Happy New Year! The first half of the first month of 2013 is not even finished and already the momentum — and opposition — around education reform is building. To wit:

STATE POLICY MATTERS. Kudos to StudentsFirst for their new report card, which offers some different perspective on the issues facing policymakers and parents. If Ed Reform is a College Student, this is akin to yet another professor weighing in on his competency in particular areas. But it’s the cumulative GPA that really matters in the end. CER comments today.

UNION POWER?? It’s like Randi Weingarten was suddenly Captain Renault in Casablanca: “I’m shocked, shocked to find gambling going on here!” Her line to Mayor Bloomberg’s characterization of the union being as powerful as the NRA might as well have been: “I’m shocked, shocked that anyone thinks we have as much power as the NRA!” The union was offended and tied the remark to the recent tragedies in Newton. For shame! Whether one likes it or not, the NRA is a powerful political lobby for a cause and members, and that’s what “Hizoner” was saying when the union decided to once again stand in the way of a new teacher evaluation law from being implemented. That law got the union and the Governor of NY and Bloomberg great press TWO YEARS AGO and is STILL NOT IMPLEMENTED, and is one of those laws that US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan attributes to Race to the Top pressure. Ah, but as we predicted, there is more to getting policy changed than getting a law passed, and like so many places, the initial oohhs and aahhs that surround the union becoming progressive turns out to be all about the talk, not the walk. Deputy Mayor Howard Wolfson said :”As the mayor has said before, the union is a special-interest group focused on advancing its agenda, whether it’s in the public interest or not. Their refusal to agree to a fair evaluation deal is just the latest example of this.” Ya think?

PROMISES PROMISES. Does anyone else find it odd that Sec. Duncan won’t approve California’s waiver request because it fails to promise the state will adopt a teacher evaluation component tied to test scores, while states that have been approved – or given federal monies on the condition of doing so, like NY – have yet to have more than some smoke and mirror proposals that use words like “evaluation” and “student growth” but in reality, leaves it all up to the unions to approve? At least Gov Brown isn’t gaming the system by simply promising to do something that won’t result in performance pay anyway!

OUT WITH THE OLD. The above piece on New York is an example of why real reformers not only don’t eat quiche, but they fight to keep authentic, substantive education reform in play. Oh sure, it’s much more popular to say we compromised and everyone got a win, but that doesn’t happen when kids continue to be mis-educated. Here’s what we had to say about this in the Huffington Post.

A GOV WHO GETS IT. A governor resolved to fight for reform, no holes barred; that’s Maine’s Paul LePage, a tough talking leader who was willing to take a rolled back charter law to get the reform started but got no reward from oppositional board members and the Blob, who have continued to throw obstacles in the way of new proposals. But rather than back down, the Maine Gov not only announced he’d be moving to lift the 10 in 10 years cap, but that the two new charters opening would not see their budgets reduced in their opening year. Some see that as wrong, since all districts are experiencing cuts, but then the districts actually get 30% more in costs to begin with, plus facilities support, so really, it’s still not equity, for charters, but it’s a start. The state’s charter commission is meeting today to consider additional charter applications, plus a virtual school proposal they tabled out of some kind of fear of new innovations. Let’s hope they’ve come around, and Gov, while you’re at it, you might consider real multiple authorizers not tied to the state. The commission model is not effective.

HITE’S HYPE. A big announcement, bold words, lengthy blueprint. That’s the talk in Philly where Superintendent Bill Hite is trying his best to turn around a bankrupt, failed school system. Closing failing schools is part of it, creating his own blended learning model, more accountability — these are all good things to be sure, but there’s no mention of consequences for adults who don’t reform or real expansion of school choice. See for yourself.

GEORGIA IS JUST PEACHY. According to a new report released by the state education department, fewer than 1% of teachers in the state (including typically low performers like DeKalb County) are unsatisfactory. In another Race to the Top state which promised major improvements in exchange for money, reformers may want to pause to consider whether the infusion is being used as a game changer, or simply funding the system.

PRE-K-3. AppleTree is one of those great charter schools that Washington DC leaders talked about in their Washington Post opinion piece last week, which is why anyone in town on Monday, January 14th should consider learning what AppleTree knows about educating the very young. For more info on the event click here.

LOTS MORE NEWS….Albeit without the commentary, available here every day.

The federal Race to the Top competition is making school districts dole out far more money than they’re receiving from the program, according to school officials and experts.

For some districts, it’s wreaking havoc.

“Race to the Top has turned the district upside down,” said Monticello School Superintendent Daniel Teplesky. “The teachers are anxious.”

It seems that the program has teachers in Newburgh so anxious that some aired their grievances at a Board of Education meeting recently. “Teachers are depressed, demoralized, and that serves no one, especially not our students,” said teachers association president Art Plichta to the school board.

