Both the North Carolina Education Association and Paul Krohne, executive director of the South Carolina School Boards Association, have taken an opportunity over the past few weeks to look at ballot results in the Tar Heel and Palmetto States through rose-colored glasses.

In a day-after-the-election press release, the NCAE sang the praises of their membership for their mobilization in support of their “pro-education” (read: pro-union) slate, which included staunchly non-reform candidates Bev Purdue and Kay Hagan.

Krohne’s column of 11/19 in the Greenville News doled out accolades to South Carolina voters for coming down on the side of public education with their passing of 6 referendums totaling $933 million.

Voters in both Carolinas certainly did vote in favor of certain aspects of public education: more funding, more union control and more bureaucracy for starters.

More “Dollars and Sense”

Change Our Public Schools Need
Wall Street Journal, November 24, 2008
Can Barack Obama bring change to American education? The answer is: Yes he can. The question, however, is whether he actually will.

Spellings Touts Support Effort At Fairfax High
New York Times, NY, November 24, 2008
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings visited Fairfax High School last week to spotlight a program she deemed promising for preventing dropouts and getting more students into college.

AFT’s Weingarten Puts ‘Everything But Vouchers’ On The Table
People’s Weekly World, November 23, 2008
In her first major policy address since being elected President of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten put ‘everything but vouchers’ on the bargaining table–including merit pay and tenure–as long as the results help students and teachers

Schools Feel Pinch From Economic Woes
Christian Science Monitor, MA, November 24, 2008
As state and local revenue declines, officials are looking for the trims least likely to harm the quality of education. Although some districts have rainy-day funds to tap, concern is growing that students, particularly those who are struggling to learn or who are homeless, are going to feel the pinch.

Charter School Interest Grows Despite Barrier
Columbia Daily Tribune, MO, November 23, 2008
Parents who live in Columbia have two choices: Send your kids to Columbia Public Schools or pay to educate them privately.

Better Schools Will Bring Better Jobs to Georgia
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, November 24, 2008
In covering the state Legislature for more than a decade, I’ve listened to dozens of lawmakers insist that low corporate taxes and generous tax breaks are essential to securing Georgia’s economic future. Few argue that the state’s destiny depends on better schools and smarter workers

Taking Aim At Tenure
Chicago Tribune, IL, November 24, 2008
Teacher pay is based almost exclusively on degrees held and years spent in the classroom, neither of which has proved to be a great predictor of student achievement. Teaching assignments are made largely on seniority, which channels the least experienced teachers into the most challenging jobs.

Choosing Charter Schools Part 2
WIFR, IL, November 23, 2008
Charter public schools usually outperform neighborhood schools in graduation rates and standardized testing and they’ll soon become an option in Rockford. But there’s a lot the community needs to learn about the system. We headed to Chicago to find out how charter schools work.

Rhee-Forming D.C. Schools
Wall Street Journal, November 22, 2008
Guess who recently said the following: “Tenure is the holy grail of teacher unions, but it has no educational value for kids; it only benefits adults.” A right-wing blogger? No, those are the words of Michelle Rhee

Show-And-Tell Time
Newsweek, November 22, 2008
He’s promised to bring change to Washington, but does Obama’s calculus include D.C.’s awful schools?

Obama Girls Will Go To Sidwell Friends
Washington Post, D.C., November 22, 2008
Continuing a tradition among Washington’s power elite, President-elect Barack Obama and his wife have decided to send their kids to Sidwell Friends School.

City Schools Look At Teacher Incentive Pay
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, November 24, 2008
Now that the district has implemented a performance-pay system for principals, the Pittsburgh Public Schools may explore the possibility of extending the practice to teachers and other employees.

Virtual Schools; Real Benefits
Tampa Tribune, FL, November 24, 2008
More than 1,100 Hillsborough County students attend public school classes from their home computers. Another 63,000 plus take classes from Florida Virtual School.

Charter School Stresses Developing A Moral Compass
Providence Journal, RI, November 23, 2008
However, the eco-crunchiness is only the first impression. School director Allen Zipke says, “If there’s anything about this school that I would export to other schools, it’s the social responsibility piece. Our question is: how do you work with kids to get them to accept responsibility for their own learning?”

Greater Heights Academy Ought To Have Gone Out Of Business Long Ago
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, November 23, 2008
The closing of Greater Heights Academy was a very good thing for the education community that came at a very bad time for students and teachers.

Proposals Would Close Some Catholic Schools
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, November 24, 2008
Families throughout the Cleveland Catholic Diocese are wondering if they will lose their parish schools in a broader restructuring plan.

