The State Education Department released the spring 2019 test results for grades 3-8 in English and math today, and the Rochester City School District remains the lowest performing of the state’s Big Five districts. Only 13.2 percent of the Rochester district’s students were grade-level proficient in English. That was an improvement of 1.8 percentage points […]
Rochester charter schools
Posted inNews & Opinion
Conference touts the benefits of charter schools
David Osborne, a charter school advocate who led the event organized by Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce conference, is among many educational advocates who argue that the typical public school systems were designed for another era.
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Rochester district faces new charter openings
The State Education Department’s Charter School Office has given its initial approval to applications for two more charters in the Rochester district.
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Urban Action 11/22
This week’s calls to action include the following events and activities. (All are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.) Events focus on education A pair of events sponsored by a coalition of education advocates and teachers will focus on two current education issues: privatization of urban schools and using research to provide […]
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Interest in charters remains high
Even though the State Education Department has closed three charter schools in Rochester – the most recent being the Career Mentoring Charter School – the demand for charters doesn’t appear to be slowing one bit. The Rochester school district has lost about 5,200 city students who have enrolled in the 11 charter schools within the […]
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Looking for positives in city schools’ news
The Rochester school district’s growing challenges offer opportunities, but the community will have to take advantage of them.
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Charter suit could be a milestone
The five families from Rochester and Buffalo who are suing the state over funding for charter schools will have their day in court. State Supreme Court Justice Donna Siwek last month refused to dismiss the case. “This means the court believes that this case has merit,” says Harold Hinds, legal director for Northeast Charter Schools […]
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Feedback 2/19
We welcome your comments. Send them to themail@rochester-citynews.com, or post them on our website, rochestercitynewspaper.com, our Facebook page, or our Twitter feed, @roccitynews. For our print edition, we select comments from all three sources; those of fewer than 350 words have a greater chance of being published, and we do edit selections for publication in […]
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Comptroller DiNapoli’s audits nab two Rochester charters
New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli released the results of audits of eight charter schools today, including two schools in Rochester: Eugenio Maria de Hostos Charter School and True North Rochester Preparatory School. The audits for both schools are critical of some practices and recommends changes. At Eugenio Maria de Hostos, the audit was critical of […]
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Ravitch on education’s reign of error
It’s a gross understatement to say that Diane Ravitch is a lightning rod for politicians, teachers, and education reformers. Once a marshal of former President George W. Bush’s No Child Left Behind education law, she later rejected NCLB and the reform model it energized, saying it was completely wrong. Charter school and education reform advocates […]
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How about partnering with the district?
It is difficult to resist shaking the bony finger of disapproval at the Rochester City School District. But this morning’s Democrat and Chronicle editorial telling Superintendent Bolgen Vargas and the school board to “reassess” was simplistic to the point of being ridiculous. Their recommendation follows the announcement that Rochester Institute of Technology will partner with […]
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Changing my mind about charter schools
Right now, 10 charter schools are operating in the City of Rochester. Soon, you can expect to see more. The Farash Foundation plans to award up to $1 million in grants to spur charter growth in the region. While the grants will be available to selected charter schools in Monroe and Ontario Counties, nearly all […]
