Joshua Dunn | Education Next

“Vergara v. California, a 2012 lawsuit that challenged the state’s teacher-tenure laws, terrified teachers unions when it was filed. In April 2016, to the unions’ relief, they won a victory in the case. But that victory is likely to be Pyrrhic. Copycat cases have already been filed in New York and Minnesota that have a much better chance of success, and lawsuits in other states are sure to follow. Ironically, these cases will rely on the same political strategy and legal reasoning that unions have enthusiastically supported in school-finance cases around the country. Having sown the legal wind, the unions will now reap the litigation whirlwind.”

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Monica Disare | Chalkbeat NY

“With almost no public warning and little board discussion, a 17-member policymaking body wiped out one of the main elements of the state’s teacher evaluation law late last year.

A few months later, the same body, the New York State Board of Regents, passed a regulation that enabled thousands of students with disabilities to become eligible for diplomas only weeks before graduation. The provision was enacted so quickly, some disabled students could have diplomas in hand even before the public comment period on the measure ends.”

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Nick Anderson | The Washington Post

“Colleges routinely force students with weak math skills to take remedial classes before enrolling in one that yields credit, a requirement that poses one of the biggest hurdles for disadvantaged Americans on the path to getting a degree. Many placed in remediation get disheartened or sidetracked and end up dropping out of college before they ever really start.

New research suggests these students might fare better if they simply start in a college-level course and are given extra help on the side.”

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Dawn Geske | Northern California Record

“SAN FRANCISCO – Nine students have filed an appeal with the California Supreme Court against the state of California over the quality of teachers in low-income schools.

Vergara v. California claims that the state’s statutes were biased against poor students because during school layoffs, teachers with more seniority are kept versus talented and capable teachers that are more likely assigned to low-income areas. The lawsuit challenges California statues that govern the due process in teacher dismissals, by claiming that it almost impossible to dismiss incompetent teachers in schools in poor areas. The plaintiffs allege that those laws are unconstitutional and hurt students.”

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StarTribune

“The most important thing any school board does is to hire and oversee the work of the superintendent. How it does this work provides a clear test of the board. This week, the St. Paul school board earned at best a D in the manner in which it chose to transition to a new superintendent.

After serving on the St. Paul school board for more than six years, I made the decision to resign my position rather than participate any longer in a board that refuses to understand its job, has pitted employees against one another and has ignored recommendations by the professionals we have hired to lead our district.”

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Julie McMahon | Syracuse.com

“SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Three quarters of the students in the Syracuse City School District stand little chance of having a teacher who shares their skin color.

While 76 percent of Syracuse students are people of color, 90 percent of the teachers are white. The percentage of students of color outnumbers the percentage of teachers of color by seven or eight times.

That’s a huge problem when considering national studies have consistently found students perform best when they have role models with whom they can identify.”

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Solvejg Wastvedt | MPR News

“Valeria Silva has less than a month to lead St. Paul’s public schools. The St. Paul school board removed the district superintendent at a tense meeting Tuesday night.

Silva’s superintendent contract ends July 15. She’ll stay on with the district in an advisory role until September 2017, pulling down her full current salary. The board voted 5-2 in favor of the severance package, which will cost the district $787,500.

Board Chairperson Jon Schumacher said he believes the change will save the district money in the long run.”

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Monica Disare | Chalkbeat NY

“Teachers wondering how they will be evaluated next year will likely need to wait a little bit longer.

Rather than having to design new teacher evaluation systems by Sept. 1, school districts will now have until the end of December. The change, added at the last minute to the state’s end-of-session budget deal, does not mark a huge shift in how teachers are evaluated, but it gives districts more time to work out the details of their new plans.”

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Susan Edelman | New York Post

“They’ve been rubber marooned for five to seven years each.

The city Department of Education has kept three accused teachers on the payroll, but confined to menial office tasks since seeking to fire them in 2009 to 2011. One takes home nearly $100,000 a year, and they all get contractually mandated raises.

It’s a violation of a major 2010 agreement between the DOE and the United Federation of Teachers to break up the infamous holding pens dubbed ‘rubber rooms.'”

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