What Tom Friedman got wrong/5th in a series on Vouchers/Cyber schools take budgetary bite/Pa., N.J. miss out on federal charter school start-up money

Posted at 5:00 AM ET, 11/29/2010

What Tom Friedman got wrong about schools and why it matters

By Valerie Strauss

The great New York Times columnist Tom Friedman wrote in a recent piece that if he were a cub reporter today, he’d want to be “covering the epicenter of national security -- but that would be the Education Department.”

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/answer-sheet/guest-bloggers/what-tom-friedman-got-wrong-an.html

Ongoing Background on Vouchers – 5^th in a series

One of the other proponents of school vouchers testifying at the PA Senate Education Committee hearing of October 13^th was the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO). 

Their mission is “To increase access to high-quality educational options for Black children by actively supporting parental choice policies and programs that empower low-income and working-class Black families.”

According to NSBA, BAEO was established in 2000 by a former Superintendent of Milwaukee Public Schools, with financial backing from groups like the Walton Family Foundation and the Milton and Rose D. Friedman Foundation.

Members of their Board of Directors include former House Appropriations Chairman Dwight Evans and Dawn Chavous, Chief Executive Assistant and Director of Education for Senator Anthony Williams.

Senator Williams is also a member of BAEO’s advisory board.

http://www.baeo.org/?news_section_id=6&news_id=2178

Cyber schools take budgetary bite

Williamsport Sun Gazette

November 28, 2010 - By AMANDA ALEXANDER - aalexander@sungazette.com

Pennsylvania cyber schools are growing - in number of students, in popularity and in cost - but the strain on the budgets of local school districts may become too much if changes aren't made to the system.

http://www.sungazette.com/page/content.detail/id/556986/Cyber-schools-take-budgetary-bite.html?nav=5011

Posted on Mon, Nov. 29, 2010

Pa., N.J. miss out on federal charter school start-up money

By Rita Giordano and Dan Hardy

Inquirer Staff Writers

New Jersey's proposed charter schools, hailed by Gov. Christie as part of his school-choice agenda, are at record numbers. But the state has no new start-up money for them because it failed to win another federal education grant.

Pennsylvania, where Gov.-elect Tom Corbett has likewise expressed support for charters among school-choice options, also was one of five states turned down for the funds. Twelve states were successful.

Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/home_top_stories/20101129_Pa___N_J__miss_out_on_federal_charter_school_start-up_money.html#ixzz16fgVejvS