Headlines / Best of the Week

Budget Brouhaha, Ignoring Early Education, and More (Washington DC/National News). This week features a slew of "sky-is-falling" budget cuts stories, even though everyone knows most won't come true, and a belated realization that universal preschool is hot in the states but dead in DC.

High School, Social Security, and Iran (NCLB News). Whether it's high school reform, revamping Social Security, or invading another country, the process is the same. First, create a sense of crisis. Next, provide simple-sounding answers to ridiculously complex problems and invite everyone to get on board. Third, cross your fingers that your previous efforts – last year's Medicare drug plan, the invasion of Iraq, or No Child Left Behind – aren't revealed as flawed, incompletely-implemented efforts.

Finding and keeping teachers, Cuts to teacher leadership in San Diego, and Small schools as far as the eye can see (Urban Education). In a trend that I personally find highly disturbing, this week brings another slew of noteworthy articles about classroom teachers -- most notably, the challenge of retaining and supporting the ones we have.

Budget news, Ren10 rolls on, and The Squid (Chicago, IL). It was a budget-licious week, what with proposed federal cuts, a Catalyst analysis of within-district inequities and a pilot budget scheme that's in the works, and a state funding debate with new dynamics. Plus: no rest for Renaissance 2010, and are you a Squid?

Homeless kids, charter colleges, schools finding money online (New and Notable). Now firmly ensconced in K12 education, the charter concept is moving on up to higher education, with charter colleges and charter ed schools a small but popular idea.

Union charters, Amistad in the city, Cutting and spending (NYC). It doesn't sound like anyone's having much fun right now, including Klein, Bloomberg, or the kids. Will a couple more charter schools -- or millions of dollars -- make a difference?

Valentines, Imaginary friends, Bad juice, Droopy drawers, Grandpa in the classroom (School Life). For kids (and adults) of a certain age, there's no bigger test than how many Valentines you get.