Education News From Around the Web

Fight Ensues over Facebook Money for NJ Schools - NPR: "Paul Trachtenberg, a professor of education law at Rutgers, says it gives too much control of public institutions to private donors. 'It's driven by corporate notions of how one might run an efficient system of schooling — not really by focusing professionalization of education, but rather the reverse, of de-professionalizing the schools and assuming that if you're successful as a corporate manager, you can run a school system,' Trachtenberg says." Bipartisan Bill Seeks to Remake Teacher Training Programs, Edweek Blog: "Participation in the program would be optional for states. Those that choose to join would designate academies for teacher and principal preparation. The academies would have to use a rigorous admissions process and a major emphasis on clinical, hands-on experience. And, importantly, prospective teachers couldn't graduate from these programs unless they demonstrated that they could actually boost student achievement." New Authority to Oversee Detroit Public Schools, CBS Detroit: "Under-performing school in Michigan will be put into a statewide authority to help improve student achievement. Governor Rick Snyder is creating the Education Achievement System which will operate the lowest performing schools in the state, beginning with Detroit in the 2012-2013 school year." Another View: Charter schools show results: lift the state cap on their number, MLive.com: "These remarkable results come because charters promote an atmosphere of innovation in education. They are held accountable and demand accountability. They open their doors to students everywhere, including special education students and are legally prohibited from “cherry picking” students. They embrace and thrive on the competition that empowers parents. They operate more efficiently and stretch each public dollar more because of the fact they receive $1,329 less per student per year than their traditional public school counterparts. And they see student achievement as the result of high expectations."