GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

News from this week:

• City schools could face state-enforced closure by 2015. (GothamSchools, Post, Schoolbook, WSJ, News)
• Under pressure, the city revised its suspension policies. (GothamSchools, News, Times, Schoolbook)
• The new policies come as state records reveal a spike in school violence across the state. (Post)
• Record-keeping of the data has been spotty, in one instance falsely reporting a rise in alcohol use. (Post)
• Students of a large Bronx campus say security at their high schools are excessive. (Riverdale Press)
• More families are opting to homeschool their children instead of sending them to city schools. (DNAInfo)
• Many supplies that children bring back to school are loaded with toxins found in banned toys. (News)
• A years-old hiring restriction in place to save money has been lifted for six subjects. (GothamSchools)
• Prospect Heights locals have raised concerns about a new school for suspended students. (Schoolbook)
• Parents of the controversially-sited Cobble Hill Success were all smiles on the school’s first day. (News)
• Union-led attacks on StudentsFirstNY continued with a rally outside the group’s offices. (Crain’s NY)
• For the first time in seven years, principals rated fewer teachers ‘unsatisfactory’. (GothamSchools)
• The News praised NYSUT for its “rational” endorsement of a state Senator backed by StudentsFirstNY.
• New Jersey teachers and principals were suspended for cheating on standardized tests. (NBC NY)

Last week on GothamSchools:

• The state teachers union endorsed a candidate who took StudentsFirstNY money. (Friday)
• In record time, August’s PEP meeting ended with a debate on testing and contracts. (Thursday)
• A former network leader and current principal was fined $4,000 for nepotism. (Wednesday)
• Mayoral candidates stayed mum while other politicians rejected StudentsFirstNY. (Tuesday)
• When monitors visited schools on exam day, test scores plummeted, an analysis found.  (Wednesday)
• Walcott blamed the budget for why the city was reducing the test security measure. (Wednesday)
• ‘Turnaround’ schools learned they would receive a portion of their promised funding. (Tuesday)
• A charter school applicant seeks space on Governor’s Island to ease co-location issues. (Monday)