Thursday Morning News

The NYT editorial page weighs in on the school finance dispute there writing, “the old formula is doomed, and the only real question is whether the legislators will have the courage to change it themselves rather than letting the court do it.”

Some ink on the new TFA study from Louisiana.

Say what you want about NCLB, articles like this mean the notion of looking out for disadvantaged kids is becoming internalized.

Looks like Washington State’s charter law will be on hold pending a ballot referendum. This is very bad news for charter supporters because the referendum will not turn on educational issues but instead on misplaced concerns about where funding for charters will come from, a tough fight for charters to win…more here. The Seattle PI editorial board says, “Under the state constitution, citizens have every right to turn to direct democracy. But this referendum fits a growing pattern of excessive reliance on what should be a last resort against government inaction, inattention or favoritism for special interests.”

In this case, the Legislature acted to offer the state a limited experiment with the potential to spread more creative methods of education. First, though, lawmakers listened to everyone (including the teachers union now fighting the law), learned from experiences in other states and put in limits on new charter schools.

That good work may get boiled down to a simplistic yes or no question on the November ballot. Too bad.

Possibly good charter news from Orlando.

Adequacy talk in Michigan too. And in Arkansas Rick “Razorback” Hanushek is in the middle of the accountability debate down there. Via Educationnews.

NYT’s Schemo writes up a new report from Achieve calling for raising standards in high school…critics says that Achieve’s reports always say this…they do! But that’s (a) not much of a substantive criticism and (b) basically the point of the organization! Amateur Kremlin watchers and Atkins fans take note, Lisa Graham Keegan offers some sensible cautions and no red meat! Is this a new, moderate, high-carb ELC?

Carl Cohn, an accomplished school superintendent says he wants the job in Washington, D.C. Easy cheap laugh: Isn’t that a potentially disqualifying indication about judgment?

Sarah Jessica Parker is no Michael Moore…thankfully in a lot of ways but in this case meaning she supports the New York Public Schools…But Moore gets a boost from the Daily News where columnist Richard Schwartz says it’s the smart rich kids getting screwed…yes it’s downright Dickensian for affluent kids in NYC…

USA Today’s Toppo looks at the E-Rate…His verdict? Troubled but good on balance.

Richard Slade says National Security Advisor Condi Rice hates music teachers…someone call these folks…

More on Alum Rock. The San Jose Mercury News editorial board credits the superintendent for much of the progress and though they don’t come right out and say it, it looks like one of his key attributes is an inability to suffer fools gracefully…they don’t teach that in ed school…in fact success there requires the opposite skill set, no?

On National Review Online Vincent Phillip Muñoz takes a look at the judicial box the Supreme Court is in on the Newdow case.

In Newsday Joe Dolan credits the UFT and AFT for moving on differential pay.

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