Health & Fitness
MarylandCAN News Roundup: Top 10 Education News Stories of the Week
Check out MarylandCAN's pick of the top 10 education news stories of the week.
1. Proposed law would force school boards to heed parents’ petitions for school reform
March 1, 2013 | Ilana Kowarski, Baltimore Post-Examiner
National education reform advocates support a Maryland bill that would mandate reform for failing schools whenever a majority of parents petition for intervention, but the state superintendent and the state teachers union oppose the idea.
The bill is one of many “parent trigger” laws that have been proposed in states throughout the nation as they struggle to fix failing schools and remedy inequities in the education system. At a hearing before the House Ways and Means Committee Wednesday, impassioned reformers faced arguments from professional educators who warned the bill could lead to chaos in the school system.
Find out what's happening in Hyattsvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Find out what's happening in Hyattsvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.
March 6, 2013 | Gretchen Phillips, Southern Maryland News
Elementary and middle school students are putting their math skills to paper this week for the Maryland School Assessments.
The MSAs are tests given to students in grades 3 through 8 in math and reading to satisfy requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
Students are taking MSA math tests this week and will take MSA reading tests next Tuesday and Wednesday.
March 6, 2013 | Erica L. Green, The Baltimore Sun
A bill introduced in Annapolis this legislative session would make it easier for parents to challenge school systems when they believe their special education students are not receiving a proper education.
Senate Bill 691, introduced by Sen. Karen Montgomery, a Montgomery County democrat, seeks to shift the burden of proof to local school systems in due process hearings, which advocates say are usually burdensome for parents who are often outnumbered, overwhelmed and outspent when they go before an administrative judge to settle disputes.
4. Prince George’s County board of education names superintendent candidates
March 5, 2013 | Ovetta Wiggins, The Washington Post
The school superintendent in Durham, a chief of schools in Chicago and the interim superintendent in Prince George’s County have been selected as finalists in the competition to lead the Washington region's third largest school system, Prince George’s County school officials said Tuesday night.
Eric J. Becoats, Harrison A. Peters, and Alvin L. Crawley were chosen from a field of 10 candidates after a national search. They were interviewed by the board last weekend.
5. Study says KIPP student gains substantial
March 3, 2013 | Jay Mathews, The Washington Post
KIPP, formerly known as the Knowledge Is Power Program, has had more success than any other large educational organization in raising the achievement of low-income students, both nationally and in the District. But many good educators, burned by hopeful stories in the past, have wondered whether KIPP was for real.
We just got a big dose of data on that. Mathematica Policy Research has released its five-year investigation of 43 KIPP schools — the largest study ever of a charter school network. The $4 million study, funded by the Atlantic Philanthropies, concludes: “The average impact of KIPP on student achievement is positive, statistically significant, and educationally substantial.”
6. Education Secretary visits Takoma Park School on heels of sequester
March 2, 2013 | Yagana Shah, Takoma Park Patch
Federal budget cuts to early childhood education that could affect 800 Maryland students are a poor idea, according to Education Secretary Arne Duncan, who met Friday with students and teachers at Rolling Terrace Elementary School in Takoma Park.
"Sequestration, with its indiscriminate approach to slashing the budget is an example of dumb government at its finest,” Duncan said of the automatic budget reductions that began Friday under what's called sequestration.
7. St. Mary’s school board endorses $192 million budget
March 1, 2013 | Jesse Yeatman, Southern Maryland News
The St. Mary’s school board expressed worry and concern Wednesday that the $192 million budget they recommended that day would lead to an erosion of educational excellence in local public schools.
Citing the disparity between St. Mary’s public school funding and other nearby counties, the school board gave its blessing to the plan, but with the caveat that things could change for the worse.
8. Graduation rate continues to rise, gaps and pace remain concerns
March 1, 2013 | Michael Higham, The Independent Voter Network
The national graduation rate continues to rise for K-12 schools while the number of schools defined as “dropout factories” is on the decline. While the nationwide trend is positive as a whole, some cities and states are still struggling.
Based on a report published by America’s Promise Alliance, the average freshman graduation rate (AFGR) went from 73.2 percent in 2006 to 78.2 percent in 2010. AFGR constitutes a student who completes high school in four years. Tweet stat:
‘Dropout factory’ is the informal name for schools with a graduation rate of 60 percent or below. In 2002, there were 2,007 of these schools that served over 2.6 million students. Data from 2010 shows that the number had fallen to 1,424.
March 1, 2013 | Josh Bollinger, The Star Democrat
Even though Maryland ranked No. 1 in education for the fifth year in a row and No. 1 in Advanced Placement testing for the seventh year in a row, some Eastern Shore school districts still have trouble keeping up with modern technological needs.
"I believe we, on the Eastern Shore, have helped to really contribute to the success of Maryland being number one in the nation," said Dr. Carol Williamson, superintendent of Queens Anne's County Public Schools and president of Eastern Shore of Maryland Educational Consortium.
Williamson, and Gov. Martin O'Malley, said the only reason Maryland is No. 1 in education in the nation is because state funding for education has become a priority.
10. Prince George's school board budget in the hands of the county executive
March 1, 2013 | Ovetta Wiggins, The Washington Post
The Prince George’s County Board of Education sent over a $1.7 billion budget to County Executive Rushern L. Baker III on Friday that sets aside money for raises for teachers and other staff members, provides more resources for principals to decide how money is spent in their schools and expands secondary school reform programs.
The board approved the budget last week in an 8 to 1 vote. Board member Carletta Fellows (District 7) opposed.
Unlike previous years, when the board was forced to furlough employees and make drastic cuts to academic programs, Interim School Superintendent Alvin Crawley said the school system finds itself in an “exciting time where we’re not in the position of making those tough decisions.”.