Colorado Still Strong in Charter School Law, But There’s Room to Improve
Every year the Center for Education Reform rates the quality of different states’ charter school laws based on their flexibility and equity. This week they released the new edition, and the news again is good for Colorado — one of only 13 states with “strong laws that do not require significant revisions.”
But I’m never satisfied […]
Why You Should Hate Insurance Companies: No, It's Not Profit.
Is the for-profit insurance industry a “predator” that “prevent[s] us from having a decent health care system”? Letter writer Bruce Robinson says so (Daily Camera, December 1). He’s partially right. The real predators are politicians who inhibit needed health policy reform. But insurers are guilty for concealing how they benefit from Congress’s predatory practices, which shield them from competition and accountability to patients.
As Bad Schools Close, Milwaukee’s Voucher Market Shows It’s Working
The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reports some interesting developments in that city’s nearly two decades old voucher program (H/T Joanne Jacobs).
Four Milwaukee voucher schools — including the fast-growing independent Atlas Preparatory Academy — now have more than 750 students each. More than 21,000 students total are enrolled in 111 voucher schools this year. But what’s really […]
Maybe Cary Kennedy Can Have It Both Ways; I Don’t Want to Be a Politician
State Treasurer Cary Kennedy seems like a nice lady, and I think it must be hard being a politician in such an office — especially during the tough budget times faced by state government and the difficult decisions that requires. But does the current budget reality mean Treasurer Kennedy can have it both ways?
As the […]
All I Want for Christmas (OK, sort of) is an Edublog Award Nomination
You’ve all heard that little girl singing about all she wants for Christmas is her two front teeth. Well, forget her. All I want for Christmas (and I really, really mean it … no Legos, no Nintendo games, nothing else would matter) is to be nominated for the 2009 Edublog Awards — Best Individual Blog […]
Low Politics Marks Denver School Board Transition
The transition for the Denver school board was expected to be difficult already, when newly elected Andrea Merida decided to be sworn in early and bounced off outgoing board member Michelle Moss before key votes on the district’s reform plan were made. Eyewitness and Education News Colorado editor Alan Gottlieb recounts the dramatic confrontation and discusses what might be in store from the DPS Board in the near future.
Michigan Voters: Schools Underfunded — But Do They Know Actual Spending?
This week the Detroit News reported on one of the measured reactions Michiganders have to proposals to address that state’s budget crisis:
Local public school districts have too little funding to provide a quality education, according to 60 percent of voters surveyed in an exclusive Detroit News/WXYZ (Channel 7) poll released Tuesday.
Only 23 percent of respondents […]
