Educators Await Obama’s Mark on No Child Left Behind
Washington Post, DC, January 9, 2010
Eight years after President George W. Bush signed the bill that branded an era of school reform, the education world is wondering when President Obama will seek to rewrite the No Child Left Behind law.

FROM THE STATES

Arizona

Tax Credits for Private, Parochial Schools Likely Up For Debate
Arizona Daily Sun, AZ, January 10, 2010
While the main focus of the session that begins Monday is balancing the budget, lawmakers are expected to address other matters during the four — or more — months they will be at the Capitol.

California

New Rules on Tap For Charter Schools
Contra Costa Times, CA, January 10, 2010
With charter school enrollment at an all-time high locally, Los Angeles Unified officials are expected to set tougher standards this week for the publicly funded and independently run campuses.

L.A. Charter Schools Flex Their Educational Muscles
Los Angeles Times, CA, January 10, 2010
Enrollment is up, and overall, standardized test scores outshine those at traditional campuses. Even the L.A. Unified board has eased its resistance.

California Teachers Union in Rare Legislative Loss
Sacramento Bee, CA, January 11, 2010
The California Teachers Association is used to getting its way. The union that represents 340,000 public school teachers has traditionally been one of the most powerful forces in the Capitol. In the past decade, it spent $38 million on lobbying - more than anyone else in the state.

Delaware

National Hype Over Charter Schools Hits Home
The News Journal, DE, January 11, 2010
At a time when charter schools are garnering national attention, nine such schools, including three focusing on math and science, are seeking state approval to open in fall 2011.

District of Columbia

Williams for Choice
Washington Times, DC, January 11, 2010
The conservative-leaning Heritage Foundation has found a strong ally in its fight for school choice in Juan Williams, a liberal news analyst for Fox News.

Teacher Certification Prestigious But Too Costly, Rhee Says
Washington Post, DC, January 10, 2010
But Janey’s successor, Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee, said that although she considers board certification a valuable form of professional development, it was difficult to justify the annual expenditure of about $600,000 because so few teachers were making it through the process.

Florida

Pursue Federal Education Grant
Miami Herald, FL, January 10, 2010
The Race to the Top initiative is important for Florida. President Obama’s administration has taken a serious interest in ensuring that our children receive a better education.

Opportunity for Florida Students
St. Petersburg Times, FL, January 11, 2010
Florida should be competing hard to win its share of the Obama administration’s $4.35 billion education grant program called Race to the Top. But its chances diminish with every school district that declines to take part - and within each district if the superintendent, the school board and the teachers union don’t all sign on.

Georgia

Setting Course For The Future
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, January 11, 2010
Kay Madati is on a tight deadline. In about seven months, he intends to open a new charter school from scratch, recruit students, build a campus, find energetic teachers and secure the financing to pay for it all.

Illinois

How’s Your Teacher?
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 11, 2010
A lot of folks in education have been working for weeks on a broad and rigorous plan to more thoroughly evaluate the performance of public school teachers and principals in Illinois. At first blush, it looks pretty good.

Illinois Gubernatorial Candidates Tackle Education
Chicago Tribune, IL, January 11, 2010
Politicians who declare education to be a top priority are nothing new, but the field of Republicans running for next month’s nomination for governor promises to shake up the state’s schools system and demand greater accountability from students and their teachers.

Louisiana

Race to the Top Participation Sought by 23 Louisiana School Districts
The Times-Picayune, LA, January 9, 2010
As Louisiana maneuvers to compete for federal Race to the Top education grants, the state Department of Education reported Friday that 23 school districts, representing 43 percent of the public school population, have signed up to participate in the program.

Massachusetts

Politics Taints Charter School Process
Fall River Herald News, MA, January 11, 2010
From its inception in 1837, the Massachusetts Board of Education established a reputation for independence which, for more than 170 years, allowed its members to conduct their business free of outside political influence. All of that changed in February 2008, when the Legislature approved Gov. Deval Patrick’s sweeping education reorganization plan.

Missouri

Parents Deserve Choice of Sending Child to Charter School
News-Leader, MO, January 11, 2010
Charter schools have existed in Kansas City since 1999 and St. Louis since 2000; the rest of Missouri, however, is not allowed to open charter schools. In the upcoming months, a debate on this topic is sure to come to the forefront of education policymaking in Missouri.

