Obama School Plan Strives to Make Grade
CBS News, March 11, 2010
The Department of Education says Locke’s changes are exactly what their new Race to the Top program is encouraging. The administration will dole out $4.3 billion next month to states that have the best school reform plans. Forty states have been competing for the money. Just 15 of them are now finalists.

Biting the Hand That Bites Unions Back
Daily Caller, DC, March 12, 2010
Rigid contracts, uniform pay schedules, and teacher-union dues ultimately protect poor teachers and mediocre performance. When even America’s education newspaper of record, Education Week, admits that newer teachers’ commitment to the union is “tentative at best” in large part because of these policies, it is clear that union leadership is out of touch with economic and educational reality.

FROM THE STATES

Colorado

Charter Schools a Good Alternative
Greeley Tribune, CO, March 12, 2010
Growing up in Greeley, we didn’t have much choice in where to go to school. Nearly everybody went to Greeley-Evans District 6 schools. We had a few religious- or church-based schools and the Laboratory School at the University of Northern Colorado, but little else. Home school was unheard of. So, if you lived in Greeley or Evans, you went to regular public school.

District of Columbia

Record Number of Families Took Part in D.C. Schools Lottery
Washington Post, DC, March 12, 2010
District families applied in record numbers to the annual online lottery for out-of-boundary, preschool and pre-kindergarten slots, school officials reported Thursday.

Let Senators Vote on D.C. School Choice
Washington Examiner, DC, March 12, 2010
More than 1,900 students in our nation’s capitol have benefited from the Opportunity Scholarship Program that provided private school scholarships and a way to flee the chronically dysfunctional District of Columbia Public Schools system.

Michigan

Detroit Charter School Seen As A Role Model
Detroit Free Press, MI, March 12, 2010
To get an idea of the kind of schools philanthropic leaders want to create in Detroit, look no further than Detroit Edison Public School Academy.

Missouri

District Tackles Woes Money Didn’t Fix
Wall Street Journal, March 12, 2010
Arthur Benson fought in court for decades to improve the Kansas City School District. This week, he voted to close nearly half its schools. The decision by Mr. Benson and his colleagues on the Kansas City School Board to shutter 26 of the district’s 61 schools marks a sea change for the inner-city district, once viewed as an experiment in using generous spending as a way to improve performance.

Board’s Decision to Close 28 Kansas City Schools Follows Years of Inaction
New York Times, NY, March 12, 2010
But a closer look at the school board’s recent history reveals a chaotic, almost nonfunctioning body that put off making tough choices and even routine improvements for generations. Experts said that in the board’s years of inaction is a cautionary tale for school districts everywhere.

New York

Parents Can Now Apply To Charters More Easily
Queens Chronicle, NY, March 12, 2010
For the first time, parents and students in New York City will be able to fill out one application and apply to any charter school within the five boroughs without having to obtain individual applications from every school, the Department of Education announced this week.

Virginia

Traditional Allies at Odds Over Charter Schools
Richmond Times Dispatch, VA, March 12, 2010
An unusual alliance between the Virginia Education Association and the McDonnell administration on education reforms has alienated some of the teachers group’s most loyal political supporters.

Wisconsin

Ripon’s Charter Schools Set Lofty Standards
Oshkosh Northwestern, WI, March 12, 2010
The Ripon School District operates two successful charter schools, with a third starting up next school year. It’s the only district in Fond du Lac County that operates any charter schools, according to the Department of Public Instruction.

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.

One Small Program for Kids, One Big Step for Mankind
Daily Caller, DC, March 10, 2010
A small D.C. program increases reading scores for the poorest children in Washington, ensures safety and increases parental satisfaction and thus their involvement in their child’s education.

Many Nations Passing U.S. in Education, Expert Says
New York Times, NY, March 10, 2010
One of the world’s foremost experts on comparing national school systems told lawmakers on Tuesday that many other countries were surpassing the United States in educational attainment, including Canada, where he said 15-year-old students were, on average, more than one school year ahead of American 15-year-olds.

Governors, State School Superintendents To Propose Common Academic Standards
Washington Post, DC, March 10, 2010
The nation’s governors and state school chiefs will propose standards Wednesday for what students should learn in English and math, from kindergarten through high school, a crucial step in President Obama’s campaign to raise academic standards across the country.

