Archive for the ‘Charter Schools’ Category

SCHOOL VOUCHERS WORK

Saturday, May 7th, 2011
  • The Wall Street Journal
    • MAY 3, 2011

    The Evidence Is In: School Vouchers Work

    A study published last year found that D.C. voucher recipients had graduation rates of 91%. That’s significantly higher than the public school average of 56%.

    ‘Private school vouchers are not an effective way to improve student achievement,” said the White House in a statement on March 29. “The Administration strongly opposes expanding the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program and opening it to new students.” But less than three weeks later, President Obama signed a budget deal with Republicans that includes a renewal and expansion of the popular D.C. program, which finances tuition vouchers for low-income kids to attend private schools.

    School reformers cheered the administration’s about-face though fully aware that it was motivated by political expediency rather than any acknowledgment that vouchers work.

    (more…)

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    NORTH CAROLINA CHARTER SCHOOL LEGISLATION

    Saturday, April 23rd, 2011


    Paul Stam, North Carolina House Majority Leader
    Senate Bill 8 – Charter Schools

    On Monday evening, Senate Bill 8, “An Act to Remove the Cap on the Number of Charter Schools,” passed the House by a vote of 68 – 51.  Despite its unanimous support from Republicans and one courageous Democrat, changes to the charter school legislation have raised questions by some as it now heads to conference.  Let’s clarify some of the concerns surrounding Senate Bill 8:

    The Cap

    For 15 years the number of charter schools has been capped at 100.  That cap will be removed.

    Both House and Senate versions of the SB 8 remove the cap on charter schools, but the House version places a per year limit on charter creation at 50.  While the original Senate version was unlimited, it was vigorously objected too.  So the House and Senate bill sponsors, in consultation with charter advocates, suggested a limit of 50 charters per year, not including renewals. (more…)

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    NORTH CAROLINA – NEW CHARTER SCHOOL LEGISLATION

    Saturday, April 16th, 2011

    Paul Stam, North Carolina House Majority Leader

    Senate Bill 8 – Charter Schools

    On Monday evening, Senate Bill 8, “An Act to Remove the Cap on the Number of Charter Schools,” passed the House by a vote of 68 – 51.  Despite its unanimous support from Republicans and one courageous Democrat, changes to the charter school legislation have raised questions by some as it now heads to conference.  Let’s clarify some of the concerns surrounding Senate Bill 8:

    The Cap

    For 15 years the number of charter schools has been capped at 100.  That cap will be removed.

    Both House and Senate versions of the SB 8 remove the cap on charter schools, but the House version places a per year limit on charter creation at 50.  While the original Senate version was unlimited, it was vigorously objected too.  So the House and Senate bill sponsors, in consultation with charter advocates, suggested a limit of 50 charters per year, not including renewals.

    Will the 50 per year limit take away the educational opportunity of students?  And will “restart charters” or “charter lite” schools count against the per year limit?

    We believe that 50 charters are more than would ever be approved in a year due to the application process.   And “restart charters” or “charter lite” schools do not count against the yearly limit.  They are not charter schools anyway.

    Governance

    Does SB 8 weaken charter school autonomy?

    The Public Charter School’s Commission, eight of whose thirteen members will be appointed by Speaker Tillis and President Pro Tem Berger, make recommendations that must be considered by the State Board of Education.  The consent of the State Board must not be unreasonably withheld.  And if the State Board ultimately rejects a recommendation of the Commission; it must not do so in an arbitrary or capricious manner. That is legalese for the applicant can go straight to court if the State Board tries to play games.   If the State Board of Education does not act on a commission recommendation within three months, then it is deemed approved. (more…)

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    JOHN LOCKE FOUNDATION – CAROLINA JOURNAL

    Friday, April 8th, 2011

    http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=ulink&fn=Link&ssid=315&id=0qlfuyakqee5tro0f4c0hudxd36m1&id2=dbrw8dp7akroowbleh0jln834kz9q&subscriber_id=bekuujwswyfydfuhrvnzsirgfbvibpm&delivery_id=beftyiyvrcmxdfgcpccjrknfaihrbck&tid=3.ATs.AqPFcw.CwNi.LFD-..NEDE.b..l.DO0.b.TZ3laQ.TZ3laQ.n_dgLA
    April 07, 2011 – carolinajournal.com
    Carolina Journal Exclusive

    VIDEO: Is DOT Double-Counting High-Speed Rail Jobs?
    By Anthony Greco
    RALEIGH — Under the job-years concept, if one person holds the same job for four years, it’s counted as four jobs. That’s how the North Carolina Department of Transportation can claim that federal funding for high-speed rail would create nearly 4,800 jobs when in fact only about 1,200 people would be employed.

