Unpopular positions? Tough love? The teachers unions want you to believe they are being punished by the president’s policies. It makes for great copy and provides cover for both the unions and the Education Department as they manipulate Capitol Hill for a second multi-billion dollar bailout. But the truth is, it’s all in the family.

The administration’s education policy, including the “Race to the Top” initiative, has been easy on unions and their members. States have received money for saying they are going to factor performance into evaluations, when in reality to make meaningful performance pay work, you must either require performance to trump local union contract provisions or change the contract itself. Additionally, districts have been paid money for saying they will turn around failing schools. No one in the status quo is hurting or being forced to change very much because of what the president is saying. The talk is good and strengthens reformers’ hands, but the teachers unions won’t feel any discomfort until someone or something cuts into the lock they have on how schools operate and how policy is crafted.

Read the entire post over at The Arena…

Civil Rights Groups are Picking the Wrong Fight with President Obama
Washington Post, DC, July 30, 2010
There is, it turns out, something more galling than teachers unions fighting against proposals that would improve education for students in the worst-performing schools. At least the teachers unions are, presumably, acting in the economic self-interest of their members.

FROM THE STATES

Florida

Polk County District Sued By Charter School Association Over Cuts in Services
The Ledger, FL, July 30, 2010
The Polk County Charter School Association filed a lawsuit Thursday against the Polk County School District , asking a Circuit Court judge to stop the district’s plans to cut certain services to charter schools.

Georgia

The School They Dreamed Of
WALB-TV, GA, July 30, 2010
Some south Georgia education activists and parents who wanted more school choice are getting what they dreamed of.

Kentucky

Louisville Businessman Running for Governor
Lexington Herald Leader, KY, July 30, 2010
Hoping to win support within the Tea Party movement, a Louisville businessman who advocates for charter schools and a state lawmaker are forming a Republican slate to run for governor and lieutenant governor next year.

Louisiana

The State of N.O. Schools Outlined
Times Picayune, LA, July 30, 2010
Five years after Hurricane Katrina, Tulane University’s Cowen Institute for Public Education Initiatives has issued a report praising the New Orleans public schools for academic improvements but cautioning that many problems must be addressed if progress is to continue.

Orleans Parish School Board Holds Property Auction Over Mayor’s Objections
Times Picayune, LA, July 30, 2010
Over the objections of Mayor Mitch Landrieu, the Orleans Parish School Board went forward with a surplus property auction Thursday, netting almost $2.8 million.

Maryland

City School Board Fought Against Charter Schools
Baltimore Sun, MD, July 29, 2010
In “City school system ready to take the next step” (Commentary, July 22), Jim Campbell points out the successful opening of charter schools in the city, but prior to Mr. Alonso’s arrival, the city school board, including Mr. Campbell, right after the state charter law was passed in 2003, strenuously fought new charter school applications and, most importantly, their full funding as required by state law.

New Hampshire

Gubernatorial Candidate Stephen Says He Can Control Spending, Lead
Foster’s Daily Democrat, NH, July 30, 2010
Stephen also spoke against health care reform and said education should become a local issue and a local decision. He expressed his favor of a school voucher system and an increase in home schooling and charter schools.

New York

School Tenure Crackdown
Wall Street Journal, July 30, 2010
New York City principals are getting tougher: They denied tenure or continued the probation of a record 11% of teachers in the school year just ended, according to Department of Education data released Thursday.

Pennsylvania

Neumann Parents To Form New School
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, July 30, 2010
St. John Neumann Regional Catholic School in Lawrenceville closed last month, but some parents are still hoping to send their children to a faith-based elementary school in the neighborhood this fall.

Vermont

Can’t Afford to Drop Out of Education Race
Burlington Free Press, VT, July 30, 2010
The state Education Department’s decision to stay out of the federal Race to the Top competition can be seen as one more consequence of Vermont’s worrisome resistance to big change when it comes to anything to do with our local schools.