Congress Must Act Soon To Reauthorize D.C. Scholarship Program
Washington Post, DC, March 10, 2010
DON’T BE FOOLED by the excuses offered by Senate Democratic leaders about why no vote has been scheduled to reauthorize the District’s federally funded private school voucher program. The truth is that opponents know how bad it would look to vote.

Federal Money Should Empower Parents, Not Failing Public Schools
Pacific Research Institute for Public Policy, March 10, 2010
Last week, in a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, President Obama laid out plans for improving America’s dropout rate. Some of the ideas are worthy of praise, but a pattern is becoming increasingly predictable. The president promised federal money in exchange for reform.

FROM THE STATES

Georgia

Charter School Conference: Movement Stronger Than Ever in Georgia
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, March 9, 2010
Nearly 500 charter school supporters - from teachers and principals, to board members, parents and politicians - are expected to attend the Eighth Annual Georgia Charter Schools Conference Wednesday through Friday at the Hilton Hotel & Conference Center in Marietta.

Louisiana

Landrieu Names Wright Principal And Charter Network President To Education Task Force
Times Picayune, LA, March 9, 2010
Andre Perry, an associate dean at the University of New Orleans and president of a local charter school network, and Sophie B. Wright Charter School Principal Sharon Clark will lead a 21-member task force to advise Mayor-elect Mitch Landrieu on education issues.

Report Applauds School Reforms
Times Picayune, LA, March 9, 2010
New Orleans educators have successfully reduced animosity between charter and traditional schools, and significantly raised student expectations and results across the board. But they still must do more to increase transparency and repair the relationship between the locally elected School Board and the state-run Recovery School District, according to an annual report released Monday by Tulane University.

Charter Schools in Louisiana: What Lessons Do They Have to Offer the Education Community?
Public Affairs Research Council, March 2010
In the past five years, the public education landscape has changed dramatically in
Louisiana. A confluence of events created an opportunity to restructure schools that had been failing for decades, particularly in New Orleans.

New York

Pressed by Charters, Public Schools Try Marketing
New York Times, NY, March 10, 2010
As charter schools have grown around the country, both in number and in popularity, public school principals like Ms. Espinal are being forced to compete for bodies or risk having their schools closed. So among their many challenges, some of these principals, who had never given much thought to attracting students, have been spending considerable time toiling over ways to market their schools.

North Carolina

State Comes Up Short On Funding Charter School District
Packet and Gazette, NC, March 10, 2010
Most South Carolinians would be surprised to hear that there is an area of public education in which we are a national leader. That is because most are not familiar with the South Carolina Public Charter School District. Neither was I when I was asked to join the board of trustees a year ago.

Ohio

Cleveland School Board Approves ‘Transformation Plan’
Cleveland Plain Dealer, OH, March 9, 2010
After months of meetings, a lot of behind-the-scenes cobbling, bursts of community anguish and a couple of major revisions, the Cleveland school board has approved a district “transformation plan.”

Oregon

Roseburg Charter School Rises to Top in State
News Review, OR, March 9, 2010
Mehling’s story is one of many at the Roseburg alternative school, which serves seventh- through 12th-graders and was recognized last week for its ability to help kids who have struggled elsewhere succeed.

Texas

DISD Must Act Now To Fix or Close Failing High Schools
Dallas Morning News, TX, March 9, 2010
TAKS time has arrived again in Dallas, and never has it been more critical for 10 of its high schools.

Vermont

Public View Sought on School Bills
Barre Montpelier Times Argus, VT, March 10, 2010
Vermont has more school boards than it does towns, an oddity of its one-room schoolhouse past that spotlights what some believe is a cumbersome and inefficient system of school governance.

Washington

Gov. Gregoire Says Legislators Must Stay After If Schools Bills Stall
Seattle Times, WA, March 9, 2010
Gov. Chris Gregoire said Tuesday that she’ll keep lawmakers in Olympia until they resolve their debate over education, so that the state can apply for federal Race to the Top funds by June.

Congress Can Store Bipartisan Success: School Reform
Dickenson Press, March 9, 2010
Congress has a chance - a narrowing one, given the calendar - to prove it can do something important on a bipartisan basis: recommit the country to school reform.

FROM THE STATES

District of Columbia

Independent Evaluation of School Reform Begins
Washington Post Blog, DC, March 8, 2010
The four principal figures in D.C. school reform were on their best behavior Monday when they visited with the National Research Council (NRC) committee that will conduct an independent evaluation of their efforts.