    John Hood’s Daily Journal

    Reality Check on UNC Tuition
    As long as legislative appropriations cover the vast majority of the cost of educating students, the constitutional provision is satisfied.

    Headlines

    4.07.11 – Legislators see trouble in Perdue’s budget cuts

    4.07.11 – N.C. bills aim at constitutional changes

    4.07.11 – Private property safeguards OK’d by NC House panel

    4.07.11 – Second governor’s residence is getting an update

    4.07.11 – NC charter school overhaul bill back in committee

    4.07.11 – NC voter ID mandate approved by House committee

    4.07.11 – Perdue forms panel to help select judges

    4.07.11 – Ruling due on sex offenders’ access to Facebook social site

    4.07.11 – Bill to separate crime lab from SBI

    4.07.11 – Red-light camera ban zips through panel vote

    4.07.11 – Bill would shield citizens from suits like Titan’s

    4.07.11 – Charlotte region jobless rate falls

    4.07.11 – AT&T says 4G on the way, but some say, not so fast

    4.07.11 – Graham, Swain counties spar over Fontana dam funds

    4.07.11 – Red wolf litter on the way? Species needs blessed event

    (more…)

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    WEINGARTEN FOR THE UNION DEFENSE

    Sunday, March 27th, 2011
  • The Wall Street Journal
    • MARCH 26, 2011

    Teachers Union Chief Randi Weingarten on charter schools, reformers Michelle Rhee and Joel Klein, and her star turn in ‘Waiting for Superman.’

    New York

    Teachers unions are on the defensive these days. The Obama administration is pushing various measures long opposed by the unions: charter school expansion, pay-for-performance, teacher evaluations and more. States and localities are looking to change collective-bargaining rules and scale back costly, bloated education work forces that have grown even when student enrollment was flat or declining. And Hollywood, in recent documentary films like “Waiting for ‘Superman,'” “The Lottery” and “The Cartel,” has highlighted how teachers unions block or stifle education reforms to the detriment of the low-income minority kids who populate the nation’s worst schools.

    When I sit down for an interview with Randi Weingarten, who has been head of the American Federation of Teachers since 2008, my first question is whether those films are getting her recognized more in public these days.

    “Actually, no,” she responds, not particularly amused by the query. “I’m used to the use of scapegoating and demonization and finger-pointing as a mechanism to divert or distract from problem-solving.” (more…)

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    N.C. GOVERNOR PERDUE VETOES GOP BILL CHALLENGING HEALTH CARE LAW

    Monday, March 7th, 2011
    http://app.bronto.com/public/?q=ulink&fn=Link&ssid=315&id=07wv3m37rnm7bpzybii7fqfozak3z&id2=g0y165hs2tt8xjoeidm9xhsubm7os&subscriber_id=bekuujwswyfydfuhrvnzsirgfbvibpm&delivery_id=bvbsmaeeluvitqcjkzwnypxuhlnlbpe&tid=3.ATs.AqPFcw.CiFh.Kyr0..MYZi.b..l.DO0.b.TXUWCQ.TXUWCQ.GTBkxg
    March 07, 2011 – carolinajournal.com
    Carolina Journal Exclusive

    NCGA Preview: Week of March 7
    By Anthony Greco
    RALEIGH — The bill lifting the state’s cap on charter schools at 100 passed the Senate by a 33-17 vote. It faces tougher sledding in the House.

    John Hood’s Daily Journal

    Perdue Now Owns ObamaCare
    Perdue and Cooper did the wrong thing. They defended a lousy policy because it is their president’s policy. Now it’s their lousy policy, too.

    Headlines

    3.07.11 – Perdue vetoes GOP bill challenging health care law

    (more…)

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    JOHN LOCKE FOUNDATION – MORNING UPDATE

    Monday, January 17th, 2011

    http://designhammeragency.bm23.com/public/?q=ulink&fn=Link&ssid=315&id=csnygmpqqcophuzwdzcpqka9er3uo&id2=8txqoyudnfvx3a4mqxmw5cuewxby7&subscriber_id=bekuujwswyfydfuhrvnzsirgfbvibpm&delivery_id=boprueqkokyhrlrjswgmmedptepdbae&tid=3.ATs.AqPFcw.CO1J.KWt-..LkjA.b..l.DO0.b.TTSGUQ.TTSGUQ.XUyY5g
    January 17, 2011 – carolinajournal.com
    Carolina Journal Exclusive

    State May Get No Pension Help From Washington
    By Anthony Greco
    RALEIGH — While no specific bailout plans are under consideration, U.S. Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, has introduced H.Res. 23, stating Congress’ opposition to any federal intervention meant to “bail out state and local government employee pension plans that provide post-employment benefits to state and local government retirees.”

