NATIONAL

Save our Schools, from Washington
Albany Union Times, NY, February 10, 2010
President Barack Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan call their $4 billion program of education reform grants the Race to the Top. A more accurate title would be the Race to Washington, because their program culminates a stunning decade in which school policy decisions have been wrested from local and state control to become matters of federal oversight.

Education Budget Plan Wielded as Policy Lever
Education Week, MD, February 9, 2010
President Barack Obama’s proposed $49.7 billion budget for the U.S. Department of Education is more than just a spending blueprint: Department officials portray it as a fundamental reimagining of the agency’s structure and management.

FROM THE STATES

California

Charters and Special Education
Education Week, MD, February 9, 2010
Thomas Hehir’s attacks on California charter schools’ special education programs (”Charters: Students With Disabilities Need Not Apply?,” Commentary, Jan. 27, 2010) demonstrate an unfortunate lack of in-depth understanding of the state’s special education infrastructure.

Georgia

State Board Vote Could Have National Reach
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, February 9, 2010
A state Board of Education vote this week could have national implications in showing whether Georgia is fertile ground for new charter schools.

Illinois

Meeks Open To School Vouchers
Southtown Star, IL, February 9, 2010
A key legislative proponent of improving Illinois’ public schools is reversing his usual course by pushing school vouchers.

Kentucky

Bill Gives Superintendents More Say On Principals
Louisville Courier-Journal, KY, February 9, 2010
The House Education Committee voted Tuesday to approve a controversial measure designed to give superintendents more say in hiring principals.

Mississippi

Bill to Allow Charter Schools OK’d by Senate
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, February 10, 2010
The state Senate on Tuesday passed a bill that would clear the way for charter schools in Mississippi and sent the controversial measure to the House.

North Carolina

Charter Day School Lottery Today (Legislators Expected)
Star News, NC, February 9, 2010
Leland’s Charter Day School will have its lottery drawing at 10 a.m. today, Wednesday, for parents wanting to enroll their children there. Since there’s a limit on the number of charter schools the state allows, names of students have to be put on a waiting list and drawn out of a hat when the schools run out of space.

Pennsylvania

Cuts To Tax Credit Program Threaten Scholarship Funds
Philadelphia Bulletin, PA, February 10, 2010
More than 44,000 students across the state of Pennsylvania depend on scholarships provided by the Educational Improvement Tax Credit program to attend private schools. For many, that opportunity might now be in jeopardy as the state considers serious cuts to the EITC in order to generate more revenue for its empty coffers.

Utah

Proposal Linking Teacher Pay To Test Scores Advances
KSL-TV , UT, February 9, 2010
The idea of linking classroom performance to teacher pay is gaining momentum on Utah’s Capitol Hill.

Virginia

McDonnell Expected To Unveil Education Reform Legislation Today
The Virginian-Pilot, VA, February 10, 2010
Gov. Bob McDonnell is expected to unveil legislation that would loosen up Virginia’s charter school laws during a news conference this afternoon in Richmond.

Wisconsin

Virtual Schools Have Pluses And Minuses, Report Says
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, WI, February 10, 2010
Virtual charter schools spend both more and less per student than traditional public schools in Wisconsin. Their students score higher in reading but generally lower in math than the statewide public school average. Their parents are satisfied with their students’ education, but school districts that are losing students to them suffer financially.