Illinois

On to College…
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 8, 2010
If nothing else made you feel good last week, you had to smile at the news out of Urban Prep Academy for Young Men, a charter school in Englewood.

Louisiana

Judge Rules D’Arbonne Woods Charter Was Properly Funded; Union Parish School Board Didn’t Prove Its Case
Monroe News Star, LA, March 8, 2010
Nineteenth District Judge Todd Hernandez ruled Monday that D’Arbonne Woods Charter School is properly funded and that Union Parish Schools failed to prove that the loss of funds to D’Arbonne Woods has hurt the district..

NO Mayor-Elect To Name Education Panel
WXVT, LA, March 9, 2010
New Orleans’ next mayor is about to name a team that will look into education issues in the city. Mitch Landrieu on Tuesday will name the members of his new education task force. Elected last month, Landrieu will be taking office at a time when New Orleans schools continue to be the focus of education experts nationwide.

Michigan

“Fighting for School Reforms” - Against Whom?
Mackinac Center for Public Policy, MI, March 8, 2010
The Michigan Education Association is taking heat even from some of its friends in the media because of the state’s failure to qualify for $400 million in competitive “Race to the Top” federal grants. To be eligible, Michigan had to enact a slate of education reforms including expanding the number of charter schools, creating a more rigorous “failed school” takeover process, establishing “merit pay,” increasing performance accountability for teachers, and more.

Minnesota

As the Teachers Union Digs In, It’s Students Who Suffer 
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN, March 8, 2010
Despite the crisis in our urban education system, Dooher publicly stated that he would rather lose hundreds of millions of dollars for our public schools than give up union positions on issues like performance pay and alternative teacher certification — strategies that President Obama supports for closing the achievement gap.

Pennsylvania

Effective Teachers Plan Gets Rolling In Pittsburgh School District
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, March 9, 2010
What makes an effective teacher? That is the question facing administrators in the Pittsburgh Public Schools and the Pittsburgh Federation of Teachers as they go about implementing a performance pay plan that is part of the $40 million grant that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded the school district last year.

Virginia

House Approves McDonnell Plan on Virtual Classes
Richmond Times Dispatch, VA, March 9, 2010
The House of Delegates yesterday passed Gov. Bob McDonnell’s proposal to create a framework for approving virtual classes for public school students and gave preliminary approval to a plan to create college partnership lab schools.

West Virginia

Public Schools Serve Children, Not Adults
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, March 8, 2010
Most recent case in point? Charter schools. For two years now, there’s been a legislative fight over whether, in an effort to help those children the system is failing, West Virginia should permit and fund schools that break the highly regulated mold for public education.

Criticisms, Praise Welcome Shortlist For $4 Billion “Race To The Top” Program 
All News Headlines, March 5, 2010
The Obama administration has announced its shortlist for the $4.3 billion “Race to the Top” program, prompting critics to renew arguments against reforms schools need to make to qualify for grants. The administration’s intent to reform schools is also being questioned because of the number of finalists.

The List of Race To The Top Finalists Needs Some Whittling
Washington Post, DC, March 8, 2010
THE LIST of finalists for coveted Race to the Top dollars is not as exclusive as Education Secretary Arne Duncan suggested that it would be.

Disappointing First Leg in Education’s Big Race
National Review Online, March 8, 2010
The New York and Ohio cases pose particular problems in that neither is regarded as especially reform-minded but both have reportedly brought political muscle to bear on RTT.
Congress Shouldn’t Betray D.C. Scholarship Program
Washington Post, DC, March 8, 2010
When President Obama signed a $450 billion spending bill in December, his signature effectively dismantled a small, successful education program benefiting low-income children in the nation’s capital. This week, a bipartisan coalition led by Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) is calling on Senate colleagues to restore it.

No State Left Behind?
Wall Street Journal, March 6, 2010
We weren’t the only ones scratching our heads Thursday after the Obama Administration released a list of state “finalists” for $4.35 billion in Race to the Top education grants. Some of the Administration’s biggest boosters also seemed perplexed.

School’s Shake-Up Is Embraced by the President
New York Times, NY, March 7, 2010
A Rhode Island school board’s decision to fire the entire faculty of a poorly performing school, and President Obama’s endorsement of the action, has stirred a storm of reaction nationwide, with teachers condemning it as an insult and conservatives hailing it as a watershed moment of school accountability.