Success Takes Effort
Columbus Dispatch, OH, November 24, 2008
The pioneers of Columbus’ first Knowledge is Power Program school are learning just how hard real change can be, but they should take heart: The change they seek could make a profound difference in the lives of children who most need it.

The Unmet Promise of Teacher Merit Pay
Washington Post, D.C., November 23, 2008
Lest we forget that pay-for-performance schemes have failed wherever they have been tried, here is a first-hand account of my Fairfax County experience.

Los Angeles County Juvenile Probation Camps May Try Charter Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, November 24, 2008
Earlier this month, Los Angeles County supervisors — dissatisfied with teacher performance at the camps — voted to create charter schools at Camp Scott, which houses about 100 girls, and nearby Camp Kenyon Scudder, which houses about 60.

Winning Charter High School Guided By Brother-Sister Team
Arizona Daily Star, AZ, November 23, 2008
A lot of brothers and sisters get along with each other. But Charlene and Freddy Mendoza more than mesh. They co-direct AmeriSchools College Preparatory Academy, an award-winning East Side charter school where they also teach.

Charter Schools Chief Wants More Dollars
KITV, HI, November 22, 2008
The newly named executive director of charter schools in Hawaii said her top priority will be higher state funding next year even though traditional school budgets may be cut significantly.

Texas Reaches Cap For Charter Schools In Public Sector
Houston Chronicle, TX, November 21, 2008
Texas handed out its final public school charter Friday, a move that puts pressure on the state to either lift its self-imposed cap or shut down low performing campuses to make room for more of the untraditional schools.

School Choice Important For Student Success
Houston Chronicle, TX, November 21, 2008
It’s less-affluent kids who tend to take buses, and for them, magnet-school buses often offer an escape from abysmal schools — schools that HISD seems unlikely to repair with the 1 percent of its budget that the magnet-school buses consume.

There are a few key people who reformers flocked to during the campaign for assurances that Obama would embrace reform. They were the people whose names kept popping up that campaigned vociferously in public and private for our President-elect. And friends voted their way because of them. They gave Obama political cover for real education reformers. Where are they in the transition? Lest we damn them by our own embrace, here are a few that everyone knows about. There are others who toil quietly, whose names will not pass these blog lips.

Honorable Kevin Chavous – Former D.C. City Councilman, attorney, author, modern day civil rights activist

Dr. Howard Fuller – Former Milwaukee Superintendent of Schools, founder of numerous education groups devoted to giving parents and students power, founder of Black Alliance for Education Options

Honorable Anthony Williams – Pennsylvania State Senator whose leadership has brought hope – through great, new public schools called charters - back to communities throughout Philadelphia, and more (though not enough yet) accountability to all schools.

There are scores more. We just thought we’d remind our newest officials that these are the types of people whose own education, activism, expertise and accomplishment - and knowledge of government - could add a lot internally and externally to their efforts.

(Sung to the tune of 12 Days of Christmas):
During the second week of transition, Obama gave to thee:
Four Berkeley lawyers,
Three Clinton holdovers,
Two union operatives,
and a severely status quo team for DOE.

All that talk about reform. We kept saying people are policy. A look at the latest education transition team members is telling on that score. They come from the traditional, Kozol-esque education perspective that relies on well-intentioned government programs and court decisions to force schools to do good, rather than accountability and power in the hands of educators and parents to create good. The Berkeley bent which embraces the old civil rights agenda (top down) not the new one (bottom up) is apparent in most of these, the Obama Education Transition Team members.

Joan Baratz Snowden

This former Director of Educational Issues for the AFT believes we should consider performance based pay systems but only with teacher buy-in (i.e. unions). Meanwhile, Rome is burning while Nero fiddles…

Maria Blanco

Directs with Professor Chris Edley the Berkeley based research unit that is heavily oriented toward financial and top down solutions to equity issues (i.e. desegregation) rather than power solutions (ie. choice)

Juliet Garcia

As President of the University of Texas at Brownsville, Higher Ed is her specialty, financial assistance her focus. Served on a Carnegie Foundation council that pushes the same.

Eugene Garcia

His Arizona State University Ed Dept gave us the group we affectionately call the “don’t worry be happy” education crowd; Berliner, et al who have tried to convince us we have a “manufactured crisis” in education. Tell that to the 50% of illiterate students we have.

Goodwin Liu

Another Berkeley scholar, Liu’s specialty is affirmative action; he’s for it. And he co-chairs for the same Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity where Blanco works.

Ann O’Leary

Yet another Berkeley adviser (this makes four if you include the unofficial Chris Edley) and Center for American Progress fellow, O’Leary cut her teeth advocating for social services for the poor in CA state retirement, welfare and health care.

