Foundations Seek to Leverage Innovation Funding
Education Week, MD, April 29, 2010
A dozen foundations that have been key players in efforts to improve schools are pledging $506 million this year to spur education innovation, including a joint effort to help districts, schools, and nonprofit groups secure matching funds for the federal Investing in Innovation grant competition.

Deborah Gist
TIME, April 29, 2010
When Deborah Gist became commissioner of Rhode Island schools in 2009, she pledged to make every decision in the best interests of children - something we’ve heard before and rarely seen happen. Then she started doing it.

The Buy-In Myth
Education Week, MD, April 29, 2010
The winning states had convinced nearly all of their local school districts and teachers’ unions to support their applications. The need for broad buy-in-and its implication that states must water down their proposals to get it-quickly became conventional wisdom.

FROM THE STATES

Colorado

No Child Left Behind and Standardized Tests
Denver Post, CO, April 30, 2010
Parents may want to guard their children as Congress considers the next round of education reforms and the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. Before we dig ourselves any deeper, let us reflect on the past decade with NCLB and statewide measure to standardize, track, and test every Colorado student.

Florida

Florida’s Unheralded School Revolution
Wall Street Journal, April 30, 2010
Two weeks ago Florida Gov. Charlie Crist vetoed a bill that would have ended teacher tenure and established merit pay. His action was widely criticized and effectively ended his primary race for the U.S. Senate as a Republican.

Illinois

Vouchers for CPS Students Advances in House
Chicago Tribune Blog, IL, April 29, 2010
Kids in Chicago’s poorest and most-overcrowded schools could get vouchers to help cover costs at private schools under legislation a House panel approved today.

Louisiana

New Orleans Charter Schools Will Outnumber Traditional Schools 2 To 1 Next Year
The Times-Picayune, LA, April 29, 2010
Charter schools will outnumber traditional schools two to one in the Recovery School District next school year, in an effort to rapidly shrink the roster of schools under the state-run district’s direct control.

Maryland

Putting Students First
Baltimore Sun, MD, April 30, 2010
Ms. Grasmick has been talking to teachers associations throughout the state to reassure them that the new evaluation standards are not an attempt to punish teachers or to put their livelihoods in jeopardy. While the immediate impetus behind the change is clearly to make Maryland more competitive for a federal grant, she’s also made it clear that this is a reform that will benefit the state’s schoolchildren regardless of how the Race to the Top turns out. It’s simply the right thing to do.

New Jersey

School Choice: Move Forward
Asbury Park Press, NJ, April 30, 2010
When the state Senate reconvenes next month, it should make passage of a bill that would create a permanent public school choice program in New Jersey a priority. Last month, the Assembly passed its version of the school choice bill 75-0. That’s what is called full-throated bipartisan support.

New York

Tisch’s True Colors
New York Post, NY, April 30, 2010
If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, well, it’s probably . . . a duck.
And Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch sure is quacking like someone who wants to take out New York’s charter-school revolution at the kneecaps.

When Talking Oversight of Charters, Leave the Tricks at Home
Huffington Post, NY, April 29, 2010
There’s been significant ink spillage over a hearing that the foremost critic of charter schools, NYS Senator Bill Perkins, put together last week to supposedly look into how charter schools are regulated.

North Carolina

Charter Schools Allege Inequity In State Policy
Fay Observer, NC, April 30, 2010
Alpha Academy of Fayetteville is among a group of North Carolina charter schools whose leaders have filed a federal complaint alleging discrimination by a state education policy.

The issue of school choice is one that Barack Obama just can’t seem to escape.

In his adopted hometown of Washington, DC, the President has given families and lawmakers the silent treatment on the future of the DC Opportunity Scholarship Program - a program that for years has allowed students to escape failing District schools and attend local private ones. Though families are over the moon with the options DCOSP has opened up to them and kids are doing better than ever in their new schools, Obama has quietly cut funding for the federally budgeted program with the stroke of a pen and denied new applicants the opportunity to enroll.

By contrast, in his true hometown of Chicago, 22,000 elementary school kids are on the verge of receiving the same hope and change now closed to DC families.

A bill that passed the Illinois Senate last month and catapulted out of the House Executive Committee (10 to 1) last week on a positive trajectory to a full vote would rescue students from the worst public schools in the Windy City through the offer of a voucher their parents could use to enroll them in the private school of their choice.

And the irony? The proposed Chicago voucher program has been championed by a former colleague of (and sometimes adviser to) the President: Democratic state Senator (Rev.) James Meeks.

Meeks joins a long line of school choice leaders who break the myth that it is a purely political issue:

“To me education is a moral issue, and we’re offering a humane answer from people of both parties and all colors who think it’s a moral tragedy to see three generations of Chicago children go without a real education.”

If you’ve picked up a newspaper or turned on the evening news lately, it’s been all doom and gloom for schools, teachers and the future of American education.

First, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) tag teamed behind Education Stimulus 2.0 in a hearing on the ED budget, claiming that another $23 billion is “absolutely necessary” to save up to 300,000 teacher jobs, proving that everyday is Christmas for the unions (I guess last year’s $100 billion just wasn’t enough).

