Alabama: $19.5 million in tax credit donations have been made to scholarship organizations (Yellowhammer News).
Arizona: A public school district leader says “choice is here to stay” and argues school districts need to highlight options available to students (Arizona Capital Times). Wealthier public schools may be getting a much larger benefit from the tax-credit donation program (Arizona Republic, KTAR). A study by the Goldwater Institute found that district schools were converting to charter schools for the monetary benefits and not to offer new options to students (Sonoran News).
California: Support school choice, the gift that keeps on giving (Capital News and Views). The California Charter School Association calls for the closure of six charter schools for poor performance (National Alliance for Public Charter Schools).
D.C.: Black, low-income and disabled students attending charter schools outperform their peers in traditional district schools (Washington Post).
Florida: The state’s virtual high school earns a B (Orlando Sentinel). A Hebrew charter school gets approval in Hollywood (Miami Herald). Miami-Dade rejects a North Miami charter school application because the school would compete with district schools that recently received $200 million in renovations (Miami Herald).
Hawaii: Charter schools are good but they need better oversight (Star Advertiser).
Idaho: An online technical charter school plans to open in the state (Idaho Statesman). A popular charter school plans to expand into high school grades over the objections of the local school district (Statesman Review).
Illinois: Last year Chicago closed 52 schools but now charter schools wish to open in the district (Chicago Sun-Times). The Chicago Sun-Times supports charter schools, but worries that too many charter school openings may harm already cash strapped school districts. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan visits a Chicago area public school but refuses to answer comments about 21 potential charter schools wishing to open in the city (Chicago Sun-Times). To improve education in Chicago the money has to follow the student and parents must be able to pick the school (Chicago Tribune).
Indiana: The Kokomo Tribune believes the public needs access to information about how voucher dollars are spent, including the names of students and their scholarship award amounts. Christel House, the charter school at the center of the Tony Bennet grading scandal, sees its grade drop from an A to an F (Indianapolis Star).
Louisiana: A state auditor says the government doesn’t provide enough information about private schools to voucher parents, while 41 percent of schools received improper payments (Education Week, Times-Picayune, Times-Picayune, The Advocate, Shreveport Times). The state releases a database on participating private voucher schools (Times-Picayune). Editorial writers argue vouchers are no guarantee of quality education and that schools need more regulation (The Advocate, The Advertiser). The U.S. Department of Justice’s voucher suit could end up making segregation worse (Daily Caller). Recovery School District will be the nation’s first all-charter school district in the 2014-15 school year (Times-Picayune). Charter schools refusing to rejoin their old school districts may signal distrust in locally elected school boards (The Lens). Journalists covering the voucher audit missed one important story: the program is growing rapidly (The Advocate). Two New Orleans area public schools are accused of cherry-picking their own students (Hechinger Report).
Massachusetts: The Greenfield Common Virtual School will open its doors in 2014 (The Recorder).
Michigan: A new study finds students using school choice benefit (Michigan Capitol Confidential).
North Carolina: Parents, teachers, civil rights organization and teacher unions sue to stop vouchers (Huffington Post). The teacher union’s lawsuit is “suspect” (The Reflector). Vouchers could improve the public education system (Shelby Star, Gaston Gazette). The Daily Reflector wants to know what Pitt County parents think of school choice.
New Jersey: The state Supreme Court says the state’s education commissioner has final say on all charter school applications (Education Week, The Record). A plan in Newark could put charter schools into district-owned buildings (The Star-Ledger). Some districts win with public school choice others lose (Asbury Park Press)
New York: A Brooklyn charter school gets a six month extension on its charter but will likely close at the end of the school year (New York Daily News).
Oklahoma: The state superintendent wants virtual schools to be held to the same standards and regulations as other charter schools (Tulsa World).
Ohio: A home school bill is dropped that would have required parents to submit to background checks and get approved by child services before teaching their own children (WKBN, Cato Institute).
Pennsylvania: Gubernatorial candidate Rep. Allyson Schwartz will uphold the state educational tax-credit program which supports private schools, including Jewish day schools (Jewish Exponent). The local school board in Allentown rejects two charter school applications for failing to get adequate parental and community support (The Morning Call). To co-defendants in a charter school fraud case are acquitted but the main defendant still faces 60 counts for allegedly defrauding four charter schools of $6.4 million (The Inquirer). Philadelphia area charter schools earn higher grades than district schools (Watchdog). The Chester Community Charter School teaches more students in grades K-8 than the local school district and some community activists are challenging the schools legal right to teach that many students (The Inquirer).
South Carolina: The Aiken County School District explores a potential partnership with the state virtual school program (Aiken Standard). The state superintendent of public schools says he supports parental choice (The State).
Tennessee: The Canyon-Agassi Charter School Facilities Fund is paying for the entire $7 million construction cost for a new charter school in North Nashville (The Tennessean). The mayor of Nashville is fed up with the local school district’s attacks on charter schools (The Tennessean).
Texas: The state will shut down six charter schools for financial and/or academic reasons (The Texas Tribune, Dallas News). Charter school enrollment grows in Houston (KUHF). Gubernatorial candidate Greg Abbott won’t comment on whether he supports vouchers or not (Texas Public Radio).
Washington: Did you get confused by the court’s ruling on charter school constitutionality? The Seattle Times explains the issues. Another editorial board believes more options are better for kids (The Columbian). Nina Reese of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools says charter schools will serve Washington students well (The Olympian).
Wisconsin: A bill that would have allowed high-performing charter schools to expand statewide has been limited to the Milwaukee area only (Wisconsin Public Radio News). Lawmakers are considering a bill to allow all charter schools to operate independently of school districts (Star Tribune).
Nation: The Walton Family Foundation donates $6 million to the Alliance for School Choice to promote vouchers in Wisconsin, Louisiana and other states (Washington Post, Education Week, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Times-Picayune). Private faith-based schools are an education options worthy of public support (USA Today). Can elite, mostly white, private schools help minority students get ahead in life (The Atlantic)?
World: A British research group recommends offering means-tested vouchers so lower-income families have more equal access to educational opportunities (Channel 4). Most parents are only able to get school choice for their children by moving (BBC). Will school choice in Northern Ireland lead to segregation among Protestant and Catholic students (Belfast Telegraph)?