West Virginia

Education Reforms
The Register-Herald, WV, July 30, 2010
In all of the hub-bub that was created by the death of U.S. Sen. Robert C. Byrd, the state sadly fell behind again when it comes to the issue of education reform.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Calvert Virtual Academy Introduces Next Generation in Homeschooling
PR Newswire, July 29, 2010
Calvert School is delighted to introduce Calvert Virtual Academy (CVA), a virtual school option for middle school students. Calvert Virtual Academy students will learn at home in a robust online learning environment that includes assignments, self-paced assessments, threaded discussions and multimedia activities, video and audio exercises, and evaluations.

Finalists Announced for K-12 Online Teaching Award
Miami Herald, FL, July 30, 2010
Teachers from Florida , Georgia and Virginia have been named finalists for a new online teaching award. The winners of the national competition - created by the Southern Regional Education Board and the International Association for K-12 Online Learning - will be announced in September at a meeting in New Orleans .

Education Reform and Stimulus Spending
Daily Caller, DC, July 28, 2010
One of the heated debates taking place in Washington D.C. is whether the federal government should give states $10 billion to save teacher jobs as part of an additional stimulus package.

The Obama Education Revolution
National Review Online, July 28, 2010
Duncan’s remarks yesterday were centered on the notion that the Obama administration is leading a “quiet revolution” in education. But the requirement for states to garner union support to be eligible for a Race to the Top grant has blunted the potential for meaningful reform.

FROM THE STATES

Florida

Carrollwood Public Charter School Teaches New Tools
Tampa Tribune, FL, July 28, 2010
He hopes to bolster math, science and technology skills with a new charter school in his name, opening in August in Carrollwood. The A.T. Jones Math, Science and Technology Academy is a public school for children in kindergarten through fifth grade that also emphasizes languages and global thinking.

Illinois

When Kids Can’t Wait
Chicago Tribune, IL, July 28, 2010
We don’t know if Washington’s system is the best, or the best-executed. We do suspect that if every U.S. district took this much care to eliminate its weakest employees, more students would emerge from public schools with educations that qualify them to compete successfully in the 21st century.

New Hampshire

GOP’s Kimball Would Cut as Governor
Nashua Telegraph, NH, July 29, 2010
On education, Kimball wants to make legal across the state local property tax vouchers that parents can take and use to send their children to any school, public, private or parochial.

New York

‘Hard Truth’ on Education
Wall Street Journal, July 29, 2010
Erasing years of academic progress, state education officials on Wednesday acknowledged that hundreds of thousands of children had been misled into believing they were proficient in English and math, when in fact they were not.

Charter School Takes ‘Progressive’ Approach
Riverdale Press, NY, July 28, 2010
District 10 parents can now add a new charter school to their list of options.

How One Public Charter School Beat the Odds: Harlem Success Students Continue Strong Performance, Even After State Adjusts Scoring
PR Newswire, July 28, 2010
Even after New York State dramatically raised the “cut scores” needed to pass key math and reading exams, one public charter school in Harlem continued to show strong academic results due to the combination of hard work, effective teacher-parent partnerships, innovative school design and a top-to-bottom commitment to quality classroom instruction.

Oklahoma

Race to the Top Bypasses State
The Edmond Sun, OK, July 28, 2010
Nineteen finalists were recently announced in the second round of the $4 billion Race to the Top competition, but once again Oklahoma was left out.

Pennsylvania

Philly School Reorganization Continues
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, July 29, 2010
In the latest shakeup of her administration, Philadelphia School Superintendent Arlene Ackerman has dismantled the long-held regional division of schools, redeployed top administrators, and hired a new chief public information officer.

Washington

Lesson Needs to Be Learned from Consensus Race to the Top Bill
News Tribune, WA, July 29, 2010
A wise man who bore many scars from his battles over school reform gently disagreed. I had suggested to him in March that the state was better off with no Race to the Top bill than with the tepid version presented to the state House and Senate.

Race to the Top: a Halfhearted Attempt by Washington State
Seattle Times, WA, July 29, 2010
In the Race to the Top federal education competition, Washington state started out behind and offered less. It doesn’t take an athlete to know that’s not the way to win, or even stay in the game.

West Virginia

West Virginia Punts on Education Reform
Charleston Daily Mail, WV, July 29, 2010
THE federal government named 18 states and the District of Columbia as finalists Tuesday in the second round of competition for $3.4 billion in Race to the Top funding for effective educational experiments.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Parents Choose Cyberschool Over Merged School
WJAC Johnstown, PA, July 28, 2010
After the merger of two Westmoreland County schools some parents decide to cyberschool the children.

