Lessons From 40 Years of Education ‘Reform’
Wall Street Journal, December 1, 2008
We must start with the recognition that, despite decade after decade of reform efforts, our public K-12 schools have not improved.

Obama Gets ‘H’ For Hypocrisy
Forbes, NY, December 1, 2008
No one should begrudge the Obamas for choosing the best possible school for their children. But we should begrudge Barack Obama for vowing to deny such choices to low-income parents.

Lessons in School Reform: Bill Gates Finds No Easy Fix To Improving Schools
New York Daily News, NY, December 1, 2008
After devoting eight years and hundreds of millions of dollars to improving public education, Bill and Melinda Gates are homing in on what works.

Can Michelle Rhee Save Our Schools?
TIME, November 26, 2008
Rhee has promised to make Washington the highest-performing urban school district in the nation, a prospect that, if realized, could transform the way schools across the country are run.

Should Teachers Ignore Poverty’s Impact?
Washington Post, D.C., November 28, 2008
But most Americans, including Owens, think people like me are wrongly discounting the effects of poverty and thus hurting, rather than helping, the national movement to raise the level of instruction in impoverished neighborhoods.

Democratic Education PAC Hopes for Its Moment Under Obama
Education Week, MD, November 26, 2008
For years, the teachers’ unions were the key players in the political money game to help further education policy objectives.

Obama’s Big Test on Education
ABC News, November 30, 2008
Members of the pro-reform group Democrats for Education Reform see Darling-Hamilton as someone who thinks more funding is the answer and say “Darling-Hammond’s approach is dangerous”.

HOME-SCHOOLING: Testing Proves Success Of Grads
Washington Times, DC, November 30, 2008
The results of those tests demonstrated that on average, home-schooled children regularly outperformed their peers. These test results had a significant impact on the growth of home-schooling.

Vouchers No Cure For Cultural Failings
Baltimore Examiner, MD, November 27, 2008
Conservatives believe school vouchers will expand educational choices for poor parents and solve many of the problems plaguing public schools across America.

New D.C. Principal, Hand-Picked Team Make Early Gains
Washington Post, D.C., December 1, 2008
While D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee fights the Washington Teachers’ Union over her plan to give principals unprecedented power to mold their staffs, at least one of her latest hires already has such authority.

The Opportunity Charter Schools Offer
Washington Post, D.C., December 1, 2008
Nov. 26 letter writer Susan Born-Ozmet was wrong to assert that few of the District’s public charter schools outperform its traditional public schools.

Cleveland Diocese Should Keep Open As Many Urban Schools As It Can
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, November 29, 2008
Catholic schools are a different matter, though, especially in the city. Their value to residents of all faiths who try to provide the best possible education for their children cannot be overstated.

KIPP Schools Could Be Miracle Inner-City Kids Need
Columbus Dispatch, OH, November 29, 2008
There’s been plenty of bad press about how most charter schools aren’t successful. But KIPP is not ‘most’ charter schools. Nationally, KIPP has a stellar reputation.

Close Loopholes For Charter Schools
Wheeling Intelligencer, WV, November 28, 2008
Ohio legislators did the right thing last year, when they forced many privately run charter schools to submit to more state oversight. Unfortunately, they left a large loophole through which scores of the schools have slipped.

New Ohio Schools Chief Has Hands-On Reputation
Akron Beacon Journal, OH, November 27, 2008
Ohio’s new schools chief gets good grades from colleagues and parents for a high-energy, innovative approach to her work, which includes extensive experience dealing with underperforming youngsters from poor families.

Gwinnett: Free Us To Fix Schools
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, November 27, 2008
The proposal, which includes flexible teacher pay, increasing class sizes and using aides as stand-ins for teachers, is being crafted by Gwinnett school administrators to give the state’s largest school district the flexibility to opt out of restrictive state education mandates.