    John Hood’s Daily Journal

    A Letter to the Democrats
    You are about to walk a mile, or perhaps several hundred miles, in the Republicans’ shoes. And they are about to try yours on for size.

    Headlines

    1.17.11 – Influence firms warm to the GOP

    1.17.11 – Hayes to helm state GOP

    1.17.11 – General Assembly to wrestle annexation laws this year

    1.17.11 – As legislature opens, Wilmington area’s lobbyists line up

    1.17.11 – Tillis backs limits on abortions

    1.17.11 – Smokers see ban as rights issue

    1.17.11 – McHenry pledges to scrutinize bailouts

    1.17.11 – Rising waters threaten the coast of North Carolina

    1.17.11 – With funds in jeopardy, N.C. pushes rail projects

    1.17.11 – UNC system seeks funding increase

    1.17.11 – Charter schools gain strength

    1.17.11 – Nuclear goals stoked by Duke-Progress merger

    1.17.11 – Durham lobbies for local hiring

    1.17.11 – Cumberland crime statistics point to a homicide turnaround

    1.17.11 – In Asheville, a 4-year degree not necessary for a good job

    (more…)

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    WHITES OUTNUMBERED IN WAKE COUNTY SCHOOLS (RALEIGH) IN NORTH CAROLINA

    Thursday, November 25th, 2010

    Whites outnumbered in Wake

    schools

    RALEIGH In a sign of things to come for the state and the nation, the Wake County school system is no longer made up of a majority of white students.

    New figures released Tuesday by Wake show that children from minority groups account for a majority of the 143,289 students in the state’s largest school system. It’s a trend that has been years in the making, fueled in part by the fast growth in Hispanic enrollment.

    “It’s a blend of immigration, demographics shifts and birth rates,” said James Johnson, a professor at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School and a co-writer of a 2006 study on the economic effect of Hispanics in North Carolina.

    Johnson said Hispanic residents in the state are younger and their families are on average having three children. By comparison, he said, non-Hispanic white families are having an average of one child.

    Wake’s 20,909 Hispanic students account for 14.6 percent of the district’s enrollment; there were 295 Hispanic students in Wake in 1987. At the same time, the percentage of black students in Wake schools has declined, while the percentage of Asian students, though still small, has doubled.

    The Kenan-Flagler study estimated that 45 percent of Hispanics in North Carolina were living in the U.S. illegally, and that educating the children of illegal immigrants costs the state an estimated $210 million a year; in 1995, that figure was less than $10 million. It’s not known what portion of Wake’s Hispanic students are the children of illegal immigrants. (more…)

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    DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION DESERVES AN F

    Thursday, November 18th, 2010

    Put Department of Education in

    Timeout

    by Richard W. Rahn

    Richard W. Rahn is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and chairman of the Institute for Global Economic Growth.

    This article appeared in The Washington Times on November 3, 2010.

    The U.S. Department of Education was created with the primary stated goal of increasing students’ test scores, but test scores for 17-year-old American students have remained essentially flat since 1970. The department’s budget has grown to a whopping $107 billion this year. Per pupil, taxpayer-financed education spending (adjusted for inflation) has risen by more than 200 percent since 1970 (and 150-plus percent since 1980). Clearly and unambiguously, the department deserves a grade of F. (more…)

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    THE RADICAL SCHOOL REFORM YOU’VE NEVER HEARD OF

    Sunday, November 14th, 2010
  • The Wall Street Journal
    • NOVEMBER 13, 2010

    With ‘parent trigger,’ families can forcibly change failing schools.

    By DAVID FEITH

    Debates about education these days tend to center on familiar terms like charter schools and merit pay. Now a new fault line is emerging: “parent trigger.”

    Like many radical ideas, parent trigger originated in California, as an innovation of a liberal activist group called Parent Revolution. The average student in Los Angeles has only a 50% chance of graduating high school and a 10% chance of attending college. It’s a crisis, says Parent Revolution leader Ben Austin, that calls for “an unabashed and unapologetic transfer of raw power from the defenders of the status quo”—education officials and teachers unions—”to the parents.”

    Parent trigger, which became California law in January, is meant to facilitate that transfer of power through community organizing. Under the law, if 51% of parents in a failing school sign a petition, they can trigger a forcible transformation of the school—either by inviting a charter operator to take it over, by forcing certain administrative changes, or by shutting it down outright. (more…)

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