NATIONAL

Feds Contributed Little To Schools in 2007
Associated Press, July 28, 2009
Per pupil spending in public schools varies widely from state to state, but the federal government contributes comparatively little to K-12 education, according to a Census report released Monday.

CALIFORNIA

California Schools Chief Reacts To U.S. Criticism On Teacher Evaluation
Los Angeles Times, CA, July 28, 2009
California’s top education official sought Tuesday to counter federal criticism of the state’s reluctance to use student test scores to evaluate teachers, paying a visit to Long Beach to highlight one of the few California school districts to make extensive use of such data.

FLORIDA

Race to the Top
Miami Herald, FL, July 29, 2009
Florida’s A+ Plan for Education has put the state ahead of the rest in tracking individual student achievement, helping keep the focus on students who need to catch up.

NEW JERSEY

Resident Says Rules Of Union Politics Must Be Changed
Woodbridge Sentinel, NJ, July 29, 2009
The state Legislature of New Jersey and the Edison public schools provide an excellent microcosm of the rules of the game. State incumbent legislators must pander to the unions and are elected to keep in place a support system, among other things, of gerrymandered election districts, teacher and secretary tenure, 600 school districts, union negotiated contracts, and a fierce resistance to competitive charter schools and vouchers.

NEVADA

Charter School Seeking New Location Faces Opposition
Las Vegas Sun, NV, July 29, 2009
A rapidly growing charter school in the Silverado Ranch area is trying to expand into Henderson, but its would-be neighbors at a private school say the street isn’t big enough for the both of them and are trying to block the move.

NEW YORK

The Uses of Vouchers
City Journal, July 2009
In 1975, Congress passed legislation giving students with disabilities the right to an appropriate education at public expense. But having a right is only as good as your ability to enforce it.

TENNESSEE

Public, Parental Involvement Vital
The Tennessean, TN, July 29, 2009
School-choice policy should begin with a rationale. The rationale may be political in nature, holding that choice is a public good and a fundamental democratic principle. Parents have a right to choose the school for their child.

WASHINGTON, DC

13 Schools In District to Offer Specialty Programs
Washington Post, DC, July 29, 2009
D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee, seeking to stanch declining enrollment and the exodus of students to the District’s fast-growing charter schools, announced Tuesday that 13 public schools will launch plans for specialized programs in science and technology, arts and languages.