High Standards vs. Local Control
National Review Online, July 28, 2010
During the past week, conservative educational icons have been sparring over whether the Right ought to embrace the new “Common Core” standards developed by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers. The debate has gained urgency as more than 25 states have signed on in the past two months.

FROM THE STATES

California

Race to the Top, Not So Much
Orange County Register, CA, July 27, 2010
President Obama’s Education Secretary Arne Duncan announced the 19 finalists for so-called “Race to the Top” funds today but some of the states named are serious about education reform, while some just kowtow to union powers and other special interests. Race to the Top looks to be more of the same politicizing education.

California Clears Hurdle for Federal Funding
Los Angeles Times, CA, July 28, 2010
The state, which lost out on its first try for Race to the Top grants, is a finalist in its second effort. Winners will share $3.4 billion in federal educational funding.

Connecticut

Connecticut Fails To Win Race to the Top Educational Funding
Hartford Courant, CT, July 27, 2010
“It’s obvious if the economy doesn’t turn around and we continue to have dire fiscal straits in Connecticut , we will have to push back various reforms,” said State Rep. Andrew Fleischmann, D-West Hartford, co-chairman of the legislature’s education committee.

District of Columbia

D.C. Charters to Split $10 Million for Teacher Pay
Washington Examiner, DC, July 28, 2010
D.C. charter schools will share nearly $10 million to use during the 2010-11 school year for “innovative compensation strategies” for their teachers, according to an announcement Tuesday by District officials.

The Impact of the D.C. Teacher Firings
Washington Post, DC, July 28, 2010
Regarding the July 24 front-page article “Rhee dismisses 241 teachers in the District”: I can only applaud the leadership and courage that D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee has displayed during her tenure.

Florida

Florida a Finalist for Federal Education Grant
Florida Times Union, FL, July 28, 2010
Florida is one of the 19 finalists for the second round of the Race to the Top education reform grants, officials said Tuesday.

Fla. Finalist for Race to the Top
St. Augustine Record, FL, July 28, 2010
Federal officials named Florida one of the 19 finalists for the second round of Race to the Top funding Tuesday, a critical early bar in the competition for federal education reform grants.

Mississippi

State Misses Out On Education Funding 
Jackson Clarion Ledger, MS, July 28, 2010
Mississippi lost out at a chance to receive $175 million in a national education reform competition, but the changes that money was going to underwrite will go on at a slower pace, said Lynn House, deputy state superintendent of education.

New Jersey

Board of Education Gets First Lesson on Charter Schools
Glen Ridge Voice, NJ, July 27, 2010
The borough has gotten its first taste of what converting the Glen Ridge schools into a charter district might entail.

N.J. is Among 19 Finalists for Federal Race to the Top Education Funding
Star-Ledger, NJ, July 28, 2010
New Jersey learned today it is in the running for up to $400 million in federal Race to the Top funds for education reform, after an 11th hour change to the state’s application and a political scuffle between Gov. Chris Christie and his own education commissioner last month.

N.J. a Finalist for Race to the Top Education Grant 
The Record, NJ, July 28, 2010
New Jersey was tapped as one of 19 finalists in the federal “Race to the Top” competition for school reform grants Tuesday, despite bitter public conflicts between Governor Christie and the state’s biggest teacher’s union.

Oklahoma

Oklahoma Elections: Paddack, Barresi Easily Carry Primaries
The Oklahoman, OK, July 28, 2010
A lifelong classroom teacher will make the race for state superintendent of schools a three party election in November.

South Carolina

Education Reform Prize Could Boost Spending $225 Per Student
Greenville News, SC, July 28, 2010
South Carolina has survived the cut in a second round of judging and has been named a finalist in the federal Race to the Top initiative. A prize of $175 million hangs in the balance.

Texas

Texas Should Help Charter Schools With Facility Costs
Dallas Morning News, TX, July 27, 2010
Social conservatives on the State Board of Education have gotten banged around considerably - justifiably, in our view - in recent years for their questionable decisions about Texas ‘ history standards, science goals and student textbooks.

