances of the Haas Hall Academy Charter School in Farmington, following notice that the charter school owes the Arkansas Teacher Retirement System as much as $53,000.

Monday, August 13, 2007

Back to Failing Schools
Wall Street Journal, August 13, 2007
In a couple of weeks, tens of thousands of underprivileged kids will head back to failing public schools in metro Atlanta. School choice proponents are eager to provide these students with alternatives, but the local school boards won't let them. Welcome to another sorry example of the education empire striking back against reformers.

Achievement Gap Is Narrowing
USA Today, August 13, 2007
I want to commend USA TODAY for its editorial "An illusion gains credibility" (Our view, Improving education debate, Aug. 6). Unfortunately, in his opposing view, Reg Weaver, president of the National Education Association, enlarges the education illusion ("Key subjects get short shrift," Opposing view, Improving education debate, Aug. 6).

Stipends, Training for Teachers Fuel Debate
Washington Post, DC, August 12, 2007
Prince George's County schools are offering new teachers stipends to pay for professional development, Montgomery County is hiring instructional coaches, Fairfax and Arlington county schools will have some smaller classes and Loudoun County teachers will have the chance to take free college courses -- all thanks to the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Head of City's Arabic School Steps Down Under Pressure
New York Times, August 11, 2007
The principal of New York City's first public school dedicated to the study of Arabic language and culture resigned under pressure yesterday, days after she was quoted defending the use of the word "intifada" as a T-shirt slogan.

Schools Improve After Lawsuit, Study Says
Los Angeles Times, California, August 12, 2007
Three years after the settlement of a class-action lawsuit brought on behalf of California's poorest students, a new study has found that teaching and learning conditions in the state's lowest-performing schools have improved.

Black Leaders Rethink Vouchers
St. Petersburg Times, Florida, August 12, 2007
For years, teachers and others who opposed private school vouchers in Florida could count on black lawmakers to stand with them. But there are signs that support may be cracking.

DPS Plants Seed For Science Achievement
Denver Post, Colorado, August 11, 2007
Cheryl Lydon, science coordinator for Denver Public Schools, hands teachers seeds and sections of trees and asks how one became the other. "Where did the stuff come from that turned that seed into a tree?" she asks the teachers, who are gathered to learn about the district's new science curriculum.

School Reform Must Set Goals To Be Effective
Albany Times Union, New York, August 13, 2007
Last April, the state Legislature enacted the 2007-2008 Education Budget and Reform Act, which allocated a historic increase in school funding (more than $7 billion during the next four years), created a new distribution formula based on need, and established new transparency and accountability measures in school finance, notably the Contract for Excellence.

Schools Chief Says Reading Is Main Focus
San Diego Union Tribune, California, August 12, 2007
Superintendent Joyce Bales faced plenty of challenges when she came from Colorado to head the Vista Unified School District in June 2006.

State's Superintendent Stands By School Choice
Augusta Chronicle, Georgia, August 12, 2007
State Education Superintendent Jim Rex said Friday that next year's public school choice legislation will focus on expanding students' options within schools and districts, while making transfers between districts voluntary.

Cleveland Schools CEO Must Pick The Right Battles To Balance Reform And Public Support
Cleveland Plain Dealer, Ohio, August 11, 2007
But his first foray into school choice has drawn more controversy than new admissions. With fewer than two weeks to go before the start of the 2007-08 year, all four of Cleveland's single-gender academies still have dozens of openings.

Bonita Charter Tries To Overcome The Turmoil
Naples Daily News, Florida, August 13, 2007
Another school year is days away at Bonita Springs Charter School. For many, the turmoil that enveloped the beloved, high-achieving school just three months ago is over. It's last year's front-page news.

Schools Push To Help Low-Income Students Catch Up
Muncie Star Press, Indiana, August 12, 2007
Time and again, research has shown the correlation between poverty and student achievement, local educators say. But now that link is even more crucial as educators are accountable for student achievement under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and Indiana's accountability law, Public Law (PL) 221.

Schools Plan Needs Work
St. Petersburg Times, Florida, August 12, 2007
The latest version of Pinellas County's proposed student assignment plan reduces the options for high school students in ways that may produce unintended consequences and are at odds with a survey of parents that School Board members used as a guide.

Intense Reforms Begin To Mend Broken School
Columbus Dispatch, Ohio, August 12, 2007
The radical overhaul at Livingston Elementary -- a new principal and nearly all-new teachers -- didn't bring better test scores right away. But the second year's efforts at the South Side school have begun to wipe away years of academic decay.

Teachers Sue School District, Union
Boston Globe, Massachusetts, August 11, 2007
Two teachers and a former principal are suing both their school district and teachers' union for alleged negligence and age discrimination in negotiating an early-retirement program later found to be illegal.

Heading Into High School With a Running Start
Washington Post, DC, August 12, 2007
The first day of high school can be a nerve-racking, nail-biting experience for even the most cool-headed adolescent: There are friends to be made, lockers to unjam and packs of self-important seniors to avoid.

System Charts Pupil Progress
Baltimore Sun, Maryland, August 11, 2007
For years, parents have complained that report cards skimp on the details and don't go far enough in helping them understand what their children have - or haven't - learned in school.

Equality In Education
Salt Lake Tribune, Utah, August 12, 2007
Voucher supporters claim that vouchers are aimed at helping "the poor" afford private schooling. How noble. Realistically, what percentage of private school students are poor?

Charter Schools' Rolls Eyed
Boston Globe, Massachusetts, August 12, 2007
With school districts buckling under fiscal pressures, a growing movement is underway to bring back some public money that is now being funneled to charter schools.

Feuding Charter School Board Seeks Guidance From State
Chicago Daily Herald, Illinois, August 13, 2007
Prairie Crossing Charter School's board president says she doesn't want bickering among her colleagues to hurt education there, so she's asked a state agency for help.

Tests Show Student Achievement Gap Closing
Quad City Online, Iowa, August 11, 2007
Recent tests show progress is being made in closing the achievement gap for minority students, state education officials said. Results from recent Iowa Basic Skills tests show that reading scores for fourth- and eight-graders improved across the board from four years ago.

Evansville Considers Charter School
Janesville Gazette, Wisconsin, August 11, 2007
Finding ways for school administrators to keep students from leaving their home districts through open enrollment is a problem many face. Adding a charter school is one way the Evansville district might try to keep more state funds flowing its way.

Charter Schools Grow In Northwest Arkansas
Springdale Morning News, Arkansas, August 12, 2007
One ninth-grader prefers toe shoes over trigonometry. She attends the Northwest Arkansas Fine Arts Academy in Rogers. Another high school student would rather solve variables than play the violin. He attends Haas Hall Academy in Farmington.