Quote: Highways Without Safety Rails
“It’s as if the federal government had spent billions for new highway construction, butnothing to put up guardrails along the sides of those highways.”
-- Greg Richmond, president of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, at a House education hearing on Wednesday
Reform: First, Fire All The Teachers
A roundup of news coverage about the Central Falls HS turnaround story and other related conflicts:
Plan to fire all its teachers roils poor RI city Washington Post: The blue-and-white banner exclaiming "anticipation" on the front of Central Falls High School seems like a cruel joke for an institution so chronically troubled that its leaders decided to fire every teacher by year's end.
A Jumble of Strong Feelings After Vote on a Troubled SchoolNYT: In hopes of a “turnaround,” all the faculty members at an underperforming high school in Rhode Island are fired.
L.A. Unified is sued over teacher layoffs at 3 low-performing schools LA TImes: Suit seeks to prevent further teacher cuts at the campuses, already hard hit by budget-related layoffs, saying the students are not being well served.
Chicago Teachers Union sues Board of Ed over possible reassignments/layoffs Chicago Now: The Chicago Teachers Union is suing the Chicago Board of Education to stop it from designating certain schools for "turnaround" and "consolidation" which the union argues would effectively lead to layoffs and be a violation of the TAP (Teacher Advancement) programs.
It's not a joke when reform reaches peoples' jobs, especially during tough economic times. Failure to resolve any one of these high-profile cases would affect school reform efforts nationally.
News: LAUSD Board Snubs Charters, Cortines
L.A. School Board Snubs Charter School Operators Associated Press: The Los Angeles Board of Education on Tuesday voted to reject a number of applications from charter school operators, choosing instead to hand control of nearly 30 schools to nonprofit educational groups formed by teachers and administrators already employed by the district.
As U.S. Aid Grows, Oversight Is Urged for Charter Schools NYT: The president of one influential charter group told the House Education and Labor Committee that the federal government had spent $2 billion since the mid-1990s to finance new charter schools but less than $2 million, about one-tenth of 1 percent, to ensure that they were held to high standards.
School Laptop Spying Allegations Raise Privacy Questions NPR: A high school student in suburban Philadelphia is suing his school district for allegedly spying on him through the webcam of a school-issued laptop. Are such practices are widespread in schools and corporations? (Plus: Pa. educator says she didn't watch student webcams)
Obama Official Applauds Rhode Island Teacher Firings CBS News: "This is hard work and these are tough decisions, but students only have one chance for an education," Duncan said, adding that "when schools continue to struggle we have a collective obligation to take action." [see next post above for more]
As U.S. Aid Grows, Oversight Is Urged for Charter Schools NYT: The president of one influential charter group told the House Education and Labor Committee that the federal government had spent $2 billion since the mid-1990s to finance new charter schools but less than $2 million, about one-tenth of 1 percent, to ensure that they were held to high standards.
School Laptop Spying Allegations Raise Privacy Questions NPR: A high school student in suburban Philadelphia is suing his school district for allegedly spying on him through the webcam of a school-issued laptop. Are such practices are widespread in schools and corporations? (Plus: Pa. educator says she didn't watch student webcams)
Obama Official Applauds Rhode Island Teacher Firings CBS News: "This is hard work and these are tough decisions, but students only have one chance for an education," Duncan said, adding that "when schools continue to struggle we have a collective obligation to take action." [see next post above for more]