A daily dose of education news around the nation – just in time for a little mid-day break!
Race to the Top: New Jersey Education Commissioner Bret Schundler is out of a job now that the state lost the second round. The firing was “inevitable.” (The [Newark, N.J.] Star-Ledger)
New Orleans: Post-Katrina, nearly three-quarters of New Orleans’ public schools are charters. What can we learn? (Newsweek and The [New Orleans] Times-Picayune)
Also, the federal government announced this week that it “will give New Orleans $1.8 billion in a lump-sum reimbursement for schools that were damaged or destroyed in the flooding after Hurricane Katrina.” (New York Times)
Early ed: “Title I can … expand access to those children who are just above the income cutoff, to give them access to Head Start’s services.”And in San Diego, Emily Alpert writes that preschool is “a luxury for those who are rich enough to easily afford it, charity for those who are poor enough to deserve it, and a headache for those stuck in between.” (The Washington Post and Voice of San Diego)
Higher ed: West Virginia approves $8 million a year for two years to fund scholarships for college students. (Bloomberg Businessweek)
Special ed: Nikki Dowling writes that special-education needs are going unmet in New York City schools. (The Riverdale Press)
Stakeholders: Parents write a letter to President Obama, asking to be part of the administration’s school improvement efforts. Elsewhere, unions call for a “National day of action to defend public education” on October 7th. (The Washington Post and Defend Public Education)
