GothamSchools — daily independent reporting on NYC public schools

• Indiana’s outgoing education chief was selected to run schools in Florida. (Orlando Sentinel)
• Millions of federal “turnaround” dollars (wait, what?!) have been distributed to city schools. (DOE SAM)
• With teachers at the helm of turnaround, some Boston schools improved, a study found. (Hechinger)
• Recent charter school co-location hearings sound like past ones, according to reports. (Insideschools)
• A union activist says there are signs that the UFT’s leadership might postpone elections. (Ed Notes)
• England’s education secretary wants schools to dock the pay of teachers’ who organize. (Guardian UK)
• Before picking presents for your child’s teacher, a guide to the city’s gifting policies. (Insideschools)
• A mom (who’s also a professor) is holding Chicago accountable for its school space planning. (DNAInfo)
• Families zoned out of Brooklyn’s P.S. 321 are already making plans for the new school’s PTA. (DNAInfo)
• KIPP’s Dave Levin theorizes classroom ratios of interaction, questioning, and work. (Team & Family)
• A teacher describes how he communicated his aspirations for a student who acts tough. (Jose Vilson)
• Democratic schools, where students set the pace, could be attractive to today’s harried families. (Atlantic)
• In honor of today’s date, here’s what newspapers said last time 12-12-12 happened. (Fast Company)

wallyg via flickr

At the same time as the State Education Department is publicly pressuring school districts to adopt new teacher evaluations by next month, it’s also quietly demanding that charter schools turn in their teachers’ ratings from last year.

Charter school advocates are urging most school leaders to ignore the demand, even though state officials  have said it’s needed in order to fulfill its Race to the Top plan. The advocates say the demand would be hard to fulfill and impinges on charter schools’ autonomy.

The standoff has its roots in the state’s 2010 application for federal Race to the Top funds. In its application to the U.S. Department of Education for funding, New York State said it would require schools to rate teachers according to specific guidelines and would collect ratings for all teachers, even in charter schools.

Some charter schools committed to sharing their teacher ratings at the time in order to receive some of the state’s $700 million in winnings. But two thirds did not — and the state wants their teacher ratings too, according to a series of updated guidance memos that officials have issued over the last 18 months.

City and state charter school advocates have pushed back against the demands throughout that time.

“Both the New York City Charter School Center and the New York Charter Schools Association believe that this reporting requirement does not properly apply to non-Race to the Top charter schools,” Charter Center CEO James Merriman and NYCSA President Bill Phillips wrote in a strongly worded email to school leaders last month. They added, “Ultimately, it is up to you whether you choose to report this data.”

So far, few school leaders have made that choice. By the original submission deadline Nov. 30, just 30 of 184 charter schools in the state had handed over teacher ratings from last year. (more…)

• An analysis found that the “fiscal cliff” could cost state schools $164 million, $95 million in the city. (WSJ)
• Teachers at more schools said their state performance ratings were available for all to see. (Daily News)
• The Daily News says it’s a union-induced shame that only teachers can see their state “growth scores.”
• A Brooklyn charter school softened its school discipline policies after losing many students. (SchoolBook)
• The city did not win funds in the Race to the Top-District contest. (GothamSchools, Post, NY1, WSJ)
• Newark also lost out on the funds, losing points because it submitted inaccurate data. (Star-Ledger)
• The city is planning to focus new efforts on boosting arts education in middle schools. (GothamSchools)
• The city found that IBM consultants stole from the education department. (GothamSchools, Post)
• Michigan’s Republican-controlled legislature signed off on major changes to limit unions’ power. (Times)
• Louisiana’s governor blasted teachers unions for opposing school vouchers. (Times-Picayune, HuffPo)