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Here are news and opinion stories educators, advocates, policy wonks and makers are talking about today:
News and Analysis
National
Ed. Dept. Has No Plans for a ‘Federal Voucher Program.’ Let’s Break That Down
Since President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for fiscal 2018 was released last week, a lot of attention has been paid to a $250 million plan in the U.S. Department of Education’s budget that would pay for, and study the impacts of, private school vouchers. But if you listen to the department’s description of that plan, how you talk about the program matters a great deal. (Education Week)
For Betsy DeVos and her former advocacy group, the future of education means ‘personalization,’ including virtual schools
When Betsy DeVos returned to the advocacy group she used to lead last week, she told attendees to push for systems where students could attend any kind of school. Traditional, charter, religious, and virtual schools should be options for students, the education secretary argued, as should “an educational setting yet to be developed.” (Chalkbeat)
State
Florida
Palm Beach County school district takes charter challenge to state Supreme Court
The Palm Beach County school board is taking its battle over charter school approval to the Florida Supreme Court. Board members have taken a hard line against charter schools they feel are not innovative — but the state intervened and overturned the board’s rejection of a school that did not meet those standards. (Sun Sentinel)
New York
Paul Ryan’s Favorite Charter School
When House Speaker Paul Ryan arrived on a Harlem block earlier this month, the boyish-looking Wisconsinite was greeted by a crowd of irate New Yorkers brandishing homemade signs. One called him a “monster.” Another suggested he had “blood on his hands.” “How do you sleep at night?” several protesters shouted, alluding to the House’s recent vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. (Politico)
South Carolina
Desperate for teachers, South Carolina opens one more route to alternative certification
Hoping to fill a chronic statewide teacher shortage, South Carolina will now accept alternative certification through the Texas-based education company Teachers of Tomorrow. “South Carolina has been severely affected by teacher shortages for a long time, and we are excited to be able to help school districts quickly address those shortages,” said Teachers of Tomorrow CEO Vernon Reaser in a statement. (The Post and Courier)
Washington D.C.
Teachers at D.C. charter school launch campaign to unionize
Teachers at a D.C. charter school are pushing to unionize, citing a desire to provide more resources to students and a need to stabilize the teaching force. About 80 percent of the 35 teachers, librarians and social workers at Cesar Chavez Public Charter School at Chavez Prep Middle School in Northwest signed a petition to ask the school’s administration to recognize their union, the D.C. Alliance for Charter School Teachers and Staff at Chavez Prep. (The Washington Post)