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Education news for Wednesday, May 17

New Hampshire poor kids’ hopes may die in backroom deal – After three years of hard work and changes, the state Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill to allow low-income students to choose a public or private school that fits their needs. New Hampshire’s shameful 25 percent dropout rate is confined largely to children from lower-income families. (more)

Jeb Bush pauses at next political step – Every second, a digital clock on Gov. Jeb Bush’s desk counts down to the moment in January that his term ends, a reminder that one of the most powerful figures in American politics is about to step off the public stage. (more)

Board presses voucher issue – The seven-member board, all appointees of Gov. Jeb Bush’s, told state Education Commissioner John Winn on Tuesday to come up with strategies to protect Florida’s remaining voucher programs from legal attack. (more)

UPDATE:

All-day kindergarten returns as AZ budget issue – State funding for all-day kindergarten is shaping up as a major budget issue at the Legislature for the third straight year, this time with a Republican proposal to partially roll back a major policy initiative of Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano. (more)

Florida, Wisconsin tying more strings to vouchers – Ed Week (subscription required) When the Florida Senate took up a measure this month designed to protect voucher programs from legal challenges, the chamber couldn’t have been more divided: The bill was defeated by just one vote. Two days later, however, another voucher bill won unanimous Senate support. (more)

NCLB panel gathers views on testing and data collection – Ed Week (subscription required) The No Child Left Behind Act imposes the wrong kind of testing on schools, educators need better systems to interpret the test data they get, and the federal government should help pay for the mandates it imposes… (more)

Poll: Are smart kids left behind? – …more than half think smart kids are being left behind because educators are focusing their efforts on lower-performing students. (more)

LA leaders want clout in LA Unified – Amid increasing concerns about Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s plan to take control of the Los Angeles Unified School District, leaders from other cities within the district are considering alternatives that would give them increased authority over schools. (more)

Promoting special education in Catholic schools – Although some Catholic campuses offered programs for children with special needs, there wasn’t one that could accommodate her 14-year-old son, who has mild cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities.. (more)

NPR: America’s troubled schools need reform now – Link to NPR to listen to Ed Gordon’s commentary. (more)

Charter school advocates raise pressure on cap – With just a month left before lawmakers leave Albany and head home to campaign for re-election, charter school advocates are dramatically increasing pressure on the Assembly speaker to lift the statewide cap on the independently run schools. (more)

UPDATE:

Thousands of Latino Parents and Leaders are Demanding School Choice – Parents and Latino leaders across the nation are calling one ducation and political leaders to give Hispanic children greater choice in education. (more)