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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News & analysis:
Teacher Pay Hurt by Recession, Report Says
During the recession and its aftermath, public schools took a hit as both state coffers and local property taxes shriveled. That showed up in shrinking employment, but also in teacher salaries. (New York Times)
Buena Vista Michigan Teachers Agree To Work For Free As District Goes Broke
A small school district in Michigan has run out of money to pay its teachers. But the school year isn’t over until June 23. The Buena Vista Education Association convened most of its 27 teachers on Monday for what some described as an emotional meeting. They voted to continue teaching, despite learning on Friday that the school district would be unable to pay their salaries starting in mid-May — because it had run out of money. (Huffington Post)
The State of Charter Authorizing
NACSA is out with the fifth edition of its annual report on the state of charter authorizing. I love this thing—great data on a critically important part of our field. If you’re interested in chartering, school-level accountability, or The Urban School System of the Future, you definitely want to check it out. Almost a decade ago, NACSA produced the equivalent of industry standards—the stuff a high-quality authorizer ought to do. These relate to assessing charter applications, monitoring school performance, helping grow high-performers, revoking the charters of low-performers, etc. (Education Next)
Social, Emotional, Behavioral Lessons in District Race to Top Plans
Recently, the Warren school district in Indiana discovered it was labeling kids “emotionally disturbed” at three times the average rate for the rest of the state. About 3 out of every 100 Warren students got the designation, and, at the same time, the district realized it was suspending black students in the district at a rate higher than other students, said Lee Ann Kwiatkowski, who oversees the district’s Race to the Top grant. (Education Week – Rules for Engagement)
View Point:
Law on charters still needs work
A decade after Ohio’s first charter schools opened, state law still falls short of ensuring full accountability for private parties using tax dollars to operate public schools. A recent report by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute gives lawmakers a clear picture of some changes that need to be made. (Columbus Dispatch)