July 9 2004 Edition

Still No Resolution in Chicago: After nearly two weeks of back and forth (and the possibility of a summer-long dispute), it seems as of late Thursday that the AFT national is going to try and figure out whether the June 11 CTU vote requires a revote in September, or whether the original runoff vote can still be certified and finalized one way or the other. It certainly sounds like the national would like to avoid a prolonged dispute, but given the apparent determination of both sides to remain in/return to power it's hard to imagine how the dispute doesn't end up in court. Whether that is beneficial to the teachers, who've already voted twice on who they want as president, or the children and the school system, seems doubtful. I propose a Lynch-Stewart spelling bee to resolve the dispute:

WBEZ Eight Forty-Eight AFT Interview (audio)
Bank Freezes Teachers Union Accounts (Sun-Times)
Teachers panel OKs September election by mail (Sun-Times)
Teacher Union Offer Rejected (Chicago Tribune)
City teachers union opts for election by mail (Tribune)
Teachers Union Vote Pits Local And National Groups (NYT)
Teachers Will Re-Vote For President (Sun-Times)
Chicago Teachers' Leader Seeks Interim Rule (Hartford (Conn.) Courant)
CTU sets election date, says schools won't handle the ballots (Daily Southtown)
Union flap may serve Daley school plan - - for now (Chicago Sun-Times)
Election Dispute Leads to Impasse for Teachers Union (NYT)
Teacher union panel OKs mail vote (Tribune)

This Week In NCLB:
Education: Feds quell states' revolt on No Child Left Behind (Stateline.org)
Education Lawsuits Succeeding With 'No Child Left Behind' Data (Civilrights.org)
City Schools Challenged On Tutoring (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Poor pupils improving (New Britain Herald)
Was Jump in State Test Scores a Fluke? (Delaware News Journal)
State Pitches School Choice (Orlando Sentinel)
Paraprofessionals and NCLB (Teacher Magazine)
Symposium Tackles Politics Of Education (Education Week)
One School Left Behind (Texas Monthly)
No Child Left Behind: Where Do We Go From Here? (Heritage.org)
Inside No Child Left Behind(August (VA) Free Press)

Around the Nation:
Johnny Won't Read: Report Shows Big Drop In Reading (USAT)
The Possible Dream (Ed. Magazine)
Teacher Tenure Under Scrutiny (CNN)
Charters Get $75 Million Boost (San Jose Mercury News)
Colo. Supreme Court Strikes Down Voucher Law (Education Week)
Sen. Clinton Bats For Kerry With Teachers (Washington Post)
Kerry Tells PUSH Of College Plan (Tribune)
Summer school attracts the high-achievers (The New York Times)

The Many Challenges of Big-City School Reform:
A Special School District Is Gone, But A Study Cites Its Benefits (NYT)
City Retools Special Education, But Pupils Slip Through Cracks (NYT)
Detroit Schools Chief Asked To Resign (Detroit News)
Schools Chief Learns Tough Lessons On Fraud (SF Chronicle)
Ready For Fourth Grade? Not So Fast, New York Says (Washington Post)
The coup at King high school (City Paper Philadelphia)
Crew, New On Job, Plans A Takeover Of Failing Schools (Miami Herald)
Minneapolis Is Told School Closings Are Imperative (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
Amato Suspends No. 2 Man After Clashes (New Orleans Times-Picayune)

Around Chicagoland:
Educators say schools desperate for state cash (Sun-Times)
Great Expectations (Teacher Magazine)
Educators to push school priorities for budget talks (Tribune)
Bad marks for Illinois education (Chicago Tribune)
Daley urges funding reform for Illinois schools (Crain's)
Daley seeks talks on changes in school funding (Tribune)

School Life:
Parents sue to get son back to recess (Washington Post)
SAT Essays Prompt Handwriting Worries (Detroit News)
Crime shows inspire forensics classes (Lexington Herald-Leader(Ky.)/Associated Press)
Teen Stumps Governor With Question From FCAT (Miami Herald)
The New Face Of Underage Drinking: Teenage Girls (CSM)
Riordan Calls Kid A 'Stupid, Dirty Girl' At Book Event (Sacramento Bee)
Bloomberg Calls For Dismissal Of 5 Educators Who Shopped (NYT)
The New Cosby Kids (NYT)