tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34973224186857467552024-03-13T09:00:41.796-07:00^blog gloria education school^morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-48735029374057892011-09-12T08:19:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.437-07:00Rethinking retentionCharlotte-Mecklenburg's new preK-8 schools are less than three weeks old, but Ashley Park Principal Tonya Kales reports one unexpected lesson: She's rethinking the value of making children repeat a grade.A longtime elementary school teacher and administrator, Kales says she's been among those who think it can help to hold back a kindergartener who's struggling with basic morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-39851511776601058692011-09-08T11:52:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.437-07:00CMS testing ramping up earlyFresh off summer vacation, many students in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools find themselves staring down another crop of district-wide tests. CMS calls the tests "formatives," which is to say they help formulate the rest of the semester's instruction by giving teachers an early read on students' aptitude. Some students took the tests on the very first day of classes, said Scott Muri, chief morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-52179236785739626622011-09-06T10:33:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.437-07:00School board candidate filed on timeHans Plotseneder, one of the many candidates running for the school board, takes issue with a story of ours from last week which identified him as one of several candidates who failed to file their financial disclosure reports on time. He said he sent his campaign finance disclosure report to election officials in Raleigh via e-mail before the July 29 deadline expired. A signed copy dated July 29morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-77643854734015614332011-09-02T15:31:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.437-07:00GOP jostling and the Chamber "endorsement"There may not be a school board primary, but the GOP held a de facto selection process Thursday night to winnow four Republican candidates into a three-person slate.Political newcomer Scott Babbidge eventually bowed out, clearing the way for the party to endorse Tom Davis, Tim Morgan and Ken Nelson for the three at-large seats on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School Board. morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-76920203856575399282011-09-01T07:47:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.437-07:00No big bucks in CMS raceDespite all the buzz about the importance of this year's Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board race, campaign finance reports indicate a big ho-hum from donors.The 16 people seeking three at-large seats in November were supposed to file a mid-year report on donations and spending by July 29. The reports on file with the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections show Elyse Dashew leadingmorganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-60170178098962442482011-08-23T12:45:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.438-07:00Director of Lake Norman Charter School resignsWe're a bit late on this one, but the Huntersville Herald and WFAE radio have reported that Tim Riemer, managing director of Lake Norman Charter School, resigned effective Aug. 16 -- the day before classes for the K-12 school began. Click here and here for stories with more details. A call to the school from the Observer on Tuesday wasn't immediately returned.morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-39392733375454987862011-08-22T08:58:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.438-07:00School board chair defends CMS reformsI called school board chairman Eric Davis this morning to ask about the two workshops the board has scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday (both at 1 p.m. in Room 527 of the Government Center, 600 E. Fourth St.). The workshops center on the search for a new superintendent -- more particularly, finding the right search firm to lead the hunt for one. Makes for a busy week for the school board, which morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-49172828215354974732011-08-22T07:13:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.438-07:00No after-practice bus rides for preK-8 student-athletesCharlotte-Mecklenburg Schools officials this morning clarified a point they made last week about transportation at the eight new preK-8 campuses: student athletes at those schools will get bus rides to the middle schools where they will play sports, but they won't get transportation back to their home school. The new preK-8 schools won't have athletics on their own campuses, but parents at the morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-22652774939111027432011-08-18T08:11:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.438-07:00Back to school for CMS teachersCMS teachers are back on the job today. They'll be getting their classrooms ready, even as a blur of other getting-ready activities are going on around them. At the district's back-to-school press briefing yesterday, Associate Superintendent Guy Chamberlain said the district still has about 57 mobile classrooms that need to be put in place as CMS scrambles to increase its number of teachers and morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-44743534074277378202011-08-16T08:06:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.438-07:00School board candidate headed to White HouseAaron Pomis, one of 16 candidates vying for three at-large seats on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board, is joining other former members of the Teach for America program at the White House today, where they are slated to meet with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan and other senior policy advisors.According to a press release from Pomis, the event is organized by Leadership for Educational morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-63513208618779782012011-08-11T11:30:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.438-07:00CMS reform: Thumbs up or down?I recently reported on the results of the first three years of strategic staffing, former Superintendent Peter Gorman's quest to let top principals and proven teachers turn around struggling schools. It's tough to render a verdict, given that promising gains are mixed with widely varied results.That's disappointing. Three years feels like a very long time in a world where morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-43600280248886683732011-08-10T08:29:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.439-07:00Who should handle CMS supe search?Choosing a superintendent for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is a big deal. It will shape educational opportunities, teacher morale, public spending, local confidence in CMS and the nation's image of Charlotte.But the process can be a bit of a snooze. The school board has had two special meetings, focused mostly on finding a search firm. HR Chiefmorganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-10200072331755320512011-08-05T07:43:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.439-07:00Civil rights lawyers joining anti-testing forces in CMSAdd the Advancement Project, a national civil rights group, to the list of organizations pushing back against the expansion of high-stakes testing in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. The Washington, D.C.