NATIONAL

A Message for Washington on Schools: Don’t Mess with Texas
Washington Post, DC, April 1, 2010
As vendors sold yellow “Don’t Tread on Me” flags nearby, Texas State Board of Education member Don McLeroy assured a gathering of Tea Party activists one recent evening that President Obama was going to keep his hands off the schools in the Lone Star State.

Let Me Rise: The Fight for School Choice in the Nation’s Capital
Heritage Foundation Event, April 2010
April 13: Told through the voices of the children whose educational futures hang in the balance, this 30-minute film, narrated by NPR correspondent Juan Williams, features the personal stories and perspectives of District of Columbia families.

FROM THE STATES

Alabama

Byrne Touts Goals For Education
The Huntsville Times, AL, April 1, 2010
Bradley Byrne on Wednesday said the state should make teachers work longer for tenure, allow charter schools and attack the dropout rate “vigorously.” But reforming the way schools are funded in Alabama is his top education priority, said Byrne, a candidate for governor in the June 1 Republican primary.

Colorado

Obstacles May Pull Colorado out of Race to the Top
Denver Post, CO, April 1, 2010
The decision of whether Colorado should apply for up to $175 million in federal education grants in the second round of the Race to the Top competition seems like a no-brainer, but state officials aren’t sure.

Florida

Education Bill Helps Students, Teachers
The Ledger, FL, April 1, 2010
Education isn’t about politics. But, over the past several weeks some opponents of an important piece of education legislation have utilized politics as a talking point in their widespread campaign of misinformation and fear tactics, designed to defeat this solid element of education policy.

Indiana

State Names Second Virtual Charter School
Indiana Business Journal, IN, March 31, 2010
The Indiana Department of Education announced today it has tapped a western Indiana charter school to create the second publicly supported online school in the state.

Louisiana

Six Groups Interviewed On School Proposals
The Advocate, LA, April 1, 2010
Six nonprofit groups interested in forming new public schools in Baton Rouge spent Wednesday in interviews with a team of evaluators hired by the East Baton Rouge Parish school system.

Add More Quality Schools: A Letter To The Editor
Times Picayune, LA, March 31, 2010
There are so many positive aspects of the new charter schools in New Orleans, but it is still important to focus on quantity and quality. The charter schools were created in an effort to secure a better education for students attending public schools.

Maryland

A Boost For Public And Private Schools
Baltimore Sun, MD, April 1, 2010
The news that 13 Catholic schools in the Baltimore area will close after this academic year has been traumatic for thousands of parents who now must scramble to find new places for their children to go. But if large numbers of them can’t or won’t switch to new parochial schools, the ripple effects of those closures will start to affect the region’s public schools, too.

Michigan

Web-based Tool Assists CMU Charter Schools
The Morning Sun, MI, March 31, 2010
The Center for Charter Schools at Central Michigan University announced the creation of a Web based tool that will help connect the university authorizer to the Charter school board members.

North Carolina

Charter A Trip To The Top
Carolina Journal, NC, April 1, 2010
Still, if the governor and other state education officials want to increase their odds of success significantly, all they need to do is wipe away North Carolina’s statewide cap of 100 charter schools - and make sure their allies in organized labor don’t raise a stink about it.

Ohio

Was Charter-School Score Too Generous?
Columbus Dispatch, OH, April 1, 2010
Some charter-school advocates say federal Race to the Top reviewers were misled about Ohio’s commitment to the privately operated, tax-funded schools.

Washington

Washington State Has Work To Do For Next Round of Race to the Top
Seattle Times, WA, March 31, 2010
Washington state must examine what other states did to become Race to the Top finalists and get ready for the education competition’s next round in June.