Saturday, February 16, 2019
About
About the Media Bullpen
America’s future, its short and long term viability, is wholly dependent on how we educate our children.
The Media Bullpen is a dynamic, virtual newsroom that covers the news and the news of education. It’s a sophisticated and unique technological environment that allows everyone to get in the game on the greatest discussions of our day. To understand those discussions, we need great information and reporting on all the issues relating to education—all the time.
Each day nearly 500 stories—and sometimes many more—are produced in the media about education, but they often lack the context for the public to get engaged.
The Bullpen reporters—the umpires—react and respond in real time to the press as it rolls out its coverage in print, online or broadcast, at the local, state or national levels. They score the coverage using the metaphors of that favorite American pastime, baseball. Articles are given strike outs, pop flies, singles, doubles, triples, and home runs, reflecting a particular story’s objectivity, proper context, its exploration of data, and search for accuracy.
In so doing, the Media Bullpen provides a critical eye to help the public better understand the complexity of the issues being reported.
More than anything else, the Bullpen allows readers to be their own umpires. A full suite of social media applications allows readers to get engaged by sharing the Bullpen’s content with friends, family, other media outlets, activists, and school leaders. Readers can help to make education great only by demanding greater education reporting.
The Media Bullpen is an entirely separate, editorially independent division of the Center for Education Reform, and the strategic evolution of its pioneering and well-known media relations and news monitoring work.
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By having your own account, you can quickly browse information of most importance to you and see the top trends in education reporting. Plus:
You can comment, contribute ideas, and share articles with your team of friends or colleagues. Soon, you will be able to use Your BullPen to write a reporter or legislator to play for change.
Plus, by joining the Media Bullpen, you can create your own personalized news feed daily by issue, state, region, and more, and it will be delivered to you as often as you ask.
The Media Bullpen. Because education is no longer a spectator sport.
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- As US teachers ramp up pressure, face reality: L.A. strike was about control, not students (CER)
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Jan 29, 8:56 AM, USA Today:
This nation cannot sustain systems that stay in business even if, like L.A., their product fails more than 70 percent of students year after year. We need schools that are made for students, run by educators who have a solution, chosen >
- Opinion: Charter schools do more with less money
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Jan 24, 8:43 AM, Washington Examiner:
And what is particularly unfair about this inequitable funding is that charters are increasingly the choice of families where they are available, especially in areas like Camden and Washington, where the traditional public school systems >
- Op-Ed: Charter schools can help underserved students realize the American Dream
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Jan 15, 8:32 AM, Miami Herald:
This dream, an American dream fueled the fight for civil rights in the 1960s. But, today, we must ask ourselves: Have we moved closer to achieving this dream in the ensuing years? The answer is complex, but it should start with a >
- Review & Outlook: Behind the Teachers Strikes
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Feb 14, 8:48 AM, Wall Street Journal:
Protest signs hoisted by more than 2,600 Denver teachers would have you think this week’s school strike is “for the kids” or simply about higher wages. But the standoffs in Denver and elsewhere in recent months are also about something >
- Public school strikes revive clash with Teach for America
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Feb 14, 8:47 AM, Associated Press:
The program has been credited with alleviating teacher shortages in difficult-to-hire schools and building a dedicated force of education policy and school leaders. But the nonprofit has faced skepticism, both for its design and its >
- Can small liberal arts colleges survive the next decade?
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Feb 14, 8:44 AM, Christian Science Monitor:
But the pace of closings is rising, according to a 2018 report from Moody’s that finds colleges are closing at a rate of about 11 per year. Many small schools rely on tuition and operate on razor-thin margins, making them vulnerable to >
- As More States Move To Create Education Savings Accounts, New Poll Finds Strong Bipartisan Support
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Feb 11, 8:45 AM, Forbes:
A new Mason-Dixon poll out this week shows that state Education Savings Account (ESA) programs, which expand school choice by allowing families to control a large share of the taxpayer resources going toward their children’s education, >
- From Tennessee to Chicago, Free College Programs Take Off
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Feb 11, 8:43 AM, Wall Street Journal:
In the past few years, free college “promise” programs have been championed by lawmakers across the political spectrum. In West Sacramento, Calif., a Democratic mayor was behind the effort. In Kentucky, it was the Republican state >
- The Benefits of Starting College Early—in High School
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Feb 11, 8:41 AM, Wall Street Journal:
Traditionally, only the most academically gifted high-school students have taken college-level classes. But growing use of dual-credit courses—college-level classes taken in high school that offer both high-school and college credit—is >
- Lamar Alexander: Going to College Should Not Be a Financial Albatross
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Feb 8, 8:52 AM, New York Times:
Our country has most of the best colleges in the world. We also have the most graduates paying off college debt. Roughly 40 million borrowers owe $1.5 trillion in student loan debt.