Why One-Size-Fits-All Education Doesn’t Work
Boston Globe, MA, March 6, 2010
MASSACHUSETTS AND Rhode Island were two of the 16 finalists named this week in the Obama administration’s “Race to the Top” competition for a share of $4.3 billion in education “stimulus” funds. Those that made the cut have agreed to embrace policies favored by the administration, such as higher caps on charter schools and tying teachers’ raises to performance.

Schoolyard Brawl
Newsweek, March 6, 2010
Weingarten and Rhee are the two principal actors on the most important stage in the ongoing drama of school reform in America. Almost three years ago, Rhee was brought in to fix what was arguably the worst school system in America.

FROM THE STATES

Alabama

Surely It’s No Coincidence Virtually Every State That’s a Finalist in the Federal Race to the Top Competition Allows Charter Schools
The Birmingham News, AL, March 8, 2010
In the Race to the Top, Alabama stumbled right out of the starting blocks. Blame a high hurdle our state had to get over that most other states didn’t face in the Barack Obama administration’s competition for more than $4 billion in federal dollars for education innovation. That hurdle: the lack of a law allowing charter schools in Alabama.

Arizona

Not an Endorsement of Religion
National Law Journal, March 8, 2010
The validity of tax deductions and credits for donations to educational and religious charities under the U.S. Constitution - including direct benefits to religious entities in the form of tax exemptions - has been settled for decades. But Winn v. Arizona Christian School Tuition Organization, a U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit case, defies established precedent and casts a dark cloud over proposed and existing tax credits in states across the nation. The U.S. Supreme Court should grant certiorari and overturn the ruling.

Florida

Give Poor Families More School Choices
Miami Herald, FL, March 8, 2010
The diverse urban school district of Miami-Dade, where a hundred languages are spoken, is a national leader in the development of educational choices. The option we extend to the most underprivileged students is one of the most powerful.

Georgia

State Rep. Alisha Morgan: Performance Pay Can Attract Best and Brightest Teachers
Atlanta Journal Constitution, GA, March 7, 2010
Alisha Thomas Morgan is a firebrand in the Georgia House whose visits to the well are always memorable. The Austell Democrat has become a leader in education, forging an alliance with her GOP colleague Jan Jones on charter schools.

Hawaii

Hawaii’s Failure In ‘Race To Top’ Self-Inflicted
Honolulu Star-Bulletin, HI, March 8, 2010
Hawaii’s failure to be chosen as a finalist in the U.S. Department of Education’s $4 billion “Race to the Top” competition came as no surprise. Education Secretary Arne Duncan had criticized Hawaii’s furlough days taken from this and next school year and the state’s cap on the number of charter schools. Hawaii will continue to be a long shot so long as it keeps school days to the minimum and limits charter schools.

Illinois

Every Urban Prep Senior Is College-Bound
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 5, 2010
100 percent of first senior class at all male, all African-American Englewood academy is accepted to universities

Michigan

MEA’s Sabotage Kept Michigan out of Race to Top Finalists
Detroit News, MI , March 7, 2010
It’s hard to argue with the White House’s decision not to include Michigan among the 16 finalists for the first round of federal Race to the Top education grants. U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said repeatedly that heavy weight was given to applications from states where all parties were committed to reform. Michigan can’t even pretend to qualify under that standard.

Missouri

Kansas City Wants To Close Half Its Public Schools
Associated Press, March 7, 2010
Kansas City was held up as a national example of bold thinking when it tried to integrate its schools by making them better than the suburban districts where many kids were moving. The result was one school with an Olympic-sized swimming pool and another with recording studios.

New Jersey

Shaw: Charter Schools at the Forefront of Change
The Record, NJ, March 7, 2010
CHARTER EDUCATION. What started out as an alternative to home schooling and resistance to traditional education models by parents across the nation has become a powerful movement for change.

New York

Charter Schools Flourish in Harlem
Wall Street Journal, March 8, 2010
The Harlem Armory in upper Manhattan was built in 1933 to honor the celebrated 369th Regiment-also known as the Harlem Hellfighters, the first black regiment to fight in World War I. On a recent Saturday, however, the Art Deco edifice at Fifth Avenue and 142nd Street hosted an army of parents and educators who are fighting to provide Harlem children with decent schools.

Class Act Eyes 100% Success
New York Post, NY, March 8, 2010
It’s an attention to detail common throughout the chain of Achievement First charter schools in Brooklyn and Connecticut, where “sweating the small stuff” — how students dress, sit at their desks or walk between classes — matters.

