Vegas’ changing education landscape (Las Vegas Weekly), Hartford’s “Choices” (Hartford Courant), Teacher accountability (Washington Post) and more in today’s Morning Shots.

Touring The Educational Corridor
Las Vegas Weekly, NV, September 25, 2008
In the last seven years, three charter schools have opened, and two older, public-school campuses have been given greater autonomy. Never has there been such an influx of resources into this area—millions of public and private funds invested and scores of volunteers recruited.

Urban School Superintendents Hard to Hang Onto
New York Times, NY, September 28, 2008
Despite good salaries and plenty of perks, a recent study found that the average urban superintendent nationwide stays on the job only about three years — which educators say isn’t enough time to enact meaningful, long-lasting reform.

School Vouchers Work
Appeal-Democrat, CA, September 28, 2008
The idea that vouchers would condemn the worst performing students because the private schools would recruit the best students has been proven wrong and actually, the reverse is true.

The School Voucher Debate: Two Views
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, September 29, 2008
Competition works. It built America. And, for the market to work, you have to have choice. I think Georgia can have the best schools in the world —- not just the United States. We spend an astonishing $135,000 for each child to go through our public schools. It’s not about money. It’s about improving outcomes.

For Kids’ Sake, Power to Fire Teachers Crucial
Washington Post, D.C, September 29, 2008
But KEY is a public charter school, one of many in the District that do not have such rules. Hayes was able to get the teachers out of her middle school by Christmas and replace them with proven talents…

Hartford’s School ‘Choice’ Program Outlined; Some Parents Disappointed
Hartford Courant, CT, September 29, 2008
Parents got a crash course Wednesday in the new “choice” program that will let them send their children to any Hartford public school next year.

Bargaining For Better Teaching
Washington Post, D.C., September 28, 2008
We believe that the negotiations between Chancellor Michelle Rhee and the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) on a new collective bargaining agreement could have provided an excellent opportunity to focus on the quality of teaching and to hammer out a systemwide plan to improve the knowledge and skills of teachers and how they work with students.

Students, Parents, Staff Imagine The Future
Tampa Tribune, FL, September 27, 2008
The school, with about 400 students, has proved to be a good draw for parents looking for an alternative educational setting for their children.

‘This is a Model for Education’
Colorado Springs Gazette, CO, September 27, 2008
A school that blends math, science and the arts and emphasizes creative thinking will help students think like inventors and innovators, skills that are essential for the 21st-century work force, he said.

Presidential Candidates Outline Education Plans
Joplin Globe, MO, September 27, 2008
For Amanda Schmelzer, mother of Lauren, 7, and Lindy, 5, vouchers are an important election issue. Schmelzer drives her daughters 30 minutes every day from their home in Columbus, Kan., to Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School in Joplin…

Detroit Student Decline Makes State Action Urgent
Detroit News, MI, September 29, 2008
The review could lead to a state takeover of its finances through receivership or conservatorship. That’s the best thing that could happen.

Twisting Slowly In The Wind
Sacramento Bee, CA, September 29, 2008
The decision by federal authorities to suspend Kevin Johnson’s St. HOPE Academy and to bar Johnson and St. HOPE “from all access to federal grants and contracts” has left hundreds of innocent students, their parents and teachers in a quandary. That’s not fair.

Open Up City School District to Choices
Detroit Free Press, MI, September 28, 2008
The truth is that the system is imploding, and every family with the ability to roll with something other than DPS appears to be grabbing that choice.

Ore. Measure Seeks Merit-Based Pay for Teachers
Northwest Cable News, OR, September 28, 2008
A ballot measure that aims to tie teachers’ pay to their “classroom performance” is adding another round to a long-running feud between the state’s teachers unions and conservative activist Bill Sizemore.

Students Score Well in Science
Boston Globe, MA, September 28, 2008
Manchester Essex Regional High School, Salem Academy Charter School, and Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden had every student pass the test, according to data released last week by the state Department of Education.

At a Boys’ Catholic School, Tradition Fuels Demand
New York Times, NY, September 26, 2008
Indeed, more than 1,600 boys from as far as Manhattan and Westchester County applied last year for 425 freshman seats at Chaminade, which many consider one of Long Island’s premier private schools and a relative bargain at $6,660 a year.