- Commentary: Ed-tech key to readiness
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Feb 8, 8:51 AM, Jacksonville Journal-Courier:
Originally developed to prepare high school students who were unlikely to go on to college for a trade like construction or welding, federal funding for vocational programs — or CTE — in high school passed in 1917, even before public >
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- Column: A mother calls for more voucher funding
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Feb 15, 6:57 AM, The Florida Times-Union:
My daughter, Brianna, and I were so excited when we applied for a Florida Tax Credit Scholarship last year. We had a great private school here in Jacksonville all picked out: Victory Christian Academy. We took a tour and pictured ourselves >
- Review & Outlook: Florida’s Voucher Vindication
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Feb 11, 8:46 AM, Wall Street Journal:
Now comes new evidence from the Urban Institute, which this time examined a larger data set of some 89,000 students. The researchers compared those who used school vouchers to public-school students with comparable math and reading scores, >
- Gary teen's video recounts how school choice gave him a fresh start
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Feb 11, 6:54 AM, Northwest Indiana Times:
Zion Johnson, winner of the 2019 National School Choice Week Video Contest, didn’t know he was entering a contest when he created his video about why The Crossing, a faith-based private school in Gary, was the right fit for him.
- A High School Diploma, Even For A Valedictorian, Will Never Be Enough
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Feb 15, 8:54 AM, WBUR:
It’s true that the series identified some of the major flaws in a system where 25 percent of the highest performing students are segregated into three high schools, and where too many high school students are not getting access to >
- DC files suit against 4 parents, city employee for defrauding schools
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Feb 15, 8:44 AM, WTOP:
Four Maryland parents and a D.C. employee are in hot water with the city, facing fraud charges for allegedly enrolling their children in District schools.
- Student group says rising CMS grad rates mask grim future for many black graduates
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Feb 15, 8:34 AM, The Charlotte Observer:
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ credit recovery program lets students who fail a course take online lessons to pass. But it allows too many students in high-poverty, mostly black schools graduate with grade-point averages too low for >
- Opinion: Time for bold education reforms to move Massachusetts forward
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Feb 15, 8:08 AM, Sentinel & Enterprise:
As Beacon Hill moves forward with discussions on how to best improve our schools, the chamber would like to present five recommendations for consideration. These proposals were developed, with input from educators, by a taskforce of >
- Rural Oklahoma Community Still Divided Over Charter School
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Feb 15, 8:01 AM, KGOU:
Two years ago, the Oklahoma State Board of Education for the first time exercised its authority to approve a rural charter school. The decision was contentious. A local school board had already denied the charter’s application twice, >
- Editorial: Legislature needs to keep urban-rural tensions in check this session
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Feb 15, 7:51 AM, Omaha World-Herald:
Tension sometimes develops between rural and urban lawmakers at the Nebraska Legislature when the differing needs of their districts clash. That’s the nature of a representative democracy. But this session, lawmakers have a particular duty >
- Opinion: Ascent charter denial makes sense for community
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Feb 15, 7:40 AM, Boulder Daily Camera:
On Thursday, the Colorado State Board of Education voted 3-3 (one recusal) to defeat a motion to overturn the Boulder Valley School District's recent decision to deny charter school status to the Golden-based Ascent organization. Like the >
- State board denies Ascent charter school appeal of BVSD decision
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Feb 15, 7:35 AM, Boulder Daily Camera:
Boulder Valley School District's denial of an application for the K-12 Ascent Classical Academy Flatirons will stand after the Colorado Board of Education on Thursday failed to pass a measure that would have sent the application back to >
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- A High School Diploma, Even For A Valedictorian, Will Never Be Enough
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Feb 15, 8:54 AM, WBUR:
It’s true that the series identified some of the major flaws in a system where 25 percent of the highest performing students are segregated into three high schools, and where too many high school students are not getting access to >
- Opinion: Time for bold education reforms to move Massachusetts forward
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Feb 15, 8:08 AM, Sentinel & Enterprise:
As Beacon Hill moves forward with discussions on how to best improve our schools, the chamber would like to present five recommendations for consideration. These proposals were developed, with input from educators, by a taskforce of >
- Officials: Hempstead district to pay over $43M in charter tuition next year
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Feb 15, 7:34 AM, Newsday:
The Hempstead school district is expecting to pay nearly $43.4 million in tuition to charter schools next year, as the number of students choosing to attend the institutions continues to rise, administrators said Thursday night.