West Virginia

Thumbs Down: Education Reform Makes No Headway In Special Session
The Herald-Dispatch, WV, July 27, 2010
The burst of interest last spring in West Virginia for education reform has all but dried up now, with little to show for it.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Summer School Goes Online
Fortune, July 27, 2010
With education budgets under fire, school districts are turning to e-learning to help little Johnny graduate on time.

Day 11: Put Virtue in Virtual School Regulations
Boston Globe Blog , MA, July 27, 2010
Virtual learning, whether online supplements for traditional learning styles or outright “virtual schools”, is increasingly a way to ensure much more time on task, a flexible schedule, and new capacity without hiring an unsustainable number of teachers.

Conestoga Valley School District May Boost Its Virtual Academy
Lancaster Newspapers, PA, July 28, 2010
Officials cite expense of students attending cyber charter schools outside district

Virtual Schools ‘Clicking’ for Many Students This School Year
Creston News Advertiser, IA, July 27, 2010
A record number of students are heading back to school this year - without ever stepping foot inside a classroom. A growing number of virtual schools (also known as cyber schools or e-schools), combined with booming parent (and student) demand for high-quality virtual education, have more students than ever logging on, instead of boarding a school bus, this back-to-school season.

Giving Lousy Teachers the Boot
Wall Street Journal, July 27, 2010
Donald Trump is not the only one who knows how to get attention with the words, “You’re fired.” Michelle Rhee, chancellor for the District of Columbia schools, has just done a pretty nifty job of it herself.

Uniform Education Standards: Momentum Grows As More States Sign On
Christian Science Monitor, MA, July 26, 2010
About 40 states will probably have adopted the ‘Common Core’ education standards by spring. But critics caution that buy-in is just a start.

Skimp or Splurge: 3 Areas Where the Numbers Are Clear
CBS Money Watch Blog, July 26, 2010
When Realtors advise about the three things you need to consider when buying a home, the classic response is: “Location; location; location.” Why? Schools, crime and traffic. Each of these could save or cost you a fortune over time.

FROM THE STATES

Florida

Looking Out for No. 1
Orlando Sentinel, FL, July 27, 2010
The teachers union has made clear its self-interest in suing to block class-size referendum.

Merit Pay Will Be Front and Center in November Elections
Marco News, FL, July 26, 2010
The Florida gubernatorial race is shaping up as a referendum on merit pay for teachers. Both of the leading Republican candidates, Bill McCollum and Rick Scott, have come out in favor of education reform, including restrictions on tenure and teacher pay based on student performance.

Illinois

A First-Rate Education for All
Chicago Tribune, IL, July 27, 2010
Illinois finished fifth in the first round. The state submitted a second-round application on June 1, and we’ll know Tuesday whether it was picked as a finalist. At stake: perhaps $400 million for Illinois alone.

Louisiana

Excelling at Excuses
Times Picayune, LA, July 27, 2010
Jefferson Parish School Board members are making excuses in the face of a critical Jefferson Community Foundation report, but defensiveness won’t improve the school system’s lackluster performance. Parish schools ranked 64th out of the state’s 70 public school systems.

New Orleans Superintendent Leaving Legacy of Charter School Expansion
PBS Newshour Transcript, July 26, 2010
As the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, the superintendent brought in to revive New Orleans ‘ troubled public schools is bidding farewell after turning many of the schools into charters. Before his departure, Paul Vallas speaks with John Merrow about where things stand with the city’s school reform efforts.

Special-Needs Students Get Aid
The Advocate, LA, July 27, 2010
Autistic and other children with special needs in East Baton Rouge Parish will be eligible for state vouchers to help them attend private schools under a new law.

Pastorek Says Foes Resist His Ideas
The Advocate, LA, July 26, 2010
State Superintendent of Education Paul Pastorek said the biggest surprise of his 41-month tenure is resistance to change by teacher unions and groups representing school board members and superintendents.

