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.