NATIONAL

Ed secretary: judge teachers on how students do
Associated Press, June 8, 2009
Teachers should be judged on student performance, though not solely on test scores, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Monday.

Duncan Still Squeezing States on Charters
Education Week Blog, D.C., June 8, 2009
Education Secretary Arne Duncan is keeping up his high-profile pressure campaign on states he deems unfriendly to charter schools.

FROM THE STATES

D.C. Graduation Rates Down
Washington Post, D.C., June 9, 2009
The on-time graduation rate for D.C. public schools has fallen below 50 percent, according to a new study, while the rates for Maryland and Virginia have not improved since the mid-1990s.

Charter schools serving as alternative for some students leaving Flint School District
The Flint Journal, MI, June 08, 2009
With five elementary school buildings closing this year, local charter schools are absorbing some of the students who would otherwise be bumped to other public elementaries.

Education boss wants to tilt focus to students
Journal and Courier, IN, June 9, 2009
State schools Superintendent Tony Bennett says his department is at work on a new model to assess school performance based on individual student growth rather than school grade-level comparisons.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Charter life — or death?
Editorial, Chicago Tribune, IL, June 9, 2009
It got lost a bit in the end-of-session shuffle, but the Illinois legislature just passed some extremely significant legislation on charter schools.