For the second year in a row, New Jersey has released its controversial rating system that graded every school on a 1-100 scale — a system educators say paints an incomplete picture of the state's 2,100 schools (see entire list below). The new ratings, which were released Wednesday, were established to comply with the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which replaced the controversial No Child Left Behind Act. The ratings for high schools are based on graduation and absenteeism rates and PARCC scores, while elementary and middle school scores are based on absenteeism, PARCC and student progress on PARCC tests, according to the state Department of Education. ESSA was enacted in 2015, and it was intended to "build on key areas of progress in recent years, made possible by the efforts of educators, communities, parents, and students across the country," according to the U.S. Department of Education. Frank Belluscio, a spokesman for the New Jersey School Boards Association, … [Read more...] about Every NJ School Graded In Newly Released State Report: Your Rank?
Benjamin franklin elementary school
This lawmaker stands to earn at least $11M on his own charter schools. His votes helped lay the groundwork.
Near the end of the 2018 legislative session, lawmakers were poised to pass a budget that would give educators large raises and require greater financial accountability for both district and charter schools. House Speaker J.D. Mesnard and Rep. Eddie Farnsworth had other plans. Well after midnight, Mesnard, with Farnsworth as point man during a testy floor debate with Democrats, added an amendment to the budget. It exempted charter schools from procurement and conflict-of-interest laws and from a requirement to disclose their entire annual spending plans on school websites. Only district schools would be required to abide by those requirements. Farnsworth wasn't just a lawmaker interested in the details of the legislation. He also runs a four-campus East Valley charter chain that — because of the amendment — would remain free of state oversight of its spending. Farnsworth's … [Read more...] about This lawmaker stands to earn at least $11M on his own charter schools. His votes helped lay the groundwork.
Charter Board vote allows Eddie Farnsworth, school operator and lawmaker, to make millions
East Valley charter-school owner and state lawmaker Eddie Farnsworth is poised for a payday of up to $30 million after the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools approved the transfer of his for-profit charter-school chain to a newly formed non-profit company on Monday. In a 10-0 vote, the board OK'd Farnsworth's request to transfer the charter from the for-profit Benjamin Franklin Charter School, which operates four campuses, to a Queen Creek non-profit company with the same name. That move will allow Farnsworth, a longtime Republican state representative, to sell the campuses — paid for with state tax dollars — to the non-profit company for between $11.8 million and $29.9 million, according to Charter Board records. The figures vary because of conflicting financial audits Benjamin Franklin provided to the Charter Board. Farnsworth declined to clarify the discrepancy. Farnsworth also … [Read more...] about Charter Board vote allows Eddie Farnsworth, school operator and lawmaker, to make millions
Ben Carson, other Detroit schools could be in for name change
Could Ben Carson's name be on the way out for a Detroit high school? And will Aretha Franklin's name make it onto a school? The Detroit Board of Education Tuesday night approved a process for seeking new names for several existing schools — including the Benjamin Carson High School of Science and Medicine — and several new schools expected to open in 2019. The science and medicine-themed school was named after the Detroit native before he became a member of President Donald Trump's cabinet. It was a decision made when the district was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager. Some board members, including LaMar Lemmons, have pushed for removing Carson's name from the school. The board earlier this year approved a policy regarding the naming of schools — changes that paved the way for a change in the name of the Carson school. The Carson school is now operating in a building that previously held Crockett Career and Technical Center. Here are … [Read more...] about Ben Carson, other Detroit schools could be in for name change
Black conservative group opposes renaming Ben Carson school in Detroit
A black, conservative activist group opposes the Detroit Board of Education's recent decision to consider renaming a high school school named for Dr. Ben Carson. Project 21 said the name-change effort, pushed by some board members, is a "purely political act which willfully ignores the accomplishments and charitable acts of the famous Detroit native who now serves as the U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development," according to a news release Friday. The statement was released after the board's 6-1 vote Tuesday approving a process for seeking new names for the Benjamin Carson High School of Science and Medicine, on Mack Avenue near I-75, and others. The science and medicine-themed school was named after the Detroit native before he became a member of President Donald Trump's cabinet. It was a decision made when the district was under the control of a state-appointed emergency manager. Tuesday's action doesn't mean the name of that school — or … [Read more...] about Black conservative group opposes renaming Ben Carson school in Detroit