The San Juan Unified School District northeast of Sacramento is making some noteworthy changes to its public school choice program:The San Juan Unified School District board unanimously approved major changes to its open enrollment policy Tuesday night, likely affecting how many students will win admission each year to the most popular schools. The new policies…

The big buzz in the edusphere right now is Rod Paige's NYT column, where he kills two birds with one stone: while simultaneously taking a swing at the 65% solution, he talks up a different concept also being endorsed by Fordham:Instead of gimmicky fads, we need fundamental reforms. One good idea now picking up support…

Once again, Peyton Wolcott does edureporters' jobs for them.  

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which already enjoys a $24 billion endowment, just got a raise:Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett said Monday his decision to leave most of his wealth to charity now was "logical," adding that he feels "terrific" about the reversal of his long-stated plan to distribute his billions upon his death.…

The East Valley Tribune gets reaction on Arizona's new voucher programs.  Highlights:“If you had asked people at the beginning of this session to bet this would happen, you would have gotten very few people making that bet,” said Chuck Essigs, a lobbyist for the Arizona Association of School Business Officials, former Mesa Unified School District…

Quite a few edublogs responded to Clint's recent WSJ article.  One of those responses connects nicely into events currently unfolding in California. 

Just spotted this: a recording of Robert Enlow of the Friedman Foundation speaking on the recent history of school choice programs across the nation.  Pretty nifty to see--er, hear--where we've come from and where we're headed. 

While we celebrated yesterday, Villaraigosa put the finishing touches on a deal with the unions and legislators for his takeover plan.  Here's a rundown...Very lengthy LA Times here:After tough negotiations with two forceful teachers unions, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa struck an agreement Wednesday that would give him significant sway over Los Angeles' troubled public schools but…

The Vamos a Cuba flap is emblematic of a significant problem in the K-12 education system: the collision of competing values mixed with the lack of parental power in the system.  In fact, it's sort of an offshoot of another highly contentious process: the selection of textbooks.  Fortunately, an army of Davids could help unravel…

A response to Arizona Education Association president John Wright.