Latino parents in Holyoke sue re. the district’s failure to translate docs and provide translation, especially in Special Ed meetings.
questadmin
Public Support for Charter Schools Plummets, Poll Finds
“Trump Effect” and other factors affecting the 12 percent drop in support for charter schools this past year.
https://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2017/08/15/public-support-for-charter-schools-plummets-poll.html
Mass. school evaluations called ‘unfair’
Fordham Institute states the obvious: DESE measures disadvantage schools with many high-needs students. “Achievement measures are strongly correlated with prior achievement — and given that low-income students tend to enter school far behind their peers, high-poverty schools are likely to fare poorly under such measures, no matter how good the school and its teachers are.”
http://baystatebanner.com/news/2017/aug/09/mass-school-evaluations-called-unfair/?page=1
2017-18 School Bell Times
Here’s a list of schools served by BPS transportation, including BPS, charter and parochial schools. Are the “50 or more bus routes to be cut” equitable across the BPS, charter, and parochial sectors? And which neighborhoods, racial groups and ELL/Special Ed populations will be most affected? Hard to say, as much of this is being planned behind closed doors.
Charter school leaders’ tasks are not comparable to work of superintendents
Letter To The Editor response by former superintendent to recent article about high salaries of charter school administrators: “Unlike a principal, the superintendent is tasked with planning, organizing, staffing, developing, observing, reporting, budgeting, auditing, and maintaining school plant adequacy, to name a few. He or she must operate within the policies of the school committee and be evaluated by the committee on a regular basis.All these responsibilities are carried out on behalf of up to thousands of pupils and their families in sometimes a dozen or more buildings.”
Some charter school leaders’ pay far outpaces their public rivals
Public records requests by by the Globe reveal the out-of-line salaries paid to many of the charter leaders in Boston, including $275,000 to the head of Conservatory Lab.
Senate approves bilingual education measure
“Far from a done deal,” but we’re getting closer to dismantling English only/”one size fits all” in MA.
Betsy DeVos Is Making “School Choice” Toxic for Democrats
“Conservatives frame privatization as a civil rights issue, but Trump’s extreme agenda is energizing racial justice and public education advocates.”
https://newrepublic.com/article/144003/betsy-devos-making-school-choice-toxic-democrats
Advocates push for school funding hike
“Dozens of lawmakers, teacher union leaders and parents yesterday pushed for the state Legislature to boost state education funding to help cash-strapped school districts.”
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/local_politics/2017/07/advocates_push_for_school_funding_hike
In a bid to save $5m, city schools will slice bus routes
Looks what fall will bring: potentially 40 to 50 fewer school buses. 2011 redo?