NATIONAL

State Legislatures Wrestle With Charter Laws
Education Week, MD, August 3, 2009
Amid a strong push by the Obama administration to ensure that states don’t constrain the growth of the charter school sector, a number of legislatures this year debated measures on how many charters to allow, or whether to have such schools at all. But even with the extra attention from Washington, the outcomes have proved decidedly mixed.

No More “School’s Out For Summer”
New York Post, NY, August 4, 2009
Public-charter schools offer a glimpse of the potential impact of lengthening the school year. High-performing urban charter schools almost uniformly offer longer school years to the disadvantaged students they serve, much to their benefit.

In Honor of Milton Friedman, ‘Father of School Choice’
Philadelphia Bulletin, PA, August 4, 2009
It took nearly 35 years for Dr. Friedman’s revolutionary idea to be put into practice with the passage of Milwaukee’s landmark school voucher program. Since then, his common sense solution to our nation’s educational dilemma has been taking hold all across our nation.

FROM THE STATES

California

Dropout Rate Declines Almost 17% In L.A. Schools
Los Angeles Times, CA, August 4, 2009
The decline is one of the largest in the state. Officials credit teams that identify and help at-risk students and the conversion of larger high schools into clusters of smaller academies.

State Senators To Consider Changing Law On Student Scores, Teacher Evaluations
Los Angeles Times, CA, August 4, 2009
In an effort to qualify for federal ‘Race to the Top’ funds, the Senate’s education committee plans to look at a 2006 law that bars use of test scores to evaluate teacher performance.

District of Columbia

Robert Holland: Running Out Of Rationales To Oppose D.C. School Vouchers
Washington Examiner, DC, August 4, 2009
Washington, D.C. is about as politically liberal a city as there is anywhere in the United States. President Barack Obama rolled up a 93 percent landslide win over Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) to garner D.C.’s three electoral votes last November. The District has never come close to going Republican since the 23rd Amendment gave its residents the right to vote in presidential elections beginning in 1964.

Indiana

Firestorm Rages Over Modest Proposal
Palladium-Item, IN, August 4, 2009
Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett’s plan to reform the educator licensing system has ignited more controversy than it merits. Although the proposal would make the licensing process more flexible for teachers and the principals who hire them, it certainly wouldn’t make it less rigorous, as some critics have charged.

Minnesota

What If Teachers Ran Minnesota’s Schools?
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN, August 4, 2009
It’s being dubbed as the biggest education reform since charter schools. But will Minnesota’s school districts really be able to relinquish control?

New Jersey

Six N.J. Charter Schools Get Final Approval
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, August 4, 2009
Elementary charter schools in Camden and Burlington Counties were among six proposals that received final approval yesterday to open in September.

New York

What Do School Tests Measure?
New York Times, NY, August 3, 2009
This is good news for Mayor Bloomberg, who has made standardized testing a linchpin of his administration’s stewardship of the schools. Critics say the results are proof only that it is possible to “teach to the test.” What do the results mean? Are tests a good way to prepare students for future success?

Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh Schools Polish Final Pitch For Big Gates Grant
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, August 4, 2009
The proposals had to be turned in by Friday, but the unusually rigorous application process isn’t over yet. In all, 10 invitees — most of them urban districts in various stages of broad improvement campaigns — will meet Wednesday in Seattle to make presentations to Gates officials.

Tennessee

Frist: State Can Do More For School Districts
Jackson Sun, TN, August 4, 2009
Last week the Tennessee State Collaborative on Reforming Education, chaired by Frist, released an interim report outlining target areas for K-12 education. In October a final report will list recommendations for improving the quality of education in Tennessee.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Department of Education to Accelerate $11.37 Billion in Stimulus Funds
US Department of Education, August 3, 2009
U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced that the Department will accelerate stimulus spending by making $11.37 billion in Title I, IDEA, and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) funding, as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), available to states one month early to help save jobs and drive reform.