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- Editorial: Legislature needs to keep urban-rural tensions in check this session
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Feb 15, 7:51 AM, Omaha World-Herald:
Tension sometimes develops between rural and urban lawmakers at the Nebraska Legislature when the differing needs of their districts clash. That’s the nature of a representative democracy. But this session, lawmakers have a particular duty >
- SD House passes bill requiring citizenship tests for high school graduation
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Feb 15, 7:14 AM, Rapid City Journal:
Passed by a 38-31 vote, House Bill 1066 would require that students in public schools and state-accredited private schools pass a 10-question civics test in order to graduate high school. The 10 questions would be sourced from the U.S. >
- New bill would keep virtual charters from moving around students, but stops short of harsher oversight
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Feb 14, 7:39 AM, Chalkbeat Indiana:
A bill that would prohibit virtual charters from shuffling students between schools cleared a legislative hurdle Wednesday. If signed into law, it could prevent online schools from bypassing state efforts to hold them accountable.
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- DC files suit against 4 parents, city employee for defrauding schools
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Feb 15, 8:44 AM, WTOP:
Four Maryland parents and a D.C. employee are in hot water with the city, facing fraud charges for allegedly enrolling their children in District schools.
- Student group says rising CMS grad rates mask grim future for many black graduates
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Feb 15, 8:34 AM, The Charlotte Observer:
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ credit recovery program lets students who fail a course take online lessons to pass. But it allows too many students in high-poverty, mostly black schools graduate with grade-point averages too low for >
- Rural Oklahoma Community Still Divided Over Charter School
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Feb 15, 8:01 AM, KGOU:
Two years ago, the Oklahoma State Board of Education for the first time exercised its authority to approve a rural charter school. The decision was contentious. A local school board had already denied the charter’s application twice, >
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- Opinion: Ascent charter denial makes sense for community
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Feb 15, 7:40 AM, Boulder Daily Camera:
On Thursday, the Colorado State Board of Education voted 3-3 (one recusal) to defeat a motion to overturn the Boulder Valley School District's recent decision to deny charter school status to the Golden-based Ascent organization. Like the >
- State board denies Ascent charter school appeal of BVSD decision
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Feb 15, 7:35 AM, Boulder Daily Camera:
Boulder Valley School District's denial of an application for the K-12 Ascent Classical Academy Flatirons will stand after the Colorado Board of Education on Thursday failed to pass a measure that would have sent the application back to >
- Denver teachers, protesting a performance pay plan, reach agreement with school district
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Feb 15, 6:24 AM, Washington Post:
Striking teachers in Denver reached an agreement Thursday with the school system that increases salaries, ending the latest in protests by educators that have swept the nation.
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- Column: A mother calls for more voucher funding
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Feb 15, 6:57 AM, The Florida Times-Union:
My daughter, Brianna, and I were so excited when we applied for a Florida Tax Credit Scholarship last year. We had a great private school here in Jacksonville all picked out: Victory Christian Academy. We took a tour and pictured ourselves >
- Gary teen's video recounts how school choice gave him a fresh start
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Feb 11, 6:54 AM, Northwest Indiana Times:
Zion Johnson, winner of the 2019 National School Choice Week Video Contest, didn’t know he was entering a contest when he created his video about why The Crossing, a faith-based private school in Gary, was the right fit for him.
- We never thought we’d get in’: The tense wait for a Philly charter school seat
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Feb 11, 6:22 AM, Philadelphia Inquirer:
When the winning kindergarten applicants were posted, Solomon didn’t see her daughter’s name. Getting into MaST was one of the factors that would determine if she stayed in the city or moved. Tears in her eyes, Solomon stood and headed for >
- A High School Diploma, Even For A Valedictorian, Will Never Be Enough
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Feb 15, 8:54 AM, WBUR:
It’s true that the series identified some of the major flaws in a system where 25 percent of the highest performing students are segregated into three high schools, and where too many high school students are not getting access to >
- DC files suit against 4 parents, city employee for defrauding schools
-
Feb 15, 8:44 AM, WTOP:
Four Maryland parents and a D.C. employee are in hot water with the city, facing fraud charges for allegedly enrolling their children in District schools.
