May 18th, 2017 Boulder, Colo. – Federal and state school accountability policies have used standardized test results to shine a spotlight on low-performing schools. A remedy offered to “turn around” low-performance in school districts is the option to close the doors of the low-performing schools and send students elsewhere. School Closure as a Strategy to…
Category: Charter School
Should Failing Schools Be Closed?
If a company can’t make profit or manage its business correctly, the company inevitably fails and a better one takes its place. When public schools fail, they rarely “go out of business,” but instead go through a process of remediation and restructuring. There has been no evidence to show that restructuring procedures lead to significantly…
DeVos seeks cuts from Education Department to support school choice
By Valerie Strauss, Danielle Douglas-Gabriel and Moriah Balingit February 13 More than $1 billion would be spent on private school vouchers and other school choice plans under the budget proposal released Monday by President Trump and Education Secretary Betsy DeVos. The proposal also calls for slashing the Education Department’s budget and devoting more resources to career training, at the expense…
Alabama’s national test scores still low, but not last
By Trisha Powell Crain tcrain@al.com Results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP, released Tuesday, show Alabama’s scores in fourth- and eighth-grade reading and math remain unchanged from 2015, the last time the tests were given. Scores at the national level were flat, too, except in eighth-grade reading, where scores increased. Scores in Alabama were…
Parents Voice Concerns Over New Charter School System (Alabama)
Updated: Apr 6, 2018 9:16 AM CDT by Ellis Eskew The Montgomery Education Foundation has applied to convert five Montgomery schools into charter schools. Parents and citizens voiced their concerns Thursday evening at a listening session. And they had plenty to say. “Today the Ed Foundation, the business community, under the guise of improvement, they are…
How Charter Schools Can Open in Your Neighborhood (Alabama)
Posted On Jun 21 2016 By : Trisha Powell Crain When state lawmakers passed a law in 2015 to allow public charter schools to operate in Alabama, they laid out two paths for potential charter school operators: (1) through the Alabama Public Charter School Commission and (2) through local boards of education who choose to become authorizers. Each group is…
Alabama Senate passes charter school bill
Updated on March 10, 2015 at 10:31 PM By Mike Cason mcason@al.com The Alabama Senate passed a bill to allow charter schools in Alabama tonight, the first bill it has passed this year. The proposal by Senate President Pro Tem Del Marsh, R-Anniston, passed by a vote of 22-12 after a debate that lasted about four hours….
Proposed charter school plan targets 5 Montgomery Public Schools
MONTGOMERY, AL (WSFA) – Last Friday was the deadline for public charter school applications. Last week, Interim State Superintendent Dr. Ed Richardson confirmed he had received a letter of intent from a local organization that was planning to submit an application for a plan that would include multiple existing MPS schools. Ann Sikes, the executive director…
LEAD Academy becomes first charter school approved for Montgomery, Alabama
Andrew J. Yawn, Montgomery AdvertiserPublished 2:19 p.m. CT Feb. 13, 2018 LEAD Academy is the first charter school to secure approval to operate in Montgomery. The Alabama Public Charter School Commission approved the school 5-1 on Monday after a presentation and a question-and-answer session. Commission member Henry Nelson was the opposing vote and Commission Chairman Mac…
DeVos rips Oklahoma teachers over strike: ‘Serve the students’
BY MORGAN GSTALTER – 04/09/18 10:43 AM EDT Education Secretary Betsy DeVos criticized Oklahoma teachers who are on strike over school funding cuts, telling them to “serve the students,” according to the Dallas Morning News. “I think about the kids,” DeVos said last week while touring a Dallas middle school. “I think we need to stay focused on what’s right for kids. And…
Standing Strong for Public Education! 