Media: When Journalists Do Their Own Data Analysis
Behind the scenes, Green Dot charter schools and the LA Times continue to debate the merits of the paper's story from last week (‘LAUSD bests reform groups in most cases), which purported to show that low-performing district schools were making more progress than turnarounds operated by Green Dot or the Mayor's cluster of schools which are operated by outside nonprofits. Read below if you're interested in what Green Dot's saying, how the newspaper has responded, and what the implications are for other newsrooms interested in conducting their own research.
What Green Dot disputes (see email below) is whether it's fair to compare district schools in the bottom 20 percent with schools where outside management has been brought in, which are in the bottom 5-10 percent. The charter network also argues that the LAT's analysis omits retention effects (ie, the impact on scores of lower dropout rates). And
AM News: Newark Sued Over $100M Facebook Donation
Parents, ACLU Sue N.J. City Over Facebook Records NPR: Parents sued because they were denied access to records requested under New Jersey's Open Public Records Act; the city maintains the information is privileged.
NCLB forces transfer decisions AJC: The 300 transfer students, now housed four miles away from Druid Hills in the shadow of a Walmart in a less affluent part of the county, must take a bus to the main campus if they want to participate in sports or other extracurricular activities. Their testing scores will count toward Druid Hills’ scores.
Newest Race to the Top stresses early ed. metrics Politics K-12: The U.S. Department of Education is telegraphing what it deems to be the most important part of improving early childhood in states: developing a public rating system for those programs.
NYC announces major layoffs The New York Times: Nearly 780 employees of the New York City Education Department will lose their jobs by October, in the largest layoff at a single agency since Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg took office in 2002.
Decade later, schools find lessons in 9/11 AP: It's etched forever in the minds of their teachers, but for the majority of school children, Sept. 11, 2001, is a day of infamy they don't remember.
Some D.C. schools damaged in quake, others await inspection Washington Post: The school system is reporting that about 12 schools sustained structural damage, but they are still assessing the others.
MORE NEWS ITEMS BELOW
Chicago pushes for extended day, teacher's union pushes back Chicago Tribune: Chicago Public Schools on Tuesday launched their plans to extend students' time in the classroom by 90 minutes each and by two weeks each year and set up an advisory committee to figure out how it'll be done. Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis said she would decline an invitation to serve on the committee.
Kansas City charters could owe city millions EdWeek: At issue is a requirement that the Kansas City and St. Louis school districts pass on money to the charter schools when students who live within the boundaries of the two districts decide to attend the experimental public schools, which are free from some state regulations.
Ackerman's long, tumultuous final act Philadelphia Public School Notebook: The School Reform Commission and former Philly Superintendent Arlene Ackerman had “mutually” agreed in principle almost two months ago that she would leave the District, according to Mayor Michael Nutter.
New way to school in Seattle Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Financially pressed Seattle Public Schools will consolidate bus stops and routes this coming school in hopes of saving $4 million annually.