- Student group says rising CMS grad rates mask grim future for many black graduates
-
Feb 15, 8:34 AM, The Charlotte Observer:
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ credit recovery program lets students who fail a course take online lessons to pass. But it allows too many students in high-poverty, mostly black schools graduate with grade-point averages too low for >
- Rural Oklahoma Community Still Divided Over Charter School
-
Feb 15, 8:01 AM, KGOU:
Two years ago, the Oklahoma State Board of Education for the first time exercised its authority to approve a rural charter school. The decision was contentious. A local school board had already denied the charter’s application twice, >
- Opinion: Ascent charter denial makes sense for community
-
Feb 15, 7:40 AM, Boulder Daily Camera:
On Thursday, the Colorado State Board of Education voted 3-3 (one recusal) to defeat a motion to overturn the Boulder Valley School District's recent decision to deny charter school status to the Golden-based Ascent organization. Like the >
- State board denies Ascent charter school appeal of BVSD decision
-
Feb 15, 7:35 AM, Boulder Daily Camera:
Boulder Valley School District's denial of an application for the K-12 Ascent Classical Academy Flatirons will stand after the Colorado Board of Education on Thursday failed to pass a measure that would have sent the application back to >
- Officials: Hempstead district to pay over $43M in charter tuition next year
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Feb 15, 7:34 AM, Newsday:
The Hempstead school district is expecting to pay nearly $43.4 million in tuition to charter schools next year, as the number of students choosing to attend the institutions continues to rise, administrators said Thursday night.
- Erskine grants full authorization to two Clinton charter schools
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Feb 15, 7:26 AM, Index-Journal:
Erskine College created the Institute in 2017 as a statewide agency that would sponsor charter schools, a power granted by South Carolina law to institutes of higher education.
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- Column: A mother calls for more voucher funding
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Feb 15, 6:57 AM, The Florida Times-Union:
My daughter, Brianna, and I were so excited when we applied for a Florida Tax Credit Scholarship last year. We had a great private school here in Jacksonville all picked out: Victory Christian Academy. We took a tour and pictured ourselves >
- Review & Outlook: Florida’s Voucher Vindication
-
Feb 11, 8:46 AM, Wall Street Journal:
Now comes new evidence from the Urban Institute, which this time examined a larger data set of some 89,000 students. The researchers compared those who used school vouchers to public-school students with comparable math and reading scores, >
- Gary teen's video recounts how school choice gave him a fresh start
-
Feb 11, 6:54 AM, Northwest Indiana Times:
Zion Johnson, winner of the 2019 National School Choice Week Video Contest, didn’t know he was entering a contest when he created his video about why The Crossing, a faith-based private school in Gary, was the right fit for him.
- A High School Diploma, Even For A Valedictorian, Will Never Be Enough
-
Feb 15, 8:54 AM, WBUR:
It’s true that the series identified some of the major flaws in a system where 25 percent of the highest performing students are segregated into three high schools, and where too many high school students are not getting access to >
- DC files suit against 4 parents, city employee for defrauding schools
-
Feb 15, 8:44 AM, WTOP:
Four Maryland parents and a D.C. employee are in hot water with the city, facing fraud charges for allegedly enrolling their children in District schools.