As for Newburgh Schools Superintendent Ralph Pizzo, he’s blaming mandates, though not specifically RTTT, for soaring costs that have put the district “roughly $10 million above the tax cap.”

In an open letter that he posted online a couple of weeks ago, he expressed concerns about cutting programs and closing a school. He did not return calls for comment.

There are a lot of changes, including a new teacher- and principal-evaluation system, a new curriculum that’s aligned with new learning standards as well as more tests for students and more training for teachers.

The costs of implementing RTTT have been outlined in a new report by Ken Mitchell, a schools superintendent in Rockland County.

He looks at districts in the Lower Hudson and offers hard numbers illustrating the huge disparity been what they actually receive from the program and what they must spend in order to participate in it.

The study was done for SUNY New Paltz’s Center for Research, Regional Education and Outreach and has been posted on its website.

“This is what happens when you have folks running federal and state educational systems, when they have never really been around the systems they are purporting to run,” said Middletown School Superintendent Ken Eastwood, who called the study “dead on.”

Middletown, as well as Monticello, Florida and Wallkill all expect to spend somewhere in the neighborhood of $250,000 this school year in order to meet the requirements of the program.

Some districts, such as Wallkill, will spend as much as nine times what they actually receive. Wallkill’s annual grant is $25,000. Florida’s annual grant is $4,415.

Still, superintendents are not about to pan the program totally.

“We believe the changes being promoted are responsive to the changing world for which we are preparing our students,” said Florida Schools Superintendent Diane Munro.

“While we are deeply concerned about the costs, we see the potential payoff for the investment, and are hopeful that the state will take action on the many other unfunded mandates that drain funds from instructional programs.”

Likewise, Wallkill Schools Superintendent Bill Hecht feels the program is worthwhile.

“I like the Common Core curriculum and the implementation of teacher and principal evaluations,” said Hecht. “My concern is that the timeline is an aggressive timeline that is causing stress on the system.”

While the jury is still out on whether the program will work, administrators are continuing their efforts to put it in place. “Once the bureaucratic setup of it is done, it will have to be reviewed and … it may take the four years to evaluate to see if it’s effective or not,” said Mary-Stephanie Corsones, Kingston’s assistant superintendent for curriculum.

The irony here is that unions are typically the ones pushing for more money and funding, but if they can’t have a say in where it goes, or if it puts their members in jeopardy of losing their job, then all of a sudden they aren’t screaming for more funding for education.

Whether or not these districts’ plans were truly reform-minded or not is another issue, and union refusal to sign on doesn’t necessarily indicate these plans were heavy on reform since in both districts unions were already experiencing disagreements pre-Race to the Top proposals.

The bigger point, however, is what we can learn from the first Race to the Top competitions. It isn’t federal grants that will bring about reform, but on-the-ground work from parents, advocates, and legislative leaders that can bring about real change.

FROM THE STATES

ALASKA

Only 3 Juneau Schools Meet AYP Standards
Juneau Empire, AK, August 14, 2012
Auke Bay Elementary School , Juneau Community Charter School and Johnson Youth Center were the only three schools among 14 in Juneau to meet AYP in all categories during the 2011-12 school district, according to data released Monday by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development.

CALIFORNIA

Charter Schools Benefit Communities
Santa Maria Times, CA, August 14, 2012
It’s no surprise many charter schools are popping up across the nation. One is planned in San Miguel in SLO County , and Orcutt Academy opened a couple years ago. There are also several smaller, home-study based charter schools in the Santa Maria Valley .

COLORADO

Thompson School District Staff Trains On New Evaluation System
Loveland Reporter Herald, CO, August 13, 2012
Nearly 200 Thompson School District employees — teachers, administrators and support staff — came together Monday to prepare for the first full school year of the Colorado Integration Project.

Global Village Academy Charter Proposed For D-11
Colorado Springs Gazette, CO, August 13, 2012
A group of community leaders is seeking to open a charter school in Colorado Springs School District 11 that blends language immersion and military traditions.

Cañon City School District Online Academy To Host Open House To Promote
Cañon City Daily Record, CO, August 13, 2012
The beginning of the 2012-13 school year also marks the start of the second year of the Cañon Online Academy.

FLORIDA

36 Apply For Charter Schools In Palm Beach County, As Popularity Grows
Palm Beach Post, FL, August 13, 2012
A growing number of applicants are clamoring to open charter schools in Palm Beach County , hoping to take advantage of a state Legislature that looks favorably on the alternative public school option.

ILLINOIS

Third Of CPS Schools Roll Out Longer Days
Chicago Tribune, IL, August 14, 2012
Students were back at their desks in more than a third of Chicago ‘s public schools Monday, taking on additional classes scheduled to fill the longer school day that created so much tension in teacher contract talks over the summer.

