Tomorrow, on his continuing education tour, Education Secretary Arne Duncan will be joined in Philadelphia by two gentlemen who because of their obvious differences on many levels are called the Odd Couple of education.  I applaud strange bedfellows - when they make things happen for kids. With this one, I’m not so sure.

The first real Odd Couples of education led some of the nation’s most fundamental shifts in education, shifts that had once been considered radical.  Looking back through the past sixteen years, it’s clear that while education reform has changed dramatically, broad, mainstream support for bold changes in education existed then, just as they do now.  It was just much less hip to say so.

Then, policymakers who led the fight for charter schools, merit pay (as it was called in those days), vouchers and the like were accused of being part of the vast right wing conspiracy and generally anti-public education, despite the fact that such nomenclature didn’t fit then, just as it does not now. CER’s first work celebrated legislators like Pennsylvania Democrat Dwight Evans, who joined hands with Republican Tom Ridge to pass that state’s charter bill.  Miami Urban League head T. Willard Fair teamed up with Governor Jeb Bush to bring vouchers to Florida, following in the steps of Representative Polly Williams, a former Black Panther, in league with conservative Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson.

These were the first, real Odd Couples of the modern education reform movement.  They were bold, tenacious, and courageous to cross party lines, incur the wrath of unions together and suffer all sorts of education establishment slurs.

More “Gingrich and Sharpton – An Odd Couple for Education, But Not the First”

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NATIONAL

Mr. Duncan and That $4.3 Billion
New York Times, NY, September 28, 2009
With sound ideas and a commitment to rigorously monitor the states’ progress, Education Secretary Arne Duncan has revitalized the school-reform effort that had lost most of its momentum by the closing days of the Bush administration.

School Choice Would Reshape U.S. Education
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 28, 2009
Tomorrow in Philadelphia, two of politics’ most interesting personalities - the Rev. Al Sharpton and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich - are expected to join Education Secretary Arne Duncan in kicking off a tour of America’s urban public schools. Sharpton and Gingrich have said they intend to draw attention to persistent problems and promising remedies in education.

More School: Obama Would Curtail Summer Vacation
Associated Press, September 27, 2009
Students beware: The summer vacation you just enjoyed could be sharply curtailed if President Barack Obama gets his way. Obama says American kids spend too little time in school, putting them at a disadvantage with other students around the globe.

Cyber Charter Schools: An Educational Alternative For The 21st Century
Philadelphia Bulletin, PA, September 28, 2009
Any Time, Any Place, Any Path, Any Pace.” The title of a 2001 National Association of State Boards of Education report on the future of e-learning still says it all. Cyber charter schools offer students unparalleled opportunities to design their own school programs.

FROM THE STATES

ARIZONA

Documentary Calls BASIS a Model
Arizona Daily Star, AZ, September 28, 2009
BASIS charter school has been recognized nationally a few times over the years, but now it is receiving perhaps one of its biggest compliments. A documentary by filmmaker Robert A. Compton calls the school - which first opened up in Tucson - a model for what schools across the country should strive to be.

CALIFORNIA

Cash for the Classrooms
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 28, 2009
Green Dot Public Schools has been able to reduce class sizes by watching the pennies and going after grants and state funding. It raises the question of whether L.A. was shortchanging the students.

D.C.

Issues That Matter to You: Education
Washington Post, DC, September 27, 2009
Both candidates for Virginia governor say they would improve education by increasing teacher salaries, encouraging the creation of new charter schools and preparing more students for a technology-driven workforce.

GEORGIA

The Battle Over Charter Schools Goes To Court
Insider Advantage Georgia, GA, September 28, 2009
Public-school educators frustrated by budget cuts, government mandates and criticism have taken their resistance to charter schools’ relative freedoms to a new level, the courthouse.

LOUISIANA

School Within A School Is New Strategy To Transform Education
Times-Picayune, LA, September 28, 2009
Carver is one of four campuses across the city where educators have embarked this fall on an unusual method of rehabilitation. Instead of closing the school completely, or handing over the reins to a new leader, they hope to transform the schools gradually…

MASSACHUSSETTS

How To Chart A Course For Better Schools?
The Republican, MA, September 27, 2009
The controversy and confusion over charter schools was captured in two recent articles in The Republican - “Districts targeted for charter schools, (Sept. 15) and “School officials, education boss disagree on bills” (Sept. 18).

Politics and Charters
MetroWest Daily News, MA, September 27, 2009
Politics has been part of the state’s charter school debate from the beginning. On Beacon Hill, proponents and opponents of these independently-operated public schools have clashed constantly over caps and funding formulas.

NEVADA

School District Actually Spending $12,307 Per Pupil
Las Vegas Review-Journal, NV, September 27, 2009
With the 2009-10 school year for the Clark County School District under way, citizens, pundits, journalists, policymakers and insiders will scrutinize the spending and performance of the district, and rightly so. We all have a right to know how much is spent and how well the district educates students

NEW YORK

Charter-School Clincher
New York Post, NY, September 28, 2009
A new study has just blown away any remaining doubts about the remark able success of charter schools. Maybe now Albany will stand up to the teachers union and finally give more New York students access to these better schools — by lifting the state cap on them.