John Polidori

Jack Polidori is a union guy. He’s Director of Legislation & Political Organizing for the Delaware State Education Association with a long history advising teachers’ unions in Maryland, North Carolina and Massachusetts.

Jonathan Schnur

Finally, the token reformer…sort of. Schnur has been a friend of charter schools through his New Leaders for New Schools principal placements, but he’s outgunned in this totally status quo transition team.

Jon Weintraub

Another Clinton-ista, Weintraub once served in the Peace Corps, worked on the Hill and contributed money to Hillary’s campaign.

Researchers Pitch Policy Ideas to Obama Advisers
Education Week, MD, November 19, 2008
Some of education’s most prominent scholars are offering President-elect Barack Obama’s advisers and other Washington policymakers their collected wisdom on research-backed strategies the next administration can use to improve schooling.

Tailoring School To The Child
USA Today, November 20, 2008
There’s no doubt that home schooling is now a serious alternative to private and public schools. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that the number of home-schoolers grew 29% from 1999 to 2003.

Teachers Get The Word
Boston Herald, MA, November 19, 2008
Now we beg to disagree with her take on vouchers which in systems that are truly in crisis (Washington, D.C. comes immediately to mind) provided a much needed rescue for kids lucky enough to get them. Still to hear a union head acknowledge fiscal realities and the need for change is encouraging.

Phila. Students: Textbooks Would Help
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, November 20, 2008
During last night’s meeting of the School Reform Commission, Philadelphia school officials shared their blueprint for a five-year strategic education plan designed to foster "excellence, equity and accountability."

Three Catholic Schools Mark Milestones
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, November 20, 2008
All three Catholic schools are celebrating anniversaries this year. Bishop Canevin and SS. Simon and Jude both have anniversary celebrations this month; Holy Child marked its milestone earlier in the school year.

New Catholic High School May Relieve Crowded Public Schools
Columbia Missourian, MO, November 19, 2008
In 2010, Columbia will welcome a new high school that will provide families with another option besides public schooling. Columbia’s first Catholic high school…

Georgia Girls D.C.-Bound
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, November 20, 2008
Nina Gilbert, the head of the state’s first charter school for girls, has won a national award for showing visionary leadership in education. And she isn’t planning to spend her $10,000 prize money on a school trip to Disney World. Gilbert’s plaid-skirted girls are heading north —- to the inauguration festivities of President-elect Barack Obama Jan. 20.

Education Stakeholders Visit Dougherty School
WALB-TV, GA, November 19, 2008
Leaders from across the state visited Dougherty County to steal the secret to success. The Georgia Partnership for excellence in Education bus tour stopped at International Studies Charter School.

Governor Still Searching For Equitable Funding Solution For Ohio Schools
90.3 WCPN, OH, November 20, 2008
One stakeholder isn’t attending the forums. State Senate President Bill Harris says majority Republicans want to work with the governor, and are waiting to see his plan. But he’s made it clear that the GOP’s priorities, including preserving charter schools, will be a bargaining chip.

City School Rule Inhibits Choice
Sacramento Bee, CA, November 20, 2008
Families in Sacramento City Unified schools have more educational choices than ever, a good thing. Part of this array of choices is a host of public charter schools – six operated directly by the school district and six operated by nonprofits.

Kudos to School Choice Supporters
Business Gazette, MD , November 20, 2008
Board of Education members Mike Schaden and Leslie Mansfield deserve great praise for their fair and even-handed treatment of the EACH! all-girls charter school application.

Minneapolis to Sell Three Schools to Charters
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN, November 19, 2008
For years, Minneapolis Public Schools has viewed charter schools as competitors and kept its distance, pointing to the high-profile failures of some of them.

Kuipers’ Bill Would Allow State Superintendent To Take More Action Against Failing Schools
Holland Sentinel, MI, November 19, 2008
The bill would allow the state superintendent of schools to take several actions, including closing doors, if a school doesn’t make adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind Act for five consecutive years.

Public School Parents, Unite!
New York Times Blog, November 19, 2008
Already, here in Los Angeles, a group of impassioned mothers, including myself, have formed an ad hoc organization to promote parent-driven activism in public schools.

Softer Skills For Ed Reform
Boston Globe, MA, November 20, 2008
A new department report, "School Reform in the New Millennium," argues that "straight academic content is no longer enough" to ensure student success in college and the workplace.

Program to Boost Parochial Schools
Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ, November 20, 2008
The Diocese of Camden on Wednesday announced a new partnership meant to ensure the survival of five parochial schools in the Camden area.