September 9 - Obama Promises to Double Charter School Funding
In Dayton Ohio today, Barack Obama will be reasserting his support of charter schools and proposing to double charter school funding. The Democratic presidential nominee is asking for a bipartisan effort behind quality and accountability saying, "I'll work with all our nation's governors to hold all our charter schools accountable. Charter schools that are successful will get the support they need to grow. And charters that aren't will get shut down." Obama's proposal would secure $400 million in federal funding for charter schools. Nedra Pickler of the Associated Press reports on Obama's support of charter schools here.
In other headlines...
CA - The California Charter School Association has long been at the forefront of the charter school movement providing valuable advocacy and services to more than 400 member schools across the state. Education Week reporter Leslie A. Maxwell writes about two of CCSA's key services, the Quality-Assurance Program and the Legal-Defense Fund, here.
DC - George Parker, DC teacher's union president, recognized that charter schools increase competition and so raise the bar for traditional public schools in last month's interview with Teacher Quality Bulletin. Washington Post columnist Marc Fisher expects this change in public education to lead DC teachers to accept merit pay here.
IL - Rockford Register Star's political editor Chuck Sweeny takes a look at how the cap in Illinois is affecting applications for new charter schools downstate. The current legislation allows for only 15 charter schools to exist outside of Chicago. With room for 8 more charter schools to be authorized, Rockford residents are trying to get one in Forest City. Read Sweeny's column on the applicants here.
CA - At the new Locke Launch to College Academy, a first-year teacher hopes that personalized attention for students will make all the difference. Rachel Warecki contributes LA Times Blog "The Homeroom" on her experiences thus far at the reinvented Lock High School here.
Why do I have a feeling that this is one of those situations where more money isn't a good thing. If it were Detroit Public Schools and the Washington D.C. district would be exemplary. They aren't.
You guys want to help charters succeed? Produce a standard toward which charters can work that's both attainable and worthwhile. A testing regimen that's worth something and I'm not excluding cold, hard cash. Create a National Alliance of Charter Schools Scholastic Olympics and make winning it worthwhile for the students, teachers and schools. Then blab about it.
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