- Student group says rising CMS grad rates mask grim future for many black graduates
-
Feb 15, 8:34 AM, The Charlotte Observer:
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ credit recovery program lets students who fail a course take online lessons to pass. But it allows too many students in high-poverty, mostly black schools graduate with grade-point averages too low for >
- Opinion: Time for bold education reforms to move Massachusetts forward
-
Feb 15, 8:08 AM, Sentinel & Enterprise:
As Beacon Hill moves forward with discussions on how to best improve our schools, the chamber would like to present five recommendations for consideration. These proposals were developed, with input from educators, by a taskforce of >
- Rural Oklahoma Community Still Divided Over Charter School
-
Feb 15, 8:01 AM, KGOU:
Two years ago, the Oklahoma State Board of Education for the first time exercised its authority to approve a rural charter school. The decision was contentious. A local school board had already denied the charter’s application twice, >
- Editorial: Legislature needs to keep urban-rural tensions in check this session
-
Feb 15, 7:51 AM, Omaha World-Herald:
Tension sometimes develops between rural and urban lawmakers at the Nebraska Legislature when the differing needs of their districts clash. That’s the nature of a representative democracy. But this session, lawmakers have a particular duty >
- Opinion: Ascent charter denial makes sense for community
-
Feb 15, 7:40 AM, Boulder Daily Camera:
On Thursday, the Colorado State Board of Education voted 3-3 (one recusal) to defeat a motion to overturn the Boulder Valley School District's recent decision to deny charter school status to the Golden-based Ascent organization. Like the >
- State board denies Ascent charter school appeal of BVSD decision
-
Feb 15, 7:35 AM, Boulder Daily Camera:
Boulder Valley School District's denial of an application for the K-12 Ascent Classical Academy Flatirons will stand after the Colorado Board of Education on Thursday failed to pass a measure that would have sent the application back to >
-
- Column: A mother calls for more voucher funding
-
Feb 15, 6:57 AM, The Florida Times-Union:
My daughter, Brianna, and I were so excited when we applied for a Florida Tax Credit Scholarship last year. We had a great private school here in Jacksonville all picked out: Victory Christian Academy. We took a tour and pictured ourselves >
- Review & Outlook: Florida’s Voucher Vindication
-
Feb 11, 8:46 AM, Wall Street Journal:
Now comes new evidence from the Urban Institute, which this time examined a larger data set of some 89,000 students. The researchers compared those who used school vouchers to public-school students with comparable math and reading scores, >
- Gary teen's video recounts how school choice gave him a fresh start
-
Feb 11, 6:54 AM, Northwest Indiana Times:
Zion Johnson, winner of the 2019 National School Choice Week Video Contest, didn’t know he was entering a contest when he created his video about why The Crossing, a faith-based private school in Gary, was the right fit for him.
- A High School Diploma, Even For A Valedictorian, Will Never Be Enough
-
Feb 15, 8:54 AM, WBUR:
It’s true that the series identified some of the major flaws in a system where 25 percent of the highest performing students are segregated into three high schools, and where too many high school students are not getting access to >
- DC files suit against 4 parents, city employee for defrauding schools
-
Feb 15, 8:44 AM, WTOP:
Four Maryland parents and a D.C. employee are in hot water with the city, facing fraud charges for allegedly enrolling their children in District schools.
- Student group says rising CMS grad rates mask grim future for many black graduates
-
Feb 15, 8:34 AM, The Charlotte Observer:
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools’ credit recovery program lets students who fail a course take online lessons to pass. But it allows too many students in high-poverty, mostly black schools graduate with grade-point averages too low for >
- Opinion: Time for bold education reforms to move Massachusetts forward
-
Feb 15, 8:08 AM, Sentinel & Enterprise:
As Beacon Hill moves forward with discussions on how to best improve our schools, the chamber would like to present five recommendations for consideration. These proposals were developed, with input from educators, by a taskforce of >
- Rural Oklahoma Community Still Divided Over Charter School
-
Feb 15, 8:01 AM, KGOU:
Two years ago, the Oklahoma State Board of Education for the first time exercised its authority to approve a rural charter school. The decision was contentious. A local school board had already denied the charter’s application twice, >
- Editorial: Legislature needs to keep urban-rural tensions in check this session
-
Feb 15, 7:51 AM, Omaha World-Herald:
Tension sometimes develops between rural and urban lawmakers at the Nebraska Legislature when the differing needs of their districts clash. That’s the nature of a representative democracy. But this session, lawmakers have a particular duty >
- Opinion: Ascent charter denial makes sense for community
-
Feb 15, 7:40 AM, Boulder Daily Camera:
On Thursday, the Colorado State Board of Education voted 3-3 (one recusal) to defeat a motion to overturn the Boulder Valley School District's recent decision to deny charter school status to the Golden-based Ascent organization. Like the >
- State board denies Ascent charter school appeal of BVSD decision
-
Feb 15, 7:35 AM, Boulder Daily Camera:
Boulder Valley School District's denial of an application for the K-12 Ascent Classical Academy Flatirons will stand after the Colorado Board of Education on Thursday failed to pass a measure that would have sent the application back to >