Then the NEA asked us to remember the children.

Tons of federal money + jobs + children + tears + zero historical context = Media Tsunami

Former CER colleague Neal McCluskey, however, actually grabs the data and puts it all into perspective:

For one thing, in 2007-08 public schools employed more than 6.2 million people; even the 300,000 figure is tiny compared to that huge number.

More importantly, preceding our schools’ few recent years of financial woe were decades of decadent plenty. According to inflation-adjusted federal data, in 1970-71 Americans spent $5,593 per public-school student. By 2006-07 we were spending $12,463 – a whopping 123 percent increase that bought lots of teachers, administrators, and other shiny things!

And, he points out, it hasn’t bought the student achievement demanded or intended.

Unions, States Clash in Race to Top
Wall Street Journal, April 26, 2010
The Obama administration’s signature education initiative has incited tense showdowns in states across the country as unions and state officials feud over strategies to compete for $3.4 billion in federal funding.

Sustaining Funding Seen as Challenge for Online Ed.
Education Week, MD, April 23, 2010
Boosters of virtual schooling say new funding approaches should have the money follow the student.

FROM THE STATES

California

Did Vote on Lodi Charter School Violate State Law?
Lodi News-Sentinel, CA, April 23, 2010
But did that vote violate a state law? California’s education code lists five reasons a school board may deny a charter school’s application. Those reasons address curriculum and program concerns, and make no mention of a financial impact on the school district.

State Superintendent Race Tests Education Reforms, Union Power
San Gabriel Valley Tribune, CA, April 24, 2010
California residents looking for their chance to sound off on charter schools, open enrollment between districts, and other major education reforms will find an opportunity on the June ballot.

COLORADO

Colorado Teacher Bill Ignites Firestorm Of Support, Opposition
Denver Post, CO, April 26, 2010
Teachers flooded e-mail in-boxes, converged on the statehouse and even brought in the president of the largest labor union in the nation to campaign against the legislation.

FLORIDA

Tax Credit Scholarships Don’t Undermine Public Schools
St. Augustine Record, FL, April 24, 2010
One reason Florida lawmakers found so much common ground this year on scholarships for low-income students may be that they understand the program is not a competitor to public schools. Bill Heller, the ranking Democrat on the House Education Policy Council and a lifelong public educator, made precisely that point.

ILLINOIS

Enrollment Rises at Pingree Grove Charter School
Chicago Daily Herald, IL, April 24, 2010
More than a year after losing about 20 percent of its student population, the Cambridge Lakes Charter School is growing again.

Time to Try School Vouchers
Belleville News Democrat, IL, April 24, 2010
Good news for people who believe competition is the way to improve public education: Illinois may soon start using school vouchers. A bill, SB 2494, has already passed the Senate and could be voted on by the House as early as next week.

Try Vouchers For Students In Chicago Schools
Bloomington Pantagraph, IL, April 25, 2010
A pilot program to provide vouchers to elementary students in the worst-performing Chicago schools is worth trying. Similar programs in other states have shown positive results - and not much else seems to be working in Illinois.

INDIANA

Bennett, Unions Are at War.
Evansville Courier & Press, IN, April 24, 2010
Disputes in the public arena can prove beneficial in producing finely honed compromises - if the parties are willing to sit together and look for the common good. Unfortunately, in the case of education reform, stubborn differences between Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Bennett and two teachers’ unions may prove costly to cash-strapped public education.

LOUISIANA

Bill Would Cut Red Tape For School Districts
Shreveport Times, LA, April 26, 2010
A bill written by a local legislator seeks to give school districts more freedom for school districts to help schools.

MINNESOTA

Minnesota Teachers Union Is Roadblock To Education Reform Opinion
Post-Bulletin, MN, April 24, 2010
Recently Gov. Pawlenty called on the Legislature to pass key education reforms this session in an effort to promote student achievement. Not only does this make good sense from a policy standpoint, but those who enjoy Washington freebies - and are willing to accept the unacceptable federal mandates that come with it - note that this could lead to Minnesota receiving $175 million as part of the federal “Race to the Top” program.

NEW JERSEY

N.J. Bill Allowing Students To Attend Out-Of-District Schools Advances
Star Ledger, NJ, April 25, 2010
Plans to create a permanent public school choice program in New Jersey continue to advance in the state legislature.

NEW YORK

Last Teacher In, First Out? City Has Another Idea
New York Times, NY, April 24, 2010
Facing the likelihood of the largest number of layoffs in more than a generation, Mr. Klein and his counterparts around the country say that the rules, which require that the most recently hired teachers be the first to lose their jobs, are anachronistic.

Charter Ultimatum
New York Post, NY, April 26, 2010
Charter schools that don’t enroll as many kids with disabilities or limited English as do traditional public schools would be shut down under a bill introduced by a top Democrat in the state Senate, The Post has learned.

OKLAHOMA

Charter Schools Are Smart Alternative
The Oklahoman, OK, April 25, 2010
Charter schools are a strange breed of institution. They occupy strip malls, converted gyms, abandoned school buildings and churches in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.

