Charter School News and Information | CharterTeacher.com

1/14/09 - The Birmingham News

"Alabama's Board of Education is meeting to take a stand on the legalization of charter schools. The board's agenda for today's meeting includes a resolution in support of charter schools." [Read more about charter schools in Alabama...]

1/7/10 - Boston Herald

"The Massachusetts House of Representatives has passed an education overhaul bill that legislators say will address the achievement gap between schools in richer and poorer communities. The bill passed early Thursday morning strengthens the state’s application for $250 million in federal funding, makes it easier for the state to step in and help underperforming districts and lifts the cap on charter schools in the lowest performing districts." [Read more about Massachusetts education reform...]

12/29/09 - The Springfield News-Leader

"In Missouri, charter schools are allowed only in St. Louis and Kansas City. But in the next few years, that could change.U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan -- the former CEO of Chicago Public Schools -- sees expansion of charters as a key to improving America's educational outcomes." [Read more about Missouri charter schools...]

12/22/09 - WickedLocal.com

"Norwell had an important visitor this past week. Bay State Gov. Deval Patrick stopped by the South Shore Charter Public School on Friday (Dec. 18), where he held an on-location cabinet meeting and used the opportunity to talk up his education reform bill. Read more about Governor Patrick and Massachusetts education reform...]"

12/21/09 - 9&10 News

"Michigan lawmakers may be one step closer to winning $400 million from the federal government for education. The state house passed one of several bills that will reform classrooms across the state. [Read more about Michigan education reform...]

12/15/09 - USA Today

"To education reformers, a $4.3 billion school funding competition from the Obama administration seemed like just the push California needed to start making long overdue changes to restore academic luster to the state's public schools." [Read more about California and Race to the Top...]

12/9/09 - Baltimore Sun

"Baltimore's school board approved the opening of a new charter school at its meeting last night, despite comments by the public questioning whether there should  be a limit to the number of charters allowed in the city. After last night's approval, the city has 28 charter schools." [Read more about the new Baltimore charter school...]

12/8/08 - The Washington Post

"Charter schools will have a new place to turn for advice next year when members of the D.C. Public Charter School Board start a nonprofit organization that will research how the schools can best be run" [Read more about DC charter schools...]

12/8/09 - WSMV-TV

"Charter Schools are a big part of Mayor Karl Dean’s plan to improve education in Nashville, but since he took office two years ago, there have only been two new charter schools opened inside the city. Dean is expected Tuesday to announce a new development to create more." [Read more about Nashville charter schools...]

12/3/09 - The Buffalo News

"Claiming that charter schools drain dollars and students from Buffalo’s traditional schools, the Board of Education voted, 6-2, Wednesday evening to seek a state moratorium on new charter schools in and around the city." [Read more about Buffalo charter schools...]

12/2/09 - Detriot Free Press

"Gov. Jennifer Granholm gave strong support Tuesday for measures she said will both improve public schools and qualify Michigan for up to $400 million in federal grants next year. She called on lawmakers to approve legislation to give the state more power to intervene in academically failing school districts, increase the number of high-quality charter schools, merit pay for teachers and alternative certification for teachers without education degrees." [Read more about education reform in Michigan...]

11/30/09 - The Washington Post

"As President Obama pushes for more charter schools, the education world craves a report card on an experiment nearly two decades old. How are these independent public schools doing? The safest and perhaps most accurate reply -- it depends -- leaves many unsatisfied." [Read more about charter school studies...]

11/23/09 - The News Journal

"Delaware officials are preparing to overhaul the way the state turns around failing schools and evaluates teachers in an effort to win a potential $75 million federal education grant." [Read more about the Delaware education changes...]

11/16/09 - Dave on Ed blog

Blogging while at the iNACOL Virtual Schools Symposium, ABCTE CEO Dave Saba talks about meeting teachers from a virtual charter school in Idaho who were certified through ABCTE. [Read more of this blog post about virtual teachers...]

11/15/09 - Annapolis Capital

"BALTIMORE - Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the Rev. Al Sharpton and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich examined operations at three Baltimore schools Friday, continuing a national tour to highlight school challenges and analyze reforms." Read more of this article on education reform in Baltimoore...]

11/12/09 - YouTube

Via the Picken's Plan blog comes video of Pocatello Community Charter School, recipients of the "first permit for a wind turbine in Pocatello." Check out the video of this Idaho charter school.

11/11/09 - Boston Globe

"A key legislative committee approved a bill yesterday that would allow more charter schools in the state’s most troubled districts while giving the state the power to take over failing schools." [Read more about Massachusetts charter schools...]

11/11/09 - Wall Street Journal

Even the country's richest foundation is looking for a way to conserve assets while using them to fulfill its charitable mission. In a move to be announced Wednesday, The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will make $30 million in bond guarantees to high-performing charter schools in Houston. It is part of a new two-year, $400 million push in so-called program-related investments, which can consist of direct loans, equity investments, bond guarantees and other non-traditional forms of financial support. [Read more about the Gates Investment in Charter Schools...]

ABCTE announced that the non-profit has received a grant from the Daniels Fund to further expand its extensive online teacher training workshops. The grant money will be used to produce workshops on drop-out prevention and effectively using technology in the classroom. [Read more about the new online teacher training workshops...]

