In the News: A Clipping Service – July 26, 2010

In this edition of In the News:

  • Return of Schools: Decision Time Approaches
  • Can Schools Save New Orleans?
  • Six Criteria for Charter Governance and Oversight
  • Three Cities Fight Against Drop Outs
  • Improving Student Achievement
  • Local Entrepreneur Changing the Way Teachers Teach

Return of Schools: Decision Time Approaches

Returning Schools to the Orleans Parish School Board: It’s BESE’s Decision
Educate Now! – July 24, 2010
Before the end of 2010, the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education must decide if schools will stay in the Recovery School District or be returned to the Orleans Parish School Board. With the deadline fast approaching, Educate Now! looks at the law governing BESE’s decision-making process and outlines the steps involved.

Can Schools Save New Orleans?

Fixing the Broken Parts: Can Schools Save New Orleans?
Good Magazine – July 15, 2010
New school construction and new ways of teaching are revolutionizing education in New Orleans. Can a city be remade through its schools?

Six Criteria for Charter Governance and Oversight

Who’s in Charge at Charter Schools?
Education Week – July 14, 2010
Greg Richmond, President of the National Association of Charter Schools, outlines six criteria for ensuring strong governance and oversight of charter schools.

Three Cities Fight Against Drop Outs

Fighting the Drop-Out Crisis
The Washington Monthly – July/August 2010
A series of six articles takes an honest look at three cities working hard to fix their large “drop out factory” high schools. One article entitled Small is Still Beautiful concludes that government should spend less money trying to turn around failing schools and instead open up new, small, accountable ones. This is good news for New Orleans, since we have been using this strategy since Katrina.

Improving Student Achievement

Closing Schools’ Achievement Gaps
The Los Angeles Times – July 7, 2010
A look at five very different urban school systems yields five common-sense steps for raising student achievement.

Study: Teaching Credentials Still Matter
Education Week – July 21, 2010
A recent study in North Carolina found that at the high school level most measurable teacher credentials do have a significant, positive impact on student achievement.

Learning From Leadership: Investigating the Links to Improved Student Learning
The Wallace Foundation – July 2010
The largest in-depth study of school leadership to date confirms that education leadership (including state-level officials, superintendents and district staff, principals, school board members, teachers, and community members in leadership roles) has a strong impact on student achievement.

Local Entrepreneur Changing the Way Teachers Teach

Drop the Chalk: Changing the Way Teachers Teach
Entrepreneur – July 20, 2010
New web-based software called Drop the Chalk is changing the way teachers teach in New Orleans.