INDIANA

1st Classes For All-Boys Charter
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, August 14, 2012
A group of freshman students sat with their desks in a circle Monday, trying to get to know their fellow classmates at the Smith Academy for Excellence.

More School Choice For NWI Parents
Post-Tribune, IN, August 13, 2012
As schools open across Northwest Indiana , parents have more school options for their children than ever before, all with state tax dollars.

Gary School Chief Has Plans For Charter School
Post-Tribune, IN, August 13, 2012
New Gary Community School Corp. Superintendent Cheryl Pruitt told an assembly of teachers Monday she plans to ask the School Board to authorize the creation of a charter school within the next 60 days.

LOUISIANA

Parents Question Neville’s Future As Charter
Monroe News Star, LA, August 14, 2012
A small group of parents assembled at Neville High School Monday night to learn about the school’s future as a charter school — a future that was put on hold after the Monroe City School Board failed to approve the school’s contract last week.

Education Debates Continue
The Advertiser, LA, August 14, 2012
Local private schools accepting state taxpayer dollars as part of the Louisiana Scholarship Program use a wide range of curricula when it comes to teaching the origins of man and the universe.

When State Pays Church, We’re On A Slippery Road
The Advertiser, LA, August 14, 2012
Five schools in Lafayette Parish — Lafayette Christian Academy, John Paul the Great Academy, Immaculate Heart of Mary School, Holy Family Christian School and Gethsemane Christian Academy — are participating in the Louisiana K-12 Scholarship Program, meaning local students from poorly performing public schools can use vouchers to attend one of those five schools instead.

MASSACHUSETTS

Partnership Between New Bedford Elementary School And Friends Academy Had Successful First Year
South Coast Today, MA, August 14, 2012
An innovative partnership between Friends Academy and the city’s Hayden-McFadden Elementary School paid dividends in its first year, boosting teachers’ comfort with technology and starting to improve students’ performance in the classroom, according to a school official.

MICHIGAN

Muskegon Heights Charter Schools Have Less Than Half Of Desired Enrollment
The Muskegon Chronicle, MI, August 13, 2012
Enrollment at Muskegon Heights charter schools climbed to nearly 600 after an enrollment fair Saturday and school officials say they are prepared for an onslaught of unregistered students on the first day of school.

MISSISSIPPI

Merit Pay: Discipline Dictates Learning
Clarion Ledger, MS, August 14, 2012
As school begins for the 2012-13 term, teachers and administrators are setting the tone for what the learning atmosphere will be at their schools. It boils down to discipline and control, and it’s a critical factor in the education process.

MISSOURI

In Missouri’s School Performance Reports, KC Gets A Better Score
Kansas City Star, MO, August 14, 2012
The state’s annual performance reports for districts, released Tuesday, gave the unaccredited district two additional points, including a bonus for improvement on state performance tests.

St. Louis Schools Show Improvement, But Accreditation Remains Out Of Reach
St. Louis Beacon, MO, August 14, 2012
Missouri’s top educator says the St. Louis Public Schools are a success story that have shown marked progress since being taken over by the state, but they aren’t doing well enough to get out from under the control of Jefferson City just yet.

Imagine School Exiles Swell City Enrollment
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, August 14, 2012
Monday morning was a flurry of activity at the Academy of Environmental Sciences and Mathematics. Kids lugged backpacks. Parents clutched paperwork. School administrators stood curbside to field questions.

NEW JERSEY

Tenure Victory Shows what’s Possible
New Jersey Spotlight, NJ, August 13, 2012
Sponsored by Senator Teresa Ruiz, a Democrat, the tenure reform law will take effect in the 2013 school year. But tenure reform is not a partisan initiative; therefore, members of both parties were on board.

With New Superintendent, Changes Come Fast To Newark Schools
Star-Ledger, NJ, August 14, 2012
When DaShawn Boyd enrolled last fall as a freshman at Bard Early College High School he considered himself a top student. The 15-year-old had earned mostly A’s at Camden Middle School .

NORTH CAROLINA

New Single-Gender Academies Open in Wake
News & Observer, NC, August 14, 2012
In a scene that wouldn’t have been out of place at parochial schools in the past, lines of smartly dressed students started a new school year on Monday in separate boys’ and girls’ schools.

OREGON

Bethel Drops Charter School
Register-Guard, OR, August 14, 2012
While backers ask the district to retain HomeSource, school leaders promise to appeal the revocation

PENNSYLVANIA

Roberto Clemente Charter School Fighting Allentown School Board’s Rejection Of Proposed Expansion
Lehigh Valley Express-Times, PA, August 14, 2012
Eighteen months after the Allentown School Board rejected them, the Roberto Clemente Charter School is still fighting to open its doors to elementary students.

