NATIONAL

A Quiet Revolution
Newsweek, January 25, 2010
But unfortunately, society does not generally invest enough in innovation-especially in areas where it would help the poor (who aren’t an attractive market) and where there isn’t an agreed-upon measure of excellence. In the U.S., that means we have not invested nearly what we should in innovation for education. Our education system has been fundamental to our success as a nation, but the way we prepare students has barely changed in 100 years.

Charter School Demand Continues To Rise
National Center for Policy Analysis, January 25, 2010
Parents are demanding more public charter schools according an annual survey conducted by the Center for Education Reform.

FROM THE STATES

Alabama

Local Legislators Work On Charter School Bills
Shelby County Reporter, AL, January 25, 2010
Two Shelby County legislators are at the forefront of the movement to bring charter schools to the state. State Rep. Mary Sue McClurkin, R-Jefferson and Shelby, and State Sen. Steve French, R-Jefferson and Shelby, are working on legislation to make Alabama the 41st state to allow charter schools.

Florida

Crist’s Ambitious Education Budget Draws Instant Criticism
Florida Times-Union, FL, January 25, 2010
Despite an overall budget gap that could reach $3 billion, Gov. Charlie Crist unveiled a record $22.7 billion education budget Monday that would increase per-student state spending. But the plan was swiftly criticized as a mirage even by members of Crist’s own party.

Idaho

Charter School Debate
KMVT, ID, January 26, 2010
A group of more than 500 people is urging the Idaho legislature, to lift its cap allowing only six new charter schools a year. Right now there are three dozen charter schools in the Gem State; serving more than twelve thousand students and the waiting lists are long.

Kentucky

A Choice In Public Schools
Times Tribune of Corbin, KY, January 25, 2010
Well, turning Corbin into a charter school might not be the best solution here - but bringing a new charter school to Knox County would be a great step forward for local education.

Louisiana

New Rule Links Teacher Pay, Student Work
The Advocate, LA, January 26, 2010
Major changes for some public schoolteachers could begin later this year and be operating in East Baton Rouge Parish and 27 other districts by 2012, state officials said Monday.

Massachusetts

Good News for Schools
Fall River Herald News, MA, January 26, 2010
The new law gives the state broader powers to intervene in underperforming schools and replace staff as needed to turn them around. The law also lifts the cap on new and expanded charter schools in the lowest-performing school districts. In places like Fall River and other cities with some underperforming schools, thousands of students have been stranded on waiting lists for charter schools because of the cap.

Maryland

Alonso Plan Would Give Baltimore Middle-School Students School Choice
Baltimore Sun, MD, January 26, 2010
Baltimore would begin giving students a choice of where they attend middle school next fall under a plan expected to be presented to the city school board tonight.

Minnesota

A Key First Step in Race to the Top
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN, January 25, 2010
State education officials recently submitted a 1,000-page application for a Race to the Top federal grant — with significant help and input from Minnesota educators. The quickly-pulled-together collaborative effort paid off in a strong application.

Missouri

State Lawmakers Asked To Improve Schools
Jefferson City News Tribune, MO, January 25, 2010
Public school teachers could get extra pay, based on merit, under a bill introduced in the Missouri Senate.

New Jersey

Gov. Christie Transition Report Recommends Tougher N.J. Rules for Teacher Tenure
The Star-Ledger, NJ, January 25, 2010
New Jersey should make it more difficult for public school teachers to earn tenure, eliminate some school budget votes and provide a “robust” slate of school choice options for parents, according to the education transition committee report advising new Gov. Chris Christie.

New York

Large High Schools in the City Are Taking Hard Falls
New York Times, NY, January 26, 2010
Closing schools for poor performance, especially large high schools, has been one of the most controversial hallmarks of Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s control of the school system.

New York Could Use the $700 Million
New York Times, NY, January 26, 2010
Because of a disagreement over charter schools, legislative leaders in Albany are in danger - once again - of letting hundreds of millions of federal dollars slip through their fingers.

North Carolina

Some Choice Stats, Again
Carolina Journal, NC, January 26, 2010
In my continuing mission to impress upon North Carolina readers that parental choice in education is both desirable and practical, here are some numbers to keep in mind:

Ohio

Education Reform: Reward Our Best Teachers, Let Families Choose Schools
Call & Post, OH, January 26, 2010
The strategic plan unveiled recently by Cleveland schools CEO Eugene Sanders for transforming the Cleveland Metropolitan School District has the potential to be the dynamic, visionary change we so badly need.

Pennsylvania

Reason to Hope for Real School Reform
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, January 26, 2010
But the accord reached last week by the district and the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers could go a long way toward making reform real, even in the schools most resistant to reform.