Michigan

MI Candidates for Gov Say Education is a Top Priority
Michigan Public Radio, MI, July 26, 2010
All seven candidates - democrats and republicans - promise that if they become the next Governor of Michigan, education will be a top priority:

New York

Fixing Education
Buffalo News, NY, July 26, 2010
Something transformative happened recently in Washington , D.C. — something with potentially large impacts on jobs, health care and the economy. And it didn’t happen in the White House, the Senate or the House.

Pennsylvania

Sen. Williams Introduces Voucher Bill
Philadelphia Public School Notebook Blog, PA, July 26, 2010
State Sen. Anthony H. Williams (D-Philadelphia) has continued his advocacy for school vouchers in Pennsylvania by introducing the Opportunity Scholarship Act. Senate Bill 1405, introduced last month, would require the Department of Education to create an opportunity scholarship program for low-income students in districts with at least one chronically failing school.

VIRTUAL EDUCATION

Apponequet Teacher Taking Her Class Virtual
The Herald News, MA, July 26, 2010
District Superintendent John McCarthy said the VHS system allows students to learn using a modern system “where learning happens 24-7, not just within the four walls of a classroom.”

Firm Helping D7 Create Virtual School
Dearborn Press & Guide, MI, July 26, 2010
Dearborn Heights District 7 is hoping to lure home-schoolers and others to a new online academy it will start this fall.

Unionized Public Education Has Failed Most Students
Pottstown Mercury, PA, July 25, 2010
Is it fair to liken educators, feeding at the public trough, to ticks on a dog? Actually, no. Unlike National Education Association members, ticks have the manners to curb their appetites when gorged. One of the first organizations to call for a boycott of Arizona in the wake of its new undocumented alien law was the union representing public school teachers in Denver.

FROM THE STATES

District of Columbia

Teachers Lose Jobs Over Test Scores
Wall Street Journal, July 26, 2010
Washington, D.C., Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee fired 241 teachers Friday under a new evaluation system that holds teachers accountable for student test scores.

Rhee Has ‘Impact’ on D.C. Schools
Washington Times, DC, July 25, 2010
The national school-reform spotlight is again shining on D.C. Public Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and, as with her other efforts, teachers are again on edge.

The D.C. Teacher Firings
Washington Post, DC, July 25, 2010
ALOT OF LIP service is given to not tolerating bad teachers. Educators, politicians and even union leaders say that there is no place in the classroom for a teacher who can’t produce results. But actually doing something about the situation is an entirely different matter. That’s why D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee should be supported for taking the difficult but necessary steps to rid the system of ineffective teachers.

Florida

Teachers, Officials to Assess Merit Pay
Daytona Beach News-Journal, FL, July 26, 2010
With state and national pressure building to tie teachers’ pay to students’ performance, Volusia union and school administration officials are getting together to figure out the best way to do that.

Education Reform Divides Candidates For Governor
St. Augustine Record, FL, July 24, 2010
The thorny issue of teacher pay presents a clear line between the choices for governor, with both major Republicans saying they’d join lawmakers who want to revisit the issue that divided state leaders this year, but the Democrat and the independent in the race against going totally to merit pay.

Missouri

Candidates Respond: State Representative, 109th District
St. Louis Post-Dispatch, MO, July 24, 2010
My top priority is to expand parental choice in education. Next would be to reform Missouri’s tax code in favor of a consumption tax. Finally, we need to pass legislation that reforms teacher tenure and student social promotion.

New Jersey

Proposed N.J. Legislation Would Change Charter School Guidelines
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, July 26, 2010
A proposed bill would allow charter schools to be authorized more quickly, with more diversity, and in greater numbers in New Jersey.

New York

New York’s Giant Leap Forward In Educational Options
Times Observer, NY, July 23, 2010
More options will soon be available for upwards of 80,000 for New York students over the next few years thanks to recently passed legislation in the State’s House and Senate.

If No Mayoral Control, Then What
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, NY, July 25, 2010
So it appears that everyone who has been screaming about how good the schools can be without mayoral control will get their way.

State Encourages New Charter Schools
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, NY, July 24, 2010
The State University of New York and the state Education Department will soon begin soliciting applications for charter schools based on a new system that was approved in May.