SOUTH CAROLINA

Incorporate Existing Program Into Turnaround Plan
The State, SC, August 14, 2012
IT’S HARD enough to turn around persistently failing schools under ideal circumstances. But the circumstances are never ideal. The schools largely reflect the pathologies of the surrounding neighborhoods, where deep poverty, broken families, high crime rates and a lack of role models conspire to produce children who are agonizingly difficult to teach.

TENNESSEE

6 Nashville Schools Fall Into State’s Lowest 5 Percent For Performance
The Tennessean, TN, August 14, 2012
The Tennessee Department of Education released its list Monday, basing it on student performance on spring standardized testing. It included Bailey, Brick Church , Gra-Mar and Smithson-Craighead middle schools and Buena Vista and Napier elementary schools in Nashville .

TEXAS

Audit Says Charter School’s Operator Broke Law
San Antonia Express-News, TX, August 14, 2012
Local charter school operator Shekinah Learning Institute violated state law when it entered into rental agreements with a church and day care center run by its superintendent, Cheryl Washington, a state audit found.

BACK TO SCHOOL: TLC Academy Offers Parents, Kids Best Of Both Worlds
San Angelo Standard Times, TX, August 13, 2012
TLC Academy will start its fourth school year Monday with an enrollment of 990 students, only 10 students fewer than its enrollment cap of 1,000, and with a waiting list of at least 100 students.

WISCONSIN

14 More Schools To Be Voucher Eligible
Journal Sentinel, WI, August 13, 2012
A year after Republican-backed legislation relaxed rules for entry into the Milwaukee school voucher program and also created a similar program in Racine , 123 private schools have met the state’s requirements to educate students with the help of taxpayer-funded subsidies this fall.

Tougher On Teachers — Unified To Pilot More Rigorous Teacher Evaluation System
Journal Times, WI, August 13, 2012
A few Unified teachers will get a taste this fall of a more rigorous evaluation system.
Racine Unified’s Julian Thomas Elementary School will pilot the state’s new teacher evaluation system this coming school year.

ONLINE SCHOOLS

Virtual Charter Schools On Horizon
Princeton Packet, NJ, August 13, 2012
After successfully opposing a K-2 Mandarin immersion charter school, officials in two local districts are now turning their attention to the world of virtual charters.

Chicago Virtual Charter School Gives Students A Chance To Succeed
Chicago Examiner, August 13, 2012
The Chicago Virtual Charter School (CVCS) is a unique school that blends online learning with brick-and-mortar schooling via curriculum provided by K12, Inc. The curriculum is both mastery based and rigorous, and CVCS currently serves close to 600 students, from grades kindergarten through 12.

Students Log On To Virtual School
The Advocate, LA, August 14, 2012
Some St. Martin Parish students started their first day of classes Monday at home — logged into the district’s new virtual school program that begins this year as a way to help students graduate on time or in some cases ahead of schedule.

Still Waiting For Evidence On IPads In Schools
Post-Bulletin, MN, August 14, 2012
Innovations tried by schools like Rochester have failed to improve achievement. No Child Left Behind, modular scheduling, whole language reading, “New Math,” process science, Writing to Read, outcome-based education — these are all examples of students losing when initiatives fail.

The Race to the Top program that awarded money in exchange for promises has hit expected roadblocks – impediments that are natural to a system that is disincentivized on a regular basis to restructure and improve operations.

As we pointed out at the beginning of the competition, states overpromised in their applications what they could get done to improve education. States wrote what reviewers wanted to see in order to win a grant, and now are faced with the real challenge of actually implementing these promises. New York won in the 2nd round, but we cautioned in the 1st round that “with constant opposition by teachers unions in New York, good luck getting any districts to support these education reforms, much less agree to implement them.” Today, the hostility between NYC education officials and the UFT is palpable and ten districts haven’t received any federal funds because they can’t reach an agreement regarding new teacher evaluations. The Empire state is but one example of good intentions gone awry. And while Secretary of Education Arne Duncan has made noises about pulling back funds, he simultaneously says that they are confident with more time states will get it right. NCLB might be everyone’s favorite whipping boy lately, but the consequence for not complying was real and resulted in money loss and more.

We hate to say we told you so, but without strong on-the-ground work of parents, advocates, and legislative leaders in each state who see that special interests have blocked educational opportunities and work to change that, these federal grants won’t bring about reform, just frustration.

Obama Tells Students: Discover New Passions
Washington Post, DC, September 28, 2011
For an incumbent president facing a tough reelection campaign, no public appearance is completely free of political content. But President Obama’s annual back-to-school speech to the nation’s students, delivered Wednesday at Benjamin Banneker Academic High School in Northwest Washington , was about as close as it gets.

