October 13th Postings

Lauded Harlem Schools Have Their Own Problems

By SHARON OTTERMAN

Published: October 12, 2010

President Obama created a grant program to copy his block-by-block approach to ending poverty. The British government praised his charter schools as a model. And a new documentary opening across the country revolves around him: Geoffrey Canada, the magnetic Harlem Children’s Zone leader with strong ideas about how American education should be fixed.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/13/education/13harlem.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Washington Post October 12th

Study shows deep disparities in funding for schools

A new study starkly shows deep disparities in the way school districts across the country are funded, a reality that raises big questions about how effective “reforms” can be if they don’t deal with the issue of equity.

The analysis rates the 50 states on funding level, funding distribution, state fiscal effort, and public school coverage. It concludes that only six states are positioned relatively well on all four measures to provide equality of educational opportunity for all children regardless of background, family income, where they live or where they go to school.

The statistical analysis, titled "Is School Funding Fair? A National

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/equity/study-shows-deep-disparities-i.html