Enrollment triples, location expands for Jackson Public Schools virtual school

By Brianne Twiddy January 15, 2019   JACKSON, MI – South Central Michigan Virtual isn’t an alternative school, but it is an alternative to traditional schools. Traditional classes can be too fast, too slow or not challenging enough to some students, SCMV director Fred Parker said. SCMV is part of Jackson Public Schools. Its full-time virtual classes allow…

Public school finance is big issue for KS lawmakers as session begins

By: Tiffany Lane  & Carly Willis Jan 14, 2019 TOPEKA, Kan. – There’s a new governor at the Kansas Statehouse. Monday, Governor Laura Kelly and Lieutenant Governor Lynn Rogers, were sworn in on the Capitol steps. Governor Kelly gave a few words before taking her official oath. She talked about her path to her new role,…

Texas House proposes a massive increase for public school funding

Proposed budget would increase state funds for education by about 17 percent By Edgar Walters  January 15, 2019 © 2018 The Texas Tribune House Speaker Dennis Bonnen presiding over his first votes as speaker of the house. Jan. 9, 2019. Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune. Miguel Gutierrez Jr. / The Texas Tribune.  …

Chicago Teachers Union Weighs in on Race for Mayor

Andrea Guthmann | January 10, 2019 https://player.pbs.org/partnerplayer/T6vSQ6klqVByZCM-3JmD8g==/?topbar=true&end=0&endscreen=false&start=0&autoplay=true Last month, the powerful Chicago Teachers Union endorsed mayoral candidate Toni Preckwinkle. But some CTU members are calling for the union to rescind that endorsement because Preckwinkle has ties to Chicago Ald. Ed Burke, who’s facing a federal corruption charge. Below, an edited Q&A with Stacy Davis Gates, vice president of…

Long hours, crowded classes, low pay driving Arizona teachers to quit

BY GRISELDA ZETINO UPDATED: JANUARY 10, 2019  Alexis Baich teaches world and American history at Mesa High School. (Photo by Griselda Zetino) PHOENIX — Tiring and exhausting. That’s how Alexis Baich described her first year teaching. “During my first year, I did question whether or not teaching was for me because it is so much work,”…

Can charter schools be reformed? Should they be?

By Valerie Strauss December 16, 2018 In 2013, I published a post with this headline: “Why charter schools need better oversight.” The author of the piece, Jeff Bryant, wrote: There are undoubtedly wonderful charter schools in existence, and Americans generally have a favorable opinion of charters, but hardly a week goes by without news of a scandal or…