No Child Waivers Make Sense For Now
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 29, 2011
Members of Congress railing against the Obama administration’s decision to grant waivers from the sweeping No Child Left Behind education law have little ground to stand on.

Coming Together to Dismantle Education Reform
TIME, September 29, 2011
A new consensus is emerging in education politics. But can the center hold? And would reformers even want it to? Bipartisanship is supposed to be a good thing — except for when Republicans and Democrats come together to try to paper over our education problems.

Teachers Union Launches Ad Campaign Supporting Obama Jobs Bill
The Hill, DC, September 28, 2011
The National Education Association (NEA) launched a multistate television ad campaign Wednesday in support of President Obama’s American Jobs Act.

Romney’s Race From the Top
American Spectator, September 29, 2011
The GOP field would rather ignore education altogether, even to the point of dismissing sensible, conservative ideas that could get better bang for taxpayers’ buck. This was particularly clear when Texas Gov. Rick Perry took aim at Romney for praising President Barack Obama’s school reform agenda.

FROM THE STATES

CALIFORNIA

Whitman Returns to Her Valley Roots

Wall Street Journal, September 29, 2011
The announcement of Ms. Whitman’s new job eclipsed another development: She and her husband, neurosurgeon Griffith Harsh IV, are donating at least $2.5 million to Summit Public Schools, a charter-school organization in Redwood City that is planning to create a “college-ready corridor” with 10 new local high schools over the next decade.

Rocky Point School, Gateway District Feud To
Record Searchlight, CA, September 28, 2011
A dispute that had a charter school talking litigation and its parent district broaching revocation may be nearing a close, officials from both organizations said Wednesday.

$12.6-Million Grant Will Open 13 New L.A. Charter Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 28, 2011
Two California-based charter school organizations have been awarded $12.6 million in federal grants to start 13 new campuses in Los Angeles, federal education officials announced Wednesday.

FLORIDA

From Minnesota to Miami: The History of Florida Charter Schools

State Impact NPR, September 28, 2011
Charter schools are an idea dreamed up by an obscure education professor in the 1970s which have grown into a primary alternative to traditional public schools.

Milburn Academy Grabs Attention of NAACP
Bradenton Herald, FL, September 29, 2011
Richard Milburn Academy, an alternative charter school catering to 17- to 22-year-olds, continues to garner attention since Manatee County School Superintendent Tim McGonegal recommended the school be closed.

Volusia County School Board Approves Expansion of Daytona Beach Charter High School
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL, September 29, 2011
A plan to expand a Daytona Beach charter high school to serve students in sixth, seventh and eighth grades passed its first review by the Volusia County School Board.

GEORGIA

Fulton School System Pushes To Submit Charter System Petition By End Of The Year

Revue & News , GA, September 28, 2011
Faced with a December deadline to submit a petition to the state, leaders of the Fulton County School System are finalizing the process, which could lead to Fulton becoming Georgia ’s largest charter school system.

ILLINOIS

Hard To Duck Plague of Bad Schools

Chicago Sun Times, IL, September 28, 2011
Hallelujah!” “Thank you, Jesus!” some shouted as the balls were plucked and winners were announced that summer night. Such was the admissions process for Southland College Preparatory, a new charter school in the south suburbs then scheduled to open in fall 2010.

INDIANA

Planning Under Way For 2 Area Charters

Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, September 29, 2011
The Fort Wayne Urban League and a central Indiana charter school operator have filed initial paperwork seeking the OK to open new charter schools in Fort Wayne.

LOUISIANA

Coalition Opposes Gov. Bobby Jindal’s Picks For State Education Board

Times Picayune, LA, September 28, 2011
A coalition of state groups pushing to throw a road block in front of Louisiana ’s current approach to public school reform released a partial list of endorsements for state board of education races Wednesday.

MARYLAND

Howard’s School Choice

Baltimore Sun, MD, September 28, 2011
One of the great ironies of education reform in Maryland is that for all the standardization and testing directed at the classroom, the one place where there’s no clear-cut formula for success is how school boards should be selected. Some boards are elected by voters (with candidates running at-large or by district), some are appointed (or appointed and then affirmed by vote) while others are hybrids of the two.

MASSACHUSETTS

Contract Bid Issue Clouds State’s Role On Charter School

Gloucester Times, MA, September 28, 2011
The letter sent by Inspector General Gregory Sullivan to the state’s education commissioner regarding the Gloucester Community Arts Charter School’s no-bid contracts doesn’t really raise new questions regarding the school.

MICHIGAN

Save Scarce Funding For Classrooms

The Detroit News, MI, September 29, 2011
Around 40 districts in Michigan — 7 percent of districts — pay some teachers to work at least half of their time on union matters, according to a report earlier this year from Michigan Capitol Confidential, an arm of the free-market Mackinac Center for Public Policy. That’s a significant number, and many more districts allow teachers some free time, known as release time, to conduct union business.

