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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis:
Charter schools could unionize
The United Neighborhood Organization, one of the largest charter networks in the city, is allowing teachers at its 13 charter campuses to unionize. (Chicago Tribune)
New Front in Charter Schools
Massachusetts lawmakers are considering eliminating a cap on the number of charter schools that can operate in the lowest-performing school districts, including here in the capital city. (Wall Street Journal)
McDonnell achieves mixed results in trying to reform Virginia’s schools
Robert F. McDonnell ran for Virginia governor promising to reform public schools by offering parents more accountability and better teachers and giving them greater school choice by growing the state’s tiny list of charter schools. (Washington Post)
A State Backs Guns in Class for Teachers
South Dakota became the first state in the nation to enact a law explicitly authorizing school employees to carry guns on the job, under a measure signed into law on Friday by Gov. Dennis Daugaard. (New York Times)
States draw a hard line on third-graders, holding some back over reading
A growing number of states are drawing a hard line in elementary school, requiring children to pass a reading test in third grade or be held back from fourth grade. (Washington Post)
Minnesota:
Daniel Sellers: Your turn: Quality pre-K education key to success in school
The public education discourse often surrounds whether one wants to invest more money in the system. Largely absent have been measures of accountability to track our outputs – such as student learning gains and college readiness – to fully appreciate the return on investment. (SC Times)
View Point:
Sarah Carr: Why both extremes are wrong in the debate over school closings
For better or for worse, today’s school superintendents have become CEOs. Corporate principles and the lexicon of business are pervasive throughout American schools. Teachers work to shore up a bottom line defined by test scores. And if numbers fail to improve, the district drops the school from its portfolio. (Hechinger Report)