Bad Tenured Teachers Hard To Fire
Washington Post, D.C., June 28, 2008
The case illustrates a nagging problem in school districts in New York and elsewhere around the country: firing bad teachers. It is also part of the ongoing debate over education reform and the role tenure plays in the process.

Homestead Teacher To Open New Charter School
Miami Herald, FL, June 29, 2008
Now that she has gained that experience, she is ready to come home and open a publicly funded charter school in the Homestead and Florida City area, where she grew up.

The Self-Inflicted Economic Death of Ohio
Wall Street Journal, June 28, 2008
While demanding greater control over the K-12 system than his predecessors enjoyed, he has also signaled his intention to back away from academic standards, testing and accountability, and to abandon Ohio’s pioneering school-voucher and charter-school programs.

Setback for Philadelphia Schools Plan
Washington Post, D.C., June 29, 2008
Six years ago, the Philadelphia School District embarked on what was considered the country’s boldest education privatization experiment, putting 38 schools under private management to see if the free market could educate children more efficiently than the government.

Charter Schools Make The Grade
New York Daily News, NY, June 28, 2008
The stunning achievement levels racked up by students in New York City charter schools make it clear that the Legislature is duty-bound to give many more children the same opportunities for a high-quality education.

As the yearly convention of the National Education Association (NEA) approaches, it is time to reflect on the relationships that this organization and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) have with their members. Much has been written about the nation’s two teachers’ unions, and the case has been frequently (and justly) made that the unions are anti-student because of their adamant positions on school choice, charter schools and teacher tenure. However, I contend that the unions are not only anti-student, they are all too often anti-teacher.

In 28 of our 50 states, a teacher is essentially forced to join a very costly union. A typical teacher in Orange County pays $922 on a yearly basis to his/her local, which then sends $611 of that amount to the state affiliate, the California Teachers Association (CTA), and $140 to the national affiliate (NEA.) One has to wonder - if the unions are so beneficial, why are teachers forced to join and to pay such hefty dues in most states?

More “Are Teachers’ Unions Anti-teacher? (Larry Sand)”

Middle Management
New York Sun, NY, June 27, 2008
Curiously, it is not the low performers, special education students, minorities, English language learners, or other "at risk" groups that is lagging behind. Rather, despite the soaring scores, it is the group of highest performers that is shrinking.

Grants Will Aid Groups Working for Education Reform
Washington Post, D.C., June 27, 2008
A coalition of philanthropic foundations will award $725,000 in grants today to fund five District nonprofit organizations dedicated to the city’s public education restructuring.

2 New Charter Schools OK’d
Denver Post, CO, June 27, 2008
Denver’s school board Thursday approved two charter schools for 2009, including the expansion of the successful West Denver Preparatory Charter School. The board gave tacit approval to two other programs, deferring votes until organizers can address some issues.

Stealth Voucher Plan Doesn’t Belong On Ballot
Palm Beach Post, FL, June 27, 2008
In November, Floridians could vote on school vouchers without knowing that they’re voting on school vouchers.

School Choice Introduces Competition
Boston Globe, MA, June 27, 2008
AS GOVERNOR Patrick aims to reduce the achievement gap between white and minority students in public education, his Readiness Report leaves out the most effective mechanism for improving education for all students in Massachusetts: school choice.

The 5-Year Hitch
Sacramento Bee, CA, June 27, 2008
Charter schools in California have charters with five-year terms. So it makes sense for the school districts that authorize them to have matching facilities agreements with five-year terms.

School Choice Adds Up To Savings
Roanoke Times, VA, June 27, 2008
Several states have begun to address these challenges by offering scholarships to special-education students. One of the most successful of these programs is Florida’s McKay Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities.

Public Charter Schools Flourish
Mille Lacs County Times, MN, June 27, 2008
Kaleidoscope Charter in Rogers, Spectrum Charter in Elk River, Pilager Charter in Pilager and Northern Lights Community School just north of Grand Rapids are part of a fascinating, little noticed trend in Minnesota public education.

Obama Changes Position, Opposes D.C. School Vouchers
Catholic Online, CA, June 26, 2008
Barack Obama told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel in February that he was open to voucher programs, but just last week announced his intentions to squash the DC pilot program.

Study: Teachers Not Being Taught Math Properly
New York Times, NY, June 26, 2008
For kids to do better in math, their teachers might have to go back to school. Elementary-school teachers are poorly prepared by education schools to teach math, finds a study being released Thursday by the National Council on Teacher Quality.

Emily Lembeck, Superintendent, Marietta City Schools: System prepares for new charter status
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, June 26, 2008
In August, Marietta City Schools will open as one of the first four school systems in Georgia and one of a few in the nation to become a charter school district, operating outside of many traditional state rules and regulations governing public schools.

School Choice Advances in Georgia
Newnan Times-Herald, GA, June 25, 2008
A uniquely American trait is the optimistic belief in progress, often boiled down to the goal of a better life for our children.

