Sizer For Vouchers, Mining the Data, Media Coverage, and More (New and Notable)

First off, two interesting perspectives on pubic versus private education, including a call from Ted Sizer for vouchers in the Boston Globe:

Opinion: Public, private schools need not be enemies AJC
Real Choice Boston Globe

A trio of interesting articles/reports on using data to make school decisions, if you can find the data:

Buried Treasure PDF CPRE
New Report Concludes School-Readiness Data Need More Attention
Basic info system eludes state Education Department AZ Central.com

A pair of articles on media coverage of education, one of my favorite topics:

Let’s Blame the Readers Columbia Journalism Review
Educators and journalists need a clearer understanding of one another
Home Town Source

Best of the Rest:

Online Mentoring Washington Post
Fostering education Christian Science Monitor
Ties to adults keep foster kids on track at school CSM
Boys, Girls Are Faring Equally, Study Finds The Washington Post
More high school seniors working their way through school USAT
Recent arrivals better educated USAT
No books, no problem Edutopia