PENNSYLVANIA

Directory of Phila. Charter Schools is Available
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 26, 2009
The Greater Urban Affairs Coalition released its latest directory of city charter schools yesterday, the first day of the Philadelphia School District’s annual High School Expo

TENNESSEE

Opening Charter Schools Gets Easier
Jackson Sun, TN, September 27, 2009
A recent change in state law has made it easier for more charter schools to open in Tennessee.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Lesson Plans: What Makes A Teacher Qualified?
National Public Radio, September 26, 2009
Everyone from President Obama on down seems to agree: a good teacher can make a huge difference in the life of a child. American schools have been trying for decades to improve teacher quality, with mixed results. Over the next year, NPR will explore those efforts, and look at the latest crop of teachers entering the profession.

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“Explosive” results of a comprehensive, multi-year analysis of charter schools in New York City find students in charters more poor, more disadvantaged and from homes with lesser educational background, but closing the achievement gap by as much as 86 percent in math and 66 percent in reading.

So why is that news relegated to Page A27 of the New York Times, and only in a smattering of other papers elsewhere around the country?

This study by a noted Stanford University economist used an apples to apples comparison of real children - students who went to charters with those who did not get chosen by the lottery - rather than use intangible and relatively sketchy methodologies involving virtual students.

A less robust and, frankly, largely flawed study released in June by independent researchers at Stanford used that flawed methodology and made national headlines within a day of its press releases hitting the wires.

Their press roll out was criticized by charter advocates nationwide for misleading reporters. Indeed, the headlines then actually warned of charter students being behind in almost every state, without much credence for that or the general conclusions that now have every state legislator - along with union officials - saying charter success is overrated.

But the reality is: it’s not overrated. Charter schools do make an enormous difference in the life of a child and their family, particularly the longer they stay in a charter school.

The true gold-standard report issued Tuesday by Caroline Hoxby and her colleagues at the National Bureau of Economic Research tells the real story of a very big state that has the longevity and experience worthy of study and reporting.

It should not be buried in the depths of newspapers behind smaller, less significant news. Then again, Hoxby was worried about research, not PR.

(UPDATE: The Washington Post sees the importance of the Hoxby study, saying that “opponents of charter schools are going to have to come up with a new excuse”.)

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Do Charters ‘Cream’ the Best?
Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2009
Creaming” is the word critics of charter schools think ends the debate over education choice. The charge has long been that charters get better results by cherry-picking the best students from standard public schools. Caroline Hoxby, a Stanford economist, found a way to reliably examine this alleged bias, and the results are breakthrough news for charter advocates.

Obama Education Chief Duncan To Push Schools Reform
USA Today, September 23, 2009
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan plans to challenge educators, civil rights groups and others to put aside “tired arguments” about education reform to help him craft a sweeping reauthorization of federal education legislation by early 2010.

Online High Schools Test Students’ Social Skills
Wall Street Journal, September 24, 2009
As online high schools spread, educators are ramping up efforts to counter the social isolation that some students experience. At the same time, sociologists and child psychologists are examining how online schooling might hinder, or help, the development of social skills.

Open Classroom Doors to Better Teachers
Washington Post, DC, September 24, 2009
I share your concern about the irrational rules that govern teacher accreditation ["Certification of Teachers as Painful Farce," Sept. 7]. I have a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in computer science and have taught professional development courses to help prep Advanced…

FROM THE STATES

Arizona

Arizona Expands K-12 Online Learning
Arizona Republic, AZ, September 24, 2009
More Arizona students will soon be able to attend their high-school algebra class while in their bedroom, or their chemistry class while at the kitchen counter.

Colorado

‘07 School Closings Boost Student Achievement, DPS Analysis Finds
Denver Post, CO, September 24, 2009
Students from schools in Denver that were closed two years ago in a reform effort are performing better academically in their new schools, according to a district analysis.

Michigan

Lansing Will Draw Students Out Of Class
The Grand Rapids Press, MI, September 23, 2009
About 2,500 students, including some from West Michigan, will get out of school Thursday to participate in a first-of-its-kind rally at the state Capitol promoting legislative changes.

Ohio

NWOCSC Questions TPS Letter
FOX Toledo, OH, September 23, 2009
Toledo charter school parents believe Toledo Public Schools is trying to increase their dwindling enrollment numbers by sending them a threatening letter.

New Jersey

State Gives Go-Ahead to 8 New Charter Schools
Star Ledger, NJ, September 24, 2009
The state has approved eight applications for new charter schools — including one that teaches Hebrew and another that immerses students in Spanish — which are expected to open in September 2010, officials said yesterday.