Tour Shows Charter School Variety
Rockford Register Star, IL, November 29, 2008
The two schools were on display as part of a three-school tour Nov. 21 for about 50 Rockford residents, civic leaders and educators interested in bringing another education choice to Rockford — charter schools.

Charter Schools Asserts It Isn’t Public
Chicago Daily Herald, IL, November 27, 2008
Whether you like it or not, things are looking up for the unionization push at the Cambridge Lakes Charter School.

Learning From Canada’s School System
The News Journal, DE, November 27, 2008
Thirty Delaware teachers and administrators toured these schools with alternative programs last week while visiting the Edmonton Public School District in Alberta, Canada — a school system many education leaders regard as a model for school reform.

Dade City Charter Invests Bonus In Students
Tampa Tribune, FL, November 30, 2008
The charter school received $25,000 from the Teacher Recognition Fund because it ranked as an A-rated school. Many schools use that money for teacher bonuses, but the Academy at the Farm School Advisory Board put the money into student supplies…

Locke High School’s Progress
Los Angeles Times, CA, December 1, 2008
Three months into the school year, a troubled high school is making strides as a Green Dot charter.

Private Schools Say They’re Thriving in Downturn
New York Times, NY, November 28, 2008
Private schools across New York City say they are thriving this fall, with record numbers of applicants and no significant decline in donations.

A Plan to Hire the Best Teachers
New York Times, NY, November 27, 2008
New York City and its teachers’ union took an important step when they agreed to abandon a rule that allowed senior teachers to transfer into any school they wished, often bumping younger teachers from their jobs.

School Choice Shouldn’t Be Confined To College Students
Charleston Post Courier, SC, November 29, 2008
These scholarships are an excellent example of school choice. Parents, educators and lawmakers have praised them unanimously. Which begs the questions: why aren’t we offering similar choices to students in grades K through 12?

Lower-Cost Alternatives
The Times of Trenton, NJ, November 28, 2008
The Legislature should aggressively expand charter schools, pass the Urban Enterprise Zone Jobs Scholarship Act making its rounds in the Senate and Assembly and protect privately and community- based providers in the preschool space.

Private Schools Look To Survive Economic Hit
Arizona Republic, AZ, December 1, 2008
Declining enrollment, coupled with plummeting endowments, has the schools scrambling to maintain their operating budgets and building plans. It is uncharted territory: Private schools traditionally shake off recessions.

Charter School Proposed
The Capital-Journal, KS, November 30, 2008
Get ready for take four of the charter school debate in Topeka Unified School District 501. The cast is similar, but a leading role has changed.

Top Legislative Leaders Back School Choice
Pueblo Chieftain, CO, November 30, 2008
This year brought the biggest electoral Democratic wave in more than three decades. Yet Colorado teachers union officials may have lost, rather than gained, political ground.

Idaho Charters Face Hurdles Finding Homes
The Olympian, WA, November 29, 2008
In a state that has embraced alternatives to the traditional classroom, 31 public charter schools have found themselves setting up shop in everything from a former plant nursery and pet store in Coeur d’Alene, to a strip mall in Garden City and former athletic center in Boise.

Charter School Teachers And Unions
Boston Globe, MA, November 30, 2008
IN “TEACHERS unionize at charter school, a first for Mass.” (Page A1, Nov. 26), Marc Kenen, executive director of the Massachusetts Charter Public School Association, was quoted as saying, “Generally, charter school teachers join charter schools because they don’t want to work in a unionized atmosphere.”

Reformers Should Craft One Plan To Fix Schools
The Detroit News, MI, November 28, 2008
State lawmakers and advocates for reform are working on a variety of bills to address Michigan’s urban education crisis. It’s great to see this much energy. But piecemeal legislation won’t be as effective as a single, comprehensive plan that addresses all the problems at once.

Study Pros And Cons Of Charter Schools
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN, November 28, 2008
A new report from the University of Minnesota Institute on Race and Poverty (IRP) says most charter schools do more harm than good. The study concludes that Twin Cities-area charter students do worse academically than their public school peers.