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Education News for Monday, May 8

School reform in danger – This was supposed to be a landmark year for the No Child Left Behind Act, which requires the states to close the achievement gap between white and minority students in exchange for federal education dollars. (more)

FL voucher programs in vulnerable position – Florida got into the voucher business seven years ago to offer an escape to children in failing public schools. With the conclusion of the recent legislative session, that mission has all but been abandoned. (more)

Bush hasn’t won all battles – With the failure to revive school vouchers and curb a class-size initiative, Gov. Jeb Bush has learned a lesson that many governors have learned before him: It’s hard to control the Legislature even when it’s run by your own party. (more)

Wise investment – Florida lawmakers made a smart investment in the state’s future by approving near-record spending for schools and by passing the last round of Gov. Jeb Bush’s school reforms. Those reforms will bring rewarding new challenges to middle- and high-school (more)

Return later for more education news.

UPDATE:

Voucher, class size overshadowed other education issues – Thousands of children and adults rallied with Gov. Jeb Bush at the Florida Capitol to support vouchers that let students attend religious and other private schools at taxpayer expense. (more)

Session a fell for post-Jeb Florida – Jeb Bush, after nearly eight years in office, is too popular and too ambitious to be written off yet as a lame duck. But lawmakers have started treating him like one. (more)

Lawmakers predict more vouchers suits – As Gov. Jeb Bush failed to pass two of his key education goals during his last legislative session, other Republican leaders were already considering the future of school vouchers and how to reduce the financial impact of the class-size amendment on the state budget. (more)

A new army fights charter school war – NY Daily News: Two dozen Assembly Democrats will fight the good fight for education reform this week, pushing their colleagues to authorize dozens more charter schools across the city and the state. (more)

Florida votes to require high school majors – The measure now goes to Governor Jeb Bush, who pushed the requirement as part of a sweeping education overhaul approved by the House 90-24. (more)

Madison schools closing racial achievement gap – Madison’s public schools appear to be succeeding with efforts to attack a problem common to urban districts nationwide — the performance gap between students of different races, according to two education researchers. (more)

School reform leaves Clemente simmering – Two years after Chicago officials began shutting low-performing high schools and moving students to nearby campuses as part of Renaissance 2010 reforms, the crime rate at five of the nine schools that received the bulk of students has shot up. (more)

New Orleans charter school students thriving – New Orleans public schools were either chartered or taken over by the state in the wake of Katrina …inclusion efforts commonly met with resistance in a district where mainstream students were already struggling. (more)