An education education (Boston Globe), Plan B in DC (Washington Post), Diverse support for proposed Richmond charter school (Richmond Times Dispatch) and much more in today’s Morning Shots.

Educating Ourselves About Education
Boston Globe, MA, October 3, 2008
Experimentation means trying out bold ideas, such as providing incentives for children and parents or paying large bonuses to successful teachers or using Web-based learning in ways that many of us over 40 will never understand.

Merit and the D.C. School System
New York Times, NY, October 3, 2008
Ms. Rhee’s proposal represents a dramatic break with the past. But with student achievement lagging, and Washington’s school system still seen as one of the worst big-city systems in the country, a dramatic break may be exactly what it needs.

D.C. Teachers Left Behind
Washington Post, D.C., October 3, 2008
With contract talks apparently going nowhere, D.C. teachers ought to be asking whose interests their union leaders are tending to at the bargaining table. They certainly aren’t defending those of the system’s many dedicated and qualified teachers, who apparently won’t even get the chance to consider a bold pay plan that would net many of them six-figure salaries.

Private Schools Band Together To Draw Pupils
Columbia Daily Tribune, MO, October 2, 2008
About a dozen private and religious schools formed a network this summer and met again last month to talk, in part, about coordinating marketing and recruiting efforts.

The French Connection
The Times-Picayune, LA, October 3, 2008
These programs would add another dimension to the diverse array of public schools that has emerged after Hurricane Katrina. It also will allow children from programs like that at Audubon Charter to continue their immersion education through graduation.

Charter Schools Find Success Where Traditional Schools Fail
The Journal Record, OK, October 3, 2008
Members of the House Education Committee met Thursday to discuss how some charter schools in high-poverty, urban areas are graduating successful students while their neighboring public schools continue to garner low test scores and high dropout rates.

Group Meets in Richmond to Support Charter School
Richmond Times Dispatch, VA, October 3, 2008
A white mayoral candidate and a black civic leader say race should not be an obstacle to the establishment of a charter school in South Richmond.

Charter High School Kicks Off KIPP Austin’s Expansion Plans
Austin American-Statesman, TX, October 3, 2008
By 2016, KIPP Austin — a public, open-enrollment district — plans to serve 5,280 students, about as many as the Manor and Lake Travis school districts serve now.

All in Education Must Accept Waves of Change
East Valley Tribune, AZ, October 3, 2008
Instead, districts should actively compete to win the loyalty of potential students and their families through emphasis on quality and innovation with an eye toward a world market after graduation.

Private Merit Pay Experiments Could Improve Public Schools
Detroit News, MI, October 3, 2008
Politicians often talk about the importance of education, but rhetoric has never educated a single child. Children learn from teachers, which is why Michigan needs high-quality teachers who know their subject and are rewarded for success.

Private Education in Livingston County Remains in Demand
Livingston Community News, MI, October 3, 2008
In contrast to an across-the-board enrollment drop in Livingston County’s traditional K-12 public school districts, enrollment in the county’s private schools was more of a mixed bag this year.