Recently, before the Florida Board of Education cast a vote that would shut down a Clay County charter school, a local activist said officials were making the right move. The school was so low-performing, he argued, that no matter where it's students ended up, they'd likely be better off.
Last week, Stanford University's Center for Research on Education Outcomes released a study that backs him up.
But the study also shows school closures can hurt students if they happen under the wrong conditions.
CREDO researchers looked at school closures in 26 states, including Florida, over seven years. They found officials tend to close public schools that are low-performing. But the closed schools also tended to serve disadvantaged children of color disproportionately, even among schools with similarly low academic performance. That, the study authors write, raises questions about equity in officials' decision-making. (more…)
Last month, fresh charter school numbers had several observers asking: Why are fewer charters opening?
A new report from the National Association of Charter School Authorizers offers some clues. In short, it finds fewer groups are applying to open new schools.
Over the past five years, the approval rate for charter school applications nationwide has hovered right around 35 percent. But the total number of applications has declined.
The approval rate for charter school applications has hovered right around 35 percent, but fewer schools are applying to open. Chart via NACSA.
Why are fewer groups applying to open new charter schools? The authorizers group says that's a question for future research.
“As the sector continues to think through why growth is slowing, our findings suggest figuring out what’s driving the decline in charter applications will be a central part of the answer,” M. Karega Rausch, NACSA's vice president of research and evaluation, said in a press release. “That’s why we think it’s important to dig deeper into the data and find out why fewer applications are being proposed and what’s helping—or hindering—strong applications.” (more…)
University Preparatory Academy in St. Petersburg, Fla. is quickly being rechristened as Midtown Academy, a district-run public school.
Four Florida charter schools face closure after receiving multiple F's under the state's grading system, but at least two will likely re-open under new management: Their local school districts.
The Tampa Bay Times has detailed the closure of University Preparatory Academy, a charter school that opened three years ago in an academically struggling neighborhood of South St. Petersburg, Fla. Its charter contract is no more, and in its place, its authorizing school district is working to open Midtown Academy, a traditional public school.
The move may not be entirely unprecedented. Pinellas County School district spokeswoman Lisa Wolf said the district has taken over charter schools in the past. But it's a rare occurrence for a school facing automatic termination under the state's accountability law, which says charter schools that receive consecutive F's must close immediately, unless they can show their students' academic progress exceeds that in surrounding traditional public schools — a standard University Prep was not able to meet.
Meanwhile, in nearby Manatee County, the school board tonight is set to decide whether to convert Just for Girls Academy, a single-gender charter school that catered to disadvantaged elementary school students, into a district-sponsored alternative education program.
The Bradenton Herald reports: (more…)
Tax credit scholarships. Duval school board member Jason Fischer writes about the benefits of the program in the Florida Times-Union.
Charter schools. Two South Florida charter schools close suddenly, sending parents scrambling. Sun-Sentinel. As West Palm Beach prepares to open a municipal charter, it can draw lessons from successes and failures elsewhere. Palm Beach Post. The Duval School Board may close a struggling charter school. Florida Times-Union. Bay County charters are hiring drivers for their new bus system. Panama City News Herald.
Lawsuits. The Cato Institute's Andrew Coulson explores the lawsuit challenging Florida's tax credit scholarship program in Education Next.
Testing. The Lee County School Board backs away from a decision to "opt out" of all state standardized assessments. Times/Herald. Fort Myers News-Press. (More here). Naples Daily News. Associated Press. Sentinel School Zone. StateImpact. Tampa Tribune. The testing debate moves to Brevard. Florida Today.
Special needs. The Orlando Sentinel visits the Conductive Education Center of Orlando, which provides special services to children with special needs.
Teachers. A Broward teacher wins the national Teacher of the Year award. Sun-Sentinel.
College readiness. A Palm Beach Post columnist provides a grim read of Florida students' results on college entrance exams.
The first day of the school year brought grim news to three Florida charter schools, who learned this morning that they will have to close because of their performance.
State law requires the schools to lose their charters after earning failing grades from the state in two straight years. The state Board of Education voted unanimously not to offer waivers that would have allowed the schools to remain open.