Eye on Kids: Charting a New Course
WISH, IN, June 25, 2008
Parents are lining up in Anderson to get their kids on a waiting list for Madison County’s first charter school. When the Anderson Preparatory Academy opens in August, it will be a military-style school.

Former Inavale School Reopens As Muddy Creek Charter
Corvallis Gazette Times, OR, June 26, 2008
But excitement already is building among the families and staff committed to opening the new Muddy Creek Charter School on Sept. 3.

Patrick Unveils Extensive Education Plan For Next Decade
Boston Globe, MA, June 26, 2008
But some of the governor’s proposals, like lengthening the school day and year, consolidating school districts, and implementing a statewide teacher contract, could face resistance from influential special interest groups such as teachers unions and charter school advocates.

Charter School Group Criticizes Rule
Portage Daily Register, WI , June 26, 2008
The Wisconsin Charter Schools Association strongly opposes changes made by the state Department of Public Instruction to the licensing procedure of charter school staff, which members say will destroy charter schools.

Delaware Lawmakers Approve Charter School Moratorium
Delmarva Daily Times, MD, June 25, 2008
The state Senate narrowly approved the resolution Wednesday on an 11-to-9 vote. The measure now goes to Governor Ruth Ann Minner for her consideration.

Against All Odds: School Offers Hope, Opportunity For Young Men
CNN, National, June 25, 2008
But in the center of this impoverished neighborhood, there is hope. The Urban Prep Charter Academy for Young Men, founded in 2002, has become a haven.

Oklahomans Want Education Alternatives
The Oklahoman, OK, June 25, 2008
The vast majority of Oklahomans favor alternatives to public education such as private or charter schools, according to a public opinion survey.

Special-Needs Children: Impassioned Debate On Bill
Myrtle Beach Sun News, SC, June 25, 2008
Parents of special-needs children have called on lawmakers to approve an annual tax credit of up to $6,000, saying that would let their children attend private schools when public schools fail to address their needs.

NCLB Gets A Passing Grade
USA Today, June 25, 2008
There’s only one problem with all this criticism: The standards-and-accountability movement appears to be working. A new, 50-state report on the law’s impact by the Center on Education Policy…

Holding Back Young Students: Is Program a Gift or a Stigma?
New York Times, NY, June 25, 2008
With the increasing emphasis on standardized testing over the past decade, large urban school systems have famously declared an end to so-called social promotion among youngsters lacking basic skills.

New Programs for Training Charter Leaders Scrutinized
Education Week, MD, June 24, 2008
An emerging crop of programs tailored to preparing charter school principals shows promise when compared with traditional leadership-training programs, but those programs “miss or treat too lightly” certain issues that many leaders of such schools struggle with most, says a new report.

Strickland Ignores Successful School Choice Program
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, June 25, 2008
The June 19 article "Strickland school summit tries to ID what works" discusses Gov. Ted Strickland’s desire to help Ohio’s children get a good education. Yet, Strickland remains hostile to one of the highest-performing programs: school choice.

Bad Teachers
Charleston Gazette, SC, June 25, 2008
UNIONIZED public school teachers have strong political clout. Legislators usually give them what they seek - including job-protection laws making it extremely difficult to remove the incompetent or unfit…But the teachers union in Toledo, Ohio, does something to fix the problem.

Students, School Making The Grade
Star-Ledger, NJ, June 24, 2008
After years of struggling, the 8-year-old school has seen across- the-board gains in test scores. In 2004, only 8 percent of students at Greater Newark passed the state’s Grade Eight Proficiency Assessment math exam. Last year that number jumped to 77 percent.

Charter School Test Scores Top PS Kids – Again
New York Daily News, NY, June 25, 2008
It was a great day to celebrate for charter school supporters - and also to score political points.

Senator Smith Is Known as a Booster of Charter Schools
New York Sun, NY, June 25, 2008
The increasing likelihood that the next majority leader of the Senate will be the Queens Democrat Malcolm Smith, a founder of two charter schools whose pastor and political mentor is a vocal school voucher supporter, is exciting school choice advocates across the state.

True North Preparatory School, a Rochester Charter, Shows The Way
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, NY, June 25, 2008
The number that bursts out of the mix is the 98 percent passing mark for sixth-graders at True North Preparatory School, a city charter. That’s the best score in the county, beating the champions in Pittsford and Brighton.

Delaware House Approves Charter School Moratorium
D.C. Examiner, D.C., June 25, 2008
The state House on Tuesday approved and sent to the Senate a resolution establishing a moratorium on new charter school applications in Delaware, although questions remain about its scope and effect.

Teachers Union’s Sneaky Tactics Are Exposed
News Journal, DE , June 25, 2008
The very people who pledged to educate Delaware’s children appear to be searching for ways to become deadly adversaries of charter school success.