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Education news for Friday, June 16

Louisiana charter schools win grant – The charter school movement, already bolstered after Hurricane Katrina devastated public schools in and around New Orleans, got another boost Monday: Federal officials announced a $23.9 million grant to create new charter schools in the state. (more)

Is there a second act for Jeb Bush? – Winding up his second term as Florida’s governor, the other Bush says he doesn’t want to run for president. Not everyone believes him. (more)

Assembly speaker warns Villaraigosa that school takeover plan is in serious trouble – Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s attempt to take over the Los Angeles public schools is in serious jeopardy in the Legislature, according to one leading Democrat who urged the mayor Thursday to intervene in hopes of salvaging his plan. (more)

A school makeover in Mapleton – A school district outside Denver has galvanized students and parents with a daring experiment in public school choice. (more)

Check back later for more education news.

UPDATE:

PA:Ed’s fundraising lead called ominous for Swann – Big contributions from the state teachers union and the Democratic Governors Association has allowed Gov. Rendell to maintain a $10 million fundraising lead over Republican challenger Lynn Swann, even as Rendell spent another $2 million for TV ads. (more)

WSJ: Educational Supplements – (subscription required) Tutoring as a concept is, of course, nothing new. Where would the 19th-century novel be without pretty young governesses presiding over schoolrooms in country estates? Outside of literature, tutors have long been a fixture of both ends of the bell curve. (more)

New Iowa teachers will have to pass test – New elementary schoolteachers in Iowa will have to take a standardized test to receive a teaching license.This comes after officials from the U.S. Department of Education threatened to withhold millions of dollars in grants because the state’s licensing system did not include a content-based test. (more)

Too many special education students? – According to the Virginia Department of Education, more than two-thirds of Virginia’s school divisions — including several counties around Richmond — have a disproportionately high number of minority students in certain areas of special education. (more)

DC Board approves alliance of public, charter school – The D.C. Board of Education approved a collaboration yesterday between an underenrolled public elementary school and a charter middle school that supporters praised as an innovative — and unprecedented — approach. (more)

SC primaries set up fall contests over schools – Sen. Tommy Moore drew a clear line toward the fall election Tuesday night when he declared that “I haven’t turned my back on public education; I’m not trying to dismantle public education.” (more)