Covington Starts Work with Detroit School Visits
The Detroit News, MI, September 29, 2011
The man hired to operate a statewide system for failing schools visited Detroit schools for the first time Wednesday and came away with a few observations — both good and bad.

Senate Panel Backs Lifting Cap On Michigan Charter Schools
Detroit Free Press, MI, September 28, 2011
A bill that would lift the cap on opening charter schools in Michigan – allowing for an unlimited number of charters to open – was approved this afternoon by the Senate Education Committee.

Readers Ask Whether Public Money Should Go To For-Profit Charter School Management Companies
Grand Rapids Press, MI, September 28, 2011
Lifting Michigan’s cap on charter schools is expected to be discussed today at a state Senate Education Committee, as lawmakers consider a sweeping package of school reforms backed by Republicans.

MISSOURI

Charter Schools Need Serious Reforms, Report Finds

St. Louis Beacon, MO, September 28, 2011
More than 10 years after the first charter school opened in St. Louis, too many charters have fallen short of their promise and need more financial help, stricter oversight and stronger incentives to improve student achievement, a report released this week by FOCUS St. Louis concludes.

Charter Schools Should Do Right, or Close Down
St. Louis American, MO, September 29, 2011
I am supportive of children receiving a quality education, no matter where they go to school – district, charter, private, virtual or home-school.

Lawmakers Tackle Unaccredited School Exodus
Missouri New Horizon, MO, September 29, 2011
With several thousand more Missouri public school students about to join the ranks of those attending unaccredited districts, a legislative committee hopes to make sure those students get the best education possible without overwhelming nearby accredited school districts with a sudden surge in enrollment.

NEW JERSEY

N.J. Senator Challenges State Department Of Education To Reveal Those Who Voluntarily Select New Charter Schools

Star-Ledger, NJ, September 18, 2011
Citing possible conflicts of interest on the part of volunteer reviewers who helped select new charter schools, a New Jersey state senator filed a legal challenge to force the state Department of Education to turn over the reviewers’ names.

NEW YORK

Charter School Accused Of Scrimping On Student Supplies And Support Under State Investigation

New York Daily News, NY, September 29, 2011
A controversial Bedford-Stuyvesant charter school that parents charge is shortchanging students on supplies and services is being audited by the state controller’s office.

Mount Vernon Lawsuit Against Amani Charter School Goes To Albany On Friday
The Journal News, NY, September 29, 2011
The Mount Vernon Board of Education will take its legal battle against the city’s first charter school to Albany on Friday, amid an intensifying money dispute.

NORTH CAROLINA

Teacher Effectiveness Focus Is Good Move

Charlotte Observer, NC, September 29, 2011
With this understatement Tuesday, Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board member Rhonda Lennon summed up the fiasco that CMS’s pay-for-performance plan had become: “We got off on the wrong foot.”

PENNSYLVANIA

Pocono Mountain Charter School Celebrates Ruling By Appeals Board

Pocono Record, PA, September 29, 2011
The Tobyhanna charter school held a building-wide celebration Wednesday about the news the state will allow it to stay open. The event was a rousing, clapping, screaming event that busted through the politics and legalities of the long-standing fight that broke it down into one simple message — the school staying open.

Foundation Applies for Charter in CUSD
Delaware County Daily Times, PA, September 29, 2011
A private foundation that partnered with the Chester Upland School District to form an integrated arts elementary school has decided to pull from the partnership and apply for a charter school within the district.

RHODE ISLAND

Conn. Charter School Impresses Chafee

Providence Journal, RI, September 28, 2011
Governor Chafee on Tuesday praised an experimental school in Connecticut for helping poor urban students score as well on tests as their peers in more affluent suburbs.

TENNESSEE

Teacher Evaluations Questioned As Time-Consuming

Commercial Appeal, TN, September 29, 2011
Legislators across the state say the new process for teacher evaluations — starting this year — happened too fast and needs to slow down before teachers and principals rise up in revolt.

WASHINGTON

Core Academic Standards Bring Promise of Consistent Student Preparation

Seattle Times, WA, September 28, 2011
A coherent educational system with the opportunity of education truly equalized is the promise of a set of core academic standards adopted by about 40 states so far, including Washington.

VIRTUAL LEARNING

Online Courses Aim To Keep Students On Track To Graduate

Maryland Independent, MD, September 28, 2011
Jasmine Jones, a senior at Great Mills High School, says now that she didn’t do so well the second half of her junior year, mainly because she stopped going to school regularly.