-based project, which bills itself as a civil rights "action tank," has been in Charlotte this week interviewing parents at the local NAACP office. Jasmine Harris, a staff attorney with the project,morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-10952836533414798262011-07-28T08:20:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.439-07:00Mecklenburg commissioner defends CMSIt seems much of Charlotte is suffering from whiplash this week, courtesy of the CMS budget. All the months of talk of layoffs and budget cuts turned on Tuesday into a final 2011-12 spending plan that includes enough money to add nearly 500 new school-based positions. Mecklenburg commissioner Jim Pendergraph, who voted against giving CMS the additional $26 million it eventually got from the morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-18195774600085005242011-07-18T08:07:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.439-07:00Gates Foundation launching new CMS PR blitzTo those of you concerned about big-money foundations and their influence on local schools, hold onto your hats: the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation today is announcing a new public relations campaign on behalf of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Given all the uproar over expanded testing, performance-pay and other initiatives critics see as being driven by foundations like Gates and Broad, this morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-32643624368922817352011-07-13T08:10:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.439-07:00More join crowded school board raceAfter a tumultous year filled with budget cuts, school closings, teacher layoffs and the superintendent's resignation, you might think one of the hardest political jobs in Charlotte right now would be serving as a school board member.If that's the case, it's certainly not scaring people away from the race for three at-large seats up for grabs on this November's ballot. Today, Ericka Ellis-Stewartmorganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-83241781265286431282011-07-12T07:09:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.439-07:00CMS testing violations updateThis weekend I reported on the Atlanta testing scandal and how some folks fear the advent of hundreds of new high-stakes tests in CMS might leave local schools vulnerable to similar improprieties. CMS testing chief Chris Cobitz told me then that the school system investigated 11 alleged violations of its testing code of ethics this spring, and substantiated six cases. When I asked for the names morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-87745065409357267282011-07-11T05:00:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.440-07:00Broad and the mediaThe influence of the Broad Foundation on public education is a hot topic in Charlotte, and may draw even more debate as the superintendent search gears up. So it seems like a good time to visit a question that bubbled up in the spring: Does the foundation that's striving to reshape urban education also influence the way reporters cover education?A "Broad morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-50426233157348652022011-07-07T08:23:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.440-07:00Testing wars: The national sceneThe battle over testing in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is a microcosm of what education reporter John Merrow dubs "the education wars" being fought among the nation's top educators, policy-makers and journalists.Here at home, interim Superintendent Hugh Hattabaugh has just invited more teachers to weigh in on the controversial testing program CMS launched during the past school year. And last morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-22202393355869805112011-07-01T10:26:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.440-07:00Election filing season opensFiling for three at-large seats on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board opened at noon today. As of 1:30 p.m., five candidates had put their paperwork in: Elyse Dashew, Keith Hurley, DeShauna McLamb, District 6 school board member Tim Morgan and Hans Plotseneder.They were joined by Cornelius Mayor Jeff Tarte and most of the Cornelius commissioners in being some of the first folks to file. (morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-56091723822184981522011-06-30T15:13:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.440-07:00Morgan announces bid for at-large seatTim Morgan, a district representative on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board, announced today that he’s running for an at-large seat on the board. Veteran at-large board members Joe White and Trent Merchant have said they won’t run for re-election in this November’s contest. Kaye McGarry, holder of a third at-large seat with an expiring term, has said she’s considering running again.“There is morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-83992547586023762232011-06-30T11:57:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.440-07:00Gorman to CMS staff: Thanks for everythingSuperintendent Peter Gorman isn't making speeches or doing interviews, but he sent a farewell message to employees this afternoon, as he closes out his five years leading Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Here it is:From: Peter C. GormanSent: Thursday, June 30, 2011 1:20 PMTo: cmsmailallSubject: Thank you and good-byeDear CMS employees,Today is the last day I will lead CMS as superintendent. Hugh morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-59064922123579900702011-06-28T11:22:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.440-07:00Tim Morgan planning to announce on ThursdayTim Morgan, elected two years ago to serve the south suburbs from District 6 on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board, sent out a press release this afternoon saying he's got "an announcement" to make on Thursday at 4 p.m. "concerning the upcoming school board race in November."Morgan, who has been mulling a run for one of the three at-large seats on the school board, will surprise a lot of morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-80670581335488330172011-06-27T12:23:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.441-07:00Keith Hurley is latest to join CMS board raceKeith Hurley, a mortgage lender and CMS dad who comes from a family of educators, says he's joining the race for an at-large seat on the Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board.Hurley, an unaffiliated voter, has never run for office. He got a taste of activism last summer, when he noticed the grass growing out of control at Beverly Woods Elementary, where his three morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3497322418685746755.post-14662146088328322462011-06-24T12:02:00.000-07:002012-06-26T19:39:38.441-07:00Five more school days or waiver?Charlotte-Mecklenburg school board members say they're not ready to decide whether to add five student days to the 2011-12 calendar, as required by the recently-passed state budget bill, or seek a waiver. But members reached this week say they're leaning toward the extra days. Joe White, Rhonda Lennon and Joyce Waddell all said they think students will benefit more morganhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14892815926130156584noreply@blogger.com0