Rhode Island

Seniority Out, Right Fit In For Providence Teachers Seeking To Fill Openings
Providence Journal, RI, July 26, 2010
What began last year as a pilot project in six schools now includes the entire Providence district of 2,100 teachers at 40-odd schools. The district has effectively abolished seniority as the primary method of filling vacancies. Instead, openings will be filled based on whether the teacher is the right fit for that particular job.

Texas

Education Board OKs Use of Trust Fund for Charter Schools
The Dallas Morning News, TX, July 24, 2010
A sharply divided State Board of Education opened the door Friday to tapping Texas ‘ education trust fund for charter school buildings despite warnings that the action could harm the fund.

Wisconsin

‘Now, He Thrives’
Herald Times Reporter, WI, July 25, 2010
MCCCS focuses equally on academic and behavioral progress for primary-school students with severe EBD, with the hope of helping them transition to traditional school after eighth grade, or sooner.

VIRTUAL ED

Cyber School Network Plans Changes This Fall
Beaver County Times, PA, July 25, 2010
The Beaver-based National Network of Digital Schools intends to move in some unexpected orbits in the new school year, carrying online students into classrooms and inviting public school students to touch down in cyberworld.

Red Lion to Begin Its Own Cyber Schooling
York Daily Record, PA, July 25, 2010
Red Lion Area School District students who attend cyber school will be able to receive a diploma from Red Lion, instead of through programs not affiliated with the district.

Virtual Classrooms Give Schools Online Options
Florida Today, FL, July 25, 2010
In a virtual classroom, class sizes don’t matter. Eau Gallie High is taking advantage of that by offering a unique pilot program this fall. It will offer one core class — a foreign language class — through Florida Virtual School.

Charter School in Ahwatukee Lets Students Learn Online
Arizona Republic, AZ, July 24, 2010
State-certified online education has been available to Arizona public-school kids since 1998. Twelve years later, the advent of inexpensive laptops and online-curriculum improvements have made going to school via computer easier and more interesting.

You want to know a secret? Parents and community leaders have spent decades talking and pressuring and begging for changes to our country’s education system until they are blue in the face. Want to hear another one? The education system, to a great extent, has spent as much time - though far less energy - ignoring them.

Why? Because it’s easier. Easier than admitting there is a problem. Easier than figuring out a solution. Easier than making a change that might be uncomfortable for a few adults.

Parents have always been the true warriors (and disrupters) in education. They’ve gotten charter school laws passed, demanded real options to failing schools, been teacher watchdogs where union bargaining agreements hogtie school leaders, and pushed curriculum changes when their kids were being cheated.

True, this brand of education reform came about through community engagement and participation in forums and meetings, but it also took grassroots organizing and camping out in legislative offices - blood, sweat and tears.

Parents already know what’s working and what’s not, and they’re out in droves every single day. Requiring their input as a condition of ESEA reauthorization is, quite frankly, silly. Requiring districts and states to make changes based on their input or risk the loss of funding, now that would make a difference.

States Embrace National Standards for Schools
New York Times, NY, July 21, 2010
Less than two months after the nation’s governors and state school chiefs released their final recommendations for national education standards, 27 states have adopted them and about a dozen more are expected to do so in the next two weeks.

Teachers Union Out on Fringe
OC Register, CA, July 21, 2010
The National Education Association boasts a membership of more than 3 million teachers and is one of the most powerful interest groups within the Democratic Party. But, despite its size and influence, the nation’s largest teachers union has positioned itself well outside America ’s political mainstream.

Creating a Crisis: Unions Stifle Education Reform
Heritage Foundation, July 20, 2010
The Senate will soon consider creating a $10 billion “Education Jobs Fund.” The measure has already been included in a war funding bill passed in early July by the House. Union influence and power has continued to prevent meaningful education reform, and another public education bailout from Washington will further empower unions, which will make it more difficult for states to implement the common-sense changes that are needed to improve American education in the long run.

FROM THE STATES

Arizona

Education Candidates Make Pitch
The Daily News, AZ, July 21, 2010
Either the Arizona Legislature or the state’s Department of Education is letting the state’s students down, Republican candidates for Superintendent of Public Instruction told local voters and school board members Tuesday.

