Bill Gates, one of the most successful men in history, has weighed in on a problem that will prevent others from achieving success like his. American students now languish near the bottom on international rankings.

“This isn’t supposed to happen,” Bill Gates told Oprah Winfrey on an August 7, 2008, Special Report. The problem is worse than Mr. Gates and Oprah Winfrey imagine.

In grade four, U.S. students out-perform their international peers in 65 percent of participating countries in math and science. In grade eight that figure drops to 46 percent. When U.S. students reach grade 12, they do about as well as students from Lithuania and surpass only students from Cyprus and South Africa. Educrats are fond of blaming low achievement on poor students, but that is not the case.

More “What Bill Gates says “Isn’t Supposed to Happen” - Did (Murray & Stacey)”

Solve Education Ills By Letting Parents Pick Schools
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, August 15, 2008
Commercials selling everything from laptops to lunch boxes will soon jam the airwaves …Unfortunately, when it comes to what really matters - the quality of your child’s school - parents rarely hear from schools because they have little control over what school their child will attend

McCain, Stop Putting Teachers In Corner
New York Daily News, NY, August 15, 2008
Teachers want more than anything to improve education and help their students succeed. However, education reform should be done with teachers, not to them, as Sen. Barack Obama says.

More “Morning Shots: August 15, 2008″

Our Goal: Strong Schools
Denver Post, CO, August 14, 2008
But amid this discussion, we need a clear and reasoned voice to continually make the case that strong public education is the best driver of future economic growth.

McCain Supports ‘Equality Project’
Education Week, MD, August 13, 2008
Sen. John McCain has come a long way on education since just a few months ago, when the topic didn’t even appear on his campaign Web site.

Slump Squeezes Enrollment at Private Schools
Washington Post, D.C., August 14, 2008
Private schools across the Washington region have begun to feel the effects of the nation’s economic slumber, as some families seek more financial aid to help with staggering tuition bills and others simply opt out of paying for an education.

Pay Dispute Continues as Classes Near
Washington Post, D.C., August 14, 2008
Less than two weeks before classes begin, many of the District’s 4,000 public school teachers are locked in a heated debate over Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee’s proposal to offer salaries exceeding $100,000 for those willing to give up job security and tie their fates to student achievement.

District May Pass K.C. in Students
News-Leader, MO, August 14, 2008
The Kansas City school district’s decline is due to a host of factors, including decades-long migration to the suburbs, increased enrollment at private and parochial schools and the advent of charter schools.

New Charter School Proposed For Struggling Hernando Students
St. Petersburg Times, FL, August 14, 2008
A new for-profit company has applied to open a public charter school in Hernando County just for high school dropouts and at-risk students.

Cheyenne Charter School to Try Again
Casper Star-Tribune, WY, August 14, 2008
A group that wants to start a charter school in Cheyenne is planning to reapply through the local school district. Supporters of the proposed Cheyenne Classical Academy also are appealing in District Court a decision by the state Board of Education upholding the local school board’s denial.

Freedom of Choice Coming?
Walton Tribune, GA, August 13, 2008
Every January, when the Georgia General Assembly convenes in Atlanta, one topic or issue always seems to dominate the session. Although it’s still early, word on the street indicates that school vouchers may generate the hottest debate — and hence the most ink — during 2009.

Voucher lawsuit headed straight for Supremes
Orlando Sentinel, FL, August 13, 2008
It’s unfortunate that the Tribune uses the good intentions of state Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) to promote an anti-union agenda (Editorial, Aug. 7).

Providing a Good Education to All Illinois Students
Chicago Tribune, IL, August 14, 2008
It’s unfortunate that the Tribune uses the good intentions of state Sen. James Meeks (D-Chicago) to promote an anti-union agenda (Editorial, Aug. 7).

Harlem Charter School First in 2008 Wave
New York Sun, NY, August 14, 2008
The first day of school came early yesterday for 150 students entering the new St. HOPE Leadership Academy, a Harlem school that is the first in a wave of new charter schools opening in New York this year.

Teachers Unions Slam Door on Disabled Kids
Tucson Citizen, AZ, August 14, 2008
Max and Ryan, youngsters with severe learning disabilities, finally found hope under Arizona’s disability scholarship program. But an ongoing legal battle has dashed those hopes.

Indian School Closure Holds Lessons
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN, August 13, 2008
The closure is the most recent example of a problem identified by the legislative auditor in a report issued last month

CHAVOUS: Making a difference
Washington Times, D.C., August 13, 2008
Where are the other Kevin Johnsons, Andre Agassis and Oscar de la Hoyas? Why is it that most people don’t even know that these superior athletes have done more to make a difference when they passed their athletic prime than they did while they were at the top of their respective sports?

ACT Scores Down, But More Students College-Ready
The Associated Press, August 13, 2008
Average scores on the ACT college entrance exam dipped slightly for the high school class of 2008 as the number of students taking the exam jumped by 9 percent compared to last year.

