Agree to Disagree
Richmond.com, VA, May 29, 2008
And with that, the number of charter schools in Virginia rises to…four. Only four. In the whole state.

Candidates Split Sharply On Bush’s No Child Left Behind Law
Wall Street Journal, May 29, 2008
Barack Obama attacked a key plank of John McCain’s education platform, taking up an issue that has been on the back burner amid a campaign dialogue dominated by war and the economy.

Better Education Schools Would Mean Better Teachers
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, May 29, 2008
Some researchers, according to The Plain Dealer’s recent series on teacher education by reporters Scott Stephens and Edith Starzyk, fault inept programs at universities and colleges, where 90 percent of the nation’s 3 million classroom teachers are trained.

Obama Urges Education Reform
CBS News, NY, May 28, 2008
He was also asked about the federal government’s role in a world of charter schools and the success of private foundations on small school public education, such as the school where he was appearing.

Battling the Teachers Union
D.C. Examiner, D.C., May 29, 2008
Let’s stipulate this: There are some excellent teachers in the D.C.Public Schools. Conversely, there are others who are absolutely lousy. They have long since retired on the job; their prime motivation, now, is collecting a paycheck.

Education activist says she’ll run for Fulop’s seat
Jersey Journal, NJ, May 29, 2008

Jersey City resident Shelley Skinner, a close ally of Downtown Councilman Steve Fulop and founder of the parent group Jersey City Families for Better Schools, announced via e-mail yesterday that she’s running next year for Fulop’s Ward E council seat.

Ohio schools chief Susan Tave Zelman calls it quits
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, May 28, 2008
Susan Tave Zelman, state superintendent of public instruction since 1999, announced this morning that she is leaving the department. She made the announcement at an Ohio Department of Education employee recognition ceremony.

Last week, Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue signed into law a $50 million corporate and individual tax-credit scholarship program. The new program is part of a growing trend for school choice now showing signs of life in California.

The Georgia scholarship program allows corporations to receive a 100 percent tax credit, up to 75 percent of their total state tax liability, for donations to 501(c)(3), nonprofit charitable Student Scholarship Organizations (SSOs) that award private school scholarships. Individuals can also donate up to $1,000 ($2,500 for married couples) to SSOs and receive a 100 percent credit against their state income taxes. An estimated 10,000 Georgia school children will benefit.

More “Golden State Showing Signs of Life on School Choice (Vicki Murray)”

School choice saves kids
Colorado Springs Gazette, CO, May 23, 2008
There are now 23 parental choice programs in 15 states, including Washington, D.C. The number of state legislatures passing parental-choice legislation has also nearly tripled in the past five years, from six in 2003 to 16 so far this legislative session.

New personality will affect Ohio attorney general’s office
Akron Beacon Journal, OH, May 22, 2008
Dann unleashed lawsuits against several charter schools, saying their failure to meet certain academic benchmarks violated their charitable status that allows them to receive taxpayer money.

A School That Cost $20,000 Not to Go To
New York Times, NY, May 23, 2008
This year, with public school notification through middle school coming later than ever, more parents who rolled the dice with public and private school applications could find themselves worrying about this unpleasant bind.

Seacoast Charter School parents hold their breath for state funding decision
Rockingham News, NH, May 23, 2008
Parents, teachers and school advocates from charter schools across the state rallied in Concord again last week to demonstrate their continued support of House Bill 1642, hoping the Senate will provide temporary funding to the schools for the next year.

School choices are the key to Milwaukee’s economic competitiveness
Milwaukee Small Business Times, WI, May 23, 2008
The message is clear: We need to do better. Doing better is what motivated the MMAC to support legislation in 1994 to give low income parents a wider choice of educational options.

Voucher bill gets tweaked in Senate
The Times Picayune, LA, May 23, 2008
A grant program to pay private school tuition for students leaving New Orleans public schools is nearing a final vote in the Legislature.

In 1997, Chicago International Charter School (CICS) opened its doors as part of a bold new experiment in public education. By allowing principals the freedom to manage, teachers the freedom to teach, and parents the freedom to choose, charter schools like Chicago International sought to end the cycle of failure in Chicago’s public schools.

Eleven years later, charter schools are no longer an experiment. They’re a proven success. Chicago is now home to 29 charter schools with more than 50 campuses, serving more than 10,000 students; and as Chicago Public Schools recently reported, charters are outperforming comparable public schools on four out of five measures of student performance.

More “School of Choice (Collin Hitt)”

Charter School Map
Homeroom Blog, Los Angeles Times, CA, May 22, 2008
Families considering their school choices for the fall can look at more charter schools all the time. The Center for Education Reform has a website page …

Take This Lesson To Heart: Public Schools Have Failed
D.C. Examiner, D.C., May 22, 2008
If you can read this, thank your teachers but not their union. For years, we’ve watched a systemic breakdown of American education — thanks in large part to the self-serving agenda of unions and the National Education Association.

KIPP Seeking Good Fits
Columbus Dispatch, OH, May 22, 2008
Although the KIPP Journey Academy won’t start until Aug. 6, recruits to the new charter school are being taught its way now

Online School Targets Hispanics, At-Risk
Jackson Hole Star-Tribune, WY, May 22, 2008
The state’s newest virtual charter school is expected to go online this fall, but only after a strategic campaign to recruit Hispanics and teenagers at risk of quitting or getting kicked out of public high schools.

D.C. Schools Chief Touts Value of Education Entrepreneurs
Education Week, MD, May 21, 2008
Ms. Rhee also noted that the city’s large charter school sector, which now serves about 30 percent of the city’s public school students, has been helpful in pressing for other changes, including what she touted as a “revolutionary” contract now being negotiated with the local teachers’ union.

The State of Georgia’s Lead in School Choice
National Ledger, AZ, May 21, 2008
This past week Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue signed into law the most expansive school-choice program in the nation. Unlike similar programs in other States, this program has no demographic restriction.

School Vouchers Add Sizzle to S.C. House Race
Rock Hill Herald, SC, May 22, 2008
School vouchers are dominating the dialogue between Gullick and Boyd as they square off for the right to represent 33,000 people in South Carolina’s largest House district.

School Charts Fundraising Course
Ventura County Star, CA, May 22, 2008
They recently created a nonprofit organization, called the University Charter Schools Education Foundation, to jump-start their fundraising efforts.

When Public School Doesn’t Fit
Mountain Home News, ID, May 22, 2008
McKenna is just one option students and parents have when looking for alternatives to traditional public schools in Mountain Home.