NATIONAL

Obama Backs Rewarding Districts That Police Failing Schools
New York Times, NY, March 2, 2010
President Obama said Monday that he favored federal rewards for local school districts that fire underperforming teachers and close failing schools, saying educators needed to be held accountable when they failed to fix chronically troubled classrooms and curb the student dropout rate.

Federal Bailout or Takeover Of Public Schools?
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette, IN, March 2, 2010
That’s a strategy for encouraging failure. Just as bad businesses should be allowed to dissolve or restructure and let better ones take their place, bad schools should be replaced by better ones. Real, universal choice - not more federal mandates and centralization -is the way to make that happen.

FROM THE STATES

California

LAUSD Board’s So-Called Reform
Los Angeles Times, CA, March 2, 2010
The Los Angeles Unified school board looked transformation in the eye — and blinked. By overriding several recommendations of its top experts and cutting three of the region’s most respected charter organizations out of the picture, the board sadly demonstrated once again that it is devoted more to the politics of running schools than to the education of students.

The Death of Public School Choice
Huffington Post, NY, March 1, 2010
The Los Angeles Unified School District board, which in August voted 6-1 for a competition between internal and external education providers, did its best to kill it off on last week. A different policy for change is needed. Here’s why.

Florida

Florida Senate Expects Conservative Shift Amid National Movement
St. Petersburg Times, FL, March 2, 2010
2010 promises to be the year when the national conservative movement begins to change the Florida Legislature - specifically the Senate, long a speed bump to the House’s traditionally conservative ideas.

Louisiana

Charter Schools Share Test Scores
Time Picayune, LA, March 2, 2010
In an unusual collaboration, 10 diverse New Orleans charter schools have banded together to share data and test score results over the school year, with the goal of better gauging their strengths and weaknesses.

School Sets Own Course
The Daily Iberian, LA, March 1, 2010
VB Glencoe Charter School Principal Michael Parrie’s job description is like no other in the Teche Area - and his 370 students attend a school that literally is one of a kind.

New Jersey

Senate Panel OKs Schundler as Education Chief
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 2, 2010
TRENTON - Bret Schundler, Gov. Christie’s pick for education commissioner, moved a step closer to getting the job yesterday as the Senate Judiciary Committee agreed to send his nomination to the full Senate for a vote.

New York

Money Can’t Fix Our Schools
Albany Times Union, NY, March 2, 2010
While New York taxpayers spend more than $50 billion annually on public education, no amount of money will alleviate the systemic issues facing our schools. With no more money available, the Legislature, governor and Regents, as well as school boards, superintendents, parents, teachers and the public, should focus on making schools.

South Dakota

South Dakota Bill Allowing Pilot Charter School Passes
Rapid City Journal, SD, March 1, 2010
South Dakota lawmakers have given final approval to legislation that would allow the state to create a pilot charter school.