How to fix our schools: A manifesto by Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee and other education leaders

Yesterday, many of America's top education leaders from Washington, D.C., New York, Charlotte, Chicago, Boston, Baltimore, Denver, Philadelphia, Prince George's County, Rochester, Kansas City, Houston, New Orleans, Indianapolis and many other districts in Illinois, compiled a manifesto on how to fix our nation's ailing school system. They point out the barriers to these changes, within the family, the classroom and the system itself, and give options on how to get past these barriers and move our children forward.

I believe that this is something everyone should read and think about as a new administration prepares to take the helm in DC and lead our education system for at least another four years, because it is ultimately our choices and opinions (the students and parents within the system), that will decide in which direction this reform takes us.

Please read it and come back to the site and leave your comments here.

Washington Post Online: Charter School Enrollment Up nearly 6 percent

Enrollment in the city's 52 public charter schools is up nearly 6 percent this fall, according to a preliminary count by the D.C. Public Charter School Board. The board reported Wednesday afternoon that its unaudited student count stands at 29,557. That's 5.7 percent more than the October 2009 census.

Charter officials are describing it as a 7 percent jump, but that's comparing it to last year's final audited figure of 27,617, which is derived after residency records are verified. The final audited count, available early next year, is usually a bit a bit lower, so the apples-to-apples comparison is the October count.

In any event, the data signals continued growth for the city's charter sector, which does not appear to be losing ground even as DCPS enrollment stabilizes and inches upward. Charter schools now educate close to 40 percent of the District's public schoolchildren.

"We are pleased that parents continue to choose charter schools as an option," board chairman Brian Jones said in a statement. "Even with the closure of five charter schools this year we continue to see growth at all grade levels. This is an indication that charter schools continue to play a key role in education reform."

By Bill Turque | October 6, 2010; 2:56 PM ET

Washington Post: Cheh calls for longer school day

Cheh calls for longer school day

D.C. Council member Mary M. Cheh (D-Ward 3) will introduce a bill Tuesday to extend the school day for 45,000 District public school students by at least a half hour, an effort to give kids more classroom instructional time.

The bill, set to be introduced at the council's regularly scheduled meeting, would extend the school day from the current 6.5 hours to at least seven hours, Cheh said Monday. Currently, the school day at many District schools begins at 8:45 a.m. and concludes at 3:15 p.m.

Cheh's proposal, which will likely undergo extensive review before the council acts on it, is designed to help the District meet President Obama's call for longer school days to enhance the quality of education.

Cheh said the change would also place District public schools in line with the instructional time already offered by some local charter schools.

But District school children shouldn't start fretting about more time in the classroom just yet.

Cheh acknowledges that the longer stay day would come at considerable cost to taxpayers. And with the city forecasted to face lean local budgets for the foreseeable future, Cheh said, it could be some time before her legislation is enacted.

"This will be the start of the conversation," Cheh said.

By Tim Craig | October 5, 2010; 5:29 AM ET

NBC Washington: What's Ahead for D.C. Schools?

Reform will continue, but what will it look like?

By P.J. ORVETTI

Updated 2:16 PM EDT, Fri, Oct 1, 2010

“It is one of the happy incidents of the federal system that a single courageous state may, if its citizens choose, serve as a laboratory; and try novel social and economic experiments without risk to the rest of the country.”

That’s what Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis wrote in a 1932 dissent. The District of Columbia is not a state, but it has been a laboratory for experiments in governance and policy, even if its residents don’t always like it.

D.C. has a greater level of autonomy now than it has had at any point in its history, but only at the pleasure of Congress. It was less than a decade ago that the federal Financial Control Board suspended its oversight, and Congress can curtail D.C.’s self-governance at any time.

It is hard to predict the future of education anywhere in the United States, but it is even harder to guess what will happen here. When Republicans are in power, D.C. is a laboratory for taxpayer-funded vouchers. When Democrats are in charge, teacher pay and funding issues are at the forefront.

In as much as D.C. can control its own fate, however, positive change is on the horizon for the public schools, without or without Michelle Rhee.

Click here to read the complete article