Evelyn B. Stacey
Charter Schools
Massachusetts Works to Expand Charter Schools
On November 18 the Massachusetts State Senate passed a much-anticipated bill to expand charter schools. The bill, S. 2216, sent to the House in the late hours of November 17, lifted the many caps hindering charter school expansion in the Bay State. Essentially, Massachusetts has two types of charter schools: ...
Commentary
California’s Push to the Finish Line
How legislators can make reforms last when Race to the Top money is gone The race among states is on for $700 million in federal education Race to the Top funds and as the January 19 application deadline approaches two bills in Sacramento are in play. In order to make ...
Commentary
Arizona Tax Credit Program Offers Lessons for Other States
School Reform News (Heartland Institute), December 1, 2009 When two Arizona newspapers this summer investigated the student tuition organizations (STOs) that distribute funds to needy students to attend private schools in the state, they opened the state’s school choice efforts up to attack. The list of groups and individuals that ...
Charter Schools
Who’s Afraid of Charter Schools?
On November 12, parents of children at Gratts Elementary in Los Angeles received a flier, in Spanish, warning that if they signed a petition to convert their neighborhood school into a charter school they would be deported. This threat, though bogus, teaches parents and policy makers a lesson about the ...
Commentary
L.A. Loosens Reins on School Administration
The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has decided to allow outside groups, including for-profit charter school organizations, to run one-third of the district’s schools and possibly open 50 new ones of their own creation. As a result, more than 60,000 Los Angeles students could be getting more opportunities for ...
Commentary
Race To The Top is About More Than Money
SACRAMENTO – California is scrambling for federal Race to the Top grants but there is more at stake than money according to state Sen. Gloria Romero, who held an informational hearing on October 14. “I’m open to having discussions on accountability and what works,” said Sen. Romero in the hearing. ...
Charter Schools
Louisiana Lifts Limit on Charter Schools
Just in time to be considered for federal Race to the Top funds, Louisiana legislators removed the state’s cap on charter schools. State Rep. Walt Leger III (D-New Orleans) introduced the bill and added an amendment to remove the charter cap, previously set at 70 schools statewide. “We applaud the ...
Commentary
Senator Proposes Vouchers for Military Kids
This summer the Department of Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 included an amendment mandating a study of the effectiveness of a school voucher program for children of military personnel and veterans living in or near the nation’s capital. S 1390 was introduced by U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) ...
Commentary
Nebraska Embroiled in Teacher Salary Debate
Over the next two years, Nebraska will receive $234 million in federal stimulus money to bolster state aid to schools. That represents a one-time funding source, but Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman (R) wants to use it to boost teacher salaries, a recurring expense. Heineman sent a letter to the Nebraska ...
Commentary
LAUSD Board Moves to Ease Removal of Bad Teachers
The board of the Los Angeles Unified School District has passed a resolution to ease restrictions on firing unprofessional teachers, a move long in the making. Passed by a 4-3 vote on June 9, the resolution sets the stage for changes to state law to make such dismissals easier. In ...
Massachusetts Works to Expand Charter Schools
On November 18 the Massachusetts State Senate passed a much-anticipated bill to expand charter schools. The bill, S. 2216, sent to the House in the late hours of November 17, lifted the many caps hindering charter school expansion in the Bay State. Essentially, Massachusetts has two types of charter schools: ...
California’s Push to the Finish Line
How legislators can make reforms last when Race to the Top money is gone The race among states is on for $700 million in federal education Race to the Top funds and as the January 19 application deadline approaches two bills in Sacramento are in play. In order to make ...
Arizona Tax Credit Program Offers Lessons for Other States
School Reform News (Heartland Institute), December 1, 2009 When two Arizona newspapers this summer investigated the student tuition organizations (STOs) that distribute funds to needy students to attend private schools in the state, they opened the state’s school choice efforts up to attack. The list of groups and individuals that ...
Who’s Afraid of Charter Schools?
On November 12, parents of children at Gratts Elementary in Los Angeles received a flier, in Spanish, warning that if they signed a petition to convert their neighborhood school into a charter school they would be deported. This threat, though bogus, teaches parents and policy makers a lesson about the ...
L.A. Loosens Reins on School Administration
The Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) has decided to allow outside groups, including for-profit charter school organizations, to run one-third of the district’s schools and possibly open 50 new ones of their own creation. As a result, more than 60,000 Los Angeles students could be getting more opportunities for ...
Race To The Top is About More Than Money
SACRAMENTO – California is scrambling for federal Race to the Top grants but there is more at stake than money according to state Sen. Gloria Romero, who held an informational hearing on October 14. “I’m open to having discussions on accountability and what works,” said Sen. Romero in the hearing. ...
Louisiana Lifts Limit on Charter Schools
Just in time to be considered for federal Race to the Top funds, Louisiana legislators removed the state’s cap on charter schools. State Rep. Walt Leger III (D-New Orleans) introduced the bill and added an amendment to remove the charter cap, previously set at 70 schools statewide. “We applaud the ...
Senator Proposes Vouchers for Military Kids
This summer the Department of Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 included an amendment mandating a study of the effectiveness of a school voucher program for children of military personnel and veterans living in or near the nation’s capital. S 1390 was introduced by U.S. Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) ...
Nebraska Embroiled in Teacher Salary Debate
Over the next two years, Nebraska will receive $234 million in federal stimulus money to bolster state aid to schools. That represents a one-time funding source, but Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman (R) wants to use it to boost teacher salaries, a recurring expense. Heineman sent a letter to the Nebraska ...
LAUSD Board Moves to Ease Removal of Bad Teachers
The board of the Los Angeles Unified School District has passed a resolution to ease restrictions on firing unprofessional teachers, a move long in the making. Passed by a 4-3 vote on June 9, the resolution sets the stage for changes to state law to make such dismissals easier. In ...
