Class Struggle
Wall Street Journal 6/27/12
by Pete DuPont
Much has been written about the choice we face just 19 weeks from now, when we will select the next president. But while we discuss the almost polar opposite views of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on spending, regulation, taxes and health care, we shouldn't lose sight of another very important issue: education.

> http://on.wsj.com/MsrglM

Which Districts Are Getting Race to the Top Buzz?
Education Week: K-12 Politics blog 6/27/12
by Alyson Klein
Want to win your office betting pool on the Race to the Top District competition? Well, according to a survey of “education insiders” recently published by Whiteboard Advisors, the smart money is on the Los Angeles Unified School District. You also probably wouldn't go broke betting on Hillsborough County Schools in Florida.

> http://bit.ly/M4Endq

The task ahead for Phila. school superintendent
Philadelphia Inquirer: Editorial 6/28/12
It's easy to see how some Philadelphians may feel left out of the school superintendent search. It's also easy to appreciate the urgency to fill the position.

> http://bit.ly/LR9HHG

Segregation Fear Sinks Charter School (Nashville)
Wall Street Journal 6/27/12
by Stephanie Banchero
Nashville school officials have rejected a proposal to open a charter school in a middle-class part of the city, highlighting a broader national battle over efforts by operators of such publicly financed, privately run schools to expand into more affluent areas.

> http://on.wsj.com/LQrbUC

New Congressional Nominee Favors Subsidizing Private Schools (NYC)
NYT SchoolBook 6/28/12
by Mary Ann Giordano
...Mr. Jeffries is the assemblyman who on Tuesday defeated Councilman Charles Barron for the Democratic nomination for the seat being vacated by United States Representative Ed Towns, who is retiring. At a post-primary news conference Wednesday, he was asked about something he said the night before: that he wanted to use public money to support private-school education.

> http://nyti.ms/OyJ9Ae

Union’s ‘community schools’ initiative gets a boost from the city (NYC)
Gotham Schools 6/27/12
by Rose D'souza
When teachers’ union president Michael Mulgrew announced a grant program last month to bolster social services in schools, he said the union was moving ahead because the Department of Education was not. But today, when Mulgrew announced the schools that will receive grants, Chancellor Dennis Walcott was standing next to him. The two came together in a last-day-of-school show of camaraderie after a year in which relations between the union and the city grew more strained than ever.

> http://bit.ly/MqOYPi

Parents’ group voices support for teachers (Chicago)
Chicago Sun-Times 6/27/12
by Rosalind Rossi
If Chicago teachers strike, “many, many hundreds” of parents will join them on the picket line because the union’s desires reflect parent desires, a parent group charged Wednesday.

> http://bit.ly/KDOekD

Moodys praises RI school funding hike, warns on Woonsocket
WPRI 6/27/12
by Ted Nesi
...However, Moody’s said the impact isn'’t uniform across the state because of the new school funding formula. Barrington will get the biggest increase in education aid in 2012-13 at 42%, while the Chariho school district will suffer the biggest drop, losing 14%. Non-education aid will be flat after plunging since 2007.

> http://bit.ly/MBgQwx

Rhode Island Crafts Road Map to Learning Languages
Education Week 6/27/12
by Erik Robelen
Rhode Island leaders in education, business, and politics this month unveiled a blueprint to ensure that students learn a foreign language and build their understanding of other cultures. “It's not just nice to know another language; it's increasingly essential,” said U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, a Rhode Island Democrat, in a press release.

> http://bit.ly/Owkrl9

Trying to save vocational education
Washington Post: Class Struggle blog 6/27/12
by Jay Mathews
Many American adolescents don't want to go to college. They reject as boring and aggravating the Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and other college-level courses offered to them in high school. Yet, they need reading, writing, math and time-management skills for good jobs or trade school slots when they graduate. How can they be persuaded to acquire them? Motivating teenagers is tricky, but new ways are being tried.

> http://wapo.st/LE54WG

More news
Additional sources for your education news and opinion.

> Education Week
> EduWonk
> Gotham Schools
> Huffington Post
> John Merrow blog
> New York Times
> This Week in Education
> Washington Post