Racing to the Bottom: N.Y. Stands Little Chance of Winning Federal School Funds
New York Daily News, NY, March 7, 2010
New York hasn’t a snowball’s chance of winning federal Race to the Top education funding, judging from the standards set down by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan in a meeting with the Daily News Editorial Board.

Ohio

Few Students Give Up State School Vouchers
Columbus Dispatch, OH, March 7, 2010
Once students begin using a voucher to attend private schools, they aren’t likely to return to a public school, a Dispatch review of state data shows.

Pennsylvania

6 Applicants Qualify To Run Renaissance Schools
Philadelphia Daily News, PA, March 6, 2010
The Philadelphia School District announced yesterday that only six of 28 applicants to operate the new Renaissance schools next year have been selected as best qualified.

Virginia

Charter Schools Could Help — Even in Northern Virginia
Washington Post, DC, March 7, 2010
Public charter schools are supposed to be independently operated public schools — places where educators have the freedom to design instructional programs that best serve their student population and, in turn, are held more tightly accountable for student performance. In the District, where 38 percent of students attend charters, those schools are among the highest performing in the city.

Education Finalists Picked
Wall Street Journal, March 5, 2010
The Obama administration picked 15 states and the District of Columbia as finalists in a heated competition for extra federal education funds to shake up underperforming schools.

For Pursuit of Education Reform, Give Obama Credit
Washington Post, DC, March 5, 2010
Some conservatives object to any policy that involves a federal role in education, no matter how effective. But education policy points to the limits of federalism. States and localities have often protected and perpetuated systemic educational malpractice. And it is a basic commitment of justice that when local institutions seriously fail, higher-level institutions should intervene.

Hard Lesson
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, March 5, 2010
The Obama administration has just shown how serious it is about reforming the nation’s failing schools. Last week, the entire 93-member staff of Rhode Island’s Central Falls High School was fired. That’s teachers, counselors, the principal. All gone.

Saving Catholic Schools
American Spectator, March 5, 2010
The poor black and Latino children attending Sacred Heart School in the Columbia Heights section of Washington, D.C., probably don’t know that Century Foundation Senior Fellow Richard Kahlenberg thinks their participation in the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship and other voucher plans merely helps to make “’separate-but-equal’ work.”

FROM THE STATES

Arizona

Private School Scholarship Restrictions Rejected
East Valley Tribune, AZ, March 5, 2010
State lawmakers refused Thursday to limit taxpayer-funded scholarships for private schools to the poor and the middle class. On a 33-22 margin, the House rejected putting income limits on the program. Rep. Rick Murphy, R-Glendale, said there is no reason to deny the benefits to the children of all.

District of Columbia

D.C. Schools in, Va. Out in Contest for Federal Aid
Washington Post, DC, March 5, 2010
The Obama administration gave a major lift Thursday to the reform agenda of Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and D.C. charter school leaders, announcing that the District had joined 15 states as finalists in an unprecedented $4 billion contest for federal aid.

Florida

As Public Schools Face Cuts, State Vouchers For Private Schools May Get Boost
Palm Beach Post, FL, March 4, 2010
A state-financed program that gives tuition vouchers to thousands of low-income Florida students to attend private schools, primarily religious ones, may get a boost in funding while cash-strapped public schools face more cuts.

Maryland

O’Malley Endorses Controversial School Contribution Tax Credit
Annapolis Capital , MD, March 4, 2010
Gov. Martin O’Malley threw his support behind controversial legislation Wednesday that would offer tax incentives for donations to private school scholarship programs and other education-related nonprofits.

Massachusetts

Menino’s ‘Circle’ of Change
Boston Globe, MA, March 5, 2010
Adaptation could be jarring, starting with the schools. Each new speech brings the five-term mayor closer to the charter school movement. Menino said he is now prepared to turn over the management of some of city’s worst performing schools to high-quality charter schools.

Minnesota

Pawlenty’s Spokesman Rips Teachers Union
Minnesota Public Radio, MN, March 4, 2010
“It’s hard to race to the top with an anchor tied to your leg. For years the teachers union has fought against any meaningful education reforms. First they opposed charter schools and open enrollment and now they’re fighting tenure reform, alternative licensure, and meaningful performance pay for teachers. If Minnesota is to have any chance of success in round two of this competition, the legislature must adopt these types of reforms immediately.”