11/9/09 - Chicago Tribune

"Teachers at the highest-paying grade school district in the Chicago area make twice as much as their colleagues at the local elementary school paying the lowest wages, according to the 2009 Illinois School Report Card. Oak Brook's Butler School District 53 paid an average $80,136 per teacher, compared with the $38,040 earned at Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake." [Read more of this story on teacher salaries...]

11/10/09 - Dave on Ed blog

The "coolest map ever" award has to go to the Leaders and Laggards report on education innovation from AEI, Center for American Progress and the Institute for a Competitive Workforce. Besides being very slick, it presents some interesting information on education innovation. [Read more about the State-By-State Report Card of Educational Innovation...]

11/8/09 - Joanne Jacobs

A Detroit charter school is funding the first year of college for 124 students, if they fulfill a senior-year contract calling for good grades, completed homework, extra reading and taking college readiness and study skills classes. [Read more of article about this Detroit charter school...]

11/8/09 - The Washington Post

Tuesday's elections in Virginia swept a staunch supporter of charter schools into the governor's mansion, raising hopes for advocates in a state that has been skeptical of the publicly funded, privately run alternatives to regular public schools. [Read more of this article on Virginia charter schools...]

11/6/09 - Dave on Ed

Teaching jobs increased last month even as the rest of the country went to unemployment over 10% for the first time since 1983. The education stimulus is doing the job it was supposed to and at least 10,700 more people got jobs in education.  [Read more of Teaching Jobs Increase...]

11/6/09 - Atlanta Journal Constitution

State officials on Friday postponed a decision on applications for five groups that want to start new virtual charter schools in Georgia that would be funded like other public schools. [Read more of the article on school choice in Georgia...]

11/5/09 - Reuters

Voters in New Jersey and Virginia elected two new governors who back school choice, Gov.-Elect Chris Christie in New Jersey and Gov.-Elect Bob McDonnell in Virginia. Throughout both of their respective campaigns, Christie and McDonnell stressed the importance of school choice and education reform.  [Read more of School Choice Governors...]

11/5/09 - National Alliance for Public Charter Schools blog

"Marcus Winters’ new Manhattan Institute study is terrific win-win news, nicely complementing the recent NYC study by Caroline Hoxby: Not only do the NYC charter schools appear to produce large achievement gains for students who attend, but they also have the effect of benefitting students who remain in the traditional public schools.  What’s more, the positive competitive effects are largest for lower-performing students."  Read more...

11/5/09 - The Washington Post

"The number of charter schools in the District has skyrocketed over the past decade, and charters are on track to claim 38 percent of public school students in the city. The charter scene is a comparative desert in Virginia and Maryland, but that might be changing." Read more...

11/5/09 - Springfield News-Leader

"Only a few other U.S. cities have a higher percentage of students than Kansas City and St. Louis enrolled in charter schools. That’s according to a report from the Washington-based National Alliance for Public Charter Schools."  Read more...

11/4/09 - Wall Street Journal

"Opponents of school choice are running out of excuses as evidence continues to roll in about the positive impact of charter schools. Stanford economist Caroline Hoxby recently found that poor urban children who attend a charter school from kindergarten through 8th grade can close the learning gap with affluent suburban kids by 86% in reading and 66% in math. And now Marcus Winters, who follows education for the Manhattan Institute, has released a paper showing that even students who don't attend a charter school benefit academically when their public school is exposed to charter competition." Read more...

11/4/09 - Los Angeles Times

Enrollment in traditional Los Angeles-area public schools has declined this fall, even as the number of students enrolled in charter schools has exploded, according to just-released data. Read more...

11/2/09 - Ed is Watching

"...Reforms like performance pay, streamlining tenure, and alternative certification are not merely nice ideas, but vital changes that need to be made to our school systems..." Read more...

11/3/09 - San Jose Mercury News

"It's 8:30 a.m. at FAME charter school in Fremont, and teacher Nahil Ireiqat is explaining to her Arabic I students like-sounding words, just one of many ways the language can ambush learners. Maktab (teacher's desk), she reminds them, is not the same as maktaba (library)." Read more...

11/2/09 - GothamSchools

Teachers union president Michael Mulgrew dismissed proposed legislation that would overhaul New York State’s teacher tenure and charter cap laws. Read more...

11/2/09 - Atlanta Journal Constitution

"Five school districts have filed suit against the state of Georgia claiming that the creation and operation of the Georgia Charter Schools Commission is unconstitutional." Read More...

10/28/09 - Examiner

"Recent evidence confirms what advocates and parents have long known to be true: Charter schools work." Read More...

10/22/09 - ABCTE blog

ABCTE CEO Dave Saba discusses the NACSA conference and controversy surrounding virtual teachers. Read More...

10/26/09 - Denver Post

"Denver every year adds more charter schools, and district officials are looking to change policies that make sure that all students with a broad spectrum of disabilities have access to charter schools." Read more...

10/27/09 - Bredenton Herald

"In a unanimous vote Monday night, the Manatee County school board approved the district’s newest charter school" Read more...

10/27/09 - The Journal Gazette

The Timothy L. Johnson Academy looks at expanding or moving to a new space. Read more...