NATIONAL

Laying the Groundwork
Wall Street Journal, November 23, 2009
We asked four policy makers to give us their thoughts on the four critical issues: health care, the economy and finance, energy and the environment, and an educated work force. Here are some highlights. Michelle Rhee : HOW TO LEAD: I often get in trouble for saying this, but I actually think it’s true-that collaboration and consensus-building and all those things are, quite frankly, overrated. None of you CEOs run your companies by committee. So why should we run a school district by committee?

An Educated Work Force
Wall Street Journal, November 23, 2009
If an educated work force is the nation’s human capital, business is seeing a lot of subprime these days. Graduation rates are dismal in many school districts. Teachers are bailing out of the profession.

White House Pushes Science and Math Education
New York Times, NY, November 23, 2009
President Obama will announce a campaign Monday to enlist companies and nonprofit groups to spend money, time and volunteer effort to encourage students, especially in middle and high school, to pursue science, technology, engineering and math, officials say.

FROM THE STATES

Arizona

Law Changes Way Teachers Contract with Districts
Arizona Republic, AZ, November 23, 2009
The Arizona Legislature made sweeping changes to state teacher contracts earlier this year, removing seniority, salary and contract guarantees. Changes under House Bill 2011 mean that school districts will be prohibited from using tenure or seniority as a factor in determining which teachers can be laid off. Additionally, school districts no longer have to honor seniority when they rehire.

California

Assembly Must Get Moving on ‘Race to the Top’
Sacramento Bee, CA, November 23, 2009
But the Assembly has dawdled. California’s application can’t proceed until the Assembly acts. No one else can move until they know what the laws will say - and the Assembly has kept everyone guessing.

Delaware

Delaware Plans Education Changes To Win Federal Grant
News Journal, DE, November 23, 2009
Delaware officials are preparing to overhaul the way the state turns around failing schools and evaluates teachers in an effort to win a potential $75 million federal education grant.

District of Columbia

D.C. Charter Schools Put Out A Call For Protection
Washington Post, DC, November 22, 2009
But she wondered why charter schools, which enroll more than 38 percent of public school students in the city, don’t get regular protection like that at traditional public schools, where about 100 officers walk the halls full time.

Save the Vouchers
Washington Post, DC, November 22, 2009
OPTIMISM THAT the District’s federally funded school voucher program will be allowed to flourish is fading. Leading Democrats say that they are open to letting new students enter the program, but efforts to make that a reality seem to have stalled. Indeed, it appears that some Democrats’ idea of saving the program is simply to let it slowly wither away.

Rhee’s Reforms Take Hold
Washington Examiner, DC, November 22, 2009
For more than two years, headlines have focused on D.C. schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee’s work as a wrecking ball and not on the reforms she has built upon the cleared ground. At the end of her first year on the job, she closed more than 20 schools, replaced nearly 40 principals, and axed more than 100 central office workers.

Illinois

Candidates Focus on Education
Peoria Journal Star, IL, November 22, 2009
Illinois has long struggled with thorny questions about how best to fund schools and ensure that all children receive a quality education that readies them for employment or further schooling.

Louisiana

Vallas Busts Charter Myths
New Orleans City Business, LA, November 23, 2009
New Orleans charter schools are elite institutions, and their recent improvements in student performance are the result of selective enrollment. Those were two of the myths Recovery School District Superintendent Paul Vallas debunked in a luncheon speech Wednesday to the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce at the Roosevelt Hotel.

More Excuses from Schools
The Advocate, LA, November 22, 2009
In the Race to The Top, the Louisiana School Boards Association doesn’t even want to suit up for the game. We hope that the association, and more so the board members and superintendents who advise it, reconsider this decision.

Massachusetts

Molasses Reform
Worcester Telegram, MA, November 23, 2009
When the Massachusetts House of Representatives adjourned Wednesday for its holiday recess, it left a major education reform bill on the table. Gov. Deval Patrick had urged passage of the measure by last Wednesday and has even asked the House to reconvene and act.

Minnesota

Payment Shift Makes Rough Waters For Charter Schools
Minnesota Public Radio, MN, November 23, 2009
St. Paul, Minn. - Charter schools in Minnesota are bracing for a cash flow crunch that could determine whether some survive.

Charter School Accountability Starts Here
Bemidji Pioneer, MN, November 22, 2009
Charter schools are different things to different people. Supporters see charter schools differently than their critics see them. Maybe that’s the problem.

Ohio

Ohio Vies for Race to the Top Money for Education Reforms
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, November 21, 2009
The final rules are set. The deadline for applying is just a couple of months away. And Ohio is preparing to break out of the starting gate as one of the states vying for $4 billion in Race to the Top grants.

Oklahoma

Fundraising Efforts Up At Charter Sites
Tulsa World, OK, November 21, 2009
Tough economic times in public education have local charter schools trying new fundraising efforts and pinching pennies. Charter schools have been shorted the same percentage as all other public schools in Oklahoma every month since August.

Rhode Island

R.I. Education Commissioner Unveils Sweeping Reform Plan
Providence Journal, RI, November 23, 2009
State education officials have unveiled an ambitious plan to increase student proficiency, revamp failing schools, improve teacher quality and shrink gaps between low-income and middle-income students, even as the state struggles to dedicate enough resources to public education.

Tennessee

Charter Schools Seek Strong Leadership, Volunteers
The Tennessean, TN, November 23, 2009
Nashville’s anticipated charter school boom is creating opportunities to volunteer in education.

Wisconsin

State, Let Charter Schools Be Charters
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, November 21, 2009
Public charter schools have become a litmus test to judge the education reform efforts of individual states. President Barack Obama and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan have expressed their support for charters in a number of ways, including the $4 billion Race to the Top funds that are being used to encourage states to embrace change. Unfortunately, even though Wisconsin has more than 200 charter schools, it probably will not see any of that money.