Pawlenty Wants To Rewrite Teacher Tenure Rules
Minneapolis Star Tribune, MN, March 4, 2010
Minnesota’s K-12 teachers would have to reapply for teacher tenure every five years if a proposal from Gov. Tim Pawlenty is approved by the legislature.

New Mexico

Charter Schools See Increased Demand Nationwide, Locally 
Taos News, NM, March 4, 2010
As Taos charter schools expand their campuses and see increased interest each year, a national pro-charter school group has announced parental demand for charter schools is up nationwide.

New York

Race for the Chumps
New York Post, NY, March 5, 2010
President Obama’s allegedly reform- minded Department of Education of fered New York as much as $700 million in bonus school aid — provided Albany adopted some key public-education reforms. New York blew off the reforms. But yesterday the feds said Albany is in line for a big chunk of cash anyway. We smell a rat.

Lift the Cap on Charters
New York Daily News, NY, March 5, 2010
This growing demand is based on results: Across New York State, students at 71 of 83 charter schools outperformed their local school district peers in math on the 2008-09 state exams, and 55of the 83 charter schools outperformed their school district peers in English. In New York City, on those same exams, 91% of charter school students scored “proficient” or higher in math, and 77% did so in English. This was higher than the city’s traditional public school students in both subjects.

Oklahoma

Don’t Count State Out in Reform Competition
The Oklahoman, OK, March 5, 2010
Oklahoma lost out on its first shot at millions of dollars in federal Race to the Top money to improve the state’s public schools. That’s no reason to panic. State officials now know much more about what it will take to impress federal education officials and tweak Oklahoma’s application before a second round of competition this summer.

Utah

Utah Won’t Get Race to the Top Money for Schools This Round
Salt Lake Tribune, UT, March 5, 2010
Utah is officially out of the first round of a race for a piece of $4.35 billion in federal dollars for schools.

“We said from day one,” said Duncan, “that there were many, many factors” that would go into the scoring. Many different things would be considered, he said.  “Charters were never going to be the determining factor from the very beginning.”

And there you go. Despite early and strong support for the idea that charter schools could turn around failing schools and promises that R2TT would help incentivize more states to lift caps and grow, charter laws were relatively inconsequential to the decisions of reviewers to pre-qualify 15 states plus the District of Columbia for new federal funds.

Why else would only three of the sixteen have charter laws among the top ten in the country? Indeed, Kentucky has none and seven others have laws that are barely passing.

So maybe the applicants were scored based on how rigorous their evaluations of teachers will be. Right? Wrong. Rhode Island’s application starts factoring in the impact a teacher has on student growth three years from now, and whose to say how they are going to measure that impact? Tennessee starts in 2011, but its law only requires 35% of a teacher’s evaluation to factor in student growth.

What’s going on here? California lifted its ban on the use of test data to evaluate teachers but the Golden State didn’t make it. DC and Florida, along with Colorado and Louisiana, might just be the only reformist states that made the final list. And now that it’s clear that a strong charter law or performance pay system doesn’t seem to matter for the competition, state policymakers can breath a sigh of relief that they don’t have to do any heavy lifting to get or stay in the game, just hire a smart team of consultants to create convincing charts and use flowery language. Read a little of Illinois’ application. It seems to be written entirely in the future tense.

So, do you fans of increased federal involvement in education still think it can make a difference to improving education for our children?

That’s not the worst of it. These abuses of money are obvious, but what about the policies that sound like they are addressing the Administration’s mandate to reform education but are actually carefully crafted to dodge the issue?

Take Tennessee, a state rumored to be a finalist today, whose Governor was lauded for signing into law a bill that requires at least 35% of teacher evaluations be pegged to student growth.  Their ‘Race to the Top’ application appears to imply that a greater amount of student growth counts towards teacher evaluation than is actually the case. The application says, “objective student achievement data will comprise 50% of the evaluation”, but does not make clear that student growth is still only 35% of that process, not 50%. The rest of how they will determine teacher performance is left up to multiple measures, classroom observation and other assessment tools to be decided. Cagey, no?

How about the competition’s push for charter schools? Delaware’s movement toward charter schools was halted by a series of self-imposed moratoriums (not mentioned in their application), they approved zero charters for this current school year and their approval of three new charter schools to open in 2010-2011 is hardly bold. And yet their application states “Delaware is among the most welcoming states for charter schools.”