PENNSYLVANIA

Charter School Deserves Chance
Republican & Herald, PA, April 24, 2010
I am writing in support of the proposed Gillingham Charter School. As a mother of four children, I have reviewed school districts and curriculum repeatedly. I recently moved back to Pennsylvania, and chose to move into Blue Mountain School District because of its high academic standing. I stand behind that decision. My children are doing well within the Blue Mountain district.

TEXAS

Some City Schools Beat Suburbs
Houston Chronicle, TX, April 25, 2010
Houston ISD magnets and inner-city charter schools claimed nearly half the spots in each of the Children at Risk/Houston Chronicle top 20 lists, including the top two spots among elementary, middle and high school campuses.

VIRGINIA

Bumpy Road For Charter School
Richmond Times Dispatch, VA, April 26, 2010
But some Richmond parents are in limbo as they look ahead to next school year. They have taken a leap of faith and applied to a school that doesn’t exist except on paper but is scheduled to be up and running in July.

NATIONAL

Getting Effective Teachers into the Schools Where They Are Needed Most
Education Next, April 22, 2010
Last month, Education Secretary Arne Duncan made a speech at the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama, in which he lamented the fact that many high schools that serve disadvantaged students and students of color lack highly effective teachers. Duncan affirmed the education department’s commitment to working with districts to get effective teachers into the schools where they are needed most.

Schools Urge Parents Not To Take Kids To Work
Associated Press, April 22, 2010
Many U.S. school districts are urging parents to keep their kids in class and not take them to work Thursday for an annual event they say disrupts learning at an increasingly critical time of year.

FROM THE STATES

Colorado

Education Bill’s Great Promise
Denver Post, CO, April 22, 2010
Over the 36 years we collectively governed this state, the four of us have disagreed over a number of issues. Today, we join together to enthusiastically support Senate Bill 191, Sen. Michael Johnston’s proposal to help Colorado develop great teachers and leaders. With one voice, we passionately urge the legislature to pass this bill.

Florida

Unions Thank Crist for SB 6 Veto
Miami Herald, FL, April 22, 2010
Teachers unions are getting out the message: Thank the governor for his veto. But the unions are stopping short of making a political endorsement.

Louisiana

Board Revisits Race to Top Bid
The Advocate, LA, April 22, 2010
Louisiana Department of Education officials asked the Lafayette Parish School Board on Wednesday night to reconsider its conditional participation in the state’s federal Race to the Top application.

School Board Approves Charter High School in Harvey
The Times-Picayune, LA, April 21, 2010
Despite concerns raised again by the teacher’s union, the Jefferson Parish School Board today approved a contract for a new charter school that targets high school drop-outs, paving the way for the West Bank academy to open this summer.

Michigan

Survey Shows Michigan Charter Schools Gaining Support
The Grand Rapids Press, MI, April 21, 2010
A new poll suggests that charter schools are gaining acceptance among Michigan residents. That sentiment also was heard at Monday’s Governor’s Education Summit, with Superintendent Mike Flanagan noting that President Obama is a big supporter, and a chunk of the administration’s reform efforts include charter schools, especially in failing high schools.

New Jersey

Teachers’ Union, Governor Square Off in N.J.
Education Week, MD, April 21, 2010
Even as he moved into the New Jersey governor’s office in January, Chris Christie prosecuted a war of words against the powerful statewide teachers’ union, saying it was mired in “19th century” views on policy and spending. Now that war has rolled into voters’ homes as the two sides fight for their support on painful budget decisions.

New York

Reform Foes’ Shameful New Low
New York Post, NY, April 22, 2010
Charter schools began in New York state more than 11 years ago as one means of providing a public-educational choice for students — particularly those at risk of academic failure and whose families can’t afford to live in communities with good schools or obtain private education.

Harlem Charter Lottery Requires A ‘Click’ of Faith
NY 1, NY, April 21, 2010
For a four-year-old and his parents, charter school lotteries can be devastating or thrilling. But with as many as 48,000 students applying for less than 12,000 seats in the city’s 126 charter schools, most walk away disappointed.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma House Approves Teacher Performance Pay Bill
News on 6, OK, April 21, 2010
The Oklahoma House has approved two key planks of the GOP-controlled Legislature’s agenda, performance pay for teachers and an overhaul of the state’s workers’ compensation system.

Pennsylvania

Phila. School District Proposes $3.2B Budget
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 22, 2010
Bucking a national trend of layoffs and deep cuts, the School District of Philadelphia on Wednesday introduced a $3.2 billion 2010-11 budget that contains money for new classroom initiatives.

Supporters of Charter Criticize Butkovitz Report
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, April 22, 2010
Supporters defended the People for People Charter School at Wednesday’s School Reform Commission meeting and lambasted a city controller’s report that raised questions about its financial management.

West Virginia

State to Consider Charter School Legislation
Parkersburg News, WV, April 22, 2010
Charter schools and innovation zones will be among the topics taken up by the state Legislature next month. Proposed changes to state code and department policies were part of a massive education overhaul plan put forth this week by the state Department of Education.