My Reasons for Optimism on Education
Wall Street Journal, September 2, 2010
Across the country, new institutions like charter schools are disproving the old assumption that economic circumstances determine outcomes.

School Teachers In Charge? Why Some Schools Are Forgoing Principals
Christian Science Monitor, MA, September 1, 2010
Amid the push for accountability, one rising trend puts school teachers, rather than principals, at the helm of schools.

Hebrew Charters on Sharp Growth Curve
The Jewish Week, September 1, 2010
When New Jersey ’s Hatikvah International Academy Charter School opens on Tuesday, it will join five other Hebrew charter schools operating in the United States , two of them brand new.

FROM THE STATES

Arizona

Charter Schools Find Bargains Among High Vacancy
Arizona Republic, AZ, September 2, 2010
Charter schools that once struggled to find a place to house their students are now finding that the recession has made the job easier by creating a surplus of empty big-box stores and other available venues.

California

L.A. Civic Leaders Urge LAUSD, Union to Revamp Teacher Evaluations
Los Angeles Times, CA, September 2, 2010
The group, including the presidents of the L.A. Area Chamber of Commerce and United Way of Greater L.A., urges the use of student test score data and more access to information about instructors for families.

Connecticut

Charter Schools Won’t Get Federal Jobs Money
The Connecticut Mirror, CT, September 1, 2010
The state’s allocation of federal stimulus money intended to save teaching jobs in cash-strapped school districts excluded charter schools, many of which serve students in Connecticut’s poorest communities.

Florida

With Primaries Done, Statewide Candidates Focus on Education
Sunshine State News, FL, September 2, 2010
The two major party nominees in the race for governor threw some jabs at education Wednesday, setting the stage for what will be one of the hot issues in November’s election.

Kentucky

Educators Might Ask To Delay Parts of Education Bill
Lexington Herald Leader, KY, September 2, 2010
The state Department of Education might ask the Kentucky General Assembly to delay portions of a major state education improvement act if funding to fully implement it can’t be found, a department spokeswoman said Wednesday.

Louisiana

Jefferson Parish Public Schools Will Incubate Statewide Teacher Evaluation Program
Times Picayune, LA, September 2, 2010
The Jefferson Parish School Board tonight dropped a plan to use periodic subject tests of students in evaluating their teachers’ performances and approved a plan that will judge teachers based on how their students grow over time.

Massachusetts

Choice and a Solid Foundation, at the Charter School
Martha’s Vineyard Times, MA, September 2, 2010
The Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School is entering its 15th year serving the families on Martha’s Vineyard with a viable public school choice. The school’s first 14 years brought together a talented, caring, and supportive group of students, parents, and teachers to build a solid foundation on which to move forward.

New York

New Roots Offers Choice for Students
Ithaca Journal, NY, September 2, 2010
The thing that strikes me the most about Patricia Ehrich’s Guest Viewpoint against New Roots School is her unrelenting negativity (”New Roots school isn’t living up to original promises,” Aug. 24). She and others who are trying to spread misinformation about this and other charter schools are totally missing an important point.

NFA’s New System Offers Newburgh Students More Opportunities
Times Herald-Record, NY, September 2, 2010
For the first time in the history of Newburgh Free Academy, ninth-graders walked onto the campuses Thursday. That’s right: campuses. Plural. North Junior High School is no more. The building on Robinson Avenue is now part of NFA, housing about 900 of the school’s 3,600 student population.

Pennsylvania

Mastery Charter Schools’ Big Test in Philadelphia
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, September 2, 2010
The blacktop playground behind Harrity Elementary School in West Philadelphia Wednesday morning was teeming with parents and children waiting for classroom assignments and a chance to meet the teachers.

West Virginia

West Virginia Sits Out Race to the Top
State Journal, WV, September 2, 2010
Instead, the Legislature held two special sessions, but in the end the state didn’t apply for the latest round of funding despite Manchin’s pledge. The reason? Few of the reforms that he sought passed, including a law opening the way for charter schools.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Keystone Oaks’ New Cyber School Enrolls 12 Students, Saves $100,000
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, September 2, 2010
Some Keystone Oaks students didn’t have to leave their homes when class started this week. As attendants of the district’s new cyber high school, they were able to learn wherever they logged on.

GOAL Digital Academy Enrolling Students For Fall Semester
WMFD, OH, September 1, 2010
GOAL Digital Academy, a public online charter school, is enrolling students for the fall semester. The school’s Mansfield location at 890 W. Fourth St., held an orientation Wednesday for students and parents.

Owasso Students Enrolling In ‘Virtual’ High School
News On 6, OK, September 1, 2010
Dozens of students in Owasso are taking advantage of the World Wide Web to get their education.The district is in its second year of offering a virtual high school where students take classes online.

State-Funded Online School Set To Open Sept. 7
Billings Gazette, MT, September 1, 2010
Somewhere in Montana on Sept. 7, a rural student will fire up a computer and start learning Chinese from a teacher he or she has never met.

With Molalla’s New Online Program, The Schoolhouse Is Your House
Molalla Pioneer, OR, September 1, 2010
As students from around Molalla River School District filed into their classrooms on Monday morning, the new students of Molalla Online High School started up computers for orientation.