So-called "Double-F" charter schools can only receive waivers if their students achieve higher learning gains than comparable public schools. The board agreed to deny waivers after looking at data for the three schools - one in Miami-Dade County, one in Broward and one in Columbia.
None of the decisions drew debate from board members, who noted afterward that they were simply following the requirements in state law.
Representatives from the three schools joined the board on a conference call to plead their case for another year to improve their scores.
Anthony Buzzella, the founder of Shining Star Academy of the Arts in Columbia County, said the school, which that morning opened its third year of classes, had raised its test scores after a dismal first year. But its improvements were not enough to shake its F grade. He also said the school's drama, art and music programs have attracted students from three surrounding rural counties who, without those options, might not return to the public school system.
"Test results alone are not the sole indicator of our school's effectiveness," he said.
After the meeting, a few board members agreed that the decisions were difficult. Marva Johnson said the state should look for ways to assist new charters that stumble out of the gate, to prevent second-year struggles that can lead to their closure.
Charter schools. Democratic lawmakers have filed several bills to reign in problems that arise when charter schools close, reports Gradebook. Miami-Dade County planners reject a charter school's proposal to grow on the site of a former private school, reports the Miami Herald.
Jeb Bush. Talks Florida-style ed reform in Texas. Dallas Morning News. Texas Tribune. Associated Press. Austin American Statesman. KUT.org.
School spending. Lawmakers should loosen the strings on impact fee money, writes the Ocala Star Banner.
More sequestration. WOKV.com. Gradebook.
Teacher evaluations. Seminole officials fear good teachers could lose their jobs under the new system, reports Orlando Sentinel. In southwest Florida, only four people sound off on the evals at a DOE meeting, reports the Naples Daily News.
Teacher pay. Seminole teachers ask for more. SchoolZone.
Broad Prize. A Broad Prize site-visit team suggests Orange County could soon be in the running. Orlando Sentinel. (more…)
Don’t back up, don’t back down. “Compromise” may be a watchword for 2013, but it wouldn’t be a good thing for education reform, writes Jeanne Allen, founder and president of The Center for Education Reform, in the Huffington Post. She points to Florida as a state that hasn’t compromised on accountability and school choice – and, as a result, has seen rising student achievement.
Acknowledging progress. Pointing to the recent PIRLS results as a “crucial mark of excellence,” the Miami Herald editorial board says Florida schools are making gains but need more money.
Tony Bennett. His views on Common Core and teacher evaluations. Gradebook.
More on charter school closing. School Zone weighs in on the one in Flagler that shut down during the holiday break.
Say no to Robin Hood. Some Seminole County parents don’t like the idea of using family incomes as a factor in drawing new school boundary lines. “The school board needs to stop playing Robin Hood,” one said. School Zone.
Inappropriate. The Hernando school district’s CFO posts pornographic images and makes critical comments about the superintendent online during work hours, reports the Tampa Bay Times.
After Newtown. School district officials in Palm Beach County say metal detectors aren't the answer, reports the Palm Beach Post. Armed officers and deputies will be at every Hillsborough elementary school when students return Monday, the Tampa Tribune reports. School resource officers will be in every Alachua elementary, beginning today, reports the Gainesville Sun. Beefed up security in Marion, too, reports the Ocala Star Banner.
School choice battle. The Palm Beach Post sees one unfolding in the coming legislative session.
Charter school closing. Global Outreach Academy, citing financial problems, tells Flagler school district officials on New Year's Day that it's shutting down immediately, reports FlaglerLive.com. Another charter school closes mid-year in Lee County, reports the Fort Myers News Press.
2012: Year of pushback. Gradebook.
2013: Year of ... Common Core and parent trigger make the Fort Myers News Press list. Testing and Tony Bennett make the Gainesville Sun’s.
Algebra Nation. A new project from UF’s Lastinger Center for Learning offers an online resource to help students, teachers and parents with the Algebra I end of course exam. Gainesville Sun.
More school security. After Newtown, several mayors want metal detectors and guards at all Palm Beach County public schools. Palm Beach Post.
Financial boot camp. High school students learn to manage money through a partnership program with the business community. Miami Herald.
