Lori Higgins, Aug. 29, 2018 The Detroit school district is shutting off drinking water to all of its schools after test results found elevated levels of lead or copper in 16 out of 24 schools that were recently tested. “Although we have no evidence that there are elevated levels of copper or lead in our other…
Category: School Choice
While support for a four-day school week won, the opposition is nearly even in some areas
August 23, 2018 By: Austin Howard FARGO—According to a recent InForum poll with the question. “Would you like to see local districts adopt a 4-day school week?” Minnesotans and North Dakotans are mostly split in their decision. Out of the 26 Minnesota votes, it was a 50/50 split with 13 in favor and 13 against the…
DeVos makes surprise visits to D.C. public schools that made gains on standardized test
By Perry Stein August 22 at 9:12 PM Education Secretary Betsy DeVos made a surprise visit Wednesday to three D.C. public schools to mark the start of the year and celebrate their notable gains on a national standardized test. The elementary schools — Hendley, Simon and Amidon-Bowen — are part of the traditional public school system…
Poll: GOP support for school choice growing
By Maria Danilova / The Associated Press August 23, 2018 WASHINGTON — Support for charter schools and private school voucher programs has gone up over the past year, with Republicans accounting for much of the increase, according to a survey published Tuesday. The findings by Education Next, a journal published by Harvard’s Kennedy School…
Despite Wisconsin’s top 10 public school ranking, debate over education funding remains
Wisconsin has one of the 10 best public school systems in the country, according to a new study by the financial consumer website, WalletHub. In its report “2018 Best and Worst Public Schools,” WalletHub ranked all 50 states and the District of Columbia based on scores across 25 key metrics within two main categories…
Charter schools are big business. Who’s making money off public education?
THE ARIZONA REPUBLIC REVEALS WHAT CHARTER SCHOOLS DON’T TELL PARENTS. SEE THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION HERE Arizona Republic Aug. 22, 2018 With Arizona public schools struggling to raise students’ standardized test scores, the Legislature in 1994 began a grand experiment: charter schools. They were exempted from state procurement or conflict-of-interest laws and the oversight of elected boards. With less regulation, charters could…
Charter School Amendment Removed From Florida Ballot
AUGUST 21, 2018 By Tom McLaughlin Circuit Court Judge John Cooper clearly didn’t agree with the wording of the last of the constitutional amendments to be put before voters this November. Cooper on Monday ordered Amendment 8 stricken from the ballot, calling both the amendment language and the title it would have been introduced under…
California State Superintendent Torlakson Creates Team to Recommend Updates in Charter School Law
August 20, 2018 – SACRAMENTO— State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson has announced that he is creating an Action Team on Charter Schools to review laws governing California’s charter schools, and provide recommendations about any needed changes to the next State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Governor, State Board of Education, and State Legislature. The guiding…
California’s missing information about public education
Dan Walters Aug. 16, 2018 Knowledge, it’s been said, is power. It’s especially true in politics, whose insiders joust constantly among themselves and with outsiders, including the media and the voting public, over access to information. One of California’s more important arenas of info-war is public education. We Californians spend at least $100 billion in taxpayer…
The DeVos Hearings: School Choice is Here to Stay
Prepare to hear “school choice” a lot. Here’s what it actually means. EMILY DERUY JAN 12, 2017 The Trump administration could bring to the fore some education terms that have been largely overlooked in recent years as it moves to dramatically change the way students learn in the United States. And officials and advocacy groups…
Standing Strong for Public Education! 