Georgia Cyber Academy Means School Anytime and Anywhere
WXIA-TV, GA, September 18, 2011
Ten-year-old Isabella Kessinger of Alpharetta is in Washington, D.C. , this week and visiting all the historic sites: Lincoln Monument , the King Memorial, the FDR Memorial and more. She’s also spending at least five hours a day in school.

Students, Money Go To East TN Virtual School
The Tennessean, TN, September 28, 2011
The Dickson County School System has lost several students and tax dollars to Union County – a tiny county of less than 18,000 people in East Tennessee.

Axner, State Task Force To Study Online Learning
The Week Dublin, OH, September 29, 2011
Dublin City Schools Superintendent David Axner is one of 20 school leaders in Ohio to be drafted for the Ohio Digital Learning Task Force.

New Jersey has a dismal record when it comes to getting extra education money from Washington.

Most people remember the state’s lost bid for up to $400 million in “Race to the Top” funds last year. But that’s not the only rejection notice the Department of Education has received from Washington.

Over the summer, New Jersey lost its bid for $15 million for charter school startups. That’s not an insignificant amount to schools struggling to cobble together enough funding to open their classroom doors.

What makes this rejection even worse is that it marks the third consecutive year the federal education purse-string holders have said no to New Jersey’s charter schools.

So why did the state lose out? This one wasn’t because of an application error. It was more fundamental. The federal review panel found that the New Jersey charter law was wanting. The members said the law wasn’t what it should be when it comes to the number of institutions empowered to authorize and monitor charters. That was the most often cited shortcoming, but there were others.

Spotty oversight of the school performance and inequitable funding were two.

The Obama administration isn’t the only one to cite inadequacies of the New Jersey law. The National Alliance for Public Charter Schools ranks New Jersey 26 out of 41 when it comes to measuring up to a model law.

Now is the time for New Jersey to act, especially since the $250 million federal program that provides startup funding for charter schools is about to be changed. Earlier this month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed with bipartisan support a bill that calls for improving collaboration between traditional and charter public schools, improves facilities funding programs and urges states to work with charters in serving all students.

None of these policy areas are even mentioned in New Jersey’s 15-year old charter law. There are several ways to improve the law to ensure New Jersey doesn’t lose out of federal funding again.

How the legislature goes about the task — with a backpack jammed with a political agenda or with an earnest intent to improve the charter system — will go a long way in determining how many kids will be afforded the education that charters offer. This state review comes at a crucial time for charter schools, which finally have an ardent supporter in the governor. His administration has plans for adding 45 to 60 new charters every year. Nine new charter schools are opening their doors to serve students, bringing the total to eighty.

Most on the review federal panel thought that number was realistic, but all noted that significant changes to the charter approval process were necessary for it to happen.

Currently, only the state Department of Education can authorize and monitor charter schools. As the number of charter applications multiplies significantly, it will be necessary to have a number of high-quality, nonpartisan institutions with the power to approve and oversee them.

Numerous other states including New York, Colorado, Michigan, and Indiana allow multiple institutions to grant approvals for charter schools. In fact 31 other states (of the 41 with charter laws) have approval processes rated better than New Jersey’s.

The lack of multiple authorizers was cited again and again by the federal panel members.

The panel’s report said that vesting all power in the state education administration causes practical as well as political problems and doesn’t provide for a stable environment for charter schools.

As one reviewer put it:

“NJDOE is currently the only authorizer. No evidence provided that the legislature will pass the bill for multiple authorizers. It was difficult to determine from the information provided whether the changes would remain if the current administration were to leave.”

The message couldn’t be any clearer. New Jersey is losing millions in federal education dollars because the law is inadequate. The New Jersey Charter Schools Association has recognized that reality for some time and has been working to bring the state law into conformity with standards characteristic of a high-quality charter school program.

We welcome changes that would provide for more intense performance reviews and clear standards that must be met for a charter school to remain open.

In fact, the association supports a proposal for a fixed-term, renewable, performance-based contract between a charter school and its authorizer.

But to accomplish tighter quality control the state needs help. The law must allow the state to authorize more institutions to be involved in the charter school system and provide clear authorizer accountability.

Other areas of the law are in need of revisions as well include ongoing monitoring of schools and sufficient oversight from the state.

One of the panel’s members noted:

“Although a number of reports and data is provided to the [state] and its employees, there is limited discussion of what they do with that data to ensure quality charters operate in the state.”

Another concern was inequitable funding. It’s a problem that both the federal review panel and the National Alliance have noted.

By law, New Jersey’s charter school students are to receive 90 percent of the classroom funding that their counterparts in traditional public schools receive. In practice that percent is much lower, about 71 percent on average. Add to that charter schools receive no funding to cover facilities or other capital expenses and it’s clear that charter school students are being shortchanged.

All these changes are necessary if New Jersey is to have an efficient charter school system that serves its students well.

