Union Leaders on NCLB and the Stim
Education Week, MD, March 3, 2009
Well, last week, I asked the same question of two other folks who are going to play a very important role in the reauthorization debate: Randi Weingarten, the new president of the American Federation of Teachers and Dennis Van Roekel, the new president of the National Education Association.

Stimulus Questions Answered, Round 5: What’s In it for Charters and Private Schools?
Education Week, MD, March 3, 2009
Is there anything in the stimulus package to help charter schools? Much of the money flows through existing formulas, such as Title I or IDEA, so any public charter school that benefits now from the formula will get a piece of the stimulus.

Aid Is Increased to Help Keep Struggling Families From Removing Students
Washington Post, D.C., March 4, 2009
Braced for decreased enrollment because of the deteriorating economy, the Washington region’s struggling Catholic schools are boosting financial aid and offering other help to keep financially strapped parents from pulling their children out of the parochial education system.

A Dissent On Ackerman’s School Plan
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 4, 2009
Ackerman’s plan effectively uses Act 71 gambling money to create a two-tiered school system with unregulated charters staffed in part by low-paid, untrained, non-union teachers. I’m at a loss to see how this plan will achieve the goal of improving either the graduation rate or accountability.

Let’s Fund What Works When It Comes To Educating Kids
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, March 4, 2009
As a longtime volunteer reading tutor at Citizens’ Academy, I find it hard to imagine that the very schools that should be models for academic excellence in Cleveland are being forced to fight for their lives.

Use It Wisely
Columbus Dispatch, OH, March 4, 2009
Because Gov. Ted Strickland’s budget is propped up by federal stimulus funds, the state risks unleashing a fiscal monster when the budget period ends in two years and that extra money is gone. The Columbus City School District, looking at its own federal-stimulus windfall, has the chance to do better.

Will Public Schools Suffer Under Vouchers? YES: Rich Kids Will Leave And Poor Ignored
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, March 4, 2009
The reaction of Georgia lawmakers is an honest one — we need to do something! Unfortunately, their fix seems to be the destruction of public education itself. A voucher bill in the Georgia Senate, Senate Bill 90, would dismantle all the progress now being made.

Will Public Schools Suffer Under Vouchers? NO: Choice Forces Educators To Improve
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, March 4, 2009
This session, the Georgia General Assembly is considering one of the most ambitious education reforms ever proposed. New legislation would provide every single child with a voice in their education, building on the state’s successful corporate tax scholarship program and scholarship program for children with disabilities.

Check It Out: NPR Series on New Orleans Charter Schools
Times Picayune, LA, March 3, 2009
National Public Radio this week has been running a series on the proliferation of charter schools in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina, and how the radically-altered educational landscape is improving student performance.

Charter School Admits Some Mistakes, Promises Positive Changes
KOAA, CO, March 3, 2009
The president of a Colorado Springs charter school that’s come under fire recently says they’ve made some mistakes and they’re working to fix them.

Time Is Now For Education Reform
Bellingham Herald, WA, March 4, 2009
Today’s schools should not have to choose between basic needs, yet that is exactly what is happening as school administrators make plans to cut their budgets.

Unions Should Agree To City Wage Freeze
Boston Globe, MA, March 4, 2009
School unions hesitate, thinking that federal stimulus funds for school operations will preclude the need for substantial layoffs.

Two Lawmakers Assail Merging School Districts
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, March 4, 2009
State Education Secretary Gerald Zahorchak ran into a bipartisan buzzsaw yesterday before the Senate Appropriations Committee, as he was assailed for trying to reduce the state’s 501 school districts to just 100 and for pushing to develop a new high school graduation test.

Status of Bills
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, March 4, 2009
HB 1142/SB 2628: Strengthens state Department of Education’s ability to intervene in failing school districts. The House bill also allows the state to create more charter schools.

March 3: The Day in Tallahassee
Miami Herald, FL, March 3, 2009
Insurance taxes may pay for private school vouchers for low income children. A House committee on Tuesday approved a measure that would allow insurance companies to send money to groups that provide vouchers to nearly 25,000 children across the state.

SANFORD: The GOP Has Damaged Its Brand
Washington Times, D.C., March 4, 2009
On education, we must continue to push for school choice, one of the great civil rights issues of our time.