Missouri Budget Cuts Could Roil Virtual School Students, Parents
Columbia Missourian, MO, January 10, 2010
Brandon was one of about 1,600 students throughout the state in grades kindergarten through 12 enrolled in the Missouri Virtual Instruction Program (MoVIP) on a first-come, first-serve basis for the 2009 fall semester, according to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.

New York

Promises and Facts on Charter Schools
New York Times, NY, January 11, 2010
Charter schools - which are run with public money but subject to fewer state regulations - have a lot of supporters in Washington. Education Secretary Arne Duncan wants states to close some chronically failing schools and turn them into charters.

7 Charter Schools to Get OK as State Nears Limit of 200
New York Post, NY, January 9, 2010
The state Board of Regents is expected to approve seven new city charter schools at its monthly meeting Tuesday — slicing to 23 the number of charters that can be issued statewide.

Pols to Loosen the Cap
New York Post, NY, January 11, 2010
Lawmakers will pass a bill to boost the state’s looming cap on charter schools “within a week and in time for the deadline” to compete for up to $700 million in federal aid, a senior legislative official told The Post yesterday.

Ohio

Cleveland’s Latest School Reform Plan Is On Solid Ground, But Still Raises Questions That Demand More Answers
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, January 10, 2010
The Cleveland school district’s sweeping reform plan aims in the right direction.
It pledges radical reform to turn around a dysfunctional public school system by putting children first and incorporating cutting-edge designs for urban education tied to real-world economic challenges.

Oregon

Online Schools on Legislative Agenda
Statesman Journal, OR, January 10, 2010
Oregon lawmakers will revisit the issue of online public schools when they meet in committee next week.

Pennsylvania

Teachers Are Wary of Grants Program
Patriot-News, PA, January 11, 2010
The head of the state’s largest teacher union thinks an argument could be made for Pennsylvania walking away from the chance to grab as much as $400 million in federal education money.

Pa. Governor Candidates To Be Graded On Education
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, January 10, 2010
Candidates for Pennsylvania governor this year enjoy a wealth of big themes to explore, from integrity in government and the dysfunctional state budget process to the looming pension funding crisis and prison overcrowding. In a large state with its share of challenges, however, no topic touches the lives of more residents than public education.

Rhode Island

Charter School Is ‘Labor Of Love’ For Union
Providence Journal, RI, January 10, 2010
Sabitoni says, “Not too many parents wanted their kids to go into the trades. So we had a recruitment problem. Our average member is about 45 years of age. To maintain the union and the trade, we need young men and women. So we thought maybe we should start our own charter school. This school is the first of its kind in the entire building trades.

R.I. Teachers Unions Balk At Supporting Federal-Aid Application
Providence Journal, RI, January 9, 2010
Rhode Island’s chances of receiving as much as $100 million in unprecedented federal education aid hang heavily on the support of the state’s two teacher unions and as of now, they are balking.

South Carolina

Changes for State Charter Schools?
Post and Courier, SC, January 11, 2010
The Palmetto State’s charter school law would receive a major makeover under a pre-filed bill that’s being both lauded and lamented.

Tennessee

Education Reform Starts With Lesson In Teacher Accountability
Memphis News, TN, January 9, 2010
At this early stage, it’s difficult to tell what, if any, impact the latest education reform wave will have on our schools. But so far, the discussion has shown the national dialogue has come a long way from the early 1980s, when the “A Nation at Risk” report began the regrettable trend of referring to money spent on education as “an investment.”

Virginia

Charter School Debate
Augusta Free Press, VA, January 10, 2010
Among the topics that are likely to be fiercely debated this legislative session are revisions to Virginia’s charter-school law. The Center for Education Reform, advocates for expanding charter schools, recently gave Virginia a failing grade on its charter school law.

State Government: The Assembly
Richmond Times Dispatch, VA, January 10, 2010
When lawmakers convene on Wednesday for the 2010 legislative session, they will confront some of the toughest choices the General Assembly has had to make in many years. The economic recession has sharply reduced the amount of money flowing into state coffers. Federal stimulus funds and one-time savings that offset program cuts last year won’t suffice this time around.

Washington

Race to the Top, but Don’t Forget the Parent Part of the Equation
Seattle Times, WA, January 10, 2010
While pursuing federal Race to the Top money and working toward these reforms may be beneficial for the continued development of our local school systems, other chronic problems lie beyond legislative reach, writes guest columnist Stephen Woolworth.

Wyoming

Wyoming Enters Race
Casper Star-Tribune, WY, January 10, 2010
Wyoming is putting the finishing touches on its application for a piece of a competitive $4.35 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education.