Daily News Roundup—March 8, 2010

National

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan will visit Alabama Monday where he will commemorate the 45th anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" civil rights confrontation in Selma, Ala., by announcing plans for a reinvigorated Office for Civil Rights to ensure equal educational opportunities for all children.

Elizabeth Green, Spencer fellow in education reporting at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and the editor of GothamSchools.org, writes for the New York Times Magazine dissecting the art of teaching and discusses the need to strengthen teachers by instituting a new kind of teacher education -- MUST READ!

Newsweek argues that teaching is an innate skill, so more bad teachers should be fired.

The Washington Post reviews the list of finalists for the coveted RTTT dollars and questions the selection of a few states with ‘sorry’ educational policies.

Testifying in front of Congressional leaders, Harvard Professor Dr. Thomas Hehir spoke about the effectiveness of inclusionary public charter schools that serve a higher than average percentage of special needs students. Read his transcript here.

The NY Times reports on the US Department of Education planning to send thousands of letters to school districts and colleges, outlining their responsibilities on issues of fairness and equal opportunity for their schools.

The Education Trust recently released a report that shows schools often lumped together as “low performing” are not all alike. The study’s authors found that some low-performing school remain stuck year after year, and others that started low performing are among the fastest improvers in their stats.

In an effort to reduce budget gaps, a growing number of school districts across the country are moving to a four-day week, according to the Wall Street Journal.

From The States

California

After winning the right to manage several new LAUSD campuses, this LA Times editorial asks the question: Can they pull it off?

The San Francisco Gate attempts to understand why CA was glaringly absent from the list of finalists for the RTTT competition.

Illinois

Congrats to the students of Urban Prep Academy -- all male, all African-American, and all accepted into 4-year colleges or universities.

Michigan

This Detroit News editorial does not argue with the fact that MI was not included among the 16 finalists for the RTTT dollars, mainly due to the application being sabotaged by special interests.

The Detroit Free Press reports on a new initiative being led by the Skillman Foundation with the plan to offer start-up funds to attract organizations and educators capable of opening high-quality public, charter or private schools in Detroit or neighboring suburbs accessible to Detroit students.

This Detroit News editorial comments on the Detroit teacher union attempting to undermine efforts to bring some of the country’s brightest young educators to the Motor City via Teach for America.

Missouri

The Boston Globe reports on the Kansas City school district expecting to close nearly half its schools to stay afloat due to years of declining enrollment, political squabbling, and a revolving door of leadership.

New York

The NY Times reports on the growing support amongst parents for charter schools in Harlem, but one state senator who represents many of the parents continues to move forward in his opposition.

Even though NY made it to the list of the final 16 for RTTT dollars, this NY Daily News editorial believes NY hasn’t a “snowball’s chance of winning federal Race to the Top education funding.”

Pennsylvania

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on the Philadelphia School District stating that it has narrowed the list of nonprofits eligible to take over some of the city’s lowest-performing schools to six.

Rhode Island

The NY Times reports on the debate raging across the country over the Rhode Island school board’s decision to fire the entire faculty of a poorly performing school.

Virginia

The battle for charter school continue in VA, with the VA Senate committee passing an amended version of Gov. McDonnell’s proposal that would give local boards ultimate authority over whether to approve charters.

Washington DC

Kelly Amis is founder of Loudspeaker Films and a former public school teacher, and Joseph E. Robert Jr. is a D.C. education philanthropist, writes for the Washington Post defending the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program and urges Congress to restore the program.

Jay Mathews, education columnist for the Washington Post, attempts to understand why there are so few public charter school is the Washington DC suburbs.

Public Schedule of U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan

The Week Ahead: Monday, March 8 - Sunday, March 14

Information/Schedule Subject to Change

Monday, March 8

12:05-12:45 p.m. CST

Meet students and teachers at Robert E. Lee High School

225 Ann St., Montgomery, Ala.

2-2:30 p.m. CST

National press conference call on plans for a reinvigorated Office for Civil Rights to ensure equal educational opportunities for all children.

Dial-in: 888-769-8523, passcode: civil rights.

2:30-2:45 p.m. CST

March across the Edmund Pettus Bridge with students and civil rights activists, commemorating the 45th anniversary of the "Bloody Sunday" confrontation, which became one of the defining events of America's civil rights movement.

Edmund Pettus Bridge, 1012 Water Ave., Selma, Ala.

3-4 p.m. CST

Speech to students and civil rights activists, announcing plans for a reinvigorated Office for Civil Rights to ensure equal educational opportunities for all children.

Edmund Pettus Bridge, 1012 Water Ave., Selma, Ala.

Tuesday, March 9

7-9 p.m. EST

Keynote address to the Everybody Wins! 15th Annual Gala. EW!DC is a non-profit organization devoted to promoting children's literacy through mentoring programs in Title I public elementary schools throughout the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Capital Hilton Hotel, 1001 16th St. N.W., Washington, D.C.

Wednesday, March 10

7:30-8 p.m. EST

Address to the World Affairs Council's 30th Anniversary Global Education Dinner.

Ritz-Carlton Hotel, 1150 22nd St. N.W., Washington, D.C.

Thursday, March 11

8-9:15 a.m. EST

Address to the Aspen Institute Congressional Program's Breakfast, regarding reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Room S-115, U.S. Capitol, Washington, D.C.

Friday, March 12

No public events scheduled.

Saturday, March 13

No public events scheduled.

Sunday, March 14

No public events scheduled.

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Categories: Daily News RoundUp