What happens to Texas high school seniors who don’t pass the TAKS? - Troubles with Texas’s standardized test kept more than 400 Austin seniors from donning a cap and gown in May.

Immigrant Children Shielded From State Tests, but for Whose Protection? - School districts in a number of states have been working to have children from immigrant homes exempted from state tests. 

Horne asks to expand AIMS to higher math, science, social studies - Arizona schools chief Tom Horne wants to expand the state test to include subjects such as American history, chemistry and trigonometry.

More math = more dropouts - In an opinion column, Arizona’s superintendent of public instruction explains his position on strengthening math standards in the state.

Learning for every age - Some Wisconsin schools try combining two grades in one classroom.

Teachers’ Union Dispute Casts Doubt on Detroit Alternative Schools (Edweek.org subscription required) - A continuing dispute between the local teachers’ union and school administrators has some education officials in Detroit worried that several alternative schools that opened in August to lure high school dropouts back to the classroom will be forced to close.

DOE releases charter school 10-year anniversary report - The Florida Department of Education released a report recently commemorating the 10th anniversary of Florida charter schools, which have provided parents an additional public education option.

State to debate No Child’s fate - Whether it’s worth it for Minnesota to keep going with NCLB is up to the Legislature to decide. It will be a key topic when lawmakers convene Wednesday.

Charter school board gets slow start - The creation of a statewide charter school district in South Carolina is off to a slow start as the board waits for the people and money to run it.

Bush was bold with his education plan - Gov. Jeb Bush swept into office in 1998 with a bold platform on education - reading initiative, school-voucher program, testing and accountability - and when he leaves office Jan. 2, much of what was (and was not) accomplished will define his legacy.

The View from Sixth Grade - An interview with Ellen Berg, a sixth-grade language arts teacher in St. Louis, Missouri.

Charter school dollars burden Albany taxpayers - Letter to the editor: I’m a parent of a child in the Albany [New York] City Schools who is frustrated that programs to benefit our public schools are shelved because dollars are siphoned away toward charter schools, which in essence are private schools bankrolled with public dollars.

Check back later for more education news. 

UPDATE: 

L.A. school district focuses on middle school students - Aiming to curb high drop out rates in Los Angeles public high schools, district officials are beginning to focus more on middle school students.

No Child Left Behind renewal faces battle - It has shaken every teacher in every classroom, and when the No Child Left Behind law comes up for renewal next year, it faces a political battle that could last until after the 2008 election.

NEA funds host of left-wing causes - Opinion: The nation’s largest teacher union, the NEA, is a self-proclaimed champion for "the cause of public education." But this year, once again, the NEA has spent member dues on all kinds of causes that have nothing to do with education.

Money politics - Editorial: Schwarzenegger is hardly the first politician to blur the line between government and campaign business, or to lean heavily on private contributors to bridge the interaction between the two.  But Villaraigosa’s political career will likely rise or fall depending on what he does with LAUSD — meaning he may very well owe his political life to those who bankrolled his efforts, all of whom have their own motives for their generosity.