Reviewers, however, are not permitted to use their knowledge of a state’s policies and environment to judge the applications.  It’s what’s on paper that requires their focus, not what they know (or can easily find out).

These are just a few of the examples that have many wondering how we can give credit to an otherwise well -intentioned program, one that may actually end up rewarding states for creative writing over good policy. Today we will know more when EdSec Duncan announces the finalists. Whether it will mean the race is won, or just starting again, remains to be seen.

Few States to Qualify for Grants
Wall Street Journal, March 3, 2010
The Obama administration will inform most states on Thursday that they didn’t make the grade to receive billions of dollars in education funding.

FROM THE STATES

Alabama

Damaging Decision
Montgomery Advertiser, AL, March 3, 2010
Once again the Democrat majority that controls the Alabama State Legislature did what they so often do — fail the parents and children of Alabama. The latest abuse of their legislative majority is the killing of a bill that would allow charter schools in Alabama.

California

Charter Schools Gain Momentum in California
News10, CA, March 3, 2010
The 17th annual California Charter Schools Conference opened in Sacramento Tuesday as charter schools are seeing significant growth in California.

Colorado

New School or Old School?
Denver Daily News, CO, March 3, 2010
The report, released by the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, states that Denver children are unable to access high-performing schools in the Denver Public Schools system, and therefore there is a need for higher-performing schools, which can be accomplished through new schools such as charter schools.

Florida

Big Tussle With Teachers Looms
Miami Herald, FL, March 3, 2010
Channeling former Gov. Jeb Bush, leading Republican lawmakers filed legislation this week that would dramatically overhaul teacher tenure and pay — making it tougher for classroom teachers to achieve tenure, easier to get fired, and tying half of their pay formula to student test performance.

Idaho

Senate Committee Approves Charter School Measure
Fox12Idaho, ID, March 2, 2010
The Senate Education Committee approved 6-3 Tuesday revising a state law that now limits the number of new charter schools to six a year. Coeur d’Alene Republican Sen. John Goedde said changing the law could help the state in its quest for $75 million to $120 million in competitive federal grants.

Illinois

A Decent Education
Chicago Tribune, IL, March 3, 2010
When state Sen. James Meeks asks fellow Democrats to give education vouchers to kids who attend some of the worst schools in Chicago, the legislators often tell him they don’t want to divert dollars from public education. Meeks’ response: “If the public schools are not doing their job, why do you want to continue to reward them with money?”

Louisiana

State Shifting Part of Teacher Pay Expense to Local Districts
The Times Picayune, LA, March 3, 2010
Under a new state policy with an especially big impact in Jefferson and St. Tammany parishes, local school districts next year will be expected to pay a mandatory $5,000 stipend for each nationally certified teacher because the Louisiana education department is discontinuing its past practice of covering the cost.

A Collaborative Effort
The Times Picayune, LA, March 3, 2010
A group of 10 New Orleans charter schools are helping each other improve by sharing and comparing test results, and that’s a smart approach.

Michigan

Detroit Public Schools Gets $4 Million for 11 Properties
Detroit Free Press, MI, March 3, 2010
Keith Johnson, president of the Detroit Federation of Teachers union, said it’s not financially a good idea to sell buildings to charter schools at a time when the district is planning to close up to 40 more schools.

Nebraska

Legislative Report
Chadron Record, NE, March 2, 2010
The last of my bills is LB 1028 which would create Charter Schools in Nebraska, was heard this week in the Education Committee.

South Carolina

Charter Schools Plan Rally at the Capitol
WPDE, SC, March 2, 2010
South Carolina Charter Schools plan to rally at the State House Wednesday. Teachers, administrators, parents and students are gathering at the Capitol to ask legislators to ensure equity in school funding for all public schools across the state by allowing all of the local funds and the state funds to support a student.

Washington

Behind in the ‘Race’
The Columbian, WA, March 2, 2010
Gov. Chris Gregoire and the state Senate are trying hard to qualify for the second round of federal education funding in the $4.3 billion “Race to the Top” program. The governor has proposed significant reform measures in response to federal demands, and the Senate on Feb. 11 passed a bill that likely will enhance the state’s eligibility.

West Virginia

Wells Retreats on Charter Schools but Blasts Unions
Daily Mail, WV, March 3, 2010
Sen. Erik Wells surprised fellow lawmakers when he effectively killed a controversial charter schools bill he’s been championing all this legislative session.

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.