Fixing American’s Problems One School at a Time
Central Valley Business Times, CA, August 13, 2008
Mr. Bloch has first-hand knowledge of the problems. For the past 13 years he’s been a teacher in the inner city of Kansas City, Mo., giving up his corporate career. Now, after being a teacher and founding a charter school, he has written a book melding…

Poll Finds Drop in Public’s Regard for Schools
Education Week, MD, August 12, 2008
Americans express less confidence in the nation’s public schools and less support for the renewal of the No Child Left Behind Act than they did a year ago, according to the results of an opinion poll released today.

Parents Must Have Choices on Their Children’s Education
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, August 13, 2008
Although it is the first week of school, my husband and I refused to send our twins, Aaron and Abigail, to our local Fulton County high school. With its low test scores and dangerous incidents on campus, we have been hoping and praying for a miracle to find the money to return them to private school.

Building A Better World
Carrollwood News & Tribune, FL, August 13, 2008
With the first day of the county’s public schools approaching on Monday, Taylor Peace Academy has been busy preparing its building and teachers for a mission unique to Hillsborough County charter schools.

Charter School Touts Art, Fitness
Tampa Tribune, FL, August 13, 2008
A new elementary charter school will incorporate visual and graphic arts into its daily curriculum and emphasize health and fitness.

End Tax Subsidies for Private Schools
Tucson Citizen, AZ, August 13, 2008
We don’t need no stinkin’ tax credits. What we need is a Legislature that provides public schools with enough funding for English-language learning, special education and all the elements that contribute to providing a top-notch education.

State Is Obliged to Clarify Rules for Home Schooling
San Jose Mercury News, CA, August 13, 2008
Toward the end of its face-saving decision last week allowing home schooling, a state appeals court offered a wise suggestion to the Legislature: Adopt a more definitive position on home schools. Such “additional clarity,” the justices said, “would be helpful.”

Families Make Sacrifices So Kids Can Attend Private Church Schools
The Tennessean, TN, August 13, 2008
Parents say they are adamant about keeping their children at Holy Rosary and DCA for the Christian education and the overall school environment.

Stealth Vouchers
Waco Tribune Herald, TX, August 13, 2008
School vouchers are one of the most controversial issues that comes before the Texas Legislature. Groups that support public schools don’t want lawmakers tunneling under these schools by shifting funds away from them.

How Well Are They Really Doing?
New York Times, NY, August 12, 2008
The states have made a mockery of that provision, using weak tests, setting passing scores low or rewriting tests from year to year, making it impossible to compare progress — or its absence — over time.

Say It Isn’t So, Barack
Statesman Journal, OR, August 12, 2008
There hasn’t been much proof of that yet, but Obama did hint early on that education reform might be the issue where voters actually would see “Change.” It would have been a perfect fit for Obama. As an African-American, he would know better than most whites just how poorly America’s inner-city school districts perform.

Teamwork Key for Pilot Plans on Teacher Pay
Education Week, MD, August 11, 2008
A variety of federally financed grants based on performance pay are providing insights into how districts and teachers can collaborate to implement sustainable programs designed to improve teaching and learning.

Staying Involved With Children’s Education Is First Lesson For Parents
Kansas City Star, MO, August 12, 2008
“You don’t just take what they give you,” said Kansas City parent Christine Taylor-Butler, who has journeyed through private schools and public schools, charter schools and district schools, pursuing the best education for two daughters.

D.C. Mother, Parent Activist Honored with National Award for Education Reform
Market Watch, national, August 11, 2008
As a single mother, Virginia Walden Ford took up the cause of school choice after her son received a private scholarship to escape a failing D.C. school. Since then, she has worked to mobilize thousands of District parents in support of school choice…

Many DeKalb County Students Switch to Charter Schools
MyFox Atlanta, GA, August 11, 2008
The DeKalb County School System is struggling with hundreds of students who want to transfer out of underperforming schools.

Five Years In, Autism Scholarship Program Reaches Milestone
Market Watch, national, August 11, 2008
More than 1,000 preschool and K-12 students with Autism are now using an Ohio state-sponsored scholarship program that provides an educational option for parents who are dissatisfied with the services their child is receiving in a traditional public school.

Study: Texas Schools More Likely To Lose Track of African American Students
Austin American-Statesman, TX, August 12, 2008
The report shows that school districts, particularly charter schools, are more likely to lose track of African American students, relative to the proportion of African American students statewide, than students of any other racial group.

Judge Denies Teacher Group’s Request
Houston Chronicle, TX, August 11, 2008
The Texas State Teachers Association filed a lawsuit against the Texas Education Agency and Education Commissioner Robert Scott last week, claiming the program’s grants to nonprofit organizations were an illegal attempt to facilitate private school vouchers.

Teachers Realize Dream by Opening SOAR Charter Academy in San Bernardino
Press-Enterprise, CA, August 11, 2008
The opening of the charter school on North Sierra Way was two years in the making for the five former Hillside Elementary School teachers who founded it.

Schools Battle for Kids; Millions at Stake
Tucson Citizen, AZ, August 11, 2008
The hottest commodity this time of year isn’t a good air conditioner.
It’s students. Each child that a school district or charter school attracts means more than $6,000 from the state.