Georgia

Handel, Deal Survive First Round In Governor’s Race, Head to GOP Runoff
Atlanta Journal-Constitution, GA, July 21, 2010
Riding the strength of Sarah Palin’s endorsement and a boatload of votes from metro Atlanta, Karen Handel on Tuesday bolted to the top in the race for the Republican nomination for governor. Nathan Deal finished second and will face Handel in a runoff Aug. 10.

Kansas

Cyber Schools Offer Benefits To Students, Districts
KSN-TV, KS, July 20, 2010
Ads have been running on the radio and newspapers for a new Kansas online school. The schools are the newest way for Kansas kids to get a K-12 education. And they’re providing a boost to some school districts across the state.

Louisiana

Report Paints Grim Picture of Jefferson Parish Public Schools
Times Picayune, LA, July 20, 2010
With School Board elections less than three months away, the Jefferson Community Foundation on Tuesday released a report decrying the bleak state of parish’s public schools and called on the community to change it.

New Jersey

Let Colleges Handle Charter School Applications
Asbury Park Press, NJ, July 21, 2010
New Jersey lags behind other states in charter school creation and one big reason for that is only the state Department of Education can approve them. For the past few years the department has been under the thumb of the teachers union, the NJEA.

Gov. Christie’s Report Finds Private, Parochial Schools Save N.J. $2.7B Annually
Star-Ledger, NJ, July 20, 2010
In a report released today by Gov. Chris Christie, a study commission on non-public schools found that private and parochial schools save New Jersey $2.7 billion annually, while providing “expanded educational options” for children.

Buffet and Gates Are Wrong About What Schools Need
San Jose Mercury News, CA, July 18, 2010
Bill Gates and Warren Buffett want the world’s billionaires to donate half their wealth to charity. If they’re successful with just their American peers, they’ll raise about $600 billion - an amount U.S. public schools spend in a single year. And therein lies a problem.

Bill Gates’ Latest Mission: Fixing America’s Schools
MSNBC, July 17, 2010
It’s been two years since Bill Gates left his day-to-day role at Microsoft to concentrate on supervising the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-and his new enterprise is booming.

Chicago’s Lesson in Layoffs
Newsweek, July 17, 2010
In most states, union contracts or state law requires they be done by seniority, so the newest teachers are pink-slipped, no matter how good they are. ” ‘Last in, first out’ virtually guarantees that all our great, young teachers will be out of a job, and some of the least effective will stay in the classroom,” says Tim Knowles, director of the Urban Education Institute at the University of Chicago .

FROM THE STATES

California

Schools Miss Shot At Innovation
San Bernardino Sun, CA, July 17, 2010
Officials have stepped back from a plan to turn six San Bernardino City Unified School District campuses into charter schools, an effort, they say, to better position the district for federal funding in its efforts to turn around its lowest-performing schools.

Delaware

State Sets Its Course With Moyer Response
News Journal, DE, July 18, 2010
The federal government has vested much confidence in Delaware as the lead winner in the first round of the Race to the Top education grants and its approach to education reform.

Florida

McCollum Proposes Merit-Pay Plan For Teachers
Miami Herald, FL, July 18, 2010
A merit-pay plan for teachers proposed by gubernatorial candidate Bill McCollum on Friday is not too different from one rejected by Gov. Charlie Crist this year.

Georgia

Candidates for Georgia Governor Face Off In Final Primary Debate
My Fox Atlanta, GA, July 18, 2010
With Georgia ’s primary just 36 hours away, the candidates running for governor took their parting shots Sunday night in separate Democratic and Republican debates. The presumed front runners in each race found themselves under fire — including one who wasn’t even in the room.

Charter Schools, Budget Planning Dominate Race
Cherokee Tribune, GA, July 18, 2010
How the Cherokee County school board plans its budget and whether to allow charter schools are issues dominating the Post 3 race.

Indiana

Indiana’s 2nd Virtual Charter School Begins Enrolling Students For Fall
Chicago Tribune, IL, July 18, 2010
Indiana’s second virtual charter school is taking applications for students in first through eighth grades.

Maryland

When Will Montgomery County Learn To Embrace Charter Schools?
Washington Post, DC, July 18, 2010
But as long as Maryland has a charter school law — unlike the majority of states — that puts school district personnel in charge of deciding the fate of our children, the Crossways proposal and others like it will be lost opportunities for better customized learning environments. It’s a lesson we cannot afford to learn years from now. Our communities and our students deserve better.

