Group gives Missouri, Kansas bad grades in teacher policies - A nationwide organization says Missouri gets “dismal” marks for its statewide teacher policies. Kansas gets the same ranking from the study, and Oklahoma is marginally better, earning a ranking of “weak but progressing.”

School’s future remains uncertain - The future of the Highville Mustard Seed Charter School again hangs in the balance following actions by the current board that seem to hamstring a new board from taking over…

Bush’s school plan draws support - Some Ohio and Northern Kentucky educators are optimistic about President Bush’s plan to strengthen the No Child Left Behind Act.

Patrons’ Sway Leads to Friction in Charter School - The Beginning With Children Charter School, housed in a former factory in Brooklyn, landed on the state’s list of high-performing schools this year, thanks to rising English and math test scores among black and Hispanic students.

Charter school defends its standards - Although her school has been placed on a watch list for not meeting state and federal standards for achievement, Monroe Alternative Charter School counselor Brenda Davis says there’s more to it than just raw numbers.

High school choice plan unveiled - A new plan to determine which students are admitted to high-demand high school programs was presented to the Minneapolis School Board June 12.

KIPP school to stay open - A week after announcing that an Edgewater charter school would be shuttered, its divided leadership last night formally voted for the school to remain open in a stunning turnaround. But the 3-2 vote by the board of KIPP Harbor Academy left more questions than answers: Where the school would operate? Who would be its principal? And who would staff it since 10 of the 12 teachers have found new jobs?

Science charter schools might conflict within Albuquerque - City Councilor Don Harris and Mayor Martin Chavez want to inspire southeast Albuquerque middle school students and tap into local scientists’ expertise.

Publicly funded tutoring under No Child law boosts student achievement - Taxpayer-funded tutoring for poor children is paying off in some city schools, a federal study has found. Students who received the tutoring under the federal No Child Left Behind law improved on reading and math tests, according to the study conducted by independent researchers for the Department of Education and released Wednesday.

Examples of reforms - Under the federal No Child Left Behind law, the school district can implement reforms that will help improve failing schools. The reforms are designed to close the achievement gap between white and Asian students and the black and Latino students they often outscore, officials said.

Union to Help Charter Firm Start School in the Bronx - Green Dot Public Schools, a charter school operator from Los Angeles, is seeking to expand into New York with the cooperation of the teachers’ union. Under the proposal, Green Dot, which is heavily financed by the billionaire philanthropist Eli Broad, would open a high school in the South Bronx.

Voucher program rests with Strickland - One of the biggest questions in the state budget before Gov. Ted Strickland is whether he will use a line-item veto to reject a new voucher program for students with disabilities. The voucher program would give students with learning-related disabilities up to $20,000 a year for public or private school tuition, depending on the disability.

Person High, charter schools show growth in early test scores - Preliminary state end-of-grade and end-of-course test scores at Person High, Roxboro Community and Bethel Hill Charter schools show student growth, but principals say there is still much work to be done.

Schools Hit the Mark With Higher Testing Goals - Like many elementary schools struggling to make adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind law, North Forestville Elementary in Prince George’s County went all-out this year to increase the share of students rated proficient on the statewide Maryland School Assessment.

People are ready for real education reform - Editorial: The South Carolina Legislature killed real education reform again this year. Instead of education tax credits and scholarships, which Rep. Tracy Edge and Sen. Larry Grooms put forward this year, state lawmakers recently passed a "choice" law that allows students to enroll in different school districts without paying tuition.

Montgomery Schools Chief Says Federal Mandate Is Lowering Standards - Montgomery County School Superintendent Jerry D. Weast said yesterday that the federal No Child Left Behind law has created a culture that has education leaders nationwide "shooting way too low" and that it has spawned a generation of statewide tests that are too easy to pass.