Rise & Shine: New year brings new state school reform efforts

New York City news:

  • Gov. Andrew Cuomo is gearing up to announce a commission to plan school reforms. (Daily News, NY1)
  • Critics of the Cuomo administration’s education policies say they are wary of new plans. (Politicker NY)
  • City-union talks on new evaluations broke down. (GothamSchoolsTimesDaily NewsPostWSJNY1)
  • One in four students at Grace Dodge High School, slated for closure, is pregnant or parenting. (Post)
  • The principal the city appointed for Grace Dodge High School has closed other schools before. (Post)
  • Donors are planning to fund summer school for students who aren’t required to attend. (WSJ)
  • For years, the city has not sought its full eligibility in federal special ed reimbursements. (TimesCBS NY)
  • The head of the DOE’s gang unit helps schools deal with seemingly increasing gang activity. (WNYC)
  • The principal of Manhattan’s P.S. 64 hasn’t made friends by asking teachers to dress better. (DNAInfo)
  • In a lawsuit, a teacher charges that toxins at P.S. 51 caused a fatal birth defect in her baby. (Daily News)
  • More about a charter school, Brooklyn Urban Garden, looking for space in District 15. (Brooklyn Paper)
  • Michael Rebell, Campaign For Fiscal Equity case director, is still on the job, as we have reported. (WSJ)
  • A forthcoming charter school plans to connect students digitally with international peers. (Daily News)
  • Investigators found a teacher offered students better grades if they praised her. (PostDaily NewsAP)
  • The principal of Manhattan’s Museum School was arrested for driving while drunk. (Post)
  • Investigators found a teacher at Boys & Girls High School made inappropriate comments. (Daily News)

Views:

  • The widow of the UFT’s founder, Al Shanker, says charter schools have lost their appeal. (Daily News)
  • The Daily News said it is better to lose funds than have a sub-par teacher evaluation system.
  • The Daily News also lambasted UFT President Michael Mulgrew for costing the city money.
  • Chancellor Dennis Walcott slams the UFT for not agreeing to an evaluation deal. (Post)
  • The Post says the UFT doesn’t want longer tests only because results could be used to judge teachers.
  • Joe Nocera: School reform in Central Falls, R.I., should continue despite the city’s bankruptcy. (Times)

Elsewhere:

  • New York says five districts didn’t submit teacher evaluation plans; not all districts agree. (Times Union)
  • Since exiting D.C., Michelle Rhee has pushed for education policy changes in many states. (USA Today)
  • Michael Winerip: An inquiry into school officials’ free trips raises new questions about Pearson. (Times)
  • Advocates for church-state separation say they are seeing more violations in public schools. (Times)
  • D.C. is giving “highly effective” teachers large raises, to both applause and criticism. (Washington Post)
  • California’s governor is proposing billions of dollars in new funds for cash-strapped schools. (L.A. Times)
  • In many ways, N.J. Gov. Chris Christie’s “year of education reform” was a year of frustration. (WSJ)
  • Citywide, there were fewer suspicious test erasures last year in D.C. schools. (Washington Post)