New Jersey

Charters Derailed in Areas of New Jersey
Wall Street Journal, July 19, 2010
New Jersey is preparing to announce the confirmation of at least six new charter schools this week, but proposed charters in Princeton, Teaneck and Flemington won’t be on the list, dealing a blow to a movement to widen school choice to affluent districts.

Bill Fosters Charter School Growth
Cherry Hill Courier Post, NJ, July 18, 2010
With the latest batch of charter school approvals likely to be announced soon by the state Department of Education, some state lawmakers are beginning a push for a bill that could expand the alternative public schools’ movement in New Jersey .

New York

Special Interests Ready For State Races
Buffalo News, NY, July 18, 2010
Charter school advocates, teachers unions and an Indian tobacco business are among the special interests trying to influence this year’s State Legislature races.

North Carolina

Why Unions Block Reform
Carolina Journal, NC, July 19, 2010
Oh, I know that the NCAE and its allies say they favor measures to attract and retain good teachers. But as a practical matter, they oppose virtually all policies that would accomplish the goal - from ending tenure and paying for performance to parental-choice measures that would give parents more freedom to choose schools based on the quality of teachers and academic programs.

Lake Lure Charter School Attracting Mcdowell Students
McDowell News, NC, July 18, 2010
A new charter school in Lake Lure will open its doors for the first time in August. The school is ready and able to serve McDowell students, according to Director Caroline Upchurch.

Pennsylvania

Many Question Value Of Single-Gender Schools
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, PA, July 19, 2010
Separating boys and girls is a long-established practice in private schools. In public schools, it is a still-controversial notion that has gotten a foothold in districts across the country in the last decade.

Rhode Island

Commissioner Deborah A. Gist Completes Her First Year On The Job
Providence Journal, RI, July 18, 2010
Deborah A. Gist was so impatient to start her job last summer as the state’s new education commissioner, she was at her desk weeks early and ventured out publicly June 30 - a day before her official start date.

Tennessee

TN Raced To The Top - Now Schools’ Bar Is Set Higher
The Tennessean, TN, July 19, 2010
Tennessee nabbed a $500 million prize in the one of the largest competitions for federal education grant money in U.S. history - but that was the easy part. Now, state leaders have to fulfill the promises laid out in the 263-page Race to the Top grant application, and questions are growing about whether Tennessee can pull it off.

Texas

Charter School Aces TAKS Test First Year
San Antonio Express, TX, July 17, 2010
The charter school that serves almost exclusively minority and low-income students just got its Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills scores from the state. The kids may be gone for the summer, but the grown-ups are celebrating.

Virginia

Finding Alternatives To The Traditional Classroom
Leesburg Today, VA, July 16, 2010
While Loudoun has only seen one application for a charter school in the past five years, a new law passed by the state legislature could clear the path for more applications to come before the School Board. In some areas of the country that have experienced similar growth to Loudoun over the past 20 years, charter schools and other alternative forms of education have helped ease the stress associated with population increases.

West Virginia

Can West Virginia Learn From States With Charter Schools?
Charleston Gazette, WV, July 18, 2010
As West Virginia lawmakers prepare to consider several education issues, including charter schools, advocates on both sides of the issue are making their points.

Wyoming

HD6 Candidates Disagree On Schools
Casper Star-Tribune, WY, July 18, 2010
Both men are Republicans. No Democrat filed for the HD6 seat. They have markedly different views on the performances of public schools.

First they denied Ivy its charter. Then they fought the state board which overruled their rejection. Then they fought the constitutionality of the state board. Then they cried foul over a funding allocation process they say robs their kids of a quality education. That’s a lot of billable hours, no matter how you look at it. No big loss for a district with a $2 billion + annual budget, I guess.

But in this battle, David just keeps getting one up on Goliath. On the latest round of state tests, every girl at Ivy Prep passed the reading and language exams. To add a cherry on top of that, no traditional public school in Gwinnett County had multiple grade levels ace the tests, but its other charter school, New Life Academy of Excellence, did.