NATIONAL

Panel Proposes Single Standard for All Schools
New York Times, NY, March 11, 2010
A panel of educators convened by the nation’s governors and state school superintendents proposed a uniform set of academic standards on Wednesday, laying out their vision for what all the nation’s public school children should learn in math and English, year by year, from kindergarten to high school graduation.

Finalists Cram for Race to Top Presentations
Education Week, MD, March 10, 2010
With millions of grant dollars on the line, representatives of the 16 state finalists for federal Race to the Top prize money will go to Washington next week to make final, in-person pitches to the U.S. Department of Education for investment in their brand of school reform.

Reviving Hope for D.C. Kids
Orange County Register, CA, March 10, 2010
On one issue, however, he and the administration have been craven and, perhaps, even cruel. The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship program since 2004 has allowed some 1,300 District of Columbia students, mostly poor minorities, to attend private schools through a tuition voucher program.

FROM THE STATES

California

Charter Schools’ Esteem Soars
Redlands Daily Facts, CA, March 10, 2010
As more public schools get failing grades - including seven in the San Bernardino City Unified School District ranked among the worst in the state this week - parents, teachers and students are flocking to charter schools.

Florida

North Miami Beach Council Approves Charter School Plan
Miami Herald, FL, March 11, 2010
North Miami Beach’s council swooned with excitement over a passed resolution that would lay the groundwork for a K-8 charter school in the city.

Teacher Merit-Pay Plan Passes Key Florida Senate Panel
Orlando Sentinel, FL, March 10, 2010
A sweeping and controversial plan to overhaul how teachers are evaluated and paid got a first favorable vote in a key state Senate committee Wednesday.

Georgia

Parents in Struggling School Districts Partner with National Firms to Launch Charters
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, March 10, 2010
Lagging test scores. Crowded classrooms. Inattentive school boards. Aloof superintendents. Parents fed up with some Georgia school districts are partnering with national education management chains to open public schools of their own.

Louisiana

Mitch Landrieu Vows Hands-On Schools Approach
The Times-Picayune, LA, March 10, 2010
Reiterating his campaign pledge to “be a champion for education reform,” Mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu vowed Tuesday to scrap City Hall’s longstanding tradition of taking a largely hands-off approach to how schools operate in New Orleans.

Maryland

Right Time for Private Schools?
Maryland Gazette, MD, March 10, 2010
Since 2006, state Sen. Ed DeGrange has tried to create a tax credit for businesses and nonprofit groups that make contributions to certain private and public school initiatives, like scholarships.

Michigan

Detroit Targets Failing Schools in New Academic Plan
The Detroit News, MI, March 11, 2010
A coalition of education leaders and foundations will unveil today a sweeping academic reform agenda that targets failing schools, calls for 70 new programs and launches a national effort to recruit principals.

Mississippi

Charter: Take Chance for Innovation
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, March 11, 2010
The debate over whether charter schools improve education has been going on for years, with plenty of evidence on both sides to support an argument.

Missouri

School Crisis Rattles Missouri
Wall Street Journal, March 11, 2010
The Kansas City Missouri School Board voted Wednesday night to shutter nearly half of its schools in an effort to avoid going broke.

New Jersey

Schundler Says More Charter Schools Should Be Granted
Montclair Times, NJ, March 11, 2010
The number of charter schools in New Jersey could increase if the state’s acting education commissioner has his way.

Maintaining Enrollment Is One of the Biggest Hardships In Opening a Charter School

New York

Closing the Achievement Gap in Harlem
Forbes, March 11, 2010
Canada, 58, believes that just providing a decent classroom experience isn’t enough to teach disadvantaged kids. So he starts in the womb: His organization, the Harlem Children Zone, offers free prenatal care to pregnant women and follows their children from birth to college, providing free health and dental care, afterschool programs and tutoring along the way. It’s an approach that is catching on.

Ohio

Now is Not Time to Edit, Schools Chief Says
Columbus Dispatch, OH, March 11, 2010
A plan by the Department of Education to spend nearly $2 million on communications if Ohio wins federal Race to the Top funds has raised some Republican eyebrows.

Oklahoma

Denney Charter School Bill Advances
KUSH Radio, OK, March 10, 2010
Legislation allowing charter schools to further expand in Oklahoma passed the House Tuesday. House Bill 2753, by Rep. Lee Denney of Cushing, deletes the limit on the number of new charters that can be established in any given year.

Utah

Utah Legislature: Districts to Help Fund Charter Schools?
Deseret News, UT, March 11, 2010
To the chagrin of Utah school districts, the Senate approved Wednesday a last-minute education funding bill that will require them to share their property tax revenue with public charter schools.