NATIONAL

Race to the Middle?
Wall Street Journal, January 21, 2010
That’s a good sign, but Mr. Duncan will be tempted to give more states less money in order to minimize political blow back and in the name of getting all states to make at least some, minimal progress.

To Save Children, Cut Education
Washington Times, DC, January 21, 2010
And the federal Department of Education has about as much to do with the successful education of today’s children as the McGuffy’s Readers of yesteryear have a place in a modern curriculum. The department is unconstitutional, ineffective and wasteful. In short, it should be abolished.

Duncan Tells Mayors to Expect Incentives in ESEA
Education Week, MD, January 20, 2010
Providing incentives for districts that are making progress on student achievement will be a key element of the Obama administration’s plan for renewing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan told the U.S. Conference of Mayors Wednesday.

FROM THE STATES

Alabama

Local Leaders Weigh In On Charter Schools
Sand Mountain Reporter, AL, January 21, 2010
Boaz City Schools Superintendent Leland Dishman said he’s in favor of legislation allowing the formation of charter schools, but does not anticipate establishment of many, if any, charter schools in the Marshall County area.

Arizona

Demand for Charter Schools On The Rise Amid Budget Cuts
ABC15, AZ, January 20, 2010
As budgets are slashed for public schools this year, a new Center for Education Reform study shows demand for charter schools is up 21 percent.

Colorado

Race to Top Application Field Competitive
Pueblo Chieftain, CO, January 21, 2010
Colorado Education Commissioner Dwight Jones and Lt. Gov. Barbara O’Brien told the Education Committee that only two or three states will be awarded Race to the Top funds during Phase 1 of the grant awards.

Florida

We Need To Be Creative With School Vouchers
Orlando Sentinel, FL, January 21, 2010
The state’s top business leaders, those who sit on the Council of 100, are recommending we bring back school vouchers. I agree. But we need real vouchers, not the flimsy ones the state gave us in 1999.

Georgia

Georgia Pledges Reform To Get More Federal Education Money
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, January 20, 2010
Georgia officials hand-delivered their application Tuesday hoping to qualify for a piece of the Obama administration’s new Race to the Top education fund, which is worth up to $4 billion to states that embrace educational reform.

Louisiana

Next Mayor Could Shape Schools
Times Picayune, LA, January 21, 2010
All that said, many onlookers believe the next mayor could become one of the city’s most powerful voices on education, partly by drawing together the diverse and increasingly competitive constituencies in the post-Katrina school landscape.

Michigan

Teacher Union Obstruction May Hurt Michigan in Race to the Top Competition
The Detroit News, MI, January 21, 2010
Michigan has delivered a sound, strong application in the federal education grant competition called Race to the Top. Teacher union objections to the plan should be seen by the Obama administration as a sign of the proposal’s rigor and strengthen the state’s case.

Missouri

Missouri’s Race to Top Application Spells Out Education Sea Change
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, January 20, 2010
Missouri is aiming to overhaul public education - revamping annual state tests, classroom curriculum, high school graduation requirements, charter school oversight, and teacher training and pay, according to the state’s federal Race to the Top application, released today.

New Jersey

Fast Track for Charter Schools
Press of Atlantic City Blog, NJ, January 21, 2010
The state Board of Education on Wednesday formally adopted a new fast-track process for charter schools that will allow them to open more quickly - if they are ready.

Poll: NJ Voters Support Merit Pay For Teachers
CBS 3, NJ, January 21, 2010
A new poll finds New Jersey voters support merit pay for teachers but oppose expansion of charter schools.

New York

City Charter School Beats Suburbs
News 10NBC, NY, January 21, 2010
Students at a Rochester charter school are getting exceptionally high grades. And Mayor Bob Duffy says it is proof city kids can learn as well as their suburban counterparts.

Charter School Association Continues Fight To Raise Cap In Hopes Of Collecting Federal Cash
New York Daily News, NY, January 21, 2010
Unbowed advocates are continuing to fight to raise the cap on charter schools in hopes of collecting federal cash when a second round of funding is offered in June.

Kids’ Dreams Fade
New York Post, NY, January 21, 2010
They’re some of the best schools the city will never see. Dozens of charter schools backed by New York’s most respected community groups are now unlikely to open their doors to the kids who desperately need them — thanks to this week’s schoolyard brawl in the state Legislature

North Carolina

State’s Charter Stance Could Prove Costly
Lexington Dispatch, NC, January 20, 2010
The N.C. General Assembly’s cap on charter schools didn’t help a review by a national organization that could go a long way in determining the Tar Heel state’s application for more than $4 billion in federal stimulus aid earmarked for school districts across the country in 41 states and Washington, D.C.

Ohio

Ohio in Race for Federal Education Funds
Columbus Dispatch, OH, January 21, 2010
Ohio is hoping its plan to move from the fifth-best school system in the nation to first will help it snag $409 million in federal education money.

Oklahoma

Terminal: Obama Mum As Voucher Plan Dies
The Oklahoman, OK, January 21, 2010
Although the Obama administration acts like it wishes the District of Columbia’s imperiled school voucher program would simply fade away, the program’s backers refuse to cooperate.

Oregon

Homeschool Group Seeks Charter Option
Mail Tribune, OR, January 21, 2010
A group of parents who homeschool their children submitted an application Wednesday to found a public charter school for homeschoolers in the Medford School District.

Pennsylvania

Rules on Building Sales Revised
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, January 21, 2010
The Pittsburgh school board yesterday adopted a policy on the sale of surplus buildings that guarantees charter schools the same purchasing rights as any other entity.

Tennessee

State Could Take Over Eight Memphis City Schools
Memphis Commercial Appeal, TN, January 21, 2010
Eight failing Memphis City Schools could be turned over to charter school companies or other nonprofit groups as early as this fall, according the state’s 1,100-page Race to the Top application made public Wednesday.

Virginia

Virginia’s Education Chief Makes A Debut Before Skeptics
Richmond Times Dispatch, VA, January 21, 2010
The people assembled at the Richmond Crusade for Voters meeting included skeptics of the education gospel according to Robinson — a chapter-and-verse litany of the virtues of charter schools and school choice.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

The Lessons of Race To The Top
Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy , January 20, 2010
Parents and students need the power to choose any school, government or independent. That is already the practice in Sweden and British Columbia, and about to be rolled out in countries such as Qatar. These programs expand opportunities and enhance achievement for all students. If California legislators want a true race to the top they should implement universal choice at the earliest opportunity.