After being told time and again that the law needs revising the state’s leaders need to act.

New Jersey’s children can’t afford to wait any longer.

“Unfortunately, I had not actually sat down and read the research on school choice and achievement for myself,” Obama admitted during a press conference this morning. “I trusted the counsel of those who supposedly had. I can admit when I am wrong, and in this case, I see that offering options to parents is not only changing lives, but, on a large scale, can lift our entire school system to new heights. That’s exactly what this White House is all about.”

Joined at the podium by Education Secretary Arne Duncan, the President outlined their proposal to launch a competition that, like its predecessor ‘Race to the Top’, asks states to collaborate with stakeholders to win gobs of cash. Only, this time, according to Duncan, “the stakeholders will not be teachers unions and school boards, but parents and students. We screwed up last time and relied on the input of those we thought had the best interests of kids in mind. We wanted urgency. What we got was a pile of promises that have not only been sitting in limbo for over a year, but in some cases abandoned entirely.”

Duncan also revealed that no outside consultancy would be accepted to boost the chances states have to win. “For ‘Race to the Top’, my staff was reading the same application over and over again. Only the state names changed.”

To prove his point, he brought up the winning applications of Maryland and Hawaii. “Honestly, we were just flipping coins at the end,” he said.

Details of the plan are still being put in place, but Obama clearly planted his Administration’s flag in the school choice camp today, going so far as to express admiration for state leaders such as Mitch Daniels of Indiana, Chris Christie of New Jersey and Tom Corbett of Pennsylvania.

“Those guys have been so right on this issue for so long, and I just didn’t see it. I’m trying to put a Beer Summit together between them, Eleanor Holmes Norton, George Miller and the NEA to get the truth about school choice out there.”

Also in the news, today is April 1st.

The common theme running through many (too many) teacher evaluation proposals is time. We need time to create new evaluations. We need time to observe a teacher (after taking the time to build them up). We need time to create a plan based on our observations. We need to give them time to prove they can get better (or not). We need time to figure out if they should be doing something other than teaching.

The problem with ‘borrowing time’ is that no one wants to quantify what that means – how much we need, how soon, and whether we really even need more to begin with.

Before ‘Race to the Top’, states grappled with the notion of paying teachers based on performance, and some attempted modest measures, but most fell short. ‘Race to the Top’ further encouraged evaluation systems, but guidelines conveyed no urgency and states needed simply to promise changes. Evaluation systems adopted have proved fuzzier than many originally thought. Now with budget struggles in states and more understanding that first-hired/last-fired policies actually harm kids (what a discovery!), state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are pushing hard to put hard, firm measurements with consequences in place…

Read the entire post HERE.

How’d all that work out for everyone?

- Maryland and Hawaii winning ‘Race to the Top’ money? For what, exactly? They’ll be battling their unions until 2015 just to move the dial slightly on any of their promises.

- ESEA reauthorization during an election year? Good luck.

- At least we learned a few things about turnarounds, namely that they aren’t going to work unless the culture of a failing school is turned on its head.

Before we get accused of ending a year on a sour note, though, allow us to throw ourselves into the group of hopefuls looking to 2011 as a year that gets things done for our kids and for our schools.

Why the positive change of heart, you ask?

November.

Beginning next Monday, a new Congress just might leave substantive education policy decisions in the hands of those who have been getting the job done all along – Governors and state legislators.

And so, we end 2010 as many began, hopeful that substantive changes will come to our schools in the form of greater choice for parents, real rewards for our best teachers and accountability for those who steer the ship.

To help this process along, we offer up these 10 Education Reform New Year’s Resolutions for state lawmakers:

1. Increase the ability of higher education, mayors and other independent entities to authorize charter schools so more children have access to quality public school options.

2. Eliminate arbitrary and unnecessary caps on the number of charter schools that can operate in a state and on the number of students who can attend charter schools.

3. Close the gap between the funding for traditional public schools and public charter schools.

4. Allow charter schools to operate with operational autonomy and teacher freedom-freeing these schools to innovate and develop new best practices that serve our children.

5. Develop a school voucher program or a scholarship tax credit program to provide private school choice for children with special needs.

6. Begin the process of creating data systems that allow teachers, principals, district officials and state officials to link student achievement to teacher performance.

7. Protect teacher’s paychecks by prohibiting automatic deductions of union expenses that aren’t related to collective bargaining.

8. Create a teacher merit pay pilot program that allows great teachers-ones who improve student achievement-to receive extra pay in recognition of their hard work.

9. Increase pay for teachers willing to teach high-needs subject areas and in high-needs schools.

10. Develop meaningful alternative routes to teacher certification for talented midcareer changers who want to become teachers.

Happy New Year!

(see you on the flip side)