New York

Stubborn Charter School Critics Can’t Handle The Truth
New York Daily News, NY, September 23, 2009
Facts are stubborn things,” John Adams advised. With the release of a study showing New York’s charter schools are a big success - a study chock-full of stubborn facts - critics of charter schools in New York ought to be learning a lesson.

Nevada

Andre Agassi Takes A Swing For Education
MSNBC, September 23, 2009
Founded in 1994, the foundation strives to improve education in Nevada, especially for underprivileged youth. An important cornerstone of the foundation is the Andre Agassi College Preparation Academy, founded in 2001 to help students prepare for higher education and careers through character enhancement…

South Carolina

School Choice for Charleston
Charleston Post Courier, SC, September 24, 2009
The Charleston County School District, 100 miles long with urban, suburban and rural schools, is hugely diverse. No single kind of school will meet the varying needs of students. Superintendent Nancy McGinley wants to provide more choices close to home for all students, and that is a good idea.

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Initiative Focuses on Early Learning Programs
New York Times, NY, September 21, 2009
Tucked away in an $87 billion higher education bill that passed the House last week was a broad new federal initiative aimed not at benefiting college students, but at raising quality in the early learning and care programs that serve children from birth through age 5.

Teachers Find Obama Not The Friend They Had Expected
McClatchy Washington Bureau, September 19, 2009
The nation’s public school teachers are feeling the squeeze from all sides these days, and some of the heat is coming from unlikely sources: minorities and longtime Democratic allies.

The Best School Operators in the Country
Huffington Post Blog, NY, September 18, 2009
After spending two days with the best charter school operators in the country, I was impressed by three things…

FROM THE STATES

California

Charter Schools for LAUSD: Caveat Emptor
Los Angeles Daily News, CA, September 20, 2009
WITH its recent vote to allow outside operators, including charters, to run new and underperforming schools, the L.A. Unified school board has in effect put itself on record as saying that the district it regulates cannot guarantee a quality education.

Florida

From K-12, Students Can Opt To Take Their Classes In Cyberspace
San Luis Obispo Tribune, FL, September 21, 2009
In fact, Florida ranked first among all states last year in online education policies and programs, according to a report from the Center for Digital Education, a California-based research group. Nearly 60,000 Florida students took virtual courses.

Illinois

Huberman Sacks Boss Of City Charter Schools
Chicago Tribune, IL, September 20, 2009
Chicago Public Schools executive in charge of charter schools is out as district CEO Ron Huberman continues his sweeping Reorganization.

Indiana

Indiana Schools May Have To Agree To Major Changes To Get Federal Cash
Indianapolis Star, IN, September 20, 2009
Indiana officials like their chances of getting a piece of $4.4 billion in education stimulus money that only a few states will be awarded — but the money would come with strings attached.

Michigan

Michigan: Take Another Look At School Vouchers
Detroit Free Press, MI, September 19, 2009
As the school year resumes, politicians in Detroit and Lansing hoping to help the ailing Detroit schools could learn a thing or two from the national debate about healthcare.

State Politics Could Block Detroit’s Chance For Educational Progress
Detroit News, MI, September 21, 2009
To the surprise of many, Detroit could be held back by the state when it comes to educational progress, or at least the strategic policymaking needed to make that happen.

Massachusetts

These Test-Score Jitters Are A Sign Of High Standards
Boston Globe, MA, September 21, 2009
MASSACHUSETTS maintains among the highest academic standards and toughest tests for students in the nation, even at the risk of looking bad on federal measures of “adequate yearly progress.’ That’s the right course, even when the latest scores on the MCAS tests in math and English push more than half of the state’s schools out of compliance with federal expectations.

New York

Taking N.Y. to School: New Ed Chief King Must Lead The Way To High Achievement
New York Daily News, NY, September 20, 2009
Few people in America have been more successful than John King in running public schools that deliver high-quality education.

Williams’ Support For School Monopoly Is Unhealthy
Buffalo News, NY, September 19, 2009
Competitors around, there’s no need for innovation. Prices get out of control, efficiency slides and the quality of the product plummets. Worse, you’re stuck because it’s the only game in town. And that’s just the way Buffalo School Superintendent James Williams would like it.

North Carolina

Minding the Gap - Rethinking Inequities In Educational Achievement
Cape Fear Business News, NC, September 18, 2009
In recent years, policies seeking to narrow the entrenched achievement gap between black and white students have proliferated. Such efforts to rectify a widespread educational injustice are unequivocally important. But are they working?

Rhode Island

Bumping’ Is The Bugaboo Of School Reform Efforts
Providence Journal, RI, September 20, 2009
Every time teachers are no longer needed, because of program changes or drops in enrollment, bumping descends like locusts and wipes out years of work building school teams and professional cultures.

Texas

Can Teachers’ Talent Translate Elsewhere?
Houston Chronicle, TX, September 20, 2009
Contreras and 18 other HISD teachers are part of a national study that seeks to answer some of the most crucial questions in the public school reform movement: Can standout teachers get the same results from students at troubled campuses? If so, what incentives will draw them there, and will they stay?

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